Today I went fishing in the Nueces River...I didn't catch anything. I was fishing with a plastic worm lure for a while then I switched to a jig, then to a topwater and I didn't get anything...I was fishing for White Bass. Oh well there is always next time...

Keenbean- Use a Small white jig that looks like the small glass minnows that the Whites feed on. In about 2 weeks concentrate between the HWY 59 bridge and the airport boat ramp.
Rio

We went on friday, put in at the 59 bridge went down river about 9 miles past the old metal bridge and past the houses on the river.We caught 5 males ranging from 12 to 15 in. Caught 3 smaller ones using white and green running specks, you can get them at walmart.I was throwing rattle traps too but with no luck. maybe in a few more weeks they start...

where is the 59 bridge at in gearge west would love to go down there and catch some fish

Bushwaacker, If you put in at 59 bridge and went 9 miles down river, that would put you at the mouth of Lake Corpus Christi.
You sure you didn't go up-river ?
A lot of the big Females should be coming out of the Lake Corpus C. near the mouth and starting their journey up-river.
When you find them- Hang on to your pole, cause they will pull it out of your hands !!!
Thanks for the report.
Rio

Little fisherman, Go to George West and take a left at the flashing light intersection. Better yet- There is a Gas station on your right. Stop at the station and they can point you in right direction. It is only about 2 miles from town to the bridge.
Rio

Uncle Rio, Im headed down to Beeville 1/15 for a job and will stop by the Airport ramp on my way back for a look see. I let you know when I get back. ....Uncle Alamo...

Are the Airport ramp and the 59 Bridge the same thing.

No.

The 59 bridge ramp is right underneath the bridge, kinda hard to miss. The airport ramp is at the end of Airport rd next to the small George West airport.

RIOTEX..I WAS GUESSING AT THE DISTANCE, A GUY I TALKED TO AT THE GAS STATION SAID THE METAL BRIDGE WAS 6 MILES DOWN AND I WENT FURTHER THAN THAT, MAYBE I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO LAKE CC, I DON'T KNOW, THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME THERE. BUT I WILL BE GOING AGAIN SOON. I POSTED SOME PICS IN THE PHOTO PART OF SOME WHITES WE CAUGHT A FEW WEEKS BACK FROM THE AIRPORT...

When you launch under the bridge and you put the ramp at your back do you turn right or left to go toward the lake???


Thanks
Bob

Depends of what side of the river you are standing. Standing on the west bank, with the ramp at your back you would take a right to go down stream from the 59 bridge ramp. That would be towards Lake Mathis (CC).

I sure thought I put a link on here to Google Maps that you can zoom in and out of to get your orentation correct...........if not here it is: 59 ramp

Went to 59 bridge yesterday and it was dead. Only caught 3 males. Tried up river to the old broken down bridge and then went down river all the way to the bridge. We trolled mostly with rattle traps, road runners, and some divers, also tried minnows.

Maybe the cold weather has chased them back to the lake. I know white bass are very water temp sensitive. I am planning to go in a couple of weeks. Hope the weather holds out. I think they are talking about another artic front this coming week. I guess in the mean time I will get my lures,equipment & boat ready.

It's really hard to tell what those white bass are going to do.

I've caught limits in past years, when there was ice forming on the guides of my rods, and it was so cold I couldn't feel my fingers.

I don't think air temperature is one of the main factors as to when they decide to go up river, and the river may actually be quite a few degrees warmer than the air temperature.

They will be sluggish when it's cold for sure, but when their clock say's it's time, they go no matter what the weather is!

Just from what I've found over several years, just drop a temp guage and check the temp of the water in several locations.

Look for the warmest water you can find, and ideal is 65 to 68, but I've also caught them in water that recorded in the high fifties!

After I posted I found this article on the white bass spawn, and it's a good read that I agree 100%.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...10001&langId=-1

I remember a trip years back when the temp was in the 20's and we caught a couple of hundred whites near the 59 bridge.
They were in deep pockets- double jigs fished real slow was the trick- just wait for the tap and the fight was on !!
Good times !!
Rio

And how about the times when you were so cold you got into the truck, and turned the heat on and seemed like you could never get warmed up!

Then you realized that you still had all those fish to clean!

I've got a question for you Rio, and it may just be me, and it's something that has puzzled me ever since we chased white bass on that river.

Why is it that you could go down there what seemed every year and catch 100 to 300 whites a day, and then when they passed the law to limit the catch to 25 per person per day, that now you sometimes have to work to get that 25 until the run kicks in full swing?

Seems that the limit only hurt that river, rather than help it.

It is hard to belive that a limit on anything could hurt it. I would say that there are a few reasons why you don't catch 100 fish a day. First off there are many more people fishing. Second, those days of catching 100's of fish purt the hurt to the population. Third, the lake levels on Mathis (CC) have fluctuated so much in the last thirty years it is unbelievable. Fish have to have water to spawn in. I remember fishing Mathis for black bass and having fantastic trips almost every time. Now, if I get one good trip a year I am lucky. The City of CC has killed that lake. They have too many hogs drinking from the same water tank!!!!! I live in Sinton and we are the only Town in this area that still uses a deep water well system. We have three in fact. Every other town in the area purchases water from the City of CC. I know this is much more then you guys wanted to know, but it hits close to home for me.

Good fishing!

I have to agree the fishing pressure overall is the reason, and that would be on the lake as a whole where the pressure increased.

The river always was crowded during the run, and I don't see much difference in numbers of people as I did back then, but like you say with general populations around the lake, as a whole they get pounded pretty well year round!

I've got my own theories, and although unscientific, and being my old opinionated grouchy self, and not wanting to argue my point which wouldn't solve anything anyway, I'll just let it go at what's been already said!

Anyway back on topic, it looks like the weather will give us a break this weekend, and I'm going to try to make it down there on Monday.

Anyone else going this weekend I'd appreciate a report to help this old man out!

Yes, I know what you mean about the good old days when there were no limits ! I took my Dad back then and he always looked at a Fishing trip or a Deer hunt with a fork and knife in his hand !!! So he would keep everything and put it in the freezer ! I would be so tired of cleaning fish for hours !!!
Now - I'm glad that I can only bring back a limit of 25 !

As far as what happened to the #'s of fish ! I was fortunate to run into a Biologist and he confirmed what I had already concluded. The only change to the river system was the introduction of CHOKE CANYON. When this was done, it changed the waters flow into Lake Corpus Christi. The Biologist, said it also changed the overall biological sphere of the river ie.(nutrients) etc. - He said the Spawns did not produce the #'s of Fingerlings as years prior to Choke C.-therefore decreasing the overall population of White Bass. He got into some other areas like Gator Gar increase- white drum increase that prey on the eggs of white bass.
Overall - he concluded that Choke was the Main rason for the decrease in White Bass #'s.
As far as fishing pressure-- I remember, back in the good old days when there were people everywhere, running their big boats up into the shallows and Muddying up the river. I actually believe the fishing pressure has decreased on the river compared to back then..--- Ranger354JF made an interesting point when he mentioned the pressure on Lake Mathis has increased which definitely has an impact !
Anyhow- I hope everyone gets a limit when they go !!

Jimbo-- The last report I got, -Is that the fish (some females) are grouped at the River's Mouth coming out of the lake.
I would go from 59 bridge trolling towards the lake.
Let us know how you do !
Good Luck, and be Safe!
RIO

This river is not my area of expertise.. But I have fished it a dozen or so times, but not in the last 10 years.. We had some great trips, and we had some poor trips. And we had some trips when the river was low and you could literally see hundreds of fish in a pocket, where maybe the water was one foot deep. And they'd be swimming their tails off, just to hold still.. And then all of a sudden one or two would put it in high gear and fight their way thru four inches of water to make it to the next pool. It was awesome to watch nature work at it's bare roots..

It is my personal belief that these fish take their cue from water temperature.. Once the water cools from the highs of summer to the lows around December, and it warms slightly in December, January or whenever, the fish seem to take off.. Always the males first..

But as I said the Nueces is not my specialty.. I do , however know every rock in the Rio Grande above Falcon Lake and San Ygnacio. We used to catch HUNDREDS a day there also.. And like the great meat hunters of the day, we cleaned hundreds.. Not something I am proud of, but it was common thinking back then.. My dad was a child of the depression and you did not throw back a legal fish..

There is currently not a fishable population of Whites in Falcon. But it is not due to the high catch and retain rates of the 90's.. It was due to the rampant netting up the river above Falcon when the lake was at it's low period.. In the years leading up to the final anniliation of the whites there, I personally saw nets stretched across the river every hundred yards or so, and every few hours it would take a truck to pull them out of the water.. And when the lake got to its lowest, there was no water for any of the fish to get by them.. They might get by some, but sooner or later they were caught and removed.

I am not saying that fifty to a hundred fishermen a day taking several thousand fish a day was good for the fish population.. But you are NEVER going to catch every fish out of a 80+ thousand acre lake.. Their numbers were just too great.. I am convinced of that.. There were millions of whites in the lake back then..

But in any case, we have a lot more fishermen than we did back then, and I think we have finally come to realize that all our resources are not infinite.. I rarely keep any fish, but will never condem it. Nothin better than from the water to the hot grease.. But also there is no excuse for Gluttony..

Yall save me a few cause readin about it has made me want to make a trip over!
Good Luck!

James

If the weather will cooperate I am planning to take my boys and fish on Saturday. If we are there we will be in a "Hewes" flats boat with a pole platform on the back. Looks like Sunday might be the better day, but I have to work. If you see me say hello.

Jim

Does anyone know if they sale minnows close to the airport (in George West).

I'm thinking of taking my 5-year old and its tough to sein alone.

Thanks, Joe

Try that truck stop right there just as you get into Three Rivers at the first light where 72 intersects, on the right side of the Hwy.

They've had minnows in the past but I haven't bought any in ages, so I can't say you will find them there for sure, but it's worth a try!

Where 99 crosses I 37 take a right and the place there sell minnows. They might or might not keep, but you are only 20 min. or so from the 59 crosover/under.

I kind of forgot about that place because the two times I stopped there they were out!

The guy that works there, told me the live minnows sell out pretty fast, especially when the fishing gets really good later on, at the 99 bridge at Choke.

It's good to find a realiable sourch close to home and have an airator and bucket to keep them alive and transport them to the river.