O.H. Ivie Reservoir fishing guide Brady Stanford led client Charles Roberts, of Trinity, to this 13.785-pound giant fishing on Jan. 20.
The group was targeting big fish using forward-facing sonar and watched as the giant chased a jig in 35 feet of water.
The
the cork. The reel sings, the fish runs, and the fight is clean, direct, unforgettable. This is fly fishing the Texas coast the way it’s meant to be: shallow water, big reds, and gear built to handle wind, distance, and raw strength. If you’re ready for bent rods, burning reels, and fish that test every knot, the flats are calling. Bring a Level Series 8-weight fly rod — and answer the call.
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Mark your calendars: The Coastal Conservation Association of San Antonio chapter’s 47th Annual Banquet is scheduled for Thursday, April 30th in the Freeman Coliseum Exposition Halls. Doors open at 5 p.m. This banquet is CCA San Antonio’s largest fundraiser of the year and one of the largest and most enjoyable fundraisers annually in South Texas. The San Antonio chapter of the CCA is one of the oldest and largest chapters in the country and plays a huge part in the success of CCA Texas. Two of the ways it raises money are sponsorships and table sales, and all money raised in Texas, stays in Texas. Also, all attendees receive their CCA membership.
Upon arrival, everyone gets a patron gift, and the fun begins, with stuffed YETI buck et sales, $10 raffle items, a silent auction, and raffles featuring, 10 pistols/10 long guns, a Bobcat zero-turn mower, gun safe sportsman package, twin e-bikes, new 23’ Haynie Amigo with 150 horse power Mercury and Coastline Trailer and a new Max XT Can-Am. The big event is their live auction featuring hunting, fishing and family trips throughout the world, custom guns, artwork and more. Don Strange of Texas is caterer, providing a variety of food stations and open bar, featuring beer, wine, and premium liquor.
We anticipate a sell-out, so please help protect our coastal resources by attending. Contact Ruth Eaton for tables or sponsorship info at 210-289-8821 or reaton@eatoncontracting.com. Visit us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Visit ccatexas.org/san-antonio
CCA-SAN ANTONIO
☎ (210) 289-8821
CCATEXAS.ORG/SAN-ANTONIO
By Cory Byrnes For Lone Star outdoor newS
Max Smith with Max’s Guide Service reports trout have been scattered in the Port Aransas area.
“The wind has been high and the water has been down,” Smith said. “The fishing has just been strange this year.”
He and his clients have been targeting the edge of transition zones from shallow water to deep.
“I am finding them on the edge of deep guts,” Smith said. “We are on the move a lot. It’s not hit-a-hole loading up. We are putting a lot of miles on our boats.”
Anglers should take note and be mobile; do not get hung up in one spot, and you should be successful. The best time to fish is on the incoming tide, Smith reports. He and his clients have been using shrimp on a Carolina rig. As spring progresses, Smith will keep on the same pattern.
“I mean, this old man told me one time, Max, fish never leave; they just go a little deeper,” he reminisced. “You just got to find them.”
Up shallow, Capt. Tom Pennington with Port Aransas Fly-fishing works his buggy whip primarily for reds but has been seeing a lot of trout. He and his clients have targeted trout as a bycatch for reds.
“We have been seeing more quality trout, and by quality trout, I mean more 24-inch and above sized trout than we have seen in recent years,” Pennington said. “Lately, we have been finding those fish very, very shallow on sand pockets over grass flats.”
For trout, Pennington will switch flies to a Clouser or bent-back Clouser. The most productive colors have been white, chartreuse over white, and a black and purple.
“We also fish a lot of crab patterns. Last fall, we actually did catch some trout on a crab pattern. It isn’t typically what we will throw to target those fish, but they were just fired up and responding to it,” Pennington recalled.
Right now, he and his clients are throwing smaller flies to match the hatch. As the season goes on, he will gradually throw bigger flies for the bigger fish.
In the Freeport area, trout fishing has been consistent, reports Capt. Abby Webster with Texas Legend Charters.
“It’s slowly getting better,” she said.
She attributes the slowdown to the time of year. Webster has been targeting deeper waters around transition zones on the outgoing tide.
“Right now, pretty much everything I am fishing is decently deep,” she said. “Anything from 10-15 foot of water has been productive.”
Webster and her clients have found live shrimp either under a cork or freelining in the current the most productive. She has also had success on jigs with soft plastics from Coastal Brew Baits in the Hoochie Coochie color. It’s important for anglers to keep mobile.
“Just follow the bait. So, if I see, you know, lots of bait moving on the bank,
I’ll pull up to it,” Webster said. “I also watch for pelicans. If I see pelicans working, I’ll stop and fish it.”
She will follow the patterns as the season progresses. After water temperatures come up some more, anglers should follow the trout up shallow, generally in the morning, before backing back off to the deeper water as the sun gets higher.
Capt. Chris Phillips with Sabine Outdoors reports that Sabine Lake trout fishing has been picking up.
“It’s been warmer than normal, and we have been catching quite a few trout,” Phillips said.
Most of his success has come on knocker tails in white and chartreuse with a jig head. “We have been catching a few on Corkies, but they seem to want those knocker tails more,” Phillips said.
He and his clients have been focusing on moderately deep water on the edges of guts and near the levee.
“They are in 3- to 5-feet of water. I start on the bank and drift my way out to see where they are,” Phillips said. “If I see any mullet jump around, that’s kind of what I key in on.”
Phillips and his clients have had to remain mobile.
“There have been a few spots where we can put it on spot lock and stay in that area,” Phillips admitted.
Overall, the fish have moved up shallower. They will likely stay there until summer fully sets in. Once that happens, anglers should move out towards the jetties.
By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor
Texas anglers are hav ing a great start to 2026. Multiple trophy bass are being caught daily as fish transition to shal low water to spawn.
O.H. Ivie Reservoir, al ways a good bet to pro duced trophy fish, is off to its usual hot start. Big bass guide Brady Stan ford led client Charles Roberts to a monster fish on Jan. 20.
“At 3:30, we found a school of big fish near a submerged creek ledge in 35-feet of water,” Stanford told 2fish. “Charles made a cast with spinning tack le and 16-pound test braided line to the fish. He let the lure sink, and we watched a bass on sonar come to the jig and take it.”
The bass weighed in at 13.785 pounds.
“Last March, that same bass was caught off a spawning bed by my friend Kevin Robertson,” said Stanford, who owns Brady Stanford Fishing guide service. “The bass last year weighed 13.66-pounds and was taken by biologists to their hatchery, where it was spawned and produced fry. Then they placed a microchip in the bass and released it back into Ivie Lake.”
Lake Tyler and Lake Fork are also getting in on the action.
Lake Tyler was back on the board for the second consecutive year while the legendary Lake Fork returned to the stage for the first time since 2021. With the addition of these two Legacy Class fish, 10 different waterbodies have now recorded a Legacy Class largemouth bass in 2026.
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Anglers either love them or hate them for some reason — the sheepshead.
These stubborn fighting fish are sought after because of their tasty white meat but, at the same time, some anglers despise them for their difficulty to clean when compared to other species because of their long and hard dorsal fins.
In fact, during a recent trip angler Jeff Gray got stuck on one of his fingers as he was trying to get a tiny hook out of the notoriously tough sheepshead mouth, causing him a good bleeding in the process.
In the Lower Laguna Madre, sheepshead can be caught all year along the jetties, pilings and bridge structures. But the month of March is when thousands of these fish migrate from Gulf waters to shallower areas to spawn and gorge on barnacles and
The fish’s arrival coincides with another love ’em or hate ’em group — the coming of U.S. college students that spend their spring break recess on South Padre Island and other beach destinations.
Once he got his finger sorted out, Gray accomplished his mission of catching a limit using live shrimp on what appeared to be an Eagle Claw-snelled baitholder hook. He uses no leader but attaches two No. 4 split-shots to the line.
“The secret is to cast about 10 or so yards,” he said. “Let the bait sink and drag it His style paid off as he limited out quickly.
He said he fished the day before but a little too late in the afternoon.
In spite of that, Gray he said he caught three fish, one of which measured about 20
Angler Jacob Zarate of Harlingen said he caught the first sheepshead in mid-February but it’s this month when the chance to get a daily limit of five fish increases
“I got my five within three hours today,” he said as he was getting ready to leave the island jetty about noon on March 4. “This is as good as it gets.”
Zarate uses live shrimp on a popping float with a five-foot long leader.
As soon as the plastic went under, he made a quick motion with his right hand to
Several anglers could be seen fishing at the tip of island jetty and the Boca Chica
Some anglers said the further out one gets, the better the fishing is, but walking to the end can be trickier as the rocks are slippery and falling into the water is a danger.
Other anglers are reporting good catches of sheepshead at the Port Mansfield jetties and around the cabins, built years ago along the edges of the Laguna Madre. Wherever one fishes this month in deep South Texas, sheepshead should be on your
This May marks the 26th Anniversary of the iconic Shallow Sport & SCB Owners Fishing Tournament on South Padre Island. Setting the gold standard for fishing events, the Shallow Sport owners tournament acts as the opener of the South Texas tournament season. What started as a handful of local fishing guides back in the 90’s has grown into one of the largest saltwater owners fishing tournaments, drawing thousands of participants from across the nation. This event has a well-earned reputation as one of the biggest & best tournaments on the Gulf Coast, and this year’s event is guaranteed to follow suit.
The official event kicks off with the Registration Party on Friday, May 8th at the South Padre Island Convention Centre. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and visit vendor booths while your team completes their registration, purchases raffle tickets and browse new custom Shallow Sport merchandise. At registration, each participant will collect their coveted “swag bag”, which includes a custom long sleeve dri-fit event shirt, tournament bag, neoprene event koozie, bag of custom KWiggler soft plastic lures and various other products from our generous sponsors. The energy and anticipation of the tournament fills the room as new and old friends catch up before an amazing day on the pristine flats of the Lower Laguna Madre.
Saturday morning before dawn, boats begin to trickle past Louie’s Backyard to join in what feels like the world’s coolest boat parade. As each boat passes by, the excitement starts to build. Hundreds of boats gather to await the signature ‘BOOM’ of the longest-running canon take-off blast. Seeing 300 boats take-off at once is quite the spectacle as the competition begins. Each team is allowed to weigh in one slot redfish, one speckled trout and one flounder per boat. However, even if the fish aren’t biting, there are plenty of other ways to win.
In 2021, our tournament created an extremely popular Scavenger Hunt competition, where lucky anglers who come across one of the many bright green floating buoy balls that have been distributed throughout the fishing grounds are awarded a guaranteed prize at weigh-in.
Participants and guests head to Louie’s Backyard for a live-streamed on-stage weigh-in to show off their catch and take team photos. Last year, representatives from the CCA STAR Tournament were on-site and with the permission of the angler, tagged their live redfish and put them in a tank for them to later be released for the STAR Tournament. A total of 30 redfish from our tournament were released into the waters of the Lower Laguna Madre so that lucky anglers could cash in on some
amazing prizes and even scholar ships.
After weigh-in, our participants begin getting ready for the night’s festivities at the Convention Cen tre. The Awards Banquet is unlike any other in South Texas. Shallow Sport has hired a concert event pro duction company to transform the banquet hall into an unforgettable night of entertainment with profes sional lighting, audio shows and a video recap of the tournament while Bill Miller Bar-B-Q serves our par ticipants a delicious dinner. Over 40 handcrafted trophies will be award ed to the day’s top catches in Guided, Amateur, and Youth divisions before the highly anticipated drawing for the winner of the 2026 Tournament Raffle Boat; a brand new 24’ Sport with a 300 horse power Suzuki motor and McClain trailer. This year’s raffle boat will feature a unique and one-of-a-kind GameGuard vinyl wrap that matches the tournament theme which embraces our South Texas culture.
With over $250,000 in prizes given away, everyone has a good chance of going home a winner. The 2026 Shallow Sport & SCB Owner’s Tournament happening May 8-9th will be an event you and your family do not want to miss. Make sure to register early as we will cap registration at 250 boats.
Many landowners dream of catching a double-digit largemouth bass from their pond or lake.
But 10-pounders don’t grow by accident. It takes the correct amount of habitat, forage, age and genetics to produce big fish. Even if you have the first three, if you don’t have the right genetics, your bass will never reach trophy size.
“There are a lot of interesting studies being done on the importance of Florida bass,” said John Jones, president of Lochow Ranch Pond & Lake Management. “One-hundred percent Florida genetics is so important. It needs to be pure.”
Lochow Ranch’s certified team of biologists and water maintenance experts provides the full range of lake and pond management techniques, including water quality and clarity testing and improvement, vegetation control and removal of pond weeds, liming and fertilizing, algae control, erosion and sediment control, identification and control of predators and much more.
If a fishery is your goal, Lochow Ranch’s experts bring state-of-the-art techniques and expertise to maximizing your environment for game fish to thrive. The team is known across the South for its electrofishing surveys that yield the most accurate inventory of a lake’s fish population. The company also provides fish stocking, including a full range of game and forage fish, as well as supplemental fish feeders that help spur growth.
“We’re growing some really big fish,” Jones said.
Another issue some owners might not think about is the ever-expanding otter population. It is a massive problem for landowners trying to grow big fish.
“Ninety-five percent of the water we work with has had otter impact,” Jones said. “They kill between 7 and 28 pounds of fish per otter per day. Otters show preference to bass and crappie. We are working on trapping methods and working with the Otter Research Institute for less-lethal methods.
With more than 1 million private water bodies in Texas alone, many anglers and pond managers are turning to Lochow for expertise.
Lochow Ranch provides turnkey pond and lake management and maintenance services to landowners across the south central United States. The company also works in partnership with its affiliated company, Shoreline Consulting, to design and build new lakes and expand or renovate existing ones.
We have a pond construction company with low interest rates,” Jones said.
These professional techniques take the guesswork out of maintaining your body of water and ensure you can make faster progress toward your goals.
“We can establish fundamental management practices,” Jones said. “Having that solid foundation can help your lake thrive despite seasonal disturbances and broader environmental conditions.”
Lochow Ranch’s biologists and fleet of trucks are based in Bryan. They manage more than 6,000 lakes across the region — and they are offering their services into the southeastern states.
“Our aim is to help you reach your goals so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your beautiful body of water,” Jones said.
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Continued from page 5
Jack York of Emory reeled in a 13.45-pound lunker Thursday afternoon, his second overall Legacy Class fish. York landed 13.51-pound giant on Jan. 23, 2023, at Lake Nacogdoches and returned to the spotlight with his entry from Lake Tyler.
Dale Washington of Godley landed a 13.38-pound fish at Lake Fork. This is his second overall 13-pound catch. Washington submitted his first on April 10, 2007, a 13.05-pound fish.
Meanwhile, for Lake Tyler, York’s fish was the third 13-pound bass in the waterbody’s history. Jason James of Whitehouse caught a 13.20-pound bass on March 22 last year and, at the time, just the second 13-pound entry for Lake Tyler, the first since 2021. James Crawford of Whitehouse put Lake Tyler on the lunker stage on March 20, 2021, with a 15.44-pound fish. It shattered the previous Lake Tyler record by over 2.5 pounds and still reigns as the biggest largemouth bass in lake history.
Out on Lake Fork, Washington had been fishing for three or four hours and had caught a few fish, but the bite wasn’t great. Washington then decided to change things up a bit with his approach.
“It was around 2 p.m. and I decided I was going to try and fish a tree line,” said Washington. “I’d been throwing a jig all day but decided I would pick up a chatterbait and literally on the second cast on this tree line, this fish hit it and the fight was on at that point. The fight was pretty phenomenal. Thankfully, I had it on braid because when it hit, it took off. I was fishing by myself and had a rough time getting my net on it because it was so big. I was finally able to get it in the net, put it in the bottom of the boat and I almost passed out at the point.”
Washington knew it was well over 10 pounds but not exactly how heavy it was. He called a friend who was on another boat to let him know about the catch and asked him to come to his location. They weighed
the fish on Washington’s scale and when it registered over 13 pounds, they headed to Lake Fork Marina to get a verified weight. And don’t forget about Toledo Bend. A bass caught on Wednesday, March 4 caught the attention of the East Texas bass fishing community.
Jim Franklin, of Hemphill, reeled in a 14.23-pound fish. Not only was it the second Legacy Class fish from Toledo Bend this year, but the 12th overall of the collection season, which runs through March 31.
Franklin had caught a lot of fish during his time on the water over a few days but hadn’t landed a massive largemouth bass. That all changed on his Wednesday trip to Toledo Bend.
“I’d been disgusted a little bit that I hadn’t caught a ten-pounder or nine pounder yet this year so I did something completely different,” said Franklin. “I went to areas of the reservoir I hadn’t been in the last two years or so. The day had not been very good to me, and I was about to give up, but I stopped at one last spot. A friend called me and I caught a 3.5-pound bass, cast again while I was talking to him and I had a five pounder get off. I told my friend I have to let you go because I think I’m on some fish and then made two more casts and I caught the fish.”
Franklin said he caught the fish about 2530 feet away from his boat on a Carolina rig and once the fish was on the hook, the fight was on.
“I was by myself and it was total chaos,” said Franklin. “My net was put up, and I ran circles around my boat about three times, and she stayed on top and put on a show the whole time. Finally, she gave up and I caught her. When I got her in the boat, I was shaking like a leaf, and I got my scale out. I zeroed it out and thought I had raised her off the deck completely, but apparently, I hadn’t because my scale said 13.57 pounds. I thought holy cow.”
