This lake is full of Studs and Stud-ettes

Jun 16 2022

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Made the trek out to Hidden Springs today with fellow member Randy Groves. Despite the heat, we were able to get on some morning, full moon fish and pick up a few nice ones.  This lake has some absolute toads in it and is packed with a diverse forage base that includes tilapia.  

  1. Water was 84 surface temp to start and warmed to 91.5 by midday with the classic tea color tannic water of East Texas.  Wind was steady in the AM but died off by midday.  Emergent vegetation was varied (pickerel, cut grass, water willow) and submergent looked like widgeon or horned pond weed – still working on my plant identification – but it was long and stringy.  Same stuff on Bennett.  
  2. Randy got there super early and picked up a frog bite and a chatterbait bite run close to the surface.  I got on the water by 8:30, saw the clear but tannic water, and went with deeper stuff after fishing with a Deps 250 (got one fish on it, but it was small) for about an hour (cranks/trap/CRIG). We were off the water around 2:30 and took a thirty minute break around 12am. 
  3. We ended up with 39 total between us in about 11 hours of shared fishing time (4 per hour).  Catching fish wasn’t an issue.  We really didn’t have too many under the cull size either.  5 for me, 1 for Randy. .  
  4. The lake is large and fishes larger. I fish pretty fast and move at a good clip and barely touched/covered enough water.  So, I picked three primary areas (identified below) and worked those as best I could with a high, medium, low water column coverage plan.  Randy was kinda here and there at various spots of the lake. 
  5. I Found some old dock pilings but not much else in terms of submerged cover so I worked the outer widgeon line as best I could.  I caught the one that went just shy of 6.  The picture doesn’t do her justice as she had a massive belly.  I had a large fish get off near the boat but didn’t get a great look. All my bigger fish were on overcranking a 10xd at 17FOW in the middle part of the lake. near but not in the grass. 
  6. I had good success ripping a rattle trap in the back corner on a wind blown bank in about 7FOW.  They weren’t big fish but they were really active and responded well to ripping the trap out of the stringy widgeon.  I could have done that in other spots and caught as many as I wanted till the wind died (and the bite died with it), but I know this lake is managed well and has some toads and I wanted toads. Where I found wind driven current into narrower spots, I found fish bunched up. 
  7. Randy hooked something very large.  Spun his boat twice and ripped drag.  He had new 20lb big game and when it got to the boat it took off faster than the drag could release and snapped the line.  I definitely got a call on the way home and heard the lamentations. 
  8. This property is one of the best, if not the best, looking in the club.  Absolutely stunning.  Manicured but still has a semi rustic feel in all the right ways.  I’d need three days to fish this lake right.  We found some lodging on the next property over and plan to go back in the fall to spend some days on it with my boat boat.  
  9. Side note, I left my chair at home and had to stand in the skiff all day.  I would have gotten more pictures, but my back hurt just to bend down after a couple of hours and with the initial wind, I wasn’t super steady on the skiff. 
  10. Second side note: With the heat, you really want to get fish back into the water as quickly as possible. Bass can die at 90+ pretty quickly.  They need to get back in there asap. 

Jul 17 2022

Richard Mccarty

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
17

Excellent report.. You mentioned the lodging close by I am currently wanting to fish this lake as well. Do you have lodging info by chance?

Jul 17 2022

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Originaly Posted By Richard Mccarty

Excellent report.. You mentioned the lodging close by I am currently wanting to fish this lake as well. Do you have lodging info by chance?

https://goo.gl/maps/gLueQD33B2SogBX3A  Yellow Rose Canyon.  Note, I haven’t stayed there but it has good reviews.  

Jul 17 2022

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1171

Hi Joshua,

Great report…as usual. IMO, this is likely the single best value in the club. If this lake was within 1.5 hours of Houston, Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth or San Antonio the rates would be 2X or 2.5X. Currently, we only have about 5 or 6 members who frequent the lake each year. Every single year this lake kicks out a top 3 bass in our bass fishing contest. And yet very few ever fish the 2nd largest (65 acres) and perhaps the most beautiful lake in the club. I think the 3 hour drive from Houston or Dallas is the deal killer. 

The plant that use to domiant this lake is variable leaf millfoil. Less common than its cousin called eurasion millfoil. For those pond nerds, like me and Joshua, you primarily see coontail, southern niad (aka bushy pond weed) and American Pond Weed as the 3 most common plants in our club lakes. The long stringy stuff you saw was likely Widgeon Grass.  FYI, most members call all aquatic vegetation Hydrilla. No big deal, as most don’t care, but most of our lakes have no hydrilla, its usually coontail. Candidly, I too struggle to properly indentify aquatic plants. Its hard. 

Here is the link to variable leaf millfoil. https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/variable-leaf-watermilfoil/

Jul 17 2022

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Originaly Posted By Steve Alexander

Hi Joshua,

Great report…as usual. IMO, this is likely the single best value in the club. If this lake was within 1.5 hours of Houston, Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth or San Antonio the rates would be 2X or 2.5X. Currently, we only have about 5 or 6 members who frequent the lake each year. Every single year this lake kicks out a top 3 bass in our bass fishing contest. And yet very few ever fish the 2nd largest (65 acres) and perhaps the most beautiful lake in the club. I think the 3 hour drive from Houston or Dallas is the deal killer. 

The plant that use to domiant this lake is variable leaf millfoil. Less common than its cousin called eurasion millfoil. For those pond nerds, like me and Joshua, you primarily see coontail, southern niad (aka bushy pond weed) and American Pond Weed as the 3 most common plants in our club lakes. The long stringy stuff you saw was likely Widgeon Grass.  FYI, most members call all aquatic vegetation Hydrilla. No big deal, as most don’t care, but most of our lakes have no hydrilla, its usually coontail. Candidly, I too struggle to properly indentify aquatic plants. Its hard. 

Here is the link to variable leaf millfoil. https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/variable-leaf-watermilfoil/

Ty for the breakdown Steve. I haven’t seen hydrilla on a PWF lake that I recall, but it would be pretty wild as I’m guess it would completely overtake the lake as it grows really deep.  I liked the widgeon as it was eay to rip out of.  I would definitely fish this lake alot more if it was closer.  I don’t mind traveling for it though. 

Jul 17 2022

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1171

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

Ty for the breakdown Steve. I haven’t seen hydrilla on a PWF lake that I recall, but it would be pretty wild as I’m guess it would completely overtake the lake as it grows really deep.  I liked the widgeon as it was eay to rip out of.  I would definitely fish this lake alot more if it was closer.  I don’t mind traveling for it though. 

The only lake I recall having hydrilla is San Saba Waco Creek Ranch. That lake has at least 6 or 7 different submerged plants in it. 

Jul 17 2022

Richard Mccarty

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
17

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

https://goo.gl/maps/gLueQD33B2SogBX3A  Yellow Rose Canyon.  Note, I haven’t stayed there but it has good reviews.  

Thank you. I booked it for next week & left lodging up to wife , she's wanting to get away as well. She mentioned the place were saying has a 14 acre lake so sounds like a win. My plan is to fish till lunch go back to where we're staying "20 miles” huge nap and back for evening top water. Heat never has bothered me much but lately is been next level.

Jul 17 2022

Richard Mccarty

Fry

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
17

Originaly Posted By Steve Alexander

Hi Joshua,

Great report…as usual. IMO, this is likely the single best value in the club. If this lake was within 1.5 hours of Houston, Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth or San Antonio the rates would be 2X or 2.5X. Currently, we only have about 5 or 6 members who frequent the lake each year. Every single year this lake kicks out a top 3 bass in our bass fishing contest. And yet very few ever fish the 2nd largest (65 acres) and perhaps the most beautiful lake in the club. I think the 3 hour drive from Houston or Dallas is the deal killer. 

The plant that use to domiant this lake is variable leaf millfoil. Less common than its cousin called eurasion millfoil. For those pond nerds, like me and Joshua, you primarily see coontail, southern niad (aka bushy pond weed) and American Pond Weed as the 3 most common plants in our club lakes. The long stringy stuff you saw was likely Widgeon Grass.  FYI, most members call all aquatic vegetation Hydrilla. No big deal, as most don’t care, but most of our lakes have no hydrilla, its usually coontail. Candidly, I too struggle to properly indentify aquatic plants. Its hard. 

Here is the link to variable leaf millfoil. https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/variable-leaf-watermilfoil/

I'm excited about ths lake I primarily have fished Bennet but I'm sure it's to overgrown this deep in summer & this lake is about the same distance for me. Not sure how I have overlooked it.

Jul 18 2022

Charles McCarble

Fingerling

Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
67

Originaly Posted By Richard Mccarty

I'm excited about ths lake I primarily have fished Bennet but I'm sure it's to overgrown this deep in summer & this lake is about the same distance for me. Not sure how I have overlooked it.

Scott Wheeler and I fished this property back on 10/23 of last year. Yes, it is a trek coming from North Dallas, but not that bad… We went up the night before and stayed at a motel 6 about 15-20 mins.away, and  fished for 2 days. This allowed us to hit the water early and fish the entire lake. We were able to find the “hot spots” by the end of the first day. I caught a 5½ lb. bass near the dock/ retaining wall near the main house and lost another the same size about 10 minutes later (I was reaching to lift fish out of the water and he threw the plug). I had a blow up on a whopper plopper that Scott heard 25 yards away while fishing in his Ultra skiff. I have no idea of size, it was one of the loudest explosions I have had in 20 years! This is one of the lakes that can be feast or famine. There are definately fish in this lake that can up anybodys PB!!!