Post-Spawn Fish Head for Creeks, Points

Reported by TF&G STAFF

Email us at ContactUs@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Bob Sandlin
HOTSPOT: Cypress Flume
GPS: N 33 3.297, W 95 3.297
(33.0550, -95.0550)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Shad cranks, spoons, fish with flow direction
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Shad cranks, spoons, fish with flow direction; Dawn, morning

LOCATION: Caddo Lake
HOTSPOT: Bird Island Area
GPS: N 32 40.6206, W 94 5.0219
(32.6770, -94.0837)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: V&M wild thang 8.5 worm in colors of black/blue or Blue Flex. Frogs and buzzbaits in the grass and pads.
SOURCE: Caddo Lake Guide Service/Paul Keith
318-455-3437
www.caddolakefishing.com
TIPS: Fish large worms around the cypress trees in 3-5 ft. of water while fishing the frogs and buzzbaits in the same areas.

LOCATION: Lake Conroe
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 30 26.994, W 95 35.376
(30.4499, -95.5896)

SPECIES: Hybrid Stripers
BEST BAITS: Live shad and Storm Swim shad
SOURCE: Richard Tatsch
936)291-1277
www.fishdudetx.com
TIPS: The hybrid stripers are in full swing now and this is the time to catch trophy fish and possibly lake record Hybrids. They will be all around the lake on submerged points and humps. The use of electronics is a necessity! Find the schools of shad and you will find the Hybrids. They will range in water from 16 to 28 feet. Find the depth the baitfish are in, and you will find fish. As the weather heats up the early morning bite will be best. Live shad is the bait of choice, but the swim shad will work if you can control the depth.

LOCATION: Lake Cooper/Chapman
HOTSPOT: Finely Branch Creek
GPS: N 33 17.402, W 95 41.223
(33.2900, -95.6871)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, swim baits
SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office
903-593-5077
TIPS: Fish red/shad plastics or watermelon swimbaits. You’ll want to work the banks. Dawn through afternoon.

LOCATION: Lake Fork
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Creeks
GPS: N 32 56.2319, W 95 38.796
(32.9372, -95.6466)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Popping Frog in white, Yellow Magic topwater lure, and Wacky Worm in Watermelon Red
SOURCE: Doug Shampine
940-902-3855
www.lakeforktrophybass.com
TIPS: Bass fishing in May on Lake Fork is my favorite month to fish. The top water bite is outstanding in May. The female bass are now in post spawn and are feeding up after not eating while they were spawning. You will find them in the shallow areas close to the spawning areas. Also, the lily pads are growing along with the hydrilla which provides ambush cover for these big females. Burch, Running, Coffee, and Big Mustang Creeks will be places to check out for these big bass to be feeding.

LOCATION: Lake Houston
HOTSPOT: Railroad Bridge
GPS: N 29 59.19, W 95 7.87
(29.9865, -95.1312)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Live minnows or jigs
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Use spider rigs.

LOCATION: Lake Livingston
HOTSPOT: The Lump
GPS: N 30 41.172, W 95 5.658
(30.6862, -95.0943)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Jigging White Slabs, trolled Pet Spoons on downrigger and Tsunami Zombie Eye Jigs (1 oz pink/silver glow).
SOURCE: David S. Cox, Palmetto Guide Service
936-291-9602
www.palmettoguideservice.com
TIPS: Fish the slope of the drop off and jig the slabs and Tsunami Zombie Eyes right off the bottom. Feel for strikes on the falling jig.

LOCATION: Lake Murvaul
HOTSPOT: Riter Point
GPS: N 32 2.349, W 94 25.758
(32.0392, -94.4293)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Graph the fish around this point; dawn, morning, dusk, dawn, morning, dusk

LOCATION: Lake Nacogdoches
HOTSPOT: Anderson Point
GPS: N 31 37.411, W 94 48.952
(31.6235, -94.8159)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Jigs, soft plastics
SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office
409-698-9114
TIPS: This is a good spawning area. Use your electronics to find brush piles. Avoid midday.

LOCATION: Lake O the Pines
HOTSPOT: Big Cypress at Cedar Springs
GPS: N 32 50.863, W 94 41.863
(32.8477, -94.6977)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows
SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office
903-938-1007
TIPS: Drop shot minnows at grasslines. Avoid afternoon.

LOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn
HOTSPOT: Norris Creek
GPS: N 31 08.319, W 94 08.251
(31.1387, -94.1375)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows, Roadrunners
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Slow roll live minnows or Roadrunners over grass. Dawn to late morning, dusk, and night.

LOCATION: Lake Sam Rayburn
HOTSPOT: Back of Pophers Creek
GPS: N 31 11.893, W 94 23.527
(31.1982, -94.3921)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Frogs, plastics
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Run frogs over the acres of lily pads in this area. Dawn to late morning and dusk are best times.

LOCATION: Toledo Bend
HOTSPOT: Bayou Seipe
GPS: N 31 43.602, W 93 49.4879
(31.7267, -93.8248)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows (shiners) and jigs
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: May is the month the Crappie will be moving off the beds and following the creeks back to their main lake haunts. If you drop some brush or locate some natural cover along the creek channels the Crappie will hold in these areas before heading back to the main lake. Straight-line shiners or jigs over the cover.

LOCATION: Lake Wright Patman
HOTSPOT: Rochelle Creek
GPS: N 33 20.054, W 94 13.426
(33.3342, -94.2238)

SPECIES: Catfish
BEST BAITS: Punchbait, shad
SOURCE: TPWD District Fisheries Office
903-938-1007
Fish with Carolina-rigged punchbait or shad and work in about 6-15 feet of water. Action good all day.

East Texas HotSPOTLight

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Fish Early Mornings, Late Afternoons

Reported by TF&G Staff

Email us at ContactUs@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Austin
HOTSPOT: Lake Austin Marina
GPS: N 30 18.068, W 97 46.947
(30.3011, -97.7825)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, soft plastics
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Spinnerbaits, soft plastic worms; all day; March-July, all day

LOCATION: Belton Lake
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 31 8.49, W 97 28.8359
(31.1415, -97.4806)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits and Topwater Baits in natural colors
SOURCE: Henry Niemiec
254-368-0294
TIPS: Now is the time to plan your trips in the early morning or late afternoon. Bass will move into the shallow water to feed when the sun goes down and move back to deeper water when it comes back up. Look for shorelines with stickups or larger rocks in the water. The backs of coves are great starting points for this time of the year. If you have been bitten by the top water bug, this is the time of the year for some great top water action!

LOCATION: Lake Buchanan
HOTSPOT: Upper Half of Main Lake
GPS: N 30 50.4, W 98 24.4919
(30.8400, -98.4082)

SPECIES: Striped Bass and White Bass
BEST BAITS: Live shad
SOURCE: Clancy Terrill
512-633-6742
www.centraltexasfishing.com
TIPS: White Bass and Striper fishing is excellent. Concentrate on 30 to 45 feet depths near ridges and humps. If you have a breeze, drop your anchor. If not, try drifting and fish 24 feet down.

LOCATION: Canyon Lake
HOTSPOT: Guadalupe River Mouth Area
GPS: N 29 53.5379, W 98 18.216
(29.8923, -98.3036)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs with minnows, small crankbaits, small spinnerbaits
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: There may be a small number of crappie that have not spawned, but most will be scattered following intermediate travel routes exiting the river, creeks, and shallow water in search of their deeper summer habitat. Black crappie usually do not migrate as far from spawning grounds as white crappie. More white crappie will be caught in the main lake during the summer, while black crappie will seek the deeper depths of the river. This area has lots of standing timber the river channel. Fish just off the main river channel and look for suspended fish.

LOCATION: Cedar Creek Lake
HOTSPOT: Mid-Lake Humps
GPS: N 32 18.288, W 96 9.636
(32.3048, -96.1606)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Slabs
SOURCE: Jason Barber
903-603-2047
www.kingscreekadventures.com
TIPS: Fish mid-lake humps and points with slabs hopped along the bottom in 8’ to 16’,

LOCATION: Coleto Creek Lake
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 28 43.4759, W 97 11.334
(28.7246, -97.1889)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Topwater lures, weightless watermelon lizards, pearl white or watermelon flukes, white spinnerbaits
SOURCE: Rocky’s Guide Service
361-960-0566
TIPS: Stay focused in the backs of creeks that have a lot of fry and fish topwaters early morning. Then find clear water during the afternoon and pitch white spinners during windy day. If no wind, throw pearl white or watermelon flukes. Just let it sink real slow.

LOCATION: Lake Corpus Christi
HOTSPOT: Main Islands
GPS: N 28 8.886, W 97 54.279
(28.1481, -97.9047)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Live minnows, crappie jigs
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Hit willow trees in 7-14’, look for brush marked w jugs; all day; Apr thru Oct, all day

LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake
HOTSPOT: Deep water hump
GPS: N 32 53.281, W 97 29.684
(32.88801, -97.49474)

SPECIES: White bass
BEST BAITS: Slabs
SOURCE: Kolby Kuhn, Final Cast Guide Service
817-243-5858
kolbymkuhn@gmail.com
TIPS: After the spawn, the white bass will be feeding heavily on shad around main lake humps. Focus on fishing 20-30 feet of water vertical jigging slabs. As the water warms up later in May, move to the shallow part of the same structure or fish the 15-20 foot range.

LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake
HOTSPOT: Dam
GPS: N 32 52.546, W 97 27.991
(32.875775, -97.466522)

SPECIES: Channel catfish
BEST BAITS: Punch bait
SOURCE: Kolby Kuhn, Final Cast Guide Service
817-243-5858
kolbymkuhn@gmail.com
TIPS: The channel catfish will be spawning this month. Good places to catch them are near rocky banks such as the dam. Use a slip cork rig with punch bait out in front of the rocks to catch them. Focus on shallow water in stained water areas and move deeper in clear water areas. Try different depths between 1 and 10 feet of water until you start getting bites.

LOCATION: Fayette County
HOTSPOT: Park Cove
GPS: N 29 56.544, W 96 44.9639
(29.9424, -96.7494)

SPECIES: Catfish
BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch bait
SOURCE: Weldon Kirk
979-229-3103
www.fishtales-guideservice.com
TIPS: Spawn is mostly over by now. Fish will be shallow in the timber. Put chum around the trees and fish with a slip cork.

LOCATION: Granger Lake
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Brush Piles
GPS: N 30 42.09, W 97 21.0839
(30.7015, -97.3514)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Jigs and Minnows
SOURCE: Tommy Tidwell
512-365-7761
www.gotcrappie.com
TIPS: Use jigs tipped with Berkley Crappie Nibbles or minnows. Remember, dead minnows will usually catch the largest crappie. Fish vertically over the brush and hold the bait very still. Wait for the thump and you are in business.

LOCATION: Lake Joe Pool
HOTSPOT: State Park Brush Pile
GPS: N 32 37.746, W 96 59.265
(32.6291, -96.9878)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows
SOURCE: Carey Thorn
469-528-0210
whitebassfishingtexas.com
TIPS: Fish live minnows on a bobber. Hit in, out, and around the brush.

LOCATION: Lake Lavon
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 33 2.9099, W 96 31.7099
(33.0485, -96.5285)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows and black and chartreuse or white and chartreuse 1/16 ounce jigs
SOURCE: Carey Thorn
469-528-0210
whitebassfishingtexas.com
TIPS: If the gates are closed, dependent on the rain this month, look for crappie anywhere from 1 to 10 feet of water. In 7 to 10 you’ll find your females, and shallower you should find your males. Fish with minnows under a cork or long rod with black and chartreuse or white and chartreuse 1/16 ounce jig head.

LOCATION: Lake Lewisville
HOTSPOT: Hackberry Creek
GPS: N 33 7.554, W 96 55.654
(33.1259, -96.9276)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Shad RatLTraps
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Fish the creek channel, vary your retrieve; dawn, dusk

LOCATION: Lake Limestone
HOTSPOT: Bridge Pilings
GPS: N 31 26.375, W 96 22.746
(31.4396, -96.3791)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Fish bridge pilings and shadows; all day

LOCATION: Lake Palestine
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Points
GPS: N 32 13.5, W 95 29.2499
(32.2250, -95.4875)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Deep diver crankbaits in shad pattern, Carolina rig in Watermelon Red and the Big Eye jig in Watermelon Red or candy color.
SOURCE: Ricky Vandergriff
903-561-7299
www.rickysguideservice.com
TIPS: Post-spawn bass will be moving away from spawning grounds and the male bass will be in the shallows with the fry that are left. Work main lake points for the larger bass. Fish the first drop off from the shore in the 10 to 16 foot range. Best areas are points near the dam. Fish as slow as you can.

LOCATION: Lake Ray Hubbard
HOTSPOT: The Dam
GPS: N 32 48.024, W 96 29.845
(32.8004, -96.4974)

SPECIES: Catfish
BEST BAITS: Carolina rig punchbait or shad
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Work in about 6 to 15 feet of water; all day

LOCATION: Richland Chambers Lake
HOTSPOT: 309 Flats
GPS: N 31 58.71, W 96 6.864
(31.9785, -96.1144)

SPECIES: White Bass and Hybrid Striper
BEST BAITS: Slabs
SOURCE: Royce Simmons
903-389-4117
www.gonefishin.biz
TIPS: The hybrid stripers and white bass will be feeding aggressively in the main lake area all month long. Silver RSR Slabs fished in 20’-30’ water off the 309 Flats will result in lots of white bass action and the occasional large hybrid. Look for the gulls to help locate the baitfish that the whites are feeding on.

LOCATION: Lake Somerville
HOTSPOT: Yegua Park Shoreline
GPS: N 30 17.76, W 96 32.784
(30.2960, -96.5464)

SPECIES: Catfish
BEST BAITS: CJ’s punch bait or shad
SOURCE: Weldon Kirk
979-229-3103
www.fishtales-guideservice.com
TIPS: Fish are still spawning. Fish shallows along the bank or structure. Use Kahle hook for shad or a #6 treble hook for punch bait. Consider using a slip cork to prevent unwanted hookups.

LOCATION: Stillhouse Hollow Lake
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 31 0.8579, W 97 36.402
(31.0143, -97.6067)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits and Topwater Baits in natural colors
SOURCE: Henry Niemiec
254-368-0294
TIPS: Look for matted grass around the flats and the timber around the back side of the island. Work around the timber on the shady side and along the edges and through the grass. This is the time of the year for some great top water action.

LOCATION: Lake Tawakoni
HOTSPOT: Fish Cove
GPS: N 32 52.659, W 95 55.534
(32.877652, -95.92556)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Soft plastics, live bait
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Use bright soft plastics when windy, natural when not; dawn, morning, dusk

LOCATION: Lake Texana
HOTSPOT: Mustang Creek Bridge
GPS: N 29 1.445, W 96 30.3
(29.0241, -96.5050)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Fish live minnows under cork, white crappie jigs; all day

LOCATION: Lake Texoma
HOTSPOT: North End & Washita Point
GPS: N 33 52.068, W 96 41.67
(33.8678, -96.6945)

SPECIES: Striped Bass and White Bass
BEST BAITS: Sassy Shad jigs, top water plugs, live shad
Contact: Bill Carey
903-786-4477
www.striperexpress.com
TIPS: Large schools of post spawn fish are hungry and will strike on artificial lures and live bait. Cast Pencil Poppers and Big Chug Bugs on the shallow banks early in the mornings. After the top water bite, switch to 1oz. White Glo Sassy Shad jigs or live shad. Work the jigs on main lake ledges to 30’ depths. Drift or anchor with live shad on the same ledges.

LOCATION: Lake Waco
HOTSPOT: Old Highway 6 North
GPS: N 31 33.096, W 97 13.82
(31.5516, -97.2303)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Crankbaits
SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays Fishing Atlas
Fishgame.com/fishandgamegear
TIPS: Work shallow blue/silver crankbaits on submerged roadbed; morning thru afternoon

LOCATION: Lake Whitney
HOTSPOT: Whitney Hump
GPS: N 31 54.612, W 97 20.754
(31.9102, -97.3459)

SPECIES: Striped Bass
BEST BAITS: Live threadfin shad
SOURCE: Randy Routh
817-822-5539
www.teamredneck.net
TIPS: Stripers, coming off the spawn, are gorging and making for some awesome action. Live bait (threadfin shad) works best. Rigging up on a Carolina rig and fishing straight down around 18’ just off ledges and edges at Whitney hump and other main lake points and humps is the key. Watch your graph along these edges and humps and if your screen lights up with big balls of bait, the stripers aren’t far behind.

Central Texas HotSPOTLight:

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Action Heats Up in May and June for All Species

Reported by DEAN HEFFNER

Email Dean Heffner at ContactUs@fishgame.com

LOCATION: Lake Alan Henry
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Creeks
GPS: N 33 2.8199, W 101 3.7979
(33.0470, -101.0633)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Bass Jigs (white), 1/4 oz. or 3/8 oz. shaky head with a blue fleck worm or Senko type worm, Texas rigged worms
SOURCE: Norman Clayton’s Guide Services
806-792-9220
TIPS: The bass will start moving out of the backs of the creeks to the channel edges, and on humps and flats at the mouths of the creeks. Check out the mouth of Big Grape, Rocky, Little Grape, and Ince Cove.

LOCATION: Lake Clyde
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 32 18.851, W 99 28.466
(32.314186, -99.474426)

SPECIES: Channel catfish
BEST BAITS: Cut shad, punchbait
SOURCE: Lance Benson, Texas Parks & Wildlife
325-692-0921
TIPS: June at Clyde Lake in Callahan County has historically been a great month for channel catfish. Fishing from the bank using cut shad or punch bait can produce some exceptional channel catfish. Fishing at night is always an option to escape the heat and crowds. Clyde Lake has nice facilities and campsites for overnight stays. There is a small entrance fee to enter the facility.

LOCATION: Lake Falcon
HOTSPOT: Little Tiger Hardwoods
GPS: N 26 41.428, W 99 07.779
(26.6905, -99.1297)

SPECIES: Catfish
BEST BAITS: Cut bait
SOURCE: Robert Amaya, Robert’s Fishing Tackle
956-765-1442
www.robertsfishntackle.com
TIPS: Work cut bait in and around trees on bottom rigs. Dawn to dusk.

LOCATION: Fort Phantom Hill Res.
HOTSPOT: Main Lake
GPS: N 32 36.501, W 99 41.011
(32.608351, -99.68351)

SPECIES: White and hybrid striped bass
BEST BAITS: Poppers, small spinners
SOURCE: Lance Benson, Texas Parks & Wildlife
325-692-0921
TIPS: May is great for white bass and hybrid striped bass. On windy days, rocky points and exposed rocks offer some fast and furious action. Any type of small, bladed baits fished near rocks should be rewarded. Don’t be surprised to have a limit of white bass in a short amount of time. Early morning top water bites can be outstanding near rocks. Small chopper baits and popper style baits tend to work extremely well.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury
HOTSPOT: Lower End
GPS: N 32 22.659, W 97 42.009
(32.37765, -97.70015)

SPECIES: Striped bass
BEST BAITS: Live shad, Willow shaped Slabs, bucktail jigs with a curly tail
SOURCE: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters
254-396-4855
TIPS: Downrigging jigs near channel ledges near baitfish can help locate active fish. Live shad on a Carolina rig fished 15 to 25 feet down is hard to beat.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury
HOTSPOT: Twin Humps near town
GPS: N 32 26.404, W 97 46.977
(32.440067, -97.78295)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Small minnows, small crappie jigs in blue ice or electric chicken colors
SOURCE: Michael W. Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters
254-396-4855
TIPS: The Texas heat is here, and most of the fishing is reserved for early and late. Crappie are in their summer pattern and are excellent on small minnows fished near deeper structure. Look for scattered fish around bridge pilings and try a variety of depths to get the bite.

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom
HOTSPOT: Broadway
GPS: N 32 52.734, W 98 31.899
(32.878900, -98.531650)

SPECIES: Striped & hybrid striped bass
BEST BAITS: Live shad, jigs
SOURCE: Dean Heffner
940-329-0036
Fav7734@aceweb.com
TIPS: The weather is finally settled, and the fish are biting. Live shad is the ticket in May, but you can troll, downrig, or throw lures this time of year. Look for the fish to be on the breaklines. They travel up and down them like natural highways. We like to troll jigs with Mister Twister curly tails. When we were kids, my granddad would tie a RatLTrap on one of our lines and a crankbait on the other and troll us around until we got a double on. That’s when he would shut the motor off and proclaim, “This is where we’re fishing today!” Sure enough, we would catch fish all day right there with minnows we’d netted that morning.

West Texas HotSPOTLight:

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