B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 75 degrees; 0.43 feet below pool. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.85 feet below pool. Channel catfish are excellent in 10-14 feet of water with stink bait or chicken liver. Crappie are excellent in 10-20 feet on brush piles with jigs or minnows. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Water clarity has been better in the calm pockets or coves. Fish are biting natural colored jigs along the remaining healthy grass edges, and on isolated areas of hard cover particularly near boat ramps and shell beds. Shallow secondary points can be good with a jig or a Texas rigged craw in black and blue. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
Caddo
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.03 feet above pool. Fishing on Caddo should improve after the recent rainfall and cooler temperatures. Fishing is best when water temperatures are in the 50s, but until then keep a top water, swimbait, chatterbait, spinnerbait, fluke or rattle trap on your deck out on the main lake and cover water looking for grass mats or pad stems holding schools of fish. The river bite should turn on quick and shad colored crankbaits, rattle traps, chatterbaits, and swimbaits. Keep a dropshot or Texas rig in junebug handy until the water temp falls under the 60s. The lake is always fun this time of year and a great time to come visit this lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GOOD. Water stained; 76 degrees; 1.07 feet below pool. Catfish are excellent on baited holes from 10-30 feet. Large quantities can be caught on Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms and punch bait. Drifting natural baits has been pretty good as well. Crappie have been fair at best with some being caught but the population just isn’t great. There are quite a few undersized being caught with a few keepers. Bream have been plentiful on brushy points to 20 feet deep. Bass have been good on wind blown docks and points using crankbaits and green pumpkin plastics. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids have been schooling in 12-25 feet with some whites mixed in, hanging on flats and drop offs. Many folks are trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, others are using slabs from Bradley Outdoors to jig for them, As well as casting swimbaits or crankbaits. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 2.14 feet below pool. Bass are good in shallow water early morning on topwaters around grass. Offshore bass are on mid range flats or first break line in 4-6 feet with square bill crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Carolina rig bite is still good on long points or ridges 6-10 feet. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork is just phenomenal right now going into the early winter months. We have fish in depths from 14-58 feet. You can find crappie almost everywhere on the lake but if you find the right area they are loaded up. We are seeing some black crappie grouped up in numbers. The huge white crappie has been showing off the past month also. We are catching fish on timber mostly and pole timber and Bois D Arc trees are both good. Some fish will be holding to bridges as they migrate as well. Minnows continue to be the best bait, but jigs will work too. The catfish bite on Lake Fork is nothing short of incredible. There are so many catfish in the 20-25 feet range around timber you can almost fish anywhere. If you drop some cattle cubes or sour grain in an area you will be catching fish within 30 minutes on any prepared catfish bait you drop down. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
SLOW. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this should change as the weather begins to cool. Crappie can be caught on brush with minnows and jigs. Bass can be caught on topwater early and late in the day. Later in the day cast Carolina rigs, dropshots and crankbaits.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.82 feet above pool. Spotted and black bass are fair but can consistently be caught with 3-4 inch shad swimbaits on secondary points with grass or timber. Spinnerbaits or swim jigs have been great around docks. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Crappie are great on timber in 10-25 feet of water.
Livingston
GOOD. slightly stained; 76 degrees; 1.60 feet below pool. Very little boater traffic. White bass are in depths at 8-20 feet of water. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 1.99 feet below pool. Bass are good fishing the hydrilla with weightless senkos and underspin swimbaits. Crappie have scattered somewhat, but schools can still be found in 15-25 feet around brush with minnows and Bobby Garland pintail jigs in S
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 72 degrees; 1.89 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs and deep diving crankbaits in 12-15 feet of water. Crappie are good white crappie jigs or live minnows. Catfish are slow on cut bait, stink bait or minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. We are finally receiving much needed rain. Fall turnover continues with the north end stained chocolate brown, and the main body of the lake will follow. The cold nights but hot days might extend the turnover a bit longer. Throw flash and rattle lures during the turnover. Spinnerbaits, squarebill crankbaits, and chatterbaits in less than 10 feet of water. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on small swimbaits or dropshots in 24 feet of water. Crappie are excellent for keeper sized fish biting white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair in live minnows, cut bait or stink bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
FAIR. slightly stained; 72 degrees. Largemouth bass are good with small swimbaits or dropshots. Crappie are fair on white crappie jigs or live minnows. Catfish are fair on live minnows or stink bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Raven
FAIR. Water light stain; 79 degrees. Leaves are dropping from trees and fall fishing patterns are here. A strong cold front pushed south mid-week. Water is slightly stained. Bass are good with flukes, worms, and lipless crankbaits near the hydrilla grass edge are reported to be working for bass. No angler reports of crappie or catfish this week, but anglers can try minnows on crappie jigs near brush piles or piers to target crappie. Catfish can be targeted with worms or stink bait fished near the bottom at the prairie branch pier or over towards the dam by the valve release tower. Bluegill are biting on worms and hotdogs over at the boathouse dock. Anglers should try to use them on a free lined hook or with a hook and bobber.
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 72 degrees; 2.55 feet below pool. There is an abundance of shad in shallow water. Shallow bass feeding on the shad can be caught with spinnerbaits and topwater frogs. Crappie are transitioning from brush main lake brush to creek channels. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 24-27 feet of water and in the river bends on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service. Expect the lake level to continue to drop slowly through the winter. Shallow bass are centered around shoreline brush and hay grass along with high spots, shallow ditches and creek channel swings. These fish can be caught on Texas rigs, wacky rigs, shallow water crankbaits and topwaters. There is a large population of schooling bass heavily chasing bait balls around main lake ledges in 17-22 feet, main lake drains in 10-17 feet, and main lake and secondary points. Cast a dropshot, Carolina rig, ½-¾ ounce jig, or deep diving crankbait. Report by Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
FAIR. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 4.51 feet below pool. Cooler weather is finally here and this first touch of fall will help to improve the bite. Shallow bass are still best with swim jigs, swimbaits, topwater, and frogs. The bite in the creek should start this week on lipless, square bill crankbaits and small spinnerbaits in 4-8 feet of water. We did get some rain, but not enough to muddy up the creeks. There are numbers of deep fish just not quality, but this should improve as the temperature drops on spoons, tail spins and dropshots. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
SLOW. Water normal stain; 77 degrees; 0.85 feet below pool. Forecasted weather change should improve the bite. Crappie are slow with some decent size fish suspended in 16-20 feet of water with minnows. Catfish are fair in 10-16 feet of water stink bait, liver and nightcrawlers. Bream are fair on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are fair on topwater baits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits scattered throughout the lake. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Crappie are good scattered on docks in 6-8 feet of water, or on the southern end of the lake chasing shad on minnows. Report by Caleb Hensley, 903 Fishing.
Welsh
FAIR. Water stained. 80 degrees. A few reports that catches of bass are good.
Wright Patman
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 4.37 feet above pool. Catfish are good with stink bait. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs.
