03/25/2001

By Ray Sasser / The Dallas Morning News/ Illustrations from KenSchultz.com

1. CATFISH Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 10 9 6 8 4 Overall: 37 Insider Observation: If catfish jumped during the fight and bit artificial lures more readily, their composite rating would be even higher. Because some catfish species reach huge sizes and many can be caught off the bank, the catfish is the favorite of the masses.

2. LARGEMOUTH BASS Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 10 5 6 5 9 Overall: 35 Insider Observation: Texas anglers seek largemouth bass more than any species. The ubiquitous bigmouth is the status queen of Lone Star lakes. Texans invented the bass boat, conceived the Texas-rigged plastic worm and spend more than $1 billion annually in pursuit of bass, then release most of the fish they catch.

3. CRAPPIE Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 10 8 3 10 3 Overall: 34 Insider Observation: Crappie are the ultimate "panfish." While they enjoy the fishing, most crappie fans put their catch on a stringer because the fish are so good to eat. Few legal-sized crappie are released.

4. BLUEGILL Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 10 9 3 8 2 Overall: 32 Insider Observation: Bluegill are just slightly below crappie as table fare. These guys are just too lightweight to rank higher, but they're great sport on ultralight fly rods and spinning tackle.

5. SMALLMOUTH BASS Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 3 4 8 6 8 Overall: 29 Insider Observation: Pound for pound, smallmouth bass are the most sporting freshwater game fish in Texas. They jump higher, pull harder and fight longer than their largemouth cousins. Unfortunately, smallmouths are not native to Texas and stocked fish have not adapted as well as was hoped.

6. WHITE BASS Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 6 9 5 4 4 Overall: 28 Insider Observation: The white bass motto should be "we're small but we try harder." Whites, also known as sand bass, are the easiest of the game fish to trick on artificial lures. Most white bass fishermen use tackle far heavier than the game requires.

7. HYBRID STRIPER Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 3 7 8 4 5 Overall: 27 Insider Observation: Hybrid stripers are test tube babies, produced by mixing the eggs of a white bass with the sperm of a striped bass. Hybrids exhibit the best characteristics of both parents. Unfortunately, they can't reproduce and must be restocked regularly.

8. STRIPED BASS Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 3 6 7 4 5 Overall: 25 Insider Observation: Stripers are the biggest Texas game fish that will readily strike an artificial lure. Stripers do not deal well with Texas summers. Stress-related mortality coupled with fishing pressure keep these fish from regularly attaining the 20-pound size that fishermen are really seeking.

9. CARP Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 10 3 7 1 2 Overall: 23 Insider Observation: Carp are not technically game fish but they are powerful fighters and they have a small but ardent following. These rough fish can be difficult to catch, and without specialty recipes, they're not good to eat. You can find them just about everywhere.

10. RAINBOW TROUT Availability Catchability Fight Ability Table Rating Status Appeal 2 6 4 6 4 Overall: 22 Insider Observation: "The" status species of many state fisheries, rainbow trout cannot withstand the brutal Texas summers. The state's only year-round trout fishery is the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake. Most rainbow trout fisheries are put-and-take urban-area stockings during winter.