For the life of me I cannot find out the patterns in this desert to save me. Some one please tell me what the bass are hitting in the playas or at buffalo springs.

I remember hearing the fish kill at Bufflao Springs a few years back cleaned the lake out. It used to be be good for crappie and decent for stripers. I don't know if it ever was much of a bass fishery. Cats are what's caught now. I fished it three times and caught 3 small bass and one perch on my best day last spring. I am by no means a rookie. Not to say the fish aren't there, but me and a buddy that is also pretty good struggled mightily to find anything. All of our fish came on minnows.

You might try Buddy Holly park on N.University & the loop. Walk the dam & throw a spinner or rattle trap. I've caught some large bass there years ago, but it had an algae kill also, so I don't know about now.

Buffalo Springs has had florida strain large mouth and striper fingerlings restocked yearly since the golden algea bloom in 2003. It's going to take a while to get the fishing back to normal. I've always had good luck there with black/chartreuse worms dragged slowly on the bottom in shallow water near the reeds. A shad rap in shad color is a good crank bait choice.

The playa lakes and yellowhouse canyon lakes in town have only had catfish stocked by TPWD in recent years. There are bass in the lakes that survived the bloom or were stocked by fishermen but they tend to run small.

Also, the water is still a bit cool here. The spawn runs later here I think. I expect it to pick up in the next few weeks if we can avoid more snow and freezing overnight temperatures.

You could try moving to East Texas...

As a Red Raider I found myself in the same spot as you.
Take the time to drive through Post, TX and fish Lake Alan Henry. Its about an hour drive from Lubbock but worth every minute.

+1

Ignore the East Texans.

There are good fish in the Canyon lakes on the north side of town. I have caught many bass on fly rod and a few on rattletraps.

Water is still cold up there, so don't get discouraged. It'll come. And Alan Henry is well worth the trip...even if you canoe it.

When I lived in Lubbock, Memorial Day weekend was always the time I could catch the crappie at Buffalo.

Lubbock is located in the middle of some of the best fishing
in the world.


500 miles in any direction.


I lived in Brownfield for a couple of years, Drove all the
way to Texoma to fish,.

good luck

MO

Mo---I grew up in Brownfield and it wasn't 500 miles only 150-300 until they added Alan Henry which got a decent lake less than 100 miles, but not much less. Of course the lakes 150 miles would be Twin Buttes, OC Fisher and Spence---except when they are dry or burning or have a fish kill. OK maybe it is 500 miles.

Just_Old_Fisherman


I was in Brownfield 1976 thru 78. That 500 mile
figure was what the locals told anytime I asked about fishing.

I went to Lions Club with a fellow that worked in the feed store. He said that farmers would come in to buy catfish food,
but only if there were no other customers in the store. The list of who had stocked tanks was a closely guarded secret.

good luck.
MO