I live in Winnsboro and crappie fish over 300 days a year. The lake here use to be one of the best Red Ear lakes around but has no red ear now. Does anyone know of a good local lake for me to check out?

Never fished that area but I have caught my share of Redear. I was catching a lot of big ones in the Guadalupe River but since last May's flooding the Redear have been almost impossible to find. Good Redear days on the Guadalupe River have been few and far between for me since the flooding. I have been finding good numbers in the creeks and ponds I fish in. Hopefully the Guadalupe picks back up. Good luck. Hope you find them.

Thanks, the Guadalupe river is on my list for all of the sun fish when I can get the time. Good Fishing

fish almost daily here in the Austin area...Like Chuck, Red Ear seemed to have suffered some fate. I have caught 2 all year and both were most likely mixed with a Red Breast, so not even a True Red Ear. I have pounded areas where they were I use to find them, and I never keep any fish, so I certainly have not fished them out. When My wife and I can fish gravel and rock bottoms in 24' and only catch Bluegill odds are there are no Reds around!

Kent: I can remember the days when you could go out and get 10 plus inch fish on a regular basis. It seems like yesterday when you and Ashley were pulling in 11 and 12 inch Redear every time you went out. I only pray that those days will come back. Hopefully they will.

Come to think of it I have not seen a Trophy Redear posted in awhile! They are out there some where.

Need to find out a better place for you for fishing. lol

Redear appear to be disappearing from the Texas waterways. I have noticed for the last several years that redear have vanished from lakes where they previously thrived. Examples are Cisco and Marine Creek lakes, among others.

My own theory is that redear are one case of the canary in the coal mine - that is, an early harbinger of the species changes caused by the global warming climate change.

For whatever reason if one studies the survey reports made by TPWD of Texas lakes a definite trend can be found. Maybe a biologist graduate student will take the topic as a doctoral thesis.

I think I remember reading that the redear, aka shellcracker, feeds largely on crustations from the bottom of the lake. Any species of fish is dependent on having a good food source, of course. This makes me wonder if their food source has been affected by something. If so, we can hope it is a temporary kind of thing. Need a fisheries biologist to help us on this one.

I worked at TPWD Inland Fisheries many years ago in the Tyler office. We surveyed many northeast Texas lakes and Lake Winnsboro was by far the absolute best redear lake I have ever seen. This time of the year in the flats north of the marina I could catch 10 inch redear (and some monsters even bigger) one after another. Just moved back to this area a few weeks ago and had planned to kayak fish that area again. Bummed to hear you aren't having luck there. If I can break free and fish it I'll let you know how it goes.

Hope you do get to make it out. Would love to know the results of your trip and findings.

I'm going searching for a few redear on Lake Conroe this w-end, weather permitting.....
I recently caught my 1st redear ever out of the Trinity River system & have fell in love with the fight these little guys have......
Here's a few pics of some that I've caught.....

Super nice photos. Pretty fish!

Athens has them also.

These things seem thrive where the Zebra mussels are!! Could they be moving to those food sources in areas affected by these invasive species??