# Is Matt catching?



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I know curtsey of Gofish2day that when the Spring Creek/Jesse Jones Park reports are rolling, it's two weeks until the Trinity River runs get going good.
Most of the time ;>)
Those white bass got to be up the creeks this year though, I think it's people keeping tight lips.
The biggest white bass I ever caught, and I have been catching them for over 60 years, were on white Rock Creek in December.
It was cold as a well diggers shovel and I had a tiller 20hp Johnson on a Monarch 16'. So that puts it in the 80s I think.
Fishing between the "keep right/keep left" cable and Tantabeau Creek, about a 200 to 300 yard stretch, with a 1 oz chrome rattle trap. I would let out a lot of line and let the lure rest on bottom, and would put the motor in gear and feel the trap rise up just a beat or two and then take the motor out of gear and feel for the lure to drop.
Just as it would rise, or, when it was almost back to the bottom, I got about a dozen hits. I missed most but caught four that were 18.25" each or within a 1/16" of that.
I have caught, I don't know 100,000 white bass in my life?? and those were the biggest.
So 2coolers don't be lazy, get out there and catch em and report back.
I would bet dollars to donuts Matt is catching them on White Rock Creek.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

As green as the river is, I would think they would be in the river proper over the feeder creeks, but who knows? And White Rock, because of where it ties to the lake, is a little different than creeks above hwy 19. I made a test run trip the other day and discovered that the depth finder unit I use in my jon boat has bitten the dust. But that unit is also the one I use in the bow of my lake boat. The socket on back of the unit where the transducer attaches isn't working. To prevent having to re-wire anything, I got a used head unit on eBay that is so close to the unit that finally went kaput that the only changes I will make are mounting brackets; it uses same power cord and other connections.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Come on Matt, tell the truth.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

That lazy bum has been a little off course lately but that will change next week. I was going to White rock last wednesday or thursday but decided to go somewhere else due to the recent rain we had a couple days before. It had muddied up some of the creeks some. The place I did go to was a little muddy but not a lot of whites. The whites I did catch were fat and thick. I have been waiting on this full moon and it is here. So you should see the kenner burning up the highway. Sure is nice fishing during the week.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Go get em Matt, save some for the greenhorns!
That Kenner can burn up the road all it wants to, Bankn told me he put a tracker on it :>)


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

Too cold to go Friday. Supposed to be 26 degrees. Been chasing the other fish. Might go Friday afternoon.
Remember one day (Jan or Feb) in White Rock Creek with Matt is was in the 20s and we were fishing. Man I have never been so cold.


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

Pretty slim pickings on the graph last week on the midlake creeks. I think everything is going to be early this year.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Yep those white bass that are left on the south end seem to be making tracks north. There are very few left from what I can tell.
So it's more important than ever that Matt go when he is able and report back.
I hate to make that drive towing a boat until I know it's on fire


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I have fished a few times when ice formed in the top guide and another 1 or 2 guides below that. I remember launching off cart alone at L & D years back and it was 25° at the time. The river level was extremely high and rolling mud, which meant I had to fish the creeks to have a chance. Upstream to Hurricane creek but nothing. I decided to run several miles downstream to Beaver Dam creek and it was on! At first I wasn't catching there either. I assumed (yes I know) that a slow retrieve would be needed. As it turned out by speeding up retrieve it turned into a fish per cast. Sure wish the new owners would use that cart like it was in the old days. Apparently they feel they can't charge enough to make it worthwhile?


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

Ya come on Matt you know us working folks are relying on you retired guys to let is know when it's time😁😁


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## Ditto2 (Jul 19, 2016)

I ain't going till I hear Matt is catching some fish.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

He might be getting into golf more, I dunno.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

Never played that game. I told ya'll I caught a few last week and the week before I caught a few more than last week. I want to know who is going to tell me about the fish. I do have some fresh specs to eat this weekend. We got a lot of rain last night and that will cause some problems for a couple days. It should be good going forward.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Mattsfishin said:


> Never played that game. I told ya'll I caught a few last week and the week before I caught a few more than last week. I want to know who is going to tell me about the fish. I do have some fresh specs to eat this weekend. We got a lot of rain last night and that will cause some problems for a couple days. It should be good going forward.


Most, not all, of the trips I would call phenomenal were in the creeks when the river was high rolling mud. True, there have been many great trips in the river itself, but the truth is that many or most years there is enough rain to make it difficult to hit the river low and green. You really need 2 different game plans, one river and one creeks.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I can't wait for you guys to load your boats on trailers, hook them up to the truck, burn out some bearings, blow some tires, ruin hubs, launch at FUNKY ramps, to catch some white bass lol!
I guess I'll be stuck here catching crappie.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

shadslinger said:


> I can't wait for you guys to load your boats on trailers, hook them up to the truck, burn out some bearings, blow some tires, ruin hubs, launch at FUNKY ramps, to catch some white bass lol!
> I guess I'll be stuck here catching crappie.


As you well know, this is what I use upstream. There is no way I would take my lake boat where I take this.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Looking forward to the reports, I may go on an exploratory trip soon, probably White Rock Creek when it clears up and the weather moderates a little.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

I just had new hubs put on back in December. I guess they don't last if you don't grease them. Leaf spring broke a week before that. Yep got to fix it on the side of the road. Kayak Kieth came along and helped. I still take the Kenner to the creeks and further. She sure has been a good boat. As far as the crappie go I need to take KK to one of the SSFH for crappie for helping me. I should show SS where that SSFH for crappie on Livingston is since I don't fish it much anymore. South end for crappie.


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

Whitebassfisher said:


> As you well know, this is what I use upstream. There is no way I would take my lake boat where I take this.


 whitebass fisher I’m looking for a little rig like that if ya see anything for sale holler at me.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

whsalum said:


> whitebass fisher I’m looking for a little rig like that if ya see anything for sale holler at me.


 Okay, I will.


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## Jigger (Feb 12, 2009)

shadslinger said:


> I guess I'll be stuck here catching crappie.


Thats not a terrible thing. One day I'll meet up with you a share ideas.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Jigger said:


> Thats not a terrible thing. One day I'll meet up with you a share ideas.


 SS probably has some openings in his bookings.


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## Ditto2 (Jul 19, 2016)

Definitely not taking the 22' CC up the river. My wife hates it but I keep this in the garage year around. Only use it once in February for white bass and every weekend in October for redfish in the Tres Palacios river. It did get a new 25hp Yamaha four stroke upgrade last year. We have put in and ran that boat in some pretty sketchy places.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

You can take just about any size boat up the river. Now you may not get into the creeks in a big boat. I sometimes miss my flat bottom with a 25 on it. But the Kenner goes where I need to.
Will try maybe tomorrow and give a report if I go. Just made a blackberry cobbler with coo whip and eating some fried speckled trout. I used blackberry juice in the recipe where it called for water. Taste better but the cobbler looks a little over cooked when I use blackberry juice instead of water.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Following, take pictures Matt or Karl won't believe you.
That cobbler looks awesome.


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

He will have to wait. Have some business that needs taken care of tomorrow but will go one day this week.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

I'm getting the itch myself......


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I was gonna go today, but just too nasty to go by myself. So I hung around the south end and caught a 15.75" crappie and lost another big un. then drifted with cut bluegill for four box cats about 20" each. Then came home to eat this awesome axis deer link sausage and pinto beans, dang good stuff.
Maybe I'll find a partner tomorrow to help me launch the boat some godforsaken creek ramp and see if any white bass are spooning lol!


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## Mattsfishin (Aug 23, 2009)

Ok people, I went to white rock yesterday and stunk up the place. Whites did not want to play but I did manage some blacks. It was really cold in the morning. Up the creek looks almost dead. They sure do need a good rain up the creek. The creek is really low. Did not know the lake was that low. I guess for now I will avoid white rock and go back to a couple places that I have caught whites at in the last month or so.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Thanks for the report Matt. Are you sure you have been going fishing? Usually we at least get a picture, you know how it is on here.


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## Duckchasr (Apr 27, 2011)

I fished and scouted some lake Houston watershed creeks this last week. I have seen the importance of making 1 particle cast or no fish. Overall slow and all males still. Spring creek @JJ seems to have got very wide. Didn't see anyone fishing there.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Mattsfishin said:


> Ok people, I went to white rock yesterday and stunk up the place. Whites did not want to play but I did manage some blacks. It was really cold in the morning. Up the creek looks almost dead. *They sure do need a good rain up the creek.* The creek is really low. Did not know the lake was that low. I guess for now I will avoid white rock and go back to a couple places that I have caught whites at in the last month or so.


Yes, we need rain in my opinion, to create some current and show the fish which direction is upstream.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

So, it's still dazed and confused trying to find the spawning white bass? I was hoping somebody would report back with some cool pics of fat sows caught in the upper reaches of the Trinity.
A lot of us remember when we caught them full of eggs and way up White Rock Creek, or another creek up the river, in November, December, and January. So where are they now lol?
The sweet spot for spawning white bass is somewhere between late February and March 10th. I think that is when there are fish going both ways on the creeks, some coming back and some going to spawn.
White bass can grow at a rate of up to one inch a month in the Trinity watershed, so those pesky 6" fish that attack any slab around were born when?
If they show up in July they were born in January. You can almost bet in October there will be a horde of those little fish, so they were born in April.
I have fished the river above and below the lake when we caught spawning white bass from November to April, and they would be getting after it the whole time. 
Then there are years when it seems nobody hits it right and the few that do just find them for a short time.
I think the first wave of spawning sows are the biggest and oldest and the most vigorous representatives of the species. They go the earliest, travel the furthest, and go right up the waterfall or shoal they can't over to spawn. That varies year to year in extreme conditions, but usually the actual spawning spot stays the same. Like the Livingston dam, shoals and waterfalls on creeks, but when floods swell the creeks and water goes over those usual stopping places the white bass do too.
Matt and I once went up White Rock Creek on a year when spots way past the usual stopping places for boats and fish had several feet of water over them.
We fished and caught sows at least a mile up into a deer lease. Usually you could not get a yak up there it's so small at that point.
I am a little suspicious that some folks are catching and not telling,.....I think I know his name.


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