New to Texas fishing - help

[Rum Runner]

Fishing for Trout in small mountain rivers or fishing for Yellowtail, Albacore, etc. off the coast of Southern CA - I rock and have all the knowledge and equipment I need.

Fishing lakes and ponds for bass, crappie, etc. - I am clueless and probably lacking in equipment too.

My first goal is to take my kids out (4 & 7) and get them to catch a fish or two at a local pond or a lake Like Lavon. Type of fish does not matter. Even if its small, we will catch and release anyway.

2nd goal is to actually know what I am doing.

I'd like to get the minimum tackle needed to accomplish #1

I have been doing some reading and here is what I am understanding so far:
My Trout pole and Reel are a little light for bass but should be fine for crappie. I should look at getting something in between my trout gear and my ocean gear. But it will work for objective 1.

For bass, soft artificial baits like worms, minnows, frogs, etc. in dark colors like black, blue, pumpkin seed seem to the choice, unless the water is shallow and crystal clear in which light colors may be better.

For crappie, lead head grub like jigs seem to be the choice. Colors are more varied but seem to shake out like clear and shallow = pastel and black. Otherwise bright or black.

I don't see much mention of live bait for either. If you are fishing for trout in streams, lures like flatfish and rooster tails will work if you are skilled, but if I want my kids to catch fish, its night crawlers, crickets, or grasshoppers. If I want them to catch a yellowtail, I am putting a live sardine (or anchovy) on the line even though I can catch them on irons, rapallas, etc.

So here live bait is not more successful than lures, or lures are good enough that live bait is not needed?


What tips can you give me to make sure my kids catch a fish or two and then are there any good books, websites etc. that I should be checking out to get a better idea of what is really going on?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TangoUniform]

Here's a site that might help. Freshwater & Saltwater Fishing Reports

And I hear that the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is a great place to take the kids and it is not that far from you: TPWD: Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center

 

[Dawico]

I have never caught a Crappie on a lure. We get medium sized minnows and sit above some type of shelter, usually underwater trees. We generally use the little gold hooks with the loop of clear string on them.

For White Bass (whites) or Hybrids, we use Rapela diving lures, and like to troll in a boat. If we see the birds going nuts and diving, we stop and throw on a slab and just drop and reel it in, and repeat.

If the Whites are running up the rivers in the Spring, we use a colored leadhead with a small colored worm and cast from the shore or wade out to get closer.

Largemouth Bass fisherman use big rubber worms and cast into cover or shallows.

You can always put live bait on with a bobber and let them float along with the bait toward the bottom. You never know what may grab it.

Ask around at your local bait shops. They are usually helpful and full of good advise. If they won't help, it is the wrong bait shop.

Texas fishing is like anywhere else, what seems perfect today may not do anything tomorrow. I will try to get some pictures of my gear up in a little bit.

 

[Dawico]

Here is what I have had good luck with.

These types work well for trolling and casting for Whites, but Largemouth will grab them also.

These are the slabs we use when the Whites are going nuts, or staying deep in the hot weather. These work well from a boat, but you may have luck casting them from the shore also.

These are the hooks we use for Crappie minnow fishing, and the lures we throw for when the Whites are running up river. They would be good for shore casting also.

Hopefully there is something here that will help. Like I said before, ask around. Most bait shops and anglers are more than willing to give you good advise. Good luck.

 

[Rum Runner]

Sweet. Thanks for the links and especially pics. That helps A LOT.

 

[Bultx1215]

Tackle is dealers choice. Med lt to med tackle for basses, and med light to ultralight for crappie and small er fish.....if you have a strong heart, try ultralight for bass. Just make it fun and easy for you.

For the kids, I'd stay as weedless as you can. Lavon has a lot of stickups that the inexperienced will find quickly, esp if you are on the bottom. Live minnows are always fun with kiddos...worms too. Probably catch more with either as well. IMO, start with live stuff and have a blast. That is what's more important anyway.

I haven't fished a lake in over a decade, sadly. Been spending all my fishing time on the coast hauling in speckled trout...fun, fun, fun. I think I could do that every day.

 

[Dawico]

I haven't fished a lake in over a decade, sadly. Been spending all my fishing time on the coast hauling in speckled trout...fun, fun, fun. I think I could do that every day.

That is some awesome fishing there. You can pull one in every cast with the right bait, time, and area.

 

[Bultx1215]

That is some awesome fishing there. You can pull one in every cast with the right bait, time, and area.

Yup, just did that or close to it in mid May in Rockport. Live shrimplies under the lights after midnight. Averaged a fish every 4 minutes and a keeper every 15 minutes. Very cool stuff. Talk about easy, that was not hardly work at all. I used to fish bass tournaments in the mid 80's....now THAT was work. Nope, give me the coast any day. Just wish I was a little closer...diesel is killing me.

 

[Dawico]

We used weed proof leadheads with white shrimp rubber lures in Port Mansfield. The white w/ gray did better as it got darker out. Made sense that they worked also, as a trout spit out a totally white shrimp on our boat. I had never seen one before, but was a twin to our lures.