and as a single mom who sucks at being the dad, I appreciate pointers for newbies!! I fished as a kid with my dad... 40 years ago.

Thanks in advance! My boy is feeling spontaneous so we hope to go tonight if good weather.

McKinney/ Allen areas ideal.

Welcome to the Forum Cynthia!

Fishing is very popular in Collin Co, but keeping the fish may be iffy since most of the fishing up here is done in ponds/small lakes. Nonetheless, here are some good spots around the area

McKinney - Towne Lake - easy lake to access and has a small fishing pier. Plenty of parking too.
McKinney - Adriatica - Plenty of smaller lakes and ponds that have really good fishing spots. Most of these are residents only, just a fair warning.
McKinney - Bonnie Wenk Park - Small pond where a lot of people fish, plenty of parking
Prosper - Frontier park - Small lake that can be packed with good fish. Lots of parking, very accessible
Prosper - Whispering Farms Lake - larger lake that has a small fishing pier. Lots of good fish here
Allen - Bethany Lakes - also easy to access and there are 3 different ponds that you can fish. You will usually see people fishing there, very popular
Plano - Oakpoint Nature Preserve - accessible lake with plenty of hiking trails in case you get bored.

I hope this helps. Fish on!

Download the Fishbrain app. It has a map and posts of pics that people have caught on those waters.
Makes it fun to search for new spots.
Good luck and keep him fishing!

Adriatica is wild, it’s got about every species in it, don’t know how everything got in there, but it’s got some stuff you’d never expect from a lake that size, but it is residents only. Towne lake is full of small crappie, but im sure you could sit on the dock with some minnows and a bobber and have fun, it’s not residents only. Towne lake also has a bunch of different sunfish species that are fun to catch if you have a bobber and some worms . Im sure it has some sandbass, yellow bass, carp, catfish, and whatever else you could think of. When Wilson creek floods it merges with the lake over there and Wilson creek has about every species you can think of in north Texas. I’d start with a box of worms and a #8 eagle claw hook, any community lake should have bluegill to catch.

One note on Towne lake is I would get out of there before the sun goes down if you go, that area seems to attract some shady characters at night.