Call me crazy, eccentric or a little strange, but I love this time of year when county and city governments begin the budget process for the coming year. That time is now, and I spent the past week at the Lamar County Courthouse as a stream of county officials and nonprofit agencies appeared before the commissioners. Soon the same process will take place before the Paris City Council.
Itâs a time when a reporter can sit inside where itâs cool and absorb all kinds of information about the who, what, when, where and why of local government, and about the many organizations that provide services for the community. Just for kicks, I thought I might share some of the things Iâve learned this week.
This week, Luke visits with Pat Mayse Lake guide Bruce Bullard (903-249-3098) and talks fishing at this often overlooked but awesome lake situated just north of Paris, Texas. The crappie bite is red hot right now as well as channel catfish. Click the arrow and let Bruce and Luke tell you all about it!
Pat Mayse Lake guide Bruce Bullard
Credit Luke Clayton
In all, 124 participants took part in the competition, a record for the event.
âWe had about 80 last year, so this was a lot more,â Brannanâs owner Kathy Ballard said. âIt turned out a lot better than we expected, which weâre really excited about.â
Of the 124 contestants, Paris resident Mick Horton finished first, catching a bass that weighed in at 9.18 pounds. The second place finisher Mitchell Stout, with a bass that weighed 8.97 pounds. And in third was Matthew Basinger, whose catch weighed 7.02 pounds.
Horton, whoâs been taking part in Brannanâs Bass Shopâs annual event for several years, had never won until this year. When he weighed his catch, though, he knew he had a shot.
At Pat Mayse last weekend, I noticed only a few bass have moved into the shallows. There was more activity in the early morning hours, and they were pretty aggressive. They were hitting on bladed jigs, lipless cranks and spinnerbaits. Around 9 a.m., the aggressive ones disappeared and then, staying shallow, a black-and-blue jig seemed to be the better choice, just flipping in and around the flooded buck brush. After 9 a.m., main lake and secondary points were only fair, but you can catch a few on crankbaits, jigs and creature baits.
Keep an eye out for nighttime temps to reach high 50s to lower 60s because this means water temps will also be warming. The water temps on Mayse ranged from the high 50s to the lower 60s. That last arctic front pushed the fish back into their winter patterns, but with warmer nights and warmer water, you can expect to see a wave of fish moving into the shallows.
During my second year of teaching, back in 1978/79, I met a guy from another school who started a Woods and Waters Club. Extracurricular activities were common, but almost all of them involved competitive activities. Those who know me can tell you I have absolutely no interest in any type of sports, so when I heard his club was about hunting and fishing, I was all in.
It didnât take long to establish my own middle school club and our first meeting was packed with boys who were anxious to learn about the outdoors. Yep, boys. Not one girl came forward, though I advertised the club throughout the school on the intercom and through my classes.