To start i gotta thank everyone that has responded to my posts, I can honestly say me and the kids had more fun fishing than we ever had. Well i worked my but off and finally got a boat. I launched it on Sunday and it was for lack of better words "quite" an experiance. Anyway i wanted to see if i could get out on lake g=vine this weekend depending on the weather. My question is is it too late to fish for cats and what advice for first time boaters trying to fish vs off of the bank do you have? tips and advice appreciated.

No it's not too late and my best advice is stay in the shallow areas and fish 3 ti 4 ft. of water with stink bait used with a cork set at about 18" deep in areas with grass and submerged trees and timber. You shoud be able to kill the cats there. One more thing, make sure them kiddos wear their life jackets at all times. Be safe and have a blast!

Charles

it's never too late to go fishin for catfish ... the colder it is the better too cause they're easier to figure out where they are. once the water gets cold ... like 40 or below and the wind has been out of the south for several days you can find big fish all up n down the northern side of the intermediate depths of the lake ... just as a kind of guide line ... like if there's 80 ft depth down towards the dam and on up to 2 ft shallows on the upper end then look for fish at 40 to 50 ft on the windblown side of those depths during the winter and you'll find lots of bigguns hanging out around there. usually abrupt ledges will hold a good number of fish on the north side if you've had a good south wind for several days ... if the wind turns and blows out of the north for several days then go to the south side of those depths and use fresh cut shad ... normally wintering fish will prefer just little bitty strips of fresh cut shad sometimes too on smaller hooks ... like 2/0 or smaller ... if you get a lot of hits and they just spit the hook right out after a good tug then it's probably because you're using too big of a hook.

down there in texas the water temp may never reach wintering levels as I don't know ... the fish may stay active up in shallow water all year round down there on those lakes around dfw area as it may never get below 45 and if that's the case you could probably find fish shallow all the time down there... there's lots of stuff in my tips section that may help ya out too

I fish Grapevine a lot. The catfishing has been pretty consistent. The shallows have been really good for channel cats. I use fresh shad because I hate stink bait. I have been doing pretty good in some areas of water less that 2 feet with a cork. Just look for any coves that has standing The blues have been a little slower so far, but drifting is a pretty good method with fresh shad. They are there for the catching, good luck.

Looks like you're pretty well covered on the fishing side. My advice for a first time boater would be to check out this site and make sure that you have all of the proper safety equipment. That is, if you haven't already. Nothing will ruin your day faster than a ticket from.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/boat/safety/vessel_requirements/

I'm like infamous, I just don't like stink bait, but if you want large numbers of channels, it's probably the way to go. I haven't fished for kittys since March but when I do I like the west end of the lake in the Denton Creek/Marshall Creek areas in the flooded timber. It's very stumpy so you really have to watch where your going and there's a good chance you'll hit something underwater so you have to take it real slow. I usually come off plane about 200yds before entering the entrances to the creek area then idle into the area. I use fresh cut shad on a santee-cooper rig. Tiny's website is a excellent source of information for kitty fishing and is a great place to cut your learning curve alot. Also like sooner said, make sure you have your boat equipped with all the safety equipment, not only to avoid tickets, but for your own safety. Fishing shallow is usually productive. I usally tie off to a tree or stump and broadcast rods in all directions. If you don't get a bite in about 30min or so, change locations. Seems like the blues bites come in cycles, when they start biting it's usally several hook-ups, then nothing. I believe they roam alot. Like Tiny said, seems like the colder the better. Best of luck to you . Oh yeah, make darn sure you put your plug in the boat before launching. Don't ask me how I know.

Hi folks, I am new to new to this and have been reading all I can to learn before I come to Killen area in late November. I'm 70, originally from Tenn but lived in Hawaii now for 30 years. I REALLY miss freshwater fishing, especially Catfishing. I want to take my 5 years old and 13 year Grandsons out fishing around 1 December. Just want them to catch some fish and get "hooked". Any advice where to go, rent a boat, etc., appreciated. Thought I would go out the 26th Nov by myself to get the feel of things, practice a little and so on. I can think of nothing worse than taking my Grandson's fishing for 1st time and them not catching anything. So I'm will to pull out all the plugs to get this done. Maybe even pay someone to rent the boat & guide, etc.
I remember to this day goingfishing with my Grandfather on the Tennesse river when I was much younger.
Thanks in advance, Laroice "Dave" Davidson

Good luck with the fishing...it's good those kids like it.



(Punchin bag in the background...and a dog with a black eye....hmmmm)

Welcome Laroice to the TFF,
I suggest you re-post your question on a seperate post and mention where you want information about in the post so it gets better exposure and hopefully more information coming your way. Just go to the catfishing section and click on new topic or new post, I forget what it calls it.
ie.
"Need advice in Killen area"
for a subject and give the details in the comment expressing possible interest in hiring a guide or renting a boat. Basically what you said in your reply. Post it in the catfish section. Hopefully you'll find out what you need to know. I wish I could help more.

Laroice - PM sent.

Around Killeen you have Lake Belton and Stillhousehollow. Both are excellent lakes. Belton has some nice cats along with a good number of white bass. You have some excellent bank fishing around the lake. Boat rentals, their are alot of Dealerships up around that area. They maybe able to help. Good luck and that time of year, we can be anywhere from 80 degree weather to below freezing. Always keep one eye on the weather in the winter. Been caught on the lake with some bad cold fronts that was suppose to come in the next day! By the way Mr. Davidson, welcome to Texas, we've had alot of great people come from Tenn. to live in Texas. The Texas Parks & Wildlife in Temple have some good information on these lakes. It's located on IH35 just past Olive Garden. The game warden there is really helpful.

They got a good website too. It has all the lakes, the clarity, mean depth, and usually has a couple tips what to look for when fishing for certain species. Its here:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/