Patrick Sprankle was pulling his kayak out of the Middle Bosque River on Friday afternoon as I made my regular patrol of the Central Texas outdoors.

He was finishing up a trip that stretched from the Speegleville Road bridge to near the mouth of the river as it opens into the main lake. And while the fishing wasn’t in high gear, Sprankle caught enough fish here and there to keep him interested.

It’s not unusual for him to reel in at least a few largemouth bass on one of his river trips, he says, but what was most noteworthy about Friday’s trip was the white bass he caught. The whites are already staging at the mouth of the Bosque, according to Sprankle, in anticipation of their annual spawning run upstream.

While it’s uncommon for the pre-spawn staging to be taking place this early in the year, it’s not unheard of. Some of the best white bass trips I’ve ever made have been in early February. But before hopes get too high, keep in mind that white bass can be fickle, and can be chased from the rivers back into the deeper water of the main lake by strong cold fronts or inadequate stream flow.

I haven’t been around a lot of kayaks, but Sprankle’s craft impressed me. In addition to the standard features, it’s customized with a rod storage box, interior lighting, a fish finder, GPS and a camera mount that he uses to make videos of his trips.

He was on the water during the recent cold snap and found himself crashing his way through a quarter-inch of ice on the river’s surface — and his resolve paid off in good numbers of fish, including some big black bass.

Navarro Mills hit-and-miss

Brenda Wallen of Navarro Mills Lake Marina (578-1131) says that after a run of improving crappie action, last week’s bite was hit and miss, adding that most of the fish caught were small. Afternoons are better than mornings, and jigs with chartreuse combinations are working a little better than minnows, she said.

The song remains the same for Lake Whitney striper guide Clay Yadon (817-219-3707), who is still hauling big striped bass into the boat using swim baits fished slowly in 30-40 feet of water. This pattern is producing limits of fish, some of which weigh in the mid-teens, and the best results have been on cloudy days.

Crappie anglers have been rewarded in the rivers recently, with hot spots being the North Bosque around the 185 bridge in China Spring, and the stretch of water from the Lake Waco spillway to the MCC marina.

Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists continue to stock rainbow trout into local ponds and streams. Check the TPWD Web site for stocking dates and other information.

Special fishing event

The Fishing Event for Really Special People, an annual event for physically and mentally disabled people, is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex Fine Arts and Exhibits building in Waco.

Participants will find music, food, drinks, dancing, carnival-style games, karaoke, trout fishing and more.

Groups of five or more should call early to secure a time slot for fishing. For more information, call (254) 752-8361.

www.centexoutdoors.com

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