Saved by the White House might not ring true in most cases, especially in the last few years, but in my case, I was saved by Casa Blanca. In English, the lovely Spanish name translates to white house.
My guide season was booked for Falcon and Sugar Lake (Texas) a few years ago. Although a few of my clients caught a few giant bass on these two great fisheries, the fishing had been pretty pitiful. I was in a situation that required me either cancel or reschedule guide trips. If it hadn't been for Bubba Haralson of Redwood Lodge in Zapata, my whole season would have been shot. He put me in one of the best fishing holes in Texas.
Often overlooked by most bass fishermen, it adds about 100 miles of driving for me round trip. But it's worth it. I love it. My clients love it. And we've caught a lot of fish - up to eight pounds.
You can ask any guide. They'll all tell you there are no "sure deals" regarding fishing. But consistency is about as good as it gets, and Casa Blanca is consistent.
Located across the street from the new Laredo Airport on Loop 20, this small lake of 1,100 acres offers easy access. Lake Casa Blanca International State Park has all the usual amenities. The only drawback is that the gate doesn't open until 7:00 a.m. It's not a problem if you happen to be camping in the park. The fishing action is usually fast enough that a little later start than usual isn't a handicap.
Casa Blanca fishes a lot bigger for such a small lake because it has a little bit of almost every type of cover and structure fishermen love, and a whole bunch of some of it. Within a few yards of the ramp, you can fish reeds, rocks, and plenty of duckweed most of the year.
I tell my clients to get ready for a long boat ride when backing away from the ramp, stop about 20 yards away, and start fishing.
Lure selection is almost limitless. Since this lake has a little bit of everything, you can try everything in your tackle box. Cattails are the predominant cover and, as such, hold the most fish. There are miles and miles of cattails. There are some in every section of the lake. If you like to flip, you'll be in heaven.
Because I always try to fish a different lure from my clients, I can testify that the fish in this lake have hit every color of plastic I carry in my boat. Although you can catch fish in any color, the best are black/chartreuse, red shad, and smoke with gold glitter and a chartreuse tail—same story on jigs.
You can do best here by rigging one rod for flipping, one with a spinnerbait, and most of the time, one with a topwater. Start the day by working the duckweed with topwaters and spinnerbaits. Remember to try these same baits on the edges of the cattails.
There are occasional laydowns of mesquite and huisache, some of which will be green that will hold fish. These should be fished thoroughly. There are also quite a few fence rows on the lake, which should always be checked. They will often hold the larger bass.
Winters in south Texas are much milder than in other parts of the state. Without the severe winter extremes, the fish in Casa Blanca have a case of wildness that I believe results from a lack of prolonged cold water temperatures. You should rig your rods and reels accordingly.
For flipping, I use what many consider overkill. I use a 7' 10 flipping rod, Shimano Curado reel spooled with 65-pound Seaguar Smackdown. In most cases, I don't need that heavy of a braid on this lake or Falcon. But while flipping in south Texas, with lighter test lines like 35- to 50-pound, I have had my fingers cut while trying to set the hook with the slack line in my left hand. The heavier braid eliminates this problem.
Two hooks made today will get the job done while flipping for these big bass. The Superline Gamakatsu or Gamakatu's Heavy Flipping hook with the screw lock will serve you best. In my personal experience, I have straightened out many other brands of hooks. By the way, I'm not sponsored by Gamakatsu.
The Superline hook works the best in all cases except when flipping extra thick-bodied baits such as the Gambier Flapping Shad. For this bait, the Gamakatsu Flipping hook with the screw lock results in more hook-ups. A neat feature of the screw lock is that a lot of times, when you miss a fish on the hook set, the screw lock keeps the bait from balling up on the end of the hook. This can save you a lot of time because instead of straightening out the bait, you can immediately place it back into the strike zone. This can and does result in many repeat strikes.
The great fishing at Casa Blanca is due to the three-fish 18-inch limit. This is closely enforced by one of the friendliest game wardens I've ever met. He makes it a pleasure to be checked by him.
If you tire of pitching and flipping, dig out the crankbaits and Carolina rigs. You can start fishing the rocky points, and ledges adorn this little lake. Deep Little N's in fire tiger, shad, and red will catch a bunch of fish. I have also had great success with chartreuse.
In addition to being an outstanding bass fishery, Casa Blanca has excellent numbers of hybrid stripers, crappie, and catfish. In short order, my wife Donna and I caught 20 of the biggest crappie I've ever caught in my life on one trip. Then we went after some hybrid stripers. We caught them trolling, casting, and using jigs & spoons until we headed home.
A bonus to the hybrid fishing was that we also caught several nice black bass while fishing for the hybrids. I haven't personally been catfishing here, but I have spoken to several fishermen who have caught some quality cats. The game warden has told me of many extra large catfish caught in this little lake.
If there is a downside to Casa Blanca, it is that during the months usually associated with skiers and personal watercraft, the lake can become crowded and the ramp area congested.
I had only heard of this lake two years ago, but now I list it in my guide brochure. I encourage my clients to try fishing here, and many of my regulars book it for at least one or two days during their trips to south Texas.
Since this lake is right in Laredo, it's easy to plan a family vacation around a fishing trip. The proximity to Mexico and all the tourist attractions on both sides of the border ensures a fun family outing.
The White House saved me a couple of years ago; now, it is my ace in the hole. If the fishing gets slow on Falcon and Sugar Lake, I know where to go to satisfy my fishing wishes. If I've left you with the impression that there aren't any huge bass in Casa Blanca, rest assured that some of my friends have caught bass over 11 pounds.
