FEATURE STORY: Five for the Fall

The Top Five Lakes for Fall Bass

Feature Story by MATT WILLIAMS

FALL ALWAYS MARKS the arrival of a long list of much anticipated Texas hunting seasons. But don’t make the mistake of stashing those flipping sticks and topwater plugs just yet, bass busters. You could miss out on some of the best fishing of the year.

Autumn is the harbinger of cold fronts that bring a gradual chill to water temperatures on lakes across the state. It’s a feel good time of year when the earth shifts on its axis, causing days to gradually grow shorter and nights longer. The mornings become increasingly crisp with the passage of time.

Like us humans, bass welcome the change in the weather, too. The fishing prospects can be outstanding at times at lakes all around the state. Following in random order are my Top 5 picks for getting in on the action:

Lake O’ the Pines

SIZE: 18,700 acres

THE FISHING: Lake O’ the Pines is a lake you don’t hear a lot about, mainly because locals do their best to keep it under the radar of the masses. Jim Tutt of Longview has been chasing bass on the northeast Texas reservoir for decades and ranks it among his favorite lakes to do fun fishing.

“It’s full of them,” Tutt said. “You don’t get a lot of the big weights in fall tournaments that you see during winter and spring, but the numbers can be really good.”

Pro Angler Jim Tutt has one word for late fall bass on Lake O’ the Pines: RatLTraps.
(Photo: Matt Williams)

Tutt summarized the best plan of attack for late fall largemouths with one word — Rat-L-Trap. Crawfish (red/orange) and shad (chrome or bone) patterns always work best. 

“A lot of guys think it’s too early to throw one, but I know better,” Tutt said. “They eat it here.”

Tutt says the ‘Trap always works best around hydrilla beds, some of the best stuff north of the Highway 155 bridge. He recommends working a 1/2-ounce bait just fast enough to keep it ticking the tops of scattered grass beneath the surface. Best water depth is 3-5 feet.”

Sam Rayburn

SIZE: 114,000-acres

THE FISHING: Built on the Angelina and Attoyac rivers in 1965, Big Sam is like the Energizer bunny of Texas bass lakes — it just keeps going and going. It’s got numbers and bigs, alike.

Something to keep in mind is water level. The lake was five feet high as July gave way to August. Repairs are still needed on the dam and the Corp of Engineers will need to drop the level about six feet below full pool to get it done. When that will happen is anybody’s guess.

Regardless, fishing guide Brian Branum predicts bass will be on a strong feeding binge over the next couple months as water temps chill with the changing seasons.

 Branum says multiple patterns will be working, both shallow and deep. He pointed to brush piles, ridges and steep drops near major creeks as the best bets away from the bank. Big balls of bait fish can be major draw, too.

“If the shad bunch up in huge schools, look out,” Branum said.

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“Huge numbers of deep bass will be on shad alone with no real structure holding them much of the time as they begin to stock up on food for the winter.”

Branum says tailspins, football jigs and spoons of various sizes worked around schools of fish located with electronics could produce some 50-plus-fish days.

He added that anglers can’t go wrong targeting outside grass edges with Texas rigs. Flipping could be another option if the grass is walled off at 10 feet or more. Places where the grass makes a point, indention or gut will be potential sweet spots.

Additionally, there also could be some fish to be caught on top. Whopper Ploppers and Zara Spooks will fool some big ones.

Bois ‘D Arc

SIZE: 16,600 acres

THE FISHING: Located in Fannin County, Bois D’ Arc is Texas’ newest fishing hole and the first major reservoir to open statewide since 1991. The lake opened to recreational traffic in April 2024.  It has already produced an official lake record of 9.05 pounds for fishing guide Jason Conn and numerous other fish in the eight-pound class, including an 8.15 pound Toyota Sharelunker, also caught by Conn.

Scale samples from both fish were turned over to TPWD for genetic testing. Testing on the 9.05 pounder was inconclusive but the 8.15 pounder was a five-year old ShareLunker offspring originally stocked in a brood pond in 2019. Fisheries biologist Dan Bennett believes the two fish were sisters.

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Growth rates on stocked bass have obviously been outstanding and certain to continue. Bennett said he believes the lake could challenge the state record mark as early as 2029.

This is the first fall for anglers to fish the lake, and Conn predicts it will be good. He pointed to flooded bushes and old pond dams east the FM 897 bridge as the best bet for numbers and quality. All of the brood ponds (3-7 acres) that were stocked prior to the lake filling are located in that area of the lake. Water depths of 15 feet or less will be best.

“That’s the way it was all summer and I don’t look for it to change,” he said. “If it’s a normal Texas fall, we could have some good topwater action as well as a good bite flipping creatures or throwing spinnerbaits, swim jigs and Chatterbaits. The fish aren’t everywhere, though. They can be really spot oriented. Conn says Live Scope is a big player on Bois d’ Arc.

“At times it can be like crappie fishing. Just scan around with ‘Scope until you find a tree or bush that’s got fish in it. If they are near the top of the tree that’s when they eat really good.”

O.H. Ivie

SIZE: 19,000-acres

THE FISHING: The remote West Texas reservoir east of San Angelo caught fire with big bass following the big freeze in February 2021. It’s been smokin’ ever since.

‘Ivie has been the leading producer of Toyota Legacy Class ShareLunkers for the last three years. It also finished among the Top 2 in Bassmaster’s annual Top 100 Lakes in America three times. It was No. 1 in 2023.

Conn is a traveling guide who sets up camp at ‘Ivie each fall and winter. He and his clients have caught their share of big ones there, including a 17.03 pounder Conn reeled in during February 2023. 

Conn says ‘Ivie always produces some heavyweights during fall, many on big crank baits and swim baits. The majority are caught by anglers savvy with forward-facing sonar. He pointed out that the fish won’t be suspended in the water column like they will be later on during the pre-spawn.

“A lot of times they’ll be right on bottom with their bellies buried in the mud,” he said. “That can make them a lot harder to see on ‘Scope.” 

Something anglers need to watch this year is water level. The lake was only 26.3 full (less than 7,500 acres) and falling in mid-August.

After this year, Conn doesn’t expect there to be much cover left in the water other than big hardwoods along the Colorado and Concho rivers without some big rains to recharge things.

Toledo Bend

SIZE: 186,000 acres

THE FISHING: T-Bend is another Texas favorite that consistently ranks high in Bassmaster’s annual Best Lakes in America ratings. It came in as No. 6 in the Central Division in 2024.

Veteran fishing guide and former Bassmaster Classic champ Tommy Martin of Hemphill says the bass fishing prospects on his home lake almost always heat up as the water begins to cool down. Water levels are historically low during fall. If that’s the case this year, he predicts some of the best action will be away from the bank along major creek channels as well as the Sabine River channel in water ranging 15-25 feet deep. Brush piles, isolated stumps and natural lay downs will be potential sweet spots.

Martin expects the fish to be grouped close to bottom. He pointed to Texas rigs, jigs, spoons and tail spinners as the top producers. Forward facing sonar is helpful in locating areas holding fish.

Martin says fishing around hydrilla beds also can be productive. Some of the best stuff is in Hausen, Six Mile and Mill creeks.

Martin likes to target the deeper, outside edges using a jig or creature bait with a heavy tungsten weight. Grass that is walled off in 10-12 feet or deeper near a creek channel is typically best for flipping.

“There will also be fish to be caught along the edges of the grass on big topwaters like P71 Pop-R, Whopper Plopper or Zara Spook,” Martin said. In shallower grass, say 3-5 feet, try a Chatterbait, spinnerbait or swim jig.”

—story by MATT WILLIAMS