Jim Grove would be honored to know that a memorial bass tournament is named after him. But more than that, his family says, Grove would be most pleased by the fact that a day was set aside in his honor that allows friends and family to get together and enjoy themselves in the great outdoors.

The third annual Jim Grove Memorial Bass Tournament is set for Saturday at Lake Whitney’s Uncle Gus’ Lodge & Marina, where Grove dedicated a lot of his time and energy to improving the marina and catching fish.

The cost is $150 per two-person team, and there’s a 100 percent payback. First- and second-place prizes will be awarded for the heaviest five-fish bags. Weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. at the marina.

For more information, call (877) 785-1424 or visit www.unclegusmarina.com. Rules, regulations and a tournament entry form can be found at the Web site.

Navarro Mills fish biting

Brenda Wallen of Navarro Mills Lake Marina (578-1131) reports an uptick in fishing action, with decent numbers of crappie being caught on jigs and minnows.

“Most have been small males that have moved into the shallow water,” she said, a sign that the spawn is in its beginning stages.

Bass fishing is also improving, she said, noting China Spring angler Chris St. Clair’s 4.66-pound largemouth caught on a crankbait along the Navarro Mills dam last Sunday.

Regina Akers says Lake Waco crappie are following suit, and while limits are still hard to come by, things are picking up. Better-quality fish are being caught early and late.

Lake Waco has long been known as one of the state’s top crappie lakes. During the spawn, fish move into shallow areas in coves and flats near creek or river channels. Often these fish can be found in as shallow as a foot of water, and typically, when you find one crappie, there are dozens more clustered nearby.

Crappie love structure, and submerged timber, brush piles and even live vegetation like grass or hydrilla will hold fish. It’s a good idea to adjust fishing depth and change location until you get a bite. Sometimes, a matter of just a few inches in distance or depth might as well be 50 feet.

A number of places around Lake Waco are open to fishing, including Corps of Engineers parks. One of my longtime favorite places to crappie fish, Bosque Park below the spillway, offers particularly good crappie fishing and ample bank access.

Cold not slowing bass run

Saturday’s Arctic blast and heavy rains won’t likely stall the white bass spawning run, which has been going strong for more than a week on area rivers. In fact, the increased stream flow might even turn the fishing action up a decibel or two, as a good current is a key ingredient in successful sand bass spawning.

Keith Rodriguez is among those ringing the bell lately, as he and nephew Jordon Colvin, along with friend Tyrone Settlers, caught their limit last Sunday. The trio started around 7:30 a.m. and within two hours, had 75 big sandies to clean.

“We also fished Saturday morning and caught 30,” Rodriguez said, “and they were all huge females.”

They used ghost minnows for bait and caught all their fish bottom fishing in 15 feet of water.

For a closer look at white bass fishing, visit www.centexoutdoors.com and click the “new photos” button.

www.centexoutdoors.com

717-8907