Lakes Brownwood and Coleman are historically known for consistent and decent largemouth bass fishing, where anglers could expect to catch a bunch of small bass with a few keepers along the way and even an occasional big bass. But the current downhill slide of water level, dating back to 2007, is beginning to take a toll on these bass populations based on recent electrofishing surveys, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s standard method of collecting information on numbers and sizes of largemouth bass in a lake.

The electrofishing catch of small adult bass (8 to 13 inches long) at Lake Brownwood this fall tumbled to 31 bass in one hour of sampling—less than half the average catch of fish this size at Brownwood. For comparison, in 2006 the catch was 108.

As water level declines, so does the quality and quantity of habitat, leading to poor spawning success and exposure of more little bass to hungry predators. The good news is numbers of 14-inch and larger bass have been consistent since 2008 and, and based on this fall’s survey, an angler may catch two “keepers” for every 11 fish caught.

Below are the fishing reports for area lakes as reported by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this week.

Lake Brownwood

Water stained; 70–73 degrees; 10.05' low. Black bass are good on watermelon red soft plastic worms and white spinnerbaits over brush piles. Hybrid striper are fair on silver striper jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and pet spoons off lighted docks at night. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and stinkbait over baited holes. Yellow catfish are slow.

Lake Coleman

Water lightly stained; 70–74 degrees; 12.71' low. Black bass are fair on watermelon soft plastic worms, crankbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. Hybrid striper are slow. Crappie are good on live minnows over brush piles. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and minnows. Yellow catfish are slow.

With hunting season under way and some areas of the state still recovering from last year’s drought, Texas Forest Service officials are urging caution for those heading outdoors.

Hunters should refrain from building campfires and burning debris during windy or dry conditions. More than 90 Texas counties currently are under a burn ban.

Keep in mind the following wildfire safety tips:

• If there is no burn ban in place and conditions are right, you may safely build a campfire. But keep the fire small, never leave it unattended and remove flammable leaves and other materials from the area surrounding the fire. 
• Make sure the fire is extinguished and cold to the touch before you leave it.

Below are the fishing reports for area lakes as reported by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this week.

Lake Brownwood

Water stained; 73–77 degrees; 9.96' low. Black bass are good on watermelon red soft plastic worms and white spinnerbaits over brush piles. Hybrid striper are fair on silver striper jigs. White bass are fair on slabs and pet spoons off lighted docks at night. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and stinkbait over baited holes. Yellow catfish are slow.

There were 14 participants in the Wednesday Evening Jackpot Fishing Tournament held at Lake Brownwood on October 10th.  Each Wednesday, sign up is from 4:45 to 5:20 pm at the lake dam ramp and fishing hours are from 5:30 to 9:00 pm sharp.

The results of the tournament are below:

Lake conditions:

Weather was clear.

Wind: 12 to 17 mph SSE gust to 16

Air Temp: Start 84° End 75°

Water was dirty to stained 68° to 72°

There were 11 fish weighed in for a total of 23.90 lbs

Out of 14 contestants, 8 people weighed in fish with 0 limits.

Contestants

1st.  Brandon Anglin.................................7.77

2nd.  Kenneth Mitchell............ .................3.50

3rd.  Joey Wynn........................................2.87

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a freeze watch for Taylor, Callahan, Nolan, Brown, Coleman, Runnels, Coke, Shackelford, Jones, Fisher, Haskell and Throckmorton counties from 5 am through 10 am Saturday morning.

Temperatures are expected to be between 31 to 34 degrees, coldest in low lying river valleys and near area creeks and streams - slightly warmer on hilltops.

Below are the fishing reports for area lakes as reported by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this week.

Lake Brownwood

Water stained; 73–77 degrees; 9.79' low. Black bass are fair on June bug worms, frogs, and Persuader crankbaits around rocks, and over brush piles in 10–15 feet. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are fair on Li'l Fishies and minnows off lighted docks at night. Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are fair on cut bait and nightcrawlers over baited holes in 12–20 feet. Yellow catfish are slow.

Texas hunters should see deer in good condition and above average numbers of mature bucks when the general season kicks off November 3rd statewide.

“Despite the drought of 2011 deer appeared to come through the season in fair shape, which I think in part is a tribute to hunters and landowners doing a better job of managing deer populations and the native habitat across the state,” said Alan Cain, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department white-tailed deer program leader. “Couple the results of good management, lower harvest in 2011 and some late winter and spring precipitation and the stage is set for a good deer season in 2012.”

TPWD Big Game Harvest survey results confirmed what biologist and hunters already knew, the deer harvest was down in 2011. Last year’s estimated harvest was 574,808 white-tailed deer; 309,207 being bucks and 265,601 antlerless deer. Compare those statistics to the 2010 season, one of our better seasons, when total deer harvest was estimated at 647,975 deer; 336,550 being bucks and 311,425 antlerless deer. However, a little perspective is in order here. Keep in mind the 11-year average for annual total harvest is 574,423 deer and the lowest estimated harvest occurring during the 2007-08 was an estimated 512,852 deer.

There were 15 participants in the Wednesday Evening Jackpot Fishing Tournament held at Lake Brownwood on October 10th.  Each Wednesday, sign up is from 4:45 to 5:20 pm at the lake dam ramp and fishing hours are from 5:30 to 9:00 pm sharp.

The results of the tournament are below:

Lake conditions:

Weather was clear.

Wind: 4 to 10 mph North gust to 16

Air Temp: Start 84° End 68°

Water was dirty to stained 69° to 73°

There were 16 fish weighed in for a total of 37.01 lbs

Out of 15 contestants, 9 people weighed in fish with 3 limits.

Contestants

1st.  Jeff Windham.....................................9.62

2nd.  Brandon Anglin.................................7.05

3rd.  Brandon Blaylock..............................6.05