Winter time in the Lake Texoma area typically drops our lake water temperature to 40s and also places fish in deep water structures. While some days can be highlighted with a good number and size of small mouth, large mouth, or liner, many are slow. For those anglers looking to remedy the slower action during our winter months, there are a few options not too far off.

If you are an avid fisherman or woman and haven’t experienced one of the warm water power plant lakes, you are missing out on a remarkable winter bass catch. Lakes Welsh and Monticello, located a couple of hours east of the Lake Texoma area along Interstate 30, offer a unique change to typical winter fishing patterns. As most lakes are slowing down during the months of December and January, the largemouth bass at Welsh and Monticello are in the best pre-spawning and spawning modes.

Both East Texas lakes are only one to two thousand acres in size and are used to cool the coal-burning power plants located on their shores. Due to the small size and continuous flow of warm water, these lakes remain in the 60-80 degree range throughout the winter. Lakes Welch and Monticello are great for lots of fish, but they are also famous for their large bass, having once held the Texas state record.

Lake Welsh, built in 1976, is a 1,200-acre reservoir located south of Mt. Pleasant, TX. Anglers will find a multitude of fishing options, as the lake has plenty of flooded wood and aquatic grasses of hydrilla and milfoil. One of the best winter fishing options is to target both pre-spawning and spawning bass by throwing weightless soft plastics in and around the edges of flooded grass. The lake’s record largemouth bass, caught in December 1983, is a 15.23-pound heavy fish. Welsh is a minimum 18-inch lake for all bass species and is accessible by the public boat ramp built on its west shore.

Lake Monticello, a 2,000 acre reservoir, was built in 1972 and is located south of Interstate 30 between the cities of Mt. Vernon and Mt. Pleasant, TX. This lake is responsible for the lunker bass boom that began in the early 1980s. Its low lake record (14.90 pounds), caught in February 1980, broke the previous Texas state record that stood for 37 years. When news of the fourteen-pound largemouth spread across the state, Lake Monticello became one of the top bass lakes in the Southwest.

This east Texas lake also has a variety of covers for anglers to fish, including flooded wood, hydrilla, and water lilies. Some of the best winter bass fisheries are found at the northern end of the lake. Anglers can chase spawning fish with soft plastics and spinning baits in and around dead water lily stems found in their two northern streams. Another area to fish is just outside the hot water discharge. Carolina rigs and crank baits work well on schools of fish that are placed in the stream. Lake Monticello has a 14 to 21-inch slot limit for largemouth bass that offers a great opportunity to catch several four- to five-pound fish.

The best time to plan a trip to these lakes is during the week, as most weekends tournaments are played during the winter months. If you’ve never been to a power plant lake, be extremely careful when boating in the early hours of the morning, as a thick fog will cover the entire surface. Visibility will only be a few feet until the sun warms the surrounding air.

Typically the coldest winter days are the best in these power plant lakes. Dress in layers for warmth but also remember that the surface of the lake will be warmer than the adjacent land. If your hands or fingers get numb from the cold, just dip them in the water to warm them up.