Big winter-time blue cats

Scott Baker

What would you rather do this winter? Clean your reels? Or tie into a giant freshwater fish the size of a small deer? Wanting a little excitement and a chance to catch a fish of a lifetime, members of the Robson Ranch Fishing Club headed out to Lake Tawakoni in early March. Few anglers have ever heard of Lake Tawakoni, but this 37,800-acre lake located outside Wills Point is known as the Catfish Capital of Texas and for good reason – the average fish caught weighs in at around 40 pounds.

Prime time for chasing the big boys is from Thanksgiving until the water temperatures reach around 65 degrees, then the fish go spawning. Blue catfish are big and bad! In freshwater, there is no other fish that can come close to the drag stripping, rod bending action these fish give. Using home-grown stink bait, the anglers each reeled in at least one monster which made for thick, succulent fillets.

Blue catfish are abundant, but Lake Tawakoni is also known for its striped bass, hybrid striped bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, and crappie. A return trip is sure to be on everyone’s list. Plans are also in the works for fishing destinations to Lake Erie Canada (walleye and steelhead), Lake Whitney (striper and bass), Lake Texoma (striper and bass), and Lake Ray Roberts (crappie and bass).

Interested in dropping a line? The RR Fishing Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Wildhorse Grill at 5:30 p.m. For any inquiries, comments or suggestions contact [email protected] or Scott Baker 214-334-7664.