This thread is to share information about Grapevine Lake. Please stay positive, and please no negativity on the thread. We have been sharing information so you can get your kids on fish. Feel free to share anything, and as often as you wish. Any little tip, from fishing on the bank, or in a kayak helps others. Lurkers Welcome, and I look forward to a good year.

I encourage you to go thru the last few years thread, as there is a wealth of information about the lake.

2022 Thread
https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/14344351/1


2021 thread
https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/14199544/1



Take care and will hopefully cross paths with some of you on the lake.

Prosise

I fished Sunday 1-1-23, and Tues 1-3-23 pretty much all day. I did check some areas on both days and I did not catch one sandbass. Not even the mosquitos are biting. Me and my son went up Denton Creek to check out the creek, and look for fossils. No fishing up there, will not start fishing up there until March.

Will be chasing the Green fish so prob will not be looking for the Sandbass much, but if I run across anything I will post it.

Prosise

Fished 01-5-22, started out at approx 10:00 using Berkley Gulp Minnows dead sticking, could not get a single bite.
Live Minnows caught 6 nice Sandies.

Changed locations several time, found fish scattered, but they all had lock jaw.


At 3:30, Found fish in 52’ of water, N32.98069 W097.08572. Turned on the thumper and they stacked up in the water column at 30’ below the boat. Finished the day with 19 sandies, 1 big crappie, and a nice blue cat.

All fish caught on live minnows. Bite was super light. If I was not using braided line, I would not have known I was getting a bite.

I will be out tomorrow about 9 am to give it a shot. I have a couple of thumper designs I will be testing.
I caught 3 last Saturday morning with no thumper, so I will be experimenting this time.

01-07-2023, fished from 1300 to 1700, caught 30 Sandies, 25 were keepers and a 24" Blue Cat weighing in at 5lbs.

I was in 50ft of water near the dam, fish were stacked at 30ft in the water column. Bite was super light again today.

1-8-2023, 50 Sandies in 2.5 hours. Near the dam, caught on minnows.

Good report Bowhunter. I fished Scott's cove most of the day for bass, but I came out to main lake for a couple hours. Came out to 36-38ft from sandbass point and looked for any type of small ledge or structure. With Bluetooth thumper I was able to get fish to cruise under the boat. Had to finesse dead stick them. Just a very light raise of the rod tip and hold it. Fish sizes were 50-50. Half small, half real good. But I did have to finesse them. With minnows, I bet you were busy... I prob caught about 30 fish before I went back and continued practicing my casting. Scott's cove is broke right now for me, I gave it a real good look but it kicked my butt in relation to the green fish yesterday. Going tomorrow, but will be mid lake and up a skosh. Great start of the year on reports all, very refreshing to see. I was using the smallest Cordell spoon with a smaller bait above it.

Glad someone caught fish. We were out west in the rock crusher area Saturday from 9 to 1 and we only caught two 10lb + carp on slabs. we hit 4 or 5 locations and had no luck.

JWC, I pulled 2 off the rock crusher and the bite was slow so I moved to deeper water.

Look for the river channel and deep drop offs. I’m finding fish 50’ deep or greater that are suspended in the 30-40 foot water column.

Winds are looking good for Friday, and I’ll be back out.

Fished yesterday 6am-dark . Taking a break from bass fishing , me and a suspect in crime found some small ones by grapevine point. Then some better ones on the east drop out on the end at Murrell point. Fishing really tough getting them to bite, fish are hunkered down on the bottom. With the LiveScope you really had to work them to get them to bite. Dead sticking it with a very subtle movement. Last spot due north of sandbass point out in 32-38ft has tons of fish but they wouldn't bite anything. Minnows would prob be dynamite. Wx was 80f, and water temp up in the 55f ranges on the surface in many areas, but bait and fish are staying in the 25-35ft range. I was using the smallest Cordell spoon that is sold at basspro, and I had it painted with glow in the dark paint. Glow in the dark paint almost looked like it scared the fish more than anything. Chartreuse upper bait got allot of attention..

1-13-2023, fish were still suspended holding around 40’. Bite was slow after the front moved though. Kept 16 nice Sandies, 3 Blues and 1 Crappie.

Release a 14.70 Blue that was caught on ultra light tackle.

Good Job! I never made it back out to myself. Maybe this week.....This work thing is getting in the way.

Sandbass are in 38ft out of the end of everywhere. Murrell was the better spot, as the fish would actually bite. I was on the west end of Murrell which I haven't done in years. I looked in my normal area on the east side, and at the very end of Murrell but wasn't seeing anything. The birds were working more on the west side of the top, so I moved down. The birds know where the bait is, and even if they are sitting on top of the water their close. Wasn't seeing hardly anything on the LiveScope as the fish are sitting on the bottom. Down sonar was showing fish but now what you would be excited to see. Turned on the Bluetooth thumper loud, and the fish would steadily come under the boat. 50-50 keepers vs small fish. This action was from 2pm-4:15pm before I went back to casting practice with the green fish. Lots of boats seen fishing out in deep water, not many moving so hopefully they are on fish. Surface Water temps 51-53 out in main lake, seen 55-60 in some creeks but not seeing male bass moving up to start the spawn yet. Crazy winter weather, hope we see some cold wx soon. Lastly, for those looking for some catfish. If the wind blows out of the south any this week go-to this little protected cove that is full of good catfish. It's shallow, full of bait when the wind is blowing out of the south and full of catfish in the back. Back in the 2-3ft water I was catching catfish on a jig and lipless crankbait. Not often do you see so many good size catfish in one area. Go back nearly to the back in 3-4ft of water. If the wind isn't blowing, and the water in this cove isn't dirty it prob will not work as good.

Still using smaller Cordell spoons, with a secondary bait above. See the Cordell spoon size chart below. I have used the 7114 smallest some painted with glow in the dark paint. But the 7038 size 90% of the time with better results. The smallest (7114) hook was replaced without the white tail feathers. The 7038, and above all had hooks replaced with smaller high end sizes 6 or 8. An easy way to tell how big a hook I use is, the gap is as wide as the base width of the Cordell spoon. Depending on the hook, it might be a skosh smaller. Even the largest spoon gets a size 6 hook for GV. And I have landed a 47, 38, and many in the 25lb range of catfish on this same hook. The spoon below is the 7038 with a size 8 wire hook. This one simple modification will potentially double your catch. I meet many people fishing, and I don't typically see the gear they are using, but if I get up close I typically see the spoon they are using has a big treble hook, which only picks up the bigger fish. Now, if your going to tawakoni leave the big hook. But this little mod is very important to numbers. And I cannot stress enough to sharpen, every time I miss two fish I can check the hooks and they are not wicked sharp.

Lastly: the presentation used yesterday was reeling the bait up slowly thru the fish. Now I was using cheatscope, but they liked something going upward. The dead sticking wasn't working as well as it was last couple weeks. I think the mepps inline spinner would work well here. Lots of info here, hopefully you can chew on this and it will help you.

If anyone is really having a hard time on GV catching sandbass let me know, I will happily meet you on the water sometime and we can chew the fat. Talking about tackle, setups, and the such will help you. I don't want anything in return, just pay it forward and get someone out on the fish. I have found I can fish more efficiently with a spinning rod. I use a 1000 up to a 2000 size spinning reel on a 6 ft fast action (Cabela's tourney special rod). I use 6, 8, and 10lb casting braid from Amazon. I tie 6lb braid to 10lb fluoro/mono with a Alberto knot. Then the top bait is tied to the 10/12 line, and I use 15lb mono between the top bait and bottom. It is allot easier holding onto mono vs the very thin braid which can cut you easily. You can cast allot farther with braid, and also it gets down faster than other reels with the smaller baits. In the summer I might go up to using only 10lb braid, or my crankbait rod when I'm using the largest size Cordell spoons.

My guide to hook sizing the Cordell spoon. Typically a size 8, or size 6.






Spot where I caught sandbass 1-17-23 well "Thumping"



Catfish bonanza

Nice job! I hope to see you out there soon. Working on another thumper. The last one was so wild, I think it would cause spider cracks in the fiberglass.

Great report brother! Really good tip on those blues. I long way from a kayak launch and does not look like it offers public bank access... BUT I know another place very similar that I can check from the yak and see if the same pattern is going there. Its almost the same set up in the spot I am thinking of.

Surprised to see those blue cats up in that shallow water... no wonder my last two cat trips were slow, I was trying to hit the deepest part of the creek channel from the bank at Rockledge park... when the fish are actually in knee deep water lol.

Love it! Thanks for the report bud.