A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

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shoffer
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A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by shoffer »

Kickingback and I fished N. Lake Conroe today. Launched at Cagle at first light, and was off the water by 10:45 am due to wind picking up and it being no fun to try to fish in that. I hooked six bass, landed four. Three were on topwater Super Spook (Baby Bass), but I lost that lure when a bass took into submerged branches and wrapped himself up so that I could not extricate him, so I had to pop the line. This one was my biggest today - went 4.8 lbs:
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The other one was on a frog in a nice calm back lake next to some tree roots.

I also caught a freshwater drum:
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I never knew those existed, so that was a new one for me. I hooked it using a baby bass chatterbait trolling in 6 feet of water.

KB caught a bunch of crappie and a bowfin, which was a new one for him, but can tell you about his trip.
Last edited by shoffer on Sun May 26, 2019 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kickingback
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by kickingback »

Excellent report Captain! I had no idea what that bowfin was. Scales as hard as a gar! Caught 16 keeper crappie but released them all. Nice day on the water overall!!! :clap:
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by Dandydon »

Thanks for the informative freshwater reports, Shoffer & Kickingback. We all are familiar with bass & crappie, but "freshwater drum" and "bowfin" are MYSTERIES to most of us!
Are they any good to eat & were they fun to catch?
Hope to join you for your next lake trip... Thanks for sharing.


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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by Ron Mc »

congrats - gaspergou are a hoot - my sister used to have a lake house on Livingston (they're on LBJ now).
Used to catch gaspergou in their cove on a fly rod, and my best was 8 lbs - they fight great.
never caught a bowfin, though.
Nice crappie, too.
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by karstopo »

Nice. Good catching.
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by mwatson71 »

Good job, guys. I am ready to get back out in the water. Fresh or salt - I am starting to suffer from cabin fever.
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by kickingback »

Keep your ears open for the next window Watson. Hope you can make it next time. It's always nice to go to new locations and have fun catching! The water height is about normal. It was a foot high last week after all the rain. The wind on Conroe can kick up fast so have a trip plan and keep the winds in mind all day!
I would not have been able to catch as many crappie if it were not for my Livescope. With post spawn crappie they are scattered and you have to move to find them. There were a few other kayakers out that day as well being the start of the holiday weekend.
Conroe has had record breaking bass caught out of Conroe. A quick google search will show some the latest big bass.
Conroe has many launch spots that produce many species.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/ac ... _code=0192
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by Dandydon »

My life of globetrotting & decadence will not be complete until I've caught my very own GASPER GOO!! Who can lead me to the Gasper Goo? I'm a fool for the Goo! Goo me or go home!
IMG_8087.jpg

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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by imaoldmanyoungsalt »

Dandydon wrote:My life of globetrotting & decadence will not be complete until I've caught my very own GASPER GOO!! Who can lead me to the Gasper Goo? I'm a fool for the Goo! Goo me or go home!
IMG_8087.jpg


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They are definitely flourishing in any lake with zebra mussels these days since they eat them. At Lake Bridgeport, I catch 1 for every 3 or 4 crappie I catch. They will easily hit a deadsticked crappie jig . especially if you tip it with a crappie nibble and fish close to the bottom around rocks.
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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by Dandydon »

Thanks for those fishing tips. I dream of Gasper Goo in my fish-fry future! Guess I'll need to find me some Zebra clams....


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Re: A day of new species! - N. Lake Conroe - Cagle Launch 5/25/19

Post by Ron Mc »

I always bottom bounce them on a Teeny sinking line around bulkheads.
It's a technique I learned young for white bass, but there's nothing you can't catch this way.
Growing up fishing Lake LBJ, I remember drum working over the face of the dam, swimming horizontal like a flounder.
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