Question about big fish and grass

Why are lakes like Canyon, LBJ, and Stillhouse not kicking out a lot of big fish consistently year round? They are loaded with grass.

Does Canyon have grass now?! Haven’t been since I was a kid. I’d like to see what guys good with FFS could pull out of there

i know 2 of the 3 produce plenty of big fish

Look at weights of tournaments year round. Champs and Media. You see some scattered big fish but nothing you really don't see on other Texas lakes without grass.

Yes. It has grass. A good amount of it.

Stillhouse is just beginning to recover from the last big flood which killed almost all of the grass. In effect, it's only been a "grass lake" for the last couple of years. Give it 2 or 3 more years without a grass killing event and it will be much better.

I want to clear that I am not bashing any of the lakes I mentioned. I am just curious. Have had a blast fishing them this year.

How’d you like Canyon? Catch any Smallmouth or Guads?

I didn’t even know there was a such thing as amateur tournaments until my best friend invited me to fish a 2 day club tourney with his dad at Canyon. I ended up winning and have been hooked ever since.

There was absolutely no grass back then

Really enjoyed Canyon a lot. Didn't enjoy the lightning. Caught a 6lber out of the grass on a frog. Fun lake. We had a decent finish.

LBJ grass is really just now coming back after the big flood scoured everything.

Mark, you just worry about your Dallas lakes and quit spreading rumors about grass in lakes down here! There is no grass and darn sure no bass!

Because the grass is just getting established. Canyon is way better now than 10 yrs ago. If the grass stays I expect the fish weights to increase.

This above, it hasn’t had the good thick grass that it has now for very long (seems like it’s been 3-4 years, but might be wrong on that) and there is a FB page of canyon lake homeowner’s that are fighting to get it removed.


It’s been putting out quite a few 5-7 pounders this year and that hasn’t been all that common in years past.

Holy smokes. Guess I’ll go fish it this month when I’m home

I think they said there was only 1 ramp open and it gets to be a zoo, obviously.

I’ll call the military ramp tomorrow. Hopefully it’s in the water. It should have less of a crowd

I've not fished the lakes mentioned but fishing any lake w/ grass is waaaaaayyyyy better than no grass lakes. Ex - Joe Pool and Cedar Creek

See what you did Mark…

It's Petro's fault. He is the one that wanted to fish that division.

Yea, I don’t think I’ll hurt your lake that much, I don’t get home too often…I’d say I’m more of a local than you though…from Seguin

Get after it, it’s on fire, but you know that because you are “more of a local”…

Chicken rig...

From what I read on FB, those Canyon lake bass are always biting like “chow dogs”! If you’re on the canyon pages, you know what that means, that guy cracks me up.



25lb stringers are common in tournaments there now, best lake in the area, it’s ON FIRE!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥 might as well tear it up, before the grass is gone.

Great info. Love punching grass mats.

Take your broom stick, it’s full of 10 pounders!

Next destination LOL

I used to bank fish from the rocks by the dam. jig/pig or light t rig worms. this was about 1981 I think.

used to be some huge striper in there too, caught a few in the river below the dam that went over 25#.

Ahhhh, the Hop and his sleeping on a picnic table with the alligators trying to get him.

When you guys get those 10 pounder’s figured out at Canyon, I’m buying waypoints.

Rumor has it for the last several years a group had been moving larger bass from Choke to Canyon … that’s how the hydrilla got so good, plus newborn baby gators regurgitated by the larger bass.
True rumor.

OH Ivie would like a word(I think, I've only been there once and it wasn't recently. But I'm pretty sure there isn't much if any grass there).

My theory on these lakes is they don't have the forage base that some other lakes do. But that's mainly a guess and I don't have any data to support it, other than fishing a LBJ and Stillhouse and not really seeing much bait. I've never fished Canyon.

I bring up Ivie because Stillhouse would seem to be a pretty similar lake on paper. Relatively small. Deep clear water. Timber. Maybe if it fills up it'll start pumping out more bigguns the way Ivie did when it caught a lot of water.

There is grass on Ivie, but ivie was so low for so long there are tons of cover in the lake without the grass.

It's still new on LBJ but already changing the lake back to what it was pre flood. It's got alot of bigs. Canyon has brand new grass and stillhouse been putting out 35+lbbags for years. It's full of quality

I would say that’s more truth than rumor, other than the alligators anyway.