# Lake Limestone - 3/13 & 14



## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

I was there this past weekend and didnt do worth a squat. I stayed south of the power lines. The water is heavily stained. The Navasota river was 9' flooded middle of last week. The main lake water is running at about 54deg and late in the afternoon I found 66deg water up in the creeks. I fished from 1' to 24' with minnows and jigs and didnt catch a single crappie. I did end up catching about 14 LMB in the 8" to 3' range. Mostly males but 2 were nice 5# females.

My Sister-in-law had to run up to Running Branch marina to get some ice and she said there was 2 guys there with an ice chest loaded with crappie. So undoubtly I dont know what the hell I'm doing...


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## bueyescowboy (Apr 10, 2005)

14 LMB isn't bad at all.
If it helps...
i generally don't know what I am doing
but I am having fun doing it.


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## stewman773 (Jun 19, 2009)

Nice catch BC on the LMB.


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

Great report. Thanks a lot. I have not fished up in Limestone for some 15 years.


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

bueyescowboy said:


> 14 LMB isn't bad at all.
> If it helps...
> i generally don't know what I am doing
> but I am having fun doing it.


It aint bad if that is what you are trying to catch... I was wanting some crappie...

I did see one female LMB on a bed that was at least 8#. As soon as I saw her I was grabbing for my texas rig rod. I pitched in there and she instantly turned on it and bowed up. I took the bait out of the nest and decided to let her be. I did back off and watched her and a 4lb male do thier thing for about 30 minutes. I got more enjoyment out of that than actually sticking her...but I knew I could of caught her if I wanted...


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

Lone Eagle said:


> Great report. Thanks a lot. I have not fished up in Limestone for some 15 years.


Roger - We have a small cabin right at the mouth of Running Branch. I love that lake. Hit me up this summer for some of the best crappie and white bass fishing around. Not to mention LMB fishing aint shabby either.


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

BuckCarraway said:


> It aint bad if that is what you are trying to catch... I was wanting some crappie...
> 
> I did see one female LMB on a bed that was at least 8#. As soon as I saw her I was grabbing for my texas rig rod. I pitched in there and she instantly turned on it and bowed up. I took the bait out of the nest and decided to let her be. I did back off and watched her and a 4lb male do thier thing for about 30 minutes. I got more enjoyment out of that than actually sticking her...but I knew I could of caught her if I wanted...


You probably just saved the lives of a few thousand fingerlings anyway. Easy to get fascinated "just lookin" sometimes. I haven't been to Limestone in over 10 years, are there any marinas on the road going the the boatramp at the west end of the dam? Is running Branch still the best thing going up there?Thanks-Mike


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

Your best choices are Running Branch Marina and Lake Limeston Marina. I dont think Herman's Hideaway is still open but Herman is a cranky old geezer.

Bad thing about Running Branch (http://www.runningbranchmarina.com/) is the long idle to get out past the no wake zone and if the lake is low be ready to bounce off of stumps - this is unless you know the exact route.

Lake Limestone Marina (http://www.lakelimestonemarina.com/) is midlake at the power lines on the east side. Their minnows are cheaper and strong. They have one hell of a bait tank that keeps the bait water very cool. If you do buy minnows there during the summer you will need to normalize the water before you dump them in a bait bucket. Just place the bag of minnows in the lake and let the water slowly warm in the bag. My wife killed 8 dozen last summer by dumping the bag in the bucket and tossing the bucket in the lake.

But we usually just haul our minnows up there with us. My cousin owns a hardware store and sells bait. He gets his bait from Oakhurst bait and when he does charge me it is only $8 a pound.


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

Is it still a pain in the rear to get under the bridge at running branch?Did they ever pave the road going to it? The pictures on the web.site still look the same as I remember. That was one long dusty road in the summertime.-Mike


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

The bridge is still narrow and CR740 is paved so no dust issue but it is a little bumpy but not too bad if you take your time. Our lake house is at the end of 740 and it takes me about 10 minutes to make it back out to 937. 

It is not owned by the same people that owned it 10 years ago. I think the new owners took over 2 or 3 or 4 years ago. If it has been 10 years since you were last there the no wake bouys are about a mile to mile and a half from the bridge. It is a long idle but if you are just fun fishing that gives you plenty of time to drink a couple of beers so it aint that bad.


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## justin-credible1982 (Sep 12, 2006)

Thats not a bad catch at all buvk. wasn't what you were looking for, but beats the he!! out of catching nothing. I'm sure you'll find them crappie.


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## FishBird (Jun 25, 2005)

man you are bring back some great memories B C. one of my favorite lakes ever . I use to fish it alot i need to go back , maybe i will see you up there this summer and get on some of those Limestone Crappies


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

Hit me up. I will be there just about every weekend this summer unless I'm fishing somewhere else...


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

BuckCarraway said:


> Roger - We have a small cabin right at the mouth of Running Branch. I love that lake. Hit me up this summer for some of the best crappie and white bass fishing around. Not to mention LMB fishing aint shabby either.


Buck, I do that. It is a nice lake. Still full of Coontail Moss?


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

Not near the vegation it used to have...


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## limestoned (Mar 18, 2010)

Newbie here. Been reading the forum for a long time, just recently registered. Nice to see some discussion about Limestone here. I have a place there on the east side north of the power lines. I havent fished for crappie yet, spent all last summer chasing whites with no luck. All the locals around me are pretty close mouthed when the discussion comes to where the fish are. But those people are salt of the earth.


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## BuckCarraway (Jan 5, 2010)

Welcome limestoned! Lets see - You are in either Cedar Creek Estates, Highlands, Shaw Woods, River Oaks or Forest Hill? 

Summer time white bass fishing can be awesome on limestone. For numbers trolling the south end is the ticket. I'm not that big in to trolling though. My best suggestion is get a quility sonar with gps and make sure you get a quailty map software for it. I use Navionics maps and in my opion they are the most accurate for that lake.

Or you could learn the old fashion way and get a good pair of binoculars and a cooler full of beer and go sight seeing...

I will locate a school or better yet locate the shad and fish it with a spoon pumping it off the bottom. The school will move and you will need to move with them. You never know which way they will head and that to me is part of the fun. Two years ago my uncle caught an 11.25# LMB while we were out there pumping spoons for whites!!!

Last year the whites didnt come to the top very often compared the prior years. But when they do it is awesome. They were mainly coming up late in the evening.

(Story time) My first time to limestone 14-15 years ago I was in a LMB tourny and fishing had been slow. Partner and I had 4 in the livewell that went about 8#. All the sudden the biggest school of whites came to the top. We threw down our plastic worms and tied on a small rattle trap. At first I was as confused as a baby at a strip club - I kinda vapor locked and didnt know where to cast. We smoked the whites. It actullay got boring after about 30 minutes catching 1 to 2 fish every cast. We had a double limit of whites in the cooler and went back to LMB fishing. We went to mine creek to fish a main lake point and we ended up culling the 4 LMB we had and ended up winning that tournament with a little over 16#. That was the very first tourny I had ever won - and that story there folks is why I fell in love with that lake... 


(Tips) 

For summer time whites - Check out the main lake point on the north side of running branch. It is a long tapering point and usually you can find a school there at all times. There is also a humpout in the middle of the lake kinda close to the dam and it normaly has fish on it. 

For summer time crappie - Find isolated timber in 13' to 30' of water. The key is isolated. They stack up tighter. If you get in those big timber patches the fish are scattered. What is better is if you can find some of the crappie condos I have planted out there. I have 8 condos and 3 of them are awesome and the other 5 are decent. I will give you a hint - there aint no timber around where there located...

As for finding the fish quicker here is a trick i use. I built a 6 hook crappie rig that is 9' total in length. Just drop the weight to the bottom. if no bites in about 5 minutes move on to the next tree. But when you do get bit you can easily figure out what depth they are holding at. I will then switch to a single hook or a jig for some fun catching. I have caught 5 at one time on that rig a few times but to me it's not that fun - really cool though.

Hit me up the next time you are going and I will give you the latest info I have.

Good fishing!
bc


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## grasshopper (Mar 11, 2010)

There are a few good places on the lake to catch whitties. Straight across from mines creek on the west side of the lake is a patch of trees that are set up on top of a hump. If I'm having trouble in other spots thats a place that never lets me down. Also on the east side of the dam right up next to bank is good for trolling.


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## limestoned (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks BC and Grasshopper. You really know the lake BC. I am in Cedar Creek Estates as you round the corner where the timber line starts, i am the place with the dock with the sundeck in that small cove before you round the round the corner into the larger cove. Stop and yell sometime if you are up that way. I have a Lowrance 522c on my boat, which seems to do pretty well, although I dont feel like I have put enough time in fishing the lake to get good at it yet. Thanks for the info, it will be helpful. Have you ever caught anything at what the folks around me call Single Tree? Its real close to the power lines directly across from the marina. I have tried there numerous times, but have never caught anything except a drum.


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