White Bass Report
ET rivers spitting out quality catches as spring spawning run kicks in high gear
By MATT WILLIAMS
The Daily Sentinel
Monday, February 16, 2009
DEADWOOD — I have always had a sweet spot in my heart for things called Sabine. One of my childhood sweethearts went by that name. So did one of my favorite ice cream joints. Sabine Valley was one of the few places around where you could get three heaping scoops of strawberry or vanilla for a dime.
Just as strong is my attraction to the Sabine River in East Texas, particularly the winding stretch of water north of Toledo Bend Reservoir between the Logansport bridge and the FM 2517 crossing at Deadwood.
 Matt Williams/The Daily Sentinel Sabine River guide Cathy Wheatley and her husband, Mike, specialize in putting clients on thick-shouldered white bass.  Matt Williams/The Daily Sentinel Sandbars, river bends and still water eddies are are good spots to look for groups of white bass.  Matt Williams/The Daily Sentinel A 1/4 ounce Roadrunner tipped with a plastic grub or buck tail is always a good choice for white bass on rivers across East Texas. |
The love affair has been ongoing for nearly two decades now. And I don't see it fading anytime soon. If anything, my feelings for this place seem to intensify with the passage of each spring.
That is when thick-shouldered white bass, thousands of them, fin their way upstream from Toledo Bend to partake in the annual spawning ritual.
In Texas fishing arenas, the annual white bass run is one of nature's greatest shows that is played out on riverine stages all across the state. The Trinity, Neches, Frio and Angelina rivers are known hotbeds for white bass, but the perennial favorite for big ones is the Sabine.
White bass are school fish by nature. They spend a high percentage of the year roaming in large gangs in open water where they dine on roving clouds of shad throughout the water column.
The popular sport fish inhabit lakes all around the state, but numbers and quality are typically best on large, river-fed impoundments with good water quality and plentiful forage bases.
The Sabine reaps the benefits of all those elements and more, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll of Jasper.
"I suspect another reason the Sabine is so good, especially for big white bass, is because there is such limited fishing pressure on the species at other times of the year," Driscoll said. "Less fishing pressure means less harvest, which naturally means there will be more older age class fish in the system."
When the conditions are right the Sabine is truly a fun-fishing paradise — a freshwater mecca where anglers of all ages and skill levels can spend an enjoyable day on the water, soak in some interesting scenery and stand a good chance of getting their strings stretched multiple times by Morone crysops.
Stumble across the right spot and it is entirely possible to reel in a 25-fish limit of the brawny fighters in as many casts. Just ask Mike and Cathy Wheatley of Jasper. Both anglers have done it multiple times.
The Wheatley's are a husband/wife guide team whose marriage is built around hunting and fishing. Their first date in Fall of 2001 was spent bass fishing at Sam Rayburn. The following spring, they made their first trip to the Sabine as a couple. They have been guiding happily ever after since.
The guides have a rich history on the Sabine. Their boats have produced four IFGA line class records, two flyfishing records and the current water body record of 3.90 pounds. Never mind the dozens of limits their clients clean every spring. The white bass keep right on coming and the Sabine continues to spit them out.
Heavyweight whites are caught frequently on the Sabine. The three of us boated a couple of fish in the three-pound class during an exploratory mission to the river early last week.
Together we landed about 60 whites in four hours of fishing. The majority weighed upwards of 2 1/2 pounds with close to a 50/50 percent mix between females and males.
That's a banner outing in any fishing book. Still, Mike Wheatley doesn't think the spring white bass run hitting all cylinders just yet. But it is not far off.
"They're coming," Wheatley said. "These fish move up the river in waves, sometimes beginning as early as Christmas. They are running a little bit late this year, probably as the result of low water and the lack of current that you need to jump start the run early. My guess is the first big wave is just now kicking in."
What the Sabine lacked in current last Tuesday was wiped later that night when a squall line raced across East Texas and dumped welcomed rainfall across the region.
Cathy Wheatley returned to the river two days later and found the water had risen about two feet and turned from a light tea color to sandy mud. She and her clients boated only 14 fish. Not surprisingly, the river jumped another foot overnight and the slow bite continued through Friday.
"That is to be expected anytime you get a sudden influx of fresh water," Wheatley said. "It is not the rise that gets them — it is the mud. The fish are still there. Once the shock of all the fresh, muddy water subsides in a few days they will turn back on again. They always do."
If Wheatley's prediction is correct, the bite should be going strong again by mid-week, if not sooner. However, anglers should realize the fish won't be everywhere. White bass are only where you find them. They will likely be scattered with groups, stacked here and there.
Any underwater sandbar, river bend or still-water eddie is worth checking out. Straightaways along the channel also can be productive from time to time.
"The best advice I can give right now is to put the trolling motor down and just go fishing," Wheatley said. "The river is still well within its banks and the fish are not real spot-oriented like they can be when it gets high. You might fish along for 20 minutes without a bite and then hit a little sweet spot that is loaded with them."
Veteran river rats know white bass are not all that picky when it comes to eating artificial baits, but some lures have a history of working better than others.
Among the most popular is the Blakemore Roadrunner. It is basically a lead head jig equipped a light wire hook and a feather or soft plastic grub tail. A small spinner provides some flash as the lure moves slowly through the water column.
Roadrunners come in a variety of sizes and colors. The most popular for white bass is a 1/4-ounce model colored red/white or red/chartreuse. Wheatley says solid black works well, too. Especially in dirty water.
Another reason white bass get such high billing during spring is because they are so much fun to catch. The fish hit like a boxer, pull like a freight train and generally are not all that tempermental about cooperating so long as their environment remains fairly stable.
Just about any rod and reel combo will work for catching white bass. However, a lightweight spinning outfit matched with light line doubles the pleasure.
I prefer fishing the Roadrunner in combination with 10-pound test braided line. The small diameter braid behaves much better than monofilament or fluorocarbon when coming off the reel spool. Plus, it is super tough and provides excellent castability for getting at those thick-shouldered titans that springtime fishing crowds love to catch so much.
To schedule a trip with Mike or Cathy Wheatley call 409-489-1816.
Top Picks of ET White Bass
1.) Sabine River: A wide open river north of Toledo Bend brimming with heavyweight whites. You can run a fiberglass rig when the river is up, but aluminum boats are advised in low water situations. Best put-in points are the public ramps off FM 2517 in Panola County or the Logansport bridge. There also is a private ramp at River Ridge Campground off FM 699; a launch fee is charged.
2.) Trinity River: Another heavy hitter with a rich history for cranking out white bass with broad shoulders. Feeds Lake Livingston. The river is easy to navigate during normal flows and always shines the brightest when the water is low and green. Cody Stephens at Lock-N-Dam Marina west of Crockett said anglers are reporting steady limits from the bank and by boat, mainly on Roadrunners. For more information call 903-536-2248.
3.) Angelina River: Feeds Sam Rayburn. The Angelina is narrower than other rivers and offers dozens of backwater sloughs and brush-filled channels that can be challenging to navigate, especially when the water is high. Aluminum boats are advised. Produces good numbers of quality fish upwards of two pounds and an occasional three pounder. Jerome Hale at Hale's Tackle in Nacogdoches said anglers are reporting some good catches on Roadrunners from Poe Lake south to Estes. Best access points are the Highway 59 bridge between Nacogdoches and Lufkin, Shawnee Landing or the old tram off Saint's Rest Road. For more information contact Hale, 936-564-1514.
4.) Neches River: Feeds Lake Palestine. Anglers typically report good springtime catches of whites weighing upwards of two pounds. Jon boats are advised. Bank fishermen can find plenty of the access south of Chandler off Highway 31. Contact fishing guide Ricky Vandergriff, 903-530-2201 or Porter's Sporting Goods, 903-825-3933.
