Want to beat your buddies by bagging a very special kind of bass? Something they’ve never seen?  A fish they may not have even heard of – unless, of course, they’ve spent some time casting around in the Texas Hill Country. One of the best places to catch this local specialty is in the cool, clear waters of Lake Lyndon B. Johnson.  

More about that mystery fish in a minute -- but I’ll tell you this much right now: it’s hard for a fisherman to go wrong on LBJ.  This 6,449-acre, constant-level reservoir at the confluence of the Colorado and Llano Rivers offers good angling for virtually every freshwater gamefish native to the state. Take largemouth bass...  LBJ has always been good for blacks, but off and on since 1976, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. has been stocking genetically-superior Florida Largemouths.  And that Florida pedigree is paying off.   Biggest one to come to net so far is a 13.7-pound lunker that hit David Hoedebeck’s jig back in March, 2010.  If you want to get in on the action, but you’re new to fishing here, your best tactic is to hire some professional help.   Two guides who work LBJ are Chris Caka (ph: 281.910.8807; email: chris@lakelbjfishing.com; website: www.lakelbjfishing.com/contact.html) and Joe Bray (ph: 830.693.3799; email: JBRAY54@hotmail.com.)

Recently, I had the pleasure of a telephone visit with Guide Chris Caka, who told me that no matter what the season, crankbaits almost always produce on LBJ.  In winter, he likes larger Rat-L-Traps or Bill Norman DD-14s or DD-22s in crawfish colors or white with chartreuse and blue.   He recommends using a good lake map to target ledges, drop-offs, and deep, outside bends of river channels -- anywhere that bass can migrate vertically through the water column.    When a cold front pushes through, the pattern changes -- fish slow down and move a little deeper. He says that’s a good time to use a jig or a worm, either Texas- or Carolina-rigged.  Another good ...

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