First post in a while. Without a boat, but dont mind walking the bank. Live in Jarrell, Tx and looking for a place to take GF. We tried last weekend the San Gabriel River near Highway 95 with no luck fishing with live earth worms or nightcrawlers. Weekend before tried Lake Granger , along the banks of Wilson Fox Park with same bait with NO bites. We will be trying the upper end of Travis at Shaffer Bend or Turkey bend bank fishing this weekend.

Has anyone ever tried any of the community lakes in Central Texas?

Community Lakes in Texas

I know there is a stocking report for most community lakes and major lakes listed too.
Stocking Report



So maybe we need to try Chicken Livers or StinkBait instead of live worms.

I normally am a bass fisherman but she likes channel cats to catch and eat.

Any suggestion here or email-rwhocher@alliedhightech.com or text-512-423-4378

Thank you.
Robert

I never did good on the upper end of Travis from the bank. It's best to find where a creek comes into the lake. Cypress Creek can be good depending on lake level. First thing you need to do is catch shad and use them right after you catch them. Best bite is right at dark.

On Granger the best time is when the river is flowing. Makes for tough fishing but you get way more bites. Don't even bother with Lake Georgetown IMO

I have always relied on cut bat as my #1 choice for bank fishing; seems to work day in and day out for me. Chicken liver is not my thing but it is a tried and true bait. Bottom line is that if you are fishing where the fish are not, the bait will not matter. As mentioned above look for water that will hold fish like creek mouths, undercut banks, the outside edge of bends and places where the current has undercut logs or stumps. I am not much of a lake fisherman so can't comment on how to approach a small lake or pond.

Several suggestions here. Hope some may help you out. First off, you might check out my Catfish Calendar. See the thread titled "Lynn's Catfish Calendar". However, it is geared mainly for YellowCats & BlueCats & Gator Gars. As for Channels, I did not research them. But, as for me, it seems I catch Channels, or more Channels on the BFT days one of my 4 "sigs" of the calendar. Be sure & see the KEY to assist.

Yes, chicken liver usually cannot go wrong. Recently, my son-in-law said that was not working & then there was no chicken liver to be found. Most Channels go for smell, as compared to Blues & Yellows. You can try other stink baits, as well as shrimp.

One suggestion, as somebody mentioned already, is similar to my saying ... If you fish in the bath tub & no fish has been stocked in it, can you expect to catch any? Naturally, no. However, not sure if they still have it or not, but check to see if HFT (Harbor Freight Tools) still has their portable fish finder. Mine ran about $40 about 8 or so years ago. It runs on batteries & you can take it anywhere. It might come in handy for bank fishing. You can make your own, or get a 2 piece cane pole from Academy (about $5 to $10). The pole end can be stabbed into the bank, after somehow tying the fish finder float to the other end (has about a 6 to 10' cord). That should put the finder out about 6 to 9 feet. You should be able to see on the monitor if you have any fish nearby. I just looked for the finder, but I must have put it elsewhere.

Try to get you some fresh shad and then fish Granger. Friendship or Willis creek park.

I always had good luck on catfish from the banks in the tailraces of any of the Highland Lakes. My favorite was always Max Starcke Dam. I would normally set up 2 rod holders for cats, then walk around throwing out small baits for whites, crappie or bass. Top baits for cats were cut shad or bluegill. Shrimp worked well at times, but sometimes would get picked apart by bluegill.