Pineywoods Region Week of July 20, 2022

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B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.40 feet below. Bass are fair along grass edges with Texas and Carolina rigged worms, or deep diving crankbaits. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on main lake structures and brush piles. Catfish are good moving shallow biting cut and cheese bait.


Bob Sandlin
FAIR. Water clear; 92 degrees; 1.15 feet low. In the Texas heat, fishing is fair while the fish are lethargic and slow to bite. Crappie are slow on brush in 15-20 feet of water biting on minnow and jigs. Bass are slow on topwaters shallow early morning, deep water points after the sun rises. Catfish are fair on baited holes 15-20 feet of water using cheese bait or cut bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing.


Caddo
SLOW. Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.20 feet high. Caddo has a good summer bite right now. Look for the shad in the river systems and the bayous to find some bass schooling action, or fish stacked around the points and turns in the creek systems. Shaky head, dropshots, crankbaits or Carolina rigs are working. On the main lake look for the grass and lily pads and have your favorite frog on the deck or a whopper plopper type bait and cover water. Flukes and light weighted Texas rigged worms still work well around trees and the grass line. As always come enjoy this majestic lake God spoke into existence as the beauty is hard to beat. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.


Conroe
GOOD. Slightly stained; 91 degrees; 1.10 feet below. As the thermocline gets stronger the catfish will usually be found on ledges and points where the thermocline meets the bottom. The fish can be above the thermocline but not below due to lack of oxygen. There should be good numbers, but you will have to be patient to find better sized eaters. Fishing over range cubes with catfish Bubblegum, cheese bait, or liver should give you plenty of action. Trophy blue catfish should be done spawning, so drifting flats with a natural bait could produce some real excitement. Remember the new regulations on these fish and in this heat be extremely careful and return them to the water fast if you plan to release them. That goes for any fish you wish to release. Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are good in 16-24 feet of water on brush piles, lay downs and vertical structure like standing timber. Also, check ledges and humps for bigger crappie roaming off the brush piles at the bottom. Downsize to a 1/16-1/32 jig head and a small profile jig in monkey milk, all chartreuse, bright green and chartreuse and black. Report by Justin Burns, Slab Donkey Guide Service. Hybrid striped bass are good in 18-25 feet of water. The bigger fish and undersized fish seem to be in large schools. Some schools are slow to bite, but you can tempt them with slabs, or minnows. Please check the Texas Parks and Wildlife to see the tooth patch between hybrids and white bass. Black bass are good in 10-22 feet near brush using creature baits, jerk baits and rattletraps have been working. Stay hydrated in this heat & Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Fishing Guide.


Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 6.75 feet low. Lake Fork crappie fishing continues to be almost as hot as the temperature. Seeing lots of fish on the usual summertime structures around the lake in 13-23 feet. Good numbers of eater size crappie are still really good, picking a few larger fish off the timber. Minnows are the dominant bait this time of year, but you can still catch good fish on hand tied jigs and soft plastics. Report provided by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service. Bass morning bite has improved, but only good for about an hour. Best baits are Sexy Dawg and Yellow Magic in 1-3 feet of water. Texas or Carolina rigs with big worms in blue or June bug are best in 15-23 feet of water. Deep crankbaits are OK at the drop-offs of deeper ridges. Shad patterns and chartreuse, blue and black are still good in a XD 6 or XD 8. Report by Lake Fork fishing guide Marc Mitchell and Jason Hoffman, Lake Fork Pro.


Houston County
GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.99 feet below. Crappie are fair in standing timber and deeper brush piles with live minnows. Bass are fair with dropshots, crankbaits and flukes off rock ledges. Bream are near the white bass biting on worms. Catfish are good on cut baits and juglines.

Lake O The Pines
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 93 degrees; 1.81 feet low. Summer fishing patterns are constant. Crappie are slow on brush in 15-20 feet of water biting on minnow and jigs. Bass are slow on topwaters shallow early morning, deep water points after the sun rises. Catfish are fair on baited holes 15-20 feet of water using cheese bait or cut bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing.


Livingston
GOOD. Stained; 85 degrees; 0.94 feet low. Bass are fair on grass ledges using Texas rigged worms and shaky heads. Catfish are good off docks and the bank with cut bait. White bass are schooling on main lake humps and points using silver jigging spoons and small swimbaits.


Martin Creek
SLOW. 81 degrees. Water lightly stained; 1.67 feet low. Crappie action is good with limits coming before 11:00 a.m. on jigs fished in 15-20 feet of water on brush piles. Some brief surface schooling just after sunrise, close to the dam. Lake level is falling, so exercise extreme caution as numerous stumps are now just below the surface.


Naconiche
GOOD. Water clear to stained; 89 degrees; 1.5 feet low. Lake has settled into a typical summer pattern that should stay constant throughout the summer months. Good numbers of bass schooling over deeper water. The shad are small, so down-size your presentation to match. Most fish are suspended just above the thermocline depth, so count your lure down to the thermocline depth and keep it in the strike zone. A Mag-worm in Junebug color is getting bit in 8-12 feet of water. Try casting into shade provided by standing timber or shoreline trees. The Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services.


Raven
FAIR. Water stained; 90 degrees; 3 feet low. The heat and increased water temperatures have pushed the fish to deeper, cooler water. Patience will be key. Bass are fair on plastic worms and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows near structures. Catfish are slow on punch and cut bait.


Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 89 degrees; 3.32 feet low. Fishing will look similar while the Texas heat warms the water. Best success at daybreak and in the evenings. Dock fishing is good for catfish, perch and a few bass. Bass are good early morning with topwaters over grass transitioning to points with Carolina rigs and big crankbaits midday. White bass are good in the lake off points with chrome jigs. Crappie are good on brush piles with live minnows. Bluegill are mixed in with the crappie biting on worms. Catfish are in creek channels off ledges in 15 feet of water and 30 feet of water near the bridges. Navigate with caution as stumps are surfacing. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.


Toledo Bend
FAIR. Water stained; 81-83 degrees; 3.25 feet low. The water level is 168.9 with both generators running from 1-7:00 p.m. Water temperature at the Dam is 81-82 degrees with surface temperature around 83. The back feeder creeks are clear, and the main lake is clear with no rain again this week. Bass are in the same pattern with early morning topwater bite with topwater baits like Pop Rs, tiny torpedoes, buzz baits, popping frogs, flukes, and spooks. Then mid-morning as the fish go deeper to 12-30 feet of water transition to 8-12 inch ribbon tail worms in plum apple, June bug, or June bug red. Carolina rigs for bass have been working with four or six inch worms in chartreuse/pepper and Tequila Sunrise. Black bass, yellow bass, and catfish are in the main lake biting vertical jigging spoons in 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce from War Eagle and Cotton Cordell in chrome or gold in deep water creek channels and ridges. Crappie, bream and yellow bass are still holding in the brush piles and lay downs in 15-25 feet of water. Crappie are biting best on live minnows and crappie jigs on T-Bend's favorite colors like monkey milk, blue ice, and T-shad. and live minnows. Summer is here with triple digit weather, so remember to wear light clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. When on the water it is important to stay hydrated so that you do not experience heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Remember to always keep your life jacket on while on the water, and to fasten the engine kill switch lanyard to your person when operating a motorized vessel on the water. Play it safe on the water, always inform your loved ones or a friend of your expected return time to port or home. Good luck and tight lines! Report from Captain Steve (Scooby) Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Mudfish Rod Shop, Kayak Sales, Fishing Guide Service & Rod Repair.


Tyler
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 1.30 feet below. In the full moon fishing is good. Bass are good early morning on topwater lures. Crappie are good in 16-20 feet of water on brush piles and submerged structures using live minnows. Bluegill are good mixed in with the crappie biting red worms and nightcrawlers. If you find the bluegill you will find other species feeding. Catfish are good in 10-12 feet of water with stink bait and nightcrawlers. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.


Wright Patman
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 1.61 feet above. As the heat increases seeing fewer anglers out on the water. Catfish are still good on punch bait. Black bass can be caught on main lake points on crankbaits. No reports on crappie or white bass. Report by Brooks Tarkington, Lake Wright Patman Guide Service.

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