Category Archives: Fishing Reports

Fishing reports from guides, captains and others

TEXAS WEEKLY FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Fishing Reports

Freshwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of June 4, 2025

Alan Henry

FAIR. Water clear; 76 degrees; 1.03 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 25-40 feet on jigs and minnows. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.

Amistad

GREAT. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 68.09 feet below pool. White bass are good off points and ledges with small swimbaits, jigs, and spoons. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs moving deeper midday. Report by Shon Riley, Lake Amistad Fishing Guides.

Arlington

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.20 feet above pool. Conditions are still the same. The lake has received a lot of rain so the clarity is stained. Bass continue to be shallow, or on deep points with crankbaits.

Arrowhead

SLOW. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.35 feet below pool. Catfish bite is slow while the spawn is on. Still waiting on mature catfish to show. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.

Athens

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 0.58 feet above pool. Bass are good in 8-12 feet of water in grass with Texas rigged worms, wacky rigged senkos, and crankbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over brush. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.

Austin

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.64 feet below pool. Summertime patterns are in play right now on Lake Austin. Bass are deep around bait and setting up on brush piles. Early morning bites can be found on the bank and as the day goes on fish are pulling out deeper around creek mouths and open water. Small swimbaits, dropshots, Texas rigs and shaky heads fished deep are getting bites. Quite a bit of grass growing deeper on both ends of the lake. Mostly hydrilla and eel grass. Lightweight Texas rigs fished deep are getting bites. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.

B.A. Steinhagen

FAIR. Water stain; 75 degrees; 0.27 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. Expect fish to start pushing shallow as the water warms.

Bastrop

GREAT. Water stained; 80 degrees. Lake Bastrop is fishing well. Bass are schooling up in the mornings in the discharge. Throw small swimbaits, flukes, jerkbaits and Texas-rigged worms or a shaky head. Later move out off the dam to find some schoolies and throw topwaters or cranks or a tiny jighead and 2 inch minnow style bait. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Summer pattern has locked in, so slow your approach. A good summertime pattern is to target bass dragging the bottom with Alabama rigs in 20 feet of water. The schooling activity has slowed and fish are deep. A few fish can be caught in patchy grass and reeds the first and last two hours of the day. Continue to cast clear topwaters, shad colored squarebill crankbaits, or Alabama rigs rolled extremely slow off the bottom.

Belton

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.53 feet below pool. Belton has climbed another 0.38 feet since last week. Fishing for white bass has gotten tougher now that young-of-the-year shad are in abundance, and the water is stratifying as the thermocline develops. The best success is during the first few hours of light in the morning and again in the last hour of light on either side of sunset. The MAL Heavy with silver blade and chartreuse tail is the only lure I’ve used for the past four weeks, and it continued to produce well this week. It shows up remarkably well on forward-facing sonar and 2-D sonar. Drop it either to the bottom if fish are on bottom, or below the level of suspended fish, and crank it up at a steady cadence at least two cranks above the fish showing highest in the water column. If a chase occurs, keep cranking at that same steady cadence until the fish either catches it, or turns away. When a strike occurs, keep right on cranking without a hard hookset. Some topwater action is also taking place, although it has not become predictable. Be on the lookout for herons feeding repetitively over open water, then go in stealthily for a look so as not to spook the fish and push them off the surface. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are fair. As we start the spawning cycle anglers should expect the catfish activity to slow for a few weeks. Shallow water around timber with fresh shad or prepared bait can produce smaller blue catfish under 10 pounds. Flatheads are fair on live bluegill around river mouths and log piles. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.88 feet above pool. Catfish are good on live and cut bait 10-25 feet of water. Hybrids are good on live bait 15-30 feet of water. Bass are good with hard plastics off ledges, and soft plastics around brush. Report by Hundley’s Guide Service.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.55 feet above pool. Crappie are loaded on the brush piles in all depths and are doing great on jigs. White bass are numerous cruising around deeper structures and will hit almost anything. Catfish have been slower this week, but should start biting in 15-20 feet of water on stink bait. Bass are in a summer pattern biting early morning and late night around lights. Lots of spotted bass and yellow bass are being caught right now too. Report by Chris Caswell, Lake Bob Sandlin Crappie Fishing Guide. Check out the backs of coves for hydrilla and milfoil, fish patterns should draw bass out from cover. Top water patterns in lilies should be good at mid day.. Catfish are moving shallow, wooly buggers should work well. Clousers on sunny rocky shores might draw a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Crappie are excellent in timber and brush piles in 14-30 feet of water. Minnows are preferred over jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bois d’Arc

GOOD. water normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. Morning bass bite has picked up. Grassy or weed areas around main lake points and secondary points are good with spook type baits and poppers in 1-4 feet of water. Wind blown points with shad in 2-4 feet of water are good with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and rage swimmers. Road beds with bigger timber are really good with Texas rigs creature baits in 4-7 feet. Some fish are showing up on offshore structures in 12-19 feet of water. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Crappie are excellent on structure from 15-25 feet of water. Minnows are out performing jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Brady

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 15.14 feet below pool. The lake is very low and ramps are closed. There is a temporary use ramp available. It is possible to catch crappie and bass from the crappie house and from the bank.

Braunig

FAIR. Water stained, 88 degrees. Redfish are slow congregating in schools in front of the power plant, the dam, and old Corpus Christi Road. Redfish can be caught with gold and silver spoons, or imitation shad. a variety of colors from bass assassin plastics, or trolling soft plastics. A few catches anchored with shrimp, perch, and gizzard chad. Stripers and catfish are slow. Report by Manny Martinez, Fishing With Manny.

Bridgeport

FAIR. Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. Crappie are primarily roaming but finding some active fish on dock poles or brush. Largemouth bass bite is decent in shallow water using topwaters and crankbaits. White bass and hybrids are good on main lake humps with slabs or live shad. Catfish bite is good on cut bait. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.

Brownwood

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 79 degrees; 0.80 feet above pool. Black bass to 4.97 pounds are good in 8-25 feet of water on shaky heads, Hag’s Jigs or Tornados and topwaters. Bass have moved into an early summer pattern. Crappie are excellent with catches up to 15 inches on minnows and jigs in 18-25 feet of water main lake brush piles. White bass are good to 2.5 pounds on crankbaits out of the lights at night. Catfish are Fair on cut shad, nightcrawlers and chicken livers on the main lake flats.

Bryan

GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees. Brush piles have been a huge factor to catch bass after the shad spawn. Bass can still be caught shallow, but offshore points and rock have produced the best. Report by the Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

EXCELLENT. Water slight stain; 76 degrees; 18.32 feet below pool. Boating hazards are prevalent on the north end after the recent inflow, so exercise caution while boating. The shad spawn is still going but not lake wide and they are holding just off the bank on some rocky shorelines. The white bass and striper are around the spawn and are biting on just about anything thrown. Several days last week there were abundant top water white bass schools and a few stripers. The stripers are biting excellent on live shad in 9-45 feet of water. White bass continue to bite on slabs and soft plastics 20-36 feet of water on wind-blown points and humps. The trolling bite for stripers has picked up but has not had a day to day consistency. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Fishing patterns are consistent with increased topwater action. Hybrids and stripers are hitting umbrella rigs in 15-30 feet of water, or live bait in 30-50 feet of water over sand points and trees. Increased topwater and trolling action. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Bigger bass are being caught on rock piles in 5-15 feet on jigs, swimbaits and most Texas-rigged soft plastics. Flipping trees is good right now as well with flukes and craws. The topwater bite is starting to turn on as well and you can catch some big bass throwing around rocky points and shallow ledges. Crankbaits are always a good choice as well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good in 15-20 feet of water around standing timber and main lake points. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Caddo

SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.41 feet above pool. Caddo is over pool with a good current. The clarity is stained and muddy near the river and bayou, but looks really good on the main lake. The pad and grass bass are starting to heat up with flukes, ribbits, buzzbaits, frogs and such. As the lake level falls expect bass to hold tight to trees hitting big worms, senkos, flukes or frogs. The river bite has slowed due to the muddy water, and may slow until the water clears. Conditions are improving, and even with a slower bite it is always a great time to come see a lake majestic and divine like Caddo. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Calaveras

GOOD. Water stained, 91 degrees. Fishing is excellent for redfish between 10-20 pounds with imitation shad, or gold and silver spoons. Target redfish shallow or in 15-25 feet of water. Channel catfish and blue catfish are excellent with catches between 5-15 pounds possible with stink bait, perch, and shad. Stripers are slow. Tilapia are good from the bank using shad, and shrimp. Redfish and catfish average between 5-10 pounds off the bank. Report by Manny Martinez, Fishing With Manny.

Canyon Lake

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 31.80 feet below pool. Striped bass and white bass are good fishing humps on the lower end and long drawn out points in 20-30 feet of water with shad colored swimbaits and jigging spoons. Bass are excellent around the grass with topwaters in the morning and your favorite plastics during the day. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.

Cedar Creek

GOOD. stained; 77 degrees; 0.04 feet above pool. The hybrid striped bass and white bass are on a feeding frenzy! Start looking for heavy bird activity throughout the lake on flats and near the dam, or on the edges of drop-offs especially on cloudy and overcast days. Focus drop-offs and along seawalls early in the mornings in 5-14 feet with slabs. Reports of great catches using silver or white slabs and spinners and retrieving off the bottom at a very slow retrieve to catch these fish in depths of 17-26 feet of water. The crappie have also migrated back into the main lake. Look for them under bridge pylons or under docks where the depths are between 3-10 feet. Guides have been reporting exceptionally nice catches on sunny warmer days. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good on humps in 5-20 feet on fresh shad, or drifting in 15-25 feet of water for bigger fish. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Choke Canyon

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 35.39 feet below pool. All boat ramps are closed at this time. Fishing off the bank is excellent for catfish, blues, and channel on stink bait, perch, and gizzard chad. Some crappie and freshwater drum are being caught off the bank. Some kayaks and flat bottom boats are being allowed at this time. Report by Manny Martinez, Fishing With Manny.

Cisco

GREAT. Water stained; 75 degrees; 13.17 feet below pool. Overall the lake is fishing great. Crappie are being caught in 10 feet of water. Channel catfish are biting in less than 10 feet of water. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.

Coleman

FAIR. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Black bass to 3 pounds are excellent in 1-10 feet of water throughout the lake in the grass and bushes with a white and chartreuse spinnerbait. A few fish are on the docks with a dropshot or Neko rig, Hag’s Tornados in Morning Dawn, Tsunami Jigs and spinnerbaits. Most bass in the 1.5-3 pound range are guarding fry. Crappie are slow to 10 inches on jigs in 8-15 feet in the stumps and under docks. Hybrid bass are Excellent to 10 pounds on squarebill crankbaits on lighted docks and chasing the shad spawn on the dam early and late. Catfish are slow on prepared bait, nightcrawlers and chicken livers.

Coleto Creek

GOOD. Water slightly stained, 87 degrees; 1.43 feet below. Bass are fair, mostly on soft plastic. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.

Comanche Creek

0.44 feet above pool. Comanche Creek is closed for the summer and will reopen in October.

Conroe

GREAT. Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Catfish are good in 10-40 feet of water. They are spawning at this time, use a floater to suspend bait off the bottom. Catfish will be very structure oriented until the spawn is over. Crappie are fair to poor as they have been hit hard this spring. Target fish in 10-25 feet of water, but only expect a few bites. Big bluegill are everywhere from 3-25 feet of water. It is a great time to take kids out for some good action. Largemouth bass are good on the edges, docks as well as offshore structure during the day. Report by Bradley Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids and white bass are on flats and drop-offs in 14-26 feet of water using live large goldfish or minnows, slabs, spoons, and crankbaits. I have been removing one of the treble hooks to make it easier when action is good. Check the tooth patch to distinguish the difference between the two species. Juvenile hybrids are prominent as well as large white bass. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.

Cooper

SLOW. Water stained; 75 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 10-20 feet of water on timber. Minnows are outperforming jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Corpus Christi Lake

SLOW. 80 degrees; 14.85 feet below pool. The lake level is very low with mild wind conditions in the mornings becoming windier towards the afternoon. Some reports of blue catfish and yellow catfish averaging between 3-40 pounds. Report by Weber’s Landing.

Cypress Springs

FAIR: Water normal stain; 78 degrees; 0.37 feet above pool. Crappie are loaded on the brush piles in all depths and are doing great on jigs. White bass are numerous cruising around deeper structures and will hit almost anything. Catfish have been slower this week, but should start biting in 15-20 feet of water on stink bait. Bass are in a summer pattern biting early morning and late night around lights. Lots of spotted bass and yellow bass are being caught right now too. Report by Chris Caswell, Lake Bob Sandlin Crappie Fishing Guide. Crappie are congregating on boat docks and brush piles. Some bigger fish are roaming. The best bite is a hand tied ⅛ ounce jig tipped with a minnow. You will have to weed through small fish to find the keepers. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.36 feet above pool. Channel catfish are good on manufactured bait on deep water humps, points and drop-offs. Sand bass are fair to good green and white slabs on deep water humps, points and ridges. Crappie are slow to fair on minnows around docks and deep water brush piles. The north end of the lake is stained like chocolate milk, the south end is trying to clear but continues to be stained. Report by Captain Bobby Mann, Catch a Dream Guide Service.

Falcon

GOOD. Water stained; 71 degrees; 47.04 feet below pool. Black bass are great in 3-15 feet of water on hard bottoms with crankbaits, senkos or power worms. Spinnerbaits are good in shallow water along rocks. Keeper catfish are good in 10-20 feet of water using stink bait, shrimp, or small cut bait. Trophy catfish are fair while fish are in a spawn transition. Target fish 3-15 feet of water with live shad or fresh cut bait. Bow fishing for gar is excellent, and rod and reel is good with cut bait on the south end at the mouth of Tigers Creek. Crappie are slow with fish scattered. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.

Fayette

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees. The early morning bass bite is starting to slow. Bass are good with underspins, rattle traps and spinnerbaits in less than 4 feet of water. Shaky heads and Carolina rigs are still working in 12-20 feet of water. Bass are still not suspending. Perch are in 10 feet of water on nightcrawlers with catfish mixed in. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 73 degrees; 0.25 feet above pool. The early morning bass bite is good on points and around grass with topwaters, and chatterbaits. Points with shad are best in 2-4 feet of water with chatterbaits, and squarebill crankbaits. The grog bite is good over shallow grass. The offshore bite has been good in 15-22 feet of water on Carolina rigs with flukes or big worms on points, humps, road beds. Deep crankbaits are starting to improve in channel swings in 20-25 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Lily fields are filling in, hydrilla and milfoil are reaching for the surface. Fish this type of cover at midday when bass are seeking cover. Frog patterns are working in the shallow vegetation early and late. Drop a clouser on an isolated cover for black bass. Large bream have moved shallow, wooly buggers are producing good fish. Channel catfish are cruising 2-4 feet, clousers are a good choice. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Lake Fork crappie fishing improves daily as we head into the summer pattern. The bigger fish are finally stacking up with all the small fish we have been seeing the last few weeks. Crappie are on underwater bridges, underwater roadbeds, bridges, lay downs, brush piles, tire reefs and of timber in the 14-32 feet range. Minnows, soft plastics and hand tied jigs will work as these fish are aggressive and hungry coming off the spawn. Great success has come using small 1/16 ounce hand ties with or without a 1/4 ounce egg weight pegged above it. The winds dictate whether or not we can fish that jig solo. Color does not seem to matter, if you swim or even hold that bait above the fish. The most important part of the presentation is to stay above the fish always. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Ft. Phantom Hill

FAIR. Water stained; 75 degrees; 5.05 feet below pool. Few reports from anglers. Bass are in all stages of the spawn hitting creature baits and soft plastics. Crappie can be caught with minnows or jigs in shade and brush.

Georgetown

GOOD. normal stain; 77 degrees; 10.13 feet below pool. Bass fishing remains consistent. Look for some spawning fish mid to up river and use soft plastics like lizards, creature baits and worms for those. Some bass are a bit deeper and a shaky head works wonders on this lake around offshore humps and ledges. Find some lay laydowns in around 3-5 feet and flip those for some good bites. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Graham

FAIR. Water stained; 76 degrees; 0.04 feet above pool. Water is still high and muddy. Bass are slow feeding on shad in shallow water. Crappie are good on brush in 14 feet of water with minows and jigs. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling on the main lake points feeding on shad. The bite is good with minnows and spoons. Catfish are on the main lake flats feeding on shad. The bite is good on cut shad and chicken liver.

Granbury

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. Water is stained slightly on the upper ends, but is generally clear from midlake to the dam. After the recent rains the lake is full pool, so watch for floating debris. Striped bass and sand bass can be caught near channel breaks near feeding flats at several locations from Ports–O-Call to Sandy Point and near the dam. Bigger striped bass are being taken on 1ounce slabs and live shad fished mainly on the lower ends from Decordova to near the pump stations close to the dam. Smaller stripers and sand bass are easily being caught on slabs and spinnerbaits all over the lake from Bentwater to Blue Water Shores. Largemouth bass are good to 6 pounds on soft plastics and lipless crankbaits fished in the back of sloughs and near main lake points. Look for topwater action on feeding flats. Crappies are holdings to structure near deeper docks, underwater timber and near bridge pilings and are good on small minnows and jigs. Blue catfish continue to be good from Water’s Edge to Hunter Park on cut shad. An occasional bigger blue or yellow catfish to 25 pounds plus are possible. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Granger

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.92 feet above pool. Black bass are good on spinnerbaits fished around cover. Crappie are good to 2 pounds on minnows fished over brush piles. White bass are fair on crankbaits trolled along shallow roadbeds. Blue catfish are good on jug lines baited with shad. Yellow catfish are good on live bait fished around timber. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 5.82 feet above pool. White bass are in all depths feeding on shad. Use inline spinners shallow and slabs in deeper water. Keep an eye out for birds working. Really nice catfish mixed in with the white bass. Check ramp status before heading out. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Greenbelt

SLOW. Water normal stain; 75 degrees; 47.67 feet below pool. Reports of good catches of sand bass on minnows. Few reports of crappie. The lake did receive some rain, but be sure to call to inquire about launching conditions before heading out.

Hawkins

GOOD. Water slightly stained. 75 degrees. Topwater lures early and late will produce good black bass action. Bream should be making their move shallow for their spawn. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Houston County

FAIR. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.53 feet above pool. Bass should start schooling in deeper water hitting Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Crappie should be on brush piles biting jigs or minnows.

Hubbard Creek

FAIR. Water Stained; 75 degrees; 12.03 feet below pool. Bass are fair with primarily smaller sized fish up to 3 pounds. The best bite is early morning in shallow water spinnerbaits or chatterbaits. Crappie are good under docks hitting minnows or jigs. A bass was caught while targeting crappie.

Inks

GREAT: Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 0.85 feet below pool. Inks Lake has been fishing well all year for bass. Working the grass with worms or flukes will land a good bite. Skipping docks is a great way to get some big bites as well. A frog in the shallows will get some big bites and a shallow crankbait or even dropshots around the bulkheads will get some good bites as well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Jacksonville

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.17 feet above pool. Water is clearing up, but is still a little high. Fish are biting on brush piles with soft plastics, jigs, and swim baits. Also on shallow lay downs with soft plastics and crank baits.

Joe Pool

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 0.70 above pool. Water level is going down slowly back to normal pool. Summer is hear so it is time to look out for pleasure boaters. Bass fishing has improved in all depths. Crappie are moving out to the deeper cover for summer. White bass schools are popping up all over the lake, just look for concentrations of bait. Catfish are mixed in with white bass, below the schools. Be safe and wear your life jackets! Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lake O’ the Pines

GOOD. Water normal stain; 83 degrees; 1.93 feet above pool. Bass are good on main lake points, submerged bridges and road beds with shad colored crankbaits and Carolina rigs. Topwaters are good around shallow grass early morning and late evening. Crappie are good on standing timber and brush piles ranging 12-15 feet with slip cork jigs in blue and chartreuse and shad colors. The lake is at normal pool, so be careful when navigating outside of the boat lanes. Report by Brian Vickery Fishing.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.56 feet above pool. There is not a discernible white bass pattern while the gates are open. Fish early morning while sand bass are surfacing blowing shad out of the water using topwaters or a swimbait. The white egrets will be on the banks telling you pretty much where they should be. If you are not getting bit within the first 30 minutes of sunlight, you will probably have to move out to 10-20 feet of water and use 1 ounce white or chartreuse slabs. While the gates are opening and closing the crappie bite is hit-or-miss. Look on timber and brush piles in 10-20 feet. Once the gates close this should be the pattern the rest of the summer. Start shallow the work your way deeper to search for fish. Channel catfish are good on baited holes, rip rap and brush. Bait the rocks and bushes with soured grain to hold fish in there long enough to catch limits. Black bass are biting white and chartreuse spinnerbaits in the morning around the rip wrap, concrete and shallow submerged brush on points and secondary points. Bass are not biting at the back of the coves anymore. Cast creature baits, and Texas rigged worms on rock piles and large brush piles, or underwater points in 10-15 feet of water Carolina rigs. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

LBJ

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.25 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 18-24 feet of water with minnows. Catfish are good in 25 feet of water with punch bait. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are good on docks and bulkheads in 3-10 feet of water. Skipping a light jig or Texas-rigged fluke or worm will get you bit well in those spots. Some fish are deeper on rock and brush piles in 10 feet of water. Flip a soft plastic in those areas to get good bites. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 78 degrees; 1.44 feet above pool. White bass are fair to good on points and humps in 15-32 feet of water with jigs, slabs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths. 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 good on cut shad drifting humps and flats in 15-32 feet of water. Check wind blown banks where herons are present early in the morning. Crappie are slow to fair in 8-28 feet of water on brush piles, submerged timber, and submerged cover near drop-offs with minnows and jigs. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 0.25 feet above pool. Crappie are in 10-18 feet of water on power lines, standing timber, or offshore brush with minnows. White bass are in 7-17 feet of water with super slabs. Catfish are good in 10-20 feet with cutbait, or large minnows. Largemouth bass are good in 4-14 feet of water with boat docks, bulkheads, and rocks with chatterbaits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and spinnerbaits. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.

Livingston

GOOD. normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.39 feet above pool. White bass are great in 6-15 feet of water on wind blown points and ledges with white and chartreuse slabs. Catfish are in 1-4 feet of water on bulkheads with best action at daylight. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.

Marble Falls

normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.58 feet below pool. Bass are good skipping docks with craws, flukes and worms, or cranking bulkheads and shallow rocks. Topwater action is good with frogs and topwaters. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Martin Creek

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.02 above pool. Bass remain good along the edge of hydrilla with Texas rigged worms. Crappie have loaded up on brush piles in 20-30 feet with minnows and pintail jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 10-15 feet with nightcrawlers and punch bait.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 94.41 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to limited access and low water level.

Meredith

FAIR. Water stained; 68 degrees; 46.14 feet below pool. Sand bass are great throughout the lake with silver spoon lures, and artificial grubs in chartreuse, pearl blue and yellow. Catfish are good near Harbor Bay and Bugbee with cut bait and frozen shad. The Stilling Basin, or Spring Canyon, is producing catfish with chicken liver, minnows, worms, and shrimp. Crappie are great with the best bite on Rosie red minnows near Sanford Yake area, off of the dock, and a few fish pulled out of Bugbee in the shallow areas. Bluegill and perch are good underneath the docks and shallow areas around the lake with worms. Walleye are great in the evening hours and early mornings in many areas of the lake. Minnows, bottom bouncers or floating worm harnesses, chartreuse, red mouth jerkbait or slab spoons are great choices. Trout are good in Spring Canyon with a power bait and number 10 snell hook or split shots. Report by Dave Wright, Wright-On Bait, Tackle and Watercraft Rental.

Millers Creek

FAIR. Water stained; 70 degrees; 1.43 feet below pool. Crappie have improved to fair in 3-4 feet of water. Fish are a few weeks from spawning. Sand bass are fair around the dam when shad are surfacing. Shad are spawning so the bite should improve the bite for all species. Channel and blue catfish are slow in 15 feet of water. Black bass are slow on main lake points with soft plastics.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. Water clarity is heavily stained to muddy. Largemouth bass are fair on bladed jigs and swim jigs around shallow grass points. Crappie are good on main lake timber and brush piles in the creeks. Catfish are slow on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Naconiche

GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.50 feet above pool. Bass are suspended 8 feet down over deeper water biting jerkbaits plus 1. Keep an eye on the thermocline and be sure to fish above it. Some larger bites in 8-10 feet of water near the bottom with a square bill crankbait. Cranking it in and around the timber that is immediately adjacent to the boat lanes near the backs of the creeks was the ticket. Do not forget to run an Alabama rig and topwater, early and late, for some aggressive feeding fish! Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs or medium diving crankbaits on main lake points. Crappie are excellent on main lake timber utilizing forward facing sonar. Catfish are slow on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Nasworthy

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 79 degrees. 0.41 feet below pool. The bass bite has been good flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water. The spawn is ending and bass are staying in the shallows as the water temperature rises to the 80s. The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. Focus on holes in the reed banks where bass will set up on their beds. Watch for balls of bass fry because a fry guarder will be close by. Crappie were fair around main lake 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.

Navarro Mills

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 2.41 feet above pool. Sand bass are excellent with spoons in brush piles. Sandies are running in schools with the better bite in the evenings over the morning. Crappie are starting to stack up in deeper brush piles hitting jigs or minnows. Some keepers, but primarily smaller sized fish. Catfish are shallow with primarily catches of small eaters. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.

O.C. Fisher

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 39.96 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels.

O.H. Ivie

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 77 degrees; 22.62 feet below pool. Black bass are good to 10 pounds on a variety of baits in 8-18 feet of water. Some fish still targeted scoping on main lake with crappie imitation baits. Some fish are being caught on 10-in worms and plum apple, plum or red bug in the brush next to channel swings and bends mainly 10-12 feet of water. Topwaters also seem to be coming into play around perch beds in 2-7 feet of water. Crappie starting to pick up around bigger trees suspended 5-8 feet. Trees can be in anywhere from 15-25 feet of water. Minnows working best. White bass are fair at night on live minnows. Catfish are good on rod-and-reel with a variety of cheese baits and stink baits 5-15 feet. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.

Oak Creek

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 18.79 feet below pool. Black bass bite is good to very good on topwater and crankbaits. The Whopper Plopper has been excellent along with deep diving crankbaits. Crappie bite is steady with schools being located using forward facing sonar and caught using the Bone Head jigs. Catfish are good. Always wear your life jacket and stay aware. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Palestine

GOOD. Water stained; 74 degrees; 0.83 feet above pool. Crappie are good on brush and timber in 12-22 feet of water. White bass and hybrids are good on clay points early and late in the day. Catfish are spawning with a good bite on bulkheads or rip rap and nightcrawlers and punch bait.

Palo Pinto

SLOW. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.31 feet above pool. Conditions are looking good on the lake and the water level is 4 inches over the spillway, but forecasted storms may muddy the water. Catfish are biting great on cut bait and fresh shad. Crappie are biting in deep water on minnows. Hybrids and sand bass are biting on minnows. Report by Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.

Pinkston

GOOD. slightly stained; 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on large swimbaits and dropshots. Crappie are fair on standing timber with small crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Possum Kingdom

FAIR. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.09 feet below pool. Stripers are finally picking up in 20-40 feet of water. Live bait is good, but bait can be hard to find, and nothing is being caught trolling. Fish are moving fast when found, so your best bet is to just sit and wait for them to move through. Sand bass are fair in 20-30 feet of water on main lake points. Chrome seems to be out producing all other colors, but try white, and chartreuse. Catfish are good on cut shad in 2-10 feet of water fished on the bottom. Baited holes are your best bet to catch numbers but will not produce big fish. Bait with cattle cubes and wait 2-3 hours before fishing. Use punch bait for best results on baited holes. Catfish should be going into spawn soon, which will slow the bite. Water clarity is less than 1 feet on the north end. The south end is better at 2-4 feet of visibility, but still heavily stained. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service.

Proctor

FAIR. Water stained; 76 degrees; 1.04 feet above pool. The water is above full pool and fishing has slowed some for anglers. Reports of white bass caught trolling in shallow water. Crappie are transitioning to brush piles.

Raven

SLOW. Water slight stain; 70 degrees. Lake Raven water clarity is slightly stained. The lake is seeing hydrilla die back due to recent herbicide treatment. Largemouth bass are good on weedless rigged artificial worms in red-tinted colors with glitter. Anglers should target the cove where the boathouse is located. This area has seen recent success when working the hydrilla grass line. No reports of crappie or catfish in recent weeks. Bluegill are good off of the boathouse dock on hotdogs and worms under a bobber.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.11 feet below pool. White bass have been spotty in the mornings with some surface activity. Throw small swimbaits, tail spinners or rattle traps. Later in the morning white bass are moving out to deeper water on long points, road beds and levees. Crappie are related to brush piles 12-18 feet of water. Crappie are showing up at bridge columns, and moving around drop-offs going from structure to structure. Catfish are good on the rocks around the lake using a slip cork and prepared punch bait. Chumming will help bring the schools into your areas. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.10 feet above pool. Crappie are stacking up on timber, bridge pylons and brush piles in 20-25 feet of water. A minnow is the preferred bait, but a 1.5-2 inch jig is catching fish too. Largemouth bass are moving to offshore rock piles and main lake points. Some bass can be targeted on shallow laydowns or shaded areas. Best baits have been 10 inch forms, weightless flukes or weightless senkos. Sand bass are on humps and points in 30-50 feet of water with slabs. Blue catfish can be caught under the white bass with 3-6 inch shad. Channel catfish are good in 10-25 feet of water on flats. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan’s Crappie Co.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 0.66 feet above pool. The lake is 6 inches above full pool level with four of the twenty-four spillway gates open. White bass action has slowed to fair in 20-25 feet of water off main lake points, roadbeds, and humps. A slab and jig combination is hard to beat. Check out the south shoreline around the Lighthouse for early morning top water action. Hybrid striper action is good with live bait or shad off the 309 Flats and South Shoreline near Fisherman’s Point Marina. Blue catfish action is fair on cut bait and shad in the shallow water off windblown points. Catfish can be caught on punch bait below Schools of feeding white bass. Crappie action is slow. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service. Black Bass are fair, with the water stained. The temperature is low 80s but does cool down a little with the storms that hit. This is when you can start checking those deeper spots. I like to fish stump rows, rock piles, and brush piles. Fishing ahead of the upcoming patterns can payoff if you hit it right. Deep crank baits, jigs, and dragging plastics can be great right now. With the water level the way it is now there are always some fish shallow also. Boat docks continue to get better and better on the lake. I personally always prefer the deep bite better in June. Good fishing, Terry Hawkins Guide Service. Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Water is being released and the level is slowly dropping. Numbers of bass are shallow in the buckbrush, so flip plastics and jigs. Topwater bite around pencil grass and reeds. Grass and pads are coming back slowly. Target bass on points and drains with crankbaits, or with jigs and Carolina rigs off ledges and structure. Crappie are slowly move out to brush and timber. White bass are schooling off points. Catfish move out to deeper water and creek channels cut bait doing good. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Somerville

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.57 feet above pool. At the Marina the crappie bite is fair, and the catfish are fair on minnows or punch bait. Bluegill are fair on crickets or worms. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows over brush in 8-18 feet of water. Catfish are good in 3-10 feet of water with cut shad or punch bait. Black bass are fair on crankbaits and shiny spinnerbaits in 2-8 feet of water. White bass are very good trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are good with many undersized fish being caught in deeper water using cut bait or mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow. since no water is being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Spence

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees. 47.86 feet below pool. Black bass catches have been improving greatly. The fish are being caught on plastics. Reports of bass caught exceeding 5 pounds, with many in the 2-3 pound range. Good reports of catfish being caught on blood punch bait. Always wear your life jacket and stay aware. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Stamford

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.89 feet above pool. Water is cleaning and the level is slowly receding. Very few anglers on the water for reports.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.12 feet below pool. Stillhouse has risen another 0.06 feet since last week. The water is warming rapidly and the fish are suspending more and more each day. The two drivers for this is the stratification of the water by temperature which will eventually lead to the creation of the thermocline by mid-June, and the increasing presence of young-of-the-year shad making their way into open water. When fish are suspended, I rely heavily on my 2-D sonar, traditional sonar or colored sonar, as the three-dimensional cone it makes use of extends the echo signature of the fish into long arches which are larger and much more easily seen on a screen then the shorter rice grain signatures seen on side-imaging and down-imaging. The MAL Heavy with silver blade and chartreuse tail is the only lure I have used for the past four weeks. It shows up remarkably well on forward-facing sonar and 2-D sonar. Drop it either to the bottom if fish are on bottom, or below the level of suspended fish, and crank it up at a steady cadence at least two cranks above the fish showing highest in the water column. If a chase occurs, keep cranking at that same steady cadence until the fish either catches it, or turns away. When a strike occurs, keep right on cranking without a hard hookset. Mornings are best, from 7:20 a.m. to around 10:15 a.m. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 77 degrees; 0.49 feet above pool. Lake Tawakoni is fishing good and is in its full summer pattern. The hybrid striper and white bass bite is good. Fish are feeding on thread-fin shad suspended over deeper water. Slabs, swimbaits and live bait are working best. The eating sized catfish bite is red hot. Baited holes in 20 feet are working best. Prepared baits such as punch bait and dip baits are catching more fish. Crappie are decent on bridge pilings and shallower brush in 8-14 feet. Docks are also holding fish. Jigs are out-fishing minnows currently. Look for that to chance as water warms into the 80s. Largemouth bite is good. Shallow crankbaits, flukes and frogs are catching best. First hour and last hour for the frog, and the cranks mid morning into the mid day around shallow dock pilings, rip-rap and isolated underwater irrigation pumps. Use your side-imaging to locate these. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texana

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.69 feet below pool. Catfish are good on trotlines.

Texoma

FAIR. Water stained; 74 degrees; 12.08 feet above pool. Catfishing is still excellent using punch bait along rock banks for channel cats in 15-25 feet of water. Cut shad and whole shad on ledges in 30-45 feet of water for keeper blues and look for bigger fish in shallow creeks and coves. Striper fishing is very inconsistent with the current lake conditions. Top waters, swimbaits and live shad on humps and flats in 20-25 feet of water fishing any clear water you can find. Look for the lake to clear once they turn down the outflow. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass are hit-or-miss with slabs in 15-30 feet of water, with a better bite on live bait. Midlake to the dam water is clearing. Very little floating debris left on the lake. Channel catfish can be targeted around big rocks and drop-offs in 20-30 feet of water cut bait. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Toledo Bend

GOOD. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. It is finally summer time, everything around Toledo is getting right, most storms are gone and the sun is cooking. Bass are good. Shallow fish are still strong on frogs, topwaters, swim jigs and wacky-worms from 2-7 feet of water. The deeper bite is coming on strong in 14-18 feet of water with big crankbaits and Carolina rigs. A few great reports of 7 pound bass being caught at night with spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits along the edge of the flooded grass. Crappie are good on brush piles, standing timber, and main lake docks with jigs or live bait. The water temperature is starting to reach the mid to low 80s, pushing crappie out of the creeks. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Travis

GOOD. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 43.67 feet below pool. Lake Travis is fishing great. Bass are on the verge of schooling up as the water temperatures rise into the 80s. Most fish are being caught on worms, creature baits, craws and swimbaits or flukes. Look for grass on the channel swings on the main lake for a lot of bass. Some of the bigger bass are on the deeper outer side especially in the isolated patches of grass. There are some good bass on the deeper ledges as well in 15-30 feet of water. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Time to fish marinas in 30-40 feet of water for bass, white bass, crappie and bluegill. Grass action for bass has slowed. Bounce between shaded bluff walls with a craw and marinas with small swimbaits and small spoons. The water is crystal clear when there is no wind, so downsize baits. Report by Randal Frisbie, Central Texas Fishing Guide, LLC.

Twin Buttes

SLOW. Water stained. 82 degrees; 33.49 feet below pool. Channel catfish are slow in shallow water with punch bait. White bass and crappie can be caught under the lights at night with minnows or shad. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.

Tyler

GOOD. Water normal stain; 75 degrees; 0.30 feet above pool. Crappie are good on brush piles with minnows and jigs in 10-16 feet of water. Catfish are good in 5-6 feet of water with liver and nightcrawlers. Bass are scattered with a fair topwater bite or feeler with trick worms, spinnerbaits and topwaters. Bream are good on red worms throughout the lake. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Bass are great with a phenomenal topwater bite the first hour of fishable light, but will shut off quickly as the sun rises. Dropshots and Texas rigs are producing very well on normal summer patterns until the evening topwater bite in that last hour of the day. Crappie are holding in 10-20 feet on brush. Catfish are fairly shallow on nightcrawlers and prepared baits but are working deeper and are lethargic recovering from the spawn. Thermocline was around 22 feet on the main lake but will be moving up around 18-20 feet in the next week or two. Report by Holton Walker, Holton Walker Fishing.

Waco

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Crappie are on fire in the summer pattern hanging out in 10-18 feet of water on structure. Minnows always work well but a purple crappie jig with a chartreuse tail is a good artificial. Black bass are suspended over structure in 20 feet of water hitting crankbaits or a silver spoon. Report by Greg Culverhouse, Crappie King.

Walter E. Long

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees. The boat ramp continues to be closed and blocked off through 2025, kayaks and canoes can still be launched from the bank. The lake has seen increased pressure from a growing number of kayaks and personal watercraft. Recommended techniques include moving baits like lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and A-rigs. Texas-rigged soft plastics also work well, with Senkos, dropshots, and shaky heads being effective. Report by Team YAKUSA.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water stained; 79 degrees; 3.16 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 15 feet of water on brush piles with minnows and jigs. Bass are slow on soft plastics or crankbaits in deeper water. Catfish are fair with cut bait and shad on rocks. Water clarity is 7 inches.

Welsh

FAIR. Water stained. 80 degrees. A few reports and anglers on the water.

White River

FAIR. Water normal stain; 72 degrees; 19.98 feet below pool. Crappie are good 2-8 feet on jigs and minnows. Catfish slow in cut and prepared baits. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.

Whitney

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 76 degrees; 1.73 feet above pool. Water is lightly stained 76 degrees. Catfish are good using cut bait in 25-30 feet of water. Striped bass bite is fair on live bait in 25-30 feet of water. Crappie are on main lake brush piles in 15-30 feet of water. White bass fishing is good on slabs on main lake humps in 25-30 feet of water. Largemouth bass fishing is good using soft plastics on deep structure. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.63 feet above pool. Very few reports after the recent weather.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 7.95 feet above pool. Crappie are moving into brush piles and structure setting up in a summer pattern. Downsize to small hair jigs in 10-15 feet of water. Channel catfish are good near brush along the bank with stinkbait. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Houston

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.33 feet above pool. Discharge at the 59 bridge is 2630 CFS. Water is starting to clear up nicely making for a decent largemouth bite in the shallows. Grubs and worms rigged Texas rigged seem to do the trick. Drop-offs in cypress trees are a great place to start then venture shallow to structure and shaded banks. Crappie are picking up quite a bit in Luces Bayou, tight to structure being enticed with minnows and hand tied jigs in 6-10 feet of water. Catfish are fantastic still in bulk heads eating fresh caught shad both under a slip cork and bottom fishing. Always wear your kill switch and be prepared. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.

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Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing ReportsWeek of June 4, 2025

Redfish Bay

GOOD. 80 degrees. Tide levels are on the rise again. Trout are great on croaker in about 4 feet of water. Drum are consistent over reefs on dead shrimp. Redfish have been coming off of shallow flats on shad. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.

San Antonio Bay

FAIR. 80 degrees. The water is in great shape but the wind has picked up. The tide has also come up and the redfish are moving into the back lakes. Trout action has picked up along the shorelines. Live shrimp are hard to find but other live bait is available. With the high tide topwaters are working well in the back lakes. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.

Sabine Lake

FAIR. 82 degrees. Jetties are producing limits of beautiful speckled trout, limits of redfish, and some drum in the morning. Fish are averaging 15-20 inches, throwing back quite a few oversized fish. Once the wind starts blowing and sun rises focus efforts inside the channel along rocks, shell flats with live shrimp on a popping cork. Drum and sheepshead can be caught on the points, drops and along our banks with live shrimp Carolina rigged. The south end of Sabine Lake produced some nice trout drifting in 2-4 feet of water using 3.5 inch plastics in red shad or morning glory chartreuse with quarter inch jig heads that bite. Salinity in the lake is improving and the bite is turning on. There are a few birds working along the shoreline and in the middle of the lake and nice shrimp. Catching some trout beneath the birds late in the evenings. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar

GOOD. 78 degrees. This week will be a little cloudy with lots of sun this weekend for great fishing like last week! The tides and water levels will be changing from 3-4 to twice daily Saturday. Water temperatures are in the 70s. Last week there were fewer big 25 in plus trout in the surf, and more on the bayside. Water levels are back and forth per normal with a lot of sargassum washing in. Anglers are still catching plenty of redfish everywhere. There are plenty of keeper speckled trout being caught along with sand trout, black drum, sheepshead and crabs caught along the jetty. The flounder are here for the Spring but mostly 16-20 inches. The bigger stingrays and sharks are definitely here and the real action has begun. Seeing more sharks while shrimping in the bay the past few days. The surf is still producing lots of redfish and huge black drum, some big speckled trout and a lot of sharks along the whole peninsula with more activity towards Gilchrist and High Island. Anglers are using cut mullet, big menhaden or shad, and stingray chunks for bait with awesome results. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.

Trinity Bay

FAIR. 76 degrees. With the hard south, southeast winds this time of year fresh water is now being blown into Baytown from the Trinity lowering the parts per unit significantly. Good water is in the ship channel by the blue atoll. The west shoreline by Eagle point is holding good fish and believe it or not, smith point has some good looking salt water. Remember, fishing structure is your best bet. Reefs seem to be ok but shell sandbars have been producing well on the ambush side with the current flowing around using Redemption Outdoor gear popping corks and live shrimp. Additionally, grass shorelines with bait present are where it is at for redfish but takes patience as you must stick with it. We have been catching good redfish in this scenario using WAC Attacks WACky Shad XL in the sparkle chartreuse color married with a redfish magic spinner bait to mimic button shad by and in grass. Flounder are being caught well with lures and live shrimp on rocks as well. Always be prepared and wear your kill switch, it could save your families lives. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.

East Galveston Bay

GOOD. 83 degrees. Snapper season kicked off and there were plenty of fish for all those that went offshore of Galveston. Even some kingfish were landed. Bay fishing continues to be good, borderline great. Plenty of speckled trout are being caught throughout the bay system with live shrimp, croakers, and artificial lures. Plenty of black drum being caught along with some really big sheepshead from the middle to upper Galveston Bay on rocks and oyster shell bottom. The surf finally greened up and anglers caught some speckled trout along the Galveston beachfront. Most of Trinity Bay remains fresh with water coming out of the Trinity River. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. This week will be a little cloudy with lots of sun this weekend for great fishing like last week! The tides and water levels will be changing from 3-4 to twice daily Saturday. Only changes have been the heat. Fishing remains great by boat and wading around oyster beds. Still catching a lot of speckled trout everywhere, sheepshead and bull redfish with some gaff tops/hardheads under a popping with live shrimp and soft plastics. Report by Captain Jack Blume, North Jetty Bait Camp. Surface water temperature 80 degrees. The water clarity is very good for East Galveston Bay, with average clarity throughout the bay system. The redfish bite was excellent again for us this week, around drains and in the very shallow water areas back in the marsh. We are still using Imitation shrimp lures & tails under popping corks, with a 1-foot leader to trigger bites, as well as Deadly Dudley Rat Tails, and WacAttack Flukes, in lighter colors with 1/8 ounce jig heads. Jerkbaits and swimbaits are still triggering some bites as well, if you like throwing those style baits. The last few days on the flats we have enjoyed most of our success on the Popping Cork with artificial catching the best trout, as well as the most numbers. We have been catching some nice Flounder on our trips on high tides up in the flooded grass. The reef action has continued to pick up, when the wind conditions allow it, so keep that in mind as well as you venture out into the bay. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.

Galveston Bay

FAIR. 80 degrees. Snapper season kicked off and there were plenty of fish for all those that went offshore of Galveston. Even some kingfish were landed. Bay fishing continues to be good, borderline great. Plenty of speckled trout are being caught throughout the bay system with live shrimp, croakers, and artificial lures. Plenty of black drum being caught along with some really big sheepshead from the middle to upper Galveston Bay on rocks and oyster shell bottom. The surf finally greened up and anglers caught some speckled trout along the Galveston beachfront. Most of Trinity Bay remains fresh with water coming out of the Trinity River. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.

West Galveston Bay

GOOD. 80 degrees. Snapper season kicked off and there were plenty of fish for all those that went offshore of Galveston. Even some kingfish were landed. Bay fishing continues to be good, borderline great. Plenty of speckled trout are being caught throughout the bay system with live shrimp, croakers, and artificial lures. Plenty of black drum being caught along with some really big sheepshead from the middle to upper Galveston Bay on rocks and oyster shell bottom. The surf finally greened up and anglers caught some speckled trout along the Galveston beachfront. Most of Trinity Bay remains fresh with water coming out of the Trinity River. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.

Texas City

GOOD. 75 degrees. This week will be a little cloudy with lots of sun this weekend for great fishing like last week! The tides and water levels will be changing from 3-4 to twice daily Saturday. Water temperatures are just right. Anglers are catching speckled trout, redfish, and black drum with some occasional sand trout, gafftop, and croakers. The sheepshead are around structures and piers. Wade fishing along the levee or anywhere from the dike has been productive from the beginning to the end still. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.

Freeport

FAIR. 81 degrees. Surf has been good as the winds laid down in the morning throwing live shrimp or croakers using chatter weights. Topwater and soft plastic have been good for trout and some redfish in the first gut. West of Galveston has been good with trout fishing under the birds with live shrimp under a popping cork catching trout, and big gafftop catfish. There had been schools of jack crevalle working big pops of mullet. Freeport Harbor has been holding good numbers of mangroves snapper, trout, sheepshead, redfish and big sand trout using live shrimp with a light weight. Anglers are catching trout, sheephead, redfish, pompano, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and some sharks near at the jetties on surfside and Bryan Beach. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.

East Matagorda Bay

GOOD. 78 degrees. Calm weather has turned on a good surf bite wading, or out of the boat at the jetties. Redfish, and trout are biting live shrimp, cut mullet and artificials. Catches of drum near the surf or on the shallow reefs. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

West Matagorda Bay

GOOD. 78 degrees. Calm weather has turned on a good surf bite wading, or out of the boat at the jetties. Redfish, and trout are biting live shrimp, cut mullet and artificials. Catches of drum near the surf or on the shallow reefs. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

Port O’Connor

GOOD. 78 degrees. Trout are good early morning at Bird Island with live croaker. Jack crevalle and bull redfish are schooling on the surface between the jetties and Bird Island early morning during the incoming tide with blue crab or Spanish Sardines. Keeper black drum in the apron of the jetties. Slot redfish are biting inside and outside of both the jetties with blue crab of Spanish sardines. Sharks are biting in both jetties on cut jack crevalle and skipjack. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.

Rockport

GOOD. 80 degrees. Trout are great on live shrimp, piggy perch and croaker in flats and along channels. Redfish are fair on shrimp, mullet, pin perch and menhaden in sand pockets and along mangroves. Black drum are fair on live or dead shrimp and fish bites. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.

Port Aransas

GOOD. 80 degrees. Red snapper season has opened up and the bite is great on squid cigar minnows and live perch. Redfish are good on live shrimp finger mullet and shad on the north and south jetty. Oversized redfish are great on cut crab and mullet. Trout are great with croaker and shrimp free lined along rocks. Redfish and trout have been great in surf using croaker and live shrimp. Sharks have been being caught in the surf using mullet, jacks and stingray.. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.

Corpus Christi

GOOD. 80 degrees. Tide levels are on the rise again. Trout are great on croaker in about 4 feet of water. Drum are consistent over reefs on dead shrimp. Redfish have been coming off of shallow flats on shad. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.

Baffin Bay

GOOD. 83 degrees. Moderate weather has really turned the big trout bite on in Baffin Bay! The past week was just a dream with many upper size trout in the 27-31 inch range up to nearly 10 pounds. Target areas with lots of bait, as well as grass strips near the shoreline, and middle level potholes and edges. There was a good topwater bite shallow when the winds were light and potholes when it was a little windier. The She Dog in black/gold chrome/orange was a killer. As usual, the Coastal Brew Baits 6 inch darts in Pothole Pimp, Watermelon Red and Hoochie Coochie were very, very effective. Here is hoping this trend continues for a while! See you on the water! Report by Captain Sally Black. Conditions this week will be great for fishing Baffin Bay. Early in the morning is the time to take advantage of the speckled trout and bite. Once the heat starts to set in, fishing up shallow for speckled trout becomes difficult. Late in the morning to afternoon you can find redfish in shallow grassy areas. Oftentimes you can have the opportunity to sight-cast to these redfish cruising the flats or when you find them tailing. Top water bites in the morning have been eventful, with the best producing lure being a DownSouth Supermodel in “Rootbeer Hopper” or “Big poppa pearl”. Anything roach color, with gold or red flakes has been working wonders in Baffin Bay. This summer heat can be seriously dangerous, stay hydrated and most importantly remember to practice safety and courtesy out on the waterways. Tight lines! Report by Captain Reanna DeLaCruz, Captain Reanna’s Baffin Bay Adventures.

Port Mansfield

GOOD. 78 degrees. It has been good one day and fair the next recently. Our fish have been moving around a bit but not far from any previous day. Small adjustments in your wading or drifting has been paying off. We have fresh gulf water entering our bay and it is helping. Redfish are also grouping up. Most are in about 2-3 feet of water and some even deeper. Trout are holding in the same areas also. Best baits are swimbaits in pearl and hot, and soft plastics. Offshore bite is starting to heat up for red snapper. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters.

South Padre

GOOD. 83 degrees. Light southeast wind with bay temperature 83 degrees and holding. Trout are good on the edges of the intercoastal, gas well flats and south of the new causeway. Redfish are spotty on the east side from Three Islands to south bay. Small black drums and sheepshead are good at the old causeway. Mangrove snapper are good at the end of Brownsville Channel and the south jetties. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin.

Port Isabel

GOOD. 83 degrees. Light southeast wind with bay temperature 83 degrees and holding. Trout are good on the edges of the intercoastal, gas well flats and south of the new causeway. Redfish are spotty on the east side from Three Islands to south bay. Small black drums and sheepshead are good at the old causeway. Mangrove snapper are good at the end of Brownsville Channel and the south jetties. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin

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Reading About Fishing Can Give You Tips To Help Catch Fish

    Sometimes ideas that help catch fish come from reading about others’ fishing trips.  That is why I try to give some details of where what and how when I am lucky enough to catch a bass. 

    Years ago on a Saturday afternoon before a Sportsman Club night tournament at Jackson I was reading a fishing report from a Texas lake to post on my website.  It said a jig and pig was working well for bass at night. 

    I did not have one tied on for the tournament but went out and rigged a rod and jig for fishing.  That night, with less than two hours left to fish, I had one small keeper in my livewell and was not very happy. 

    I decided to try the jig and pig, I had not thrown it all night. But in the next hour I caught five keepers, culling the one in the livewell and winning the tournament. 

    That jig and pig worked well during night tournaments for the next four years helping me win or place second. Then the club decided they would rather fish during the day when it is hot, there is lots of boat traffic on the lake and the fish didn’t bite.  So we stopped fishing at night when it is cool, there is little boat traffic and the fish do bite. 

    Reading about other fishing trips almost got me into serious trouble when I was 19 years old and a sophomore at UGA.  An article in Outdoor Life magazine talked about the good trout fishing downstream of the Hartwell dam on the Savannah River. 

    I skipped classes one Monday and drove over there early that morning. When I got near the river I stopped at a small store/bait shop to ask for information.  

The owner showed me an ice chest full of rainbow trout and said his two sons caught them that morning before school.  He said the hatchery truck dumped fresh trout in the river at the old steel bridge and told me to turn at the next right and it would take me to the bridge and I could fish there. 

I bought a can of kernel corn since he said that is what they were hitting, they were used to eating pellet food in the hatchery.  When I got to the bridge about 10:00 AM I found a place to park and crawled down the steep bank to the edge of the river. It was almost a half mile wide there and there were streams and rivulets running over an expanse of flat rocks all the way across, with scattered bigger pools of water. 

I tied on a #2 Mepps spinner and put a kernel of corn on one of the hooks. I waded upstream of the bridge casting to small streams and pools in the rocks, and caught a limit of ten rainbow trout before lunch. 

After going back to the truck, putting my fish on ice and eating a sandwich I started fishing downstream below the bridge to look at new places.  After about an hour I had caught two trout and had them on a stringer attached to a belt loop. I was right in the middle of the expanse of rocks, maybe 200 yards from the bank and that far downstream of the bridge. 

A car went over the bridge and the driver blew the horn. I turned and waved and turned back to fish, but something was not right. Looking back upstream there was a fog bank rolling down the river almost to the bridge. 

I realized the Corps of Engineers had released water at the Hartwell dam about four miles upstream. The ice cold water rolling down the river caused the fog. 

I grabbed my fish and took off running across the slippery rocks as fast as I could. When I got to the bank I was standing in water about ankle deep.  By the time I put my rod and can of corn on the steep bank and hooked my stringer to a bush, the water was up to my waist and I had to hold on to a bush to fight the current! 

Looking back to where I had been a few seconds before, a torrent of ice cold water several feet deep rushed across the rocks. If it had caught me there is no way I would have survived. Whoever blew that car horn saved my life. 

I stopped at the store and the owner told me someone had drowned there the week before after being caught by the current. I told him I thought the Corps blew a siren at the dam to warn folks when they released water and he said they used to but locals complained about the noise. 

I “thanked” him for warning me and left, glad to be alive. 

Read fishing tips and try them but be careful! 

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

11 Pound Guntersville Bass

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

 

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Fishing Report 1/18/24


I was on the water just a couple times this past week as the cold and wind were just not my
preferred fishing conditions. We did have some success, but it seemed like every time we
located fish the wind would blow us off the location and force us to have to move to make
the trip enjoyable.


We were preparing for the rattle trap season so all we fished, was the SPRO Aruka Shad rattle
bait the entire time we were on the water each day. The results were great for size and
average for numbers but getting ready for trap season that was a great result.


It’s time to set up your spring fishing days for bass or crappie, I believe it’s going to be a great
year as the numbers of small fish caught this past fall was impressive. Leaving me assured
that the lake is healthy and full of fish.

Come fish with me we have days available for the
spring we wish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Boat Logix mounts, Vicious
Fishing, Toyota Trucks, Duckett Fishing, Missile Baits, Tight-Line Jigs, Lowrance Electronics,
Costa Sunglasses, Dawson Boat Center, Power Pole, Lew’s Fishing and more.
Looking to entertain your customers we do corporate trips, family trips and have a group of
guides available to entertain your customers, or family so you can thank your employees for
the job well done or entertain a family affair. Call me today for details!


Bait Size Matters


As winter slowly moves on it is a time of year where size matters; at no time during the
fishing year is the size of your bait more important than now! If your wanting to catch big
quality bass, fish with big baits, like 7 inch swim baits, ¾ oz. jigs with large trailers that give
the jig a bulky look; even ¾ to 1 oz. spinner baits with large willow leaf blades will produce
that big bite.


The thing many fishermen do not realize is that slow lethargic large bass pick their prey and
the bigger the better as their feeding is very selective and large presentations entice that big
fish. I know you all have heard that saying that this time of year (winter) you’re fishing for a
few bites; I believe this is true so if the bites are limited than the presentation of large bait
becomes even more important. Size does matter; large bass are selective, they want slow
moving baits, easy prey and that large presentation as they can lead you to that 30-pound
sack we all hunt in winter fishing. Large baits do have some negatives as some days it can
reduce the number of bites, but the bigger fish make it all worth it. Be color aware as
wintertime fishing color does matter!


Some of the baits I like with large profiles are ¾ to 1 oz. Spinner baits with big willow leaf
blades that get to the bottom easily and becomes a great large profile bait to slow roll on the
bottom this time of year. I also like ¾ oz. football jigs you combine that big jig with a Missile
Bait D-bomb trailer or Drop Craw, or big Missile Craw and it will produce big bites with this jig
as it really entices those big females. Don’t underestimate the power of a big swim bait, some
of those very expensive large swim baits when worked slowly over shallow grass can become
your best friend; these baits can be very expensive, but wintertime proves their worth.


Big baits produce big fish, and you’ll have a big time on the water; you just have to get on the
water to prove it; call me I’ll help you become a big bait fisherman!


Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service



Come fish with me I am booking for the fall and would love to take you fishing call today 256
759 2270. We fish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Ranger Boats, Boat Logix
Mounts, Toyota Trucks, Cornfield Fishing Gear, Costa, Duckett Fishing, Dawson Boat Center,
Vicious Fishing, Power Pole, and more

A Bartletts Ferry Tournament Shows Never Give Up!

We knew fishing would be tough at Bartletts Ferry for the Potato Creek Bassmasters tournament last Saturday.  The weekend before it took only 11 pounds to win a local tournament with 47 teams fishing.  In local tournaments like that there are usually some very good fishermen that know the lake well and fish it several days a week to keep up with what will catch bass.

    In our tournament 18 fishermen cast from 7:00 AM to 3:00 Pm to land 51 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 64 pounds.  There were three five bass limits and two fishermen didn’t weigh in a fish.

    I managed to win with five weighing 7.26 pounds, Doug Acree had five at 7.05 for second and Stevie Wright came in third with four weighing 6.01 pounds.  Glen Anderson had three weighing 5.90 pounds for fourth and his 3.71 pound largemouth was big fish.

    I went to Blanton Creek Campground on Wednesday to practice and try to figure out something on Thursday and Friday.  Blanton Creek is a very nice Georgia Power campground about five miles by land and three miles by water from Idlehour Ramp where our tournaments are held.

    I like camping there, it has nice shady sites with electricity and water hookups and a good bathhouse with hot showers.  As usual, when I pulled up to check in the attendant said “you know you can not park your boat in the campground.” 

I have run into that problem every time I camp there.  My boat batteries have to be charged every night or I can not fish the next day.  They want me to leave my boat in the ramp parking lot, where there are no outlets.  And I have to take off all my electronics and take all my tackle with me. I am very uncomfortable leaving it exposed in a parking lot.

Some trips in the past I have been able to park my boat on my campsite, assuring the attendants I would not park it outside the gravel area or on the roads.  This time I had gotten a site on the water, one of only about ten that allow you to keep your boat in the water and run an extension cord to it to charge your batteries. 

    Although written rules in the campground say no vehicles should be parked anywhere other than on the gravel camp sites, there were six to 12 trucks and cars parked outside campsites beside the road every day.

    So they do not allow anyone to park a boat in the campground since someone might park outside their campsite, but they do not enforce the written rules for cars and trucks.

Seems very unfair to me.

I was shocked to win the tournament.  My elbow started hurting the week before the tournament and I got a sharp pain in it every time I tried to cast.  Thursday I tried to learn to cast with my left hand, and got pretty good at it, as long as I didn’t care where my bait went.

I cast about 20 times Friday and my elbow hurt so bad I stopped. I spent most of Thursday and Friday riding points, looking for places where I could drop a bait over the side or heave it out with no target, let it sink then drag it around with the trolling motor.

I started Saturday morning on a rocky bank where I could heave my spinnerbait toward it and not care much where it hit. I hooked and lost a fish on my third cast, then lost another a few minutes later.  That was not a good start.

I next went to a hump with some hydrilla on it and heaved a topwater bait out, and got a good keeper on my second cast with a topwater plug.  After that I caught three on Trick worms on seawalls. Fishing them allowed me to cast in the general direction, often landing my bait on the bank, then pulling it into the water.

After the sun got high I got my fifth keeper dragging a small jig on a point with some brush. Then, with less than 30 minutes to fish, I went back to the hump where I caught my first fish. 

With five minutes left to cast I hooked and landed a 2.5 pound largemouth on a spinnerbait.  It was my biggest fish of the day and culled a 12-inch spot that weighed less than a pound!  That made the difference between first and fourth or so.

Never give up – even when every cast hurts!

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Also See:

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Lanier Weekly Fishing Report
June 7, 2024

Water Level: The lake level stands at .64 feet ABOVE full pool.

Water Temp: Temps are hovering in the upper 70s on my Garmin

Water Clarity: Nothing significant to report on the clarity of the lake, it’s typical clarity for June.     

I have been on Lanier for 4 of the past 7 days. The fishing was very good for numbers with some good fish mixed in to keep things interesting.

There really has not been a lot of changes in what I have been doing since my last report.  Top water is still the most productive pattern day in and day out.  I expect this to continue until the water temps creep up into the low to mid 80s range.  When that happens, the thermocline will become more prevalent, surface O2 levels will decrease and Anglers will have to get more creative with presentations. 

For now, it’s time to enjoy the famed topwater bite that Lanier is known for.  My focus is humps and point in 25’-35’ FOW.  Chrome if it is sunny, bone or more subdued colors when it is cloudy. 

This is also the time of the year where it is a good idea to have several different styles of top water baits available.  Anglers may need to vary their retrieves and bait profile to figure out what the fish want on any given day. 

Lastly, I want to hit on our old buddy the shaky head.  While Top water rules the roost for most days, the shaky head can still be a trip savior.  Anglers often don’t think of the SH as a June bait, but it can be extremely effective on days when the fish just don’t want to play ball or when Anglers are just looking to give fish a different look.  I throw it in the same areas as I do top water, I am just slowing way down.  A 3/16oz Davis HBT head with a Trixster Tamale is my go to set up. 

The daily videos I publish cover these techniques in greater detail and all other techniques that were effective over this past week. In these videos, I cover the conditions, part of the lake, and how I caught fish (or did not) for most days that I am on the water.  All subscribers will have access to all historical videos as well (261 previous videos). You can sign up and view videos at https://jeffnail.uscreen.io

Lake Lanier Fishing JournalDaily updates on bass fishing at Lake Lanier. Created by Jeff Nail Fishing and Guide Service.jeffnail.uscreen.io

For the new few weeks, I have the following dates available: June 15-18 and 21. July:  I am pretty open for all days after the 8th.  If you are interested in a trip, please reach out and I will get you on the calendar. 

Jeff
770-715-9933
jeffnailfishing@gmail.com
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Jeffnailfishing.net

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jeffnailfishing@gmail.com

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Jeffnailfishing.net

#stcroixrods#castfishingco#trixstercustombaits#gillfishing#Spotchoker#seviinreels#dugoutbaitandtackle#hammondsfishingcenter#LanierBaits#dugoutbaitandtackle#talkintackle

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Captain Macks’ Lake Lanier Fishing Report

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

The first weekend of May might be a little on the soggy side, with warm temps and a light to
moderate south winds. Hmmm… sounds like pretty good fishing weather to me. The extended
forecast indicates lots of cloud cover through the week, and an increasing chance of rain late in
the week. The bite reminds pretty good for Bass and Stripers, although we are seeing some
changes with the warming water temps. The lake level dropped last week, .28 feet, to a level of
1071.23 that is .23 above full pool. We’ll call the core surface temp 72 degrees.

Remember to
be sure and tune into Capt Macks Epic Outdoors Radio each Saturday AM, 4 to 6 am. on WSB
750 Am. Yeah, it’s early, but I’ll be up with a pot of coffee and some Fig Newtons waiting to take
your hunting and fishing calls.


Striper Fishing


The bite is good, and the techniques are really the same as recent weeks. The fish are also
using the same types of structures and areas, with maybe a little more emphasis on the Herring
spawn. The fish are pretty catchable when you find them so stay in the move until you locate
them. Free lines and planers continue to account for good numbers of fish, but the down lines
are still producing and are perhaps a bigger part of the pattern than in the last few weeks. Keep
in mind the floating down lines, they are often a good technique at this point in the year. Herring
and Gizzard Shad are catching fish, with shiners also still being effective, the shiners mostly on
the free lines. Pulling the baits around shallow humps, reef poles, and points is a solid pattern,
best in the am, but effective all day.


Looking for the spawning bait fish remains a good strategy, find the bait fish spawns and the
Stripers will likely be nearby. Shad and Herring may spawn on almost any type of rock or hard
surface. Look around the ridge pilings, seawalls, rip rap or rocky banks. The fish that are around
the bait concentrations may be shallow, especially early. After the bait fish activity slows or
ceases, the Stripers may stay in the same area, just backing off into deeper water and relating
very loosely to the structure.


The pitch bite remains very, very good, perhaps one of our most prolific patterns each year. To
respond to a couple of questions; What exactly is pitching? It is just finding a likely structure that
is holding fish, securing the boat with spot lock shallow water anchors, and casting or “pitching’
a live bait, on Lanier general a Herring to the structure. Easy enough, but there are a couple of
pointers there will catch more fish. Firstly, once you pitch, lob may be a better description, to the
point, fish with your rod tip low. The reason being, many of the fish, especially the Stripers will
eat the bait and swim towards the boat, fast! Maybe faster than you can reel. If you rod tip is
high, you lose the benefit of being able to lift the rod on the bite which gives you the ability to
take up several feet of line, aka slack. Also, I prefer not to set the hook, but just start cranking
until you feel the weight of the fish, then lift the rod, keep reeling and that should get the hook
set. I prefer a circle hook over the octopus for the pitching technique


Bass Fishing


April Was a very good month, it’s early, so far it looks like May will continue that trend! The
patterns of the last few days are continuing, I think we can just add in a few post spawn patterns
that are emerging. Are the fish still spawning? I think so, however, I think there was a big group
of fish that spawned on that last full moon that be will be finishing up soon. I still think we will
have another group of spawning fish, maybe not as big as last month, so the shallow water
patterns will still have merit, we’ll just have some post spawn patterns to add variety.

With water
temps in the low 70’s we should have shallow fish anyway, regardless of the spawn.
You’ll still have the advantage of catching fish on many baits, the same baits that have been
effective in recent weeks will still be catching fish. The soft plastics, jerk baits, spinnerbaits,
swim baits (both soft plastics and hard baits)and top waters continue to produce. One footnote
on the spinnerbait bite I have discussed so much recently: as the fish leave the banks the
spinnerbaits will still have application. The technique is the same as mentioned in earlier
reports, just deeper. Fish the bait slowly enough that is following the slope of the bottom to get
the bait down into 5 to 12 feet. a heavier bait may also be a plus in getting into the appropriate
depth range. Banks with cover will still hold fish, it will most likely be that shallow offshore
structures will be more prolific. Target long flat points, shallow humps, deep stump flats and
shallow brush tops.


Keep an eye on the spawning Herring, find them and you find the fish. What to cast? Again, lots
of choices will get the bite. Sashimmy Shads and Lanier Baits Magic Swimmers, are a couple of
consistent producers. Soft plastics on the lead head, and top waters should all get the bite. The
same baits will have application for any schooling fish you see chasing bait, and that is
occurring frequently now!


Good Fishing!!
Capt Mack

St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Presented by SEVIIN Reels Kicks off Division 2 Competition on Lake Ouachita

Bass Fishing: Pick A Pattern

Below are the pretournament predictions, and here is what happened:

Bassmaster Open Winner

  • By The Fishing Wire

St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Presented by SEVIIN Reels Kicks off Division 2 Competition on Lake Ouachita

Hot Springs, AR — At over 40,000 acres, Ouachita is Arkansas’ biggest lake and one of the most popular fisheries in the state. It has been more than 20 years since B.A.S.S. visited the lake for a major tournament, but today through Saturday, high-stakes bass fishing is back, with Visit Hot Springs hosting the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Ouachita presented by SEVIIN. It’s the second Opens event of the 2024 season, and the first of three in Division 2 competition.

Tournament days are scheduled for Feb. 15-17, with daily takeoffs set for 6:45 a.m. CT from the Brady Mountain Rec A ramp. Anglers will return for weigh-in each day at 2:45 p.m. The full field of pros and co-anglers will fish the first two days before the field is cut to the Top 10 pros on the final day. The winner will punch a ticket to the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors, provided they have fished every event in Division II. EQ Anglers (those signed up for all nine Opens) will earn points towards the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers race.

With surface water temperatures barely rising above 50 degrees in most parts of the sprawling lake, Ouachita remains very much in a late-winter pattern. Rain leading up to and throughout practice has impacted water clarity, impacting how and where anglers will chase bites from the lake’s abundant smallmouth, spotted, and largemouth bass. Ouachita has both Northern- and Florida-strain largemouth, the latter of which can reach double-digit weights feeding on the lake’s shad, crayfish, and other ample forage. Expect anglers to use live sonar to focus on suspended bass keying on shad in open water areas, jigs and crankbaits on main lake points, and vertical presentations in Ouachita’s copious amounts of standing timber. Grass flats will also come into play, as long as competitors can find the ones that have pockets of clear water.

Bass Fishing

Maple Grove, Minnesota angler and St. Croix and SEVIIN Reels pro, Chad Grigsby, is a familiar face and talent in bass circles. He’s been fishing full-time on the national level for over 20 years – 18 on the FLW/MLF tour and two seasons in the Bassmaster Elites.

Grigsby says he has two goals fishing the Opens this season. “I’m fishing all nine events in hopes I can finish in the top nine in points and re-qualify for the Elites,” he says. “The other goal would be to win one of the nine events to get into the Bassmaster Classic.”

Going into this week’s competition, Grigsby says his goal is much simpler. “It’s the same mindset I have going into any tournament,” he says. “Ultimately, I just want to catch five bass to weigh every day. But I want to do it by putting myself in a place where I can get as many bites as possible.”

The pre-spawn period on Lake Ouachita is a pretty good place to do that. “It’s consistent fishing here,” says Grigsby, who has fished multiple tournaments on the lake in the past. “There’s really no fish headed to the banks yet, so it’s not like Florida where a cold front rolls through and messes things up. I think the rain is over, so it looks like we’ll have stable weather throughout the competition. Everyone is out live-scoping deep, but there’s bait and fish everywhere. I caught a couple 4.5’s in practice shallow, but they didn’t look as healthy as those deeper fish.”

While multiple options abound, expect the jig to play throughout competition for Grigsby. “I’ve got a lot of confidence fishing a jig and it’s been as good for me as anything else throughout practice,” he says. “I’ve been throwing jigs on a bit shorter St. Croix Legend X 7’ medium-heavy rod (XLC70MHF) with 14-pound line and a SEVIIN GS 7.3:1 reel,” he adds. “What I’m seeing them eat is really small.”

bass fishing

EQ Points Standings

Alabama’s Tucker Smith leads the Bassmaster Opens EQ race after the first event at Lake Okeechobee with 199 points. Florida pro Randall Tharp is second with 198 points, followed by Paul Marks in third with 197, Matt Adams in fourth with 196 and Austin Cranford in fifth with 195 points. Easton Fothergill is sixth with 194 points, Sam George is seventh with 193 points, Beau Browning is eighth with 192 points and Brandon McMillan is ninth with 191 points.

image 74

Follow the Action

The final day of competition on Ouachita will be broadcast live on FS1 Saturday morning beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET, with streaming available on Bassmaster.com, as well as FS2 and the FOX Sports digital platforms.
 

2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Presented by SEVIIN Reels Schedule

Division 1
February 1-3, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Florida
March 7-9, Santee Cooper Lakes, Clarendon County, South Carolina
October 10-12, Lake Hartwell, Anderson, South Carolina

Division 2
February 15-17, Lake Ouachita, Hot Springs, Arkansas
May 2-4, Logan Martin Lake, Lincoln, Alabama
June 20-22, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Oklahoma

Division 3
July 11-13, Lake St. Clair, Macomb County, Michigan
August 22-24, Leech Lake, Walker, Minnesota
September 12-14, Mississippi River, La Crosse, Wisconsin

St. Croix & SEVIIN Rewards Programs
 
The St. Croix Rewards Program remains unchanged this year, but an identical SEVIIN Rewards Program has been added.
 
Each program pays $1,000 to any registered pro angler (boater) who wins an Open tournament fishing St. Croix rods or SEVIIN reels, or $500 to the highest-finishing registered top-10 pro angler (boater) fishing St. Croix rods or SEVIIN Reels.
 
Similarly, each program awards $500 to any registered co-angler who wins an Open tournament fishing St. Croix rods or SEVIIN reels, or $250 to the highest-finishing registered top-10 co-angler fishing St. Croix rods or SEVIIN reels.
 
Since these are two separate contingency programs, a registered angler fishing both St. Croix and SEVIIN who wins or finishes highest in the top 10 would receive both rewards – up to $2,000 for a boater and up to $1,000 for a co-angler.
 
Anglers must pre-register to be eligible to win these contingency programs. Registration takes place at the St. Croix / SEVIIN tent prior to the start of competition at each tournament.

About St. Croix Rod

Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly producing the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph®, Mojo, and BASSX, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world.

About SEVIIN Reels

Wherever and however you fish, the reel in your hand should help create better experiences. Born from St. Croix’s seven decades of design and manufacturing expertise, industry-leading customer service, and unbroken private ownership by the Schluter family dating back to 1977, SEVIIN reels are meticulously engineered and purpose-built to help anglers conquer every species on every piece of water on the planet. SEVIIN focuses on reels and reels only, designing and crafting products that improve the angling experience, regardless of the rods anglers choose. Seven seas, seven continents, seven days a week, SEVIIN reels are fueled by a collective love of fishing surpassed only by a passion to deliver the most reliable reels on the water.

KEEP YOUR FINGER ON THE FISHING INDUSTRY PULSE

THE DEFINITITIVE NEWS SOURCE OF THE FISHING & MARINE INDUSTRY

Captain Mack’s Lake Hartwell Fishing Report

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Lake level is down -5.52’
Surface temp is 66


While the weather cannot
seem make its mind up this
week, we are still in that fall
turnover pattern on the
water. The line sides are
definitely on the move and
headed back in the creeks in
search of bait and water
quality. It is still a grind but
good fish and numbers can be
caught using a number of
techniques. Long points and
humps are really coming into
play now as the fish are
roaming more shallow. These
areas in the middle and back
portions of the creek have
been getting better as we get
deeper into the fall pattern.


Planer boards and free lines
have been my staple pattern.
As I mentioned in my last
report, I will discuss my
standard set up in this report.
A Captain Mack’s Mustard
Stick paired with an Okuma
line counter reel is my go-to. I
like to be spooled with 17 lb test mono and a 10-12# Sunlike Sniper Fluorocarbon leader approximately
8’ long. I use a #2 Gamakatsu Octopus hook for the Blueback Herring. I use the line counter reel to let
30-40’ back before I clip the Perfect Planer on and then let the planer back around 80’ on my outside rod
and then 50’ on my inside rod when running 2 rods per side. Set your reels drag loose enough the fish
will pull drag slightly on that initial run but tight enough to get a solid hook set. This is my standard setup
but you can vary it to your style. Braid works just fine as a main line and hook sizes need to match the
bait you are pulling.


Trolling Captain Mack’s umbrella rigs over these same points and humps in 25-35’ will definitely add
more fish to the boat and also the best way to scout out new areas when searching a creek arm. 90-125’
behind the boat is ideal doing this method. Keep a Super Jig (white with mylar or white chart) or top
water bait tied on for the surfacing fish.


Captain Brandon Davis
Bent Rods Charter Company

Lake Guntersville Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Guntersville Fishing Report

Check out these weekly updated reports for selected lakes in Georgia and Alabama Lakes Fishing Report. If any guides or fishermen do weekly reports and would like them published on my site please contact me: ronnie@fishing-about.com

Captain Mike with nice Guntersville bass

Captain Mike with nice Guntersville bass

Fishing Report, Lake Guntersville 9/21/19

With my truck being repaired from someone hitting it at a ramp and of course the culprit not
owning up to it; my report will be somewhat second hand; but have no fear I have it back and
will be back on the water next week. It appears the top water bite remained strong and so
did the worm fishing. Although size was hard to come bye as it generally is in the late summer
numbers were good.

Baits being used this week, top water mainly pop-r’s, Zara spooks, and Picasso buzz baits, on
the bottom we have mainly fished small worms like Missile bait ‘48” stick baits in 8 to 10 feet
of water.

Come fish with me no one will treat you better or work harder to see you have a great day on
the water. I have guides and days available to fish with you. We fish with great sponsor
products Lowrance Electronics, Ranger Boats, Mercury motors, Boat Logix mounts, Vicious
Fishing, Duckett Fishing, Navionics mapping and more.

Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com

Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Phone: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry