 If
you have not been out to Richland-Chambers reservoir lately,
you might want to consider a trip in the near future.
The bass are beginning their fall pattern, which means
they are moving to the mouths of and into the creeks chasing
shad. The sandbass and hybrids are also schooling on the
south end of the lake, according to some local anglers,
like Bill Young of Corsicana. Bill and his family recently
caught 60-70 sandies and hybrids schooling on the top,
near the dam. This is the time of the year you can find
fish gorging themselves with food getting ready for the
winter months ahead. If you can find a creek with shad
in it, you can probably catch bass there. The key is to
use your electronics to find schools of shad or watch
for them "flipping around" on the surface. For
sandbass and hybrids, watch for the birds feeding over
open water. If you see birds diving down to the water
for shad, chances are good that there are fish beneath
them.
I have been catching largemouths on jigs, crankbaits
and soft plastics. Near the edges of the creek channels,
I have caught 4-6lb. fish on white, 3/8 oz. Bulldog
jigs with a Kalin’s hand-poured frog trailer.
These trailers, which have salt and crawfish scent built
in, have proven to make a big difference for me. The
scent literally "oozes" out of them while
you fish, making them irresistible to the fish.
White and other shad colored Deep Little N’s
and DD14 crankbaits, by Norman Lures, are catching fish
holding out between the shoreline and the edges of the
creeks. I have found that varying the speed of the retrieve
from fast to slow will often trigger a bite.
If I catch a couple of fish in a particular area on
the crankbaits, I will usually work back through the
same area with my jig or a soft plastics. In clearer
water, if the jig isn’t producing or for a different
look, I pitch a 5" shad colored Salty Lunker Grub
rigged with a 3/0 hook and a 3/16-oz weight. The lighter
weight allows the grub to fall slowly beside a lay down
or in a cedar tree, resulting a strike. The fish are
usually suspended this time of the year. The injected
salt found in the Kalin grubs, like the jig trailer,
seems to make a difference in the number of strikes
I have been getting.
The sandbass and hybrids that are found schooling under
the birds can be caught on topwaters and Rattletraps.
The best colors seem to be chrome and chrome with a
black back. The ½ oz. Rattletrap is good for
catching sandbass while the ¾ oz. bait has worked
well for the larger hybrids. If it is a cloudy day,
gold Rattletraps should work if the chrome ones don’t
produce.
Whether you are going after largemouths or sandies,
the cooler temperatures make the experience more enjoyable
than an outing a couple of months ago when temperatures
were in the 100 degree range. Fall is my favorite time
of the year. The fish bite better and hunting season
is upon us. What a great time to go out and enjoy the
Texas outdoors.
Until next time, enjoy the Texas outdoors.
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