Pineywoods Region Week of April 13, 2022

B.A. Steinhagen

FAIR. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.50 feet below. Fishing should improve under the full moon this weekend. Black bass are fair shallow weightless senkos, chatterbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on the structure and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut and prepped bait.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water clear; 65 degrees; 0.64 feet low. Spring pattern is locked in and the fish are biting well. Crappie are good shallow on minnows or jigs. Catfish are good in 15-20 feet of water on cut bait. Sand bass are good in the main lake creek channel. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing.

Caddo

SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.44 feet high. Bass bite is still slow on Caddo with all these cold fronts and the level of the lake fluctuating so much. The grass bite is coming around and will get better with the bream starting to bed up. The tree bite is still the best bet with the use of flukes and wacky worms still main weapons. A swimbait is coming into play around the trees now as it warms up some as well as the frog bite. Stick to your basics with dark colors in stained and natural colors in clear water. As always the beauty of this lake is breathtaking even if the bite is slow so come enjoy God’s creation and maybe get that bite of a lifetime. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship

Conroe

GOOD. Slightly stained; 68 degrees; 0.09 feet low. Water clarity is good, but a lot of pollen on the graph. Some catfish are being caught on bulkheads early and late as the shad are in spawn. Shaded docks in the afternoon producing decent catches using liver, shrimp, catfish bubblegum. Hybrid bass are schooling in 17-27 feet of water trolling with a hellbender and a pet spoon, or using your electronics to find them. Many have had success in deeper coves. Some crappie are spawning in the shallows. Success catching spawned out crappie in 13-25 feet of water using black/chartreuse or monkey milk crappie magnets in standing timber, lay downs, and brush piles. Not getting many hits on minnows in the deeper water. Black bass are good using creature baits, Texas rigs and deadsticking with weightless senkos near bulkheads. Multiple buck bass biting creature baits on beds in 3-8 feet of water early morning. Transition into deeper water in the afternoon with creature baits and RatLTraps. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Fishing Guide.

Fork

FAIR. Water Stained; 61-68 degrees; 6.12 feet low. Lake Fork crappie fishing in finally starting to feel like normal spring fishing. This past week the crappie really started to show up in the normal springtime areas in numbers. With the lake level still 6 feet down those fish we typically see in 10-18 feet are more like 5-13 feet this year. Big fish ready to spawn are being pulled for the bottom of timber in those depths. I’m still also seeing fish on the way to spawning areas in 15-25 feet on timber. Lots of people are taking advantage of the super shallow spawners still in less than 3 feet of water on jigs or minnows under corks. Minnows are still producing really well for my customers but jigs will also get the job done this time of year. It’s a great time to get out and crappie fish Lake Fork or any of the great East Texas lakes. Report provided by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service. Bass are good with some fish on spawning beds. Windy banks and points are good with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and shad pattern square bill in 1-4 feet of water. Some good fish tight to big wood on Xcite Green Pumpkin Lizards in 2-4 feet of water. Report by Lake Fork fishing guide Marc Mitchell and Jason Hoffman, Lake Fork Pro.

Houston County

GOOD. Water stained; 62 degrees; 0.20 feet above. Crappie are good on brush piles and docks using minnows and jigs. Bass are good in shallow vegetation on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut and prepared baits.

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 58 degrees; 0.60 feet above. Spring pattern is locked in and the fish are biting well. The cold snap may slow the bite, but it should pick back up. Crappie are excellent shallow on stumps using minnows. Catfish are good shallow on cheese bait. Sand bass are excellent north of the 259 bridge and below the dam. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing.

Livingston

GOOD. Stained; 65 degrees; 0.24 feet below. Catfish are good with a steady bite on cut shad. White bass are good moving out of the creeks into the the main lake using slabs. Report provided by Randy Reynolds, Randy’s River Adventures Guide Service.

Martin Creek

SLOW. 64 degrees. Water lightly stained; 0.07 feet above. Crappie are in the middle of the spawn. Bass are good in beds along the shoreline with plastics. Texas rigs, crankbaits, and swimbaits. Crappie are good on brush piles, and submerged timer. Catfish are fair on punch bait and liver.

Naconiche

GOOD. Water clear to stained; 67 degrees. We are in the early-to-mid stages of the bass spawn. Many buck bass are up shallow and some egg-filled girls are moving in. Red colored lizards, craws, and creature baits are in order. A few 3-5 pound bass stacked off-shore over deep creek beds using an Alabama rig. The Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services.

Raven

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 72 degrees; 3 feet low. Fishing should move up shallow in the full moon. Catfish are good, with a hot bite on live bluegill. Bass are active early morning on top waters and tubes around the grass. Crappie are good on minnows around structure.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 1.70 feet low. Fresh water is coming down the river, and the lake level is rising, helping the spawn. Grass is coming back slowly. Bass are good on beds with flukes and craw plastics. Some bass have spawned out and are good on flukes and Texas rigs in deeper water. Crappie are good the fish spawning shallow are biting jigs, and shiners under a cork. The fish working back out to brush piles are biting on shiners. Catfish are shallow spawning. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees; 1.86 feet low. The water level is 170.1 with no generator running. The buck Bass are still holding shallow in and around the beds waiting on the full moon. The magic spawn temperature for a bass is 68-72 degrees. The weather forecasts that rain and two fronts are on their way again for two days this week. After a rainfall, head to the back of the creeks and find clear, shallow, calm and stable water out of the current. The bass will be feeding in the new vegetation along the banks where insects and bugs have washed into the lake. Use topwater imitations like popping frogs, buzz baits, spinnerbaits, wacky worms, lizards, and don’t forget them swim jigs and BIG swimbaits. The first wave of crappie are in the transition period moving off the banks to 10 feet of water. Catfish are biting on a slip cork rig in 2-4 feet of water in the cypress trees near the Mid Lake area. Best bite from first light to 8:30 a.m. using shrimp, chicken livers and Captain’s garlic (chicken flavored) weenies. The air is starting to warm at night and summer is coming, so get the family and go fishing for those good times and wonderful memories! Remember to always keep your life jack on while on the water (the water is still cold, and hypothermia is dangerous). Toledo Bend has had some very high winds this week. Captain’s tip, be aware, the deeper the water the bigger the swells. Don’t take a chance crossing any lake when high winds are forecasted. Play it safe on the water, always inform your loved ones or a friend 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 and Fishing Guide Service.

Tyler

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.16 feet above. Fishing is good and shallow as we hop into Easter weekend. Bass are good on trick worms and crankbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. Bluegill are good on red worms. Catfish are good on stink bait. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 5.86 feet above. High winds are keeping boats off the water. Catfish are good in Herron Creek. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows on brush piles. Report by Brooks Tarkington, Lake Wright Patman Guide Service.