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Given that Lake Fork is known for trophy bass fishing, it’s hard to imagine at times there are other fish “in the pond.” BUT there are, and avid anglers gather each spring as the chill of winter gives way to spawning season and they walk, yes, they walk to their favorite spot, bait their treble hooks with chicken livers and they catch catfish.

LOTS!!!! Of them… sometimes catching their limit of 25 within less than two hours.

“See that boat?” One of them said, pointing to a $30,000 rig gliding slowly 100 or so yards off shore.

“They catch and release and I catch and eat” and all he had invested was a pair of sneakers that kept him from slipping off the sloping concrete he was standing on.

We watched and took pictures for less than an hour as he caught more than a dozen catfish in the two-to-three pound range, bringing his total for the morning to 18 and he wasn’t alone.

The small number of others we found at their favorite spot came mostly from East Texas but there was at least one from the Dallas area.

“When it really gets good,” one of them said, as though what we were watching wasn’t impressive enough, “my wife and I can each catch our limit within two hours.” Do the math… that’s 25 catfish each.

“We freeze them, we give them away and we eat them,” he said with a smile. He catches enough catfish in the few short weeks of spawning to last the entire year.

The breeze off the water made the short stay a pleasant experience, even for those who weren’t fishing. The boats, birds and scenery just added to the fishing experience.

If you decide to find this spot, take a camera too. There’s more to the experience than just fishing.

Find Rains County Road 3330 and take it north for about three minutes, park along side the road without blocking access to a nearby well and walk a very short distance (we’re talking seconds not minutes) to the concrete wall and join the others.

The fishing is great, the time spent is even better.

more to come