Tips on Fishing for Bass in Calaveras Lake

Catch striped bass in Calaveras Lake from March till May.bass image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com

Calaveras Lake is located 20 miles south of San Antonio, Texas, and has a surface area of approximately 3,624 acres. The prime fish species of Calaveras' ecosystem are channel catfish, red drum and hybrid striped bass. There are also largemouth bass, also called black bass, but fishers are less likely to come across these, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Regulations

If you want to go fishing for bass you must have a recreational fishing license and a stamp endorsement for freshwater fishing. To find out where you can register, refer to the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site. When fishing in Calaveras Lake, you must only catch and keep bass that are at least 18 inches long. The daily catch limit for either type of bass is five fish.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, it is possible to catch hybrid striped bass between January and August, but the best time to fish for them is between March and May. Likewise, the March through May season is ideal for catching largemouth bass.

The striped bass tend to be attracted to chicken liver, sunfish and shad as live (or formerly alive) bait and tend to approach spoon or striper lures. Largemouth bass are mostly drawn in by non-live lures, such as plastic worms, crank bait and spinner lures.

Fishing between the dam and the crappie wall (a place where you can tie your boat) is generally promising for catching the striped bass. It is better to drop your lines where the water depth is at least 15 feet in this area. To catch largemouth bass try around the shorelines and near patches of bulrush vegetation. You may also want to try trolling, or moving around the lake at a low speed, since schools of striped bass could be quite mobile in late spring and early summer.