 While
most youngsters are enjoying school being out for the
summer, there is another type of school going on, summer
school. I don’t mean your traditional classroom
education type of summer school, I am talking about summertime
schools of sand bass and hybrids. The action is fast and
fun.
Richland-Chambers reservoir is loaded with sand bass
and an abundant supply of food for them to eat, shad.
Each year about this time, the "sandies "
can be found chasing shad to the surface and create
a feeding frenzy that literally makes the water boil.
They are a blast to catch, even for we "serious
bass anglers".
I especially like to take my daughters, Tatum and Megan,
for an afternoon of fishing. I do not know of a better
way to capture the interest of a youngster than to get
them out on the water and let them catch fish, one after
another. They love it. Often, I do not even fish myself…I
can’t. I’m too busy taking off their fish.
I have hooked both girls on the sport of fishing by
taking them sand bass fishing. The key to kids and fishing
is catching fish.
The best way to catch these guys is with a chrome slab
or chrome and black Rat-L-Trap in the ¼ or ½
ounce size on a medium action rod with 15 – 20
lb. line. If you find a school of fish surfacing or
with your electronics, throw either of these two baits
and chances are you will get bit. Look for sand bass
to school in open water where there is a hump or old
pond dam.
The birds are also a good locator. They will "dive
bomb" the surface, feeding on shad as the sand
bass run them to the top of the water. Watch for birds
in a large group feeding and you can bet there are fish
under them. Be careful, however, not to run over the
area the birds are feeding on with your boat or you
will scare the fish down below the surface making them
harder to find.
If you find fish schooling on the surface, and you
get tired of catching smaller fish, try getting a bait
down deeper. The larger fish will often lie under the
smaller fish. Sometimes I will use a DD14 or DD22 shad
colored crankbait by Norman Lures to get down to the
big ‘uns. I have caught several large hybrids
by doing this. The bite is not as fast, but the fish
are usually quite a bit larger.
I have found that the best times for fishing the sand
bass is early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
They school more during these times of day more than
any other. Besides, it is more comfortable for the fisherman,
too.
If you head out to the lake this time of year, be sure
and take along plenty of water. It gets hot and you
can dehydrate quickly. Wear sunscreen and protect you
eyes with good sunglasses. Be sure to wear your personal
floatation device and operate your boat in a safe and
courteous manner. If you don’t have a boat, call
a guide like Stan Lawhon or Mike Guide service in Corsicana,
Texas. They will glady get you on some fish. Good luck
and good fishing.
Until next time, enjoy the Texas outdoors.
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