Another location that can be added to Texas fishing holes is Delta Lake. This lake when I was a kid was very popular with the locals, it was a main focus point for family get togethers and Sunday afternoon picnics. From what I understood it was a holding tank that was gravity fed by a series of canals from the Rio Grande River to help irrigate the local crop fields, but it also held allot of nice catfish to catch.
The first time I went to Delta Lake when I was a kid and I was told to bring my fishing gear so I could fish with my cousins and let me tell you I was ready when that day came, I was excited to go some place new, and I was hoping to catch some nice catfish. I replaced the fishing line on my Zebco 404 real with 12 lb. line and asked my Mom to buy me some chicken liver when she went to the store. I was ready.
Our family was going to meet there for one of my uncle’s birthday, and my family didn’t do anything half way when it came to that, I knew there would be plenty of food and drinks for everyone. My cousins were also ready for a day of fun and fishing, a little short on bait since I was the only one who brought anything, but 1 pound of liver can last a while if you rig your hook right. use to tie sewing string to my hook so I can then in turn tie up the liver so it wont fall off the hook so easy.
Delta Lake is not far from home and it was just north of a little town called Ed-couch on FM 88. When I got there I surveyed the lake and tried to find the best fishing spot. There were allot of dead mesquite trees sticking out of the water, so I knew it wasn’t that deep, but there was cover for the fish. With my cousins trailing along we found a good spot to sit and try it for a while. We rigged out lines with sinkers and hooks, chicken liver and string. I had a feeling there would be some snags because of all the trees, so I tried not to cast out too far.
I sat on the ground and casted in, I watch as our family was getting things together under the live mesquite trees and getting the BBQ pit going, I love the smell of mesquite firewood when it burns and it was a perfect day to be outside, it was early spring and the air was cool and a warm sun on my back felt good. A few minutes later I felt a tug at the line and I raised it up and prepared for the main strike. Pow! My line pulled hard and I set the hook hard, whatever it was was fighting hard and bending my 6 1/2 foot rod down good. My cousins saw this and gathered around me and cheered me on, I landed him rather quickly it seemed like and happy to have caught a nice catfish, I would say around 5 pounds. Oh Boy! I hope there’s more like these! I said. Everyone scattered to their lines to wait for their catch.
Running quickly over to show off my catfish to my parents, everyone was excited for me and patted my back, I ran back and put him on the stringer and back in the water. I baited my hook and casted in the same spot in hopes of getting another. My cousin JP caught the next one about the same size and the smile of his face I can still remember to this day. I helped him out since he didn’t fish much and I had more experience, he went back to show his off too. Needless to say, that day JP became a real fisherman.
This lake was the greatest I thought to myself, what a day of fishing, I caught 6 nice catfish and JP was one short, But he lost a few from the line getting tangled in the tree branches underwater, so he could have beaten me easy, but it wasn’t about that, it was just fun. The family had a good time and we ate so much food I almost got sick.
We went back to that lake a few times, we always had good luck there, I never straid far from that first spot I caught those fish. A few years later we heard the lake was closed for some reason and it didn’t open up again till 1998. I understand from friends of mine that the fishing there is still good. I may head back down there next time I go to visit. Memories.