Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists, along with the city of Waco, Cameron Park Zoo and some local scouts from China Spring have all been busy deploying new fish habitats into Lake Brazos.

Last Wednesday, a group of workers placed 20 fish attractors made primarily of bamboo from nearby Cameron Park Zoo into the water near newly renovated and newly constructed piers and shelters along both sides of the lake between Doris Miller Park and Cameron Park.

The new fish habitat simulates flooded brush and will draw in fish species of every kind and size. Forage species like sunfish feed on aquatic insects that are naturally drawn to the habitat, and the complex system of stems, branches and leaves also gives cover to small fish from larger predators such as largemouth bass and catfish.

TPWD biologists in Waco have been working with the city of Waco and other partners for years to create a viable fishery on Lake Brazos. The city of Waco initiated the first step by replacing the old dam with a new one in 2007. The new dam maintains a near-constant lake level year round.

Biologists have since stocked 58,000 bluegill, more than 12,000 largemouth bass, 132,525 Florida largemouth bass, 126,855 channel catfish and nearly 100,000 blue catfish. Recreational features including walkways, picnic shelters and boat ramps.

Fishing and boating piers continue to be built and updated, and the new fish attractors are all within easy casting distance of many of them.

Lake Brazos boasts some of the highest catch rates for channel and blue catfish in Central Texas, and the majority of these are of legal size. Flathead catfish are also found in the lake, along with decent populations of crappie, white bass, stripers and even some hybrids that have made their way out of Lake Waco.

Black bass anglers can find quality largemouth and spotted bass, and smallmouth are not out of the question, since more than 20,000 fingerlings have been stocked upstream in the Lake Whitney tailrace since 2008.

Doris Miller Park off MLK Boulevard offers a tackle loaner program where anglers can borrow fishing tackle at no cost. For more information, call 666-5190.

New shooting range

Caney Creek Lodge in Teague is home to a new sporting clay range, owner Beth Bounds said.

The new range features state-of-the-art Promatic machines, with 12 stations. The range also offers a wireless card system, which allows shooters to buy a card with credits so they can shoot any time they like.

The lodge also offers hunting packages, a bed and breakfast and events center. Bounds’ husband Justin is the grandson of Frank Short, who helped found the Waco Gun Club.

For more information, go to www.caneycreeklodge.net.

Winning 1st prize

Jim and Trey Fielding pocketed the $1,000 first prize at last weekend’s first-annual Baylor Bass Club Open, held on Lake Waco, with a 16.24-pound sack of fish.

Second place went to Eric and Kendall Lovett, who weighed in 15.92 pounds. The Fieldings also took the big bass money, thanks to a 7.36-pound largemouth.

The wind kept the turnout lower than expected and provided challenges to those who were fishing, but club president Joey Garland expressed appreciation for the sponsor and community support. Proceeds from the tournament will go toward the Baylor team’s efforts in the national championship tournament later this month at Lake Lewisville.

Mixed fishing report

Lake Whitney striper guide Clay Yadon (817-219-3707) offered a mixed report for the week. The topwater bite is good on cloudy, calm days, but not on clear or windy ones.

The good news is that the live bait action is going strong, with Yadon forecasting the pattern to continue through the end of June. “The fishing is fantastic,” Yadon said. “The fish are coming off the spawn and are hungry, and they’re bunching up into big schools.”

Last week’s action was highlighted by numerous multiple-hookups, including at least one instance per day when all six baits were hit simultaneously. “It’s complete chaos when all six rods are bent into the water,” he said, “and when it happened Friday, the lines all got tangled together and most of them broke off. But the two we got into the boat weighed 17 and 18 pounds.”

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