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South Texas bonanza PDF Print E-mail
Written by David J. Sams   
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Three amigos: Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and Dave Wolak took time off to fish in a private lake in South Texas, but low water kept them from using their bass boats. They made the best of the situation and had one of their best fishing days ever. Photo by David J. Sams.
Three amigos: Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and Dave Wolak took time off to fish in a private lake in South Texas, but low water kept them from using their bass boats. They made the best of the situation and had one of their best fishing days ever. Photo by David J. Sams.
Private waters produce big fun for pros

It is on the mind of every fisherman. How good is the fishing behind that fence?

Getting invitations to cast behind these fences doesn’t come to everyone, but when you drive around the country in a pimped-out, wrapped Tundra full of logos, sometimes the gates just open.

Three members of the Toyota Tundra Fishing Team found out you take the good with the bad.

Terry Scroggins, Gerald Swindle and Dave Wolak met at the Los Carrolitos Ranch in late March after driving a combined 3,588 miles, running more than 300 gallons of fuel through their truck engines.

As they tried to launch their boats, they discovered the mud was too deep. The private lake’s water level was too low. No one mentioned that there had not been a drop of rain for months. “I backed up until the trailer was doing nothing but skidding on the mud,” Wolak said. “This is not going to work.” At sunrise there were three $50,000 bass boats sitting on the shore of a private ranch lake. They all looked at each other and said “let’s fish anyway.” So they fished from the bank and caught more than 100 bass.

With their options drying up, that night the group revised its plans. The only water they could find was in Lake Casa Blanca near Laredo, 70-plus miles away. The famed Falcon Lake could be seen from their hotel room but was off limits because of an upcoming tournament.

The next morning, Gerald Swindle filled up his rig and claimed he is a bass-a-holic. “I have a week off and here I am looking for somewhere to catch a bass in South Texas,” he said. He slipped inside the Valero store to fill himself up.

“I want one of them wraps,” he yelled in his southern Alabama voice.

“You mean a taco,” the counter clerk answered.

The six oil field workers in line snickered at the conversation. They were dressed in Nomex (fire retardant) jumpsuits, while Swindle was dressed in his sandals and his fishing jersey. He said “hello” to everyone as he passed.

Photo by David J. Sams
Photo by David J. Sams
At sunrise, there was a concrete boat ramp and lots of water. By noon, the catching was not good at Casa Blanca.

At the ramp, some local boys told the team exactly where and what to fish. “Use a Senko, in four foot, near the reeds,” one local said. The team has heard this before. They decided to go eat. A few days later they learned that same local caught a 13.33-pound bass on a Senko, in four feet of water, near the reeds.

At lunch, they received a call about a possible “really nice” lake nearby.

“Let’s go check it out,” they agreed.

They bolted off down another dusty road with their wrapped rigs.

Behind this gate, there was water. The ranch manager has received permission to let the team fish for the next day. The place looked way too good and Scroggins just kept talking. A few minutes later, the guys were backing their boats down a gravel ramp.

“At least introduce yourselves,” the ranch manager said just before Scroggins had him roaring across the 200-acre lake. “We are going to do some catching here, boys,” Swindle said. The members sped off like they were in a major tournament.

Scroggins boated about 34 pounds in the first hour. Swindle had almost 20 pounds on big 10-inch worms.

No one had heard from Wolak. “He must be pounding them,” Swindle said.

The phone rang. It was Wolak.

“What you got, Hammer?” Swindle said.

“I only have three on topwater,” Wolak replied.

“What do you mean, Hammer?” (Swindle calls everyone Hammer.)

“I have caught so many, I lost count, but I know I have three on top,” Wolak answered. The catching continued until sundown. The team agreed this might be one of the best fishing afternoons they have had. On the ride back to Zapata, they passed 18 rattlesnakes stretched out on the highway.

“I hate snakes,” Swindle said. “But I love the fishing here.”
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 April 2008 )
 
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