B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 52 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water due to the arctic blast. Expect all species to relate in deeper water and use a slow approach.
Bob Sandlin
FAIR. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.42 feet above pool. Weather has kept water dirty in most areas besides wind-protected pockets on the north portion of the lake. Bass have started to slow down as water temperatures have dropped. Most fish have been caught in 8-14 feet of water with a jig, dropshot, or jig and minnow near docks, channel swings with timber and a steep drop off, and standing timber in 12-15 feet on steep points. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Black bass are in a pre-spawn pattern. Look for females in 5-8 feet of water hanging in trees and brush. Look for males cruising the banks preparing nests. Try bait fish patterns around flooded trees and deep points. Clousers on sunny rocky shores might draw a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Caddo
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.79 feet above pool. The lake temperatures have fallen 19 degrees in just 8 days down from 67 degrees to 48 degrees. This has slowed the bass bite down, but a few can still be caught with chatterbaits and rattle traps over the grass and pad stems on the main lake. It seems the midday and afternoon bite is best. The river and bayou are very muddy with lots of current, so expect the crappie bite to be tough. Still as always a beautiful time to come out and enjoy this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GREAT. Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.13 feet below pool. Catfish bite is good on baited areas from 10-50 feet deep on liver, worms, Catfish Bubblegum, and punch bait. Drifting creek channels and flats with natural baits have been producing as well. Numbers of buck bass are shallow, and even some of the big gals on beds or staging on structure near beds. Crappie seem to be pretty good on the north end but with the temperature changes fish will be moving around a lot. Report by Bradley Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are being caught in 13-22 feet on or near standing timber and other structures. Minnows and hair jigs have been producing better than plastics. Many of the hits are light. Hybrids are still being caught but are scattered due to the inconsistent weather. Deadsticking will be a good tactic this week as the arctic blast drops daily temperatures in the 30s. Target fish in 16-36 feet of water on flats and drop-offs. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 50 degrees; 0.11 feet below pool. Water level is a little high and has cooled down to 48-51 degrees. Shallow bite has been fair in 3-5 feet over grass with rattle traps, chatterbaits, and squarebill crankbaits. Shaky heads and dropshots are good around docks in 4-8 feet. Texas rigs and Viper XP Jigs fair around timber near channels in 4-8 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Warm sunny days are dictating black bass movements. Try and target fish where the water is 55 degrees or warmer water. To fly fish for bass try game changers and craw patterns in shallow water. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The Lake Fork crappie bite is really good this week if you can stand the cold weather and beat the winds. Patterns are changing day to day with fish on the move and the weather so up and down. Some days they will stack up on bridges and the next they will disappear. Timber in 14-34 feet seems to be the most consistent pattern. If you find a crappie and hold an artificial bait above it still enough most fish are crushing that bait. Try using hand tied jigs in two different profiles. Smaller profile jigs in deeper water mid lake or on bridges. When you head north to shallower and muddier water switch to longer and bigger profile jigs. Try to fish lighter, more neutral colors in deeper water and darker colors in shallower water. Soft plastics and minnows will still get you bit as well. We should see the fish push shallower and shallower over the next few weeks with warmer temps in the forecast after the next week. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.42 feet above pool. Expect a slow bite and for fish to push to deeper water due to the arctic blast.
Lake O’ the Pines
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees; 1.94 feet above pool. Weather has kept water dirty in most areas besides wind-protected pockets on the north portion of the lake. Bass have started to slow down as water temperatures have dropped. Most fish have been caught in 8-14 feet of water with a jig, dropshot, or jig and minnow near docks, channel swings with timber and a steep drop off, and standing timber in 12-15 feet on steep points. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
Livingston
GOOD. normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.58 feet above pool. White bass have moved to the creeks right now. Should be there for the next month. Catfish are shallow in the river flow. Large mouth should be pushing to spawn on beds if not on beds they will be on wind blown points. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Bass are good, fishing the hydrilla with underspin swimbaits, lipless crankbaits and weightless senkos. Crappie are fair to good in brush piles in 15-25 feet of water with minnows and powerbait champ minnows. Sand bass and catfish are good at the warm water discharge. Reported by Hambone guide service. Report by Hambone Guide Service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.63 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are excellent in shallow grass with a bladed jig or a rattle trap. Crappie are slow roaming in standing timber with chartreuse jigs. Forward facing sonar will help locate fish. Catfish are slow. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
GOOD. Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.50 feet above pool. Big water temperature rise over the last week, but expect the temperatures to drop due to the cold front. Large numbers and quality sized bass have been boated with a deep-diving crankbait, jerkbait and the Alabama rig. As always, natural shad imitations get bit. Some fish are pre-staging in the grass, so a chatterbait through the tops of the grass. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent with dropshot and Carolina rigs in 15 feet of water. Crappie are good with chartreuse crappie jigs roaming around timber and brush piles. Catfish are slow on live or cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
FAIR. normal stain; 51 degrees. Largemouth bass are good with large swimbaits or Carolina rigs on points in 15 feet of water. Crappie are fair with primarily smaller size fish being caught with white jigs. Catfish are slow on live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Raven
SLOW. Water light stain; 50 degrees. Cold and rainy weather have kept anglers off the water. Reports that all species are slow.
Sam Rayburn
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. The cold front early in the week will shut the bite off and fish will push to deeper water. The river is flooding. Bass are going to hunker down in grass and become lethargic with some fish seeking out deeper structure. Crappie are heading toward spawning areas in 2-3 feet of water on flats, grass and cypress trees. Catfish can be caught shallow on noodles. White bass are scattered up creeks hitting rattle traps and road runners. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. Fishing is slow due to cold weather. The water is in the mid 50s and should decline more this weekend. The bite should improve next week towards the middle of the week. Before the cold front big fish up to 11 pounds were being caught. The shallow bite has been best in 1-5 feet on senkos and wacky worms. Other fish coming on Texas rig and Carolina rig lizards on 6-10 feet. Few fish coming out of the back of creeks on rattle traps and square bill crankbaits. Look for clear to stained water away from the mud. Crappie are good when the weather warms, then back to tough on the colder days. Work jigs and live bait around the flooded timber. The water temperature needs to return to the high 50s and low 60s for the bite kick-off. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
SLOW. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 0.24 feet above pool. The bite has shut off after the arctic cold front. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.
Welsh
FAIR. Water stained. 60 degrees. A few reports and anglers on the water.
Wright Patman
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 6.42 feet above pool. Fishing will be slow due to the arctic blast. Catfish are fair. Bass are slow. Crappie are staged on brush in 8-12 feet but the fish are not biting.
