According to the inland fisheries director, there are plenty of fish in Choke Canyon now "getting of size." That's good news for a water body that has produced four ShareLunker bass, including one a year ago.

"If you want to catch 30, 40, or 50 fish in the 3- to 5-pound range and have the opportunity to catch an 8- or 9-pounder, that would be the place to go," Durocher said. "That's where I would go."

WEST TEXAS
Of course, many West Texas anglers will argue that Alan Henry Reservoir is the state's hottest bass lake right now. And they would certainly have a valid argument, since Alan Henry has produced 14 ShareLunker bass since February 2000, including nine SL program fish a year ago.

Part of Alan Henry's big-bass surge has to do with the lake's relatively consistent water levels in recent years. "Sure, I think that's what has helped it so far," the TPWD's Bob Farquhar said. "No one, including the city of Lubbock, is using water out of it yet. Plus, it filled in stages."

That slow increase in the water level allowed Alan Henry to increase in size gradually, inundating new cover that has helped to support not only the lake's young-of-the-year largemouths but also the forage fish necessary to support a healthy bass population.

Impounded in 1993, Alan Henry's bass are certainly coming of age, with nine fish ranging from 13 pounds to 13.82 pounds caught a year ago. But the big question seems to be: Will the West Texas big-bass honeyhole enjoy another banner year in 2006?

"If I had a crystal ball," said Farquhar of his 2006 expectations, "I would say it would have another few good fish caught -- maybe another fish in the 13-pound range, and maybe, with a little luck, a 14 or a 15. "I know there are still some big fish in there, and they'll have another year of growth, but the anglers know they're in there, and they'll be targeting them. The word is out on Alan Henry."

Even given the fact that the lake is basically a canyon lake with deep sides, with a lot of places for fish to hide, such intense angling pressure could somewhat blunt the productive edge this body of water has heretofore enjoyed. Overall, expect Alan Henry's torrid ShareLunker pace of 2005 to slow a bit this year, but don't be surprised if anglers catch a headline-maker or two -- or three, or … well, I think you get the picture.

Keep in mind that Alan Henry isn't the whole of the good bass-fishing news in West Texas. The return of the rains in recent years and the TPWD's continuing restocking of Florida-strain largemouths at many locations combine to indicate that fisheries like O.C. Fisher Reservoir, O.H. Ivie Lake, and Twin Buttes Reservoir are primed to shine again one day soon -- especially if outbreaks of toxic golden algae don't return to the region.