When I was a kid, people pretty much had to travel to Colorado to get a Coors or catch a rainbow trout.

But thanks to Bob Lilly and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, both are now commonplace in the Lone Star State.

In the coming months, TPWD will continue its decades-long stocking program at community lakes, state park lakes, and river tailraces across Texas. TPWD has been stocking rainbow trout every winter since the 1970’s.

More than a hundred sites around Texas will receive nearly 280,000 hatchery-reared rainbow trout beginning in December and stretching into March.

Central Texas waters that are part of the program include Waco’s Buena Vista Lake, Copperas Cove’s City Lake, Meridian State Park, Nolan Creek in Belton, Mexia’s Springfield Lake, Lion’s Park Lake in Temple, and Central Park Pond in College Station.

Rainbow trout thrive in cold water and can be caught on natural and artificial baits. Top baits include cheese, marshmallows, kernel corn, small spinner baits, and fly fishermen have a lot of luck with hand-tied flies. Baits can be fished either off the bottom or suspended under a bobber.

A valid Texas freshwater fishing license package is required to fish for trout. There is a daily bag limit of 5 trout. Youth ages 16 and younger and all anglers fishing within state parks are exempt from the fishing license requirement.

Buena Vista is located at 2001 Madera Drive. From Interstate 35 North, take Loop 340 East, turn right on Kendall Lane and left on Post Oak. The park will be several blocks ahead.

More information can be found by clicking the TPWD Trout link on the Centex Outdoors website.

Winter pattern change

Lake Whitney striper guide Clay Yadon (817-219-3707) says conditions are within a few degrees of shifting from the fall to the winter pattern.

“The birds are coming and going with north winds,” he said, referring to gulls that signal the presence of schools of feeding stripers. “There haven’t been any that have stuck around yet, but they will soon. December is the top month for bird activity.”

Swarming, shrieking, dive-bombing flocks of gulls help anglers locate where the fish are biting during the winter months, but boaters should approach the activity with stealth as to not scatter birds and fish alike.

Fishing has been good lately, Yadon said, but the windy conditions have made it tough to get out. “When we have gotten on the water, the fish have been really cooperative,” he said. “They’re starting to build their eggs and they’re getting really hungry.”

He added that finding the fish is a little tricky since stripers are not relating to structure — instead, they’re roaming the open water chasing schools of shad.

Catfish biting

Lake Waco catfishermen are finding good action on punch bait fished three feet down in five-to-six feet of water. The most productive places are timbered areas around Reynolds Creek and Lacy Point.

Reports of up to 50 catfish in one trip came in last week.

Holidays in way of hunts

Dr. Don Risinger phoned last week to tell about an overheard conversation between two hunters who were lamenting all the hunting trips they would have to miss because of Thanksgiving and Christmas parties.

One hunter said, “The only mistake Jesus made was being born during the Texas whitetail rut.”