I am tryin to put some fish in the boat but am having a hard time. I work pretty close to grapevine and am able to take my boat out after work. I need some help on finding sands. I know there are some grapevine experts on here and I need your help. Someone please throw me a line.

For the spawn, you have "basically" two options.

1 - head up Marshall creek
2 - check wind blown points & humps.

This is pretty sad. I posted this question hopeing some of the experts on here would give me some help . There have been almost 100 anglers look at it but only 1 reply. What is up with that. I am not going to steal all the fish i just want to catch some. Please someone help me out here , I promise i dont stink.

Jeff is a REAL good source. You might try and send him a PM and see if he will part with more help. Its tough right now everywhere. Might try a walk up Denton Creek off the 377 Bridge.

Jeff told you where to find them. I don.t fish grapevine.
Johnny

Man, stop whining and get out there and fish. The fish are all over Grapevine, you just have to be willing to look. I never fish the Marshall Creek area, but hear it's good. This time of year, you just have to do some searching, but they are there. Buck07 usually wears them out as well as Jeff. It's not about secret spots on a lake of that size, we are all willing to share info. It's up to you to find them.

I guess I could give you more information. :p

Those little things you see in the air. I think they are called, how you say, birds. Follow them.

Last year, on this day - March 14 - I was in the middle of a 3 consecutive day run with over 150 fish caught on each day with only myself and one other person in the boat with me on each day. We caught over 600 fish within those three days and probably only half days each time we went.

It's not as tough as it seems and it should start to bust open at any day now. But it's pretty difficult. - Thanks Yogi.

Watch for the birds. If they start even congregating, while sitting on the water, check out that spot. Those birds don't group up and sit together in one spot for an extended period of time because it's just comfortable for them. There is bait in the area.

I am a bird watcher. If one bird hits the water in the same spot more than once, I'm on him like white on rice.

Check your weather forecasts. Not just for the day of your trip, but also for the 2 - 3 days before your trip. Check the wind direction. Right now we are getting mostly southerly winds. If your wind direction has been the same for 2 - 3 days before your trip, let's say southerly, then you need to be on the northern banks. The wind is pushing the shad up on to those banks.

Wind also creates a current against those banks. Sandbass spawn in moving water. Moving water = current

Sandbass also prefer to spawn over pebble or small rock bottoms.

Sandbass, and most other fish, will relate to drop offs. Spring time is a lot different than summer as that drop off can be from 8' to 10'. It doesn't have to be much. It can be just a gently sloping bank.

I prefer to use Humdingers this time of year because I can slow roll them off a cast if I want, or I can vertically jig them. White or Chartreuse are good colors. I use a 5/8oz primarily.


If your secret decoder ring is on the fritz, I'll spell it out.

Fish the northern shore where the shore line is pebble or small chunk rock where the waves are beating the shore line. Find a subtle drop off if possible, but it's not necessary. Sit in 15' of water initially and cast up towards the bank in a fan cast with a humdinger. Let it hit bottom. Crank it 3-4 times and let it settle to bottom again. If you don't find fish casting towards the bank, work the other side of the bank towards open water.

If you find fish casting towards the bank, say in 12' of water, position your boat so that you can parallel cast that depth.

If you find fish casting towards open water, move your boat over them and vertical jig them with the Humdinger, or switch to a slab if you are more comfortable with that.

If all else fails, watch for the birds.


Wendy and I will be out Sunday. If you see us - well...do whatever you got to do.

75 Ranger, Jeff gave you and everyone else here a lot of good info.

I prefer to fish smaller waters so I've been fishing (and catching) up Denton/Marshall Creek using white Roadrunners and silver Rattletraps.

the northern banks! watch for birds right before dark also

Thanks for the info Jeff!!! LOL!

Forgot to ask, when will they start schooling on top water in the coves?!?!

As soon as the spawn is over, for the past 3 or 4 years, they have gone on a big eating binge. If everything goes according to Hoyle, they will surface and feed from about the Katie's Woods ramp all the way past McPherson slough for 2 to 3 hours in the morning.

It should be phenomenal this year. The fish we missed catching the past two years because of drought and then flood are going to be big. Real big.

We caught some solid 2lb + fish last Sunday. Easy.

Jeff if you keep giving reports like that there wont be any sandbass left,I know to do all those things but would never be able to put it into words so well,I was out there tue. around the rock crusher and there were a few shad popping the top also a few birds in the area,it looked like most of the birds were working futher west toward the mouth of marsall creek,spent the day playing with the 997 and did not do any fishing.

Man awesome post Jeff!! Thank you. That's the good stuff there and that can be used on every lake in Texas!!

Thanks for all the great information you so freely gave out!!