Fishing within the Brooks
Fishing within the Brooks varies with the community that one lives in. However, some common general rules exist. These are prevalent in the golfing communities, where areas next to golfing are restricted and there are designated areas for fishing. In fact, the CDD (other than SWP community) provides spots where the littorals are kept low, so that fishing may be enjoyed.
Another rule is that fishing within a community is restricted to those people who live in that community. There is only one area where all Brooks owners can fish and that is the “Commons Club Area”. A write-up on each of the communities and commons area can be read and seen below. These were written by members of the community as they share thoughts and locations for fishing. As always, around lakes in these communities there can be snakes and alligators. Use common sense and be mindful of the wildlife.
The Commons Area
The area behind the Commons Club is catch and release only. They have no map of the area to use on the BFC web site. There are no restrictions with regard to the water’s edge on limiting fishing. However, common curtesy would be not to fish near the fire pits or near people that may be walking along the path near the water’s edge. There is a nice dock area from which to fish.
Shadow Wood Preserve
There is “NO FISHING IN SHADOW WOOD PRESERVE FOR ANYONE OTHER THAN SWP HOA RESIDENTS.”
Shadow Wood
Our thanks to Larry Winston and Tom Heaton for working with the CDD on providing spots to fish without the littoral plants making it difficult to land fish.
Click the map to enlarge/print.
The first is on the end of Tamarand Trace which can be seen from the 15th tee box of the South Course. It can be reached by bicycle or driving to the end of Tamarand Trace but don’t park in the turn-around circle itself as it is a fire lane.
The other areas are all on the banks of Halfway Creek which is the waterway that you cross by bridge between holes 2-3 and 7-8 on the North Course. Most of the sites are on the south side of the Creek and are easily accessible from the bike path that runs along that side. There is one just as you leave Knollview at the end of the Creek before it goes under the road, several more as you head east toward the bridge, one on either side of the bridge, and two more further to the east with the last one where the boardwalk through the Preserve begins.
There are two clearings on the north side of the creek that are accessible by openings in the trees that border Knollview and by going thru one of those openings you have access to that whole bank.
Finally, there is an opening on the other side of Knollview (west) exactly opposite the first site on the east side where Halfway Creek goes under the road.
Larry Winston has fished each of those spots since they have been opened and has caught a good number of fish from them. Some of the spots still have weeds that come to the surface but landing fish is much easier now than before.
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2) Hold down the CTRL and P keys at the same time. Your browser’s print function will launch.
Larry Winston Caught This Fish
Copperleaf
From a discussion with our General Manager the following are important rules for our community:
- Ideally fish at the designated areas where their pond grass is cut back
- Do not fish at all on the golf course where one might be exposed to in-play balls.
- You can only fish behind homes etc., if you have the homeowners permission.
- Fishing off bridges appears to be ok with caution and only if they are located away from golf play.
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2) Hold down the CTRL and P keys at the same time. Your browser’s print function will launch.
Spring Run
Fishing is permitted in the lakes at Spring Run. Appropriate licenses are required. For everyone’s safety, the Association requires that fishing be done only from the non-golf course shores of lakes and only during daylight hours. The areas marked in yellow on the map for Spring Run are the allowable places from which to fish.
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Lighthouse Bay
Light House Bay is composed of 11 ponds and a canal. There is approximately 46 acres of freshwater available for fishing. The lakes are stocked with large mouth bass, channel catfish, mayan perch, tilapia, bluegill and chain pickerel. All ponds are available for fishing without restriction. The canal is also available, however fishing from the preserve side of the canal is NOT permitted. It is recommended to catch and release fish, but there is not formal regulation regarding keeping fish. Unfortunately, there are a number of ponds where the littoral aquatic plants have made fishing and landing fish very difficult, if not impossible. Presently, there are still ponds that allow for good access, but the littorals will become more of a problem in the future. It will be necessary to visit several ponds to determine current access.
To improve your fishing experience, I would recommend looking for clear water, and bait fishing is usually better in the morning and evening. All the ponds have a good population of fish, so that being patient and using good lures and technique will pay off.
A 7 ft. medium heavy rod, with 15 lb. braided line and a 20 lb leader is a good rod for largemouth bass. A 7 ft. medium fast action rod with a 10 lb. braided line and a 10 to 42 lb. leader is good for finesse fishing.
Lure selection is a personal choice. The most productive lures in LHB are plastic baits, such as flukes, lizards, worms, crayfish, and top water lures. The best colors are black, brown, green and white.
Texas and finesse rigging information is readily available on-line. Highly recommend visting on-line sites to learn how to rig and fish with various lures.
To print a map:
1) Click the map to open the file in a new tab.
2) Hold down the CTRL and P keys at the same time. Your browser’s print function will launch.
