Why can't I catch fish at Mciknney Falls in Austin Texas?

May 15, 2015 3:30 PM

Others have reported catching lots of fish, but I never have. What am I doing wrong?

I went fishing once before at Mckinney Falls State Park in Austin Texas, and I had no luck. But apparently Sunfish are plentiful, and apparently this trip advisor user caught 25 perch.

What am I doing wrong? What kind of bait should I be using? (I was using home caught worms, and a fishing pole with rod for 2 hours) What time should I be fishing? What things can I do to give myself a better chance of catching fish from the shore?My main goal is to catch any fish so I can cook them! Size or type doesn't matter to me.

posted by denimchair to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

While they may not matter to you, The size, type & number of fish matter to the state, so you probably want to familiarize yourself with the texas state fishing regulations before going back out.

There are links on Texas Fishing for licenses, length limits, other regulations and even on how to fish.
posted by TheAdamist at 4:14 PM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: yeah i am well aware thanks to their handy link
posted by denimchair at 6:00 PM on May 15, 2015

What kind of fish are you targeting? Is your hook the right size? If perch and smaller panfish like crappie and bluegill use a size six or smaller hook if using bait like worms. The distance between your float and the hook counts as well - fish feed at different depths depending on time of day and water temperature. Worms should be fine, but if you can trap some crayfish for bait while fishing it may change your luck.Perch are schooling fish and in warm weather are often in slightly deeper water just beyond the casting reach of a shore fisherman. You may simply not be in the right place.

Bass are a whole different set of strategies: you can check youtube for a lot of advice. But shore fishing for bass is limited compared to fishing from a boat. Catfish techniques are also different: bigger hooks, stronger rods and line, fishing on the bottom with bigger baits, knowing the structure and depth of the bottom. Catfish have amazing sense of smell, so you might try special "stink baits" for them.
posted by zaelic at 12:23 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

early morning and early evening are probably the best place to start. the fishing is better and you get the benefit of more reasonable temperatures (it's hot in texas). are there any fishing piers available? that's often a good place to catch sunfish, and also find some fellow anglers to learn from.

take some basic notes to help you. what time of day, temperature the day before and the day of (often when a cold front moves in, the next day can be difficult fishing) and the spots/bait you tried. no need to get obsessive here (yet) but the better fishermen i know are close observers.
posted by lescour at 10:38 AM on May 16, 2015