LAKE PALESTINE

I've never seriously fished this lake, I was hoping someone might point me in the right direction for this time of year, I hear it can be kinda tricky to run. I'll be honest with y'all. I've got a tournament coming up here in late March and don't want to blank again.. (PM'S GREATLY APPRECIATED)

If you'd like to share any info , I'm all ears..

Thanks In advance..

Like I told several others, above the bridge is where most of the big sacks come from and is also the burial ground for many lower units. If you don't know the lake anti up and hire Tom Mayne to show you how to navigate the lake and how the fish relate to different lake levels, water clarity and structure. Money well spent.

Thanks Gig'em!!

Don't know if I can work a guide trip in such a short time, but its exactly what I was thinking I need to do..

Guess I'll just idle...

Some big sacks can from the south as well. Target shallow flats in some coves next to deeper water. There's been plenty of big fish caught south of the bridge. They get much easier to find in the spring too.

If you go north and don't know where to run then idle. It's easier to run right now because the lake is above pool but when it drops to pool or below watch out. Trying to win a trail tourney is not worth a lower unit in my opinion. Just idle. You will pinball around a bunch but hopefully not do a lot of damage.

It's a great fishery. You shouldn't zero north or south.

If you can trailer you could launch at 315 and already be in Kickapoo or you could launch at Ledbetter and fish Ledbetter and Highsaw. Not many places to launch on the south end. There's the one by the dam but I hear it's not safe. There's another ramp north of the Villages if you plan on fishing the Neches. Lots of options but be patient above the bridge especially above the villages. You'll learn a lot prefishing.

Greatly appreciated Hobbs, If I go North I'll just take it slow and easy

Thanks Gig'em, we launch from the villages, no trailering..

Late March, I would fish south! Lots of good spawning fish that time of the year on the south end and most of the time tourneys are won down south in late March or April!

What tournament do you have there

It's never a bad time to fish the north end. Spawn post spawn it doesn't matter.

Jaret -- what part of Flat Freek do you concentrate on ?

The part with stumps...

That does not narrow it down much.

No fish in Flat Creek, everyone need to go up to Kickapoo, thats the only place to catch fish on Palestine

It's all mud right now anyways in the best spots

Here are a few pictures I took when Palestine was low. Caption says 8 feet but I don't think it was quite that low.

[img]http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics...oking_south_8_f[/img]
[img]http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics...ing_west_8_feet[/img]



These were taken in 2011. The first picture is looking north into Kickapoo Creek. Second picture is the boat ramp off FM 315.

Somehow the other two did not download.

[img]http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics...oking_south_8_f[/img]


This is looking north into Kickapoo Creek from FM 315. Picture with the link is looking south from FM 315 with the old bridge high and dry. For those of you that don't know the area, at normal pool the cement bridge is always partially out of the water. You have to go over the road bed on either side of the bridge to get into Kickapoo Creek.

[img]http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics...oking_south_8_f[/img]


Last one.

Great pics Allen Bass Fisher!

Allen Bass, what year was that? I typically look back to 2011 on Google Earth and it looks about like that but just wanted to see if there was another year to look at as well. Thanks,

August 2011.

Here are the maps I remember seeing. Thanks bassmanrudy for posting them back in November.

https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/usergals/2017/11/full-94570-190157-martin_creek_3.png

https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/usergals/2017/11/full-94570-190158-martin_creek_2.png

Oops posted on the wrong thread.

Fished the chocolate milk in Kickapoo for two days and literally got one bite. That's one bite in two full days..... It was rough. Granted, the fish you do catch up there are beautiful beasts but that water needs to settle before I sign up for that again.

Jaret is on the money....it's muddy
I'm taking duck boat out this weekend for some scouting around, I'll try to take some pics of the north side

I'm going to show my age, but I remember fishing the South side of Kickapoo when it looked like the picture when the lake was full. It was so easy to fish, the creek channels were the only clear areas. Just get in one and cast to both sides and if post frontal cast ahead in the creek.

Hopefully it clears up soon! I’m sure all this rain isn’t helping the cause...

A lot can change in the next month..Hopefully the north end will not be in post spawn by then!

Tom how long do you think it will take for the North end to clear up? Not be chocolate milk, but heavy stain.

A guy caught a 12lber, another team caught a 9, and another boat caught an 8 in our club tourney today so the big girls are on the move. I ran over Kickapoo bay today and I would consider that a muddy, unfishable mess. It was clearer yesterday than today, still running off from rains on Thurs and Fri morn. Ledbetter/Highsaw definitely was cleaner

we caught the 8 up in Ledbetter. The key was to find the clear, calm, and warm water. Lots of fish to be caught, definitely plenty of males.

Need to be more specific...There are areas on the North end that never get muddy and some that get muddier than others.

I normally fish Ledbetter/Highsaw in Club tournaments, but heard the is kayack tournamet there then. I decided to give them the area. I have not fshed up North in over 20 years. Thinking about Cade's and West bank.

She was pretty stingy today.