B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 85 degrees; 0.16 feet below pool. Water is being released into the lake from Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.51 feet below pool. Channel catfish are fair in 25 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. Crappie limits are possible in 25 feet of water on standing timber with black and green jigs. Channel catfish are fair in 25 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. White bass are fair at night in the lights with a white spinnerbaits. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Water clarity is 2-4 feet. Largemouth bass and spotted bass are excellent throwing a walking top water bait near the dam, and good numbers can be caught in shallow pockets and along sea walls with a white buzzbait. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers.
Caddo
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. Bass are schooling, so be looking for that and listen for them. When you hear the lily pads popping, slow down targeting the area with a shad or bream color frog or a swim jig and bounce it over those pads. Frog, buzzbait, Pop-R , fluke and spinnerbait will work around the grass lines and pads on the main lake and river. A Texas rig, drop shot or a shaky head should work well when fish are on the bottom in all the cuts along the river. Go with a junebug or watermelon red color worm when you fish the river in September. After the flooding we received this year conditions and water level on the lake are good for this time of year compared to years past. Come visit and fish this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GOOD. Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.52 feet below pool. Catfish are good all over and we are catching better keepers as the water cools. Fish in 10-30 feet of water with Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms, and punch bait. Bass are good early and late up shallow, and offshore midday on structure and ledges. Crappie are still poor but some can be caught on structure 12-25 feet of water. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids have been scattered in 16-24 feet trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, or using slabs from Bradley Outdoors to jig for them. Always wear your life jacket and stay hydrated in this heat. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy. There is a good morning bass bite in the grass with swimbaits, swim jigs, spooks in white colors, or slow your approach down and throw wacky rigged stick baits in black. Look for bait and bird activity. Activity can last all day when there is cloudy or cooler conditions. When it is sunny and warm go to docks in coves and throw a black Texas rigged worm or a wacky stick baits. Report by Hugh Cosculluela, Hugh Fishing Guide.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 1.59 feet below pool. Bass are good with numbers of fish shallow in 1-2 feet of water around grass hitting spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and choppos. Shakyheads are good around wood and docks in 5-10 feet. Carolina rigs fair offshore on points and humps 12-18 feet of water. Deep crankbaits, DD-22 and XD 6, are fair over humps and channel swings in 22-25 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Lake Fork crappie fishing has been up and down this past week. Best bite has been on timber around creek channels in 18-28 feet. Some fish are on brush piles in 14-22 feet, but some days they will bite and some days they lock up. You can find a few fish on bridges but not huge numbers. The white crappie fishing has been the best lately and the black crappie just have not shown up in huge numbers like they will when the water cools off more. We are seeing great quality fish being caught daily. The minnow bite is still very good. You can catch some fish on jigs in both hand ties and soft plastics. The catfish bite is excellent around timber in 20-28 feet. When you find an area holding some fish you just need to tie up to a tree and start fishing. The fish will find you shortly and in huge numbers. You can still use cattle cubes or some sour grain to draw even more fish in or hold fish to your area. Any prepared catfish bait will work to load the boat and load it fast right now. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Houston County
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this should change as the weather begins to cool. Sunfish are good. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. Bass are slow midday, with the best bite in the morning.
Livingston
GOOD. slightly stained; 82 degrees; 0.45 feet below pool. Catching a lot of white bass shallow in 2-6 feet of water. Later in the mornings fish are hanging off of wind blown points. Ducktracker slabs white and chartreuse has been the go to. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water normal stain; 89 degrees; 1.19 feet below pool. Bass have been good down the edge of hydrilla with swimbaits, weightless senkos and Texas rigged plum colored worms. Bass have been schooling late afternoon near the dam biting 1/4 ounce chrome rattletraps and white buck tailed underspin jigs work good. Crappie are excellent in suspended timber in the 25 feet range. Minnows are best but pintail jigs work too. Reports given by Hambone guide service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.13 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent for numbers from the bank to 12 feet on a dropshot, straight tailed worm with a light weight, lightly weighted Texas rig, and white and chartreuse spinnerbaits. Crappie are excellent, catching numbers of keepers to fill the freezer on brush piles and standing timber in 12 feet of water. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Naconiche
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.00 feet full pool. The cooler air temperatures have brought the surface temperatures down quite a bit. This has the fish in a weird mood and they cannot decide if they need to stay or transition from their typical summer haunts. Expect the temperatures to rise back to the mid 80s before heading down to set off the fall turnover. Keep an eye on the thermocline because this tells you the exact depth to present your offering. Even over deep water, do not go below this line. Fishing a squarebill crankbait in 5 feet of water has been the most productive approach. If you find bass hugging the bottom in 8-10 feet of water, dragging a Texas rig Mag-worm can be effective. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing ServicesReport by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are good from the bank out to 12 feet on dropshots, lightly weighted Carolina rig, and large swimbaits. Quality fish between 2-6 pounds are possible. Crappie are excellent with light white crappie jig on a split shot rig. Big black crappie up to 1.5 pound are phenomenal. Catfish are fair on cut bait, stink bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Sam Rayburn
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 82 degrees; 0.35 feet below pool. There continues to be a shallow and a deep bass bite with some schooling action. Bass are fair in shallow water over grass with topwaters, or on secondary points Carolina rigs and dropshots. Crappie are fair on 15-27 feet on brush piles with minnows over jigs. As the weather cools crappie will transition up the river on stumps. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 15-25 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service. Lake level is holding steady, but expect the lake to drop to 5-7 feet low to continue to work on the dam in the future. Fish are in all stages of the transition. Target bass with jig head minnows and forward facing sonar. Bass are suspended at the mouth of creeks and on offshores flats chasing bait. When bass are schooling on the bottom cast a Carolina rig, dropshot, and shaky head. There is an abundance of shallow fish and this pattern should continue through the fall. Target the hay grass and flooded bushes early in the morning to catch bass chasing bait using a chatterbait, swimbait or frog. Report by Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Guide Service. Fishing Guide.
Toledo Bend
FAIR. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 3.99 feet below pool. Bass fishing is improving on topwaters and frogs first couple hours at day light. Once the sun rises switch to swim jigs and wacky worms. Deep fish are coming on Carolina rigs and few on spoons. The quality of fish is small right with very few keepers. Crappie are slow. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
FAIR. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. The mild weather has brought more anglers to the lake. Night fishing continues to be the best for catfish and crappie in the lights. Crappie are fair with minnows on brush in 16-25 feet of water, and off the barge. Catfish are fair in 16 feet of water cut bait and nightcrawlers. Bream are slow on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are slow in 10-12 feet of water crankbaits, spinnerbaits and frogs. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.
