B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 63 degrees; 0.31 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; 60 degrees; 0.44 feet below pool. The bite has been tough, but the fish caught have been very good size and very healthy. Fish have been settling on the edges of creek channels and areas with a steep drop in depth. Dragging a green pumpkin worm on a shaky head or a natural colored jig have been most productive. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Windy, sunny banks and retaining walls are good bets for black bass. Try subsurface fish patterns in 5-10 feet of water. On warm, sunny days, small shad pattern flies might produce bass around submerged vegetation. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Caddo
GOOD. Water stained; 52 degrees; 1.34 feet above pool. The lake is muddy after the recent rainfall. Anything near the river will be muddy with lots of salvinia and logs floating, so be careful when navigating on the lake. Bass are good with fish feeding up. Shad related lures are best like Alabama rigs, swimbaits, chatterbaits, rattle traps and flukes. The white bass have been active, but the freshwater and stained water may slow the bite down some. Still it is always a fun time and a blessed trip to come out and fish a lake like Caddo that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GOOD. Water stained; 62 degrees; 0.62 feet below pool. Catfish are excellent on baited holes with liver and shrimp, as well as catfish bubblegum on bulkheads. Plenty of eater sized fish as well as trophy class in deeper water using bluegills. Bass are good shallow and deep with bigger fish offshore on structure with jerkbait and swimbaits. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are in 13-22 feet of water close or in structure, and timber with jigs and minnows. Hybrids have been schooling in 12-26 feet on flats and drop-offs. Many folks are trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, others are using slabs and jigging. Get ready for deadsticking when the water temperature drops a little more. Always wear your life jacket! Happy New Year! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 54 degrees; 1.78 feet below pool. The lake level is on the rise after the recent rains, but the bite has slowed. Squarebill crankbaits and chatterbaits are fair in 3-5 feet. Suspended jerkbaits around timber in 5-7 feet are fair. Carolina rigs on points and humps or road beds in 12-18 feet are good. Texas rigs and Viper XP jigs on big wood slow in 5-7 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Cooler water so the bass will be deeper. Black bass are slow in 5-10 feet. Some smaller bass are chasing shad on warm days. Black Clousers with sinking tip lines are a good bet. Focus on creek bends and drop-offs. small streamers and top water patterns might catch active bass in creeks on warm days. Report by Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork. The Lake Fork crappie fishing continues to be excellent as the surface temperatures continue to drop. Lots of fish can be found on timber, brush and bridges in 18-58 feet. If you find areas with tons of shad there will be crappie close by. Look for fish migrating towards deeper water that sometimes follow creek channels. The jig bite has kicked in for the winter. Small hand tied jigs are producing extremely well and soft plastics will get you a bite. Minnows are always a go to bait for crappie on Lake Fork. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.87 feet above pool. Crappie can be caught on brush with minnows and jigs. Bass can be caught on Texas rigs. Catfish can be caught on cut bait.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.50 feet above pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
Livingston
GOOD. slightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.82 feet below pool. Water color is a good green. White bass can be caught in 10-20 feet of water. Lots of juvenile hybrids right now, so people need to watch for not keeping them. Catching all fish on Ducktracker slabs and Texas teasers. White and chartreuseReport by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water stained; 61 degrees; 1.05 feet below pool. Bass are slow but should improve once the lake stabilizes after rain. With water temperatures back up the spawn should be close and on going until March. Tilapia beds will produce good bass when you find them using dropshot worms and Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow in 25 feet over standing timber with minnows and jigs. Large catfish should start moving towards the hot water discharge using live and cut bait. Try jigging spoons in this area for sand bass too. Report by Hambone guide service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 1.70 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are excellent with catches up to 11 pounds possible on large swimbaits and Carolina rigs off the bottom in creek channel swings in 12-15 feet of water. Crappie are excellent in 12-15 feet of water and standing timber and brush piles with 1/16 ounce translucent white crappie jigs on a split shot rig. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
FAIR. Water heavily stained; 60 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. After 7 inches of rain the lake is up with a chocolate milk clarity. Some bass are being seen in deeper water in larger groups. Most are hovering just off the bottom, so a drop-shot has been working pretty well. A few have been put in the boat with a deep-diving crankbait. Speed cranking with one second pauses gets bit. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on small swimbaits, Carolina rigs and dropshots. Crappie are excellent on brush piles and standing timber with a 1/16 ounce white crappie jig on a split shot. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
GOOD. slightly stained; 55 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent for numbers with many fish in the 3-5 pound range. Cast small swimbaits in 25 feet of water. Crappie are good on small white jigs on a split shot rig. Catfish are on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Raven
FAIR. Water light stain; 65 degrees. 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
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 1.15 feet below pool. The lake level is on the rise due to the recent rain. The clarity is slightly muddy in the creeks and upriver. Bass are moving shallow into the bush with the new water. When you find grass, fish will be there. Bass are on the move upriver in shallow water with crankbaits and swim jigs. Crappie and white bass are going up river. Catfish are good in 15-26 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
FAIR. Water normal stain; 58 degrees; 2.40 feet below pool. After the recent rains most of all the creeks are muddy and with water still coming in. The shallow bite is going to be hard with the dirty water, but chartreuse or orange colored spinnerbaits and chatterbaits always work great in the mud. The deep fish are going to be slow due to the rising water, but casting crankbaits, dropshots and spoons should land catches. Mid range fish are going to be best in 12-20 feet on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and big crankbaits. There is a new moon coming this week which should get the female bass thinking about getting ready to make a move up. A cool down in the forecast with temperatures in the high 50s. No reports on crappie. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.39 feet above pool. Crappie are slow in 20-25 feet of water. Catfish are slow on chicken liver. Bream are slow on red worms in deep water. Bass are slow on crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.
Welsh
FAIR. Water stained. 60 degrees. A few reports that catches of bass are good.
Wright Patman
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.84 feet above pool. Catfish are good with stink bait. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs
