Sleepers

The best bass lakes aren’t always the ones you hear the most about

• Many mini lakes much better suited for smaller aluminum rigs and kayaks rather than cumbersome fiberglass boats. (Photo by Matt Williams)
• Bass anglers in eastern Texas are gifted with some of the best bass lakes on the planet, but not all of them grab the attention of the masses. Among them are B.A. Steinhegan, also known as Dam B. Hunter Brocato of Warren caught a new lake record there earlier this year, a 12.48 pounder. (Tackle Addict Photo)
• C.R. Stevenson set a new lake record for Lake Coleman in 2021 with his 14.83 pounder bruiser. (TPWD Photo)

It’s no secret that us Texas bass junkies are blessed with a wealth of good fishin’ holes. There are a passel of great lakes around that are well known to the masses, along with a few that you don’t hear much about.

I recently reached out to several TPWD fisheries biologists in different regions of the state and asked them for a shake down on a few sweet spots that tend to fly under the radar of Texas’ bass fishing fraternity. Here are their picks:

Water Body: Dam B (10,700 acres) District: Jasper Fisheries Biologist: Todd Driscoll, todd.driscoll@tpwd. texas.gov, (409) 698-9114

Driscoll oversees some the state’s premier bass fisheries. He had to think for a minute when asked to name a “sleeper lake” in his district that the crowds often overlook.

“It would have be B.A. Steinhagen,” he said. “It’s fishing really good right now.”

Also known as Dam B, the lake is teeming with great habitat that sets up perfectly for old school, vegetation- on-the bank power fishing tactics like short range flipping, frogging, swim jigging and Texas rigging. In addition to hydrilla and lotus pads, anglers will find plenty of flooded timber and cypress trees in skinny water. Some of the best fishing takes place north the US Highway 190 crossing.

Driscoll says the lake routinely cranks out 20 pound limits in weekday jackpots and has produced largemouths upwards of 12 pounds. On Jan. 1, Dam B produced new lake record weighing 12.48 pounds for Hunter Brocato of Warren. The lake is best suited for aluminum rigs, not fiberglass bass boats.

Driscoll says bass anglers can also adventure upstream and explore the clear waters of the Angelina River below the Sam Rayburn dam. Reports of bass upwards of eight pounds are fairly common in the river fishery. Don’t be surprised to see a few alligators if you make the to trip during spring warming trends.

Water Body: Mission Reach Paddling Trail (8 miles) District: San Antonio Fisheries Biologist: Mitch Nisbet, 210-688-9460, Mitch. Nisbet@tpwd.texas.gov

Nesbit’s sleeper is way more urban than heavy hitters like Falcon and Amistad. In fact, it’s just off the beaten path of Alamo City foot traffic. It’s called Mission Reach, an 8-mile paddling trail just south of San Antonio on the San Antonio River.

“The river was constructed to have run, riffle, pool segments and has a surprisingly robust fishery given the urban landscape that surrounds it,” he said. “Anglers probably won’t catch a Legacy ShareLunker here, but it does have a thriving Guadalupe bass population with fish up to 16-18 inches and quality size largemouth bass.”

Espada Park and Padre Park are two of the main access points to the paddling trail, but Nisbet says there are numerous other parks along the way where anglers take advantage of plentiful bank access with multiple fishing platforms and boardwalks.

Water Body: Wheeler Branch (190 acres) and Alvardo Park (507 acres) District: Waco Fisheries Biologist: Michael Baird, (254) 666-5190, michael. baird@tpwd.texas.gov

Baird says Wheeler Branch has a solid largemouth population governed by 14-21 inch slot limit. The fishery is thriving thanks in part to a recent explosion of native pond weed that rings the lake and provides anglers with plenty of targets to chunk at. Access is limited to canoes, kayaks and jon boats with no outboard engine. In addition to largemouth, the lake has been stocked for a number of years with smallmouth bass and walleye that to provide some nice additions for any trip.

Baird says a quality fishery also awaits at Alvarado Park.

“The lake boasts a variety of habitat and structure including emergent shoreline vegetation, boat docks and at least one freshwater reef comprised of Georgia structures or PVC cubes deployed in 2021,” he said. “The bass are in excellent condition due to a variety of plentiful forage.”

Water Body: Lavon (21,400 acres) and Lake Bridgeport (11,900 acres) District: Denison Fisheries Biologist: Dan Bennett, (903) 786-2389, dan. bennett@tpwd.texas.gov

Bennett says both North Texas lakes have produced whoppers, but still seem to fly beneath the radar of D/ FW crowds.

“The lakes are difficult for the average fisherman to fish, mainly because you usually can’t just go out there and find a shoreline and start fishing,” he said. “During spring you can target the shoreline and be fairly successful, but it seems like the more a lake fluctuates, the less the bigger bass associate with the shoreline. If you can get out in the lake and target points and drop offs, there are fish pushing 10 pounds or better to be caught.”

Bennett noted that Lavon has plentiful button bush and buck brush along the shorelines that will hold fish during high water periods during spring and early summer.

Water Body: Champion Creek, (1,577 acres) District: San Angelo Fisheries Biologist: Lynn Wright, (325) 651-5556, lynn. wright@tpwd.texas.gov

Wright says most of the top lakes in his district are starving for water. The lone exception is Champion Creek, which has remained close to 60 percent full for the last year.

“It’s my only reservoir that held onto water this year,” Wright said. “It was producing some 8-10 pounders last spring. We did a March-May creel survey last spring and the angler catch rate was 0.8 fish per hour, which is good for our area.”

Wright noted that a 10.78 pound Elite class Share-Lunker was caught at Champion Creek in March 2023. He said the lake is mostly rocky with a mix of flats and steep drop offs with some flooded brush at the upper reaches. The water is moderately clear and can fluctuate widely from year to year. Spring is usually the primetime for fishing there.

Water Body: Lakes Gilmer (1,010 acres) and Lone Star (1,397 acres) District: Marshall Fisheries Biologist: Tim Bister, (903) 938-1007, timothy. bister@tpwd.texas.gov

Bister says both mini lakes have substantial habitat to support abundant prey fish populations that keep the bass fishery fat and sassy.

“The bass in both lakes grow fast and have excellent body condition due to the available prey fish,” said Bister. “We have stocked Florida largemouth bass approximately every two years to provide quality genetics to maintain the trophy potential of these fisheries. Smaller reservoirs like these may get overshadowed by larger nearby bass fisheries like Lake O’ the Pines or Lake Fork, but they are definitely worth the trip.”

Gilmer’s fishery is managed with an 18-inch minimum length limit, while Lone Star falls under the statewide 14-inch minimum length limit.

Water Body: Cooper (19,000 acres) and Richland Chambers (41,000 acres) District: Tyler Fisheries Biologist: Jake Norman. (903) 566-1615, jake. norman@tpwd.texas.gov

Norman said Cooper has been in a down cycle for years, but electrofishing surveys conducted last fall suggest things have improved, at least in the short term.

“We saw a large abundance of 6-9 inch bass, suggesting a good spawn,” he said. “We also saw a fair number of 18-21 inch fish, which haven’t been collected during an electrofishing survey on Cooper in a long time. The lake has seen some improvements in habitat (hydrilla, pondweed and buttonbush) especially during the critical spring months, over the last several years.

Norman added that the department added 200,000 Florida fingerlings and around 200 retired brood fish weighing 6-8 pounds to the fishery since 2021.

Norman says Richland Chambers consistently spits out big fish, yet many anglers continue to neglect it.

“I think Richland could produce a ShareLunker any year, it just needs enough people fishing it to increase the chances,” he said.

Lake: JB Thomas (7,200 acres) District: Amarillo Fisheries Biologist: Caleb Huber, (806) 655-4341, caleb. huber@tpwd.texas.gov

Huber ranks JB Thomas as his No. 1 sleeper, mainly because it has been on a pretty strong run with double- digit fish over the last 12 months.

“Last year was a good one and I’m looking for it to carry into 2024,” Huber said.

Huber’s prediction was on the money. The lake has kicked out numerous fish upwards of 10 pounds this year, including a 13.79 pound Legacy Class ShareLunker in January.

Names: Lake Daniel (950 acres) and Lake Coleman (2,000 acres) District: Abilene Fisheries Biologist: Michael Homer, (325) 692-0921, michael.homer@tpwd.texas.gov

Homer says both have histories of producing whoppers.

“Lake Daniel is a smaller reservoir that offers a more remote angling opportunity,” Homer said. “It has produced two Legacy ShareLunker largemouth bass catches and two Elite class catches since 2020.”

Homer says Coleman has has the potential to produce good catches given its lower angling pressure in comparison to nearby O.H. Ivie. Since 2023, it has kicked out two Legacy ShareLunkers, including a 14.83 pound lake record.

Water Body: Canyon (8,308 acres) and Walter E. Long (1,269 acres) District: San Marcos/Austin Mukhtar Farooqi, (325) 692-0921, mukhtar.farooqi@tpwd.texas.gov

Farooqi says Canyon’s history of low catch rates have significantly improved in recent times thanks the establishment of hydrilla since 2021. Artificial fish attractors also have placed to provide habitat for and to help improve angler success.

“Since the hydrilla has established itself in the reservoir — mostly in the upper reaches — we have seen an increase in catch rates, quantity, and quality of largemouth bass in our 2023 survey and reports from many anglers,” Farooqi said. “The only downside is that the lake is currently at an all-time low, so the status of boat ramps should be checked before venturing out.”

Farooqi says Walter E. Long is well known as a numbers lake, as illustrated by recent electrofishing surveys that have exceeded 200 fish per hour multiple times. Bass are protected by a 14-21 inch slot limit. Anglers are advised to check the boat ramp status by contacting the City of Austin Parks Department before making the trip.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.