Live Bait 🪱
The single best bait in all of DFW. Catch your own free at dawn with a cast net along lake shorelines. Keep in a livewell with a good aerator — dead shad loses effectiveness fast.
The universal DFW bait. Thread two or three on a #4 hook for catfish. Keep refrigerated and moist. Available at every Walmart sporting goods section for just a few dollars.
Deadly for panfish all summer long. Hook under the collar near the head. Use under a small cork bobber set 2 feet deep near dock shade or weed edges.
Hook through the back just below the dorsal fin for natural movement. Use under a slip float for crappie in brush piles. Change every 20 minutes if no bites.
The top bait for trophy flathead catfish. Hook through the back and fish near deep timber at night. Use 4-6 inch sunfish for flatheads — an absolute game changer.
Cut & Prepared Bait 🎣
Wrap in mesh bait bag to keep on hook. Fish on the bottom with a 2 oz egg sinker. Extremely effective in warm months — the strong smell draws catfish from a long distance.
Fresh always beats frozen for blue cats. Cut into 2-3 inch chunks exposing the guts. Fish main lake channel on the bottom with a slip sinker rig. Changes the game for big blues.
Commercial dip baits like Team Catfish Double Whammy are deadly spring through fall. Use a sponge or treble hook. Strong smell — wear gloves. Very effective in warm water.
Cut into 1-inch chunks, soak overnight in garlic powder or anise oil. One of the cheapest and most effective channel cat baits in the entire DFW area. Kids love the simplicity.
Peeled fresh or frozen shrimp work very well for channel cats and freshwater drum. Put on a #4 hook and fish on the bottom near structure in 6-12 feet of water.
Hard Lures 🪝
Chartreuse, shad, or crawfish patterns work best in DFW stained water. Strike King Series 3 and 4 are local favorites. Bounce off rocky points and submerged structure.
White or chartreuse with Colorado blades excel in murky water. Slow-roll near submerged brush in 4-8 feet. Great spring and fall producer at Eagle Mountain and Benbrook.
Walk a Zara Spook or Whopper Plopper at dawn and dusk near shoreline cover. Surface explosions on schooling white bass and stripers are truly unforgettable action.
Drop Hopkins or Kastmaster 1/2 to 1 oz spoons vertically through schooling fish and jig up and down. Deadly from bridge pilings and main lake points year-round.
Football jigs for bass on rocky points, round ball jigs tipped with minnow for crappie in timber. Match weight to depth — 3/8 oz shallow, 3/4 oz in deep structure.
Soft Plastics 🐛
Texas-rigged 7-10 inch worm in green pumpkin, watermelon red, or black blue. Drag slowly across the bottom. The all-time #1 largemouth producer in every DFW lake.
1/8 oz jig head with 3 inch white or chartreuse grub. Cast and slow retrieve or jig vertically. Incredibly versatile — one of the most effective and affordable DFW baits ever.
Small 1.5-2 inch tubes on 1/32 oz heads for crappie on 4 lb line. Drop straight into brush piles. Use 4 inch tubes on heavier heads for smallmouth bass in rocky areas.
Shad-colored 4-6 inch paddle tail swimbaits on 1/2 oz heads. Slow roll near main lake points and channel edges. Perfectly imitates the shad DFW game fish feed on.
3 inch Zman TRD on 1/15 oz mushroom head. Drag slowly on bottom in any depth. Incredible for finicky bass in clearer DFW water. Outfishes everything on tough days.
Tap any spot for tips and Google Maps directions.
🤫 Secret & Underrated Spots
Hidden gems overlooked by most DFW anglers.
Almost completely overlooked by most Fort Worth anglers. Spring white bass runs here are surprisingly strong. Walk-up access from multiple city park trails. Light tackle and nightcrawlers are all you need.
Warm-water discharge reservoir near Comanche Peak stays warm year-round. Fish grow fast and stay active even in winter. Check TPWD for current public access details before visiting.
One of the most underrated big bass lakes in North Texas. Mostly overlooked by DFW anglers. Trophy largemouth and huge blue catfish are common. Spring crappie on brush piles is spectacular.
Upper arms of Benbrook Lake where Clear Fork Trinity enters sees almost zero boat traffic. Shallow and weedy - perfect topwater bass in summer mornings. Fish grass edges at first light.
Remote northern coves accessible only by boat see virtually no fishing pressure. Submerged cedar trees in 8-15 feet hold crappie year-round. Largemouth stack up thick during the March-April spawn.