Lake Conroe, about 65 miles north of downtown Houston will be the home of the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods. Lake Conroe covers 21,000 acres and is 21.13 miles, running from the dam on the south end of the lake to the West Fork of the San Jacinto river on the north.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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The upper end of Lake Conroe is bordered by the Sam Houston National Forest.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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After heavy rains, upper Lake Conroe can muddy up and stay that way for a while.
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Lake Conroe is fed by the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Being so close to a metropolitan area as large as Houston, the Lake Conroe area has experienced incredible growth and transformation over the last quarter century.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Anglers fishing the upper reaches of the lake will find a marked difference in shoreline vegetation and water depth than what they will find on the southern end of the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Latest electroshocking of the lake noted that most of the bass found along the shorelines in the northern end of the lake were within the 8- to 11-inch size.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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The largemouth bass population was graded as “very healthy” according to the latest information from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Bass reproduction on Lake Conroe exhibits a moderately high density with very good growth and condition.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Small and secluded bridges, such as this one here, will offer professional bass anglers ideal fish-holding structure to work with a myriad of presentations.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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The vegetation is mixed, but torpedo grass is dominant with nice colonies of water willows scattered particularly in the Caney Creek arm.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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About 10,000 native aquatic plants have been planted in Lake Conroe with majority being water willow.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Conroe offers diverse scenery and fishing opportunities.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Man-made fish attractors (brush piles, spider blocks and Georgia structures) provide additional fish habitat for bass to hide in.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Primary forage for largemouth bass includes threadfin shad, gizzard shad and sunfish, which generally consist of bluegill and longear sunfish.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Results from several amateur bass tournaments on Lake Conroe during the spring of 2016 indicated average Top 10 places with five-fish limits that weighed 19.2 pounds.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Numerous anglers fish off the riprap from the shore around the bridges that cross the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Fishing access is available from the bridge that crosses one of the tributaries on the northern end of the lake, a favorite place in the spring.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Piers and observation decks, usually around public boat ramps on the northern end of the lake are available to the public.
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Photo: Tom Behrens
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A secluded picnic table at one of the National Forest boat ramps.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Bridges that cross the lake provide protection against impending weather, and are also habitat for largemouth bass around the bridge columns.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Fishing one of the arms and coves on the northern end of the lake are favorite fishing haunts of Lake Conroe bass anglers.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Trailer and RV camps make for a great place for a weekend vacation along the banks of Conroe.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Boat docks are always a good spot to cast a Texas rigged worm in the spring.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Catch rate along riprap produce 43 percent of the larger bass caught from the lake.
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Brush piles and manmade structure sometime dot the manmade shorelines of the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Any day on Lake Conroe is a good day, cloudy or in bright sunshine.
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One of the angler favorites is Loch Ness Cove on the north end of Conroe.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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A well-stocked marina is available at the entrance of Loch Ness Cove.
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Lake Conroe is a favorite of boaters with all size of boats cruising the generally placid waters of the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Shaded bulkheads provide a good place to try your luck in one of the arms of the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Man-made fish attractors (brush piles, spider blocks and Georgia structures) provide additional fish habitat for bass to hide in. Many of the brush piles are placed in river and creek channels.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Besides plentiful places to launch your boat, the cleared areas around, or close to the ramps, provide good fishing places for the angler that does not have a boat.
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Miles of secluded shoreline greet the angler wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of Houston, about 65 miles south.
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Close to the Hwy 1097 bridge at mid lake are well maintained lake front RV and travel trailer parks.
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The riprap rock lining the approaches to bridge have been found to produce the larger bass from Lake Conroe.
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The record largemouth bass for Lake Conroe was 15.93 pounds, 27 inches in length.
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Seventeen bass over 13 pounds have been entered into the TPWD’s Toyota ShareLunker Program with the most recent in 2015.
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The TPWD’s Toyota ShareLunker Team Leader will be at the Classic to enter any eligible fish over 13 pounds into the program.
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The predominant wind direction in March is from southeast, unless a late season cold front pushes that far south.
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Shoreline anglers also know to take advantage of the abundant riprap near bridges and creek mouths. There’s a very good chance that a fish will be caught from this very spot and weighed on the Classic stage.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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No need to go hungry when moving around the lake. Restaurants are a-plenty around the south end of the lake.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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Besides fishing boat dock structure, many landowners make their own brush piles 5 to 10 feet out from their dock for fishing purposes.
Photo: Tom Behrens
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