My youth was a perfect mixture of strict discipline and growing up wild in Georgia. It prepared me for having a balanced life where I worked hard and did the best I could at my job, but my free time was mine. I could concentrate fully on my job during the workday but forget it and do what I wanted the rest of the time. It has served me well in retirement, too.
From about six years old I had responsibilities on the farm that went along with my age. I helped gather eggs from our 11,000 laying hens, cleaned out watering troughs that ran the length of the chicken houses by running a broom down them from one end to the other, and putting graded eggs in cartons.
Those jobs increased in complexity and effort as I got older. But not all were hard work. I loved taking my semiautomatic rifle with the high-capacity magazine that I got for Christmas when I was eight years old that was loaded with .22 rat shot to the chicken houses each morning. Four of the houses had big open feed bins and during the night wharf rats would get trapped in them. I would climb up to the top, shoot any rats inside, then grab them by the tail and take them to the dead chicken dump hole.
That same .22 rifle or my trusty .410 single shot shotgun accompanied me on my morning and afternoon pre and post school and weekend trips to the woods during the fall and winter. Most anything was fair game, squirrels and rabbits during season and birds the rest of the time.
It was not unusual for me to leave the house on Saturday morning at daylight and return home at dark, exhausted, dirty, hungry and happy. I took some snacks like potted meat, Vienna sausage or sardines with some Saltines or Ritz crackers but that was never enough, although I supplemented it with roasted birds and a pocket full of pecans when they were falling.
Spring and summer were fishing times. Rather than my .22, I would carry my Zebco 33 rod and reel or later my Mitchell 300 outfit and small tackle box with me and walk or ride my bicycle to local farm ponds and fish all day. Or I would go down to Dearing branch with some fishing line and a small fly in my pocket.
I made the flies with chicken feathers and some of mama’s sewing thread, and they looked awful. I would dangle them from the end of my rod, a stick that I had cut in the woods. And the tiny bream and horny heads in the branch thought they were food often enough to make fishing for them productive.
Summer also brought the wondrous time of having many full days to spend wild. My friends and I would camp out, starting near the house in the back yard at eight years old them moving deeper into the woods each summer. Cooking food over a campfire was always an experience, and it never was cooked right, but there was never a crumb left!
We built tree houses, forts, “cabins” in the woods that kept out neither rain nor wind, and traps for non-existent animals. We dammed Dearing Branch, sometime making a pool deep enough to come up waist high on a 13-year-old skinny dipper.
We chased toad frogs and fireflies at night until bedtime. The adults often sat around on the porch after dinner and we kids, not tired enough from a full day of activities, would run around in the dark, chasing toads, fireflies and each other.
I hate that those days seem to be gone. I can not imagine someone 100 years from now sitting at a computer writing about a video game they played as a kid!
If you want to do catch and release, remember From Hook To Release: How Gear Can Make A Difference For Fish Survival
from The Fishing Wire
By Greyson Webb
Your odds of success on the water can hinge on the gear you use, and the same principle applies when it comes to releasing fish. From not meeting size requirements to being caught out of season, there are many reasons why you might land a fish that you’ll need to release.
While released fish can go on to survive and be caught again, there are a variety of stressors a fish can experience throughout their landing and handling that can result in injury or death. Simply letting a fish go does not guarantee its survival, and the use of proper gear is a best fishing practice that can be adopted to help minimize stressors and improve a fish’s chance of recovery and survival.
What makes certain tools more effective in minimizing stress and injury than others? This article explores how the tools used throughout the catch and release process can boost the survival rates of released fish to keep populations healthy for the environment and anglers alike.
Non-Offset, Non-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks
It all starts with the hook—the first point of contact between angler and fish. The right hook will minimize hooking injury, reduce stress, and improve the ease of hook removal—all factors that influence a fish’s chance of survival. This is where the circle hook can make a difference. Circle hooks are designed to catch a fish in the jaw, which is the safest area if release is needed. Less likely to be swallowed or snag vulnerable areas like the gills or eyes, circle hooks decrease the odds of a potentially fatal hooking.
Not all circle hooks are the same, though. Non-offset circle hooks and non-stainless steel circle hooks go the extra mile in improving a fish’s chance of survival after release. Non-offset hooks are easier to remove than offset hooks, meaning less time out of the water for the fish, less bleeding caused by removal and less stress overall. In the case a hook cannot be removed, a non-stainless steel circle hook provides the benefit of degrading and shedding up to three times faster than a hook made of stainless steel or other non-corrodible metals.
Pro tip: If you’re wondering whether a hook is stainless or non-stainless steel, “Tournament Approved” labeling usually indicates non-stainless steel. For a quick test, you can also use a magnet to check the material. Simply place a magnet on a hook: if it sticks, the hook is stainless steel; if it doesn’t, you’ve got yourself a non-stainless steel circle hook.
Knotless, Rubberized Landing Nets
While not necessary for landing every fish, landing nets are a functional tool that help shorten fight time, reduce stress on the line and rod, and prevent potential poking or piercing by hooks, teeth, or spines as you land your fish. However, landing nets with coarse mesh can inadvertently damage a fish’s delicate fins, scales, or protective slime layer—increasing their vulnerability to infections or injuries. Made from a smoother and friction-reducing material, knotless, rubberized landing nets help in preventing these potential traumas. With the protective slime layer preserved and more scales and fins intact, a fish landed with a knotless, rubberized net is a fish that has a better chance of survival after release.
If you prefer to use your hands to land a fish, using wet hands or rubber gloves provides similar relief to that of a knotless, rubberized landing net.
Dehooking Tools
The clock starts ticking the moment a fish is brought out of the water—its chances of survival dropping the longer it stays out of its natural environment. This is when a dehooking tool can help fish and anglers alike. Designed to rapidly remove hooks while causing minimal injury to the fish, time is not wasted struggling with a tough hook and the risk of injury during hook removal—for both the fish and the angler—is greatly reduced. It’s a win-win.
That said, there are situations where it is better to leave the hook in place. If a fish is deeply hooked in the gut or throat, attempting to remove the hook can often do more harm than good. In these cases, it is best to simply cut the leader close to the hook and leave it in the fish—particularly if it is a non-stainless steel hook, which has a greater chance of being shed. Research indicates this is less damaging and gives the fish the best chance for survival.
Descending Devices
If you land a fish and notice it has bulging eyes, bubbling scales, difficulty swimming below the surface, or organs protruding from the mouth or anus, it is likely suffering from barotrauma. Similar to the bends experienced by divers, barotrauma is an injury that can occur when a fish is brought from the high-pressure environment of deep waters to the low-pressure environment of the surface. This change in pressure can cause the gases in a fish’s swim bladder to expand, damaging organs and making it difficult for the fish to return to its original depth. Barotrauma is particularly common in deep-dwelling species, such as some snappers and groupers. Untreated, a fish experiencing barotrauma becomes vulnerable to predators, the elements, and the injuries of barotrauma itself. Fortunately, the right tool can help reverse this condition.
Descending devices are tools that use added weights to lower fish back to their depth of capture. As the fish is pulled down the water column by a descending device, the swim bladder recompresses, and the fish is given a better chance at survival. Descending devices all work to return a fish to their original depth, but they come in different forms: inverted hooks, weighted crates, and lip clamps.
An inverted hook is a barbless hook with an added weight that is inserted either through the original hook hole or through the soft tissue on the fish’s lower jaw. Rigged to a rod and reel, the inverted hook guides the fish back to its proper depth. Once there, a gentle tug on the rod will release the fish if it hasn’t already slid free.
Similar to an inverted hook, the lip clamp is a descending device that uses an attached weight to pull a fish back to depth by attaching to a fish’s lower jaw. However, instead of piercing the jaw, the clamp securely grips it. A lip clamp can be pressure triggered or spring triggered for release. A pressure triggered lip clamp includes a pressure-sensor mechanism designed to automatically release fish once the desired depth is reached. A spring triggered lip clamp requires you to manually open the lip clamp by pulling up on the rod once the fish reaches the desired depth.
A weighted crate, often referred to as a fish elevator, is a crate with an open top—such as a milk crate—that has a rope attached to the closed bottom along with weights. To use one, place the fish in the crate, quickly flip it upside down into the water, and let the attached weights sink the contraption. Acting as a bottomless cage, the weighted crate will bring fish back to depth, where they recompress and can swim away on their own.
A good rule of thumb when using any descending device is to use one pound of added weight for every five pounds of fish.
Given their benefits, many of these tools—such as descending devices, dehooking tools, and non-offset, non-stainless steel hooks—are required to be readily available or in use when fishing for or possessing snapper grouper species in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Eastern Florida. Interested in learning more about the practices and requirements that give snapper grouper species a better chance at survival after release in the South Atlantic? Check out the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Best Fishing Practices campaign for more information and ways to get involved.
A Yamaha Outboards ad on the Elite Series online coverage over the weekend got me thinking about why I fish. Then an article in Wired2fish online magazine added to my thoughts.
The Yamaha ad has a bunch of professional fishermen saying something along the lines of “if you want to relax don’t fish with me.” And the article gave reasons why so many tournament anglers “burn out” after a short time.
I have been tournament fishing since my first one with the Spalding County Sportsman Club in April 1974 – more than 48 years. For most of them I fished at least two tournaments a month, and for the past six I have fished at least three club tournaments a month.
Until a few years ago I fished many more days for fun and relaxation than I did tournaments. A few years ago I fished 443 days in a row without missing one, fulfilling a childhood dream of fishing every day for a year.
Many hours were spent sitting on my pond dock catching bluegill and bullheads. I would sit on the docks at Raysville Boat Club catching small bluegill for bait to run on jugs and trotlines that night. And I spent hours dabbling jigs around button bushes for crappie.
Maybe that is why I never burned out, all fishing was fun. Although I took trying to win every tournament very seriously, I did not “have” to win to pay my next entry fee or tournament expenses. Tournament fishing was fun even if not really relaxing.
For the past few years I pretty much go fishing only to practice for a tournament or fish one. And most of my practice is riding around watching my electronics, trying to find school of fish and hidden structure and cover.
I can still make a lot of casts and work hard to catch a fish in tournaments. Sometimes it gets frustrating that my old body won’t let me fish as hard as I want to. But I try not to think of it as a “grind” as many tournament anglers, especially young ones, complain about nowadays.
I will keep fishing as long as my body will let me. But I will never let it become a “grind” trying to catch a fish. If it is not fun it is not worth the effort.
Fisheries
Threatened Coho Salmon Return To Upper Klamath River Basin For First Time In More Than 60 Years
November 24, 2024
By The Fishing Wire
CDFW releases 270,000 fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the first yearling hatchery salmon release following historic dam removal
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has seen the first returns of threatened coho salmon to the upper Klamath River Basin in more than 60 years following historic dam removal completed last month. Not since the construction of the former Iron Gate Dam in the early 1960s has CDFW documented coho salmon occupying their historic habitat in the upper watershed.
On Nov. 13, seven coho salmon entered CDFW’s new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County, which is located on Fall Creek, a formerly inaccessible Klamath River tributary about 7.5 miles upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location.
“To see coho successfully returning this quickly to this new habitat post-dam removal is exciting,” said Eric Jones, a Senior Environmental Scientist who oversees CDFW’s north state hatchery operations. “We’ve already seen the Chinook make it back and now we’re seeing the coho make it back.”
Of the seven coho salmon that entered the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery last week, four were male and three were female. Two had missing adipose fins, identifying them as being of hatchery origin. The other five were natural origin fish as all hatchery raised coho salmon in the Klamath Basin have their adipose fins removed for identification prior to release.
The returning coho are being kept at the Fall Creek Hatchery pending genetic testing at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center laboratory in Santa Cruz. Geneticists will determine which of the seven coho are the least related genetically and direct the spawning of those pairs to maximize genetic diversity.
Coho salmon in the Klamath Basin are listed as a threatened species under both state and federal endangered species acts. Coho salmon typically return to freshwater to spawn in the late fall and winter, later than the more numerous fall-run Chinook salmon.
CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery has an annual production goal of raising 75,000 coho salmon to help restore populations in the upper Klamath River Basin post dam-removal.
Also pertaining to CDFW’s salmon work in the Klamath Basin:
** CDFW last week released approximately 270,000 yearling, fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the last Klamath Basin hatchery release of the year and the first release following dam removal. The year-old juvenile salmon, approximately 4 to 6 inches in length, were released over four days, mostly at dusk to improve survival, and allowed to swim freely out of the hatchery into Fall Creek without handling.
“We’re releasing various life histories so that gives the fish a chance to out-migrate at different times of the year mimicking what we would see in the river naturally,” said Crystal Robinson, Senior Environmental Scientist and CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program Supervisor.
Hatchery salmon released as yearlings in the fall show some of the highest rates of return as adults, which is attributed to their larger size at release and optimal fall river conditions with cool temperatures and strong flows.
** CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million, state-of-the-art facility in its first year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in late October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 100 fish and collected 277,393 eggs. The hatchery has an ambitious annual production goal of 3.25 million fall-run Chinook salmon.
** Multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, including the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat following dam removal. CDFW is particularly focused on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints, including Jenny and Shovel creeks. To date, a video fish counting weir installed on Jenny Creek has recorded 310 adult Chinook salmon and one Pacific lamprey entering the tributary from the Klamath River. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests, or redds, and post-spawned adults.
The salmon work taking place in the Klamath Basin reflects all six priorities of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Futurereleased in January 2024. Those priorities are removing barriers and modernizing infrastructure for salmon migration; restoring and expanding habitat for spawning and rearing; protecting water flows and water quality at the right times to benefit salmon; modernizing salmon hatcheries; transforming technology and management systems for climate adaptability; and strengthening partnerships.
CDFW’s post-dam removal management strategy, as detailed in the recently released Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Monitoring Plan, is to mostly allow these ocean-going fish species to naturally repopulate the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat as they are now doing.
August is not a great month for bass fishing, but if you know what you are doing you can catch them. It is hot and uncomfortable for the fishermen and the bass are on very specific patterns. If you don’t fish a lake a lot and keep up with the fish, it is hard to do well.
The Flint River Bass Club has scheduled a two-day tournament at Clarks Hill each August for the past seven or eight years, and we just don’t learn from our mistakes. For a couple of years we caught some nice bass fishing a top water frog over the hydrilla that was widespread on the lake.
A few years ago the Corps of Engineers started a program to eradicate the hydrilla. Coots were eating it and bald eagles ate the coots. The problem was the hydrilla had some kind of bacteria in it that was concentrated by the coots. Eagles eating them died from it. Over a ten-year period, 78 eagles were found on the lake that died from the bacteria.
After two years of spraying and putting 80,000 grass carp in the lake, the hydrilla is pretty much gone. I am not sure what will happen to the carp, they probably will starve since their food source is gone. It is not unusual to see a 30-inch-long grass carp cruising the shallows looking for something to eat.
Without the hydrilla to keep bass shallow in the hot water, they hold in deep water and eat blueback herring. Folks over there put out cane piles, bundles of cane that stands up off the bottom. If you can find a cane pile you often can catch bass by working a topwater plug over it.
Last year only two of us showed up for the Flint River tournament, this year three. And two years ago nobody showed up. Last year Chuck and I fished until noon on Saturday, agreeing to go home rather than fish the second day.
This year three of us fished from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday then agreed we had enough of the hot sun and did not fish on Sunday. John Smith had three keepers weighing 3.39 pounds and won. My two weighing 3.02 pounds was second and my 1.76 pound largemouth was big fish. That was it!
The same time we fished there was a local Saturday Morning Open Tournament (SMOT). It produced a winning weight of five bass weighing about 13.5 pounds and second place was five at 13.2 pounds.
D.J. Hadden won the SMOT. I did an article with him there a few years ago and another one with his son a year later. Both showed me how they pull up on a hump or point with a brush pile on it, line up their cast and work a topwater walking bait over it. You must know where the brush piles are and which ones are holding bass to fish effectively. I am sure that is how the tournament was won.
I went over to my place at Raysville Boat Club Wednesday and got on the water for a few hours Thursday. The heat ran me back to my air conditioning after about four hours of looking around.
I thought there might be some bass hanging around the bream beds in shallow water and caught one small bass. I saw plenty of bream, just no bass. I also found a lot of fish holding on drops and old brush piles in 18 to 20 feet of water but could not get them to hit.
Friday was even hotter and I spent only three hours marking some deep brush to fish before heading in.
Saturday morning I headed to a nearby bridge and fished a topwater plug around it, catching both my keepers and a throwback before 8:00. After that I never landed another bass no matter what I tried so I was not unhappy when we decided to not fish the second day
I spent Sunday napping at Clarks Hill with the air conditioner running!
FAIR. Water normal stain; 71 degrees; 65.84 feet below pool. Black bass are slow on Ned rigs, shaky heads, Texas rigged senkos in watermelon red, red shad, motor oil, tequila sunrise in 15-25 feet on ledges. White bass are slow in 30-50 feet of water. Find bait around river and creek channels and fish spoons, blades, Alabama rigs down deep. Stripers are slow. Tight lines! Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 7.83 feet below pool. Water level is low, but target fish near the dam, and the deeper part of the lake. Drop down on brush piles. Use a slower approach now that we are experiencing colder weather and water temperatures.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 5.13 feet below pool. Catfish are starting to move out of the shallows and into the main part of the lake feeding on gizzard shad. Fish can be caught drifting. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 70 degrees; 0.71 feet below pool. Bass are good and can be caught on inside grass lines 4-8 feet with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senko and weightless flukes. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. Bass are good with worms on the edge of deep grass, then work flukes on the shallow portion of grass. Cast wacky worms on the bluffs to land a few. Reports of a 5 pound fish with a glide bait. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide. Bass are feeding on smaller bait fish so cast small swimbaits and jerkbaits near mouths of creeks. Cloudy windy days will be best. On sunny days cast a shaky head worm or dropshot around docks, or fishing a jig beneath the docks. As the weather becomes colder, start using an Alabama rig more. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.
FAIR. Water stain; 75 degrees; 0.26 feet below pool. 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.
GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees. Moving baits around the grass beds are producing some nice bass. Working flukes and worms popping out of the grass and reeds has been best. Targeting rock piles and ledges with shaky heads and Carolina rigs will still catch numbers of bass. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Bass are good with natural colored soft plastic worms in 2-10 feet. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide.
GOOD. Water stained; 69 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. Due to mild weather, the white bass and hybrid striper fishing bounced back a bit this week. Fishing is best as a front arrives and north or northwest wind velocity increases. Fishing is worse once the north winds subside leaving cold, calm, and clear conditions. Fishing is average as the southerly winds return, and until the next front arrives. White bass fishing is fair with the MAL Original with chartreuse tail for vertical work in deep water, and the White Tornado in 1 1/8 ounce white color for horizontal work when fish show to be carpeting the bottom to either or both sides of the boat. The morning bite is from 7:45-11:00 a.m. Expect a weaker, shorter afternoon bite from 1:45-5:00 p.m. Gulls are beginning to show and help to find fish during the first hour of the day. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish bite is consistent. Blue catfish are good along deeper river channels in 25-50 feet of water. Drifting at slower speeds with fresh cut shad has worked best. Channel catfish have been poor. Flathead catfish have been slow, but can be found around tree piles using live bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 3.36 feet below pool. Catfish are fair in deeper water. Perch are good in shallow water. Crappie continue to be good in 20 feet of water using live minnows. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are shallow around structure using chatterbaits and Texas rigged worms.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.02 feet below pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Windy banks and retaining walls should hold bass. Try subsurface fish patterns near the backs of coves and creeks and around vegetation and flooded grass. Look for schooling bass, chasing shad. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
stained; 85 degrees; 3.51 feet below pool. Bass are slow, but spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are fair in 3-6 feet around points with weeds and some shallower tree lines and road beds. Texas rigs are good on bigger trees in 5-7 feet, and road beds. Some deep fish showing up but slow off shore. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. The lake level is low. Crappie fishing is excellent in the main river channel timber and lower third of the lake in 30-50 feet of water catching crappie 6-28 feet down. Fish are very healthy with big black crappie being caught on jigs. Some catches near the bridge. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 70 degrees; 13.35 feet below pool. Black bass are slow with a few being caught late afternoon before dark around deeper rocky shorelines using senkos and slow rolling spinnerbaits. Catfish are slow with a few caught late afternoon into the night on cut bait. Crappie and white bass are slow.
SLOW. Water stained, 72 degrees. Redfish are being caught from the bank around Dead Tree Point on shrimp and fish bites. Trolling for redfish is slow now that the spawn is over and water temperatures are falling. Channel catfish are good along rock lines on cheese bait. Bass are fair along weed lines and inside the weeds. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water stained; 68 degrees; 7.68 feet below pool. Catfish remain good on cut shad and prepared baits. The river, creeks and main lake structure should hold fish. Crappie have been slow, minnows on main lake brush piles and docks would be the best bet. Largemouth bass have been fair on small crankbaits. Cranking and reeling in shallow, warmer water is the preferred tactic. Hybrids and sand bass have been slow on slabs in the main lake. The deadstick bite should improve as the lake slowly starts to clear. All ramps are open. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 67 degrees; 0.46 feet above pool. Black bass to 5 pounds are fair on buzz baits and Hags Hurricane Bladed jigs in the grass and weeds, and with crankbaits off the rocks in 3-8 feet around the rock cuts and flats. Crappie are slow around docks in 9 feet with brush using white or black and chartreuse jigs and some offshore brush piles. White bass are slow on crankbaits and slabs scattered around the lake. Catfish are slow on cut bait.
EXCELLENT. Water slight stain; 63 degrees; 15.24 feet below pool. Fishing continues to improve. Striper and white bass are biting throughout the lake in 22-42 feet. Vertical jigging, slabbing, with �½-1ounce spoons has been the best technique. Live shad has been producing some fish but slabs are out fishing the bait. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Starting to see some topwater action with striped bass, hybrids, and white bass. After the next front this action should increase. Catfish are good in 15-30 feet of water with cut shad and punch baits. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Crappie are fair on brush piles and standing timber in 20-25 feet of water with minnows. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 10-16 feet of water with punch bait. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Lake Buchanan bass fishing is great, and the colder the better on this lake. Work over rockpiles in 5-15 feet of water with jigs, worms and swimbaits to get those bigger bites. A deep crankbait around the deeper rocks is a great choice. Topwaters are still catching some solid fish as well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees; 0.30 feet above pool. This cool weather that we are finally experiencing should start the winter patterns. Water temperatures have still been in the lower to mid 60s and that has slowed down the winter feeding frenzy we see out here on Caddo. This typically happens when water temperatures fall to the low to mid 50s. Bass are biting in the river system with crankbaits, rattle traps, chatterbaits, swimbaits and Alabama rigs. Target the cuts, turns and points in the river and to locate bass. On the main lake stick to the chatterbaits, flukes and swimbaits around the grass and lily pads. Reports of some still being caught on trees with senkos. The white bass and crappie should start up pretty soon also with the cold weather and if we keep some current. Always fun to come out to Caddo no matter how the bite is just to see this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
GOOD. Water slightly stained, 71 degrees. Redfish are being caught along bank lines on shrimp and fish bites, or trolling on plastics and rattle traps 7-15 feet. Blue catfish are very good on road beds with cheese bait and shrimp. Channel catfish are being caught along the dam on cheese bait. Some bass are being caught off the dam and weed lines on plastics. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 71 degrees; 27.22 feet below pool. White bass and stripers sew excellent with daily limits topwaters and jigging spoons. Stripers sew schooling between 7-11 a.m. on the lower end. Bass are excellent on chatterbaits, crankbaits, wacky rigged senko over grass and hydrilla. Numbers and size have been great. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.
GOOD. normal stain; 67 degrees; 3.48 feet below pool. The recent storms slowed down the fishing just a bit but it has picked up especially on the days it has been warming up into the 70s. Still finding hybrids and white bass on midlake points and drop offs along sandy flats throughout the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch and the spillway humps in 11-19 feet. Cast spinners and slabs and look for schooling fish on these flats as well as deeper seawalls and shorelines. Fish any hump in 12-22 feet throughout the lake to find fish stacked up in schools as the day warms up. Look for schooling fish on cloudier/colder days. Use spinnerbaits or drop a slab down to the bottom and work it fast up and down and the fish will hit it immediately. Also throwing out a slab and reeling it back with a slow retrieve is also working well. Cast rattle traps, Spoons, Umbrella Rigs, slabs or sassy shads to get the hybrids to bite. The crappie bite has been getting better. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 7-15 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Crappie fisherman have been moving spot to spot finding limits. Lots of crappies in the 7-9 inch range. Limits of crappie will happen but you may catch a lot of small ones getting to your limit. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good on shallow flats in the mouths of the major creeks and the adjacent points and shorelines are holding fish in 2 -6 feet, or with fresh shad anchored or drifting on mainlake flats in 12-24 feet. This bite should hold up for another month or so. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
FAIR. Water stained; 75 degrees; 32.63 feet below pool. White bass are schooling near the dam area on points and flats. A few can be caught with small spinnerbaits. Bass are fair on shad colored crankbait, or green pumpkin soft plastics. Numbers are good, but some catches are small. Crappie are biting on deep brush in 25 feet of water with live minnows or black and chartreuse grubs. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 66 degrees; 12.07 feet below pool. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on cut shad. The bass are jumping, but no good reports. Water clarity is low. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Lots of freshwater in the lake slowing the bite until the water settles. Largemouth bass are dispersed throughout the lake relating primarily near stumps and boat houses. Crappie are slow with jigs and minnows.
GOOD. 75 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Comanche Creek stays warmer due to the power plant and this attracts many bass anglers in the winter. Fishing is excellent with most folks reporting numbers of fish being caught with an occasional bigger fish to 8 pounds. Soft plastics fished on a Texas Rigged worm or Carolina Rigged for those deeper fish seems to be the baits of choice. Tilapias continue to be caught on worms fished under a cork. Limits of eater sized channel catfish on prepared baits are common. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GOOD. Water stained; 71 degrees; 1.12 feet below pool. Catfish are excellent all over the lake. Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms, and punch bait is a great option on eaters and cut shad or bream have been doing well to catch trophy catfish. Bass are good along the bank and in 30 feet of water chasing schooling shad. Crappie are fair and you will need to hit many spots to catch a limit. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids have been schooling on flats and drop-offs in 13-24 feet with a few whites possibly mixed in. To determine the difference between the species check the tooth patch. Many folks are trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, others are using slabs from Bradley Outdoors to jig for them, as well as casting swimbaits or crankbaits when schooled up. Happy Thanksgiving and always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. The lake is low, best to launch near the dam. Crappie are good roaming in the river channel transitioning to the dam for the river pattern. Crappie are hitting minnows, jigs, or hand tied jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. 80 degrees; 11.91 feet below pool. Blue catfish are good with catches between 15-30 pounds drifting from the state park to Permit Point, and with rod-and-reels with jigs. Another report of channel and blue catfish, and a 20 pound yellow catfish that was caught and released all on soap bait with a jug line.Report by Weber’s Boat Landing.
GOOD: Water normal stain; 71 degrees; 0.81 feet below pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 5.21 feet below pool. White bass are fair to slow on main lake structures. White bass continue to be scattered due to ongoing water releases. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 68 degrees; 45.44 feet below pool. Alligator gar rod and reel and bow fishing has slowed due to cold water. Trophy catfish are good in 8-12 feet of water with fresh cut bait on santee cooper rig. Keeper catfish are good in 3-10 feet of water on vertical structure with stink bait or shrimp on a slip bobber to keep bait about a foot off the bottom. Bigger catfish are on offshore timber. Largemouth bass are fair early or late in the day. Slowly drag deep diving crankbaits or plastic jigs over hard bottoms in 5-10 feet of water. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees. Bass are good but can be a challenge to locate after the turnover, so utilize electronics to locate fish. Early in the morning use rattle traps, switching to Carolina rigs, dropshots or shaky heads in the afternoons. Still seeing lots of undersized fish. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water Stained; 70 degrees; 2.33 feet below pool. Bass morning bite has been slow with a few coming on spinnerbaits and chatterbaits in 3-5 feet around grass and flats. Square bill crankbaits are good in 3-5 feet around timber. Shaky heads and Texas rigs on humps 5-7 feet best. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Black bass are sporadic around vegetation. Small streamers and top water patterns are catching active fish chasing bait. Catfish are shallow around boat houses and brush. Report by Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork is heating up as the water temperature cools to the lower 60s. Tons of shad are showing up in the deeper water in the mid lake section in 36-56 feet range. The crappie are following the bait fish and beginning to stack up in those areas on timber and brush. The big white crappie are in the middle sections of the timber. You can still find groups of black crappie in different depths. Some black crappie are grouped up at the base of trees in 13-18 feet close to deep water areas. They are also on top of some trees in deeper water. The jig bite has been heating up this past week as well. We’ve had great success with small hand tied jigs in white and chartreuse as well as purple and gray. Soft plastics will also get you bit as the fish get more aggressive with the cooler water temperature. Catfishing is excellent along timber in creek channels in 18-28 feet. Start fishing with prepared bait and they will find you. If you prepare a hole with cattle cubes or sour grain. Any catfish bait of choice will load the boat with tons of eating size channel catfish. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.45 feet below pool. Anglers are reporting good catches of crappie. Hybrid stripers are fair to good. White bass can be caught trolling with crankbaits or live shad. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters along the rocks.
SLOW. Water stained: 70 degrees; 11.79 feet below pool. Sand bass should be chasing shad hitting spoons. Bass are best in the morning and evening on soft plastics.
FAIR. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.27 feet above pool. Water is muddy. Crappie are slow biting on minows. Bass fishing is slow. Sandbass and hybrids are biting in shallow water on cut shad. Catfishing is good. On cut shad and liver.
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. Granbury is full and the water temperature is in the low to mid 60s and cooling slowly. Releases from upstream have some debris floating through the lake. Be careful navigating. White bass action continues to be good to excellent with lots of smaller fish and a few bigger ones mixed in. Slabs and spinnerbaits are your best bet for these tasty sand bass from the lower ends all the way to Tin Top. Look for fish feeding on 10-15 feet on flats. Striped bass are fair to good with catches up to 8 pounds on live bait and trolled umbrella rigs. The best action is around the Decordova subdivision to Blue Water shores. Look for these striped bass to move upstream into the water flows. Largemouth bass are good in numbers in the same areas as the sand bass. Many are feeding together. The bigger largemouths are being caught on Texas rigged soft plastics near main lake points. Some good topwater action has been reported. Crappie are located near submerged structures from Water’s Edge to the Peninsula and are good on small minnows and jigs. Catfish action is good on cut bait on the upper ends near channel bends. Some big blue catfish and yellow catfish are being caught. Birds have returned to our reservoirs, and they are pointing out feeding fish to anglers. Keep your binoculars handy. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 0.90 feet below pool. Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow on jigs fished along drop offs along the river channel. White bass are slow. Blue catfish are good on shad fished in 5-20 feet of water. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 1.59 feet below pool. The forecasted cold front may slow the bite. White bass are shallow 15-20 feet along the edges of points with white slabs. Some days birds are working leading the way to white bass. Catfish can be caught mixed in with the white bass. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 49.20 feet below pool. Crappie are in standing timber. Sand bass are good. Catfish are good on minnows and worms. Largemouth bass are good.
GOOD. Water slightly stained. 70 degrees. Bass are good with small poppers in baitfish patterns around shoreline brush and boat docks, and woolly buggers around hydrilla are a good bet. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this should change as the weather begins to cool. Crappie can be caught on brush with minnows and jigs. Bass can be caught on small swimbaits.
SLOW. Water Stained; 65 degrees; 12.78 feet below pool. The lake has risen about two feet over the week. Bass are fair with a few three fish stringers over 10 pounds. Try dragging soft plastics slowly on the bottom in 8-15 feet of water. Blue catfish can be caught on juglines with live bait or cut carp. White bass are schooling throughout the day.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. The best bite is on soft plastics around docks and brush piles. The topwater bite is fair as the sun sets on docks and retaining walls.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 70 degrees; 0.53 below pool. Small bass can be caught on Texas rig soft plastics. Fishing should pick back up after these cold fronts stabilize. Crappie are in the shallow wood, but may slide out a little with the incoming front. White bass and catfish are sporadic here and there. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees; 0.77 feet above pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 3.46 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady as parts of the lake are turning over. Crappie are great with 1/32-1/8 ounce jigs or minnows. Fish can still be found on shallow stumps or some kind of structure in 3-7 feet early morning until about 8:30-9:00 a.m. Then fish move out to brush piles in 15-20 feet of water to lay up for the daylight hours before they go back out hunting at night. Look for sinking logs or stumps in 4 feet of water to start the morning and any kind of hard structure out to 20 feet. Periodically fish are on deep structures in 20-30 feet. Also bouncing a 1/16 ounce jig with a soft plastic body and black or white, bumping them along the rocks on the rip rap on the dam or the railroad has been producing. Black bass are on fire fishing early mornings in 3-20 feet with the bigger sized catches in 7-15 feet with spinnerbaits. Cast white and chartreuse spinnerbaits early in the morning 1-5 feet. As the sun rises target hard structure, or very sandy flats with structure nearby with a spinnerbait. When the morning bites ends, switch to a 3-6 foot diver. Then gradually go to a 12-15 foot diver, Texas rig or Carolina rig as the sun rises higher around 10 a.m. but, if you are still able to catch bass with a squarebill crankbait, do not switch to the 12 foot diver until you have covered at least two places that you normally catch bass at. When the reaction bait bite ends slow the approach with Carolina rigs or Texas rigs to entice a bite along rocks along banks, boat ramps, floating and submerged tire reefs, and rock piles. There are some 3-5 pound bass shallow in 2-5 feet of water feeding on bundles of gizzard shad and threadfin shad. If the water is clear enough it will appear black along the banks from all the shad. Black bass set up in 4-7 feet of water on single boulders or stumps to ambush the shad. Best way to fill a stringer of catfish is to sour some grain in a five gallon bucket and chum in 9-15 feet. Bigger blue catfish over 10 pounds are good in 15-28 feet of water. Very good numbers of nice sized catfish of all sizes can be caught with punch bait, chicken, liver, cooked shrimp, or fresh chunks of shad. Dragging shad on Santee Rigs is producing some 10-15 pound fish with an occasional 20-30 pound fish. Gizzard Shad and sunfish cut in chunks. Some days catfish may be really shallow, so do not be scared to anchor up somewhere. If you are dragging your baits and you hook up to a good fish, anchor up in that exact spot and cast around the boat if possible. As soon as the water hits about 72-75 degrees white bass will go super shallow and you will not find fish on any points deeper than 5 feet. The gizzard shad and white bass will make the green water turn black and with polarized glasses the fish will pop for you and it will be obvious the water is way darker and not muddy. Small rooster tails or roadrunners will work, or use a quarter ounce jig with a 3-4.5 inch swimbait in white or chartreuse, And this is an absolute must, you have to cast in 1-4 inches of water and start reeling right before it hits the water to prevent it sticking into the clay banks. Your first bite will be in 2-4 feet of water so that is 2-4 reels of the spilling reel, and your cast is over. Repeat. Once you find them, spot lock or anchor within casting distance without your boat drifting into them. Bluegills are great on brush piles mainly 15-20 feet with a 2-4 pound line and earthworms, wax worms, mealworms. Crickets are catching some bigger ones. Do not be surprised if you catch crappies or catfish, and lunker bass patrol the piles too. If you are an experienced angler, slap on the 2 pound mono and you will have an absolute blast! Lake Lavon has a decent size population of tilapia now. You can legally catch them in a cast net and take them home as they are not a game fish, and have no regulations, except if you were going to harvest them and take them home, you must cut their belly open and remove their guts before transport per law. Using light line on spinning rods and a bobber with live earthworm pieces seems to produce more bites than any other bait in 3-10 feet. Carolina rigged on sandy flats near boulders is producing nice stringers of tilapia as well. But I would have to say the bobber seems to be the best method. Peas, corn and small little dough balls , also work well when no live bait is easily accessible. As the water gets colder, they will become less abundant. Note, to possess any tilapia, grass carp, or any other fish listed as harmful or potentially harmful without first killing the fish by gutting, beheading, gill-cutting, or other means, or placing the fish on ice, except on those waters where a valid Triploid Grass Carp Permit is in effect. Not properly retaining will result in a ticket. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Crappie are good on minnows in 12-16 feet of water on brush. Channel and blue catfish are good on punch bait in 26-28 feet of water over drop-offs and rock piles. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are very good with catches up 6-8 pounds in the grass with chatterbaits, rattle traps and crankbaits. Brush piles in 8-15 feet with shad colored crankbaits, and 7-10 inch june bug or pumpkin worms. Bass are under the docks with ⅜ ounce jigs and frogs. The morning bite has been best. Crappie are good with minnows over brush piles. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours. Bass are good working docks and bulkheads with creature baits, worms and flukes. A frog or topwater around underwater vegetation is working well. Do not forget a wakebait in those same areas. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. This lake has a lot of vegetation in shallow water. Focus on these areas near deeper water, 10 feet, has been loaded with fish with creature bait, or Texas rigged worms. Fish are not very big but good numbers can be caught. Back of canals in shallow water under docks with a weightless senko. Water is stained more than normal so fish will relate to structure and banks. Report by Randal Frisbie, Central Texas Fishing Guide, LLC.
FAIR. Water stained; 63 degrees; 3.12 feet below pool. White bass are fair on humps and points in 15-30 feet of water with slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths as the white bass. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair to good on cut shad drifting main lake flats near the river channel in 16-28 feet of water. With the recent rain, the river and creek mouths will hold catfish as well. Channel catfish are fair on baited holes on punch bait in 15-28 feet of water on humps and points. Cut shad have been working also. Crappie are fair in 6-26 feet of water. Check brush piles, bridge pilings, and submerged cover close to a drop off ledge. Cover close to drop off ledges has been best. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Bass are slow, with the most consistent bite in 2-6 feet of water slowly dragging soft plastics on a Texas rig or Ned rig. Some can be caught with a crankbait. White bass and hybrid stripers chasing bait near creek channels.
EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 69 degrees; 2.82 feet below pool. Fall fishing is here and the bite is consistent. Crappie are in 10-18 feet on offshore brush with minnows, or tight lining straight down in standing timber. White bass are schooling under the surface in 7-17 feet. Catfish are being caught in 10-20 feet on cut bait and minnows. Largemouth bass can be caught from 2-18 feet this week on docks, timber, bulkheads, rocks with Texas rigs, jigs, chatterbaits, and spinnerbait. Numbers of bass are still on offshore brush and roaming main lake points. Catfish and white bass are on points, flats, and roaming open water. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.
GOOD. slightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.95 feet below pool. Water is a little stained in some areas, but the bite is still good. Lots of white bass in 7-15 feet of water using chartreuse and white Duck Tracker slabs. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 71 degrees; 1.88 feet below pool. Bass are in pre-spawn pattern now. The Dry Creek area is producing good catches with swimbaits, chatterbaits and hybrid hunters. Fish along the hydrilla and creek channels. Crappie are fair to good but have scattered somewhat. Fish are in brush in 10-25 feet with minnows and pintail jigs. The catfish should start stacking up at the hot water discharge once we start getting some cold weather. Report by Hambone guide service. Report by Hambone Guide service.
FAIR. Water stained; 54 degrees; 47.55 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady as the water starts to cool off. White bass are excellent slabbing. Bass are good on minnows and artificials. Catfish are fair to good with nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair with artificial baits and minnows. Trout are slow. Walleye are good on minnows, grubs, and other artificial baits. Best of luck to you out there. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole.
SLOW. Water stained; 68 degrees; 2.04 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Hybrids are scattered from the freshwater, but should improve in a few weeks. Blue catfish are fair in juglines with shad in 20 feet of water in the channels. Very few catches of channel catfish. Crappie are fair in 14 feet of water.
GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees; 1.26 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent on medium diving, and small swimbaits in 12-16 feet of water. Crappie are excellent on brush piles and standing timber with white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
GOOD. Water heavily stained; 64 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. The fall turnover is complete. Some bass are being seen in deeper water in larger groups. Most are hovering just off the bottom, so a dropshot has been working pretty well. A few have also been boated with a deep-diving crankbait. Speed cranking with one second pauses gets bit. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on Carolina rigs and small swimbaits 15 feet of water. Crappie are excellent on 1/16 ounce chartreuse or white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair in live minnows and cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 73 degrees. 0.38 feet below pool. The bass bite has been fair on white chatterbait or spinnerbaits early morning and evening. Midday flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water is the ticket to catch shaded up largemouth bass. The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. Crappie are good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees; 1.32 feet below pool. Still no action for largemouth bass and white bass are slow. Catfish are good throughout the lake on cut perch or shad. Crappie are good one day then slow the next. Target fish in shallow water off of docks, or in open water brush piles using minnows with some bites on jigs. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 61 degrees; 22.44 feet below pool. The upper end of the lake from Lee Day to The Rivers is still muddy and stained. A few bass can be caught suspended on jerkbaits up to 5 pounds this week over 25 feet of water. Most fish can still be caught shallow on spinnerbaits, frogs and chatterbaits in the brush 5 feet or less in the back of pockets. Crappie are fair in 30 feet of water suspended 10-15 feet down on main lake trees. No reports of white bass. Catfish are good up in the muddy water still on cut shad and drop lines in the Concho River. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 17.67 feet below pool. Fishing continues to be slow with few anglers on the water. The white bass are being caught using small spoons such as the Bomber slab. A few reports of crappie being caught on brush piles with BoneHead jigs. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 63 degrees; 1.12 feet below pool. Water temperature is still holding in the lower 60s, with no major fronts or rain to drop the temperature. Bass did slow down in the shallows, enough wind and clouds to move the shad back out a little. Blue catfish remain good for rod and reelers, with a lot of 1-4 pound fish being caught, mostly on shrimp and live minnows. Larger blue catfish are coming on cut bait. The highlight last week, which should continue if the weather stays about the same, was hybrid stripers. These were very good at times, especially around midday, late morning til early afternoon, trolling over humps in 12-20 feet. Near Smith Point was a good example. Both Redneck and Yankee rigs worked well, using either 2 in Pet spoons with feather, and Coyote spoons. Most of the new sunshine stripers are in the 20-24 feet and up to about 5 pounds. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.
SLOW. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water. The water clarity is clearing and shad are plentiful. Blue catfish are great in 2 feet of water with cut bait and live shad. Hybrids are fair. Sand bass are slow on minnows. Black bass are slow.
GOOD. slightly stained; 64 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on dropshot and small swimbaits in 16-20 feet of water. A lot of bass are 3-6 pounds. Crappie are poor on small white jigs. Catfish are poor on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.00 feet below pool. Striper are fair with the most consistent bite with live bait. Downriggers are not catching anything and probably will not until next summer. Your best bet is to just put baits in the water and slowly move around with the trolling motor until you find them. Once you find them, try to stay with them but that will be difficult because there moving fast and not staying still. Keep in mind we are approaching deadstick season here pretty soon. Sand bass are still slow to fair in 20-30 feet of water with live shad or small slabs and jigs or rattle traps. White and silver are good colors but white seems to be preferred. Catfish are still fair to good up the river near Rock Creek Camp. Cut shad is producing good numbers of fish in 5-20 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Water clarity is steady at 1-8 feet of visibility and slightly stained. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Bass are moving up with the lake level rising. Target points and drop-offs with Carolina rigs, chatterbaits, and jigs. Report by JK Outdoors Bass Fishing Guide.
FAIR. Water light stain; 79 degrees. Leaves are dropping from trees and fall fishing patterns are here. A strong cold front pushed south mid-week. Water is slightly stained. Bass are good with flukes, worms, and lipless crankbaits near the hydrilla grass edge are reported to be working for bass. No angler reports of crappie or catfish this week, but anglers can try minnows on crappie jigs near brush piles or piers to target crappie. Catfish can be targeted with worms or stink bait fished near the bottom at the prairie branch pier or over towards the dam by the valve release tower. Bluegill are biting on worms and hotdogs over at the boathouse dock. Anglers should try to use them on a free lined hook or with a hook and bobber.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 68 degrees; 2.66 feet below pool. White bass are good on shallow points early morning and late evening throwing 4 inch CoHo with 1/2 ounce jig head especially on windy days. White bass later morning are on humps, levees and long points in 16-28 feet water using 3/4 ounce slabs. Crappie are good on brush in 18-28 feet on or off structure with minnows. Catfish are excellent on the north end of the lake around timber in 15-21 feet of water with the best bite on cut shad, but prepared punch bait will catch fish too. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 1.18 feet below pool. White bass can be caught on live bait and slabs in 15-25 feet. Better quality and quantity can be caught with live bait. Crappie are still good in 5-20 feet on brush piles and small patches of structure with minnows. Crappie are shallow early then move deeper as the sun rises. Blue catfish can be caught drifting cut bait on flats in 20-40 feet. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 68 degrees; 2.04 feet below pool. White bass and hybrid striper are fair on the 309 flats and main lake points for birds and bait. The recent cooler weather should turn the fish on! Keep a slab and rattle trap tied on. Crappie bite fair in 10-15 feet of water. Minnows are normally the preferred bait and catches are coming from brush piles and standing timber. Blue and channel catfish are excellent on punch bait in 15-20 feet of water on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. Chum with Range Cubes and, or fermented grain. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 2.48 feet below pool. Bass are improving in shallow water where fish are chasing the bait into pockets. Target whatever brush and grass you can find and flip into it with your favorite lure. Crappie are slowly moving up the river. Catfish are good in 15-26 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 2.11 feet below pool. The weather has been warmer longer than years past, so the cold water has yet to start. At Somerville marina the crappie bite is slow, bluegill are fair on crickets, worms, and catfish are fair on minnows and punch bait. Crappie are slow over brush in 8-16 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Black bass are slow on moving plastics in 6-12 feet of water. Catfish are good in 6-10 feet using cut shad or punch bait. White bass are slow trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair in deeper water using cut bait or mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow, because water is not being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees. 45.25 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. The reports are very slow for black bass. The white bass are actively schooling biting spoons and inline spinners. Catfish are slow, with some reports of channel and blue catfish being caught from shore on cut bait. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
SLOW. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.22 feet below pool. Freshwater runoff and high winds have kept anglers off the water. Expect the water clarity to be muddy, slowing the activity for all species.
GOOD. Water stained; 69 degrees; 1.49 feet below pool. This is the first time I have seen improvement for white bass fishing in a long time. Fish are in a feeding mode they typically display as the water temperatures hit the low 70s and high 60s. Gulls and loons can be very helpful in finding fish, then, the splasher has been very effective at consolidating fish under the boat and keeping them there for long whiles. Fish are in as much as 53 feet of water, so getting to bottom quickly and repeatedly is key. Use the MAL Dense with chartreuse tail to accomplish this in the lower two-thirds of the lake. Largemouth bass fishing has been hit-or-miss with fish reorienting from hydrilla to the lake’s sparse natural cover. This has created a scenario where multiple fish will hold on a single piece of suitable cover. Anglers can go long whiles without a bite, then land four to six fish in just a few casts when one of these desirable pieces of cover is found. Due to lack of hydrilla, Carolina rigs may now be fished much more readily than when the hydrilla was present. Smaller, dark, natural hues of soft plastics are always a good bet on this lake. Gulls are beginning to show, but are not yet helpful in locating fish. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 2.74 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni has shifted from a fall bite to more of a winter pattern as cold front after cold front continues to cool the water temperatures. The hybrid striper bite has been very up and down the last week. Lots of big wind has made it difficult to fish areas that are holding fish. Swimbaits and slab spoons are working best. Seems like the 10-25 feet range are holding fish. The eating sized catfish bite in the 1-4 pound range are still excellent. Baited holes are working best in 15-25 feet with punch bait. The trophy catfishing continues to improve weekly. Fish are being caught on cut bait in 2-15 feet. The largemouth bite has been good on plastics in 1-6 feet. Slow rolling shallow cranks are still putting fish in the boat but downsizing is working best. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 69 degrees; 1.71 feet above pool. Striper fishing continues to be great with live shad producing limits of fish on points and humps in 25-40 feet of water as fish are coming to the boats to feed. Swimbaits are also working on shallow points and humps off creek ledges in 5-12 feet of water. Catfishing remains great with cooler temps and lake levels up. Drift cut shad on deep flats off the river channels closer to the ends of the lake in 25–55 feet of water. Eaters are still plentiful along ledges and on flats in 40–50 feet of water on cut shad and prepared baits. Crappie are showing up on brush and below docks. Use electronics to locate active fish and hair jigs to catch them. Start looking in coves in 10–15 feet of water and at the mouths of the creeks. Bass fishing is good on plastics off the banks in 5–12 feet of water. Crankbaits are effective throughout the day off the rocks and around docks. There are still a lot of small shad in the lake, so match the hatch for numbers. Big bass will be looking for larger baits as the water cools off. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass are excellent with daily limits on slabs under the birds. Target ledges and drop-offs in 25-60 feet of water. Fishing is extremely good on days with cloud coverage. On sunny days the best bite is early in the morning and the last few hours of daylight. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 68 degrees; 4.11 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady with very little change. Expect the bass to be good shallow with chatterbaits, small spinnerbaits and swimbaits. Target fish in 1-5 feet of water in flooded stumps or shallow grass. The creek bite will take a few days to turn on after the water clears. Best baits are going to be lipless crankbaits, square bills crankbaits and Texas rigs in 6-10 feet. The deep bite will improve this week after the strong winds pass. Cast spoons, dropshots and tail spinners. No reports on crappie. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 42.57 feet below pool. We are locating fish in numerous areas of the lake right now. The better fish seem to be coming from the grass on the lower end. Weightless soft plastic or lightly weighted Texas rig worms in the grass has been turning up some nicer fish. If it’s windy and cloudy, a chatter bait and spinner bait has been getting some good bites. The upper end of the lake has been very dirty the last week or so with recent wind. Spinnerbaits, shallow crankbaits and dark color jigs up there has been best. We have been targeting natural shorelines around brush and rock. Bigger chunk rock has been holding some better fish. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing. Bass are good and the bite is becoming stronger as the water temperature continues to cool. Topwaters and wakebaits are catching quite a few and the grass beds are starting to produce better using soft plastics and swimbaits. Look for big bites on ledges and walls and some under docks throwing jigs, shaky heads and whacky worms. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. There is a really good topwater bass bite in the morning, but can last all day when there is wind. Bass are biting small swimbaits near grass, Wacky rig trick worms around the grass in 8-12 feet. Crappie are good under the docks on minnows. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours. Bass are good chasing minnows in shallow coves. Cast weighted flukes or soft plastic worms. Some anglers are catching bigger fish on large glide baits. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide.
SLOW. Water stained. 66 degrees; 38.51 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in deep brush with live minnows. Still waiting on the first freezing cold front to change to a winter pattern. Channel catfish are fair, working structures near the channels. Blue catfish are suspended off the bottom in open water. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.84 feet below pool. Crappie are fair under the boat houses with minnows. Catfish are slow in 10-16 feet of water stink bait and nightcrawlers. Bream are slow on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are slow on trick worms and crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Crappie are good scattered on docks in 6-8 feet of water, or on the southern end of the lake chasing shad on minnows. Report by Caleb Hensley, 903 Fishing.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 72 degrees. The water is very low and the boat ramp is closed to power boats for infrastructure repair, but you can still launch kayaks and canoes and bank fishing is still possible, though challenging. The low water conditions have exposed submerged rock piles near the launch so be cautious. Fishing up against the reeds is becoming increasingly difficult and less effective due to much lower water and lots of matted grass in front of the reedline. Targeting submerged vegetation with moving techniques like weedless swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits 15-20 feet off the reedline and in the open flats and points continues to work. Texas rigged soft plastics, stick baits, and punch rigs can work on the outside of the grass mats. Overall, expect to fish further from the bank than usual as the lake footprint shrinks, but the fish are still there and biting. Report by Team YAKUSA.
SLOW. Water heavily stained; 63 degrees; 4.81 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Crappie are fair in the crappie house on jigs or minnows. Fish are mainly undersized. Catfish are fair suspending in deeper water with punch bait and shad. Water visibility is 4 inches.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 22.07 feet below pool. Water level is low so launch and navigate with caution. Catfish are fair. Largemouth bass can be caught off the shore with soft plastics.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.04 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 18-25 feet of water. Striped bass bite is getting better on live bait or trolling in 20-30 feet of water. Some Stripers being caught on top water baits. Crappie are fair on small jigs and minnows in timber in 15-20 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is slow. Large mouth bass fishing is good around the docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 2.39 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structures on slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 70 degrees; 0.62 feet below pool. Water is stained, but clearing in the south end. Largemouth bass are on cypress trees and structures in 4-5 feet biting worms and grubs. Catfish are plentiful being caught in fresh caught shad on bulkheads and jug lining with an 8-10 feet leader. Crappie are decent on brush piles in 8-14 feet of water with hand tied jig heads in East fork. White bass are rearing heat on swim baits, rooster tails and trolling humps with a 20 foot diver with a #12 pet spoons in 12 feet of water. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.
Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of November 27, 2024
Redfish Bay
FAIR. 72 degrees. Winter patterns are emerging now that the water is dropping out. Drum and redfish are good on shallow flats with dropoffs using dead shrimp and mullet. Some piggy perch can still be caught and used as bait. Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
San Antonio Bay
GOOD. 70 degrees. High tide and winds so redfish, trout and black drum can be caught in the back lakes and reeds. Decent sized trout can be caught on live shrimp. Redfish are good on mullet. Black drum are good on dead shrimp. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 68 degrees. Focus fishing efforts in areas protected from the wind. The Neches River points, drops and bayous continue to produce catches of redfish, a few speckled trout under the birds, sheepshead and very nice drum up to 17 inches on rock piles, and freshwater catfish. Still reeling in a mixed bag off the buoys with live shrimp under a popping cork. After the last cold front dropped the water the redfish are good on the intracoastal canal rock piles. The wind has kept anglers off Sabine Lake, but this should change for the Thanksgiving weekend. Look for midlake bird action then slow roll silver or gold spoons on the bottom for bigger sized trout, or make long drifts with ⅛-�¼ ounce jigs in 2-6 feet of water. North Levy on Pleasure Island is good for speckled trout and redfish with live shrimp under a popping cork. Some birds are working the North Levy wall. Bull redfish are staying near the jetties. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 72 degrees. Water temperature is dropping finally in the lower 70s, and should continue to drop with the forecasted weather changes. Water levels swapping back-and-forth this week with the north winds pushing the tide out. Anglers are still catching plenty of redfish everywhere. The big croakers are still being caught along with a few more sand trout, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, and crabs caught along the jetty with a few small stingrays and sharks. Remember, flounder are catch and release only through December 14th. The surf is producing lots of redfish and black drum, the occasional speckled trout and bigger sharks along the whole peninsula with more activity towards Gilchrist, High Island mainly. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Trinity Bay
SLOW. 68 degrees. Lots of trout in various areas with those wading the east shoreline finding better quality fish. West shoreline producing fair action on trout, but better numbers of redfish being caught along the old pier pilings. Upper ship channel bays are good for trout, redfish, black drum, and sheepshead on live shrimp under popping corks. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Water clarity is good. Trout are on fire. You can find great trout when you find shrimp on a flat with guts in it by a shoreline being caught well with WAC Attack Lures using the WACky Shad XL in the prepared pumpkin color. Redfish are of rocky flats with current and on reefs in 5 feet of water eating swimbaits rigged weedless. Drum and sheepshead are mixed in with the redfish on rock lines eating live shrimp under a popping cork. Wear your kill switch at all times and be safe. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay
GOOD. 68 degrees. Waders are beginning to catch some quality speckled trout on hard plastic baits. Redfish mixed in with them and still some flounder near the mouths of deep bayous and drains. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Slot sized speckled trout, black drum, and redfish are being caught on live shrimp, croakers, and finger mullet. We are still getting a few reports of good fishing by Frenchtown Road, Siever’s Cut, and near the boat ramp by rollover. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp. Surface water temperature 65 degrees. The water clarity is about average now for East Galveston Bay. This past week we had a couple of fronts push through that dropped the water temperatures, as well as water levels in the bay system. On our morning trips we have fished falling tides, and the trout bite has continued to get better, catching good numbers and some oversize fish as well. The ticket the past few days has been fishing right on the bottom over deep shell with 1/4 ounce jig heads with light color tails by Wac Attack, securing the most bites. The redfish are still up around grass lines and in the shallow water areas in the marsh. We are still using Imitation shrimp lures and tails under popping corks, with a one foot leader, but the jig head or tails have been the winner this week. As in previous weeks, if you don’t see active bait, move on rather quickly. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.
Galveston Bay
SLOW. 67 degrees. Western shoreline holding good numbers of trout and a few black drum with the occasional redfish. Spoil islands fair for trout, but bull reds are roaming near the rocks. The bull redfish are also beginning to school up in the open bay, look for working birds. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
West Galveston Bay
GOOD. 68 degrees. Far west end of the bay, in Chocolate bayou and bay is good for speckled trout on shell reefs and working flocks of birds. Scattered reds along the bayou shorelines and grass lined shorelines. Those fishing the upper end of the bay are finding speckled trout on shell throwing soft plastics. Those fishing wit shrimp are also landing some drum and sheepshead. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
Texas City
GOOD. 67 degrees. Good catches of bull redfish continue to be had off the dike and the Galveston jetties. Best on cut mullet and live halved crabs. Galveston channel producing flounder, as anglers eagerly await the reopening of the fishery. Red snapper are plentiful in state and offshore waters when conditions allow.Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Anglers are still catching plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and black drum with the occasional sand trout, gafftop and big croaker. Successful wade fishing around Mosquito Island and inside the Moses Lake Tidal Gate in the late afternoons. Along the dike has been productive from the beginning to the end. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Freeport
GOOD. 69 degrees. Birds have been working over trout and redfish feeding on shrimp in the mornings and in the evenings in Chocolate Bay, Bastrop Bay, and upper West Galveston Bay live shrimp under a four horseman pop n corks have been working well or gulp with 1/16 ounce jig head. The old river been good with trout, redfish, sheepshead and mangroves snapper. The river has been good for trout, redfish, drum, sand trout and big croaker using either live or dead shrimp. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures
East Matagorda Bay
GOOD. 69 degrees. Trout can be caught wading or drifting. Very few redfish catches in the bay while fish are still in the marshes with the shrimp. Some catches of redfish in shallow water with cut bait. Black drums are plentiful along shell reefs. While flounder season is closed, the fish are abundant for catch and release. There is an abundance of shrimp in The Colorado River, so trout and redfish catches are good. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
West Matagorda Bay
GOOD. 69 degrees. Redfish can be caught in the back lakes. Redfish are as shallow as possible. Trout are good midbay. Black drums are plentiful along shell reefs. While flounder season is closed, the fish are abundant for catch and release. There is an abundance of shrimp in The Colorado River, so trout and redfish catches are good. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
Port O’Connor
GOOD. 68 degrees. Bull redfish back of the jetties blue crab and Spanish sardines. Slot redfish are biting inside the south jetty halfway down, and during the incoming tide at the end of the north jetty. Black drums are biting inside of the south jetty at the end casting dead shrimp and blue crab. Trout are biting in the washouts with live shrimp. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.
Rockport
GOOD. 71 degrees. Trout are good on shrimp and piggy perch along grass and shell in 3-4 feet of water. Redfish have been great on shrimp piggy perch, cut skip jack or mullet on flats, fishing sand pockets and along islands. Black drums are good on live or dead shrimp and fish bites in drains, sand pockets and along oyster beds. Mangrove snapper are good on shrimp along rock piles. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Port Aransas
GOOD. 71 degrees. Slot redfish and oversized redfish have been great on silver spoons, shrimp and cut mullet or skip jack at the north and south jetty. Trout are good with shrimp free lined along rocks. Black drums and mangrove snapper are good on shrimp at both jetties. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Corpus Christi
FAIR. 72 degrees. Winter patterns are emerging now that the water is dropping out. Drum and redfish are good in the Packery Channel using dead shrimp and mullet. Some piggy perch can still be caught and used as bait. Some catches of trout with live shrimp on a popping cork. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
Baffin Bay
GOOD. 75 degrees. Despite the full moon and high water levels, which we should be getting used to by now, the fish are biting and big trout are continuing to be caught. Topwaters like She Dogs and soft plastics like Coastal Brew Darts and Down South Big Smooth have been the best performers, but Double D’s and Softdine XLs are in the running and will continue to be through the next few fronts that arrive. When water temperatures drop another 5-10 degrees, we will start fishing a little lower and a little slower. Key in on jumping bait and birds to find places where fish are feeding more heavily. Manage the transition into the colder winter months with thoughtfulness, and you will be very successful in catching your personal bests! See you on the water! Report by Captain Sally Black. Conditions lined up for some opportunities to catch redfish and big trout. Our water level has finally dropped out significantly, this has been a positive impact in areas where there are back lakes or sloughs, the tide drop has brought a lot of the food source in these back lakes out into these estuaries. Significant drop offs, grass lines or scattered grass beds have also been great structures to fish this time of year. If there is baitfish present, Power-pole down and fish it thoroughly. Lures of choice have been a wide range but what’s been working are MirrOlure Little John/XL in dark colors. The color of choice is greatly influenced by the water clarity as well as the weather, such as clear skies or overcast skies. Anything with gold, copper or silver shimmer or a reflective base has been performing well and producing solid bites on clear days in stained to chalky water. Baitfish activity is crucial to identify this time of year for a good trout bite, once identified fish deliberately and purposely. Stay safe and courteous of others out on the water. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Report by Captain Reanna DeLaCruz, Captain Reanna’s Baffin Bay Adventures.
Port Mansfield
GOO. 76 degrees. Water levels fell some and fish have been staging in about 2 feet of water. Scattered grass beds in and around sandy areas have been key. Additionally, bait must be present, with this combination you can expect good trout and redfish action. Best baits have been BTS in Bone Diamond. Fishing should improve as the cold fronts continue to roll through. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters.
South Padre
GOOD. 75 degrees. Breezy south to southeast winds gusting to 13-20 mph in the late morning and early afternoon. Speckled trout are good on the gas well flats and north of Unnecessary Island using live shrimp under popping cork. Redfish are spotty on gas well flats. Small black drum are in schools near the old causeway. Redfish mixed in with black drum in channels in south bay. Croaker, sheepshead and sand trout are good in South Bay and Old Causeway. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Port Isabel
GOOD. 75 degrees. Breezy south to southeast winds gusting to 13-20 mph in the late morning and early afternoon. Speckled trout are good on the gas well flats and north of Unnecessary Island using live shrimp under popping cork. Redfish are spotty on gas well flats. Small black drum are in schools near the old causeway. Redfish mixed in with black drum in channels in south bay. Croaker, sheepshead and sand trout are good in South Bay and Old Causeway. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.
Lake Guntersville is special. On the Tennessee River in north Alabama, it is a grass filled bass factory. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ranks it in the top ten bass lakes in the nation most years.
When big tournaments are held there it is common for five bass limits weighing more than 20 pounds to come to the scales, and catches of five weighing 30 pounds are weighed in most years.
But there are two sides to this story. Bass clubs in Alabama send in tournament results and the state compiles it in their BAIT report. That report shows Guntersville has a lower percent of anglers catching a keeper bass in tournaments than all but three other Alabama lakes.
Fishing can be great there but the whole lake looks “fishy.” When you stop on a point or in a cove and see hydrilla, water willow and eel grass everywhere it is hard to decide where to cast. It looks like a bass could be anywhere, or everywhere.
The Sportsman Club fished there last weekend and our results are more like the BAIT results than the results of pro tournaments or tournaments fished by local fishermen that know the lake well.
After fishing from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM Saturday and 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM Sunday in very hot weather, we brought 21 keeper bass weighing about 45 pounds to the scales. Nobody weighed in a five fish limit and three of the nine fishermen didn’t have a keeper.
Guntersville has largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. The length limit on smallmouth and largemouth is 15 inches and in our tournament a spot had to be 12 inches long. About 14 of our bass were largemouth, six were spots and one a smallmouth.
Raymond English had bad/good luck and won and had big fish. His boat motor would not go into gear so he had to fish around the ramp both days, but caught six keepers, four largemouth and two spots, weighing 15.14 pounds for first and his 5.40 pound largemouth was big fish.
My six, three largemouth, two spots and one mean mouth, weighing 8.80 pounds was second, Zane Fleck had three largemouth weighing 7.97 pounds for third and Billy Roberts had three largemouth weighing 6.13 pounds for fourth.
I went up on Wednesday and camped at Guntersville State Park, a beautiful facility with good shower houses. As usual I was shocked at the number of huge motor homes and fifth wheel trailers that came into the campground, were set up and the folks went inside.
I seldom saw anyone else outside except midmorning when some came out to cook breakfast and then came back out late in the afternoon to cook dinner. I guess it was just too hot to leave the air conditioning in their home away from home, but I don’t understand driving to campground on a beautiful lake and staying inside almost the whole time.
I spent Thursday and Friday riding around looking for deep fish on ledges on my electronics. Guntersville is famous for its deep ledges as well as its grass beds. I found many schools of fish but could not get them to bite. One local guide told me they were inactive and would not feed unless current was moving from power generation, and there was no current the whole time I was there.
Saturday morning I started on a grassbed a guide had suggested, and caught two short bass and one barely 15 inch long keeper. At about noon I was fishing down a bluff bank, mainly keeping my boat in the shade, and caught a keeper spot. Then a little later on another bluff bank a good keeper largemouth it my small jig in a treetop. Those three put me in third the first day.
Sunday the grassbed produced only one short fish so I headed to my shady bank early. I caught an unusual looking fish, it looked olive green, not green like a largemouth and not brown like a smallmouth. I looked it up and it was a cross between a spot and a smallmouth, called a “meanmouth.” It had a patch of “teeth” on its tongue like a spot and, according to what I found on the internet on my phone and a text to a local guide, it was considered a spot for size limits so I could weigh it in.
I stayed on that shady bank the rest of the day and lost a keeper spot and caught two short spots. Then, with ten minutes left to fish, I caught a keeper spot. At 1:17 I thought to myself I could make two more cast before running in. That cast produced a hit on my small jig and I landed a barely keeper largemouth, giving me second place.
Late Fall Walleyes – Quick Q&A with seasoned walleye professional and Whitewater Fishing pro staffer Jason Przekurat
By The Fishing Wire
Muskegon, MI – Walleyes are still on the brain. Sure, the ponds and potholes are filling with ducks and bucks are getting frisky, but it’s tough mothballing the rods when the biggest walleyes of the year are on the move.
With that in mind, to scratch that itch, we reached out to Whitewater Fishing pro staffer Jason Przekurat for some quick pointers on late fall walleyes. The two time National Walleye Tour Champion and two time FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year shared some time-honored intel on how to maximize your time on the water.
1) Given a wide range of water and cover types available, what do your ideal spots consist of for targeting big fall walleyes?
“Excluding the Great Lakes, the one thing I’ve learned over the years when looking for big walleyes in the fall is to focus on areas that have steeper breaklines adjacent to deep water access. This would include areas that have either weeds or rock, but if focusing on weeds, make sure they are still green. All of these areas must have one thing in common and that is bait. Without the food they will not come.”
2) Lures and bait…what are your favorite lures for late fall walleyes and what are the best applications?
“Here are the two main presentations I focus on during the fall bite: First, for negative or finicky fish, I focus on live bait primarily some type of chub, be it a creek chub or redtail chub. If the water is too clear and the fish are boat shy, I will cast to them with a jig/minnow combo. If the fish don’t mind the presence of your boat, it’s time to go vertical use the old standby live bait rig and slowly pull it over them with your bow mount trolling motor. The second option for me is to get aggressive with any type of glide bait. Many times, I’ve seen fish ignore a big minnow but will react to the glide baits fishing them both vertically or by casting”
3) What are the ideal conditions for fall walleyes in terms of water temp and any other climate conditions? What days jump out and you think, “I better go fishing!”
“I’m a big fan of waiting for your lake to “turnover” before heading out for the fall bite. In most places, turnover occurs with water temps in the upper 50’s, so when the temps hit the mid to low 50s is when I consider the fall bite to begin, and that is all the way until ice up. Wind is definitely your friend this time of year, too, so don’t head for the calm side. Put on your Whitewater Great Lakes Pro suit and head to the windy side, you won’t be disappointed. And if it’s cold, the new Whitewater Great Lakes Pro Insulated suit has made fishing in the fall so much more enjoyable. It’s super lightweight but keeps you toasty warm so you can stay out longer.”
4) Walleyes are found with other species that are also in fall feeding mode. Do you ever fish for other species at the same time and if so, do you adjust your presentation and lures to take advantage of other species such as bass?
“I’ve found bass quite often on my walleye spots and fall is the best time to take advantage of the situation. Always carry a dropshot in the boat as smallmouth really group up this time of year. I’ve seen 50 fish schools of smallies and who wouldn’t want to have some fun with those when looking for walleyes?”
5) Boat handling…how you approach a given spot, and how do you prefer to target them with a boat?
“With the use of forward-facing sonar, we can now see how the fish are reacting to our presence. I’m a believer in getting as close as possible to the fish before casting or dropping a bait, but if the fish are spooky, boat control becomes crucial. Trying to point the bow into the wind helps with boat control, but it also makes a lot of “noise” from boat slap. If the fish are wary of your boat, always fish downwind to avoid that.”
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Southern anglers can capitalize now as crappies are aggregating and settling in for the winter.
By Noel Vick
Muskegon, MI – Boats are fewer and farther between. The oftentimes obnoxious manmade waves produced by recreational boaters are largely gone. Some sun on your back feels good again. And above all, crappies can be easy to pattern and catchable in the right zones with precision presentations.
A crappie’s preferred temperature range is 55- to 75-degree, give or take a few points. And if you’re launching in the southeast, south, or south central states, you’re in that window right now.
A clutch of southern crappies often consists of blacks and whites – white crappies usually being predominant. To that, especially in fall and winter, they’re intermixed with bream – bluegills, greens, longears, and redears, so it can be a busy bite.
The south is reservoir country – largely, rivers dammed from the 1940’s through the 70’s to produce hydroelectric power. The bountiful byproduct being the creation of expansive reservoirs numbering in the hundreds.
Crappies flourish in many of these reservoirs. The flooding of valleys, even farms and towns, via the damming produced astonishing and varied habitat. Left on the bottom were standing trees, brush, buildings, rock formations, and roads. Over the years, much of the standing timber and brush have broken down, but the rock structure and some roadbeds remain. Moreover, replacement brushpiles are continuously being added by local fishing organizations and ambitious anglers. And these brushpiles are the linchpin for fall and winter crappies.
Historically, the best brushpiles are associated with creek channels. Creeks became submerged channels when the reservoirs were formed. Their beginnings are easily spied on a terrestrial topographical map, too, areas where valleys taper into what’s now an arm of the reservoir. Switch to a topographical reservoir/lake map – paper or digital, and you’ll see the deeper, carved out creek channels meander into the basin.
These arms and associated creek channels are the best areas to begin your quest. For one, you have a natural edge, a break, that fish and forage of all stripes utilize. Secondly, if the original brush has deteriorated, oftentimes the replacement brushpile build-ups have been placed within or along the creek channels.
An inside-out exploration of the arm and creek channel is recommended. Start by checking brushpiles in the 10- to 20-foot range nearest the back of the arm. If you have previously pinpointed and logged brushpiles, approach slowly and make long casts. Motoring over them and probing with electronics can blow fish out or send them deep into the brush. But rest assured, they’ll reposition if it’s a favored haunt. Just give it a rest.
Said resting period is also important when you discover a new brushpile. In shallower water, there’s a strong chance the crappies bugged out before you passed overhead. So, log it in your electronics and come back later. Old-school markers still work, too. Chuck out a jug and let things resolve a bit before fishing. Multiple markers are effective for physically mapping a larger brushpile. Toss a few around the perimeter so you don’t inadvertently cross back over the top. Having a visual reference of a brushpile’s shape and size lets you maximize every cast.
If the shallower brushpiles aren’t producing, continue searching deeper along the creek channel. Finding fish in 30- and 40-feet of water in the fall and winter isn’t rare. Plus, deeper crappies are less easily spooked. And as a rule of thumb, the higher crappies stage on a given brushpile, the more active they are. In the best case scenario, they’re milling overtop it.
The last word on brushpiles associated with creek channels is locating ones on channel turns. These curves are natural fish aggregators. Typically, too, they’re associated with a steeper break, which as mentioned earlier, is preferred by panfish.
Note, too, that we’re in drawdown season. The water levels in most reservoirs are lowered in the fall. One reason is to expose overgrown aquatic vegetation – especially invasives – and kill or reduce them. Drawdowns also afford wintertime shoreline cleanups and give operators an opportunity to make dam repairs. But the most consequential reason is to prepare for spring thaws and rains to reduce the chance of flooding.
Why are drawdowns important to you as an angler? Because a brushpile you marked in 20-feet over the summer might be sticking out of the water in November.
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Finding fish is first, followed by weaponizing yourself with jigs for casting and vertical fishing lures, and maybe live bait and slip-bobbers. (More on floats in a bit.)
Jigs are to crappies what popcorn is to movies. Any crappie angler worth a salt carries an armory of them. And for brushpile maneuvers, you want a mix of slow fallers and depth charges. And, when fish are high above the wood or working the flanks, nothing beats a naked feathered jig.
Bait shop shelves are juiced with options, from locally tied nuggets to universally loved offerings. Fishing what the locals use is a sagely start. Nearby tyers know what sizes and colors trip triggers. And, running a few local makes through the cash register is good for small businesses and can open the door to insider information.
From the widely available realm, consider Northland Fishing Tackle’s Fire-Fly Jig and the original Flu Flu feathered jig. Both are reliable fish catching machines and available in an array of colors. With Northland Fire-Fly Jigs, proven patterns include Parakeet – especially if bream are in the mix – and the ‘ol reliable Pink/White.
The magic of a feathered jig is its seductively slow fall and natural looks. Aggressive jigging is not required, either. Fling it out there and let the jig fall on a somewhat tight line, telegraphing any interceptions, which can range from a slight tick to a pull, or even stopping in its tracks – a fish rising to gobble. Line management is required or risk missing bites.
1/16th-ounce jigs are the benchmark in most brushpile situations. Lighter, and casting distance suffers. Heavier, and it drops too rapidly.
Tungsten is timely, too. The dense, eco-friendly metal lets you fish smaller sizes with the equivalent weight of lead. Meaning, a 1/16th-ounce tungsten jig is smaller than its lead counterpart. Northland’s Tungsten Crappie King Fly sets the bar in tungsten hair jigs. Crappie craving colors include Super-Glo Pinky and Olive, which is one of the coolest panfish producers to come around in a long time.
Vertical swimming jigs are crackerjack in 20-ish feet and beyond, or anytime you can hover over the fish without disturbing them. These are the baitfish-shaped, horizontal aquanauts that are widely employed in the north for walleyes and multispecies through the ice. They are lights-out on reservoir crappies, too, and should be part of your assortment.
The gold standard for decades has been Rapala’s Jigging Rap. The W2 (1 ¼-inch) and W3 (1 ½-inch) sizes being ideal for panfish. In clear conditions, consider the Bluegill and Rainbow Trout patterns. Go to Glow Green Tiger and Green Tiger UV when it’s murkier. Northland’s 1/8-ounce Puppet Minnow is another contender.
Working a swimming jig is simple and highly entertaining with electronics, you monitoring the action in real-time. Drop it down a couple feet above marked fish and start popping. The lure’s shape and fins cause it to swing and swim with each motion. Crappies tend to take it on the fall. Sometimes, tiny twitches or even a full stall will do the trick. These are best fished on light braided line with a fluorocarbon leader to get the full feel.
Seldom is live bait necessary if you’re sporting hair jigs and swimming jigs. But if bait breeds confidence, carry a scoop of local run minnows, sized as suggested by bait shop staffers.
Now, it’s slip-bobber time. A fixed cork won’t cut it at these depths. A slip-bobber with its line-tie/knot lets you adjust to any depth. There are plenty of videos on YouTube if you’ve never worked one. Also, most online tackle sources sell kits that come with the slip-bobber, beads, and knots. A #6 or #4 hook and split-shot (bobber straight and balanced but not submerged by the weight) is all you need on the business end.
For southern anglers, there’s no reason to mothball your boat like they do to the north. Take advantage of those warmer and calmer times to chase crappies. The ducks and bucks likely took the day off anyway.
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