Panhandle Bassin'

Hi everyone,

Im looking for some insight. This may i will be buying my first bass boat. Nothing fancy... just something under 5K to let me start fishing away from shore. Anyway, I want to go somewhere where I can have a good time on the water... not necessarily catching 10+ pounders but where i can catch multiple bass all day.

I Live in Amarillo texas which is in the panhandle 2 hours outside lubbock. So I have Greenbelt Reservoir, Mackenzie, Lake Meredith, Alan Henry and Ute Lake (NM) in driving distance. A friend of mine who used to be on the pro circuit told me that Alan Henry is lousy with spots and Ute would be a good place for smallmouth.

What are your thoughts for those familiar with the area?

I live in Lubbock and fish Alan Henry quite a bit. It's a tough lake for sure. The lake has tons of small spots in it...as your friend alluded to. The difficult part is finding a good bite. I'm hoping that this year is better than last. We had a good spawn last year...the lake came up about 10 ft during the spawn and provided lots of vegetation for the fry to hide in. There are some monsters in Alan Henry...it's just a matter of finding them. They should be moving up on beds within the next couple of weeks...the spawn is far and away your best bet.

Never fished Meredith but I've been out on the lake. It's still incredibly low. I was told that all of the fish died off as a result of low water conditions...except for catfish and carp. It's a shame...hopefully the lake fills back up. I heard a rumor that TPWD was considering stocking it if it reached 50' low. Again, just something I was told by someone not affiliated with TPWD.

Never fished Greenbelt or Mackenzie. I've talked to several people that have spent some time on Greenbelt...decent lake from what I've been told and a few walleye to boot. Mackenzie, which is a really small lake to begin with, got exceptionally low during the drought. I'd be very surprised if it still holds fish.

Never been to Ute but I've heard it's decent for walleye and smallies.

Also, there is White River Lake that is just south of Crosbyton and NE of Post. It's probably closer to you than Alan Henry. Never been out on it but have heard it's not a bad little lake. I've been told there are walleye in it as well.

Good luck.

Thank you for your insight. Living in lubbock what lakes do you hit?

I know Harry and he fishes Alan Henry a lot. He summed it up pretty well. If you can find a school of spots, it is a FUN lake to fish on. Sometimes, LMB hang out with the spots and you get a surprise of a larger fish. I have fished UTE and Conchas when I lived in Bovina and they were good lakes back in the 79's and 80's. Too bad about Merideth, it has the state record smallie out of it at 7.93, I believe. Used to be a good lake, but that was a LONG time ago. Never fished on Greenbelt or Mackenzie. Greenbelt might be a good spot to hit, learning your boat and electronics. White River is pretty good, when you catch it on. It can be tuff in the hot summer, but you can catch crappie there, as well. I live in Lubbock and we haev a family ranch just North of Post, so I fish Alan Henry a lot. MOF, I have the lake taped at various depths and trying to make a DVD out of it now, but finding some pushback from doing so (costs more than I thought it would), so looking at other options. Ute is a big lake and be careful of the wind. AH you can normally find a place to get out of it, with all the twists and turns it has in it. PM me if you want more. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Thad. You still working on that DVD? lol

Yep, I have the DVRs to put them on and the tapes with the VHS tape player. Finally got in an outfit that says I can record VHS onto a flash drive and then burn a DVR out of the flash drive. Haven't hooked it up yet, but it was a LOT more expensive than I thought it was going to be. I thought $400 or $500, but not $2375. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still have it in mind and still going to make it, but have to wait until I get back to Lubbock. Going to be on the ranch then next week and going to AH tomorrow for a day of fishing. When I get them made, i will give one to everyone that I have fished with. Hang in there. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

If it still has water north lake anson........used to be some pigs in that little lake back in the late 80s......

That lake is quite a drive from him and it had a 100% fish kill not too many years ago

Will, I spend most of my time (90%) at AH. If I get a wild hair, I might make a weekend run to Ivie, PK, or somewhere along those lines. Those are all a pretty good ways from you. Ivie might be worth the trip for you though.

If you are just wanting to catch fish and don't care that much about size, then Alan Henry is the place. Bring plenty of cash.
They are proud of the lake and charge a small fortune to get in. I think it runs about $8.00 per person and $8.00 for the boat being from Amarillo.
Ute lake is good, also, Conchas Lake is fishing good. I fish quite a bit on all of those lakes. If you would like more info or if you would like to go with me,
I usually have a back seat open. Just pm me.

Spend your time fishing and learning Ute. It is chalked full of Smallmouth and Walleyes. The largemouth can be good as well. Their license year begind April 1st, so don't forget to renew. Ben at Ruffneck Tackle has a weekly fishing report online that can be helpful. Or stop in and visit with him and Kathy. He will get you started in the right direction.

Thank you all for responding. Let me ask you this... for those familiar with the lakes in the panhandle. Which one would you all recommend i start out on to learn the mechanics of my boat, electronics and such. I have never drove a bass boat b4, and only had a small john boat. I don't want to go to a monster lake starting out and get overwhelmed with its size. Thad said greenbelt and i tend to agree since thats the only lake i have been to outside tanglewood

Greenbelt would be ok. It's still just so low compared to where it should be. So would Mackenzie by Silverton. Also, you could use the north ramp at Ute and just stay in Ute Creek. That's what I would suggest. As you get more comfortable you can run more of the lake. The channel is marked real good.

I used to live at Lake Tanglewood. If you still have access to it that would be the best place to learn.
Fish the community hole.

White River lost its bass in the summer of 2014 due to low water and heat. TPWD did survey and only captured six bass. I was catching several nice bass previously but after that hot summer and low water, I made at least five trips and did not get one bite. The survey confirmed what I feared had happened to lake. What a shame. Ute creek at Ute lake or Mckenzie would be a good lake to practice on. Greenbelt has several large submerged trees.

Do like I did, leave the Panhandle and move to East Texas!