Russell Tinsley.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Largemouth Bass
Show up at Lake Fork, Ray Roberts, Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, or Amistad in the spring months and get ready for a lengthy wait at the launching ramp. Show up at many of those same water bodies in the fall, however, and you’ll typically be one of the few boats on the water.

In addition to the lack of crowds at this time of the year, the fall weather is drop-dead gorgeous, cool high-pressure systems coming and going, leaves turning brilliant autumn hues. Add in the fact that largemouth bass are feeding aggressively for the coming winter, and it would seem that fall bass fishing is as good as it gets.

How do you exploit such fishing? According to Steve Hollensed, it comes down to having a good map and good electronics, watching the birds, and finding the baitfish. Adjust your presentation to the conditions, and you should be in business.

“The fish are still pretty active because the water is still fairly warm,” he said. “The bass are beginning to follow the shad back up into the old creek channels, so I use baits that move pretty fast such as tandem willow-leaf spinnerbaits in white and chartreuse colors, and plastic jerkbaits.”

For fly rod enthusiasts, the guide recommends floating lines on a 7- or 8-weight fly rod with a Clouser minnow, a streamer, or a popper tied on.

What colors? “I almost always tie on something chartreuse or white because most bass are shad driven in Texas,” he said. “On the upper portion of a lake, sometimes orange or black/blue will work, but the vast majority of the time, I’m sticking with chartreuse and white.”

DECEMBER
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout in Texas?
For starters, anglers can find stocked rainbows in dozens of public waters each winter as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department supplements its annual put-and-take trout program.

For those wanting something a little more scenic, don’t forget the stocked trout in the Guadalupe River tailrace below Canyon Lake or the Brazos River tailrace below Possum Kingdom Dam.

To catch these trout, try light spinning gear coupled with Roostertails or small crawfish and shad resembling crankbaits. Power Bait nibbles, small earthworms or even kernels of corn can also catch these trout.

For the fly rod experience, use 4-, 5-, or 6-weight fly rods rigged with weight-forward floating lines, 8- to 10-foot leaders with 4X to 7X tippets, and various dry flies, nymphs, streamers, and scud patterns ranging in sizes from 14 to 22. * * * Well, there you have it -- from the calendar’s start to its finish, a year of great fishing options.

So grab your rod, reel, and tackle box and get out there to sample some of this great fishing -- some of the best that North America has to offer -- all within the border of the great state of Texas!

Find more about Texas fishing and hunting at: TexasSportsmanMag.com