Cedar Creek Pilot 03.16.06

Rick Shelton of Carlsbad, New Mexico caught a new Cedar Creek Lake Blue Catfish Rod and Reel Record last week while fishing with Jackie Kennedy of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

The fish weighed 52.5 lbs. and was 45.5 inches long, and was caught on shad on the south end of the lake.

Kennedy and Chad Ferguson of txcatfishguide.com recommended Cedar Creek Lake when Shelton asked where would be a good place to fish. Cedar Creek Lake has been rated numerous times by fishing magazines as one of the top five catfish lakes in Texas. The fish was weighed on the water on certified scales and then released after the photographs were taken.

Statewide June 2007

By Larry D. Hodge - TPWD Information Specialist

CEDAR CREEK LAKE — The next time the skies open up and rain starts pouring, don’t complain about not being able to go fishing. It’s time to get ready to go catch some catfish, and Cedar Creek Lake is a great place to do so.

Far from being a hindrance to fishing, rain brings on some of the best catfishing action. Cats congregate at the mouths of flowing creeks to feed on shad, worms, bugs and whatever else the runoff is washing into the lake.

I head out on a recent Saturday morning with guide Jackie Kennedy of North Texas Catfish Guide Service, my wife, Zoe Ann Stinchcomb and her daughter, Kalmia Strong. (No, not that Jackie Kennedy. The other one, a Cayuga native who runs with the fishing set rather than the jet set.) A line of showers had moved through during the night, and Kings Creek is flowing at a pretty good clip, though not as swift as a few days earlier. "The fishing is actually better now than it was when the creek was running faster," Jackie says. "The fish don’t have to fight the current as much."

We join several other boats at the mouth of the creek, and as Jackie ties the boat up, we see that everybody is catching fish. As soon as Jackie baits some circle hooks with shad and throws them out, we start catching, too. By mid-morning three of us have boated nearly 40 blue cats 13 to 15 inches long as well as a number of yellow bass, channel cats, sand bass and gaspergou. Nearly every kind of fish in the lake is sharing in the bounty brought in by the runoff.

"You can catch fish at the mouths of all the other creeks in the lake, too," Jackie says. "As soon as the water stops running, people will wonder what happened to the fish. They will go back down into the lake."

Lone Star Outdoor News Sept. 12, 2008 see Page 9

http://www.lsonews.com/Download-Current-Past-Issues.html

Cedar Creek Pilot 12.14.06

Cedar Creek Pilot Editor Janice Arnsdorff has been catching some nice fish with Jackie Kennedy of North Texas Catfish Guide Service, and hauled in a personal best on Nov. 29 — a 47-lb. Blue Catfish. The fish measured 43.5 inches and its girth was 31 inches.

Seven fish were caught prior to this one, weighing from 14 to 29 lbs. When this one struck, Janice said, "Either these fish are getting bigger, or my arms are getting tired!"

Both turned out to be true statements.

The digital camera on board — which had been used just a little while earlier — decided to bite the dust on that day, of all days. So the big fish was tied up alongside the boat before being put in a live well for the trip back to the ramp at Fisherman's Wharf, where friends Ann and Fred Coleman of Gun Barrel City came to the rescue with camera in hand. The fish was released after photographs were taken.

The Cedar Creek Lake record for blue cats on rod and reel is 52.5 lbs., caught last spring by Rick Shelton of New Mexico while fishing with Kennedy.

Winter and spring are the best times to catch blues on Cedar Creek and other lakes.

Statewide 8.27.07 - By LARRY HODGE - Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.

ATHENS, Texas—Red drum fishing on power plant lakes in Texas is as hot as the August weather.
Thanks to the donation of six- to 14-inch fish by commercial redfish farmers, Lakes

Fairfield, Calaveras and Braunig have good populations of big red drum.
How big? Last Friday Zoe Ann Stinchcomb of Athens, fishing with guide Jackie Kennedy on Fairfield Lake, boated a 38.5-inch red drum that weighed 23.5 pounds.
Also fishing with Stinchcomb was Janice Arnsdorff, who holds the state freshwater catch-and-release record for red drum, a 38.13-inch fish caught July 4, 2007. That fish also came from Fairfield Lake.
Both fish are dwarfed by the state record freshwater redfish caught from Fairfield Lake by guide Billy Tyus in May 2001. That fish was 44 inches long and tipped the scales at 36.83 pounds.
The big fish bonanza is largely due to the generosity of Lonestar Aquafarms, Ltd., of Palacios, which produces redfish for the retail market. In 2004 and 2006 the farm donated surplus red drum to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for stocking into power plant lakes, which have the warm water redfish need to survive year-around.
Red drum are a saltwater species that can live but not reproduce in fresh water.
Anglers do not have to use the trophy red drum tag on their license on fish caught from fresh water. All the freshwater lakes stocked with red drum have a 20-inch minimum length requirement, no maximum size limit and a daily bag limit of three fish.

Cedar Creek Pilot 10.19.06
Anglers familiar with coastal bay and surf fishing know full well the number one sought-after gamefish in those waters is the redfish, or red drum. They put up one heck of a fight and are delicious, too.

But you don’t have to go to the coast to catch redfish. Fairfield Lake State Park is full of ’em. And the best way to catch what you’re after is to hire an experienced guide, like Jackie Kennedy of North Texas Catfish Guide Service. He and his partner Chad Ferguson take clients to Fairfield and Tradinghouse Creek for redfish, and to catch trophy catfish of all species on Cedar Creek, Lewisville, Grapevine, Texoma, Limestone, Ray Roberts, Eagle Mountain and Richland Chambers lakes, and also on the Brazos River. They’ll also put you on some sand bass and stripers.

In March of this year while fishing with Jackie, Rick Shelton of New Mexico caught a new rod and reel Cedar Creek Lake record blue catfish that measured 45.5 inches and weighed 52.5 lbs.

North Texas Catfish Guide Service trophy catfish trips have been featured on Fox Sports Southwest and the Dallas Morning News, Texas Fish & Game magazine and elsewhere. Fall and winter are the best times to go, so visitwww.jackiekennedyfishingguide.com for all the details or call 903-603-3793 and to book a trip.

Jackie has all the knowledge and equipment to put you on the fish. A true professional, he’ll show you some tips and tricks to make sure you land that big fish, like he did this reporter recently at Fairfield. We landed two redfish that were keepers, but, alas, the big one got away. (Not next time!) We also brought in 15 big channel catfish weighing up to about 10 pounds.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. annually stocks Fairfield Lake State Park with redfish. They can survive because the lake, located six miles northeast of Fairfield in Freestone County, is warmed by the TXU Big Brown power plant. Because of the warm water, people come from all over Texas to enjoy some fantastic winter fishing opportunities. The state record for Inland Red Drum (44 inches, 36.83 lbs.) was taken at Fairfield Lake.

There’s other wildlife in abundance at the park including osprey (year-round), bald eagles (November through February), white-tailed deer, foxes, beavers, squirrels, armadillos and raccoons.

Speaking of raccoons, while fishing with Jackie, he said he had recently seen what could have been an albino raccoon. Sure enough, not long after that, the ’coons emerged from the woods to feed on small fish at the water’s edge, where we had beached the boat to fish. And one of them was distinctly different. Not white, but a reddish fawn color, complete with a mask and rings on the tail. Not your average raccoon. Photos were sent to parks and wildlife biologists for their take on this unusual critter, and Jackie is awaiting a reply.

Redfish, red raccoons... there’s no telling what you’ll see at Fairfield Lake State Park. Give them a call at 903-389-4514 for all the details and to reserve a camping spot.

The Forney Post 1-22-09

Team Catfish 10-30-08

New Junior Angler Record in Texas......

Catfish Guide Jackie Kennedy of jackiekennedyfishingguide.com sent in this story....

"The junior angler lake record channel of 5.7# was caught by Colby Brooke of Lorena, TX on lake Fairfield.
I had the Dead Red spray in my boat all that time but had failed to remember it or use it. I sprayed it on fresh cut shad and within a very few minutes the fish was caught.
This is not a big channel for Fairfield but considered a good one for most lakes down here. Fairfield has lots of 8-10# channels and Colby will bust the record soon."



Thanks Jackie for sharing and sending in the great story!

Congratulations to Colbey on one nice Channel Catfish, way to go......from your friends at Team Catfish Tackle

http://www.groesbeckjournal.com/news/2008/1218/todays_youth/063.html

Fishing World.com 4-24-08

Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. Snaring the Red Drum A saltwater fish provides some of the best freshwater fishing.

[Click to enlarge image] Zoe Ann Stinchcomb and guide Jackie Kennedy show off her 38.5-inch, 23.5-pound Lake Fairfield red drum. Photo by Larry D. Hodge, TPWD

Fortunately for Texas anglers, several reservoirs in the state meet the red drum’s requirements. All are cooling lakes associated with electric generating plants that provide the conditions the transplanted marine dwellers must have to survive. All have "hard" water—significant levels of dissolved minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. And all are artificially heated during the winter months, which is crucial to red drum survival.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department annually allocates between 1.5 million and 2 million red drum fingerlings for stocking into these lakes, primarily Calaveras and Victor Braunig near San Antonio, Tradinghouse Creek near Waco and Fairfield near the town of the same name. Red drum have been stocked into other lakes—Colorado City, Nasworthy and Coleto Creek, to name a few, but the first four above are the prime freshwater red drum fisheries.

It’s ironic, but if you want to catch a trophy red drum, or redfish, the best place to do so during most of the year is in fresh water. Red drum live in bays along the coast during the first three years of their lives, then head offshore, where they are inaccessible to anglers most of the time. Only during the fall spawning run do mature redfish congregate in the surf around passes where anglers can catch them. Most red drum caught in Texas bays are two or three years old, and only fish that fall inside the 20- to 28-inch slot may be kept. (Up to two oversized fish may be kept using special tags; see the fishing regulations in the Outdoor Annual for details.)

In contrast, red drum in fresh water can be fished for year-around and can grow quite large, and there is no maximum size limit on freshwater red drum caught in inland reservoirs. Since the fish can live for years, they can achieve hook-straightening, rod-snapping size.

Where conditions are right, hard-fighting red drum provide freshwater anglers with an experience few freshwater species can match. The freshwater state record red drum, caught by Billy Tyus from Fairfield Lake in 2001, was 44 inches long and weighed 36.83 pounds—more than twice as much as the state record largemouth bass. Among game fishes, only blue and flathead catfish and striped bass have records greater than 36.83.

Some people fish for reds from the bank using cut bait on the bottom. When the water warms to 76 to 78 degrees, Dead Tree Point on the south side of Lake Braunig sprouts surf rods with heavy-duty reels spooled with 40-pound-test line, says guide Harry Lamb. Lamb’s clients experience a different kind of fishing. "It’s more of a hunt than a fishing trip," he says. "I run four downriggers baited with spoons or grubs and troll around until I find them. Braunig is a small lake, and you can cover it all in four hours."

Lamb scans the lake looking for slicks and bird activity on the surface, both signs of subsurface feeding activity. He also relies on his fish finder to locate packs of roving reds. By mounting the transducer on the front of his 28-foot pontoon boat, he’s able to see fish on the screen in time to adjust his downriggers to their depth and put the baits right in front of them. "Oddly enough, if you don’t see any baitfish on the screen, that’s an indication the big fish you’re seeing are reds," he says. "When reds move into an area, the baitfish leave."

Red drum are at the top of the food chain wherever they are found in fresh water. "The average size fish we catch on Braunig is 10 to 15 pounds," Lamb says. "Bay anglers who catch a 15-pound redfish are stunned."

Whereas Lamb hunts for reds all over Calaveras and Braunig, Billy Tyus targets specific areas on Fairfield Lake. "I spent weeks finding these places," he says. "What you look for is a place with a sandbar that drops off into deep water. Reds follow shad up onto the sandbars early and late in the day to feed, but they have to have an escape route. Once you find the right place, they will always be there." Lamb and Tyus agree that the best time for freshwater red drum is from spring into mid-summer.

Tyus ties a balloon to his line to carry live shad away from the boat and keep it suspended about a foot off the bottom. He uses reels with clickers and lets the line free-spool until a fish takes the bait. "Redfish are very nervous and spooky," he says. "I work the balloons 40 to 50 yards behind the boat and move only with the trolling motor, or I anchor and let the wind carry the balloons away from the boat. When a redfish takes the bait, the balloon will squat in the water, then come back or maybe travel a bit, and the next thing you know, it’s gone. Wait for the rod to double, then pick it up, turn the handle and start reeling—don’t jerk it, let the rod set the hook."

Remember you are fishing for big fish—the state record freshwater red Tyus caught on Fairfield Lake was 36 pounds plus. "Set the drag light and don’t tighten it down when you think you have the fish worn down," he advises. "When he sees the boat, he’ll be gone again. Keep pressure on him and let him do whatever he wants to do, or he’ll break you off. I fought my state record fish for 48 minutes, and I had to chase him up and down the lake. And get the big motor out of the water. Every big red knows how to cut your line on the prop and has used that trick several times already."

Tyus offers one more tip. "If you want to catch big redfish, the best days are Tuesday through Thursday. There’s not as much boat traffic, and they are not as spooky."

Fishing for red drum in fresh water is a sure-fire way to redline your fun meter. "When the water is in the 70-degree range and you hook a big red, you’ll have an experience fighting that fish," Tyus says. "Freshwater reds are really tough."

click on this link to see this amazing story.

8-22-2008 WhiskerKitty.com

Boy has trip of a lifetime

January 05, 2007 10:55 am

— Andrew Curington recently had a fishing trip he won't soon forget.
His dad, Andy Curington of Hewitt, gave Andrew a fishing trip Dec. 30 on Cedar Creek Lake with North Texas Catfish Guide Service as a birthday and Christmas present. (Andrew's grandfather is an assistant superintendent in the Corsicana ISD and formerly owned and operated Curington Cleaners for many years.)
Fishing guide Jackie Kennedy put them on some big fish. Andrew first landed a 40-lb. blue catfish, then beat that personal best a while later by hauling in a 47-lb.’er. Both fish were caught, photographed and released (CPR). The fish were caught on rod and reel using cut gizzard shad for bait.
Kennedy has put Andrew in for Catch and Release, Big Fish, and Junior Angler awards from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. To book a trip visit www.jackiekennedyfishngguide.com

Andrew Curington with his 40-lb. blue catfish caught on rod and reel.
.

This photo of me was in the Dallas Morning News in 2008, that is Dan Jones owner of Sandy Shoes in the blue shirt&shorts.

Cast a line, catch a fish:

It's almost that easy

Saturday, May 16, 2009

By RAY SASSER / The Dallas Morning News
rsasser@dallasnews.com

Opening up a debate about Texas' best fishing lake is a real can of worms, pun intended. Every serious angler has a fave hot spot to promote, but all pale in comparison with Lake Zebco.

Earlier this spring, 16-year-old Steven Fineran of Flower Mound was casting a live earthworm in Lake Zebco when he caught a largemouth bass that weighed nearly nine pounds. Hundreds of Texas lakes have produced bigger bass, but 8.98 pounds is a monster of a fish from the most heavily fished two-acre body of water in the state.

About 30,000 anglers a year fish there.

"That bass had us all scratching our heads," said Allen Forshage, Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center director. TFFC is home to Lake Zebco, named for the Oklahoma fishing company that invented spincast reels and made fishing easy for novices. "I mean, how does a bass get that big in such a small, heavily fished lake without being caught before now?"

Lake Zebco has also yielded a 2.8-pound rainbow trout and, in the last 12 months, three blue catfish bigger than 18 pounds. The lake's biggest catfish catch was 30.20 pounds. The 18-pounder was caught by a 7-year-old.

In fact, the majority of anglers at this unheralded hot spot are children (an estimated 60 to 70 percent), and that's just the way Forshage likes it.

TFFC opened in 1996. It is primarily a Texas Parks and Wildlife fish hatchery, but its 106 wooded acres include a 23,000-square-foot visitors' center with the state's best native fish displays, hiking trails, nature interpretive displays and, of course, fishing ponds and streams. There are 4.3 total acres of fishing ponds, all full of fish, and 500 feet of fishable streams.

About half the people who visit TFFC take time to wet a line. It's hard not to get pumped up about fishing after viewing the 300,000 gallons of aquaria, home to the most extensive collection of giant largemouth bass in captivity.

"When fishing became the number one item in our surveys of what visitors liked about TFFC, we increased our emphasis on fishing and started documenting how many visitors actually fish and also the number of 'First Fish Certificates' that we issue each year," Forshage said. He called the emphasis on fishing "the best accomplishment that we've made."

Janice Arnsdorff oversees the fishing pavilion at Lake Zebco. Fishing tackle and bait are provided at no charge, and TFFC staff or volunteers are on hand to answer questions and provide assistance as needed.

There are so many fish crammed into two acres that it's impossible to make a cast without a fish seeing your bait. According to Forshage, it's anybody's guess how many fish are in the lake at any time, but the number may be approaching 10,000.

"Almost everyone catches at least one fish," Arnsdorff said. "The fishing is good all day, every day. The catfish are voracious and almost always biting."

Arnsdorff recommends that anglers hoping to land a big cat bring their own gear – heavy rods and reels with 20-pound line.

Just know that you have to release any catfish bigger than 10 pounds. Anglers can keep five channel cats daily but must pay a $10 fee to do so. Rainbow trout, which die when the water gets too warm, may also be harvested. All other fishing is catch-and-release.

What: Two-acre fishing lake at the Texas Freshwater Fishing Center near Athens, about 75 miles southeast of Dallas.

Fish species available: Largemouth bass, rainbow trout, channel catfish, blue catfish, bluegill, other sunfish.

Fishing pressure: 30,477 anglers tried their luck at Lake Zebco in 2008.

First Fish Awards issued in 2008: 322

Age of anglers who caught their first fish at Lake Zebco: 2 to 92

Anglers who are children: 60 to 70 percent

Admission: $5.50 adults, $4.50 seniors 65 and older, $3.50 children 4-12

Fishing license requirement: None

Address: 5550 FM 2495, Athens

Details: Call 903-676-2277 or www.tpwd.state.tx.us

RECENT SIGNIFICANT CATCHES FROM LAKE ZEBCO

May 10, 2009
http://www.statesman.com/search/content/sports/stories/outdoors/05/10/0510fish.html

June 2009 Newsletter

Looking for Ole’ Whiskers

By  Curtis L. Frisbie, Jr.

I have caught quite a few whiskered catfish during my many days of fishing.  But, they were always the unwanted by-product of my fishing for some other fish.  Once caught I then had to deal with the unpleasant task of getting that naked, slippery fish off my hook without getting my hand stabbed by the spine in its dorsal fin.  I could never understand the fact that people went to lakes intentionally looking for cats!  And, I had seen and smelled the stinkbait used by those obviously delusional people masquerading as fisherman.  Nasty is the only apt description, and made even worse by the fact that the bait sprays back in the boat when given a violent cast towards a favorite fishing spot, spraying the boat and the fisherman with smells that won’t come off until the third shower and hard scrubbing with lye soap. 

But, here I was, on Cedar Creek Lake with Jackie Kennedy, inimitable catfish fishing guide, and two friends, Dennis Connally and James Florez, wondering about my own delusional character since we were actually looking to catch blue catfish.  I was inappropriately dressed in shorts, sandals, and a shirt with a light polar fleece overshirt since the weather forecast from the day before predicted a sunny 79 degrees.  That weather forecaster should have been fired.  When we arrived at the Sandy Shores launch in Gun Barrel City at 7 AM the skies were heavily overcast and grey, and the temperature could not have been above 50 degrees.  I had no other clothes to put on and just looked on enviously as Jackie, Dennis and James put on coats, warm hats, and long pants as Jackie’s 22’ Xpress, center console boat headed into the heavy wind and whitecapped waves making the temperature seem even colder.

Jackie guided us to a spot where the wind was pushing the waves ashore.  His theory was that the baitfish would be pushed toward shore and the cats would be there waiting for them.  We anchored off the bank about 40 yards, baited up with dead shad and a weight to keep them down, and casted toward shore.  We did this repeatedly until we had eight rods in place around one side of the boat.  Then we waited.  We did not have long to wait until the pole in front of Dennis bent over.  In a few minutes, we had the first of the blues in the boat and, being the first fish in, captured on film.  This pattern repeated itself over and over again as two to five pound blues continually jumped into our boat and made their way to the cooler.

One rod in front of me bent over significantly more than the others and I grabbed it and set the hook.  This one had some heft to him and he clearly did not like the thought of getting close to our boat.  He headed out to sea oblivious to the fact that he was hooked.  Turning him took awhile but turn he did and Jackie got out his net once we saw him near the surface.  This was a 10 pounder that needed—and got--his picture taken before joining his friends in the cooler.  This was not our biggest fish as James was the proud catcher of a very nice 16.4 pounder a short while later. 

We had sandwiches and junk food for lunch but the special treat was some elk/cheese/jalapeno summer sausage and crackers that I brought along to share.  This sausage was processed in Kerrville with meat from two elk calves that my oldest son, Curt III shot.  Jackie pronounced it the best jalapeno sausage he had ever had since it had an abundance of jalapenos in it.

After lunch we continued to fish with steady results catching fish.  Many times we had two on at a time, and several times we had three fish on.  Two gar liked our bait and were brought in temporarily until they could get unhooked, and one channel cat joined the blues in the cooler.  From about 2 to 3 PM the fishing was not so steady, except for James.  Dennis and I watched James catch fish after fish while we just twiddled our thumbs.  So, we moved to the front of the boat where James was doing so well; but, it did not matter---James just started catching them from the back of the boat while we watched again.  After James (the “fish hog”) Florez caught 12 to our 2 we decided it was time to go home giving him credit for catching the last one.  By now, the sun had finally made its presence known and the overcast skies turned clear.  Some sunburns were beginning to show, especially on me.  It was time to head back to Sandy Shores.

When we got to the launch site and the place to clean the fish we had to get a bucket to put the cats in because we could not lift the cooler to get it out of the boat.  We arranged all the fish on the cleaning table for a picture.  What a great picture!  57 blue catfish and 1 channel catfish stacked up three high with three smiling but no longer delusional catfish fisherman.  It was a great day on the lake.  Each of us brought home two one-gallon bags of fillets, enough to feed us for a long time to come.    

If you want to take this trip we recommend going to Gun Barrel City the night before and staying in a local motel.  We stayed at Big Chief which was very close to the Sandy Shores launch spot.  (Be careful about going on First Monday Canton since all the motels often sell out.)  There are several good restaurants in town where you can get a good steak dinner, or terrific Mexican food, and there are some really excellent breakfast places that serve food guaranteed to block every artery in your body.  Call Jackie Kennedy at 903.603.3793, or look him up on his website at www.jackiekennedyfishingguide.com.  We paid $350 for two people plus $75 for each additional person.  This is a great trip to take your kids or grandkids on since you will catch fish.             

October 2009
http://www.fishgame.com/feature/featureview.aspx?ArticleID=4361

REDFISH AND SALTWATER GO TOGETHER, and July Trophy Quest winner, Gary Adams, who has fished for redfish in the bays of coastal Texas, caught the biggest redfish of his fishing career from freshwater Lake Fairfield in Central Texas. The fish measured 31 inches and was estimated at 12 pounds.

Adams, a Waco resident, and his 18-year-old nephew, Zack, were fishing with fishing guide Jackie Kennedy, who specializes in freshwater redfish during the summer months, and then switches to trophy blue catfish at Cedar Creek Reservoir during winter and early spring. Kennedy’s clients have landed 8 state records and 13 water body records while fishing with him.

“Jackie said we were going to fish in the morning, go back to his house for a midday break, and then go back out in the evening,” said Gary. “I suggested why not fish the evening we arrived, then fish the next morning. He said it sounded like a good plan to him.”

The fishing plan did work out great, as the best fishing was the evening trip. Fourteen reds were caught Thursday evening, with Adams’ 31-inch trophy the biggest. Zack caught a twin of Gary’s fish, also measuring 31 inches.

“We caught several fish in the 28-inch range, and several others that were undersized,” said Gary. “We had to throw three other keepers back; we already had our limit.”

Kennedy reported they fished to about midnight. They heard and saw some redfish schooling close to the boat. All their fish came on either cut bait or live tilapia fished on Carolina rigs on the bottom. Kennedy estimated the trio was fishing in about 12 feet of water: “I like to rig up with cut bait on half of the rods and 2- to 4-inch live tilapia on the other half. Tilapia is a fabulous bait because they are constantly struggling all the time, trying to get off the hook, drawing the fish to them.”

Friday’s fishing was a little bit slower with the catch total only five rat reds. The biggest redfish was 19 inches. The rest of the catch was in the 12- to 15-inch range.

After making the hard choice of something from the menu or the great buffet at Sam’s Restaurant in Fairfield, Gary and his nephew relived their great fishing trip over dinner.

Zack, who lives in Houston, and fishes off the coast, had never caught a redfish before. He described the Trophy Quest action at Fairfield Lake as the trip of a lifetime.

WHAT: Redfish

WHERE: Fairfield Lake

GUIDE: Jackie Kennedy, 903-603-3793, www.jackiekennedyfishingguide.com

ACCOMMODATIONS: Jackie Kennedy Lodgings

MEALS: Sam’s Restaurant, Fairfield, TX; 903-389-4695

 
C

The Paris News June 2, 2011

Haley Bulls fish

Posted: Thursday, June 2, 2011 11:39 am

Haley Bulls of Denton caught this 34 pound buffalo fish May 6, at Cedar Creek Reservoir. Also on the fishing trip was her mom, Lesa Bulls of Paris; grandfather, Willard Brockington of Lancaster; and fishing guide, Jackie Kennedy of Mabank. The fish, measuring 34 inches long, was caught using shad bait on a rod and reel, and set a new water body “catch and release” record for Cedar Creek Reservoir. Members of the party also caught 55 blue catfish ranging in size from 2 to 5 pounds.



This article about my lake record appeared in theCedar Creek Lake.com

Article date 12/25/2014

Fishing guide catches 64.8-pound catfish on Cedar Creek Lake; sets new lake record

by David Webb

David Webb is a veteran journalist who has written for the mainstream and alternative media for three decades. He is now a freelancer who lives in the Cedar Creek Lake area. He is the editor of cedarcreeklake.com. E-mail story ideas to davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com.



Outstanding fish Dewayne. You put the time and the effort in and so you are rewarded. As far as Jackie Kennedy is concerned, his influence on me and my family on catching big trophy fish can not be overstated. He IS the GODFATHER of trophy catfishing to me and countless others. He is the best example of what a fishing guide should be, he teaches if you want to be taught. Listening to him on the boat is like having a mixture of Will Rogers and Jerry Clower sitting in the boat with you. And, besides all that, he is just a great guy... Book a trip with him and you will understand.

Gary Miller statement in the catfish section of the Texas Fishing Forum on February 22, 2020