Great day at Hidden Springs! Friday 8/18

Aug 24 2017

Zach Milwood

Fingerling

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
52

Pops and I decided to hit Hidden Springs again after being there in June.  On that trip, we had missed some nice fish, so we wanted to return and settle the score!  We got on the water at 6am, and I caught a decent fish on a Hula Popper.  Skies were overcast and we had decent winds to keep us cool.  Crossing over to the long pier, I started throwing a white chatterbait, no trailer.  Quickly,  I caught a 3.96, and then a 6.61, and then a 4.21, all in the span of 15 minutes and all along that long pier. 

Working our way along the bank, and this time with my go-to bait, an avocado fire tail fluke, I caught a 5.35. 


 

We broke for lunch and got back on the water around 12:30.  Our wind died down to virtually nothing, and the clouds got out of town as well, so it was not as comfortable as it was in the morning!  At 2pm, Pops was throwing his go-to bait, a full size brush hog T-rigged.  He threw it at the boathouse, and a big girl got on it.  When she breached I swore it was bigger than my 6.61, but after weighing it, she was just shy at 6.50 (honestly!). 

Thirty minutes later I snagged another nice one that weighed 5.53, again with a chatterbait. 

So all in all, we had a great time there fishing together!  This trip I ended up with most fish and biggest fish, but I'm sure I'll get smoked next month at the Cody Ranch group trip by him! 

Some observations:

1.  I love our club.  Where else can you go and have a day like this?  Two 4lbers, two 5 1/2lbers, and two 6 1/2lbers.  That's a fantastic day of fishing!

2.  The large fish we caught had huge heads, long bodies, but seemed on the skinny side.  When my 6 1/2 breached, I would have sworn she was 8lbs or more. 

3.  We culled 16, and returned 16. 

4.  If you have not visited Hidden Springs, you are missing out on the most beautiful property in the club.  Dad and I fished it when it first came into the club, but our biggest fish then was 4lbs, and most of our catches were dinks under 12".  What a difference harvesting and proper management make! 

Zach

Posted By: Zach Milwood

Aug 24 2017

Shayne Wallace

Fingerling

Member Since :
2016
Number of Posts :
98

That was an awesome day of catching quality fish.  It was an awesome day of fishing because you were fishing with your dad. Laneville has been on my radar since the early spring when the two tanks were caught. Did y'all spend the night in the cabin?  Are the boats available or did y'all use your own boat?

Aug 24 2017

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1129

The cabins and the boats are not longer available (permanently) . You may fish the lake only. There is a concrete boat ramp and you must agree to harvest all fish 14 inches and smaller to fish here. The fish at this lake have made huge strides over the past 5 years. 99% of what we caught were under 12 inches. Today 50% are over 14 inches and lots and lots of fish over 5 lbs. In the spring of this year, I took Ray Sasser the outdoor sportswriter for the Dallas Morning News and he caught one 9lber and six fish over 5 lbs in less than 4 hours. IMO. this is one of the top 10 lakes in the club, but most of our long term members remember when all the fish were mostly dinks. (remember I could take Ray anywhere and I choose here)  It is also a real show place! If boats were available this place would now be twice the price.

Aug 24 2017

Zach Milwood

Fingerling

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
52

Hi Shayne,

As Steve mentioned, the boats and lodging are unfortunately no longer available.  We used my Sun Dolphin Pro120 boat, which is a perfect boat for PWF properties.  For tooling around on <100 acre lakes, I seriously don't think there is a better option.  Many of our members have one.

Fishing with my dad is great, and I certainly appreciate that we have several places close to where he lives (outside of Tyler in East Texas) that we can enjoy together: Hidden Springs, Yates, Twin Lakes, Dogwood, and 10-10 Ranch are all within 90 minutes of him. 

If you haven't been on the Cody Ranch trip yet, you need to make time in your calendar for it!  We have a great time, swap some great stories, and enjoy great food and fellowship with our fellow PWF members.

Zach

Aug 24 2017

Shayne Wallace

Fingerling

Member Since :
2016
Number of Posts :
98

I'm going to attend one of these functions asap. My son has two more years of college football and my early fall schedule is taken until he's finished.  I was a little too late on the spring trip you guys put together but rest assured both he and I wanna go and put faces with names. PWF is by far the best thing I've gotten into EVER. 

Aug 27 2017

Robert Scheidemann

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2016
Number of Posts :
225

Zach,

 Just hanging out weathering Hurricane Harvey, killing time catching up on all the latest posts! Looks like you had a great time at this location with your dad! Nice fish!!! Congrats!! Won't be able to make the group trip to Cody this fall but highly recommend it for those who want to have a great weekend of fishing! 

Bob