Lake Pat Mayse Fishing
Tucked away in Lamar County, just 12 miles north of Paris, Texas is picturesque Pat Mayse Lake. The nearly 6,000-acre reservoir impounded in 1967 is a haven for largemouth bass, but it also produces plenty of crappie and sandbass. The lake boasts a largemouth record of 14.10 pounds caught by Mel Whitaker in March 1994. The small reservoir is perfect for a weekend getaway and includes ample, well-maintained campsites and boat ramps.
Surrounding the lake are numerous creeks and creeks containing flooded timber and aquatic grasses. The miles of surrounding cattails provide abundant cover for spawning bass and crappie. At just under 6,000 acres, the lake is large enough to handle the fishing pressure of multiple boats, but small enough not to break the bank from rising gas prices.
Texoma Bass Club chose Pat Mayse to host their two-day April tournament this past weekend. Many of the members arrived midweek and pitched their RVs and tents within the pleasant confines of Sander’s Cove Park.
Despite the windy conditions and thunderstorms last Thursday and Friday, most found time to locate the areas that had spawning bass for the tournament on Saturday and Sunday. When the wind was too dangerous to sail, many of the anglers spent their time catching easy limits of crappie and bass from the shore in sheltered coves. A chartreuse crappie jig placed about a foot below a sliding cork was the perfect setup for these panfish.
Saturday morning brought below average temperatures and a strong northerly wind. Although the cold front lowered the water temperature to below 60 degrees, most of the bass stayed shallow and came up as the sun warmed the water. The lake was in the midst of spawning and more bass were moving in to shore as the April full moon approached.
Leading the way on day one were Sadler’s Mike Corzine and Gordonville’s Paul Gosline with a bass cap weighing in at 20.96 pounds. Lake Texoma guide JB Webb and David Kenney came in second with 20.90 pounds of largemouth. Big bass on day one was a 6.29 pound fish that I caught on an Eakin green squash jig.
The second day brought a southerly wind and much warmer air temperatures. Dave Youngblood and I were lucky enough to catch a 23.01 pound limit bass for a two-day winning total of 39.56 pounds. JB Webb and David Kenny came in second with a total of 35 pounds. The big bass of the tournament was also caught on Sunday, a 7.04 pound bass I caught on a white and chartreuse talkative lure. Most of last weekend’s fish were located on stumps in 1 to 3 feet of water. Zara’s ghosts, jigs and chatterbaits accounted for most of the bass.