Texas vs. Northern California

[Brian Manthe]

I'm wondering if there is much of a difference in fishing Texas or in California. Are the lakes more consistent for 3-8lb bass in Texas compared to California. Also, is the fishing easier in Texas or in California, are most of the same techniques used. I'm wondering if any one has fished any lakes near Austin, Tx.

* Finally, is there anyone who has fished both Clearlake and Lake Amistad. Which one did you like better and why?

[markscolwell]

Wow, where do I start. I was born and raised in Texas. Lived and fished there all my life until I moved here with the military in 2005. I must say I was shocked when I got here. I had no idea that bass fishing was as good as it is. Texas is home but I love this place!!

Here is MY OPINION of fishing in Texas.
The fishing in Texas is awesome and the outdoorsmen lifestyle is more pronounced than it is here. Almost everyone is involved in fishing or hunting of some kind. But really fishing is something most people do when they are not hunting. Many people don't even touch a rod from Sept (Dove season start) to Feb (end of deer season) even though they may own a bass boat. Deer huntin is just number one and consumes everyone's energy.

I'm not sure I know how to say this but I also feel like the fisherman in California are little ahead of the times vs. Texas anglers. California seems to be on the cutting edge. For ex: Drop shots and finesse worms have been a staple here for a long time and they just caught on a couple of years ago in Texas. Same thing with swimbaits, just starting to make an appearance in Texas. Most tackle stores don't have anything more than "Strom" shads or maybe a Castaic shad or perch. You can't find 3:16, rago, matt lures, or Hudds.
As far as quality, there are a ton of big fish in Cali. probably more than anywhere in the country. But there are also more people fishing for them. Most of the time when I fished in Texas I could find water with no other anglers on it. Doesn't happen here to often in the delta. Texas has a ton of big fish too. But you don't hear about guys catching 15, 16, 17lbs fish. It may be because no one is fishing for them. There are 3 lakes in Texas know for big fish. Fork, Amistad, and A. Henry. But even at those lakes not too many people if any are trophy fishing. Most big fish are caught by chance.
Clear lake vs. Amistad; I'm sure alot of people will have heart burn with this but I would take Amistad any day. Amistad doesn't receive the pressure that clear lake gets. Its 3x in size, and the amount of big fish and bait in that lake is unimaginable. It has everything, shallow grass, heavy cover, deep structure, shear cliffs, 2 separate river systems, etc.... Anything and everything you could want is present. Most places the visibility is 15+ feet, it’s just awesome. Many of the same things you could say about Clear Lake, but my choice is Amistad. Plus I lived there for 5 yrs. so I guess I'm alittle partial. Tech. are the same, bass are bass! But I think if you took a hand-full of fisherman off this site including a couple of the trophy hunters with western big bass tech. and took them to Amistad they would shock alot of people. B.A.S.S. has just scratched the surface of that place.
Austin has got plenty of good fishing around it. Some of the clear rivers are my favorite, one of which is my favorite place on earth. Send me a PM and I'll share some with you; I don't want to boar everyone any more.
Sorry for the long post just my $.02!!

[PF3352]

I lived in Austin for 28 years and have fished every lake around..I now live on the delta and have to tell you the fishing here is by far better then the hill country lakes..Lake Austin has some very nice bass but the stripers are what most people fish for. The bigger ones are located just under the damn. Lake Travis is a very clear lake that has alot of bass but I have never caught one that rivals those of Clear Lake or the Delta. Move west a little bit and you have Lake LBJ, Inks and Bucannan(SP) These lakes have a good population of Bass but I really fished for White Bass ( you can catch 200 + in hours ) when at these lakes. If you have any ?'s about these lakes in general you can PM me and I will try and help you if you are planning a trip..I love it out here but can not wait to go home for good..I have 10 years till I move back to Amistad...The post prior to mine sums up that lake..It is just pure awesome..

Paul Fontaine

[MikeSouza]

I now live on the Texas and Oklahoma boarder about 5 minutes from Lake Texoma. I have fished a lot of lkaes here in Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. The fishing in California is a lot better and more fun. Because of all the T.V. coverage of the Elite series on the Delta and Clear Lake, more and more of the techniques are being used throughout the country. Even then when I mention(dropshot, swimbait, flipping,senko) there are still guys that are like "What".

You bring the delta, Clear Lake, Orville, Shasta, and Pedro out here to Oklahoma and I'll promise not to move back to the sunshine state. LOL

[swimbait]

Disclaimer:

I've never been to Texas and fished there.

Background:

Places I have fished in Northern California include: Pinto Lake, San Justo Res., Los Banos Creek, McClure, Don Pedro, New Melones, Shasta, Clear Lake, the Delta, San Pablo Dam, Chabot, Shadow Cliffs, Del Valle, Coyote, Anderson, Calero, Almaden, Lafayette, Newark Lake, the Shinn Ponds, Contra Loma, Uvas, Lexington, Quarry Lakes, Spring Lake, Berryessa, Folsom, and Pardee.

Since 1999 I've fished in 40 team tournaments and 4 Pro/Ams as a non-boater. I've caught 60 some odd bass over 10lbs from 7 different lakes. My background as a trophy fisherman and as a tournament fisherman I think gives a unique perspective on the overall quality of fishing in Northern California.

Comparisons:

From a tournament standpoint, comparisons around the country are fairly easy because you can simply look at the results and add up the numbers. It's also convenient that the same group of Elite Series fishermen travel the country and fish many of the best tournament venues for size and numbers. When you compare the big venues in Northern California (Clear lake and the Delta) against the big venues in Texas (which so far in the Elite Series has just been Amistad but which will include Falcon lake next year) ... it seems like pretty much of a wash.

At the Elite Series events this year, there were 30lb+ bags at Amistad and Clear Lake with a good number of 10+ fish. Fishing sounds pretty good at both places to me. The Delta fished pretty tough for the Elite Series guys but other large Pro events there this year had Clear Lake / Amistad like results. Which is "better" among the top tournament venues in either state probably has a lot to do with which day you happen to fish there, how good you are, and what type of fishing you personally prefer.

When you compare Texas to Northern California from a top end trophy bass perspective however, I don't see how there can be any comparison. The thing that changes the dynamics in California is trout plants. Because Texas doesn't (to my knowledge) have small lakes with weekly or bi-weekly trout plants for most of the year - Texas doesn't have the same giant bass dynamic as California. There may be tertiary factors like climate, water temperature, age of lakes, etc but the primary reason Northern California, and California in general, has a giant top end is because of trout plants.

I've heard the argument made that there are not more huge bass caught in Texas because people are not specifically targeting them, or because the cover at places like Lake Fork is so thick and knarly that it's too hard to get the fish out - but I don't really believe this. If there were good numbers of 15lb+ fish around, people would catch them on accident, like they frequently do at the lakes I fish. I can remember literally dozens of 15lb+ fish in the past 7 years that I've heard about caught around by trout fishermen, cat fisherment, and even carp fishermen using dough balls.

If you want to make a more specific comparison of Texas trophy fishing vs. Northern California you can look at the Share a Lunker program results for the state of Texas for 2007. There were 16 entries, with the largest fish at 15.54lbs. Granted, this is not all of the 13+ fish caught in 2007 in Texas, but I bet it's a good chunk. For comparison I could tell you that Nico and I caught 10 over 13 this year. We're just two guys. yay for us huh . There's probably been 50 fish over 13 caught in Nor-Cal this year.

Random Commentary:

People get really excited about the 'big bass' fishing at places like Amistad and Clear lake but the definition of a big bass is relative. To a someone from another state, or even a tournament fisherman in California, a 8 or 9lb bass is a big bass. If you fish specifically for big bass in Nor-Cal though, and 8 or 9lb bass is not a big bass. Really and truly, 10-12lb fish are not all that big either. Someone is going to think I'm an arrogant *** for making that comment, but the fact of the matter is that if you apply yourself to catching big bass in Northern California, and you know which lakes to target - you should be able to catch 13lb+ bass with some regularity. At least a couple a year. It's also worth mentioning that if you really want to catch 13lb+ bass in Northern California, Clear Lake is not the place to do it, and unless you have incredible local knowledge - neither is the Delta.

Conclusion:

When this debate about "which is better Texas or California" happens, the majority of people debating are tournament anglers who automatically compare tournament venues between the states. To that question, my thought is that things are fairly similar and what is 'better' is more a question of preference. But to the question of which state has bigger bass on the top end, California is the winner hands down because there are many small lakes, stocked heavily with trout, that have a very heavy top end fish. I hope no one takes any of this personally, I would love to go to Texas some time just to check out the lakes and fish around

-Rob Belloni

[Splash]

I agree with everything swimbait said!!!

[TTCal]

I agree with everything swimbait said!!!

Disclaimer:

I've never been to Texas and fished there.

are you sure?

[bassenvy]

But to the question of which state has bigger bass on the top end, California is the winner hands down because there are many small lakes, stocked heavily with trout, that have a very heavy top end fish.

when I talk to friends out of state and tell them how great the bass fishing is they say "ya well look at all the sloppy obese trout fed hogs" then I say they don't stock Clear Lake or the Delta size is relative to the body of water not the region imo

[Splash]

I agree with everything swimbait said!!!

Disclaimer:

I've never been to Texas and fished there.

are you sure?

Sounded like a good thing to say after the last batlle we had with the "Doughnut" man and the winner of the ugliest boat contest!!!

[CORAL 96]

I always like the fact that your also not battling other factors in Cali vs Texas. Water Moccasins, snapping turtles, chiggers, mosquitos the size of hummingbirds. Also, you have the weather factor dodging tornadoes, heavy rain, lightning, & humidity in the summer you can cut with a knife. Maybe those are the factors that make Texas fishing fun!! Now that I've relocated to southern Nevada, I see what I miss from Nor-Cal as far as lakes are concerned. At least I can still make it up in a day when time provides!!

[Peter Lloyd]

I lived in CA all my life until I moved to Dallas 2.5 years ago. It is easy for me to say that the bass fishing in CA is way better than Texas. I think the number one reason is the weather. The weather in Texas flat sucks. It is anything but consistent; it is completely different every day. It is bizarre. Recently, it has rained here for the last month and a half. This is not like a nice, gentle CA rain. It is a flat downpour. Some places get no rain and the next town over will get 8 inches in an hour. It is crazy. This spring we had about 3 perfect weather days (no wind, warm – good bed fishing weather) – those were all Tuesdays, when I couldn’t fish. I remember I would complain about the wind in CA. It doesn’t compare to Texas. And for some reason, this year is totally different than the last 2 years I have been here. Also, the tornadoes and lightning can be scary at times. Fishermen die here every year from getting hit by lightning. In the summer the humidity is so bad, it is hard to fish all day. My favorite time to fish is in the fall and winter, when everybody is hunting. You can actually go to Lake Fork and fish without getting cut off.
As far as fishing pressure, I think the lakes down here receive far more pressure. If you go to Lake Fork in April, it is like fishing the wall in Frank’s Tract every spot you stop at. It is silly how much pressure the lakes get around here. Also the lakes seem to fish a lot smaller than their size. This is mostly due to the fact that a huge part of many of the lakes are not navigable – too many trees or the water is too shallow.
I am sure that the fishing pressure has made its way down to Amistad too. I went to Lake Falcon this spring and there were guys down from Amistad to get away from all the boats. They said they were tired of fighting guys for spots. Apparently the parking lots at the ramps there are getting so full that they close them. This was in the spring though. Texans will drive far to catch fish. After going down to Zapata to fish Lake Falcon, I doubt I will ever make it to Lake Amistad. The towns down there are like going into a third world country. The amenities are generally bad, there is a lot of crime and it just doesn’t seem like any kind of vacation.
As far as the fishing, it is disappointing. With all the hype that you hear, you would think it would be a lot better. Don’t get me wrong, you can catch fish, but nowhere near the numbers you would get in CA. The average size bass is really good though. At Lake Fork, the average size is probably around 4 pounds. You have a great chance of catching a good fish (6-8pounds) every time out. All those are slot fish though – they are not keepers. You just have to fish differently. The fish like everything slow. All the fish I catch power fishing seem to be smaller than the fish I catch finesse fishing. I don’t get to use my frogs, super spooks, or buzzbaits as much as I would have thought.
So far my favorite lakes down here are Texoma, Fork and Choke Canyon.

[mcsanders]

I'll add my .02

I moved from Texas to Roseville last July and I am really enjoying California fishing.

I won't go into the Fork / Amistad vs. CL / Delta. All are excellent fisheries.

I do think some Texas lakes are more pressured than California lakes. The less famous lakes in Texas don't get Fork/Amistad/AH pressure

I do miss all the structure on Texas waters. Number 1, it provides good fishing but the biggest reason is that you can always get away from the jet skis, skiers, wakeboarders, etc etc.

As stated by many, the weather in Texas is pretty darn rough. But it's all about trade-offs....a starter/fixer-up home in California will get you in Texas a lake front home, private dock, new Ranger/Triton/Basscat/<enter you choice here>, helicopter and private scuba diver that will put the 10 pounders, that you raise in the ponds on your ranch, on your hook for you each time you fish

Peter Lloyd, have you tried Ray Roberts? I loved that lake.

[Peter Lloyd]

I have fished Ray Bob, but it has been tough for me. All of the trees and no boat lanes makes it tough to travel far on that lake. I have done well a few times on blades in the back of buck and the creek south of Wolf. I have also caught some fish on the bluffs by the damn, but that is it. I have tried going in Indian and Wolf and never did any good. The last year was tough because of the low water. Also, all the sandbass seem to keep the largemouth skinny.
The funny thing is that the most consistent lake around here for me is Lavon. I seem to always catch fish on that lake.
You are right about house prices. House prices in CA are crazy.
Have you been to Sonoma? There are tons of trees in that lake. It is not like Fork, but there are more trees in that lake than most in NorCal. It is one of my favorit lakes. You should check it out, if you haven't already.

[Steve]

Ive been in CA for 11 years. Prior to that I lived in many different places (Texas wasnt one of them, Mississippi was the closest), and bass fishing was always priority 1. So this is off subject, but heres my take.

First thing I noticed immediately upon arriving in the promised land was that bass fishermen here took nothing for what it was. They take everything, as in techniques and baits, and tear them apart to try to find something that works better. Everywhere else, bass fishermen seemed content with the basics. Pop a lure out of the package, dont ask questions, fish as is. Thats not how it works here. Zoom products are the bible elsewhere; here we look for somebody in their garage pouring handpours. Just look at the innovative solutions the swimbait makers in Cali have come up with, I think that sums up everything. For some reason the old saying "dont fix something that aint broke" just doesnt seem to settle well with Cali bass fishermen.

And it shows. Just look at the evolution of the pro trails, and what state is producing the best anglers in the world.

As far as big fish are concerned, Rob hit the nail on the head. The fact that Cali produces the biggest bass in the world is an absolute mistake, nobody meant to do that (i.e., DFG did not see that coming). Im completely convinced that if Texas had lakes that could sustain trout populations, that they would indeed be the leaders in the big bass world. Texas's management program is cutting edge, the effort is stellar, the public support is amazing, but yet they dont have trout. Now, compare the state of Texas management effort to that of California (boy I hate to say this, but Im gonna, Oroville is in Californias Trophy Bass program), and its easy to see that something aint adding up. The missing piece, the reason why Texas will not produce a world record, is they have no trout. God forbid they did, because if they did all us CA trophy hunters wouldnt be so arrogant. Trout are pure protein, and their protein causes growth rates of largemouth bass to go off the scale.

Ok, Im done. Gotta sharpen the hooks on my swimbaits for tomorrows fishing adventure

[Peter Lloyd]

Texas does, in fact, stock trout in a bunch of the lakes. While the numbers of trout stocked probably don't compare to the numbers stocked in CA, the trout don't seem to make a difference in fish size at those lakes. I think water depth and water temp. have a lot to do with the reason there are no numbers of huge fish in Texas. Also, there are large white bass populations in many of the lakes down here. That seems to make a difference too.

[getalife]

Hey Peter, have you ever heard of Spring Lake in Santa Rosa? Only 72 acres but this lake has produced many fish in the upper teens as well as two potential (although disputed) world record bass. The reason for this is the trout plants. Since they stopped planting the trout several years ago (budget issues) the number of 10+ bass has dwindled to almost none. All three of my dd's have come from this lake but I have a hard time finding a 5+ since they stopped stocking the trout. Just my .02

[Peter Lloyd]

What I am saying is that the trout in the lakes they stock here haven't made the same impact on the size of the bass, compared to California. I am not sure if that is due to water temp. water depth, or the fact that they don't stock near as many. However, I am not really sure of the specific numbers.
Here is a link of the different lakes that are stocked with trout in Texas:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fi ... 2007.phtml
Most of these lakes are smaller lakes, but that doesn't seem to make much difference in the small lakes in CA. I am not sure why the trout haven't made the same huge fish in Texas like they do in CA.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Peter there are some impundments here in California that stock trout, have bass and the bass don't grow to large sizes as they do in other trout stocked impoundments..Someone mentioned trout are pure protien, well so are just about all other baitfish the bass eat..As well as the crayfish..I do not doubt whatsoever that trout infested impoundments normally produce larger bass, but not always..

mac

[bassindon69]

Let me at those trout stocked Tx lakes. I will find them!
I am wondering how many from Tx toss (only) swimbaits all year long.

Don.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

You probably have a great point there Don..I would wager that not all that many throw them at all and even fewer that do it all year..I think you can expect that to change cons9iderably over the next few years..

mac

[markscolwell]

I never saw a trout swimbait until I moved here. In fact the only swimbait I have seen anyone throw in Tx (not including the last couple yrs) was a storm & the old castaic shad. Nothing over 4"-5". I bet no one stocks or sells hudd's or 3:16 in Tx. I only know of two guys at Fork and A. Henry who are throwing Hudd's. They also don't talk about it!! I wouldn't be surprised if they are the only ones.

[Peter Lloyd]

They just started stocking 3:16 and Hudds at Lake Fork Marina this spring. They have had Matt Lures for a little longer though. I have been throwing large mission fish and big hammers at the lakes down here since I moved 2.5 years ago. I think I am still one of the few that uses them regularly.