Converse Twin Lakes

The twin lakes in converse are again a bit hard to find but if you make it over to Converse City Park and find the baseball and football fields, just behind them where you can't see is the lakes. I say lakes as when you show up it does look like 2 lakes but it's actually 1 lakes that bottlenecks at one point almost making it look like 2. I've fished both the bigger and the smaller parts of the lakes. I've been able to pull out some huge sunfish and some bass out of the lakes. I've also seen other people pull out some real big bass out of the lakes. I believe paddle boats, such as kayaks, small boats, and inflatables, are allowed on the lakes but the lakes are small enough so that you can get to most of the fish by bank fishing. I would recommend worms, crickets, or other live baits on a dropshot rig or splitshot rig. If you fish with artificials, I have no experience with them here so I don't know what advice to give there. I'm not sure if there is catfish in the lake as I haven't tried for them yet but anything is possible and there's a lot of water and vegetation out there for all kinds of fish to live. My best luck was had when casting from the point of the bottle neck into either lakes from that point (you can cast into one lake, do a 180 and cast right into the other lake without having to move).I only have one picture of a bass I pulled out but there is a lot of fish out there to be caught. 

Tom slick park

Tom slick Park is pretty small and the pond is a bit hard to find but if  your going after some sunfish then this is a wonderful place to go out and have some fun at. When fishing here I mostly target sunfish and bass. The bass in the pond aren't huge but there is enough in there to have a great time with some catch and release fishing (with a pond this size I wouldn't recommend keeping fish). I prefer to fish from either the "beach" type area or the peninsula. I've only had been able to fish this pond with live worms, night crawlers or red worms will do, but when I do fish the sunfish are super active. I would recommend this place to someone who wants to get their child on some fish because the sunfish are super aggressive and there's plenty of them. I usually use a drop shot rig but a split shot or weightless rig would also work well. The pond is small so its pretty easy to cover the whole pond in a day and eventually get on the fish. The water is beautiful and clear making sight fishing a breeze. Look for those big rocks underwater and move your worm next to it or slowly reel past it. The fish love hiding under the rocks and as the weather gets warmer here in Texas your more likely to be finding the fish in cover.

 Theres quite a few bass... this one is about 12" but I've seen bigger dudes roaming those waters.

 They got some pretty big sunnies out there.

Beginners Fishing Equipment

This post I wanted to make about equipment and such that you'll need to start fishing in the San Antonio area. First thing your going to need is obviously going to be a fishing rod and reel. There's a lot of combos out there for a decent price that could be had. The size of fishing your going to need will depend on what type of fish you'll be going after and where you'll be fishing. I would recommend a medium powered rod as they will allow you to get a little bit of everything. If your going after sunfish I'd recommend a light or ultra light rod as this will make fighting those little fish a lot more fun. If you wanna get some bass too I'd pick up a light to medium light rod. For catfish I'd go with a medium rod. And if you plan to go out to Calaveras and Braunig lake then I'd go with a medium to medium heavy rod for those reds. Basic thoughts when buying a rod and reel are, graphite is better than fiberglass, and the more bearings in the reel the better. Make sure you take the time to check the reel, a lot of reels are plastic and in my opinion are just crap. Next thing your going to need is Fishing line. Fishing line will be dependent on the rod and reel combo you get but for most part you will be staying between 4 and 12 lb line. I prefer 8 lb mono filament line but I haven't had an opportunity to go out after those big ol' reds. There's many different kinds of line, but I'll go over that in another post. Next thing you'll need is weights. Get bass sinkers, they look like a little bell with a loop at the top that you can run string through. Brand makes no difference on the sinkers. Size of weights are again dependent on the fish your going after and the body of water, but for the most part if you get some 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz sinkers you'll be good for most fishing. Last thing you will need is hooks. There are so many different types of hooks out there, it can get overwhelming. I've tried quite a few hooks and my favorite are still some plain ol' J hooks with a straight shank. I buy mustad or eagle claw hooks. Sizes you will need will be #6, #4, #2 and if your going to be going after some of the bigger fish in our area I'd get some 1/0. I will be going over the different types of hooks in another post at a later time, but these hooks still seem to be my go to hooks for now. Last thing you MIGHT need, and this is optional, is some barrel swivels and bobbers. Both of these items are used for different types of rigs that I'll also be explaining at another time. Thats pretty much it though. That would be all you need to get started. I spent about 35 dollars getting my first set up, so remember you don't NEED to go out and spend a lot of money to catch fish.

Southside Lions Park

My first fishing hole and one of my favorites so far (due to ease) is South Side lions Park. This is a perfect beginners fishing area where bank access is easy and family friendly. This lake is located within city limits making it a community lake, so check TPWD website or handbook for bag limits as they are different. The lake is small and only bank fishing is allowed. Texas Parks and Wildlife stock the lake with catfish every 2 weeks which is why I say its perfect for the beginner because your very likely to catch something out there. Fish in the pond include catfish, sunfish, carp, and bass. Catfish being the most abundant and the bass being the least abundant. Deciding what fish your going after will decide what kind of bait I would recommend. The Catfish seem to love hotdogs out there, I've tried everything from chicken livers to stink baits to live crawfish, but hotdogs seem to work the best. The hotdogs will also get you hooked up on some carp and occasionally a sunfish. If you plan to target sunfish and bass though, I would go with good ol' worms. And if you wanna target carp I'd stick to the norm of corn. Catfish is my favorite to go after though. You can limit at 5 in a hour or two and go home and have yourself a nice dinner. As far as rigs go... I've had the best luck with a drop shot rig but I've pulled a few fish out on a Slip Sinker Rig. I think the trick is to not get too fancy out there. Don't over think fishing. There is not really any sweet spot here on this lake so just go out there put a line in the water and enjoy the outdoors. Heres some pics of some fish out there.

Heres my first 5 fish out of the lake, one of which is still my personal best cat at 17.5"

Sorry for the blurry pic but this was from a day me and my father went out and brought home our limits.

Heres one of the Carp my pregnant girlfriend pulled out of the lake. Them carp definitely put up a hell of a fight. So much fun.

Intro

I'm creating this page for 2 reasons. First to share all the spots and fishing holes I try so everyone can try them (or not try them), as most fisherman aren't to keen on sharing their honey holes. Second reason is because a few months ago when I started fishing I had been fishing but I had no clue how to set up a rod and reel and I'd like to share all the information that I have learned with other beginners; without all the upselling and extra equipment you don't need. But hopefully this will be useful for all fishermen around the San Antonio Area (which is where most of my fishing is done).