Weekly Report: Lake Waco - February 25th, 2024

 

Structure & Underwater Topography:

This impoundment of the North, Middle, and South Bosque Rivers is dominated by natural shorelines, including bedrock, clay/silt, and sand and gravel flats.

Submerged timber and flooded terrestrial vegetation add to the diversity of natural habitat for fish while man-made habitats include submerged roadbeds, the old dam, boat ramps, marinas, piers, docks, and bridge pilings.

The Waco Inland Fisheries District built and deployed rectangular PVC fish habitat structures in three locations near mid- reservoir to help attract and hold sportfish for anglers.

The three freshwater reef locations are located near Koehne Park, Island Cove, and Lakeshore Cove. Previous freshwater reefs deployed into Lake Waco were comprised of Crappie Condos, made with bamboo from local stands, however the lifespan of these natural structures has passed. To date, a total of three freshwater reefs exist in Lake Waco.

 

Targeting Game Fish:

          Largemouth bass fishing is at its best in March and April. Coves protected from the north wind, and the backs of creeks, are excellent places to look for spawning bass at this time of year. White or chartreuse spinner baits and black/blue or black/chartreuse jig and pork combinations are the preferred baits.

From May through September, look for bass on windy points on the main lake and flats next to river channels.

Hog and Flatrock creeks are also good at this time of year. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, chuggers, and plastic worms are popular baits.

Crappie fishing is tough to beat at Lake Waco. White crappie predominate, but black crappie are occasionally caught. In the spring, from late February through April, crappie move into water less than two feet deep.

The best places to look for spawning crappie are main lake coves that provide protection from the north wind or shallow flats next to creek channels. Keep moving to find concentrations of fish.

Best catches are usually around standing timber, submerged brush, or aquatic vegetation. In summer, anglers fishing deep brush piles in the main lake can be very successful.