Rowlett Creek 2018

Any reports yet?

It’s a little early. Give it another 6 weeks or so

1st week in March start looking.

I passed by the Firewheel Parkway bridge and saw around 10-15 cars parked on the field. Are they fishing for Crappie? I wanted to go but I am stuck in Fort Worth for now :-(

Limits of crappie have been taken out of there recently.

Now creek level is couple of foot higher than yesterday

lies

No lies. I caught a limit before the rain.

No fish in Rowlett Creek, check back in april

There's two kinds of liars on this board. One tells you they caught fish where there are no fish, the other tells you there are no fish when it's loaded.

Most of the creeks in DFW-areas are good for the last two months. You need to scout in the creeks

And both of them are correct! it's a matter of who's lies are we going to listen to! I think the later is true so makes the first liar telling the truth. Now that confuses me even more

we probably have a ways to go before these fish show up.

Saw 4 vehicles at at firewheel today about 1:30 ish creek looked pretty stained with some good flow.. here we go..
love the rowlett creek thread!?

I don’t fish the creeks but I am seeing trucks lined up. Either they are catching or expecting to catch fish.

I'll probably join next weekend. Don't really know what to expect....

My friends got a lot of crappies two months ago

depending on weather this friday i shall go and post pics/report

Has anyone been fishing the Nolan, is anything biting there? Sandies have always been good there when water is running.

He will be along shortly! Robert you're being called.

The fish should be along shortly. With these colder temps just remember to fish light, fish slow, and don’t forget the 4lb fluorocarbon

One of the reasons, Jesse10 and I went to the brazos, is because the Nolan wasn’t producing as expected, given the relatively low water levels...just waiting on the rain to get the flow up...then maybe it will turn on...

Any updates?

Limit out before the rain

Oh good ! Crappie or Sandies?

Big rain today and this week. That should get them going.

Limit out on sandies

After this round of rain going to make better

How far up the creek have you been fishing?

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and just moved here in August! Grew up in WA fishing salmon, steelhead, and trout. Hit RC on Monday, tried the 66 bridge downstream with no luck casting a Mr twister. Was surprised by the lack of current. Headed up higher to find current and got a few decent sand bass, first fish in Texas for me!

I have some questions about Creek fishing, feel free to PM me if you'd like!

1. With the major flooding over the last two days, how long does it take for RC to drop back to fishable levels?

2. Do you have the best success fishing cast-and-retrieve lures/jigs, jigging under a float, or bait under a bobber?

3. When fishing a slip bobber with a jig, how deep do you normally set the stopper? How much jigging do you do?

4. Any chance of finding eater size crappies in RC?

5. When are there hybrids in the creek, and how far up the stream do they travel? What do you use to target them?

Thanks for any help and advice, I really appreciate it! Happy to meet up and fish with any of you, I drive a silver Mazda sedan with a roof rack!

to the Rowlett Creek fishing thread! I look forward to it every year! You’ll get all the info here and some

Welcome to the forum and I will take a stab at your post.

1. Were expected to have ran until Saturday which is a good thing. It typically takes Rowlett creek two days to clear from heavy spring rains.

2. I have found that using a minnow under a float is the best method on Rowlett creek. You also need to scale down your gear. 4lb fluoro line will really increase your catch rate. For whatever reason white bass from this creek are line shy.

3. How deep you set your bobber depends on the depth your fishing. I like my baits to be 16 inches from the bottom. I typically cast out my bait and let the current move it around.

4. You will catch a few crappie during the run but not many. I have never caught more than two on one outing.

5. They hybrids show around two weeks after the white bass. I catch them right along with the white bass. Set your drag before you hook one and carry a small foldable landing net with you. I see more fish lost at the bank than anything.

Each year the creek changes so that hot you fished last year maybe void of anything the next year. Most important thing you have have while fishing the creek is polarized sunglasses. With these you can actually see the fish before ever wetting a hook. Good luck.

We have two seminars for the Sandbass run up the creeks this weekend. All of that will be covered and lots more. Bring a pen and note pad and take notes. Most folks catch rates go way up, after attending one of these seminars. If you’re hard of hearing, or just want a front-row seat, show up early, as these seminars fill up very quickly.

Saturday 24 th @ 1:30 pm @ Bass Pro Grapevine

Sunday 25 th @ 1:30 pm @ Bass Pro Garland

1. with this much rain it could take up to a week before RC is fish-able. the level of water should drop back down in about 3-4 days and you would need some more days for the mud to dry if you are a novice to the area. i'd recommend having some cleats if you plan on fishing after a fresh rain in case you struggle to get back up from fishing in the slick mud.

2. I have always fished using jigs/lures with cast and retrieve methods and have seen guys pull up some monster hybrids with shad and bobbers.

3. never tried

4. yes

5. Explore up and down the creek and try different holes. don't limit yourself to just one spot....during the spawn the fish are literally every where. Some days you will have to work a bit more to find them and some days you will just be in a spot for an hour just slaying away at them with every other cast.

good luck and see ya'll out there

a surf rod and 40 lb braid with slab spoons usually does it for me with creek sandbass.

LOL

A twig and -4lb flourocarbon line does trick also.

Big sunflower stem for rod, twisted and stretched spiders web for line, cut and sharpened beer can pop top for hook, big leaf for bobber, insect for bait. Purchases required: fishing license.

Eric

i use a 11ft heavy action 80lb braid with 100lb fluro leader. With a sabiki rig and wear them out all year.
Besides that have a fun season yall.

Id spring for a 12ft heavy action!! Good choice of line though Mr Fish!

i only use those setup when the hybrids show up. 80lb is a little overkill for sandies

Wow you guys really go ultralight out here. I usually just run a winch from the parking lot to haul out these monsters.

i've caught more fish with a 1/8 roostertail and 6 lb test line.

St croix 10' ultralight (4-10) , shimano sedona, 6Lb mono. All you need for sandies and hybrids, everything else is overkill. Use your Drag!

Here we go!

big weighted surf bobbers also come in handy if you feel like using a jig and bobber setup. At least a 4oz weight is needed

Lol I like how this turned into a gear discussion when my questions were mainly about technique and general info! We're just bored cause the river's flooded haha. Think it will be fishable this weekend? Or maybe Lavon dam?

Once the dam open who knows what will happen, if they are catching best bet and potlick!

Lavon dam probably start releasing by next weekend

Not fishing over there today......maybe flooded Springfield Park

update creek this morning. [img]http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics...3_310652764_n.j[/img]

Oh flooded all areas; it will take three to four days to settle

Water is up about 15 ft higher than normal and flowing 80 times faster than normal. It's probably going to take about 4 days until we can fish if it stops raining.

Two more days of rain this week SMH, it will take awhile...

Lavon gates are open

All of the reservoirs are open.

After yesterday’s rain creek flow rate was over 20000 cfs. From next week onwards we can catch big Mamas

Rc will likely lose most of its run this year.....with Lavon pumping out a constant 4000+cfs right now most of our fish are going to reroute to the dam.

Hello people. I new here. How musk is to fit with a guyd. i wan shanbass.

Welcome to the Forum LMP!

Maybe. They shut Lavon's gates while RC is still raging.

I try go tomorrow to see i catch anyting

how you catch tha fish. Show me iam new beginner. I go to buy new rod and light line today.

Lmao trolling hard

I wonder what his other screen name was!

I'm sure "LickMyPot" is a name a true beginner would choose, lol.

I am new to the game.

This always gets so interesting to read, every year. Why do people make such a big deal out of the sand bass run in the creek? I like to catch them too, but this post is always a train wreck of drama by the end the run lol.

Waiting on reports before i go. Is might muddy there

It's great go now, dont wait.

i will post my results choomorrow

Cant wait.

What should i use? minnow? or fake bait?

Best time of the year lmao

Fake bait for sure. The best fake out of all is the bare hook where you pretend to have a soft plastic minnow on it. FEEL the bait. BE the bait.

park close, flooding. Do not waste your time. Wait until this weekend.

Yep... !! Love this thread every year and love the drama! And it hasn’t even started!

Let the entertainment begin

Late next week before you will be able to get close to the creek.

I laughed. Shame on me.

Is it good to fish at firewheel parkway near Rowlett Creek this weekend?

I fished there yesterday, was there from 4-6 exploring and fishing a little. Water was very muddy, current seemed about average. I was throwing some jr. flukes looking to catch sandies but didn't get a bite, only thing caught around me was channel cats on the bottom. Also the banks were like quick sand

Is very dirty watar and muddys. But I catch 3crappies today and 1 catfish. The crappies tasted so good.

I use dead minnows with a weight

Lmao

Umm.... I hope you're kidding lickmypot. If you're not you need to lay off the pot and learn your fish.

What is the best way to cook the large mouth crappie? I was told they need to be soaked in brine underground with cabbage and habanero pepper for a week or two.

Turnbow, with all the rain we had and rain coming today it could be dangerous as well. I slid in the creek several years ago even wearing baseball cleats. We need a little sun and heat to dry it out.

I google crappie and it looks like crappie. also another guy say is a crappie that fishing next to me. if is not, i apologize for say wrong fish.

lol

LickMyPot, I don't think what you caught are crappie. they are sand bass. but small size. Could you please tell the location where you caught them? at firewheel parkway bridge or pleasant valley road? Thanks.

Don't fall for this post. You will know when the run starts because everyone will start posting pics.

blame the azn's LOL

I think somebody is trolling

i stop catching crappie and sandbass. I go stiper now. Much more fun and big!

My goodness I'm pretty sure I got dumber reading these posts. They get better every year. Hope y'all get on the sand bass this year though. Won't be able to make the run this time. I'm hoping to get them up here in Arkansas here in a couple weeks. Just waiting for the water to heat up a little bit.

Hi lickingmypot. I new hear to can icom fishy wit you to ?nice stripper.i it lotts lotta stripet

i wan to learn better fishing first before you come wit me. Maybe you want to show me? How to do it.

Has anyone been out there recently? Thinking about taking my 5 year old this weekend, just want to make sure the creek has gone down enough to fish safely.

It's fine. There's a ton of crappie in there right now along with the sandies.

Hey scuba, what day were you planning to go. I also plan to take my son (7yr) creek fishing havent figured where. Its between lewisville or RC not sure which has suitable conditions. never been to either

Thanks I really appreciate it. I personally don’t eat crappie but like sandbass (I know I’m weird they are too mushy for me).

Sergio, I will try to give RC a try on Sunday. PM me if you want to link up but my kids sleep late and the early bite seems to be best.

I thought the exact same thing scubaarchery. I thought I was cooking them wrong or something. I totally agree that sand bass is where it's at. Have you tried them on the half shell with lemon pepper and butter?

I use a modified recipe Tarponfly gave me. I dredge them in 1 cup of flour and 4 tbs of Tony Cachere’s then in melted vanilla ice cream then in Panko bread crumbs and fry them. Best fish fry ever. Second option is this recipe that I do with hybrids

https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/fish/butter-parmesan-striped-bass-2.html

Both are amazing.

I used to think the same thing but turns out I wasn't cooking them right. Fried crappie definitely shouldn't be mushy.

i liek crappie

yummy

Went out today for a couple hours today, Caught quite a few under size ones and about 6 nearly keepers .

Im need to check this spot out. Hows the parking situation?

It's a little bit of a walk but it's legal parking at least.

Poked around for about an hour and pulled in a keeper crappie second cast. Got hung up and lost my lure shortly after. Fish are jumping and people are catching; gonna have to come back with minnows.

Its a great place to get your vehicle broken into. Happens on pretty much a daily basis.

Went out Saturday afternoon with my five year old for an hour. Took 2 dozen minnows to the spot I normally fished last year. River bank had completely changed and I could not even get to where I used to fish with her, so we got as close as we could. There were a bunch of folks fishing the other side already and no one was really catching much. Tried some on the float but the current was pretty fast. Switched to a Carolina rig and she caught her first sandbass on the first cast and a yellow about 15 minutes later. Overall it was super slow but she still caught one which was awesome! We just had her fish for dinner. It’s always super fun for me to see her enjoying the things that I enjoyed with my dad growing up. The bank was too steep for her three year old sister to join so we will try a different spot next time.

Fish are there, not super thick, but they’re around. Best way to get these early season fish is to bump minnows on the bottom with a light weight. As always 4 lb fluorocarbon is key! Line is more important than the setup, especially with Rowlett being pretty clear this year.

Yep... I have to agree 4 pd test is definitely a game changer! In my creek no doubt about it

Agreed.

creek fish it the easy. i dont know people why think is so hard. the fish is stupid. they eat anything.

i use either 4 or 6....works out very well

Why flourocarbon? Do the fish see the line and get spooked instead of biting? I have like 12 hi vise line on one reel red line on another and multi colored braid on another, these were my rods for fishing off piers in the ocean where I was working last year the hi vise yellow seemed to be the color of choice over there for some reason, does line color matter for bass fishing as well?, could explain why I only got few bites when I went out to the creek couple days ago lol

It definitely matters, just not 100% of it. People often take it to the opposite side of the ditch and say they catch sand bass on 30lb braid, and yes that's true! You could probably catch some fish using a piece of kite string for line with your lure on the end, but line that is harder for a fish to see will outfish.

Eric

JMO but here it goes. I haven't found the fish to be line shy at all. Just last week I was fishing some of the clearest water I have fished. I had my reel spooled with 6 lb MR crappie high vis line and got to the first hole that I couldn't see the bottom in and started catching sandies and crappie one after another for a total of 8 keeper sandies and 7 crappie. I then walked down catching fish in every pool I couldn't see the bottom in and the fish didn't seem to mind the green line. The fish only care about what is on the end of the line and the presentation. People used to catch crappie on welding rods all of the time so some green or yellow line isn't going to stop them from biting. I am not sure about the braid as I hate it and never use it but for hi-vis lines it doesn't make a difference.

Fish are line shy, water is clear, use 4lb fluorocarbon and increase your catch rate 4-5X. Trust me here, you’ll thank me later. Line is more important than lure or presentation really. That’s my take and I’m sticking to it.

I think it's more about how lighter line affects the action of tiny lures than color...but lighter line just seems to outfish heavier line in the creeks. In deep water with a 1oz slab, I haven't seen it matter one bit.

Oh okay seems understandable, yeah in the ocean it was somewhat similar some of the bigger fish like bull reds would only take your line if you had a clear leader so I can see it affecting certain fish in creeks, yesterday I fished a little runoff creek by my house and caught some sunfish with the same job and line setup in Crystal clear water i mean crystal clear you could see color definitions on the fish but the bass in the same creek wouldn't go anywhere near it, it went once when I first carted saw it and bunkered up under a rock never saw him come out again the entire time I was there not even with senkos or creature baits he was a little too smart I guess lol but thanks for the info guys I'll try that out see if it helps, also is the Miller road area the only place on rc with parking that's fishable from the bank? Seems like the creek there is kinda feature less couldn't find any water that looked like it had rapids that went into holes or rocky areas none of that, any info is appreciated not asking for specific spots just wanna know if I have other options thanks again

Miller is not a good spot. Most people are parking on Firewheel Rd where it crosses the creek. You'll see about 40 trucks there. Have to hop the curb and park on the grass.

4pd for me in my creek is king! Ask my buddies lol! I only use hivis so other fishermen can see my line so when they cross me I just shake my head... then most of time they leave... only use it when catfishing from the bank tho

Saw a guy with a basket full of Carp at Miller Road. Guess he was hungry.

It's the most popular food fish on earth. It's on the menu in European restaurants. But maybe he was catching bait.

I can fish for sandies at Lavon or Pecan creek and they don't care about line size. For whatever reason smaller line makes a huge difference at Rowlett creek. I scale everything down when I fish Rowlett creek. I use 4 lb fluorocarbon with a size #6 Owner Mosquito hook and very small slip cork. When fishing lures I use nothing longer than a inch and half. At Lavon and Pecan creek and you can throw anything and catch them. Rowlett sandies can be very finicky. Folks can use what they want but I have proved time and time again that scaling down your gear on Rowlett creek makes a huge difference.

It makes a difference everywhere I fish, pressured water or not. The reality is that as a general rule, the lighter you go, the more natural your presentation will look. Natural presentation=more likely to catch fish.

fishes are being caught at RC today. get you some

i limit. 2 limits. I go drop off my house and come back.

the guys that were using jigs with bobbers seem to be doing better than the guys just straight jigging. i was there yesterday for an hour and was only able to pull in 4 with the limited area of fishing past the gun range. it was fairly busy and pretty much shut off at around 6:45

Fish are definitely there. I kept catching back to back fish with minnows and a splitshot. My buddy used a orange and chartreuse rooster tail and brought some in too.

Should change your handle to StirMyPot

More like I smoke pot?

Hello MR GAME WARDEN! Look what I can Do

boo goo thow

Dnt fall for this fool.....just some fool acting a fool.....

FOW SHO!

i thiing you guy is jellous i catch the fish more. Is not nice for jellous.

Y'all were talking about line earlier. Four pound test line in clear is the way to go. As the water gets clear the smaller line and clear plays a big roll in getting bit or not. I use four all the time because it allows me cast light jigs much further and it has less drag in the water. Not to mention on windy days the wind doesn't catch the smaller line as well.

I think lickmypot is blowing smoke up every ones tail end myself. Might even be catching with a cast net. LOL

Yall keep feeding the (probably 17 or 18 year) troll! No acknowledgment produces silence.

love this time of year

I love bank talk:)

Like me say. I think mean peopl is jellous. Fish 1 hr today my miller and got this. not so much but catch with 12pnd line no problem

But today i see many mexican and chinese man. the china guy fell in water.

Catching fish during the run doesn’t require brains or skill... but nice pic

After work yesterday

today later i go to texoma for the big one striper for me and non for you

I like seeing the Chinese man fall into the waters lol

Lol

Confucius say, "Man who has head up a** can't see for sh*t."

last week i see the TamponFly guy. i want to see the technique but there is no techniqe. i think he just know the hole and the fish where they stay.

Nice crappie

Rain

quote=sand bass man]I like seeing the Chinese man fall into the waters lol[/quote] watching your mouth man, how about some one say [i happy to see you swimming with the fish] ?

I would say hak cau xi mai lol yum yum dim sum

I take it that Jimmy is the one that took a drink.

I thought we would never see him on these forums again after he got caught last year posting pics that were from years before. LOL

Lol this guy is funny

Just got back from Denison..Flood gates are opened.

Just got back from Denison Dam..Flood gates are opened.

doo ma you lie

anyone see the water at RC yesterday, after saturdays big rain???

thx

after the rain, big mamas show up.

Nice, how big was the hybrid?

Looks about 16” max rookie lmao

went fishing there yesterday after work...fish are there....minnows and rooster tails were producing. seems that the crappie are pretty stacked in there as well.

any comments on water clarity (matters to us fly fishermen)

gracias!!!

Water clarity is great, clear

water is clear but it seems like the won ton's on the bank hate that you fly fishermen are in their way of casting

[quote=sand bass man]water is clear but it seems like the won ton's on the bank hate that you fly fishermen are in their way of casting

Tuff xxxx!

The Yaks that go up and down the creek and park in front of the bank fishermen become easy targets also. Seen it a few times.

It’s just funny coming to the creek each year and i see the same faces with the same attitude

Fish on!!!

I was fishing the creek on monday a bit past the gun range and saw two guys in waders trying so hard to mock the bank fisherman. it was entertaining for a bit but got old pretty fast. one of the guys in the waders was either smiling too hard or had underbite. i wanted to tell him to put his teeth away because it was scaring off the fish.

chinese fisherman on the bank also got a ticket for keeping undersized fish and was bitching about how he got a ticket for $500 and wanted to shoot the warden.

the rest of us on the other side of the bank told him he wasn't going to do $hit.. fishing these creeks can be so entertaining i tell ya

I keeped so many under sized shad, no one said anything thing yet. 10 , 12 and 18😀

Can anyone point me to a good spot on Rowlett Creek?
I have tried the firewheel bridge without luck.... don’t mind walking as long as there is decent parking.
Cheers y’all!

This guy must be related to lickmypot !

Lol! That’s what I’m talking about! About time we get rowlett creek drama going!? Sooooo hows the fishing?

Try the gun range area and work different holes. You will always catch a few at each hole. Give a rooster tail a shot

My size shoes is 12 bro.

Seems like all that road work they did on this creek has put a big damper on the white bass spawn for anglers. I've never been to this creek but I've been reading reports on this creek for many years. Seems like stringers are not as good as they use to be.

This is because the run does not really start until late March. We get a few warm days and folks think the run should be at full tilt. We need a run of 60 degree nights to get the run under way. Be patience grasshopper. Good times are around the corner.

Not to mention Lavon dam was dumping all month, so a ton of fish went up there.

I caught a handful this afternoon at the more productive holes, but that may also have partly been because I wasn't really fighting for space with anyone else today. That's fine, more fish for me. Hope things pick up after the rain.

Our run down south ends around the first of April. But we start catching good numbers as soon as late December. It's all about weather temp and water flow. Last week of February and all through March is normally good fishing here. But here again, water flow and temp is what it is all about.

Nothing to see up there. Fish nonexistent up there. Look somewhere else.

The water level is about 5 feet higher than normal currently. Fishing should be more productive a few days after the rain.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Rowlett doesn’t get many more fish.....most have diverted to lavon

I don't think that is true

I heard there are no more fish in Rowlett

I’m so happy that this thread is dead....that is all.

when a thread is dead... fish is on! lol... I guess some people learn to keep quiet this year.

Yep...!

Yep.....they whackin them today! There were 3 whole people there 10 minutes ago.

Big hybrids caught from bike trails all the way up to firewheel. Go get you some.

doooooooooooooo ma fish on

doooomaaaa, xaooolonnn. lol

Any advice for a newbie? I am 0 for 2. Like last time I ended up getting hung up and jigs tangled in the snags in the water. This time I tried starting from the Rowlett Creek Preserve and walked south. Lots of spots that looked good, but no fish.

I rarely fish this creek, but I drive past it often. Judging from the lack of cars, I'd say it's about done for the year. But for next year you'll want to go north, not south, assuming the lake stays at relatively normal levels.

4 lb line fluorocarbon line, light gear, and light lures, nothing above 1/8oz. It’s not easy for beginners, creek sandies are a completely different ballgame than lake sandies. Finesse fishing at its finest.

i use to use 4lb one mine but lost so many damn hybrids and have recently upped it up to 6. i be using too much muscles when a hybrid hits it.

i will be giving it a try this week when the weather warms up a tad. i haven't fished there in about a week so i don't really have any recent reports

Any of those 3 wearing cleats?......

The guy with the red Under Armor cleats is the best fisherman on the whole creek. I have watched him go up inclines with them shoes that were dang near vertical all while hauling a stringer full of fish.

I'd like to fish with that guy one day, seems like he's caught a fish or 2 before

Third time is a big fat zero for me. I went north toward the gun range (by the sound at least), used 6lbs mono, 1/32 white marabou jigs, and even a few 1/8 rooster tails. Lost all my rooster tails, and several jigs. I got snagged a bunch, got muddy and almost lost my gear into the drink. At this point I am starting to think Rowlett Creek has it in for me.

I started from the Rowlett Nature Preserver and got to post 15 am I not moving far enough north?

Rule of thumb for me is to put away my ultra light gear for whites first of April, spawn is pretty much over. I have seen it go as far as one week into April, but even then the fish were much smaller males. The weather is the biggest factor.

creek seasons over.. try again next year.

Hit the lake.... find a wind blown point... throw some minnows and bounce them on the bottom while reeling back to you should be $.. not crazy action but you should get bit.. Creeks are pretty much done for sandies in my area.. like fishytx said some are still in my Creek’s but only small males. Or fish minnows on bridges with rocks for crappie..

LOL......the only reason it’s over is because most of the fish went to the lavon dam instead of rc. Otherwise it would be peak season right now. Most lakes it’s getting good right now, and a lot of females haven’t even spawned. Peak is always mid April.

The peak around the Austin area is mid March. Dang you guys get to fish in warmer weather then. We start catching limits in Feb here and there and it is in March when every one is hauling out limits. And you guys are only like 200 miles north of us. Weird how much difference there is in peak spawn there as to here. We still have a few females with eggs, they are not running up the water ways thick like they do in March though. A couple of years a go I was reading an article about the white bass spawn and they claim that these fish will spawn as late as May. We never see this, but you guys might. 90% of our fish are back in the lakes chasing balls of shad.

yes our run is a lot later. It’s really more of a late march/April thing than it is a feb/March thing up here. I’ve caught limits well In to May in past years.

According to the 2017 TPWD gill net surveys, Hubbard just plain sucks right now. Probably lost a ton of fish through the dam. There's only 1/4 of the average number of white bass in the lake.