Best place to rat fish for bass in San Antonio, Texas?

Question

FishGPT · Accepted Answer

**Short answer:** For *rat* (topwater rat) fishing in San Antonio, your best bets are the urban ponds and slow-moving sections of the San Antonio River plus small lakes with docks, grass and flooded timber. Think: **Lake Calaveras**, **Woodlawn Lake**, and stretches of the **San Antonio River (River Walk / Confluence / Concepcion Park)** — these hold hungry largemouths that love a noisy surface rat when conditions are right. 🐀🎣

**Where to focus and why**
- **San Antonio River – Riverwalk / Confluence / Concepcion Park**: lots of docks, overhanging brush and pocket water. Great for rat-l-trap style topwaters where bass key on bait pushed into tight cover. See city fishing action: [Fishing The San Antonio Riverwalk (CITY FISHING)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-f6vjM0a0E).
- **Lake Calaveras, San Antonio, Texas**: good shoreline structure, docks and shallow humps — classic rat country when fish are shallow. (Video recon: [lake calaveras san antonio tx](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBanX6Cdfuk)).
- **Woodlawn Lake, San Antonio, Texas**: urban pond with cover and a lot of pressured fish — topwater rat bites can be explosive in the low-light windows. Urban spot rundown: [Urban Fishing in Downtown San Antonio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwjEKxqVTps).
- For pre-spawn/early-winter patterns and bait-specific rat tricks check: [Pre-spawn Pond Bass MUNCH Rat-L-Traps! San Antonio Texas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhWr53maWLU).

**Tackle & lure picks**
- Use a **heavy fast-action rod (7’+), baitcaster**, 50–65 lb braid with a 20–30 lb fluorocarbon leader (or straight braid if you prefer). This gives you hookset power and the backbone to slap fish off docks. 
- Topwater rats and rat-style wake baits in natural or black/blue patterns shine here — consider the local favorites on Tackle.net: [Rocker Rat (Pearl White)](https://tackle.net/item/rocker-rat-pearl-white) or [Chocolate Swimbaits "The Rat"](https://tackle.net/item/chocolate-swimbaits-the-rat). If you want a bigger kit, try a curated lure box like the [Rapala Bass Boom Box on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSJQV65C?tag=tacklenet-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1).

**Techniques & timing**
- Fish *low light* (dawn/dusk) or the warmest part of the day in early winter — bass will be sluggish otherwise. With current weather around **64°F and clear skies**, target sunny shorelines and pockets that warm during midday; wind ~11 mph can help push bait into cover — fish the wind-blown side.
- Retrieve: *walk, twitch, pause, then strip* — vary cadence. In colder water slow things down: longer pauses and subtle twitches. Hit docks, riprap, lily edges and flooded brush; work the seams and the edges where deep meets shallow.

**Practical tips**
- Use strong, sharp hooks; replace trebles with big singles for better hookups around heavy cover. 
- Scout from shore first — find structure and current seams, then cast tight to cover. 
- Respect private property and local regs; many urban spots allow shore fishing but check signs.

Get out there and make some noise — a well-placed rat can produce some of the wildest topwater strikes in town. Tight lines and big splashes! 🐟🔥

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