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Central Texas

HotSPOTLight: Lake Grapevine

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LOCATION: Lake Austin
HOTSPOT: Saratoga Point
GPS: N 30 21.217, W 97 51.199
(30.3536, -97.8533)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits, soft plastics
TIPS: This point is productive all day.

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LOCATION: Lake Belton
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
TIPS: With the water temperatures in the upper 70’s and low 80’s and daytime temperatures reaching into the 90’s, 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!

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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
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.

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LOCATION: Canyon Lake
HOTSPOT: Jacobs Point
GPS: N 29 52.668, W 98 13.3259
(29.8778, -98.2221)

SPECIES: Striped Bass
BEST BAITS: Jigging spoon in white color
TIPS: Fish from the point back to the swim beach casting out the spoon and try to maintain a depth of 20 to 40 feet, the Striped Bass like to school in this area this time of year.

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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
TIPS: Fish mid-lake humps and points with slabs hopped along the bottom in 8- to 16-feet.

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LOCATION: Eagle Mountain Lake
HOTSPOT: Twin Points Humps
GPS: N 32 53.16, W 97 29.672
(32.8860, -97.4945)

SPECIES: White bass
BEST BAITS: Slabs with a fly 12 inches above
TIPS: This area has two very large humps. During the early summertime the shad congregate around these humps and the sand bass follow. I find the shad and fish on electronics and jig straight down with A slab and fly and many times you will get a double. If you like to cast, fan cast over these humps with a Mepps spinner or A tail spinner worked very slowly just off the bottom.

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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
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.

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LOCATION: Granger Lake
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Brush Piles
GPS: N 30 42.1079, W 97 21.066
(30.7018, -97.3511)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: 1/32 oz. Marabou jig
TIPS: May is the beginning of the best crappie fishing at Granger Lake. The fish are biting in every spot that has brush. Concentrate on open brush piles in 6-12 feet of water. The key is finding the spots with the bigger fish. Those big slab sized crappie are normally in the smaller less obvious underwater cover. A few small sticks in 6 feet of water can produce some of the largest crappie of the year. There is no need to use minnows this time of year since the crappie are so hungry after spawning. I always use a Berkley Crappie Nibble on my jigs. It helps to make the fish hold the bait longer. Fish vertically over the cover and hold the jig still. Wait no longer than 5 seconds for a bite. Then move the jig a little to a new location and do the same. If you feel cover and do not catch a crappie within 5 minutes, you need to move on to the next spot. Good luck and good fishing.

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LOCATION: Lake Joe Pool
HOTSPOT: Helicopter Pad
GPS: N 32 37.522, W 97 01.480
(32.6254, -97.0247)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Jigs, RatLTraps, topwaters
TIPS: Fish jigs deep in the heat of the day. Use RatLtraps for suspended fish or topwaters on surfacing fish. Avoid midday.

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LOCATION: Lake Lavon
HOTSPOT: Main Lake Coves
GPS: N 33 2.2319, W 96 29.37
(33.0372, -96.4895)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: 1/8 & 1/16 jigs with a painted pink head in black and chartreuse and white and chartreuse colors
TIPS: Crappie are finally in shallow water. Previously, Crappie started spawning in the button willows on Lavon and the cattails on Hubbard. Depth is 1-4 ft if wading. Try 7 to 18 ft if fishing deeper. Find a firm ground with your back facing deep water and put the jig next to every stick up and the base of every willow. Also fish small rock piles. Try to find a cove if possible protected of the south and north wind.

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LOCATION: Lake LBJ
HOTSPOT: Sunrise Beach
GPS: N 30 35.625, W 98 25.07
(30.5938, -98.4178)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Spinnerbaits
TIPS: Work seawalls at the canal mouth with white/chartreuse spinnerbaits; avoid midday, afternoon.

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LOCATION: Lake Lewisville
HOTSPOT: Marina and Coves
GPS: N 33 5.329, W 97 1.484
(33.0888, -97.0247)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Jigs, soft plastic worms
TIPS: Chartreuse jigs, worms, Fish boat docks, back of coves with chartreuse jigs or worms; good action all day.

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

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Fish around bridge pilings and shadows
TIPS: Fish around bridge pilings and shadows; all day.

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LOCATION: Lake Palestine
HOTSPOT: Cobb Creek
GPS: N 32 5.4539, W 95 27.8339
(32.0909, -95.4639)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: BD 7 Crankbait in shad color
TIPS: Fishing south of the 155 bridge working points. Concentrate on 8 to 16 feet depths. Work the points for best results. Cobb creek has good points, and you can catch good numbers in this area. When fishing points, work the first point going into a creek and then move to the next inside the creek all the way to the back staying in the depths mentioned above. Try Carolina rigs as well.

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

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: jigs, minnows
TIPS: Drift & cast down to 8-16’ with red/chartreuse jigs or minnows; this spot and techniques produce bites all day.

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LOCATION: Lake Ray Roberts
HOTSPOT: Cates Point
GPS: N 33 22.689, W 97 3.22
(33.3782, -97.0537)

SPECIES: Largemouth, White bass
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, small swimbaits
TIPS: Post spawn fish will be plentiful in this area in May. The fish will feed on shad on most main lake points. Fish various topwaters and small swimbaits rigged on a 1/8-ounce jig head in 2-15 feet of water.

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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
TIPS: May a key month as the weather is more predictable, the temperature is pleasant, and the fish are easy to find and catch! 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 Striper. Look for the Gulls to help locate the baitfish that the whites are feeding on.

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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
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.

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LOCATION: Stillhouse Hollow Res.
HOTSPOT: Rock Island Bluffs
GPS: N 31 2.036, W 97 32.528
(31.0339, -97.5421)

SPECIES: Smallmouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Jig worms
TIPS: Fish the shoreline rocks with smoke, black jig worm; dawn through morning, dusk.

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LOCATION: Lake Tawakoni
HOTSPOT: Tall Man Timber
GPS: N 32 52.633, W 95 54.615
(32.8772, -95.9103)

SPECIES: Crappie
BEST BAITS: Minnows, jigs
TIPS: Work in and around timber with live minnows or 1/8-oz. jigs; dawn, midday, dusk.

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LOCATION: Lake Texana
HOTSPOT: Tree
GPS: N 29 1.981, W 96 33.929
(29.0330, -96.5655)

SPECIES: White Bass
BEST BAITS: Crankbaits
TIPS: Fish Rat-L-Traps, shallow crankbaits; good spot all day.

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LOCATION: Lake Texoma
HOTSPOT: Platter Flats
GPS: N 33 55.024, W 96 33.956
(33.9171, -96.5659)

SPECIES: Striped Bass
BEST BAITS: Topwaters, Sassy Shad
TIPS: Fish topwaters early, Sassy Shad jigs from 10-25’ later; morning through afternoon.

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LOCATION: Lake Waco
HOTSPOT: Twin Bridges Point
GPS: N 31 31.92, W 97 14.135
(31.5320, -97.2356)

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass
BEST BAITS: Crankbaits
TIPS: Work shallow cranks, up, down & around the point; late afternoon.

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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
TIPS: With the massive restocking program TPW has done the past few years on Whitney we are literally loaded with striped bass. They have reached maturity and, after coming off the spawn, are gorging and making for some awesome action. Live bait (threadfin shad) is working 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. You should be in for some fast-paced action!

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