I was tired from fishing Hickory Creek Ranch Saturday, and the wake-up call came way too early for me Sunday morning. It was tough getting up, but I somehow managed, and finally got to the lake and started fishing at 8:00. It was 39° when I got to the lake, and the water temp was 58.1° where I launched; water clarity was about 3 feet.

My first fish came at 8:10 – about a 12 ounce black crappie that hit a chatterbait. I thought I was reeling in weeds. I caught my first bass at 8:48 – a dink that hit a wacky-rigged, “cheeto” Senko in 12 feet of water at the mid-lake stump out from the ramp. At 9:04, a 13-incher hit a white buzz bait near the small cove across the lake and just to the left of the ramp. From there, I fished clockwise around the lake, picking up a 15.25-incher on the perch-colored chatterbait at 10:06. It hit on the small point N of the cove where the old pontoon boat is. A few minutes later, another 15-inch fish hit the same lure. At 1:10, I picked up a dink on a wacky-rigged Senko.

Just before noon, I finally figured out what they wanted - at least some of them. I was in the big 3- to 4-foot deep flat at the W end of the lake and tied on a shallow-running balsa squarebill cankbait. That lure did the job; on my first cast with that lure, I boated a very strong 3-pounder. My next cast resulted in another ¾ pound black crappie, followed by several fish , all harvest bass just under 14” – all on that same bait, and all on consecutive casts. They all hit the lure when I paused it while it was floating toward the surface. When that acion stopped, I picked up another little one on a gold/black back #11 Rapala, fishing it the same way as I had the squarebill. Then, I had a dry spell when nothing I tried worked; I spent about ten minutes of that time across from the ramp, watching an otter diving near the bank  – the first one I’ve ever seen in Texas. Around 2:15, I did something else right:  I started using my long-time “go-to: bait, an unweighted, wacky-rigged Senko, this time fished in timber around the outer weedline….not near wood, but IN brush and downed trees. Doing that, I picked up a dink and four larger harvest fish between 13” and 15” long in the next 15 minutes. I ended the day at 2:34 with another 14” bass that hit the perch chatter bait. At that time, the water temp had climbed to 60.6°. I stopped fishing soon thereafter because I had a long drive ahead of me on US 287 through Palestine. Right after I trailered, the lake became glassy calm, with some surface activity.

It wasn't a big fish day - or weekend - by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The weather, the solitude, and the beauty of PWF lakes was enough - especially in December.

Totals for day: 2 crappie harvested; 6 bass returned, 10 harvested

What worked:  #11 Original floating Rapala, (gold with black back); chatter bait (green/white/yellow ) with 3.5” Lake Fork Live Magic Shad (green) or fluke (green/white) trailer; buzz bait (white); a Bagley Balsa B squarebill (purple back, chartreuse sides, and white belly); 5” Senko, unweighted and rigged wacky-style (”, black/blue flake and “cheeto”).

What didn’t:  Rex Spoon (silver) with 6” Uncle Josh pork eel (black); unweighted, wacky-rigged Senko (green pumpkin/chartreuse tail); Stutterstep (baby bass); ¾ oz Rattletrap (chrome/black back); single-spin (white); Zara Spook (chrome); Wounded Spook (shad); swim baits; T-rigged worms, Brush Hog, and Pit Boss (varying colors).

Here are the two crappie and lures described above, and a photo of Bennett in late afternoon: