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; 81 degrees; 0.55 feet above pool. Crappie are loaded on the brush piles in all depths and are doing great on jigs. White bass are numerous cruising around deeper structures and will hit almost anything. Catfish have been slower this week, but should start biting in 15-20 feet of water on stink bait. Bass are in a summer pattern biting early morning and late night around lights. Lots of spotted bass and yellow bass are being caught right now too. 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 in timber and brush piles in 14-30 feet of water. Minnows are preferred over jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Caddo
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.41 feet above pool. Caddo is over pool with a good current. The clarity is stained and muddy near the river and bayou, but looks really good on the main lake. The pad and grass bass are starting to heat up with flukes, ribbits, buzzbaits, frogs and such. As the lake level falls expect bass to hold tight to trees hitting big worms, senkos, flukes or frogs. The river bite has slowed due to the muddy water, and may slow until the water clears. Conditions are improving, and even with a slower bite it is always a great time to come see a lake majestic and divine like Caddo. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GREAT. Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Catfish are good in 10-40 feet of water. They are spawning at this time, use a floater to suspend bait off the bottom. Catfish will be very structure oriented until the spawn is over. Crappie are fair to poor as they have been hit hard this spring. Target fish in 10-25 feet of water, but only expect a few bites. Big bluegill are everywhere from 3-25 feet of water. It is a great time to take kids out for some good action. Largemouth bass are good on the edges, docks as well as offshore structure during the day. 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 as well as large white bass. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 73 degrees; 0.25 feet above pool. The early morning bass bite is good on points and around grass with topwaters, and chatterbaits. Points with shad are best in 2-4 feet of water with chatterbaits, and squarebill crankbaits. The grog bite is good over shallow grass. The offshore bite has been good in 15-22 feet of water on Carolina rigs with flukes or big worms on points, humps, road beds. Deep crankbaits are starting to improve in channel swings in 20-25 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Lily fields are filling in, hydrilla and milfoil are reaching for the surface. Fish this type of cover at midday when bass are seeking cover. Frog patterns are working in the shallow vegetation early and late. Drop a clouser on an 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. Lake Fork crappie fishing improves daily as we head into the summer pattern. The bigger fish are finally stacking up with all the small fish we have been seeing the last few weeks. Crappie are on underwater bridges, underwater roadbeds, bridges, lay downs, brush piles, tire reefs and of timber in the 14-32 feet range. Minnows, soft plastics and hand tied jigs will work as these fish are aggressive and hungry coming off the spawn. Great success has come using small 1/16 ounce hand ties with or without a 1/4 ounce egg weight pegged above it. The winds dictate whether or not we can fish that jig solo. Color does not seem to matter, if you swim or even hold that bait above the fish. The most important part of the presentation is to stay above the fish always. 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 and crankbaits. Crappie should be on brush piles biting jigs or minnows.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water normal stain; 83 degrees; 1.93 feet above pool. Bass are good on main lake points, submerged bridges and road beds with shad colored crankbaits and Carolina rigs. Topwaters are good around shallow grass early morning and late evening. Crappie are good on standing timber and brush piles ranging 12-15 feet with slip cork jigs in blue and chartreuse and shad colors. The lake is at normal pool, so be careful when navigating outside of the boat lanes. 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; 0.02 above pool. Bass remain good along the edge of hydrilla with Texas rigged worms. Crappie have loaded up on brush piles in 20-30 feet with minnows and pintail jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 10-15 feet with nightcrawlers and punch bait.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. Water clarity is heavily stained to muddy. Largemouth bass are fair on bladed jigs and swim jigs around shallow grass points. Crappie are good on main lake timber and brush piles in the creeks. Catfish are slow on cut bait or live minnows. 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 Carolina rigs or medium diving crankbaits on main lake points. Crappie are excellent on main lake timber utilizing forward facing sonar. Catfish are slow on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
GOOD. slightly stained; 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on large swimbaits and dropshots. Crappie are fair on standing timber with small crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. 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; 80 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Water is being released and the level is slowly dropping. Numbers of bass are shallow in the buckbrush, so flip plastics and jigs. Topwater 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
GOOD. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. It is finally summer time, everything around Toledo is getting right, most storms are gone and the sun is cooking. Bass are good. Shallow fish are still strong on frogs, topwaters, swim jigs and wacky-worms from 2-7 feet of water. The deeper bite is coming on strong in 14-18 feet of water with big crankbaits and Carolina rigs. A few great reports of 7 pound bass being caught at night with spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits along the edge of the flooded grass. Crappie are good on brush piles, standing timber, and main lake docks with jigs or live bait. The water temperature is starting to reach the mid to low 80s, pushing crappie out of the creeks. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
GOOD. Water normal stain; 75 degrees; 0.30 feet above pool. Crappie are good on brush piles with minnows and jigs in 10-16 feet of water. Catfish are good in 5-6 feet of water with liver and nightcrawlers. Bass are scattered with a fair topwater bite or feeler with trick worms, spinnerbaits and topwaters. Bream are good on red worms throughout the lake. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Bass are great with a phenomenal topwater bite the first hour of fishable light, but will shut off quickly as the sun rises. Dropshots and Texas rigs are producing very well on normal summer patterns until the evening topwater bite in that last hour of the day. Crappie are holding in 10-20 feet on brush. Catfish are fairly shallow on nightcrawlers and prepared baits but are working deeper and are lethargic recovering from the spawn. Thermocline was around 22 feet on the main lake but will be moving up around 18-20 feet in the next week or two. 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; 7.95 feet above pool. 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. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
