Have you ever been in search of that next little hole filled with monster bass? Or maybe you’re just sick of fishing the same old places over and over and seeing the same people and the same fish every time you go out.

I have been fishing in Parker and the surrounding areas for the last 20 years, and if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that the fish aren’t always where one might expect them to be. I tournament fish, I guide for bass along the Parker Strip, I fish for fun…. Hell, I fish to relieve stress just like the next guy. Though for the last few years I’ve done so much fishing out of bass boats I sometimes feel like I need to reacquaint myself with some of the finer points of fishing from the bank. After all, some of the biggest largemouth bass I have ever caught were hooked in water that barely covered their back.  So I’ll throw some rods in the back of my truck, and head out to some of the many ponds, and small lakes in the area.

Since I was I kid, I’ve liked to look for small trails cut through the brush by various critters…. It seems as though it was a little easier to make my way through them when I was a few feet shorter, but none the less, that few extra feet of growth has allowed me to purchase machetes which make easy work out of chopping a larger path.

Tullies, lily pads, trees lying in the water…. All that work and all those scratches and it’s paid off! A bass hide out filled with 2-6lb largemouth all hungry for your jigs, or frogs, or whatever bait it is that you can flip in front of their faces. This isn’t a dream land… in fact, I’ve found several throughout the years that have paid off time and time again.

Now don’t expect me to draw you a map, but if you happen to find me in one of my little fishing holes I’ll happily shake your hand…. And ask you to RELEASE ALL FISH YOU CATCH J in a friendly manner of course.

Happy bass hunting!

-Dusty Wooddell.