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A young Texas fisherman holds up his first lunker largemouth bass |
Shonto Ranch is carved around four and a half miles of
crystal clear, spring-fed creekwater that has been dammed to form
ten pristine fishing lakes. Our lakes are filled with native largemouth
bass, channel and blue catfish, and various sunfish. In the winter, we
stock non-native rainbow trout, perfect for any trout fisherman with a fly rod
or spinning equipment.
Our lakes range in size from 1-3 acres, with most holding deep water with steep
dropoffs at the banks. There are some areas suitible for wading, but most
fishing is done right from the banks. Water depths are good and unless
you're fishing after a rain, you can expect the water clarity to be excellent.
Our largemouth bass are native to the area and typically grow
to the 4-5 pound class, with some lunkers up to 9 & pounds being taken most
years. The bass are generally spawning in the spring, during the
March-April timeframe, and fishable through November most years.
Our channel and blue catfish can grow quite large, even in
small waters. The current record is a 37 inch blue catfish taken out of
Crossing Lake. It took 30 minutes to land.
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A happy flyfisher holds a giant sunfish |
Our rainbow trout stocking program has become legendary
here in Texas. Shonto Ranch holds four
state records for private water when it comes to
trout, and every year the records stand to be
broken. Depending on temperatures, we
generally stock trout around the Thanksgiving
holiday, and they are fishable through the end
of April. Rainbow & "golden rainbow" trout
are stocked in the 1-8 pound range, offering the
opportunities at a huge lunker. During the months of March and
April, fishing with general patterns can yeild
both bass and trout.
Fishing is with artificials only and is strickly
catch and release. This ensures a healthy
population for the next fisherman.
Come and catch the
fish of your dreams at Shonto Ranch!
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