Few things get bass anglers more excited than a new lake to fish.
At Bois d’Arc Reservoir, which opened April 17, boats were lined up at the ramp in the morning, but tapered off during the day.
Longtime Lake Fork and East Texas guide Lance Vick was on the lake and gave positive reports, saying he plans to add the lake to his guiding schedule.
“It’s awesome,” Vick said. “It’s gonna be a player.”
Vick fished the northern end of the lake and said the lake appears to be a cross between Fork when it opened and the amount of cover that was in O.H. Ivie growing all its big fish.
“We caught quite a few fish on small swimbaits and weightless worms and frogs, and the biggest one was about 5 pounds. The cover is thick,” he said. “It’s a little bit murky up north.”
Lone Star Outdoor News’ Mike Hughs fished the lake Sunday, April 21, following 2 inches of rain and a cool front. His group fished mid-lake toward the dam.
“There was a lot of brush in the water on that end,” he said. “West of the bridge it’s all standing timber and really thick.”
The day started off slow, but a few fish started to hit around noon.
“I caught a fish and right after that, the boat next to us caught one,” he said. “We had a few more misses, but overall it was a slow day.”
Hughs said the four other anglers he spoke with had a similar experience.
“One guy at the ramp had a slow day, but his friend had been there Friday and caught 30 to 40 fish with the best five going close to 30 pounds,” he said. “They just shut down with the cool front and rain.”
Hughs said the lake was busy but not overcrowded.
“Every cove we went into had a boat in it,” he said. “We’ll definitely go back.”
Tracker Tim posted on the Texas Fishing Forum after opening day. “We caught 31 fish and the biggest was 7 pounds, 7 ounces,” he wrote. “Lake reminds me of Roberts when it opened.”
As the lake filled up this spring, anglers became anxious, some complaining about the late opening. In a media advisory April 17, the North Texas Municipal Water District officially opened the lake for public access.
Bois d’Arc Lake is located northeast of Bonham in Fannin County. The lake has three public access areas with boat launch ramps.
