Uncertain, Tx.-  Johnson’s Ranch Marina, situated on the banks of the Cypress River at Caddo Lake, reeks with nostalgia. The Marina first became headquarters for many early day Caddo fishermen back in 1903. The marina was “modernized” in the middle of the past century when piers and docks were built and concrete ramps were poured. Several cabins to house visiting fishermen were constructed on the hillside adjacent the marina. For 53 years, Mr. Bob Curtis owned and operated the marina. Mr. Curtis passed away a couple years ago at the age of 100.  I remember first meeting Bob a quarter century ago. His headquarters was a comfortable padded chair behind the counter inside the marina and, although blind in his later years, he was as sharp as a tack and always stayed current on fishing patterns.  I had the distinct pleasure of visiting with Mr. Curtis on a weekly basis while gleaning information for a fishing report I did for a major Texas newspaper. We became friends and I enjoyed visiting with him a few times each year when I came to Caddo to fish, usually with my other Caddo buddy, guide Billy Carter.
 
 I was happy to learn that Carter took over management of the vintage marina about six months ago. Billy and his wife Dottie own Spatterdock (www.spatterdock.com);  several comfortable lake homes that they rent to folks wishing to take in the sights and sounds of Caddo.  Billy also guides fishing and duck hunting trips on the lake.

When I arrived at Caddo this past week to enjoy a few days fishing for crappie and white bass, I was happy to see Billy running the show at Johnson’s Ranch.  Billy’s roots run deep at here. He’s spent a lifetime fishing and hunting this outdoor wonderland and it seemed perfectly fitting to see him filling the shoes of Mr. Curtis.  Billy’s handiwork was obvious, the marina buildings have been restored to the way they looked back in the middle of the past century but great care was obviously taken not to ‘change’ anything. The same old worn wooden planks that covered the buildings and docks were left in place. As I walked into the marina, a distinct feeling of nostalgia swept over me, it was like stepping back into my boyhood days, the place reeked of the nineteen fifties!

  Henry Lewis (Mr. Henry) is another Lake Caddo Legend. Henry has been guiding for crappie here since his boyhood days in the early fifties.  Henry fishes from a roomy aluminum boat, just as he has the past fifty six years and uses Calcutta poles with live minnows for bait. Henry has learned the seasonal patterns of crappie and, in my opinion, knows more about catching this sometime finicky species then anyone alive today.  My buddy Phil Zimmerman and I joined Mr. Henry for a morning of crappie fishing on the first day of our visit to Caddo. Our plan was to learn the current crappie pattern, then fish on our own for a couple days.
 
 Mr. Henry is a very methodical fisherman. He has a ‘route’ that he fishes and right now, the majority of the fish are located in the mid to lower lake. In his memory banks, Mr. Henry has the location of hundreds of stumps,  brush piles and old gas wells, no GPS coordinates are necessary!  We moved from one bit of cover to the next. “No need in spending more than ten minutes at each spot,” says Henry, “if we don’t get a bite, no need wasting time where the fish aren’t!”  We picked us some nice size crappie but, as Mr. Henry tipped, the fish are in transition right now. “Crappie are scattered now but by the third week in October,” he added, “they and huge schools of yellow and white bass will be packing the river channels. Then, we will be fishing brush piles along the submerged ledges. This is when the fishing gets easy, we often pull several fish from the same brush pile and it’s not necessary to move around so much.”

 Zimmerman and I learned a good bit about navigating the lower end of the lake while fishing with Mr. Henry and spent the next couple days fishing on our own.  Billy Carter is responsible for introducing the masses to the sport of catching the lakes extremely plentiful yellow bass. He began guiding for “yellows”  a quarter century ago and has taught many of his clients how to catch them.  I’ve learned to love fishing for these good eating, scrappy little fish. Zimmerman and I employed the time tested techniques of dropping small bits of minnow near bottom around channel intersections and bends in the river but it soon became obvious that yellow bass, just like the crappie, were in a period of transition. That third week in October is when the Cypress channel becomes packed with yellow bass and, there they will remain the entire fall and winter. We did catch some jumbo size white bass.  White bass were also in transition but small schools had already moved into the river’s current. They would ‘blow up’ on a school of shad for thirty seconds, then sound. We had our best luck by trolling down-sized Chatter baits. Using this method, we were able to locate the roving schools of whites. When we caught one, we would make several passes through the area until the school dispersed.
 
 If you’re looking for a great ‘get away’ this fall, consider spending a few days at Caddo.  Book a crappie trip with Mr. Henry or learn the nuisances of catching yellow and white bass from Billy Carter. I’ve done both and can guarantee you will have a big time. If you like to pull your RV, the State Park is just down the road from Johnson’s Ranch or, you can rent a fishing cabin or lake house at Spatterdock. For more information, call Billy or Dottie Carter at 903-789-3268 or the marina at 903-789-3213.

By Luke Clayton

Photos:

• Henry Lewis has been guiding for crappie at Lake Caddo for 55 years. “Mr. Henry” is pictured here with a big crappie landed just last week. 
• Billy Carter is the current manager of Johnson’s Ranch Marina on Lake Caddo.  The Marina has been in continuous operation since 1903, making it the oldest freshwater marina in Texas.

Listen to OUTDOOR WITH LUKE CLAYTON RADIO at www.catfishradio.com . Contact Luke at lukeclayton@prodigy.net.