For love of the game

It’s funny how some things just never change.

I cut my fishing teeth way back in the 1960s, pond hopping mostly in rural Collin County. It was boyish rite of summer, much of it spent shagging grasshoppers and crickets with a cane pole in one hand and a tin can in the other, air holes punched in the lid to help keep the wiggling baits lively.

The ponds I had access to as a kid were good ones — loaded with bluegills, channel cat and bass that were almost always willing to cooperate. There is no telling how many fish were caught from those special waters by friends and family. Time spent watching a bobber dance in the wind ranks among my fondest childhood memories.

The experiences obviously made an everlasting imprint on a young mind. I’ll turn 61 this year. I still get just excited seeing a cork go under as I ever did.

Places to Go

Texas is a watery gold mine of fishin’ holes. A small pond stocked with fish is a great place to make a big impression a young angler.

One of the neat things about stock tanks is the convenience factor. Potential sweet spots like laydown logs, weedbeds, stumps or stick-ups are often within easy casting distance of the bank.

Another is availability. Stock tanks are everywhere, and many of them see limited traffic over the course of the year.

If you own one, or know somebody who does, now would be a good time pay it a visit. Some golf courses may even allow fishing.

Always get permission before entering private property. Trespassing can get you in hot water with the law, and the fines can be brisk.

If a landowner gives you permission to fish, be respectful. Leave every gate like you found it, don't leave any trash behind and never keep any fish unless the landowner says you can.

It’s not a bad idea to show some appreciation by asking the landowner if there are any odd jobs around the place you could do in exchange for fishing. One good deed could lead to long-term access to a magical place.

Public Options

There are several other good options for introducing a beginner to fishing that don’t require a key to a gate.

Two of the best options for city dwellers are Community Fishing Lakes (CFL’s) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Neighborhood Fishin' Program (NFP). There are dozens of CFL’s located within the city limits or within public parks all around the state. You can find a full list with regional breakdown and lake sizes/locations at tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/ fish/recreational/lakes/cfl.

The NFP program is built around 18 public lakes and ponds ranging 1/2 acre to seven acres in size.

These lakes are located in close proximity to larger cities including Dallas, Houston, Tyler, Amarillo, Austin, College Station, San Angelo San Antonio and Waco. Most are in parks that are well-lit with easy access.

Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes are a great deal for young anglers. Kids under 17 can fish for free. Better yet, the fish are almost always willing to bite.

On April 18, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began stocking the NFP lakes with thousands of hatchery raised channel catfish. Fish will be stocked every other week through October.

Anglers can keep five fish per day of any size and everyone under 17 needs a fishing license and freshwater fishing endorsement. Be careful when handling channel cat. Their pectoral and dorsal fins are sharp and pack quite a sting if they break the skin.

Channel cat are easy to catch using night crawlers, minnows and prepared baits. Fishing is allowed with pole and line only, no more than two poles per person. Anglers can keep five catfish per day, no minimum size limit.

There also are wellstocked waters at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. There are three lakes available. Rods, reels and bait are provided at no charge, but there is a nominal admission fee to the facility. Adult supervision is required. TPWD staff is on site to assist anglers if needed.

Lake Zebco (1.2 acres) is the largest of the TFFC ponds. It has produced some prize catches, including a 10.72 pound largemouth bass, a 54.30 pound blue catfish and a 21.70 pound channel catfish.

Other Hotspots Close to Shore

Public fishing piers, marina boat stalls and shoreline docks can be equally good options for those who prefer to stick close to the bank.

Fishing piers can be found on just about every public water body. Some are used for docking boats, while others are designated strictly for public lounging and fishing.

There are public fishing piers owned by city and county governments that in many cases can be used for free, while others are operated by marinas or other lakeside businesses that may charge a nominal fee for access. Many of the them offer handicap access.

Piers almost always hold sorts of fish like bluegills, bass, crappie, catfish, hybrid stripers and white bass. The fish are prone to gather around underwater support pilings as well as brush piles that are often placed at strategic locations around the perimeter. Fishing can be particularly good at night around piers that are well lit.

Easy Does It

Make sure youngsters have fun; don’t drown them with boredom.

If a youth seems more interested in playing with the bait, tossing rocks or grubbing for mussel shells than staring at a cork, let them. The last thing you want to do is turn a fun experience into a bad one. Be patient. You might consider hiring a reputable fishing guide.

Fish That Bite

Kids like action. It is always best to go after fish that are easy to fool and don’t require much skill to catch.

Here are the best freshwater choices:

Bluegills: Bluegills and other small sunfish live in tall numbers in lakes and ponds all around the state. The fish aren’t big, but they think they are. The hard-fighting panfish are almost always willing to bite a small worm or cricket.

Sunfish also will hit artificial baits like small jigs, spinners and popping bugs on fly gear, but half the fun is watching a cork disappear. Use tiny small hooks and light line. White Bass: White bass

White Bass: White bass are hard-hitting bruisers that live most of their lives in large schools in open water on big lakes. Whites usually demand a little skill as far as casting goes, but bites are easy to come by when a feeding spree is underway.

Not every Texas lake has white bass, but a bunch of them do. The best summer action usually occurs away from the bank when the fish are schooling on the surface or grouped on underwater humps and roadbeds.

Catfish: Catfish including channels and blues are prolific species found in many lakes and rivers. The whiskered fish can be enticed using live minnows, earthworms, cut bait or manufactured stink baits. They will feed by eyesight, but also rely on their sensitive olfactory glands to locate food.

Perhaps the best way to catch numbers is to fish around spots baited with soured maize, wheat, range cubes, cottonseed cake or soybean chips. The bait concentrates fish to small area.

Running noodles is another good option. Noodles are passive fishing devices easily made using a 2 foot sections of foam swimming pool noodle. Tie a piece of heavy duty fishing line in the middle and add a small circle hook and weight to keep the bait down. You’ll know you have a taker when noodle takes off or stands on end.

More isn’t always best when it comes to noodling, especially when the fish are biting well. Start out with 10-20 noodles and stay with them.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.