Stock tanks, otherwise known as farm ponds, are places where many veteran anglers learned about the ways of fish and how to catch them.

But not everybody has access to these little fishing jewels, and they seem to be getting even scarcer as farm and ranch lands are turned into housing and commercial developments.

So where can a parent or grandparent take a kid to learn about fishing?

Thank goodness for the Lone Star State’s community lakes. A community lake is defined as a public impoundment 75 acres or smaller that’s located totally within a city, public park or state park.

Many community lakes in Texas are stocked with catfish, and some are stocked with rainbow trout during winter months thanks to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Neighborhood Fishing program. Fish are stocked about every two weeks, with the exception of August, when no stockings take place.

There are dozens of community lakes in Central Texas, with Waco’s Buena Vista Lake being among the area’s most notable with its high stocking rates and fishing events. This time of year, look for hungry catfish at Buena Vista, and don’t be surprised if you’ve got company along the shoreline.

Catfish are attracted to strong-smelling baits. Nightcrawlers, chicken livers, shrimp, stink bait, shad and cut hot dogs are effective catfish baits.

One of the best ways to rig up for channel catfishing is to tie a three-way swivel to the end of your line. Attach another line, about 10 inches in length, to another ring of the swivel, and tie a bell weight to the end of it. Tie a 15-inch line to the third swivel ring and secure a size 8 treble hook on the end.

Cast the bait into the water, wait a few seconds for it to sink to the bottom, then crank the reel slowly until the line tightens. Set the rod on something like a rock or forked stick so you’ll be able to detect activity on the other end of the line.

There are a few different rules that apply to fishing community lakes. Anglers 18 and older must still have a valid Texas fishing license, but there’s no minimum limit for catfish. There is a daily bag limit of five catfish, and fishing is by pole and line only – and anglers may use no more than two poles while fishing.

Bass Club hits home run

Last weekend’s Waco Bass Club 40th annual Lake Waco Crappie Tournament couldn’t have gone much better, tourney organizer James Windham said.

“We had absolutely perfect weather,” he said. “The wind blew Friday and Sunday, but skipped Saturday.”

Not only was the weather right, but the crappie bite was on, too — nearly half of the 35 teams brought in a 25-fish limit to the scales, and the number and weight of fish caught was 2 1/2 times better than last year. The tournament also enjoyed the best crowd turnout in years to watch the weigh-in, Windham said.

Bob McAffrey and Bryan Tullius took first place with a total weight of 26.16; Tommy and Don Elkins finished second with 22.64. The big fish of the tourney, a 1.96-pounder, was caught by the fourth-place team of Dean Fritz and Stephen Gabbard.

Million-yard giveaway

Stren is giving away a million yards of fishing line — one spool at a time — on May 6.

The Stren Million-Yard Sweepstakes offers winners a free spool of their clear/blue fluorescent line in a variety of lengths, test lines and styles. The total yardage of the spools will equal a million yards. That would stretch from Waco to Memphis with a little line to spare.

Deadline to enter is Saturday. Go to www.stren.com for more information.

www.centexoutdoors.com

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