Personal Best

Jul 11 2017

Billy Morton

Fingerling

Member Since :
2011
Number of Posts :
81

My son hauled in his PB Sunday morning with this 7 lb 14 oz hawg. The fishing was tough this day otherwise, I am thinking probably because of the storms that rolled in the day before. The winds were light (0-3 mph) and the sun was high. Water clarity was low, probably 12". We got on the water at about 5:50a and began throwing top water with no takers. I think I finally picked a dink up on a chugger but that was it. Son was throwing a buzzbait and a pompadour with no takers. We switched over to plastics (flukes and senkos) still no takers. He started throwing a crawfish colored crank and picked up a 2lber and some dinks. I went to a big swim bait and he went to a red rattle trap and he immediately got a couple more fish. Then a couple casts later with the trap he hooked his PB up close to the bank in about 6-8' of water. I continued throwing the swim bait and did not get a single hit on it. I think we picked up one more fish each and that was it for the day. We decided to get off the water at about 11:30a because of the piping hot heat, zero wind, and the fish had lock jaw. There were dinks popping the top directly across the boat launch all day long but we could only get one of them to the boat, it was about 5" long. I was surprised to see these fish feeding on the abundance of minnows and not hit any lure we would throw. All in all, my son catching his PB made the whole trip!

Total fish caught - 8

Fish quality - (1) 7-14, (1) 2lb, (6) dinks and removed

What worked - Chugger got one, craw colored crank, red rattle trap

What didn't - Spinner baits, wacky senkos, swim baits, texas rigged craw, flukes, lizards, pompadour, buzzbait, crappie jigs

Posted By: Billy Morton

Jul 11 2017

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1171

Billy,

Congratulations on your sons PB. We have had more reports of personal bests being caught this year. It makes my job so much more fun, when you guys are having fun and catching fish.

The minnows you saw are likely Tilapia fry and Tilapia fingerlings. We added about 900 fish in May and they have likely have made 10's of thousands of babies all to feed our precious bass.

This lake likely has a thermocline (it is probably our deepest east Texas lake) in this lake. (Most of our east Texas lakes probably do not have a thermocline as they are too shallow)  My guess is those fish are hanging right below the thermocline at 15 to 20 feet so any of the XD crankbaits or DD22's might work. Obviously something in the grey/black color to match the tilapia or any of the bluegill colors. Several years ago, guys were smashing them in the summer and early Fall on DD22's in the deepest part of the lake. There is lots of 20 to 25 foot deep water in this lake, with some 30 foot water.

Steve

Jul 11 2017

Billy Morton

Fingerling

Member Since :
2011
Number of Posts :
81

Steve, I believe you are right, they had to be fingerlings of tilapia because they weren't bass or any panfish but ill tell ya, there were thousands of them everywhere and the dinks were having a field day with them. I also think you are spot on about them being deeper. I tried throwing T-rigged plastics deep with no luck. Last year my son and I hit this lake about this same time last year and I threw a DD22 until arms and hands were plum wore out. I think I caught one little one that day on the deep diver and caught quite a few on jigs, plastics and a chugger. The water temp was definitely high so I'm sure they were deep. 

Jul 14 2017

David Curtis

Fry

Member Since :
2005
Number of Posts :
47

My first girlfriend was a really cute cheerleader….... I can't remember her name.

My first PB was 7.7lber that I caught on an H&H white spinner bait, 4ft of water, right after a heavy April shower. She was a Texas native, not one of those F1 Floridians we fish for today. She hit and immediately took me into a brush pile. I didn't realize how big she was until the brush pile started bubbling then moved towards deeper water.  The first time she broke water, I was amazed at the size of her large mouth, I held on for dear life. She busted water three times trying to spit that spinner bait.  I was in one of  water spiders and she pulled me around for several minutes. It was the best ride of my life. I was fifteen and way to young to fall in love…. but I did. With bass fishing, not the cheerleader. 

I'll never forget her.

I hope you never forget your 7.14 and the fact that your Dad was with you to help get her in the boat.  The joy of fishing and catching PB's will never go away, regardless of age.  

Congrats on the PB, I hope you have many more!