# White bass predictions for 2010



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I searched the achieves and found my first bite on white bass in the lake came about 5-13-last year. 
There was a report of White bass at Riverside on 3-4-09 that were full of eggs and milt.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=199013&highlight=white+bass+Livingston
So that means they are still spawning up until about the first week of April, just a guess. Then they show up in the lake at least by the middle of May, theses fish are making tracks!
White bass action was smoking hot by the end of May and the first of June last year.
I read a report of mine that was from 9-9-08 that was a good catch of white bass with some sonar screen shots.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=178979&highlight=white+bass+Livingston
That makes the rough average white bass bite on the South end about the first of May to the end of September.
The best was around the end of May or the first of June.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=217222&highlight=white+bass+Livingston
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=212766&highlight=white+bass+Livingston
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=209655&highlight=white+bass+Livingston
Red hots! Get your red hots here!! White bass season will be here soon, book a trip for the right time now. Some week ends are filling up as I write, so to avoid delay of a great time white bass fishing, book now!
SS


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## OrangeS30 (Jun 21, 2009)

I think you are VERY accurate on this Loy. We are still finding whites in the creeks now and my log shows us still catching whites mid September.


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## SHURSHOT270 (Dec 28, 2007)

SS, you always seem to know where the fish are. I cant wait to go do some white bass fishin with ya this summer. Seams like everytime you go out the boat limits out. Guys I've been fishin with SS before, he always puts you on the fish, will show you a a great time and is truely a professional. Looks like its going to be another great year on livingston for the whites and stripers.


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## Ole Big (Aug 10, 2009)

SS-I have been fishing the north end of the lake most of my life. We generally catch whites up the creeks near the end of Feb through March.I fish caney alot and it hasnt had much WB actions this year yet. i read one of your earlier posts about catching them up whiterock, but they weren't up Caney. I was hoping to "get into them" this weekend, hope they are there. it has been really strange that they have not been up Caney, maybe i missed them but i dont think so. What is your take? heck , we've even caught them up there in June of past years, idk ,we'll keep trying.


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## fredg (Jan 1, 2010)

Hi all. I've been lurking here for a while. I recently got a place on Kickapoo south of 190. I threw out a cast net from my dock today and got 2 whites. One was about 2 1/2", the other about 3". I thought that unusual, but have no idea how long it takes to get to that size. Just thought I'd mention it for whatever it might be worth.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I think the white bass went up the creeks and the creeks are so muddy that they did not bite lures. So people think they are not there. Many times they will be up a muddy creek, but you can't catch them on lures during the spawn.
I could watch them on White Rock swim upstream and struggle to get over the shoals and come back down in 2s and 3s spawning. But I could barely buy one on a lure. I came back the next day and caught about 23, but it was slow fishing even though they were thick in the creek.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

White bass are survivors. They are native to the Trinity water shed. They have been here ever since the Trinity was a babbling brook. 
In 1971 the white bass fishing in the upper river from White Rock to Riverside was phenomenal. You could dip them out with a tennis racket.
In the fall of '72 it rain almost nonstop all winter. The river stayed muddy until late May. The WB fishing was near nonexistent. Every body swore the fisherman got them all the year before. Wrong. They came back that summer in the lower lake stronger than ever.
The whites will be here long after we are long gone. They do their thing every year. They just alter their routine to match the weather and water condition.
It might be possible that the WB don't even know we fishermen exist. They may get a little annoyed at our buzzing motors and jet-skis but some how I feel they just ignore us and do what WB do. We plot and plan to find them but I bet they don't even know they are lost. LOL


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I have caught whites as late as April 10th in Bedias creek, but it was down to small fish and pretty much over.

I have cleaned up on nice big lake fish at the Hump as early as April 16. 

However, the 2 above did not happen the same year.

Personally, I think the fish got a great spawn off this year, but it was difficult to catch them due to conditions. They definitely had the running water they need! LOL


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

I hate to possibly put my foot in my mouth but I think this year is going to be excelent. The rains and high river has kept a lot of fishing presure of the lake. More important there wasn't thousands of rod and reels poking away at the breeding run going up the Trinity river proper. It kept me away and a lot of other seasonal good time fisherpeople I know. I also believe this big water year will show big catchs in a couple of years when the results of this years spawn show.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

"April 16th" I can't wait for them to come back down to the South of the lake ready to hit a slab! All of the heavy duty spawning fishing spots are not good conditions for the Mighty Red-Fin to travel in. and they are far away, futher than the coast. If I'm going that far, I'm going surf fish for big ones!


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## fishy (Jun 20, 2005)

we usually start night fishing for whites in May but usually the best time is the 1st-3rd weeks of June then we usually slab. Cant wait last year we did not night fish at all, just bowfished, but this year will be different. Also cant wait for the reports coming from SS.


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

It is veery interesting reading all the reports about fishing on this site. I do not claim to be the most knowledgible nor best fisherman around. Just love fishing and making a few bucks doing what was my first love in life.....fishing.

Arrived on this lake for the first time in 1978. A very popular Fishing Guide by the name of Curt Carpenter was a friend of my Father. My Father and Curt introduced me to Whites for the first time. It was wonderful.

Eight years later, I retired from the U.S. Navy and moved here. Commercial fished for a little over a year learning the lake. Also did some white bass fishing as well as crappie and LMB fishing.

In 1988, I became a licensed fishing guide here. White Bass was the most sought after fish. Got involved with three other guides here on the lake... Van Hamilton (now deceased), Ken Huffman and John Plumb. 

We started every season up the Trinity River, fishing the spawn and then moved back to the main lake. I had a small Bait and Tackle shop for six months at the end of FM 2457.....Old 190. We All did pretty good guiding. I alos guided at night under lights for two years after this. Started night guiding the first week of April in an area we referred to as the "Fence Row"; located over near the Penwaugh Marnia and ran Northward to Loper Lake and then Westward back past Kickapoo Creek all the way to the river.

My records show that we all caught lots of Whites during the daylight hours from the first week of April on most years and at the latest, the third week of April. These fish were caught around what we called the Corn Rows; South of Dove Island all the way to the 190 roadbed and across the lake; as well as Walker Lake.

Later learned that when the shad hit the banks in April, I could go to a few holes that were found by trial and error. We still catch Whites, Strippers as well as catfish while fishing in the same place in these holes using fresh shad.

Mid May seems Really LATE to me to start catching Whites when we still catch them much earlier. 

Thank you if you read this far. What I have just documented here is the Truth.....See y'all on the water.


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## bueyescowboy (Apr 10, 2005)

them whites will show up soon enough.....right now it should be catfish time....them shad going crazy along the bulkheads......I ve got my corks, weights, and cast net ready.
And the last two years have been great for white bass fishing.....along with some strippers thrown in. I do believe this year will be another good year if you can find the holes the white bass are hanging around.


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## troutlover (Aug 16, 2006)

bueyescowboy said:


> .
> And the last two years have been great for white bass fishing.....along with some strippers thrown in. .


 I like strippers and stripers and white bass


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## bueyescowboy (Apr 10, 2005)

probably have to cut them out of the program....state is wanting to get a pole tax now


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I agree with Johnny's reasoning a few posts up.

Lone Eagle, I fished with Curt Carpenter in the very early 80's I believe. Ken Huffman and John Plumb are basically like my heros, LOL.


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

Whitebassfisher said:


> I agree with Johnny's reasoning a few posts up.
> 
> Lone Eagle, I fished with Curt Carpenter in the very early 80's I believe. Ken Huffman and John Plumb are basically like my heros, LOL.


Those three guides taught me a lot about this lake as far as white bass are concerned.....glad you knew them as they were all three Great People as well as Great Fishing guides.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Here's mine:

Main Lake:
1) *Whites*: fewer large fish 13 -16 inches, tons of small fish which will show in abundance later in the summer. Excellent surface fishing but mostly small fish and mostly late summer. Large whites probably hard to find this season.

2) *Stripers: *Size improved over last year, but overall numbers reduced from last season.
​Below dam:

1) *Whites: *Outstanding fishing as soon as conditions permit. Large whites in abundance until fishing pressure reduces the numbers.

2) *Stripers*: Ditto. Outstanding fishing as soon as conditions permit and will last until fishing pressure reduces the numbers and/or conditions decline. ​


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

MDLRK, you are a realist, because I know how bad you want the lake to be better this year than last year! There were not a lot of medium size fish last year, or even small ones, so you might be right about there being less big ones than last year. 
I do know when the river drops enough for me to fish below the dam my shirt tail wont hit my back until I'm launched back there.

The first white bass I caught in the lake last year(5-12) I was with FISHNNUT and Nathan. We had chucked out some drifting jugs around the state park and then gone over to the lump to troll for white bass and see if they were there. 
They were there alright, so the next day I figured if they were on the Lump they should be at the Hump (my favorite place to jig) and they were, big time! After that it was on!
On the South end I usually do best at the lump first then the spots South of the island a little later.
LE, I certainly trust your opinion on when they will show up in the lake and will be looking for them and looking forward to catching!


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

This year will be hard to predict.
The flow at the dam has been a minimum of 12 gates since late Sept. !2,000 cfs for nearly 180 days with only a few day around 5000 cfs in early Jan. TP&W stocks stripers in Livingston so they will go down stream when they are three years old. (about 20 -22 inches) Well it seem feasible that all of our good stripers are gone. It makes me sad to think so but 180 day and counting sure give them time to leave.

As for the whites, they will be where they should be at the appointed time. The only question will be the size and quantity. Their short 36 to 40 month life span could mean a lot of those giants in the early spawning run will not survive to be caught this mid summer. I have never found any data on why they die off except that most Fishery data sites give the same life span info. High metabolism and high maintenance requirements I assume. I remember my early years. I had the same problem. Lucky to make middle age. LOL


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Any one caught them in the lake yet?


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

Caught some in the old Dove Island area as well as on some points North of Penwaugh last week. Not a lot but enough to know they are beginning to move back into the lake.


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## allenhuffman (May 21, 2010)

Lone Eagle said:


> In 1988, I became a licensed fishing guide here. White Bass was the most sought after fish. Got involved with three other guides here on the lake... Van Hamilton (now deceased), Ken Huffman and John Plumb.


Wow, memories from childhood. I found this old post when doing a search for my dad. I remember many childhood trips in the 70s to Big John's Marina on Livingston, and watching boats come in so loaded down with white bass they nearly sank. And the high speed fish filet using the electric knives.

I ran across two references to him in some old Houston Chronicle articles too, no doubt from the time when he had the fishing hotline set up. I wish I had paid more attention! I probably couldn't find fish today if my survival depended on it.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

This is a great thread. There is a tremendous amount of fishing information provided by these anglers.


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## allenhuffman (May 21, 2010)

Just adding a note here… My father, Ken Huffman, passed away in 2017. I recently located some computer graphics I did for a video he worked on at a Houston Boat Show and would have loved to have revisited it with him.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

A lot of old time stuff here, fishing was much better in 2010 than now. There were big stripers in the lake that schooled at daylight and were a blast to fish for and catch.
In general white bass were really stupid and you could not keep them off the line.
Fishing is better now than it will be in the future too is my bet.


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## allenhuffman (May 21, 2010)

Likely because I posted a new response to it. I just wanted to leave an update to a reference in the thread in case anyone else goes searching like I did.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

It was hidden from me at first, the new look on 2cool is confusing sometimes.
I never met him, but your dad's fishing legend is for real. I have had many, many customers over the years who talked about him and used the Hot Line!


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## allenhuffman (May 21, 2010)

shadslinger said:


> It was hidden from me at first, the new look on 2cool is confusing sometimes.
> I never met him, but your dad's fishing legend is for real. I have had many, many customers over the years who talked about him and used the Hot Line!


I remember listen to him updating that hotline. Do you recall what the number was? My "lame claim to fame" was being out on a saltwater trip with my dad with Larry Bozka. I ended up getting in the magazine because my line happened to catch something. Crazy. (I believe my dad was in the background in red, probably mixing a drink.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I bet Whitebassfisher knows it.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

allenhuffman said:


> Just adding a note here… My father, Ken Huffman, passed away in 2017. I recently located some computer graphics I did for a video he worked on at a Houston Boat Show and would have loved to have revisited it with him.
> 
> I am sorry to hear that your Dad passed. He helped put a lot of people on a lot of fish with his reports. I never personally met him, but did fish with I believe Jim Durham, maybe Ken's father in law?
> 
> ...


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

My first time to ever fish the lock and dam I pulled up just as Life Flight was leaving with the injured from the cable breaking on the cart, shook us up a little. 
We got over it and scrambled down the stairs and caught more white bass standing on the bank than I could count. Casting twin crappie jigs it was a white bass or two every cast it seemed, every so often a school of big crappie would come by and we would double up on them for a bit.
It was tricky catching the river low and green enough to really catch them, and a long drive to check conditions so the Hot Line was great I am sure.


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## allenhuffman (May 21, 2010)




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