B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 75 degrees; 0.27 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. Expect fish to start pushing shallow as the water warms.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water stained; 73 degrees; 0.43 feet above pool. Fresh rain water has cooled the temperature some. Bass are feeding on the abundant shad schools and can be found at freshwater inlets. White bass are schooling and are being caught in high numbers at night under the bridges. The Crappie bite has been light all week but they are still being caught over bush and on timber. Roaming Crappie have been feeding aggressively. Channel catfish are being caught in high numbers on baited holes with stink bait. Report by Chris Caswell, Lake Bob Sandlin Crappie Fishing Guide. Check out the backs of coves for hydrilla and milfoil, fish patterns should draw bass out from cover. Top water patterns in lilies should be good at mid day.. Catfish are moving shallow, wooly buggers should work well. Clousers on sunny rocky shores might draw a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Crappie are excellent for big fish and numbers on brush piles, or timber in 10-30 feet of water on main river channels. Best bite is jigs tipped with minnows. It seems like the bigger fish are suspended in 18-20 feet of water over 30 feet of water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Caddo
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.44 feet above pool. Caddo water level is still up and this week after receiving more rain. It is possible the river and lake become stained and muddy again. Lots of current and water coming out of Lake O’the Pines. If the water remains clear schooling fish can be caught on small spoons, small spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and spinnerbaits. A fluke and a small topwater bait will work also, remember the bait they are chasing is small like very small so keep your bait small. Some tree fish still being caught on big worms, senkos done Texas rig and wacky style. Grass fish are being caught on buzzbaits, ribbits or plopper baits so just cover water looking for grass and pads. Isolated pad clumps or grass clumps will produce bigger bites. Slow down with a fluke or small Texas rig worm and work the grass and pads also. Lake is really looking good right now and it is a wonderful time to come out and enjoy this majestic and divine lake before the summer temperatures heat up. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GREAT. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.02 feet below pool. CCatfish are on fire! Catfish can easily be caught on spawning grounds. Bass have been good on points and structure as well as bream beds. Crappie are fair on brush from 10-25 feet. Report by Bradley Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids and white bass are on flats and drop-offs in 14-26 feet of water using live large goldfish or minnows, slabs, spoons, and crankbaits. I have been removing one of the treble hooks to make it easier when action is good. Check the tooth patch to distinguish the difference between the two species. Juvenile hybrids are prominent. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 73 degrees; 0.32 feet above pool. The shad are still spawning on main lake points. Target bass feeding on the shad early in the morning with square bill crankbaits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwaters. Shaky heads in 3-6 feet are good on points and the edge of grass around bream beds. Carolina rigs are good 12-15 feet on points and road beds. Deep diving crankbait bite is starting to pick up over deep water jumps in 22 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Lily fields are filling in, and hydrilla and milfoil are reaching for the surface. Fish this type of cover at mid day when bass are seeking cover. Frog patterns are working in the shallow vegetation early and late. Drop a clouser on isolated cover for black bass. Large bream have moved shallow, wooly buggers are producing good fish. Channel catfish are cruising 2-4 feet, clousers are a good choice. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Crappie fishing on Lake Fork is a lot of fun right now. The lake has a tremendous population of black crappie and they are stacked up on all kinds of structures all over the lake in 12-28 feet. White crappie are also loading up on certain trees. You can find black crappie on some bridges, underwater bridges, roadbeds, brush piles, lay downs, tire reefs, points and the base of timber. I have seen some lay downs the past week that may have over 1000 crappie on them. The only problem is finding black crappie over 10 inches when you have so many fish on spots. It is a lot of fun to catch hundreds of crappie per day even if you cannot keep all of them. One of the hottest spots for numbers right now is the big reef in front of the 154 public ramp. Any electronics will find it straight out from the ramp just before the boat lane. It’s very large and easily visible on traditional electronics. The bottom is covered with structures of different kinds and crappie. You can fish minnows just off the bottom or swim small jigs just off the bottom to catch a lot of crappie. You may only see one out of ten fish that are 10 inches. Swimming jigs is a very productive method on Lake Fork right now and minnows will work year round. A consistent bite with 1/16 ounce hand ties with a 1/4 ounce egg weight pegged about 6-8 inches above it on 10-12 pound fluorocarbon. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
FAIR. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.53 feet above pool. Bass should start schooling in deeper water hitting Carolina rigs. Crappie should be on brush piles biting jigs or minnows.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 2.51 feet above pool. Bass are good on offshore structure in 12-17 feet. Shad colored crankbaits and jighead swimbaits have been producing well. Crappie are good on slip cork jigs around standing timber. Report by Brian Vickery Fishing.
Livingston
GOOD. normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.39 feet above pool. White bass are great in 6-15 feet of water on wind blown points and ledges with white and chartreuse slabs. Catfish are in 1-4 feet of water on bulkheads with best action at daylight. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.10 above pool. Bass are good targeting the hydrilla with swimbaits and Texas rigged worms. Crappie are schooled up on brush piles in 25 feet of water with minnows. Catfish are good in 10-15 feet of water fishing off the bottom with dip bait and nightcrawlers. Schools of sand bass are on the old county line road bed using jigging spoons. Report by Hambone guide service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.13 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent on swim jigs and shallow diving crankbaits. Crappie are excellent on standing timber and small brush leading from feeder creeks. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.50 feet above pool. Bass are suspended 8 feet down over deeper water biting jerkbaits plus 1. Keep an eye on the thermocline and be sure to fish above it. Some larger bites in 8-10 feet of water near the bottom with a square bill crankbait. Cranking it in and around the timber that is immediately adjacent to the boat lanes near the backs of the creeks was the ticket. Do not forget to run an Alabama rig and topwater, early and late, for some aggressive feeding fish! Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are good on standing timber in 12 feet of water with dropshots and large swimbaits. Crappie are excellent with 10-12 fish schools grouped up on timber. Crappie are averaging over 2 pounds. Catfish are slow on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
GOOD. slightly stained; 78 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on frogs and swim jigs along grass lines. Crappie are fair on standing timber. Catfish are slow. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Raven
SLOW. Water slight stain; 70 degrees. Lake Raven water clarity is slightly stained. The lake is seeing hydrilla die back due to recent herbicide treatment. Largemouth bass are good on weedless rigged artificial worms in red-tinted colors with glitter. Anglers should target the cove where the boathouse is located. This area has seen recent success when working the hydrilla grass line. No reports of crappie or catfish in recent weeks. Bluegill are good off of the boathouse dock on hotdogs and worms under a bobber.
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. The lake got almost to pool and heavy rain this week has caused it to rise again. Numbers of bass are shallow in the buckbrush, so flip plastics and jigs. Top water bite around pencil grass and reeds. Grass and pads are coming back slowly. Target bass on points and drains with crankbaits, or with jigs and Carolina rigs off ledges and structure. Crappie are slowly move out to brush and timber. White bass are schooling off points. Catfish move out to deeper water and creek channels cut bait doing good. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
SLOW. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. Bass are good with the best bite in shallow water with topwaters, swim jigs and frogs. The midrange bite been good with crankbaits and Texas rigs in 12-18 feet. The storms and high winds have limited fishable areas on the main lake, but the weather forecast should improve this next week. Crappie fishing is fair in shallow brush piles and standing timber all with live bait is the best. Some lighted docks reported good catches this past week at night. The bream are starting to bed in 2-3 feet of water in flooded grass and bushes, but with higher water, lots of them are hard to get to. Best baits for bream are crickets. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
GOOD. Water normal stain; 75 degrees; 0.83 feet above pool. The lake is receiving lots of rain. Crappie are good on brush piles with minnows and jigs in 10-16 feet of water. Catfish are fair in 5-6 feet of water with stink bait and nightcrawlers. Bass are fair on trick worms, spinnerbaits and topwaters. Bream are good on red worms throughout the lake. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Bass are in a full post spawn, targeting fry balls for aggressive strikes is producing well right now. The suspending fish and offshore bite has not picked up enough to leave the current top water and weightless plastics bite in the 1-8 feet range. Schooling crappie are good in 12-20 feet of water on brush. Individual large crappie are still able to be caught under boat houses if you can reach them. Catfish are great shallow on nightcrawlers and prepared bait. Report by Holton Walker, Holton Walker Fishing.
Welsh
FAIR. Water stained. 80 degrees. A few reports and anglers on the water.
Wright Patman
GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 7.99 feet above pool. Crappie are loading up on timber, or brush piles in 10-20 feet of water. Downsize hair jigs to ⅛-1/16 ounce. Channel catfish are good in the shallow water near bushes with stink bait. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service. Crappie are moving into brush piles and structure setting up in a summer pattern. Downsize to small hair jigs in 10-15 feet of water. Channel catfish are good near brush along the bank with stinkbait.
