B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 65 degrees; 0.60 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. Expect fish to start pushing shallow as the water warms.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.16 feet above pool. Crappie spawn is almost over pushing fish to roam offshore structure in 2-32 feet of water. Fish are hungry and can be caught on minnows or jigs. Channel catfish are feeding shallow gearing up for the spawn. Channel catfish are good on dough bait. Larger catfish can be caught on juglines. Blue catfish and flathead catfish are finished with the spawn. Fish are in 15-30 feet of water biting cut bait. Bass are primarily post spawn aggressively feeding. White bass are good with several limits reporting while trolling, and a few catches caught while fishing for crappie. Report by Chris Caswell, Lake Bob Sandlin Crappie Fishing Guide. Black bass are shallow in creeks and shallow banks. Fly fishing with craws and clouser minnow patterns should produce bass. Crappie and catfish are moving shallow fly fishing with wooly buggers, slow-sinking small fish patterns, or clouser minnows on sunny rocky shores might draw a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Caddo
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.35 feet above pool. Lake has fallen to a more normal level at around 170 so you can launch and load now with just one person and not get your feet wet at the ramp- if you know, you know. The fish have been good on trees with the spawn still going strong, wacky worms and fluke work good still in black and blue and watermelon red colors. A frog or topwater popper works well also around the trees. Try a swimbait or a buzzbait covering the grass and pads to catch post spawn fish. The lake is looking and fishing well with some decent current rolling in the river and bayou systems. This is a wonderful time of the year to come to this majestic and divine lake we call Caddo. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GREAT. Water stained; 72 degrees; 0.07 feet above pool. Fishing has been great in between the extreme winds. Catfish are good in 1-50 feet of baited holes, bulkheads and rocks. Trophy catfish can be caught drifting ledges and flats shallow at night. Bass are good on the banks early and late in 1-20 feet of water on structure and bream beds during the day. Crappie have been pretty good on brush 8-25 feet of water. Report by Bradley Doyle, with Bradley Guide Service. Hybrids can be caught in 17-29 feet of water on flats and drop-offs with slabs, spoons, and live minnows or goldfish. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 63 degrees; 0.25 feet below pool. Bass fishing has been slow with some early morning catching near areas with the shad spawn using DieZel chatterbaits. Once bass move off the shore, switch to squarebill crankbaits in 3-5 feet, or Yum dingers and flukes around grass, and frogs in the grass. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Black bass are post spawn and the top water bite is on! Frog patterns are working in the shallow vegetation. The crappie are moving shallow, small clousers are producing well. Large bream have moved shallow, wooly buggers are producing good fish. Channel catfish are cruising 2-4 feet biting clousers. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork is moving rapidly into the post spawn pattern. Fish are loading up on brush piles, ledges, underwater bridges, road beds, bridges and post spawn trees in 14-25 feet. The fish are hungry after the spawn and they will bite just about anything you out in front of them. We are having great luck with small hand tied jigs but minnows and soft plastics will also work for the next few months until water temps heat way up. Seeing a lot of small fish this year mixed in so some days you will catch and release a lot of short fish. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. Bass should be shallow on spawning beds hitting soft plastics and creature baits. Post spawn bass should be in 8-12 feet of water hitting Carolina rigs or crankbaits. Crappie should be shallow or on brush piles be caught with jigs or minnows.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.53 feet above pool. The lake level is up after the recent rains and the clarity is muddy. Bass can be caught flipping soft plastics into the bushes, or working the outside edges of willows with 10 inch worms or any bait that puts off a lot of action. The best colors have been black neon, or black and blue. Use a lighter weight, 3/16-¼ ounce, with a natural fall. Shad spawn should begin soon, drawing bass near chunk rock, boat docks and hard cover at daylight. When this happen cast natural colored topwaters in areas where shad are spawning. Once the sunlight pops up this bite will end. Crappie are biting slip cork minnows on flooded cypress trees and vertical cover near the river. Report by Brian Vickery Fishing.
Livingston
GOOD. normal stain; 71 degrees; 0.24 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; 72 degrees; 0.07 below pool. Bass are fair on swimbaits, bladed jigs and redbug Texas rigged worms fishing the hydrilla out to 10 feet. Crappie are good suspended in brush piles in 25 feet of water with minnows and 3 inch pintail jigs. Catfish are good on jug lines with cut and live bait. Reported by Hambone guide service. Reported by Hambone guide service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.17 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent on Carolina rigged plum or blue flecked worms in 12 feet of water on grass lines. Crappie are fair on chartreuse and white crappie jigs. Catfish are slow on cut bait and live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.50 feet above pool. Prior to the weekend rain, bass were stacking up in suspended mode 8 feet down over deeper water with a jerkbait. Some larger bites were possible in 8-10 feet near the bottom with a dropshot and Texas rig. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on Carolina rigged plum or blue flecked worms in 12 feet of water on grass lines. Crappie are fair on chartreuse and white crappie jigs. Catfish are slow on cut bait and live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
GOOD. normal stain; 73 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on medium diving crankbaits. Crappie are good on a clear or white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Raven
SLOW. Water light stain; 67 degrees. Lake Raven is beginning to see a lot of hydrilla growth, which may impede some bank anglers. The bass are working the shallows with 10-12 inch worms along the edge of the hydrilla and water lines. Chatterbaits, dropshots, and wacky rigs are a good set of bait options for anglers seeking to join in on the bass fishing. No reports of crappie or catfish. Bluegill are good at the boathouse dock with hot dogs and worms.
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 74 degrees; 0.39 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are consistent. The best bite has been in 8-14 feet on ledges and humps with a big worm on a Texas rig or Carolina rig. Fishing around the old timber as fish are using it for structure. Very little grass or lily pads so far. Crappie and catfish are moving shallow and deep as they spawn. The magic depth has been 4-12 feet with minnows under corks and around trees on the bedding fish. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
SLOW. Water stained; 62 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. There are still numbers of bass on the bank in 1-5 feet biting wacky worms and senko. A few bass are starting to move out to 6-12 feet hitting Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and mid running crankbaits. The shad spawn should start any day, as hot as it has gotten the last couple days. When this starts, target points with spinnerbaits, swimjigs and topwaters. Most days this pattern lasts for about an hour in the morning. Crappie action is finally picking up in 5-9 feet of water, shallow timber, brush piles and shallow docks with jigs. Few reports came in this week at night on lighted docks. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
GOOD. Water normal stain; 70 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Crappie are fair on brush piles with minnows and jigs in 12-16 feet of water. Catfish are slow in 5-6 feet of water with stink bait. Bass are fair hitting crankbaits and plastic worms. Bream are good on red worms throughout the lake. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Water Temperature dropped to 66 degrees after the recent cold snap, but will warm back up quickly. Water Clarity is light stain to stained depending on how close to runoff or feeder creek areas you are. Bass and crappie are being caught in good numbers all over the lakes. Many bass are actively spawning with weightless plastics or Texas rigs working well right now. Crappie are being caught shallow in grass and in 5-10 feet as different waves of fish move in and out from spawning. Minnows are still outperforming jigs. Report by Holton Walker, Holton Walker Fishing.
Welsh
FAIR. Water stained. 70 degrees. A few reports and anglers on the water.
Wright Patman
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 12.94 feet above pool. Bass should be shallow on spawning beds, and post spawn or staging in deeper water near spawning areas hitting soft plastics. Crappie should be spawning or staged on brush in 8-12 feet.
