Well I live here on the lake and was wondering if anyone still catches any good smallmouth on the lake. I never hear of reports or anything of anyone catching them. Now I know we had the algae bloom, but I don't recall seeing them dead floating everywhere. Plus every other species in the lake has recouped and is doing fine now.

Is the lake still a good smallie fishery?

I have worked three tournaments and fished in a couple more in the last two years and none have come to the scales. So no it is not good. Go catch one and prove me wrong.

I fish Whitney semi-regular and I dont run across them like I used to. I target LMB but would always run across a SMB or two in a day of fishing. Not so much lately. They actually started declining well before recent Golden Algea scares. 15 years ago people targeted the smallies, even targeting trophys, but I havent seen anyone fishing exclusivily for them in years. Some in the Brazos River below the dam. Park your bassboat and get in a canoe! Probably needs a shot in the arm from TPW in the form of stockings. Doubt they will contact me for input! Want some good ones? Texoma is your best bet.

My brother-in-law has been catching them on almost every trip lately, and some very nice ones also. I have yet to catch one myself but my time is comming.

Whats your brother-in-laws secret?

Don't know he can catch a fish in a water puttle. I watch heim catch about a 4lber on a slab. Right now he is catching them along the rocky points pretty regular, but i have not been able to go out with him

I have been fishing rocky points, ledges, etc...been doing well for largemouth, but no smallies.

I keep thinking I should get one here or there, but no luck.

Fishing jigs / crankbaits.

Cranks Baits

I use to to take off work this time of year and go wack on them smallies, but the last few years it seemed to be less and less..
I havent caught one on that lake in so long I wonder if any survived the golden bloom..

they like the edges. find em on your graph on drop offs and drop a spoon to em.

I hate to do it, but I got to call BS on anyone going to Whitney and regularly catching smallies. My father and I have spent an absurd amount of hours on the water there over the past 20 years, and while at one time you could target and catch a quality bunch of smallies, those times are long gone. You are more likely to run into Bigfoot at the state park, then catch a legal limit of smallies. I know there will be naysayers, so post a dated pic and prove me wrong.

Joho5 make a run to Belton, we have caught a bunch there this year on our tourney trips there.

just fishing rocky ledges, and rocky banks on belton?

I have never been to that lake.

Yes, just use some of the same strategies there you have been trying on whitney and you will connect with some. Our media tourney there last year the wining bag was over 20 lbs. with 1 largemouth and 4 smallies. There were also many other teams that had some in there bags. I believe we weighed about a 2.5 pounder caught on a DD22.

Are you talking about Belton or Whitney here?

every year i see maybe 2 smallmouth weighed in a year at whitney. they are there but not very many. its also hard to believe that someone is catching smallmouth regularly out there.

belton on the other hand is a amazing smallmouth lake.

I would agree that the smallies have demished or disappeared in Whitney... I fish Whitney most every week... in 2000 thru 2005 we caught some nice ones while targeting blacks... Carolina rigs with small worms on sandy points and top water along the rocks / ledges ... several 5lbs or so (including one 19 incher that we didn't weigh)... but, the last few years we haven't caught any in the same spots and we have hunted for them.... but then again.. we have narrowed our tactics specifially for blacks... smallies tend not to hit big lures.

Call BS then and have a good day. Just because you don't catch them it must mean that they just don'r exist, I guess that just about the jist of it

i have a hard time believing that a lake that big and deep, you would be able to catch all of a species of fish out of it.

With that said, I dont catch any, and I used to here and there.

do you think the longer they were in the lake, they adapted and went to more of a smallmouth pattern of really deep structure, rock piles, etc???

and maybe people dont fish that method as much, or as well?

I agree with you joho5. I am not the one catching them myself, I just don't have the touch or something. There are reports of the stockings, where i can't remember, but my brother-in-law tols me he caught 3 small ones the other day in one spot. That is good news to me that little ones are in the lake also. I never stated that a bag of good keepers was caught. We are going to try the deeper structure and rock piles this evening and let you know how we did.

WHITNEY STOCKING HISTORY

Just because you can't catch them doesn't mean no one else can.

I have fished Belton for ~18 years. I never caught a smallmouth until 2 years ago. I don't know why, I just never did. I always heard the stories about what a great smallmouth fishery Belton was and saw them brought to the scales at tournaments all the time.
Now, I catch smallies on nearly every trip out there, even in the middle of summer.


So, if I didn't fish any tournaments before I started catching them, I guess I would have been justified in calling BS on anyone that said they caught them.......following your logic.



By the way, he never said anything about catching a legal limit. You should know that if you find smallies, you will almost always catch several quickly since they tend to stack up.

Here is the only photo that i have here at the time. Will try and remember to always carry a camera in the future for documentation. This was 2 weeks ago if i remember

Mr. Drpeede,

Just curious what you would charge to take me to Whitney so I could catch a small mouth, I have only caught one in my life which was on Texoma. I have been fishing Whitney for about 5 years and have never caught one there.

I take that is your brother in law in the picture. You stated in a early post that you have never caught one but you brother in law catches them all the time

This is true. I have yet to catch one, but hope to change that tonight. I will let you know, and yes that is him in the pic. Have to talk to him about a charge, but from all the talk about there being none in the lake it could cost quite a bit of $$$$$$

Just because you can't catch them doesn't mean no one else can.

I have fished Belton for ~18 years. I never caught a smallmouth until 2 years ago. I don't know why, I just never did. I always heard the stories about what a great smallmouth fishery Belton was and saw them brought to the scales at tournaments all the time.
Now, I catch smallies on nearly every trip out there, even in the middle of summer.


So, if I didn't fish any tournaments before I started catching them, I guess I would have been justified in calling BS on anyone that said they caught them.......following your logic.



By the way, he never said anything about catching a legal limit. You should know that if you find smallies, you will almost always catch several quickly since they tend to stack up.





I never said I couldn't catch them. In the past my father and I caught more than our fair share. I am not making this up just based on my own experiences, we have fished or been at the weigh in for nearly every tourney on whitney over the last few years, and there has been slim to none weighed in as well, all our local friends attest to the dramatic decline to zero catches. Try to find a guide for lake whitney that will guaranty to put you on smallies. There use to be two dozen of in the late 80's early 90's, there just not enough smallies left for there to be a consistent producing pattern to follow. I can see where a guy could go out and catch one good one on a rare occasion. But to consistently produce quality smallies as suggested by drpeede on a day in day out basis and target them is not gonna fly. Lets do a LAKE WHITNEY SMALLIE Only TOURNEY. Every man put a $100 dollars and the man or team with the largest legal smallmouth bag wins, and if everyone zeros, I take the pot. I got my money anyone else?

i'm in i got $100,but i want a buy in option for that zero pot.the smart money is on the zero.i've caught a lot of nice smallies on whitney over the years but it's pretty slim lately.i don't think anybody could catch them regular these days.in the 90's we could target them a catch a limit regularly not now go to belton i rarely do not catch one there.....rick

I believe this was started by someone asking if anyone catches smallies on the lake, and it has turned into a pissing match for some reason that i acn not figure out. Don't know why some people have to piss on every other post made in this forum but maybe that is just the norm. If you read what i have posted you will not see anywhere there i stated he was targeting smallies only, I mearly stated a fact. We went out last evening and so it may make your point, we did not catch any smallies, large mouth, sandies, pikes or bait fish, only 6 stripers and not targeting those either. As to the challenge of a winner take all tourny, I will talk to him about that and it sounds like alot of fun to get together and meet some of the local fisherman around here. I think if we all met and shook hands just maybe we could all get along and have a good time and maybe some other trips together.

Fishing Report for WHITNEY
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Date Report
Oct 14, 2009 Water stained; 10.70' low. Black bass are good on yellow/white spinnerbaits and crankbaits, and on topwaters early. Striped bass are fair on live minnows and chartreuse striper jigs. White bass are fair on minnows and pet spoons. Crappie are very good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfish are fair on frozen shrimp, liver, and live bait. And Small Mouth Bass are great on the end of Brother-In-Laws pole.

guys I just had a tourney on Belton and man do they have some smallies. I did not know they had that many... We caught one but half the fish at weigh in were smallies.. As for Whitney they are some still there but just not like they use. You could fish for LM and catch smallies at the same time. I hope that Whitney starts to produce some more smallies. They are some awesom fish

this is an email I got back from Chris Shafer, which used to guide on Whitney for smallies. He guides now on the Brazos River, I asked him about smallies in Whitney. He actually has a couple on the list of smallies in Texas.

"Matt,

There are still plenty of smallmouth in whitney there just isnt anybody who guides for them anymore which is why you dont hear to many reports. They are a harder fish to catch than most other species so the average weekend fisherman doesnt snag to many!"

Why cant we all just get along. Load up your canoes, spinning rods and jig heads with chartruse curley tail grubs and go down to The Devils River above Amistad and I will GUARANTEE everyone will catch many smallies and some big-uns too(plus have the trip of a lifetime)! The point is go somewhere else if you want to TARGET CONSISTANT LIMITS of Smallmouth Bass. Whitney no longer fits THAT bill. 361V

Here it is, my first smallie on whitney and make the future look pretty good.

There are no more Smallies in Whitney, Go to Belton !!!

The brazos river below Whitney was stocked with smallies recently but if the report posted prior is correct then the last significant lake stocking was in 2000. Smallies have a real hard time reproducing in lakes this far south so their numbers will continue to dwindle unless TPWD steps back in and restocks.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_t3200_0191.pdf

I remember reading somewhere that because the numbers of the native Guadalupe bass were suffering and cross breeding with the smallies and spots that certain lakes were not going to be stocked with smallies anymore..

Wait till the water gets in the mid 50's, then its lights out!