Fishing Lake J.B. Thomas — What to Know Before You Launch

Fifteen minutes. That's the drive from Sandhill RV Park to the boat ramp at Lake J.B. Thomas, which is short enough that you can be untangling a bird's nest cast before your coffee's gone cold. This is a West Texas reservoir that doesn't get talked about the way the big lakes do, and regulars kind of like it that way. Less pressure, more room to find your own water, and a bass fishery that Texas Parks and Wildlife rates as excellent. J.B. Thomas has been sitting on the Colorado River since 1952, managed by the Colorado River Municipal Water District, and it covers 7,282 surface acres when it's full. Like most West Texas reservoirs, the level moves with the drought cycle, which is exactly why the fishing report changes year to year and why it pays to check current conditions before you load the boat. When the lake's up, it fishes like a completely different place than when it's down, and the anglers who do best out here are the ones who adjust instead of fishing the same spot out of habit. Largemouth bass are the headline here, and that excellent TPWD rating isn't just a number on a report, it shows up in the livewell. Channel catfish numbers are strong too, and you'll find fair fishing for blue catfish, flathead catfish, and white bass depending on the season. Bring a range of tackle. Anglers who work both the timber and the open flats tend to piece together the most consistent days, rather than parking on one pattern and hoping it holds. Structure in the lower end of the reservoir tends to hold fish best, standing timber, brush piles, and drop-offs near the old river channel. The upper end looks wide open on the map, but it's shallow with stumps and rock scattered through it, so it pays to go slow if you don't already know the water. A good pair of polarized sunglasses and a slow first pass with the trolling motor will save you a lower unit and put you on fish other people are running past. Sandhill RV Park has areas set up close to the water, with ramps nearby and…