ATHENS, Texas—The water temperature may be only 61 degrees, but Lake Conroe is on fire.
Thursday afternoon the lake just north of Houston churned out its fourth ShareLunker of the current season, a 13.8-pound largemouth bass caught by Renee Linderoth of Conroe.
The big bass is the sixteenth ShareLunker to come from Lake Conroe, giving the lake a solid grip on the number four spot on the list of top big bass lakes in Texas, after Lake Fork, with 240 entries, Alan Henry (25) and Sam Rayburn (23).
Linderoth was fishing in two feet of water south of the F.M. 1097 bridge when the fish took a Hula Grub. “I have to give credit to my fishing guide, Ron Higgins of Higgy’s Freshwater Adventures,” Linderoth said. “Without him putting me in the right place and fishing the right way, I would not have caught this fish.”
Higgins also gets credit for the bass being entered into the ShareLunker program rather than being immediately released. Linderoth grew up fishing with her father but had not fished in recent years until buying a boat. “I had not heard of the ShareLunker program and was going to release the fish, but Ron said ‘No, we have to get it weighed and see if it is a ShareLunker,’” she explained.
Shortly afterward the fish was swimming in a minnow tank at April Plaza Marina and ShareLunker program manager David Campbell was on his way to pick it up.
Anyone legally catching a 13-pound or larger largemouth bass in Texas waters between October 1 and April 30 can enter it into the ShareLunker program by calling Campbell at (903) 681-0550 or paging him at (888) 784-0600 and leaving a number, including area code. The fish are used in a selective breeding program at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center aimed at increasing the size and number of big bass in Texas.

Caddo Lake, the largest natural lake in Texas

“Just stay away from that alligator mom over the bank and enjoy”, advices Cindy Speight as we grab our paddles and life vests. “You gotta bring them on the canoe, but don’t have to wear’em”, says while we push our canoes into the tea-colored water. Cindy and her husband Robert have had the concession in the park for the last 2 years but “we have a combined 65 years on Caddo, we have several businesses that we run” says Robert. The Speights relate indeed to the community in many ways. Robert points out that “I’m the manager of the community’s water supply system and the president of the Greater Caddo Lake Association Inc. (GCLA), which is a property owners/lake enthusiast organization of approximately 1000 members” and “we have been the lead group in most fights to protect Caddo Lake from harm”. As a matter of fact, the community around Caddo Lake is more that just Uncertain, which is located a few miles away from the park. “The vast majority of the community -adds Robert- is unincorporated and made up of lots of different people with lots of different ideas about things”. But “one thing they all agree upon is that Caddo Lake is special and deserves to be protected. Whether it means loading up in a bus to protest a new power plant on the State Capitol steps, as we did a few months back, or going to Washington DC to fight a barge canal or the raising of the dam, as was done a few years back, these folks are always ready to turn and support Caddo, and that is what makes this community a great place to live”, states Robert.

Put yourself into gear

Renting one of the 30 canoes that the Speights have available is the best way for us to enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, bird watching, and photography. Even if you are not fit and don’t feel like paddling all the way out to the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area (CLWMA), located on the main lake off Big Cypress Bayou, you still can catch one of their tours – in a pontoon boat that Cindy runs- and be one of the 30 to 40 riders that on most non-holiday weekends are amazed by the diversity found in this forested wetland. Dignitaries such as former US Senator Max Sandlin, former State Senator -now Harrison County Judge- Richard Anderson, Democratic candidate for Governor Chris Bell have been drawn by Caddo Lake and taken this tour,” explains Robert.

Camping and hiking as well as water sports such as water skiing and tubing are also popular among visitors to the area. While canoeing, caution has to be taken because motorboats dragging water skiers at fast speeds make fairly big waves that can make your canoe roll over and get wet.

Where nature peaks

Caddo Lake is the largest natural lake in Texas, located in the Lower Cypress Bayou Basin on the northeast Texas-Louisiana border. Much of the lake’s 30,000–plus acres are made up of twisting bayous and sloughs that wander through inundated, Spanish moss-draped cypress swamps and bottom land hardwoods. According to Vanessa Adams, the biologist in charge of the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area, “the diverse vegetation hosts numerous prey items for its numerous predators. It is a spawning ground and nursery for fish, shellfish, reptiles, and amphibians. It is the summer breeding area for neotropical migrants as well as a refueling station for birds during the fall and spring migrations. It provides a food source and cover for mammals and their young. Its value is the role to improve water quality by removing and filtering sediments and excess nutrients. It helps to control floods by accepting excess water that comes from the watershed”, adds Vanessa, who thinks that “This works best, of course, when civilization does not take up permanent residence in a forested floodplain.”

“Historically –explains Vanessa- the area has always been a mix of bottomland hardwood and swamp forests. This area would drain and flood according to the amount of rainfall received in the Cypress Basin Watershed.  Sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s the ‘Great Raft’ (a jam of logs, dirt and debris of uncertain but likely natural origins) formed in the tight bends Red River, causing long-term flooding of the Caddo Lake area stretching from Jefferson, Texas back to western Louisiana. This flooding caused vast changes of the landscape which included the loss of bottomland forests and the creation of bald cypress forest development along the shorelines.”

Caddo Lake Facts

From this biologist point of view, “the habitats that are represented and protected at CLWMA are among some of the most rapidly declining habitats in the Americas.  Sadly, this trend will make CLWMA even more unique.” A few features make Caddo Lake more than just a lake. As Vanessa states, “CLWMA is not just open water and bald cypress swamp that is the most obvious, and what most people picture when they hear the words ‘Caddo Lake’. It is also heavily vegetated shallow water, bottomland forested floodplains where you find willow, water, and overcup oaks; it is pine/oak transitional forest, and upland oak/hickory forest. CLWMA has flat expanses, mild rise and fall, and steep creek cuts all of which have their own vegetative and wildlife nuances.”

We have reached now the narrow channel that is the closest entrance to the CLWMA from the Mill Pond. Seeing this calm stretch of water brings me back to Vanessa’s words: “Caddo Lake has seasons; the diverse vegetation will change with the seasons.  Forest visibility changes and the view is always changing. The bald cypress and the bottomland forest species put on a spectacular fall show.  In the spring when the green is just beginning to return is also a good time to see CLWMA. You would have to make a trip every month to really see CLWMA, because it changes that quickly.”
She is also concern about “water levels in the swamp ebb and flow because it is critical that this happens. Ephemeral pools created by lake and stream flood waters provide important spawning and nursery areas for reptiles and amphibians and that in turn provides mesopredators with a food source. The ephemeral nature of CLWMA keeps it healthy. The presence and absence of water influences such things as reseeding of bald cypress and seed dispersal of mast producing trees. It also floats food sources for easy wildlife consumption.”
On the other hand, CLWMA has problems of its own. Now we are in the middle of a maze of sloughs and channels and have just spotted a beaver burrow. It sticks out of the water like a tiny little island. Some of Vanessa’s statements come to mind immediately when thinking about beavers and other types of animals and plants that live in and out of the water. “CLWMA is invaded by non-native invasive species. Namely Chinese tallowtree, Japanese climbing fern, water hyacinth, parrot’s feather, hydrilla, and the deadly giant salvinia; deadly because it will smother all life from the water. Without that life, the Caddo Lake food web will be destroyed and every aspect of Caddo Lake’s nature will be affected; from the smallest phytoplankton to the state listed threatened Raffinesque’s big-eared bat to the river otter to even mankind. That’s not all; non-native feral hogs threaten forest regeneration and dangerously compete with native white-tailed deer, squirrel, and other wildlife because this omnivore eats everything it comes across.”

On our way back we are feeling sore. Our arms are already tired from all that paddling and decide to stop every now and then to catch our breath. Then I gaze around and realize there are more properties overlooking the bayou than I thought. Surely that has to be a matter for concern when it comes down to keep the balance between nature and civilization. That view of so many houses and lawns makes me remember what Vanessa told me with regard to advising owners: “Find the beauty in native flora and fauna. Plant only natives in your yard or at the very least educate yourself about the non-native species you chose. Clean everything that comes from a body of water from your boat to your boots to your duck decoys to your dog! This is a good habit that protects against the spread of invasive species seen and unseen. And finally, wild pork is fine dining!  There is no size or bag limits on CLWMA.”

Ten minutes later we stop again. It’s still a long way to the Mill Pond, and all of a sudden I recall those two ski jets that showed up out of nowhere earlier in the day while riding the pontoon boat with Cindy. She called the rangers right away to report the unpleasant encounter. And she did so because CLWMA is a protected area; as protected as it should be. Vanessa had filled me in on these Wildlife Management Areas. There are 51 of them in Texas, “encompassing some 756,464 acres of land in the state, and you must have a permit to visit a wildlife management area. On Caddo Lake WMA, one must have either the Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH, $48) or the Limited Public Use Permit (LPU, $12). An APH allows for all hunting or consumptive activities and the LPU allows for all the non-consumptive activities such as camping, biking, hiking, or birding.”

Finally, our suffering is over. We return our rental gear to Cindy while the sun is sinking in the nearby trees.It’s definitely time for barbeque.

From the Great Depression to the present

Todd Dickinson, who has been the Park Manager at Caddo Lake SP since 1999, tells me about how the park started: “The State Park land was originally donated by a group of locals on June 8, 1933 in order to help establish a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project in the area. Caddo Lake State Park was the first State Park in Texas to be designated as a CCC project.”

Now we are hiking and just saw a beautiful fury red fox at a very close range. We are carefully making our way through poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac to one of the hot spots in the park. This is one particular spot that made Texas history. And the presence of those who made history still lingers here. “In the 1930’s the Great Depression was starving the United States -says the Park Manager. Americans had lost hope until a new president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), had a far-reaching idea: to form a peacetime army, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), putting people to work to conserve our natural resources and improve the country’s infrastructure. The work of this ‘Tree Army’ became more than a job and a paycheck. CCC projects soon became synonymous with morale, pride, and spirit. CCC Company 889 made camp here in 1933, and improvements were completed by Company 857 in 1937. The U.S. Army occupied 15 barracks and an Army mess hall that were converted into the nine log cabins, and the group recreation hall used today.” These cabins are just perfect for a family stay enjoying both nature and some comfort. “With bare hands –keeps elaborating Todd- they built these cabins and other structures for $1.00 a day using local stone and pine. Each stone laid was an investment in the future of the boys and America. Boys were transformed from unskilled laborers into skilled young men. A pavilion, remnants of original picnic sites, a latrine and culverts remain today.”

Our seemingly aimless wandering has come to an end now, and we are back to the parking lot by the boat ramp where our car is parked. Some fishermen are launching their bass boats, hoping for a good day on the water.

Something about fishing

Along the banks of the Big Cypress Bayou, boaters and also paddlers not only stand a good chance of spotting armadillos, other small mammals and birds but also an even better shot at catching some of the 91 fish species that call Caddo Lake home. Largemouth bass is probably the most common and targeted game fish, chain pickerel being the most unexpected. Needless to say that the fishing gets better as you make your way out to the big lake. However, we only have our rental canoe, and can’t go that far. So we just stay around the bayou and the Mill Pond, and I start throwing a chartreuse senko along the grass lines that parallel the swinging water channel from the boat dock to the mouth of the pond. After a few casts I feel a couple of little ticks on the end of my line and firmly set the hook. An 11-inch bronze-backed largemouth splashes the water surface while I start reeling in. Seconds later the fish is in the canoe and my wife takes my picture holding that beauty. Immediately after, I put that chunky scrappy little fighter back in the water. While I see the fish disappear in the murky water, Michael Brice’s words cross my mind. “Caddo Lake has an excellent fishery when compared to other East Texas lakes. The black bass population consists of both largemouth and spotted bass.  The largemouth bass population is regarded has having trophy status with the lake record being 16.01 lbs.  Largemouth bass are often caught in the main lake areas among groups of cypress tress, adjacent to vegetation, along boat roads, main lake points, and where feeder creeks meet the main bayou. Spotted bass are also plentiful, with greater concentrations in the main bayou or river habitat,” offers Michael, the TPWD fisheries biologist of the area.

As days go by, the towering cypress trees at Caddo Lake keep being witnesses of human and animal activity as if nothing could change their routine time and again. Let yourself lose the sense of time in this sweet spot where nature has spawned a renaissance of sorts for living entities both ancient and novel.

For more information on Caddo Lake State Park, visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/caddolake or call 903 679 3351.

ATHENS, Texas—Lake Conroe and Choke Canyon Reservoir each produced another ShareLunker on Sunday, February 15.
ShareLunker No. 460 took Mark Goetzman’s Brush Hog about 10 a.m. on Lake Conroe. The fish weighed 13.13 pounds and was 25 inches long and 20 inches in girth.
That afternoon Troy Brauchle of Helotes pulled a 15-pounder from Choke Canyon Reservoir, the second time in less than a month the lake south of San Antonio has produced a fish weighing 15 pounds or better. On January 21 Brad Bookmyer of Leander set a new water body record with a 15.45-pounder.
If the name Goetzman sounds familiar, it’s because Mark is the father of Tyler Goetzman, who caught a 13.06-pounder, ShareLunker No. 442, from Lake Conroe on January 13, 2008. And Tyler was fishing with Kyle Nitschke December 13, 2008, when Nitschke caught ShareLunker No. 456, a 13.07-pounder.
If you go fishing on Lake Conroe and want to catch a ShareLunker, it might be a good idea to have Tyler Goetzman in the boat with you.
Anglers who legally catch a 13-pound or bigger fish in Texas waters, public or private, can enter it into the ShareLunker Program by calling (903) 681-0550 or paging program manager David Campbell at (888) 784-0600 and leaving a number, including area code.

Troy Brauchle of Helotes caught this 15.0-pound largemouth bass from Choke Canyon Reservoir February 15. The fish was 25.75 inches long and 22.75 inches in girth.

Bruce Peel caught ShareLunker No. 459 from Lake Fork February 12. The fish was 25.75 inches long and 20.5 inches in girth. TPWD Photo © 2009, Larry D. Hodge

ATHENS, Texas—Bruce Peel of Granbury landed the fifth ShareLunker of the season Thursday, a 13.13-pounder from Lake Fork.
You could almost hear the big bass season kick into high gear.
Lake Fork has produced 240 of the 459 entries in the ShareLunker program, a whopping 52 percent. It doesn’t always produce the first fish of the season, and in 2006 Lake Alan Henry actually produced more lunkers.
But when that first fish from Lake Fork does take up residence in the Lunker Bunker at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, it’s a sign that the busy season is here.
Game on.
Peel caught his fish in 16 feet of water on the edge of White Oak Creek using a four-inch Big Bite Beaver in watermelon. “It was the second place we tried. We’d been on the water only a couple of hours,” said Peel, who was fishing with his wife. “I was looking for grass that might hold some heat.” Water temperature at the time was 51.7 degrees.
Peel didn’t find the grass before the big bass hit. When he finally wrestled it into the boat, he almost released it immediately. “Then I thought, maybe I ought to have this fish weighed,” he said.
That decision wins Peel a fiberglass replica of his fish, ShareLunker clothing, and a trip to Athens for the ShareLunker awards banquet in June.
Lake Fork and other lakes in Texas will be winners, too, if TPWD biologists are successful in spawning this year’s crop of lunkers. Offspring are stocked into lakes that produced lunkers.
To enter a fish into the program, call program manager David Campbell at (903) 681-0550 or page him at (888) 784-0600 and leave a number, including area code. Campbell or another TPWD staffer will pick the fish up within 12 hours.
“The ShareLunker Program has done a lot for fishing in Texas,” Peel said. “Come to Lake Fork to catch the fish of a lifetime.”
You heard the man.

15.93-pound bass is also new lake record

Ricky Bearden caught the new Lake Conroe largemouth bass record January 30. The fish weighed 15.93 pounds - TPWD Photo © 2009, David Campbell

ATHENS, Texas—Ricky Bearden of Conroe set a new water body record for largemouth bass January 30 when he pulled a 15.93-pound fish from two feet of water in Lake Conroe.

The big bass now holds the number 24 spot on the list of the top 50 largemouth bass ever caught in Texas.

Bearden was fishing with a plastic worm in 54-degree water when the big bass took the bait about 12:15 p.m. Friday. The fish was 27 inches long and 22 inches in girth.

“It’s one of the healthiest-looking fish entered into the ShareLunker program in some time,” said ShareLunker program manager David Campbell.

The fish is the second ShareLunker to come from Lake Conroe during the current season. On December 13 Kyle Nitschke used a crankbait to land a 13.07-pound fish that is the junior angler state record largemouth bass.

“What’s driving this is the continued stocking of Lake Conroe with Florida largemouth bass,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) fisheries biologist Mark Webb, who manages the fishery. “In addition to the bass that TPWD stocks, the Lake Conroe Restocking Association purchases fish from Tyler Fish Farms and stocks them into the lake after they have been tested and certified to be Florida bass.”

Since 2000 more than 1.7 million Florida largemouth bass fingerlings have been stocked into the lake.

Lake Conroe has also been the object of intensive vegetation management by TPWD and the San Jacinto River Authority, resulting in the removal of most of the hydrilla in the lake. Native vegetation is being established in its place. “Anglers are figuring out how to fish the lake in the absence of hydrilla,” said TPWD fisheries technician Mike Gore. “They’re throwing more crankbaits and Carolina-rigged plastic worms. The fish are out there. You just have to know how to catch them.”Lake Conroe has now produced 14 ShareLunkers. Only Lake Fork, Lake Alan Henry and Sam Rayburn Reservoir have produced more 13-pound-plus fish.

Anyone legally catching a largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more from Texas waters, public or private, can enter the fish into the ShareLunker program. Fish will be picked up by TPWD personnel and taken to the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, where they are used in a selective breeding program that aims to increase the size and number of big bass in Texas. To have a fish picked up, call David Campbell at (903) 681-0550 or page him at (888) 784-0600 and leave a number, including area code. Anglers receive a fiberglass replica of their catch and ShareLunker clothing.