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Reports, species guides, and trip notes from Lake Whitney and Lake Aquilla.
30posts
How to Pick a Fishing Guide on Lake Whitney: A Guide's Honest Advice
There's a handful of guides running Lake Whitney. Some are great. Some are fine. A couple you should probably skip. I'm going to tell you how to separate…
A Day on the Water with Captain David: How a Trip Actually Goes
People ask me what a guided trip is going to be like. The honest answer is it depends on the day. But here's roughly how it goes, from the parking lot at sun...
Summer Fishing Strategy for Lake Whitney: Beating the Heat
Texas summer on Whitney is brutal, and I'm not going to pretend it isn't. By July the surface water is pushing 85 degrees, most species go deep and sluggish…
Blue, Channel, Flathead: The Three Catfish of Lake Whitney
Catfish on Whitney isn't one thing. It's three different fish that show up in the same lake and want different things. If you call to book a catfish trip, th...
Night Catfishing on Lake Whitney: A Summer Guide
Most people put the boat away when the sun goes down. I'm just getting started.
Bluegill Fishing on Lake Whitney: The Best Fish for Kids, and Underrated Eating
Bluegill don't get much respect in Texas. Stripers take the headlines, bass get the tournament money, and bluegill end up as the fish kids catch when they're...
Why Lake Aquilla Catfish Taste Better Than Anywhere Else in Texas
I've eaten catfish from a lot of Texas lakes. Cleaned them, fried them, handed plates to people at the tailgate. And the ones that come out of Lake Aquilla…
The Spring Striper Run on Lake Whitney: When the Lake Wakes Up
Spring on Whitney is when the lake wakes up. Stripers spend most of winter holding deep, eating slow, and being predictable. By late February something chang...
Lake Aquilla for Families: The Best Beginner Fishing Spot Near Fort Worth
Most parents looking for a kid's first fishing trip are already overthinking it. What lake. What fish. What gear. Whether the kid's going to get bored in 20…
The Complete Guide to Fishing Lake Aquilla, Texas
Nobody fishes Lake Aquilla. That's not a complaint, that's the sales pitch. I guide on Whitney most of the year, and I love that lake. But when I want a quiet…
Largemouth Bass Fishing on Lake Whitney: A Guide's Honest Take
Whitney isn't a bass lake. I'll say that up front because if I don't, somebody's going to book a trip expecting Fork or O.H. Ivie and be disappointed when we…
Largemouth Bass on Lake Aquilla: The Quiet Bass Lake Nobody Mentions
I wrote a post about largemouth on Whitney and said it's not a bass lake. Aquilla isn't either, but for a different reason. Whitney isn't a bass lake because...
White Bass Fishing on Lake Whitney: The Spring Run Nobody Talks About
If you asked me what the most underrated fish in Lake Whitney is, I'd say white bass without blinking. Sandbass, whatever you want to call them. Every spring…
Crappie Fishing on Lake Aquilla: The Off-Pressure Spring Spawn
Crappie on Aquilla don't get fished. That's not a complaint, that's the whole point. While Whitney boats stack up over the brush piles in March, Aquilla's qu...
Crappie Fishing on Lake Whitney: Seasons, Spots, and Techniques
Everybody calls me about stripers. I get it. Whitney's a striper lake, that's the reputation, and it's earned. But if you asked me what the best eating fish…
Golden Algae on Lake Whitney: What Anglers Need to Know
I'm not going to pretend it doesn't exist. If you've Googled "Lake Whitney" and "fish kill" in the same search, you've probably seen golden algae come up…
Lake Whitney Fishing Regulations, Licenses, and Bag Limits: The Quick-Reference Guide
I get asked about bag limits and license stuff more than you'd think. Usually the night before somebody's trip, or worse, at the boat ramp. So here's…
The Lake Whitney Fishing Calendar: What Bites Every Month of the Year
Everybody asks me the same question. "When should I come?" Like there's a magic weekend where everything turns on and the fish line up to get caught. There's…
How to Rig and Fish Live Shad for Striped Bass on Lake Whitney
Live shad catches more stripers on Whitney than anything else I throw. It's not close. But a lot of guys running live shad are doing it wrong and they don't…
The Complete Guide to Striped Bass Fishing on Lake Whitney
Stripers are why most people call me. I get that. The phone rings different in October than it does in July. July it's catfish. October it's stripers…
Winter Striper Fishing on Lake Whitney: Cold-Water Tactics That Work
Most people put their rods away after Thanksgiving. Cold out, lake looks empty, nobody's posting hero shots on Instagram. But I'll be honest with you…
How to Cook Your Catch: Striper, Catfish, Crappie, and White Bass Recipes
Half the reason I guide is the cooler at the end. Don't get me wrong, I like the fight, the early mornings, the whole thing. But when a client texts me a…
How Stripers Think: Behavior, Depth, and Why They Move on Lake Whitney
If you understand one thing about striped bass on Lake Whitney, understand water temperature. Everything else they do flows from that. But there's more to th...
Lake Whitney vs. Other Texas Fishing Lakes: An Honest Comparison
I fish Whitney. That's where I run most of my trips and where I've built my business. So take everything I say here with that in mind. I'm going to be…
What to Pack for a Day on Lake Whitney: A Guide's Actual List
I get this question on the phone before every trip. What should I bring? The short answer is less than you think. I provide all the fishing gear, so most of...
Where to Stay When You're Fishing Lake Whitney or Lake Aquilla
Most of my trips start at the ramp at sunrise. For clients coming from Fort Worth or Dallas, that means you're either getting up at 4 AM and driving down in...
Boat Ramps, Marinas, and Access Points on Lake Whitney and Lake Aquilla
People call me about fish. What bites in October, what bait to throw, whether the stripers are still running. But the question I probably answer more than any…
How I Pick the Spot: A Guide's Day-of Decision Making on Lake Whitney
The first question I usually get when someone calls about a trip is some version of 'where do you fish?' I get why people ask it. They're trying to picture w...
How to Read Your Fish Finder on Texas Reservoirs
Most anglers have a fish finder. Most are guessing. I see it all the time. Somebody's got a $500 unit bolted to their console, and they're staring at it like…
What to Expect on Your First Guided Fishing Trip on Lake Whitney
Most of the people who call me have never hired a fishing guide. That's not unusual. It's actually most of my business. They've fished a little, or not at…
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