by John Jefferson
Summer is waning – just not soon enough! August fishing is slow now if you’re a bass angler. The fish are in deep water in most Texas lakes. Bass don’t favor hot, sunlit waters. So, what do you do if you’re strictly a bass chaser?
You can do several things. One is to fish after dark. It’s cooler then for you and the bass. They might ascend a little higher in the dark than during daylight. But if you have to work the next day or be in church, and your boss (or the preacher) keeps checking on you to see if night fishing is causing you to nod off, you might make it a short night. Just start fishing around sunset and into the dark for a couple of hours before quitting. Or fish EARLY.
Where I live in Williamson County near Round Rock, sunrise on this Thursday is about 6:59; Sunset is around 8:34. Fish as early as you can get on the water in the mornings. Then in the evenings, start fishing a little later if you want to give the water a little more time to cool. It’ll just be getting darker if you wait.
The full moon has already happened this month, and it won’t occur in September until the 8th. That evening, it will rise at 8:25 p.m. Fishing is sometimes better during a full moon.
But if you’re taking a kid perch or catfish fishing, go anytime that’s convenient – those fish aren’t as particular as bass. For catfish, fish a little above the bottom; for perch, fish anywhere there’s water! And Texas has an abundance of that.
Labor Day is coming – But like Willie once said in a public service announcement on TV, go “Slow on the bottle, and enjoy the road.”
Officers from almost every agency imaginable except maybe the Hairdressers Licensing Office will be on duty over Labor Day Weekend. And judging by the number of arrests over Memorial Day and Fourth of July this year by game wardens, DPS Troopers, police, constables, Sheriff’s deputies, LCRA water patrols, and others officially wearing badges, anyone breaking the law stands a wonderful chance of getting nailed.
And it’ll be such a pity. A wrecked car or boat could really ruin your day – and that’s provided the offending operator hadn’t hurt anybody.
The sky could be the limit if the person responsible for the wreck had killed or seriously injured others. There’s also time lost to court appearances — and the ”joy” of being cross examined by the “charming” attorneys for the injured persons.
Have you thought about that? Driving or boating while intoxicated can lead to a hurt that keeps on hurting.
On a more pleasant note, new Texas hunting and fishing licenses go on sale at all TPWD offices, many sporting goods stores, and online on Friday, August 15. And Dove Season opens in many counties on September 1. See 2025-2026 Texas Outdoor Annual for county openings and regulations.
JJ
