By LARRY HODGE
Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.

Power Plant Lake Red Drum Fishing Hot

ATHENS, Texas�Red drum fishing on power plant lakes in Texas is as hot as the August weather.
Thanks to the donation of six- to 14-inch fish by commercial redfish farmers, Lakes Fairfield, Calaveras and Braunig have good populations of big red drum.
How big? Last Friday Zoe Ann Stinchcomb of Athens, fishing with guide Jackie Kennedy on Fairfield Lake, boated a 38.5-inch red drum that weighed 23.5 pounds.
Also fishing with Stinchcomb was Janice Arnsdorff, of Gun Barrel City, who holds the state freshwater catch-and-release record for red drum, a 38.13-inch fish caught July 4, 2007. That fish also came from Fairfield Lake.
Both fish are dwarfed by the state record freshwater redfish caught from Fairfield Lake by guide Billy Tyus in May 2001. That fish was 44 inches long and tipped the scales at 36.83 pounds.
The big fish bonanza is largely due to the generosity of Lonestar Aquafarms, Ltd., of Palacios, which produces redfish for the retail market. In 2004 and 2006 the farm donated surplus red drum to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for stocking into power plant lakes, which have the warm water redfish need to survive year-around.
Red drum are a saltwater species that can live but not reproduce in fresh water.
Anglers do not have to use the trophy red drum tag on their license on fish caught from fresh water. All the freshwater lakes stocked with red drum have a 20-inch minimum length requirement, no maximum size limit and a daily bag limit of three fish.

Zoe Ann Stinchcomb was fishing with guide Jackie Kennedy August 24 when she caught this 38.5-inch, 23.5-pound red drum from Fairfield Lake.

Arnsdorff2.jpg
Janice Arnsdorff, also landed a big red August 24 while fishing with Jackie Kennedy on Fairfield Lake. Arnsdorff caught the state freshwater catch-and-release red drum record from Fairfield Lake in July 2007.

CREDIT
TPWD Photos � 2007, Larry D. Hodge

Janice, Zoeann, and Jackie hooked up with three reds, on August 24, all fish landed.

Mr Larry Hodge with one of the two reds he landed August 24.

Hot dang, Jackie, you got it goin' on!!!!

Take me to Tradinghouse and show me how to catch reds like that outta there.

Have you ever read a better endorsement for a guide then this! Good night those are some heafty reds

good job jackie

There isn't a better guide, he should get the best endorsement.
Great job Jackie.

Second that...

Wow!

DAAAANG!
Note to self: Look that Jackie fella up.

AWESOME FISH!!!

Amen to that, nice job

Do you catch them just like you would on the coast in the salt?
I love catching redfish more than anything else but it's a good
drive to get back home. Fairfield is a lot closer.

Nice reds Jackie....ill see you tonight @ 6pm

Jackie also guided my 6 yr old daughter to the Fairfield Junior Lake record. 27.5" and 5.6 lbs.
That was such an awesome eveing for this proud Dad. And by the way she keeps asking me when we will get to go fishng with you again. If any of you would like to try freshwater red fishing there is no better in my opinion. Give Jackie a call and let him put you on some fish.

WOW! Congrats Jackie! A real Trophy!

Keith Bunch
Lake Bridgeport Guide Service