Fishing Holes and Bait
ByAs to places to fish, see https://fcs-texas.org/bank-fishing-holes-in-the-austin-area-by-randy-rowley/. Of those on that list, probably Lake Pflugerville and Brushy Creek are the most kid-friendly. Although we recently took our grandkids to Lakeline Park, it has a nice, big lake surrounded by a paved hike and bike trail. FCS member Russ Gibbs recently went to Moby Dick’s Lake, south of Austin, and caught some good catfish. It’s kid-friendly, but you must pay to fish it. See https://outcastlanding.com/fishing/.
As to lures for bass, I have a list of ones that I recommend towards the bottom of this page – https://fcs-texas.org/bass-rotation-2/.
For catfish go with stinky things – shrimp, liver, and a variety of dough and punch baits that are available at places like Academy.
Worms and minnows can attract anything that swims. Perch especially love worms, but they also will eat simple dough bait (dip a slice of bread partially in water and wad it up into a ball). Tear off a pea-sized piece and put it on a small hook such as https://www.academy.com/p/eagle-claw-snelled-baitholder-single-hooks-6-pack?sku=2 in size 2 or 4. Use a small split-shot weight to make it sink, such as https://www.academy.com/p/eagle-claw-removable-split-shot-sinker?sku=5. in size 4 or 5. Try using bobbers, such as https://www.academy.com/p/eagle-claw-1-3-4-snap-on-floats-2-pack – when the bobber goes under the water you have a fish on. Catfish and carp will also hit dough bait.
You’ll find worms and minnows at convenience/bait stores near lakes (look for signs that say something such as ‘Live Bait Sold Here’ and Academy also sells worms. If you buy minnows you’ll need a minnow bucket to keep them in – preferably one with an aerator, such as https://www.academy.com/p/marine-metal-products-5-gallon-bucket-lid-with-aerator or https://www.academy.com/p/frabill-425-gal-magnum-bucket-with-aerator. They both require two D-cell batteries. Refresh the water at least once a day and put a frozen water bottle in it to keep them cool. Replace the water bottle when the ice has melted.
