Monster Bass, Bream & More At Lake Conroe

Giant largemouth bass are a rare commodity.

They are the desire of anglers from around the world, and few places are actual trophy destinations.

Lake Conroe is one of the elites.

Last February, Conroe native Scott Stephens caught a massive 14.25-pounder that qualified for the Texas Sharelunker program. Sharelunker recognizes bass weighing 13 pounds or more, and over the years, Conroe has entered 19 such fish, a feat only topped by a handful of Texas’ many reservoirs. But unlike other trophy bass lakes, Lake Conroe is within a short drive of a major city (Houston), a major airport, and has easy fishing access whether an angler chooses to fish from a bass boat, kayak, or even from the bank.

On top of that, anglers and their families can experience comfortable accommodations, fine dining in a beautiful vacation setting.

“The lake probably doesn’t have as big of a bass population as some of the other top bass lakes due to Conroe not having much grass. But what Conroe does have is a good number of big fish, which is why you have seen major tournaments where the big fish of the day was over 10 pounds,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro-Keith Combs, who has won multiple Toyota Texas Bass Classics on Conroe.

While the Legacy Class Sharelunkers described above are the stuff of dreams, a newer branch of the same program recognizes fish weighing eight pounds or more.

Since 2020, Conroe has had 20 bass entered in this program, including a 10.62-pound fish on March 9. And there was a 9.34 entered March 14 and an 8.50 on March 20. And the list keeps growing.

“Any lake that produces that many fish eight pounds or better are truly impressive. That part of Sharelunker is relatively new, so to see that many entered means there are many, many more that caught out there,” said angler Todd Jurasek.

According to officials with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), Lake Conroe is dominated by open water in the lower two-thirds of the reservoir, with some standing timber still present along the river channel in the upper reaches.

“Most of the standing timber is slightly submerged when the lake is at the conservation pool, making navigation hazardous in these areas, so caution is advised. Bulkheads with boat docks dominate the shore in the lower reservoir; the upper reservoir (the portion lying within the Sam Houston National Forest) is primarily featureless shoreline.”

One of the great success points for Lake Conroe is angler and agency cooperation that highlights the spirit of excellence in the community.

Artificial structures have been used to create four fish attractor “reefs” in this reservoir. TPWD placed the attractors in cooperation with the San Jacinto River Authority, local Friends of Reservoirs groups, and other partners. Anglers may use GPS in conjunction with a fish finder to locate these reefs.

Conroe’s world-class catfish and crappie fishing have been documented by Texas Fish & Game with features in the past that highlighted record catches and stunning numbers of fish caught regularly.

According to TPWD officials, anglers should also consider the hybrid striped bass on the lake.

“Hybrid striped bass are growing in popularity among Lake Conroe anglers and can be caught most any time of year. Most are taken by anglers trolling in open water areas or vertically jigging spoons or live shad. They are occasionally found running up the river channel during the early spring spawning run or foraging beneath schools of white bass in summer.

A simple, fun super family-friendly option for anglers of all skill sets is the bluegill population.

“Bluegills of gigantic proportions can be had by the angler who wants to be patient and target them. They can be caught along rip rap, fishing deep near the toe of the slope (sometimes 8 feet or more). Baits must reach near the bottom quickly to avoid the small bait-stealers that inhabit the shallower water. Live worms or crickets are the best producers. Some good fly-rod action can also be had using sinking insect imitation flies and sinking flyline,” TPWD officials reported.

Few lakes bring together such high-level action in so many different fisheries and even fewer offer in an area with big-city amenities, small-town friendliness, and wilderness beauty.

As stated earlier, giant largemouth bass are a rare commodity, but diverse fisheries with the high level of family-friendly access Lake Conroe offers are even rarer.