Reservation Number : 22423
Property Name : Hidden Springs Ranch
Reservation Date : 11/05/2019 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 15 to 6 lbs
Lures Used : worms

While Dallas was shrouded in fog and drizzle, Hidden Springs was a glass mirror of the fall foliage on the shore and the clear skies above.  I took more pictures of the red and orange trees reflecting in the water than I did of the bass I caught!  Fall fishing in East Texas is a shutterbug's dream!

The bite was dead until a light breeze began to ripple the water.  These fish were not interested in cranks, chatterbaits, or anything active.  Everything came on soft plastics, and as the breeze picked up in the afternoon, so did the bite.  The fish were like logs when I set the hook, and several times I was fooled on size.  Biggest was 6.6 and he had a split lower jaw--strangest fish I have ever seen.

Now about that breeze. . .

I had a buddy who was towing his boat before the advent of safety chains.  He was on the road one day and he looked to his right and saw a boat and thought, "That looks just like MY boat. . ." and then realized that it WAS his boat, passing him as he braked for traffic ahead.  That didn't end well for him, and I thought about him yesterday afternoon.

I stopped to grab my lunch from the truck and tied off on the dock.  I was under the pavillion and heard a large splash.  I had seen an otter earlier that morning and wondered if he was venturing toward my boat.  That's when I looked back at the dock and saw my boat . . . about 20 yards from the dock, drifting toward the other side!  It was a very strange feeling!  I hotfooted around the two creek branches and arrived at the big dock by the lodge and sat there waiting for that slight breeze to finally deliver my boat to me.  And all I could think of was, "Man, I'm so glad I don't have a partner with me today to see this!"

Moral of this story:  be sure you are tied up WELL!