Fishing Questions and Answers, Pt. 2

This is the second installment of our reader fishing Questions and Answers.

Q: Are buffalo (fish) and gaspergou the same fish? I have never caught either but hear about them all the time.

A: Buffalo are a type of suckerfish that grow to huge proportions. Bow fishermen at Sam Rayburn routinely shoot them up to 30 pounds and they grow even larger. Gaspergou are a freshwater drum that basically looks like the black drum caught commonly in local saltwater areas without the dark coloration. Think silver drum and you have the gaspergou.

Q: What is your all-time favorite bass lure?

A: This is extremely tough and probably impossible for me to give a single, honest answer. There are so many lures for so many applications. However, if I had to narrow it down to just one particular lure that has consistently produced bass for me over the years it would be the Fat Free Shad, a medium-running crankbait. As grueling as it can be, I love crankbait fishing.

Q: A few years back there was a rumor of a huge speckled trout bigger than the state record shocked in a survey Sabine Lake. Any truth to that?

A: Variations of this rumor have been around for nearly a decade but the short answer is “no”. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) uses electroshock surveys at inland fishing destinations like Toledo Bend reservoir to survey bass and other fish. These types of surveys are not used in saltwater because it does not conduct electricity the way freshwater does. They do however use gill nets and to my knowledge there has never been a 15 plus pound trout caught in one of the local TPWD nets.

Q: What is the best kind of Gulp! for speckled trout?

A: In my opinion, without question the 4-inch Swimming Mullet is the best (smoke color). It works great everywhere I have fished it from murky to clear water and is killer under a popping cork or fished on the bottom with a jighead.