Howdy Hall of Fame Family,
As some of you may know, I travel fairly regularly for my main occupation. It's allowed me to go to some really cool places, see really unique things, and, of course, catch some really cool fish. I recently finished a field work event down in Fort Worth, Texas. It's not the first time I've been to Texas for work, I was down in Corpus Christi last year. Paul and I also spent time fishing in eastern Texas at Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn, and a couple other smaller lakes last year. I was stoked to go back, as I know the big bass reputation the Lone Star State has.
I flew in early on a Tuesday, knowing I'd have the remainder of the day to fish. It was sunny with bluebird skies, and about 65 degrees. Using Google Earth, I found a couple urban spots on the Trinity River. I bounced around locations, throwing a squarebill. Unfortunately, Google Earth doesn't always tell the whole story of a fishing spot, however. One spot had a gate that was closed and locked, another would've required some serious bushwacking to get to, and another where the river looked like a small trickling creek. I ultimately found a spot on the Trinity River where I could get some casts in. I fished a few spillways, still throwing a KVD 1.0 squarebill, a true confidence bait in new water. I worked my way down some grass banks, without any luck, either. Interestingly, I noticed signs saying the city of Fort Worth stocked rainbow trout here in the winter months. This is something St. Louis does also, but I did not expect to see it as far south as Texas.
Due to work, I did not get to fish again until my last full day there, the following Saturday. It was early afternoon when I wrapped up my job duties, and I found a park less than a mile away to fish. I tied on a different squarebill (a Googan Squad banger) and had confidence. The weather was about 45 degrees, windy, and raining. Within about 15 minutes of fishing this public pond, something nailed my crankbait. I felt a headshake and knew it wasn't small. I did my best to keep this fish from jumping and fought it back to the retaining wall I was standing on. It wasn't until I landed it that I noticed how cool this fish was. This thing was a mutant! The thumbnail photo does not do justice, at all. Weighing in at 2.7 lbs, this fish had bright yellow and black spots all over it's fins. It also had a bright blue spot on it's shoulder, as well as a large black spot on it's mouth. After doing some research and talking with some colleagues, I determined this fish had a genetic mutation called xanthism. It's similar to albinism, instead producing a yellow pigmentation. It probably had some other cool genetics for the other off color spots, too. I ended up catching another small bass at this park before heading off to the next lake.
It was raining even heavier at the next spot, a boat ramp on a large lake right underneath the interstate. I'd already caught two fish, and I was honestly content with that. I still had some time left in the day, though. Throwing that same banger squarebill, I fished around the bridge and made my way over to the boat ramp. This ramp had an access dock alongside it that I started fishing from. The water was muddy, but there was no boat traffic at the ramp. Taking my next cast from the courtesy dock towards the ramp, I get another bite. I feel this fish isn't as big, but it still was fighting hard. When I flipped it up to the dock, I'm unsure what kind of bass it is. It fought hard like a largemouth, but I thought it was a smallmouth upon first glance. It was almost completely brown, had a small mouth, and a very pale lateral line. With the help of some friends, it wasn't until almost a week later that I realize the fish wasn't a smallmouth or a largemouth at all! It's a Guadalupe bass, the first one I've ever caught! I would've geeked out a little harder in the moment if I could've properly ID'd the fish, but it was also pouring down rain. Still, such a cool fish in an urban environment.
I love fishing in Texas. It's reputation as a big bass factory stands firm, even in the cold December rain. I love exploring it's vast wilderness and seeing what it's waters hold. It was so cool to catch a big, unique fish, as well as my first Guad! I know I'll be back again soon to chase another Lone Star giant. Thanks for reading!
Tight lines,
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co