Category Archives: Where To Fish

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


March 8, 2024

Water Level: The lake level has fallen over the past week to .49 feet ABOVE full pool and rising.

Water Temp: Temps vary between 51 and 60 depending on graph and location in the lake.

Water Clarity: Expect the backs of creeks and up the rivers to be heavily stained or even muddy by sunrise on Saturday.  Waters should start to clear up some as the week progresses before the next chance of rain hits.    

I have been on Lanier for 6 of the past 7 days and the quality of fishing continues to improve with each day.  With the waters warming and days lengthening, the fish are becoming more and more aggressive.  With the exception of Tuesday, we had good numbers with decent size sprinkled in. 

Fish can still be found from 40+ft deep to dirt shallow.  I have focused most of my time in less than 20 FoW but had success in 30+ feet from time to time. 

The spinning rod is still ruling the deck of the boat, but the crank bait has produced some big fish over the past week.  Two of my top producers this week were the shaky head and MR6 crank bait.

For the shaky head, we focused on the deeper 1/2 of docks.  We are not picking these docks apart, rather we are simply targeting the most likely spots and moving on.  While this is going on, I will pay attention to FFS to what was showing up under the docks.  If I noticed fish, but did not get bit we would slow down and “soak” the worm in the area where the fish were spotted.  We were able to trigger a few additional strikes doing this. 

For the MR6 bite, I targeted shallow rock and clay points and humps that had a little wind on them.  This bite was best when I would see bass up in the water column on FFS.  While I was not targeting fish that I saw on FFS, when I would see the fish were up in the water column, I had success in moving baits rather than dragging a worm.  When I would find the fish up in the water column, I would simply run shallow points and sling the crank bait.  I would get the bait down, then slow down my retrieve to a speed that was just fast enough to keep in contact with the bottom.  This bite seemed to die as the day progressed for me, but it did produce some of my biggest bites of the week.

My crank bait rod of choice is a St Croix Legend Glass, 7’4” MHM.  I pair this rod with a casting reel with a 6ish gear ratio reel and 10lb Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon.

My next speaking engagement will be March 12 (6pm) at West Marine in Buford.  I hope to see you there.    

If you are looking for more detailed information on my trips along with tips and techniques, I publish a video covering the conditions, part of the lake, and how I caught fish (or did not) each day I am on the water.  All subscribers will have access to all historical videos as well (currently at 211 that have been recorded since April 2023). 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 remainder of March, I have the 12-13th, 16-19, 21, 24, 26, 28th. Please reach out if you are interested in getting on the water. Looking forward, I am also booking dates in April and May.

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

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

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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

Just looked out the window, raining again, the weekend must be here?

Fishing has been good
on Lanier, I think it will be great fishing if the weather and water will stabilize. Be ready when
that happens, As was the case after the last big rain dump, the stained water will offer some
great opportunities! Actually, fishing will likely be good anyway, the fish just may move out of
some of that dirty water so factor that into your game plan and use the transition zones. For the
record, there were some 60 degree plus water temp readings this week! It is amazing how
quickly the water has warmed, and the fish responded as expected! The lake level is on the rise
again, up to 1071.49 as of Friday afternoon, with additional rising water expected. The lake level
is .49 feet up from last week, and .49 feet over full pool. The core temp is 58, but much warmer
up lake and in the backs!


Striper Fishing


The Striper bite is very good, and multiple patterns are still effective. The creek back thing I
have been mentioning has been very good, but expect that to be put on a brief hold, or at least
changing somewhat, based on the amount of rainfall we receive? Basically, look for the fish in
the transition zone where the new incoming water meets with the older stable water. That was
the pattern on Friday morning, and it made for great fishing! I think this pattern will rebound
quickly, and it may not be that adversely affected? Fishing the backs has been really strong and
very underutilized, so keep that in mind going into next week. I relied on two baits, the Mini
Mack and a 3/8 Super Jig tipped with a tiny fluke. Basically, I was going into a creek back until I
saw the water change color, then start beating the banks with emphasis on points and flats. The
same pattern will likely work now, just concentrate on the transition zones where the new dirty
water meets the clear water.


There are still plenty of fish in open water areas and big drains and feeder creeks. This pattern
has been good in the middle parts of the lake, particular the Chattahoochee side. Many of the
big drains that run into the creeks are not live creeks, or they are small creeks, and not as
susceptible to being blown out. Watch for fish out over the river channel as well, that pattern has
been a staple for the last few weeks. The birds have been very helpful in located the fish over
the channel, and it may not be the typical scenario we envision when you think of Gulls on fish?


You may see the classic Gull tornado, but it may also be a small number of Gulls, or Gulls that
are flying high and focused on small area. They are probably telling you there is bait and or fish
in the area. Keep and eye on the Gulls and the Loons, they may save you some searching
Live baits are catching plenty of fish, and while the Herring are good baits right now, the
availability has been sporadic. Hopefully that situation will improve now that we are off of the full
moon. Shad and or Shiners will be good alternates, and catching Threadfin Shad will also be a
good option. There are plenty of Thread fins in the creek backs, so taking a few minutes to net
bait may be worthwhile. Whatever the bait is, a mix and match is always a good strategy, the
best bite has been on the free lines and planers, with some applications for the down lines as
well.


Bass Fishing


The Bass Bite has been very good, both for numbers and a nice average size. There are still
many applicable patterns, and with surface temps in the to upper 50’s, the fish are thinking
spring!, The same pattern I mentioned in the Striper part of the report will hold true here. Go into
a creek until you see the water start getting dingy, that transition zone again, and start fishing.


The fish may be randomly cruising or tight to structure. Cast to the bait schools, to the banks,
flats and points, and of course any fish you mark on the sonar. Any structures you see may also
hold fish and are worth a cast. The Mini Macks and the Rock Crawlers were particularly effective
for me this week. Other baits that are applicable are jerk baits and spinnerbaits. Match the color
of the bait to the water clarity and you should stay pretty busy unhooking fish! Jigs and worms to
the blowdowns and docks will also have application.


Speaking of docks, targeting the docks is very strong. I think the worms and jigs will be hard to
beat for this pattern, but moving baits will also have a place, especially on the shallow docks.
The big soft swim baits such as the 6” Cast Prodigy and Magdraft baits will be a good option to
cast to the docks, and may get the attention of the bigger fish. If I had to pick a depth, 12 to 25
is Probably a good range, with lots of movement based on the weather and conditions on a
given day. The dock pattern can have many variables, a pattern within the pattern.

Determining
the best depth, or the position of the dock in the creek, structures under the docks, angle of the
sun are some things to note. On the other hand, somedays, you may not be able to pinpoint the
nuances to the pattern and high saturation will be the key.


Good Fishing!!
Capt Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

 

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, Lake Guntersville 3/9/24


As we examine this week’s fishing results you will find it’s a mixed bag of results resulting in
new challenges from different techniques. All being formed from changing weather that
changed patterns and caused you to find new techniques and forced me to make changes as
the week moved on, let’s explore these changes and see if it helps you become better the
next time you are on the water.


Baits moved and changed as the weather forced us to change, SPRO Rattle baits Aruka Shad
were my first choice, Texas rigged Missile Bait Spunk Shad soft plastics had a place when the
seem slow and lethargic and we could see them on our Lowrance forward facing sonar. When
it was windy we moved to Duckett spinner baits and Tight-Line swim jigs to cover water.

March on Guntersville


As the water warms and the weather improves March can be an excellent month for bass
fishing in Guntersville. With rising temperatures, the bass begin to move from the deep water
to the shallows as they prepare their bodies for the spawn. Remember March can be all
about transition so finding fish can come from many depths of water. Some techniques that
have held up over time and lived through all the fishing pressure are few.


The first I like is rattle trap fishing or commonly known as lipless crank baits. As the water
temp rises this bait allows you to cover water quickly and effectively creating strikes from
bass as they move into their spawning grounds. The well-known fact about lipless crank baits
is their ability to entice aggressive fish and no bait is better in March on Guntersville than a
trip tantalizing a bass. It’s also important to remember that color matters in March as the
water is generally stained and we are always having rain, clouds and sun move through and
color can be the difference maker.


Next, I like soft plastics as the ability to present a soft plastic bait in many forms and
techniques allows you to have a bait on the deck that has survived through many years of
new baits and techniques that have come and gone in the pre-spawn period. A slow-moving
soft plastic especially in the Whacky rig format is just a killer as it tantalizes bass in the pre
spawn. As always, the forever long standing Texas rig worm is always a bass catcher, and this
time frame is just ideal for a Texas rig worm. Remember there are many forms of soft plastic
so don’t overlook the all-world fish catching ability of a swim bait.


One of my favorite presentations is a spinner bait, they also cover water and bring strikes
from aggressive bass; it is also a great bait for the many types of weather conditions we see
in March in Alabama. Wind rain and sun all change the watercolor and water conditions
allowing you to have a bait that causes strikes and can be fished in any weather conditions
especially the ones that cause us the most grief in March.

Come fish with me I have days available the movement into spring patterns is close and the best is yet to come. Call today to schedule your trip to Lake Guntersville. We fish with great sponsor products, Mercury Motors, Ranger Boats, Lowrance Electronics, Dawson Boat Center, Toyota Trucks, Vicious Fishing, Duckett Fishing, Lew’s Fishing, Power Pole, Missile Baits T&H Marine and more.


Amazing How Fast Bass Fishing Can Change In A Few Spring Days

Call it a tale of two Sinclairs.  Or a tale of three lakes in only three days. Last weekend showed how fast bass fishing can change this time of year.  

    Last Friday I met Ricky Layton to get information for my GON April Map of the Month article.  The weather guessers were right for a change when they predicted high winds, bluebird skies and cold weather. That combination is usually the kiss of death for fishing in the spring.

    Ricky said we would meet at Bass’s Boat House, an old marina where the clubs used to put in back in the 1970s. It was near the dam and the water might be slightly clearer in that area, and we would be more protected from the wind. All this spring the flooding rains have made our lakes fill up with very muddy water.

    We waited until 9:00 AM to go out since it was cold.  The first two hours seemed to show the weather and muddy water was working against us. Ricky took me to some places he had caught good fish the weekend before, but the water was even muddier than it had been and we got no bites.

    At 11:00 Ricky was starting to look at the article pattern and caught an eight-pound largemouth on a bladed jig. The fish was up shallow near a grass bed, the pattern for April.  That is a big fish for Sinclair, it has been a long time since I have seen one that big there, although there have been several that were close the past few years.

    About noon we started fishing and marking places for the article, working bass bedding and shad spawning areas.  Ricky caught a five-pound largemouth out of a grass bed on what will be hole #2.  A few minutes later he caught one weighing about six pounds there.

    The next place we fished Ricky caught another fish right at six pounds, on the same pattern, halfway back in a creek with grass beds up shallow on the bank.  One of the last places we fished he landed his smallest fish of the day, one that weighted about 3.5 pounds.  In all that time I landed one weighing about 2.5 pounds, but my excuse is I was too busy netting his fish and taking pictures and notes to fish.

    Ricky ended up with five bass weighing a conservative 28 pounds.  That is the kind of catch you dream about and expect on Guntersville, not Sinclair, especially under bad weather conditions.  The water temperature was 58 to 59 degrees where we fished, making those big largemouth were looking for bedding areas.

     On Saturday Ricky took his son fishing at Sinclair.  Although colder, the weather was better, but the fishing was not.  He said they did land a seven-pound fish out of hole #10 but their best five weighed “only” about 14 pounds, not great compared to the day before.

    I could not wait to get on the water Sunday morning in the Flint River Bass Club March tournament at Sinclair.  I should have known better.

    After fishing from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, 13 members landed 20 bass weighing about 36 pounds.  There was one five bass limit and five people didn’t catch a 12-inch keeper.

    Travis Weatherly won with five weighing 9.02 pounds and his 4.99 pound largemouth was big fish.  My three weighing 7.47 placed second and I had a 4.57 pounder for my biggest fish. Niles Murray placed third with three weighing 5.75 pounds and Brent Drake came in fourth with three weighing 4.20 pounds.

    The cold air made me shiver on my run to my first stop. Luckily there was enough wind to keep the fog down, it was wispy and hanging just off the water. But there was enough to make it scary trying to watch for all the floating wood.

    I stopped off a grass bed that was perfect for the pattern Ricky caught his big fish on Friday, but my heart sank when my temperature gauge hit 49 degrees.  A nine or ten degree drop just had to affect the bass. It surely did affect my optimism!

    I fished three places in three hours without a bite.  Around 11:00 the weak sun was warming the water a little, raising the temperature to about 51 degrees in the cove where Ricky caught a six pounder.  I cast a Chatterbait across in front of a grass bed, something thumped it and I set the hook.

    My rod bowed up and the fish headed for deep water. I just knew I had a six pounder on, but suddenly my line went slack. The fish just pulled off without me ever seeing it.

    At noon I was in the area where Ricky caught two fish, hole #2. I was very down, fishing half the day without a keeper. The water had warmed to 52 so I had some hope. I cast my Chatterbait into some grass and hooked the four pounder I weighed in. That improved my attitude a lot.

    After another hour of fishing without a bite, I caught a two pounder in front of some grass, then at 2:00 PM landed my third keeper, a one pounder, from another grass bed.  That was it. I fished hard for the rest of the day without another bite.

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 February 28, 2024

Alan Henry

GOOD. Water clear; 49 degrees; 4.11 feet below pool. Water temperature on the main lake is 49 degrees and 53 degrees in the back of creeks. Crappie are good in 15-30 feet of water on minnows and jigs. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.

Amistad

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 64.98 feet below pool. Black bass are fair on rattletraps, crankbaits, wacky worms, dropshot, spinnerbaits, and Texas rigged lizards worked around rocky points next to shallow spawning flats. Most bass holding in 10-20 feet of water. White bass are good 30-50 feet of water on main creek channels, around bait balls and birds. Blade baits and spoons are working best. Stripers are slow. Keep‘em tight. Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service.

Arlington

SLOW. Water stained; 61 degrees; 0.06 feet below pool. Bass are in a pre-spawn and early spawn pattern. Bass are slow, on docks with grass throwing creature baits and moving baits.

Arrowhead

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 54 degrees; 8.06 feet below pool. The catfish bite has improved as fish start to migrate to spawning grounds relating to wood in 5-15 feet of water. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.

Athens

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 61 degrees; 0.46 feet above pool. Fish are finicky with the weather, but fish should pattern nicely when the weather stabilizes over the next week. Bass are fair as fish start moving to shallow water. Cast small moving baits underpins, jerkbaits in the wind. Crappie are slow scattered moving shallow minnow under a float in shallow water 2-6 feet of water. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Austin

SLOW. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 0.73 feet below pool. Bass have pushed up to spawn in multiple areas of the lake. There is a decent amount of fish shallow right now. Lightweight plastic worms and small weedless swimbaits have been the ticket. The recent full moon put fish on spawning beds. This is a great time of the year to be out on Lake Austin! Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing. Bass are starting to move towards beds biting jigs, lizards and senkos. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

B.A. Steinhagen

SLOW. Water stain; 55 degrees; 0.60 feet below pool. Influx of runoff so the water is turbid and lake levels are in constant flux. Catfish are biting good in the shallows on cut baits and prepared baits. Largemouth bass are slow.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees. Water temperatures are holding steady so the bite is consistent. Bass are fair slowly working creature type baits, and weightless swimbaits in the grass lines. Green pumpkin worms are good on transitions in 8-12 feet. Visibility is about 2-3 feet and cloudy. Report by Jason Hernandez, Bass Institute of Bastrop. Bass continue to be good working soft plastics like 4 inch worms, flukes and craws in or on the edge of grass lines. A Carolina rig or ball head jig with small straight tail swimbait is still working on humps and deeper ledges. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 58 degrees; 12.31 feet below pool. Water level is steady and warming thanks to unseasonably mild weather. White bass, hybrid stripers and shad have all begun shifting shallower due to what is shaping up to be an early spring. Fish are in 19-30 feet of water. Fish have been noticeably aggressive thanks to a net warmup over the past four weeks. A go-to tactic right now is easing with the white, 5/8 ounce or 3/4 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. Relying on side imaging to find fish, Spot-Locking atop them, then fishing vertically aided by Garmin LiveScope. The easing tactic involves slowly and steadily lifting the slab from near bottom upwards and watching sonar for signs of fish following the bait. If a follow occurs, the bait must continue to be moved steadily upwards. Beware that the surface temperature can be very misleading, and that the temperature from 10 feet below the surface and deeper is still significantly cooler. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfishing has been excellent in 10-25 feet of water. Slow drifting with suspended baits around points and river channels has worked best for blue catfish. Flatheads are becoming more active at night and have been caught near structure and rock piles with live perch or shad. Channel catfish are fair and have been caught in shallow water around timber using punch bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees; 0.53 feet above pool. Crappie are up the creeks gearing up to spawn but can be caught on minnows or jigs. Catfish can be caught at the mouths of creeks with cut bait. Bass are shallow for the spawn biting shallow crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits. Report by Camron Wilkerson, Camron’s Quality Crappie Guiding.

Bob Sandlin

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. Crappie are fair with fish scattered 2-20 feet of week throughout the lake with minnows or jigs. Sand bass are good with fish stacked under the Texas State Highway 21 bridge with yellow or white slabs in 20-30 feet of water. Catfish are fair in 10-15 feet of water on baited holes with cheese bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are good in shallow water with some starting to set up on beds biting lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged lizards and chatterbaits. Most bass are in 10 feet or less. Expect fish to be spawning in the full moon this weekend. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Black bass will be active in the backs of creeks and coves, shad pattern streamers in white are a good bet. Crappies will start their move towards the banks soon, try wooly buggers and small fish patterns fished slowly. Try streamers around retaining walls on warm sunny days. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Brady

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 13.08 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are slow on rocks with chatterbaits or crankbaits or in the stickups on senkos or worms. Catfish are fair on live perch or cut shad in the mouth of Brady creek on trotlines or jug lines. Crappie are good in the marina or around hardwood main lake or creek entrance. White bass are slow on small crankbaits.

Braunig

FAIR. Water stained, 63 degrees. Red drum are fair to poor on cut bait like shad and crawfish scented baits around the discharge in warmer water. Catfish are fair using cheese bait, livers and frozen Gulf shrimp around the edges of the discharge, jetties and shoreline coves.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees; 15.37 feet below pool. The low water ramp off of U.S. Route 380 and the dam are the best launch options. Beaching is required at both ramps. Sand bass and Hybrids are setting up for their spawn. Look toward the north end and the river. These fish will be grouped up but maybe hard to find. Deadsticking and slabs are the best bet. Largemouth bass are in pre-spawn mode. Look north for the warmest water you can find around the mouths of creeks and coves. Try a Minnow or craw imitator. Catfish continue to be good on cut shad, try drifting flats near the river channel. Crappie continue to be scattered. Look for them to be staging for their spawn very soon. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Brownwood

GOOD. Water stained; 59 degrees; 8.85 feet below pool. Black bass to 7.89 pounds are good on Hag’s Bait jigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits in 3-12 feet of water. Bass are in prespawn on secondary points and the mouth of cove pockets. Crappie are fair at the Wild Duck and brush piles on minnows in 12-15 feet of water starting to move shallow. White bass are excellent on crankbaits and Alabama rigs. Catfish are good on cut or prepared bait around baited holes.

Bryan

FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees. Catfish, crappie and bass can be caught near the restaurant, off rocks and floating docks with small minnows, worms, and cut bait. Report by The Bait Barn. Bass are good shallow fishing crankbaits or flipping Texas rigs on flats. Report by The Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 25.58 feet below pool. White bass fishing remains excellent, if you want to load the boat now is the time vertical jigging 15-60 feet of water and trolling small crankbaits have been the best producers. Stripers have been biting good when you can stay out of the whites. Vertical jigging and live bait have been best patterns 20-45 feet of water depth has been key. The birds are still pointing out the fish when they decide to work. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing.

Caddo

FAIR. Water stained; 61 degrees; 1.19 feet above pool. These warmer temperatures have the wasp flying, snakes crawling and the trees are budding. Water temperatures should remain consistent in the 60s and the lake level is good after the rains. Finesse your way around trees with flukes and senkos, or if it is windy use a chatterbait or swim jig. Start in 4-6 feet of water to see if you can find a big female. Then work your way to 2 feet of water. Focus on trees, but if there is another cold snap do not be shy about taking a rattletrap on the flats to cover the grass and pad stem areas around the trees. Fish would move off the trees and hold on that hard bottom near deep water and near the spawning trees. Always a fun time to come out and enjoy this lake that God spoke into existence and see the gators coming out to warm up after winter. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Calaveras

FAIR. Water slightly stained, 57 degrees. Red drum have been fair to slow on frozen Gulf shrimp, cut bait and crawfish scented baits. Blue catfish and channel catfish have been fair on cheese bait, frozen Gulf shrimp and livers in 15-25 feet of water and in deep parts of coves from the recreational shoreline.

Canyon Lake

GOOD. Water clear to normal stain; 63 degrees; 21.28 feet below pool. Fishing is good with bass moving into pre-spawn and spawning phase. Working a spinnerbait or chatterbait in shallow water, or a swimbait on the grass edges is producing as well. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Stained; 58 degrees; 0.15 feet below pool. White bass are staging in full force for the spring spawn and heading into shallower water, 6-18 feet, and into any shallow creek that has flowing water. Hybrids and white bass continue to be caught deadsticking in 25-35 feet in the mouths of the big creeks. Deadsticking utilizing a thumper and a splasher with deadsticking lures with a 1-1.5 ounce jighead with a tandem hook or jig above it paired with a small plastic fluke. You must keep your drift speeds under .5 mph with the ideal drift being .3 mph utilizing drift socks to keep you slowed down in windy conditions. In the weeks to come hybrids and white bass will continue to migrate to the shallower water from 8-20 feet to spawn and will be easy to find. You may even try trolling a small spinner bait or a hellbender or pet spoon rig at 2 mph in the shallower depths. The crappie bite has picked up in the creeks and inlets in 2-10 feet of water throughout the entire lake. The warm weather will continue to drive these fish shallow to spawn. If you can find a brush pile near a dock you can find them stacked up but most of the crappie have migrated into the creeks or shallow water now. Guides have been reporting exceptionally nice catches on sunny warmer days. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service.

Choke Canyon

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 28.03 feet below pool. Black bass are in 8-10 feet of water on secondary points and main lake points using Carolina or Texas rigged worms, or swimbaits. Catfish are fair in 10 feet of water with stink bait or cut bait. Crappie are good in shallow water with live minnows or small black and chartreuse crappie jigs. Check ramp status before heading out, and navigate with caution. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.

Cisco

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 11.58 feet below pool. Crappie are improving in shallow water biting on minnows. Channel catfish are good in 8 feet of water on worms. Lots of bass activity chasing bait out to 15 feet deep. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.

Coleman

SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 9.16 feet below pool. Few reports, but typically crappie can be caught in the brush piles under docks. Crappie are good on jigs at the docks.

Comanche Creek

GREAT. Water stained. 65 degrees; 0.08 feet above pool. Comanche Creek continues to boast great catches of black bass to 7 pounds on soft plastics. Channel catfish populations are great, and the bite is good on prepared baits and cut shad. Tilapia can be taken on worms or through the use of cast nets in the shallow. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Conroe

GREAT. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.02 feet above pool. Springtime is upon us with the redbuds blooming, so pretty much all scaled fish are either spawning or moving shallow to start soon. Seeing lots of smaller males making beds. Catfish have still been good on baited areas and some bulkheads on shad, liver, catfish Bubblegum and punch bait. Be safe and be ethical. Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrids are staging on channels, cast and retrieval or live bait has been good. Crappie are in 3-14 feet of water starting the spawn, finding some at pre-stage, minnow or jigs with a cork have been working. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Guide.

Cooper

GOOD. Water stained; 57 degrees: 1.00 feet below pool. The water is turbid after the recent rainfall and rising water level. Few anglers on the water but reports indicate the blue catfish bite is good.

Corpus Christi Lake

FAIR. 60 degrees; 8.07 feet below pool. Conditions look great over the next week. Catfish are good in 2-4 feet of water on wind blown shorelines on worms, cheese bait, and cut carp. Crappie are fair in 1-2 feet of water on minnows and jigs. The spawn is slowly turning on. White bass are slow. Largemouth are slow. Report provided by Captain Damian Hubbs, Top Gun Outfitters.

Cypress Springs

FAIR: Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.59 feet above pool. Crappie are fair with fish scattered 2-20 feet of water, with some fish pushing shallow using minnows or jigs. Catfish are fair in 20-25 feet of water on tire reefs with cheese bait. Sand bass are good on main lake points with slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are good with most bass still roaming in deeper water, but in the coming weeks bass will push shallow to beds. Bass are biting lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged lizards and chatterbaits. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water stained; 61 degrees; 5.93 feet below pool. White bass are fair on main lake structure on slabs and in mid depths on chartreuse and white cocahoes. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles shallow and in mid depths and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fairfield

Closed to the public.

Falcon

GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 34.44 feet below pool. Bow fishing is good for gar in the backs of creeks. Rod-and-reel fishing for gar should improve as the water settles and weather stabilizes. Catfish are good up the Rio Grande in the current. The spawn is about to start. Bass fishing is excellent in 2-8 feet of water targeting shallow bushes and timber with chartreuse and white or red chatterbaits, perch or tilapia colored jigs. Bass are spawning. Crappie are very slow with few reports. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.

Fayette

GOOD. Water stained; 57 degrees. Fishing patterns are consistent, but fish may push shallow with the full moon. Bass are good targeting roadbeds and the dam with Carolina rigs and finesse worms. Look for fish staging for the spawn in the backs of coves and cuts. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 61 degrees; 0.24 feet below pool. Bass are all over the place with a good shallow bite and nice catches offshore fish utilizing live scope. Shallow fish are best on moving baits like chatterbaits and spinnerbaits and some minus ones in 1-3 feet. Edge of grass in 1-4 feet of water is still producing with ViperXP Jigs and Texas rigged creature baits. Grass in 1-4 ft best . Wacky rigs are good near edge of grass. Water temp is 56-66 depending on your location. Murky east and west but clear in the mid lake areas. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Bass are in the shallows working streamers are working in 1-8 feet. Clousers should produce good results around structure. Crappie will be moving towards the banks, small patterns like wooly buggers are a good bet. Bream will also move to warmer water, a wooly bugger would be a good choice. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie on Lake Fork are spread out all over the different depths on the lake right now. You can still catch some fish out deep in 50 plus feet of water, you can catch fish up in 2 feet of water and all the depth in between. Not seeing huge numbers of fish concentrated in any specific depth yet as these fish are moving towards spawning areas. We have been seeing bigger fish this past week being caught like we normally do in the springtime. The bite should get hotter and hotter in less than 20 feet deep areas as water temperature rise over the next few weeks. With tons of rain the last few weeks the water is stained in most areas and muddy way up north close to the runoff and feeder creek areas. Chartreuse hand ties are working well for fish deeper than 25 feet right now and black and chartreuse soft plastics are working well on shallower fish where the water is more stained. Minnows will still work as well. The catfish bite is really good around roosting trees on the north ends of the lake. Timber in 13-18 feet is best and look for the birds in that timber at first light. Bait around the trees with cattle cubes or sour grain to really concentrate those channel cats well. Then any prepared catfish bait will load the boat. The bite has been light and most fish just swim away with the bait. We are watching lines very closely to see when fish have the bait. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Ft. Phantom Hill

GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees; 6.50 feet below pool. Crappie are starting to relate to rock banks using minnows or jigs. Largemouth bass are moving shallow red or orange crankbaits, worms or chatterbaits. Catfish are good drifting shallow flats with cut bait. Report by Camron Wilkerson, Camron’s Quality Crappie Guiding. Reports of crappie catches in the intake using jigs or minnows.

Graham

SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 5.71 feet below pool. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and minnow. Catfish are moving into shallow water and catching them on shad. Bass have been hard to catch.

Granbury

GOOD. Water clear; 57 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Water temperatures on Granbury are in the middle 50s on the main lake and near 60 in the river above Granbury. The lake is relatively clear. Some shad kills have been reported mid to lower lake. Spawning sand bass and crappie are starting to be caught in the river near Tin Top. Largemouth bass are also being caught in the backs of major creeks and in the river near Tin Top. Some good blue and yellow catfish catches to 20 pounds are possible on the flats north of Hunter Park. Striped bass are reported as slow from Decordova to Indian Harbor. Crappie catches on submerged structures on small jigs are producing from mid lake to the Peninsula and in the river above Granbury. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Granbury striped bass are slow, but can be caught on live bait, deadsticking, strolling swim baits and umbrella-rigs. Fish are scattered from Striper Alley to the railroad bridge. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton’s Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney.

Granger

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.33 feet above pool. Black bass are good on black Stanley Jigs fished in heavy timber in Willis Creek. Crappie are moving shallow into the backs of ditches and sloughs off the river and up Willis Creek. White bass are good up river around Comanche Bluff. Blue catfish are good on shad. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.

Grapevine

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Most of the white bass have moved into the creeks to spawn. There are still some fish in 40-50 feet of water suspended down 20-35 feet of water biting slabs on stingers hooks using a thumper. Crappie are in the deeper water and can be caught on jigs. Reports that bass are in the backs of creeks on spawning beds. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’ the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Greenbelt

SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 46.02 feet below pool. Few anglers and reports while the lake level is low.

Hawkins

SLOW. Water slightly stained. 58 degrees. Chain pickerel are shallow in the lily pads and around brush and grass. Black bass will feed in shallow water on warm banks and creeks. Try small baitfish imitations with barbless hooks. Fish calm sunny banks. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Houston County

GOOD. Water clear; 65 degrees; 0.18 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are good in 1-7 feet of water with wacky worms, weightless Texas rigs, yum dingers or swim jigs. Crappie are in 10 feet or less using minnows on standing timber, brush, or deep docks. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Hubbard Creek

GOOD. Water Stained; 63 degrees; 11.88 feet below pool. Crappie are up the creeks gearing up to spawn on minnows or jigs. Catfish are at the mouths of creeks with cut bait. Bass are shallow for the spawn biting shallow crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits. Report by Camron Wilkerson, Camron’s Quality Crappie Guiding. Lake record blue catfish caught this past week on cut bait.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.14 feet above pool. Bass are in 8-10 feet of water biting Texas rigs, wacky worms and rattletraps.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.21 feet above pool. The bite remain consistent. Crappie are biting when you can find them stacked. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lake O’ the Pines

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.37 feet above pool. Crappie are excellent in the main creek channel north of the Texas State Highway 155 bridge with minnows or jigs. Sand bass are good north of the Texas State Highway 255 bridge towards the rock dam with small spinnerbaits. Catfish are good 10-15 deep with cut bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O’ the Pines Crappie Fishing. Spawning stages. Bass are good in shallow water with some starting to set up on beds biting lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged lizards and chatterbaits. Most bass are in 10 feet or less. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.37 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady, but this should change next week after the forecasted rain. It should be amazing fishing after the creek clears, but for that to happen, the water level would have to come up 2 to 4 feet or more, for a couple hours. That will get a bunch of white bass spread out through the creek system in higher numbers. Crappie seem to be moving north, so watch for spawning activity. Starting to see some in 18-20 feet of water on structures. A few roamers out in 15 feet. So basically, they are scattered around the lake. I would be on the north end, looking more than the south end. A majority of white bass are on the north end, funneling into the creeks for their annual white bass spawning run. 4 pound line and small jigs, rooster, tails, in-line, spinners, or minnows are working great in the creek systems. Catfish are great using cut bait on a santee rig drifting in 20-30 feet of water. If you are the first one out on the lake and you see the cormorants roosted in a tree, you can bobber out chicken liver, or cut bait or punch bait 3-6 foot under a bobber underneath the cormorants where they were in the tree, and you should find blue catfish and channel catfish feeding on what the birds were dropping into the water at night. Expect black bass to come shallow in the full moon to put these fish in 1-10 feet of water on beds. Best places to look are rocks, concrete or sandy bottom with gravel. Senko watermelon green watermelon, red work very well for hitting the bushes and tree stumps surrounding the shores. Work your way back into the back of the coves. don’t overlook the sides of boat ramps as they will use that to lay their eggs in the rip rap and sandy bottoms. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

LBJ

FAIR. Water stained; 63 degrees; 0.27 feet below pool. Expect the crappie to push off the banks after the cold front. Crappie are fair with orange and black jigs in 5-15 feet of water. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 56 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. White bass are fair in the river channels, up the creeks, or moving towards deep ledges of humps and points in 30-45 feet of water. Slabs, jigs, and live bait are working. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair. They will be in similar depths as the white bass. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Catfish are fair to good. Now is a great time to catch the bigger blue catfish drifting flats near the river channel and ledges of wind blown points has produced in 12-30 feet of water. The shallow water catfish bite is also picking up with the water temperature warming. Fishing on anchor in 1-8 feet of water near wind blown points, timber, and creek and river mouths has been good. Crappie are fair to good in 5-32 feet of water on bridge columns, brush piles, rock piles, stumps, and laydowns. Standing timber near creek mouths and shallow coves has produced as well. Crappie are being caught both in the main lake and in the creeks. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Baitfish are cruising high in the water column due to warmer temperatures. Sand bass, hybrids and crappie are excellent and will be chasing baitfish. Largemouth bass are tough, but fish are starting to move shallow. After the full moon, smaller largemouth bass are sitting in 4-6 feet of water and bigger bass are in 10-20 feet of water off main lake points mainly foraging on small shad. Small swimbaits, wacky rigs and shakey heads are producing catches.

Limestone

GOOD. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 0.04 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are good in 1-4 feet of water in the creek channels using swim jigs, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits. Crappie are good fishing minnows in brush, standing timber, and creek channels in 1-10 feet of water. White bass are in 10 feet or less using silver jigging spoons on points and humps. Lots of white bass up the river at the Texas State Highway 164 bridge for bank anglers. Catfish are in 10 feet or less on creek channels and main lake points using cut bait. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Livingston

SLOW. Stained; 55 degrees; 0.08 feet below pool. Fishing slowed over the weekend. Sand bass are running in the creeks. Few reports of catches of hybrid stripers. on other species, but expect the bite to improve with the warmer weather.

Martin Creek

FAIR. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. Bass are good over and along the edge of the hydrilla. Topwater baits early along with lipless crankbaits and wacky worms work well. Crappie are beginning to congregate in the timber and brush piles in 16-25 feet of water using minnows and gulp on jig head. Catfish remain good at hot water discharge on live and cut bait.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 90.11 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to limited access and low water level. Very little public access.

Meredith

FAIR. Water stained; 44 degrees; 45.20 feet below pool. The pattern is consistent, and pre-spawn bite is pretty good, hopefully we have a good spawn this year. Bass are fair on minnows and artificials. Catfish are fair on crawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair on artificial baits and minnows. White bass are good, but fish are scattered biting minnows, slabs or any vertical presentations. Trout are good on power baits, minnows, worms, small spinners l, spoons and flies. Walleye are fair to good on minnows, grubs and other artificials. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Best of luck on finding your next catch. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole.

Millers Creek

FAIR. Water stained; 55 degrees; 8.23 feet below pool. Due to low lake levels few anglers are on the water. Crappie and catfish are slow with a few bites near the dam.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water stained; 55-59 degrees; 0.16 feet above pool. Crappie are fair, and scattered with fish suspended in open water solo or in small groups. Look for them to soon start staging for spawn. Water levels are finally back to normal. Report by Blake Oestreich, Brushbuster Guide Service. The muddy water will warm up quickly. Expect to be shallow biting rattletraps and squarebill crankbaits. Report by Captain Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing.

Naconiche

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 0.50 foot above pool. The much warmer week should all but trigger the bucks to move up shallow. There is still some time before the pre-spawn females move up, fully, but this wont take long. Always remember that many Naconiche bass bed deeper than most other East Texas lakes. A chartreuse squarebill got the bites over the weekend, but any shad imitation could produce. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services

Nasworthy

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees. 0.42 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent. Bass were slow on chatterbaits, flipping soft plastics in the reeds in 1-3 feet of water. Crappie are good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around the dam. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team.

Navarro Mills

GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.29 feet above pool. The lake is 2 feet high and the dam gates are open. Fishing on the main lake will remain slower than usual until the lake level comes down and the gates are closed. White bass are slow on minnows in 20 feet of water. Crappie a slow on jigs with a slow presentation in 20 feet of water. Blue catfish are fair on cut bait near timber. Channel catfish are fair on Danny King’s punch bait. Report by Clay Major, Major Guide Service.

O.C. Fisher

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 51.15 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels.

O.H. Ivie

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 30.77 feet below pool. The lake is in good shape with bass pushing shallow for the prespawn becoming aggressive on chatterbait, creature baits, plastics baits 1-12 feet of water. Look for bass to spawn with the next full moon. White bass chasing rattletraps and spinnerbaits schooling up the rivers. Should be spawning in the next month. Crappie are moving around bigger pecan trees in 15 feet of water hitting small red chartreuse or red and white jigs, or live minnows on a small hook. Channel catfish, 1-5 pounds, are moving shallow on shrimp and chicken river. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing. A better pattern should emerge as the weather warms heading into the next full moon.

Oak Creek

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 15.98 feet below pool. Bass are being caught using Alabama Rigs and small swimbaits. Anglers are finding the baitfish then searching for fish suspended in 10 feet of water. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Palestine

GOOD. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. Crappie continue to spawn, but half of them are done already. Most fish are 1-14 feet. Bite is good on jigs and minnows. Largemouth bass are good in 2-8 feet on baits that make a lot of commotion such as chatterbaits. Report by Sam Parker, Freshwater Fishing Adventures. Crappie have finally moved into the shallows, the white bass are in the Neches River, and the pear and plum trees are blooming. The crappie are mostly whites and mostly males, as noted by catches in the central part of the lake, but with good blackface spawning markings. Water temperatures were still a little low, with none in the central and southern areas over 60 degrees, only the Kickapoo Creek area being slightly higher. White bass were biting good along the Chandler River Park, mostly on 2 inch crappie twisters. Channel catfish are good on shrimp along that same section of the Neches River. Blue catfish continue to be good on humps and roadbed edges in the main lake in 15-23 feet on live minnows. The new Sunshine hybrid stripers were reported schooling for their pseudo spawn runs in the Saline Bay area, and are keeping size now. Trolling with Coyote spoons and 1.5-2 ounce roadrunners works. Jim Beggerly, Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing.

Palo Pinto

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 9.59 feet below pool. Water temperature is nearing the 60 degree mark, so watch for pre-spawn patterns to emerge. Catfish are slow. Crappie bite slowed to fair off the docks.

Pinkston

GOOD. clear; 59 degrees. A full moon and warming trend have temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s so anglers should expect fish to be moving to the bank rapidly. Fish with lightweight Carolina or Texas rigs, chatterbaits, weightless flukes, worms, or rattletraps. As well as a spook, pop-r, and buzz bait. Report by Captain Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing.

Possum Kingdom

FAIR. Water clear; 58 degrees; 0.37 feet below pool. Striper are fair but improving on swimbaits and Alabama rigs cast at the shore. Look for fish in 5-40 feet of water. You will have to beat the shoreline to death, but they are there and can be caught. Some can also be caught using live bait in the river channel. The fish are scattered but can be caught. Sand bass are fair to good with small slabs and small jigs are the way to go, but some can be caught using small live bait also. Your best bet is to use small jigs or swim baits casted at the shore in shallow water. Look for them in 2-10 feet of water. Catfish are great on cut shad in 1-5 feet of water. Water clarity is 2-8 feet of water. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service.

Proctor

GOOD. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 12.87 feet below pool. Bank anglers are reporting a good bite for crappie and catfish. Ramps are closed. It is possible to launch a boat from the gravel at Buffalo Springs.

Raven

SLOW. Water stained; 58 degrees. Reports for bass, crappie, catfish are all slow still. Bluegill are good at our boathouse and piers.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water slight stain; 63 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. White bass are good in 5-12 feet off of flats with fish showing up on some ridges and humps. Small lures like 3 inch CoHo’s with a 1/2 jig head and in line spinners working best for shallow water, and 3/4 ounce Bovee Spin slabs for deeper water. Cast out, let sink to the bottom and 10 reels then re drop and repeat. White bass are also showing up on long points in 18-24 feet later in the mornings as well as grouping in deep flats 35-38 feet of water using slab and jig combination. Crappie are on deep brush piles and trees roaming in deep water moving shallower in the afternoons, jigs or minnows keeping the baits 17-24 feet of water. Catfish are moving deeper on points roaming in 17-28 feet of water and grouping up in deep water. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.45 feet below pool. Catfish have improved in 5-15 feet of water using cut gizzard shad. Should continue to only get better with this warm weather should see some bigger ones showing up shallow real soon. Catching some whites up closer to the creeks but not in the creeks yet. Don’t think it will be long before we see guys catching them off the side of the roads way up in the creek. First big rain with this warm weather I think a lot of them will move up especially the males. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water clear; 53 degrees; 0.06 feet above pool. The water temperature is in the 50 degree range early in the morning, but increases to 56 degrees by mid afternoon. White bass and hybrid stripers are fair to good with fish being caught on a slab and jig combination off main lake points and humps in 30-40 feet of water. Deadsticking continues to be the approach, but the fish are becoming more aggressive with the warmer temperatures. Many of the white bass are up the creeks for their annual spawn. A few reports of crappie being caught in the shallow water, and the coves and creek channels on minnows. Eater size channel catfish are fair and continue to be caught on punch bait on a treble hook fished in the timber off the Richland Creek Channel in 15-20 feet of water. Shallow water off points is kicking into gear for the blue catfish. Targeting windblown points with cut shad has been key for bigger blues. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water stained; 58-63 degrees; 0.84 feet below pool. Water conditions are stable, but they are slowly dropping the water level to continue work on the dam. Water is still very muddy north of Calhoun Point. A full moon and warming trend have temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s so anglers should expect fish to be moving to the bank rapidly. Fish with lightweight Carolina or Texas rigs, chatterbaits, weightless flukes, worms, or rattletraps. As well as a spook, pop-r, and buzz bait. Report by Captain Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing. Fishing patterns are holding steady. The water is muddy north of the Texas State Highway 147 bridge and clearing south of the bridge. The grass lines are in 6-12 feet grass of water. Male bass are moving up shallow in the grass, but the females are holding in 12 feet of water. Cast soft plastics and rattletraps. Crappie are moving into creeks to spawn with very few on main lake brush piles. This bite should improve next week. Catfish will follow soon. White bass are good up the river and can be fun to fish as they put up a good fight. If there are high winds it will stir the water up, cooling the water in the pockets. Water is being released as work continues on the dam. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees; 0.34 feet below pool. Spawn temperatures are almost here. Some fish are leaving the creeks, into the main lake. Catfish and crappie fair and bluegill slow on minnows, worms, and stink bait at Somerville Marina early morning. Black Bass are fair, hitting spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits. Fish are staged 6-10 feet of water with a few shallow. Crappie are fair on the main lake brush piles and pilings in 14 feet of water on pilings, but the best bite is up creeks, now full of water. Biting minnows and very small jigs. Catfish are fair, scattered in shallow water. Larger catfish are fair in deep water drifting or on jug lines baited with shad or cut bait. White bass are slow in the lake and fast bite up the creeks. White bass are caught using Pet spoons and jigs. Hybrids are fair, fishing schools, caught on cut bait and 2 ounce jigs. Hybrids are also being caught from shore at the Dam and Welch park areas. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Spence

SLOW. Water stained; 59 degrees. 47.14 feet below pool. Anglers are reporting catches of bass using crankbaits and swim jigs. The catfish bite is moderate on cut bait. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Stamford

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 2.95 feet below pool. Several boats on the water, but they are frequently changing locations. Fish are starting to move around with the warmer temperature, this may slow with the slight cool down in the forecast. Catfish and bass are in the coves, but not seeing fish on beds. Crappie are good near concrete and in the crappie house. Some bass action shallow using small lures. White bass are fair. Catfish are slow.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 16.79 feet below pool. Water is rising and warming due to recent rains and mild weather. White bass and shad have begun shifting shallower due to what is shaping up to be an early spring. Fish are in 18-32 feet of water and are more aggressive. A go-to tactic right now is easing with the white 5/8 ounce or �¾ ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. The easing tactic involves slowly and steadily lifting the slab from near bottom upwards and watching sonar for signs of fish following the bait. If a follow occurs, the bait must continue to be moved steadily upwards. Utilize side imaging to find fish, Spot-Locking atop them, then fishing vertically aided by Garmin LiveScope to catch. Bird activity is still sufficient to help find fish in the mornings only. Once the fish loses interest in a vertical presentation, throw a 3/8 ounce jig head and 3 inch white curltail grub to mop up any nearby fish. Once those fish quit, it is time to move. If you encounter schools of migrating white bass using the river channel, a short, fluke-like soft plastic on a jighead tied to hang horizontally and fish similar to deadsticking will add fish to your count before they move on. Beware that the surface temperature can be very misleading, and that the temperature from 10 feet below the surface and deeper is still significantly cooler. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. The hybrid striper and white bass are being caught on plastics and swim baits in 20-35 feet. The trophy catfish are good on fresh cut shad and cut bait in 10-25 feet. Both drifting and anchoring are working equally well. The largest fish we landed this week was 60 pounds. The eating sized smaller catfish are also becoming active and can be targeted in shallow water on very small pieces of cut shad. Look for these fish in 2-10 feet of water on wind blown points. The crappie are good right now. They are in transition and we are starting to see them move up out of deep water and into the mid depths and semi-shallow water. Minnows and jigs are working equally good. The largemouth bass bite has also turned on. Anglers are catching fish on rip-rap and shallow docks on soft plastics like brush hogs and small flukes in 2-6 feet. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texana

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.06 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water due to the recent weather, but the warming trend and full moon should bring fish shallow. No white bass or crappie reports from anglers. Water clarity is turbid from runoff.

Texoma

GOOD. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 1.01 feet below pool. Striped bass fishing is slow on flukes and live shad in the main lake river channels. Watch for birds in the backs of coves where big stripers will be feeding on gizzard shad. Cast swimbaits in 5-10 feet of water with a fast retrieve. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair on swimbaits in the mouths of creeks around stumps. Fish in 5-8 feet of water with a slow retrieve across the bottom. To catch some smallies use soft plastics along the bluffs in the backs of the coves. Catfish are slow on cut gizzard shad and prepared baits. Need rain and muddier water, but look for the trophy fish to be shallow in 2-12 feet of water near the rivers. Plenty of bait to eat has them hard to catch. Crappie are slow at the boathouses and brush piles using 1/16 ounce head and a 2 inch glo head. Look for fish to be in the creeks shallow on structure and along the banks on laydowns. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass are good with nice size fish and limits caught daily. Fish are in 8-20 feet of water on structure using Alabama rigs or 4-5 inch swimbaits. Fish are starting to stage in the tributaries for the spawn. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Toledo Bend

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 0.38 feet below pool. Bass fishing is good in really all depths from 1-30 feet of water, with catches up to 9 pounds. Shallower fish are coming on weightless senkos, wacky-worms, chatterbaits and square bills. Mid range fish are biting on Carolina rig lizards and brush hogs, football jigs and mid range crankbaits. Deeper fish are coming on dropshots, spoons and swimbaits. Do no expect these fish to remain deep for long with the water temperature increasing the baitfish will start to push shallow. Crappie are picking up as the creeks clear and crappie move in. Best baits are jigs and live minnows in 6-12 feet. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Travis

GOOD. Water stain; 58 degrees; 49.14 feet below pool. Lake Travis is fishing strong for bass. Look for fish piling up in transitional areas chasing bait fish. Shad colored crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits are catching some as well as craw colored jigs and worms as well as green colors. Look at deep water ledges near main lake pockets and halfway back in creeks and coves. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Twin Buttes

SLOW. Water stained. 54 degrees; 32.27 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in the main lake hugging the bottom in 20 feet of water biting minnows. Crappie should start migrating in the rivers. Several catches of females with eggs, but they are not ready for the spawn just yet. White bass are up the river for the annual spring spawn. Channel catfish are slow. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.

Tyler

SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Fishing should be good for the next few weeks as fish begin to spawn. Catfish are very slow off the barge in 16 feet of water using liver. Crappie are fair to good scattered in 4-10 feet of water in the creek beds with minnows and jigs. Bluegill are very slow with a few catches on red worms. Bass are slow using crankbaits, and black trick worms, spinnerbaits and crankbaits starting in 6 feet of water moving deeper. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Waco

GREAT. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.06 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady but look for fish to push shallow with the warming trend and full moon. Blue catfish are biting live shad, and cut bait. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass and hybrid stripers are fair staging up the river for the spawn. Crappie are fair with fish still in a winter pattern deep on open water brush piles and standing structure. Catches of hybrids and crappie near Bosque Park on live bait and cut bait.

Walter E. Long

SLOW. Water stained; 62 degrees. Several bass 6-7 pound bass have been caught. Fishing has been tough due to the high winds, but numbers of fish can be caught. Best success spot locking on to fish then using a very slow approach with 5 inch Yum dingers, or finesse baits. There seems to be a lot of traffic on the lake, so navigate slowly with caution. Decker is getting a lot of traffic for a tiny lake. Bass will enter into the pre-spawn over the next week so expect more big fish to be caught. Report by David Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 7.38 feet below pool. Catfish are fair in the main lake using cut bait. Crappie are fair in the crappie house with minnows and jigs. Crappie should spawn in the next few weeks. Bass continue to be slow, with a few catches in 15-20 feet of water using Texas rigs and crankbaits. Bass should be pushing shallow soon for the spawn.

Welsh

GOOD. Water normal stain. 63 degrees, 69 degrees in the discharge. Largemouth bass are good spawning shallow on beds with creature baits and crankbaits.

White River

SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 20.10 feet below pool. Crappie and catfish are being caught on minnows and worms from the docks or banks.

Whitney

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.56 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady but look for fish to push shallow with the warming trend and full moon. Hybrid stripers can be caught from the island to Bear Creek on live bait, deadsticking, strolling swimbaits and umbrella-rigs. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton’s Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney.

Worth

FAIR. Water normally stained; 61 degrees; 3.06 feet below pool. White bass are fair on main lake structure on slabs and in mid depths on chartreuse and white cocahoes. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles shallow and in mid depths and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 3.40 feet above pool. Crappie are good on the main lake with minnows.

Houston

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 0.04 feet above pool. Water clearing up. White bass are heavy in the creeks in all north ends feeding heavily in the morning eating jigs and spins with crappie mixed in feeding in the brush on the shorelines. Crappie are scattered in luces bayou and the way fork in 6-14 feet of water eating on small jigs and hand tied jigs along with minnows from waterside marina. Catfish are getting good in the creeks and rivers as well on shad and stink bait. Trotlines and long leader jugs have been doing well. Largemouth bass are coming back with decent catches burning shorelines and riprap using weightless crawls and big lip crank baits. Gar are heavy in the creeks. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.

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Texas Weekly Saltwater 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

Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of February 28, 2024

San Antonio Bay

GOOD. 62 degrees. Redfish and scattered catches of keeper trout on topwaters along the shorelines as the fish leave the lakes and the tides are low. With the forecasted cold front expect fish to move deeper, but return to mud flats as the water warms midday. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.

Sabine Lake

FAIR. 62 degrees. The Neches River continues to be fresh, so continue to focus efforts on the points and drop in Bessie Heights Marsh with live shrimp under a popping cork for redfish, sheepshead and drum. Limits of redfish on the flats. Redfish are on the rock piles in the ICW with live shrimp under a popping cork. Sabine Ship Channel is good for redfish. Jetties are good for sheepshead, drum and redfish with live shrimp on a Carolina rig. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar

GOOD. 60 degrees. The fish have been active this week and people caught some great ones when the weather cooperated. They caught plenty of black drum and redfish across the bay and in the surf. Off the jetty, we had reports of flounder, whiting, reds of various sizes, black drum, sheepshead, and small stingrays. The bayside of Bolivar and East Bay have been producing nice speckled trout, reds, drum, and a few sheepshead. Reports from the Texas City Dike were sporadic, but people landed small specks, lots of various sized reds and black drum along with a few flounder, whiting and sand trout. With the tide changes, we caught enough bait on the shrimp boats and more shrimp are coming back into the bay from the gulf hopefully in time to reproduce for a good late spring and early summer season. Report by North Jetty Bait Camp. The ditch has some redfish, with an occasional nice trout, against the grass sides biting popping cork or artificial. Fish the deeper ends of the reefs, or wind protected cuts with popping cork and shrimp. The jetty holding sheepshead and trout on live shrimp close to rocks. Yates Sloughs holding redfish on grass lines close to Sievers Cut fish 12-18 inches under a popping cork with shrimp, or burner shad in black or dark green. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatly, Tail Spotter Guide Service.

Trinity Bay

FAIR. 67 degrees. Water continues to salt up, but winds have not been favorable. Best water and catches of trout have come from the northwest region of upper Galveston bay and Tabbs Bay. Black drum and sheepshead, along with a few redfish are showing up on shallow shell. Best bite on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Water is Texas Tea colored and redfish are loving it being caught on live shrimp and WACky shad XL. Small baits busting everywhere and believe we are very close to fry hatching and the bay coming alive. Top water season is nearing so get prepared. Trout are making a great comeback in the upper San Jacinto Bay and upper Galveston Bay being caught in live shrimp and artificial. Drum and sheepshead are running together around structures being caught on live or dead shrimp. Flounder seem to be caught a bit more frequently lately using gulp shrimp with the weedless presentation. Black Duck bay is a great walk in spot to catch fish without a boat. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.

East Galveston Bay

GOOD. 65 degrees. Bayou drains and marsh still hold keeper reds, a few black drum and the occasional speckled trout. Best bite on live shrimp and soft plastics. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Surface water temperature up to 64 degrees, water clarity still stained for the most part in East Galveston Bay, with a few areas with better clarity well in the back of the marsh and back lakes. The fish are becoming more active as we continue to get more salinity back in East Galveston Bay. We had some excellent Speckled Trout catching action once again this week, with Rollover Moon & Chartreuse color tails performing the best for us. Our best catches were fishing �¼ ounce jig heads and Wac Attack Assassins in Rollover Moon and Chartreuse, with the fish staged in depths up to 7 feet, with most bites coming out of the 5 foot deep areas. As in previous weeks, we just need the winds to cease a little to allow us to fish more of our wintertime, early Spring areas that continue to be blown out, with the continual fronts pushing through. Fishing will continue to get more consistent as we push into Spring and water temperatures continue to rise, so now is the time to book your trips and get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Services, LLC. The sloughs in Yates Bayou are holding redfish on grass lines near Sievers Cut using shrimp 12-18 inches under a cork, or burner shad in black or dark green. Smith Point holding redfish and trout. Deep Reef to Fat Pat is holding fish under birds on twitch baits and soft plastics. Lil Hanna’s has some fish on deeper sides of reefs. The East bay reefs are starting to see more action with specks early then artificials twitch baits, or split tails. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatly, Tail Spotter Guide Service.

Galveston Bay

SLOW. 69 degrees. Eagle Point area seeing some speckled trout and better numbers of black drum and sheepshead. Best bite on live shrimp under corks or fished on bottom. Water is still a bit off-colored. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.

West Galveston Bay

FAIR. 66 degrees. Better number of speckled trout being caught by waders. Lower west end of the bay seeing improved catches of redfish, black drum and sheepshead. Best action on artificial lures and live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Look for sloughs off of the ICW holding fish in the calmer water. The sloughs leading to Greens Lake, Carancahua Lake and Chocolate Bayou holding redfish and trout on popping cork and shrimp or topwater baits early, then work soft plastics slowly. Jones Bay and the Diversionary Canal are holding some redfish and trout on popping cork with shrimp. The Mecum’s Reef drop-off holding a few fish early in the day. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatly, Tail Spotter Guide Service.

Texas City

FAIR. 65 degrees. Black drum run gaining momentum. Good numbers of over sized drum being caught at the jetties and off the Texas City dike. Sheepshead and a few slot reds being caught on live shrimp, close to the rocks. Bull red catches fair. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The Dike is holding redfish and trout along the rocks with scattered drum and flounder. Dickinson Bayou is holding some redfish and drum on popping cork and shrimp or soft plastics. The rock shoals south of the dike are holding fish on popping cork with live shrimp. Sheepshead with an occasional trout and redfish at the entry to Campbell’s Bayou. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatly, Tail Spotter Guide Service.

Freeport

SLOW. 62 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Sheephead, drum, redfish and trout continue to be good in the old river and old intracoastal. Bastrop Bay and Chocolate Bay are good for catches of trout and redfish using live shrimp, or 1/4-⅜ ounce jig heads. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.

East Matagorda Bay

FAIR. 62 degrees. Fishing patterns are consistent with the best bite after the high pressure from the front has passed. Target redfish and trout drifting or wading the west end of the bay over shell with artificials. Bait camps are holding live shrimp now. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

West Matagorda Bay

FAIR. 62 degrees. Fishing patterns are consistent with the best bite after the high pressure from the front has passed. Reports of redfish catches in shallow water with cut mullet. The Diversionary Canal is a good green color. Bait camps are holding live shrimp now. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

Port O’Connor

GOOD. 63 degrees. Sheepshead are biting on the incoming tides. Trout catches are spotty on the outside of the jetties. Oversized drum continue to bite in the flare on shrimp and blue crab. Redfish are biting on the inside of the jetties using Spanish sardines. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.

Rockport

GOOD. 63 degrees. Bull redfish and slot redfish have been good at jetties and the surf on live shrimp and cut mullet. Sheepshead are great on live shrimp free lined up against the rocks. Trout are fair with free lined live shrimp. Black drum and redfish are great in guts and channel edges on live or dead shrimp. Trout are fair on live shrimp and popping corks or your favorite soft plastics. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.

Port Aransas

FAIR. 63 degrees. Bull redfish and slot redfish have been good at jetties and the surf on live shrimp and cut mullet. Sheepshead are great on live shrimp free lined up against the rocks. Trout are fair with free lined live shrimp. Black drum and redfish are great in guts and channel edges on live or dead shrimp. Trout are fair on live shrimp and popping corks or your favorite soft plastics. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.

Corpus Christi

GOOD. 66 degrees. Limits of redfish on sardines, and limits drum on dead shrimp in knee to waist deep water. Sheepshead are showing up at the jetties, but still waiting on the full migration. Catches of speckled trout and sand trout free lining shrimp on the well heads. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.

Baffin Bay

SLOW. 64 degrees. It’s been a wonderful week for fishing here in Baffin Bay with some positive changes in weather patterns. The bite has definitely sparked up, and we are seeing more numbers of bigger trout, healthy 5-7 pounds. Bait is lingering up shallow, and the big trout and redfish are following along with them. Always look for signs of life, bait jumping, swirls, brown pelicans floating or diving and slicks. These are all positive signs that an area has a high chance of holding some good quality fish. Lures of choice have been dark colored MirrOlure Little John Xls with a light weight jig head, Custom Corky Fat Boys and Soft-Dines in dark to medium colors and Texas Custom Lures Double D in copper, orange and silver. Throw what you are confident in, best to approach your fishing spot with all the best confidence and mindset at hand. Stay safe out on the water, keep what you need and release the rest and as always tight lines! Report by Captain Reanna DeLaCruz, Captain Reanna’s Baffin Bay Adventures.

Port Mansfield

GOOD. 71 degrees. Fishing continues to be fair to good despite rising water temperatures and high south winds. Fish are holding on the flats and have been taking topwaters such as the Mansfield Knockers in Wounded Trout color. When the topwater bite slows Ball Tail Shad’s rigged on a 3/32 or 1/8 ounce jig head have produced nice trout and reds in the same areas. Even a few flounder are showing up. Water temps are bouncing between 67-75 degrees. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters. Warmer weather along with a lot of wind, and the water levels are still low with water temperatures in the upper 70s. Springtime is just around the corner. As for the bite, redfish and speckled trout have been feeding aggressively later in the day around this full moon. Scattered sand pockets and grass beds in knee to waist deep water have been producing great numbers of both redfish and trout. Lures of choice have been MirrOlures and Custom Corky’s in darker colors. When the is high it tends to stir up the water causing it to appear dirty, so you will want to switch to darker colored baits. MirrOlure Little John XLs in dark hues with a 1/32-1/16 ounce hook and Custom Corky Fatboys and Softdines have been producing big bites. Confidence is key when you’re out there looking for one big bite or just a couple to take home, if you believe there’s fish in the area, stick with it and dissect it completely. Essentially wait them out and it will surely pay off. Stay safe and courteous out on the water and as always, tight lines! Report by Captain Reanna DeLaCruz, Captain Reanna’s Baffin Bay Adventures.

South Padre

GOOD. 67 degrees. Warm water and low tides. Trout are everywhere on the Gas Well Flats, off of the zip line and off the edge of the Intracoastal at Three Islands biting live shrimp or white Gulp with chartreuse tail. Redfish are good with live shrimp under popping cork, gold spoon 1/2 ounce weedless also working. Sheepshead are very good at the Old Causeway and jetties. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

Port Isabel

GOOD. 67 degrees. Warm water and low tides. Trout are everywhere on the Gas Well Flats, off of the zip line and off the edge of the Intracoastal at Three Islands biting live shrimp or white Gulp with chartreuse tail. Redfish are good with live shrimp under popping cork, gold spoon 1/2 ounce weedless also working. Sheepshead are very good at the Old Causeway and jetties. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

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Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.

Fishing reports are produced with support from Toyota and the federal Sport Fish Restoration program.

 Text TPWD REPORT to 468-311 to get updates by text.

Are Great Fish Caught On Watts Bar Reservoir In the Fall?

Great Fish Caught On Watts Bar Reservoir

  • from The Fishing Wire
image 5

Rhea County, TN — Watts Bar Reservoir, created in 1942, has remained a consistent bass fishery according to data collected over the past decades. Reservoir biologists are hopeful that a recent catch is reflective of Florida largemouth bass stocking efforts started in 2015. 

Randy Miller of Spring City caught an 11.22-pound largemouth bass on the reservoir and graciously shared the photo with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reservoir biologist, Mike Jolley. Jolley, an employee with over three decades of professional experience, grew up on the lake and has intimate knowledge of its waters.

 “We routinely evaluate our fisheries in reservoirs, including Watts Bar, to assess overall health of population dynamics,” Jolley said.  Some anglers have questioned the status of the bass fishery in this lake. I’m happy to share that Watts Bar has remained a consistent fishery based on long-term, routine data collection.”

TWRA reservoir crews perform yearly creel and electrofishing surveys throughout the entirety of the lake. Furthermore, crews have stocked one million Florida largemouth bass fingerlings into the reservoir since 2015. Jolley stated, “In my career, I’ve never seen a largemouth this size caught on the reservoir, and I look forward to seeing more.” 

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Reservoirs decline overtime due to many factors including sedimentation that can cover rocky areas used for spawning and insect habitat. Nutrient loads can decrease, and necessary fish habitat degrades. Reservoir crews address habitat needs on a rotational basis adding structure. Crews and volunteers recently built and added 250 structures. Structures will be utilized by bass, crappie, and various other fish at different life stages. They also provide a place for anglers to target fish.  

Fall is a great time of year to fish. Bass can resume springtime patterns, making them more easily targeted. Furthermore, waterways are less busy. Anglers are reminded to follow safe boating measures. More info on fishing and boating can be found at tnwildlife.org. 

Where and How To Catch Early Ice Walleyes

Early Ice Walleyes

  • from The Fishing Wire

By Bob Jensen

Interest in fishing for walleyes is growing and diversifying.  One thing that remains the same when it comes to walleye fishing is that lakes in some regions are going to freeze over in the winter months.    The walleye enthusiasts that live in the areas that see ice get especially excited about fishing through early ice for walleyes.  When you’re sure that the ice is safe, here’s how you can catch walleyes early in the ice fishing season.

Start looking for early season ice walleyes in the same areas where you caught them late in the open water season.  If the walleyes were there in late open water, they’ll usually still be there, at least for a while.  Points, sunken islands, and the edges of flats will all produce.  

If you’re fishing shallow water, a quiet approach will be most productive.  Shallow water walleyes, and fish in general, can get spooked by too much noise or commotion overhead.  On the other hand, if you’re fishing deeper, say fifteen feet or more, you can move around without as much risk of spooking the walleyes.  However, it works best to pop a bunch of holes along and over the structure before you start fishing.  Get the noisy activity out of the way before you drop a line.

Different anglers have different ideas about walleye fishing through the ice.  Some like to sit on a spot and hope the walleyes come to them, others like to move around and try to find the fish.  Here’s a good rule-of-thumb:  Early in the season sit still or move a little.  Wait’em out.  As the season progresses and the ice gets thicker and the snow cover increases, the angler who moves around will get more action.  

A spoon of some sort is what many anglers use for early ice walleyes.  Actually spoons are a big part of a walleye angler’s arsenal the entire ice season. But spoons have different characteristics, and those characteristics appeal to walleyes in different ways.

Rattling spoons are very popular.  In stained water, the rattling noise helps fish find your bait.  In clear water, the rattle will attract fish from farther away.  The new Rattlin’ PT Spoon has a painted hook that adds to the flash.

A spoon’s design and material that it’s made of will affect how it falls.  Spoons like a Ribbon Leech Flutter Spoon, as the name suggests, has a distinct flutter as it slowly falls.  A Pinhead Spoon is built to fall faster with less flutter. Both have a very important role in fishing through the ice for walleyes. 

There’s no doubt that sonar will enable us to catch more fish.  There are times when a walleye will come in and look at your spoon but not eat it.  The sonar reveals this.  When the fish looks at your spoon but doesn’t eat it, it will often eat a minnow on a plain hook.  When you initially set up on a spot, drill two holes.  Work the spoon under one hole, put a minnow under a bobber down the other hole.  When the walleye comes in and looks at but doesn’t eat the spoon, they’ll often eat the minnow.  Vexilar makes several units that enable an angler to see an expanded area of the water column, and that is going to help us turn the lookers into biters.

Some very accomplished ice-anglers feel the early ice period is best for ice fishing.  Find out for yourself how good this early ice action for walleyes can be.

How and Where To Catch April Lay Lake Bass  with GPS Coordinates

April Lay Lake Bass  with Chandler Holt

Catch big largemouth and Coosa spots in grass or go a little deeper for them on ledges, points and bluffs.  Both patterns will produce good limits of fish this month on Lay Lake on just about any bait you like to throw, so you have a lot of options right now.

Lay Lake is an Alabama Power lake on the Coosa River south of I-20, just downstream of Logan
Martin.  The upper end is riverine but downstream there are big grass flats, shallow creeks and pockets and river ledges and bluffs to fish. It is a fertile lake and produces fat largemouth and spots with 20-pound tournament limits common.

Chandler Holt is a senior at Briarwood Christian
High School and has been on the fishing team for all four years there.  His parents didn’t fish but have fully supported him after he got into tournament fishing. He started fishing farm ponds around his home but got hooked on bass fishing and tournaments, and his parents got him a boat when he was 16.  His fishing team coach is Curtis Gossett and the team has done well.

Over the past ten years as a high school bass team coach, Curtis’s teams have won four state championships, one southeast championship and one national championship.  His fishermen have placed third once and fourth three times in the national championship tournament.  

During his time coaching, Curtis has had two BASS High School All Americans, including his son Zeke, a Jacksonville State senior fishing team member.  This year Zeke won the college championship on Lay on Sunday and got to weigh in on the Classic stage. 

On Saturday, Chandler fished the high school championship on Lay and got to weigh in on the Classic stage, placing second just nine ounces out of first place. Chandler has done well fishing at the high school level and just signed a scholarship with University of Montevallo to fish on that college team next year.

Although he is just starting his fishing career, he has had great support from his parents and coaching from Curtis, as well as studying everything he can find on-line about bass fishing, to make him and excellent young fisherman. He considers Lay Lake his home lake.

“Some big bass spawn in March, but most Lay largemouth spawn in April. Most spots spawn from mid-
March through April,” Chandler said. So right now you have some of both species post spawn and spawning, and many still on a pre spawn pattern.  That gives you lots of options.

A wide variety of baits will work on all three patterns, but Chandler has his favorites.  He loves to throw a swim jig, bladed jig and spinnerbait in grass, and flip a punch bait into it.  For fishing bluffs and and open water areas, he will have a spinnerbait, a big worm Texas rigged, a big crankbait and a drop shot worm ready.

Chandler and Curtis took me fishing on Lay the first week of March, and it rained like it did every day then.  The river current was fast and the lake was full and stained to muddy except back in some creeks.  He was trying to find a good pattern for the highs school championship the following Saturday. 

The following places were already good, producing two four-pound largemouth and a 3.5-pound spot as well as several more solid keeper bass in the five hours we fished. And while we fished Curtis’s son Zeke practiced for his College tournament on Sunday.  He mostly fished the following bluff bank pattern and caught five spots weighing 20.17 pounds on his scales!

1.  N 33 10.657 – W 86 31.141 – Put in at Beeswax Park and there is not need to crank your big motor.  There is a good grass bed running along the bank downstream of the ramp and many released fish go to it and hold and feed there.  We started here and Chandler quickly caught a 3.5-pound spot on a Z-Man Jackhammer, his favorite chatterbait. He was using a white bait with a silver blade in the muddy water. He will also throw black and blue in stained water but goes to a green pumpkin bait in clear water.

Fish from the ramp downstream, working all the grass. It looked dead, and Chandler said it might have been sprayed this year, but hopefully it will come back. Both largemouth and spots will hold and feed in this grass both pre and post spawn, and will spawn in the grass, too.

Hit any variation or transition in the grass like points, holes and cuts here and in all other grassbeds you fish.  Try a swim jig and spinnerbait in the more open grass, and punch the thick places with a punch bait, especially on sunny days.

2.  N 33 10.779 – W 86 30.771 – Across Beeswax

Creek a small island sits off the upstream point of a big cove.  There is a huge house on the point with a rock seawall then a steep wall further back. Go back into the creek to about half-way between the house and garage behind it.  Grass runs out from the seawall here that holds good fish.

    Fish the grass on this side then work further back into the creek, hitting all the cuts, points and holes with swim jig, bladed jig and spinnerbait.  We caught a long skinny largemouth here on a Z-Man Chatterbait that weighed about four pounds.

    Chandler says he reels the Jackhammer along steadily then gives it little pauses and speeds it up, making it dart with an action the fish love.  He also fishes a Dirty Jigs swim jig with a matching Baby Paca Craw on a Temple Fork Outfitters seven-foot three inch heavy action Pacemaker rod.  You need the heavy rod to get the fish out of the grass.  In stained to muddy water like we fished in most areas he likes a dark jig, but the water was much clearer back here and he used a white or bluegill color bait for it.

    3.  Go out to the long point running out from the left bank near the mouth of the creek and stop out from the Greek style gazebo on the bank.  It looks like a big mushroom on pillars.  The seawall running along this bank out to and around the point is an excellent feeding and staging area for bass moving in and out of the creek.

Keep your boat out a long cast from the bank and cast your baits right against it.  Where the grass is thin, a spinnerbait or bladed jig is good.  Chandler likes a white War Eagle bait with white blades in the muddy water but goes with something chartreuse and blue with silver blades in clear water.

Work around the point to the pocket on the downstream side. Hit the thick grass near it with your punch bait and swim jig.  Fish the dock in the pocket, the downstream point of it and the grass on that side, too.  

4.  N 33 10.712 – W 86 30.242 – Go out to the river and look downstream. Green channel marker 39 sits way off the downstream point of Beeswax Creek and a good ledge with brush on it is upstream of it. Idle over the river ledge from even with the mouth of
Beeswax going downstream toward the marker to find the brush in 5 to 15 feet deep.  Both pre and post spawn largemouth and spots hold in it this month.

Early in the day Chandler fishes the shallower brush but goes deeper as the sun gets bright.  He stays off the brush and cast a 6XD crankbait in shad colors if he sees fish holding over the brush.  If the fish are showing up down in the brush he uses a watermelon candy Ol’ Monster worm behind a three sixteenths to one half ounce sinker, a three sixteenths ounce shaky head or a drop shot worm to fish the brush.

Current moving through the brush helps the bite, as it does on all river places.  Some breeze ruffling the surface of the water will help fishing everywhere.  Try to cast up current and work your bait with the current in a natural movement way.

5.  N 33 10.179 – W 86 29.705 – going down the river, Sally Branch enters on your right where the river channel swings to the left.  Just downstream of the branch the bank is a steep rock bluff running downstream a couple hundred yards. At the end of the bluff it flattens out a little and has some grass on the edge just upstream of a small pocket.

Stop at the pocket and fish the wood cover and grass back in it, some fish will spawn in these small pockets.  Then fish the rocky point on the upstream side, working a shaky head on it as well as a crankbait and spinnerbait.  When the current is strong like it was the day we fished, largemouth will often pull inside the point out of the current while spots will stay on it in the current and feed.

If the current allows, come out of the pocket and work upstream, fishing the grass with swim jig, bladed jig and spinnebait. When you get to the bluff wall watch for little rock points, outcroppings that break the current.  Cast a half ounce spinnerbait or jig and pig into these eddies. 

This is a good pattern for big spots.  Zeke caught most of his big limit doing this and had a five-pound spot.  The current was so strong when we were here we went up almost up to the branch and let the current carry the boat downstream backwards, with Chandler pitching a black and blue jig into the eddy then Curtis, on the trolling motor, would hit it with his spinnerbait.

6.  N 33 12.005 – W 86 29.303 – Going up the river past Bulley Branch on the left, red channel marker 48 sits off the right bank. Behind it is a flat running to the bank where a riprap point with grass on it is on the upstream point of a small cove. 

Stop out from the marker and idle close enough to the point to fish it with your grass baits. Then work into the cove and fish there.  Bass feed on the point pre and post spawn and move into to the cove to spawn.  Largemouth will also pull back into the coved to get out of strong current, but spots will stay out in it and feed.

Chandler says the Jackhammer is worth its high cost because it has an action better than other similar baits.  He says when he gives it a little jerk while working it through the grass it darts in an action that is irresistible to bass.

7.  N 33 11.408 – W 86 29.892 – Across the river and downstream, the mouth of Bulley Creek has a ledge across it where bass hole both pre and post spawn.  Green channel marker 43 is on the upstream end of this ledge but it runs across the mouth of the creek downstream.

Stop out in 20 feet of water and cast a big crankbait up into the mouth of the creek, bumping bottom with it from 12 feet deep out to the drop.  Also fish it with your Ol’ Monster worm and shaky head.  Chandler puts a black Trick worm on his three sixteenths ounce shaky head.

8.  N 33 11.054 – W 86 29.891 – Going down the river past the mouth of Pope Branch, watch for a yellow and brown house on the upstream point of a small cove.  Stop out from the point and you will see a private ramp in the cove behind the boat house.  That ramp is actually the old road and you can see the bridge piling on the right bank.  The roadbed is on a ridge that runs across the mouth of the cove and holds bass.

Stay a long cast out from the ramp and work across the cove, casting a shaky head, spinnerbait and jig and pig across the roadbed and point. Work it up the inside drop, across the top then down the outside drop.

9.  33 09.219 – W 86 29.175 – Run down the river to the mouth of Flat Branch on the right. Paradise Point Marina is back in it.  The upstream point of the branch is a steep rocky point and there are two signs on it, one for the marina and one for land for sale. Both spots and largemouth hold on the point pre and post spawn.  

Chandler says this is a “twofer” point. First you can fish the grass along the edge with your grass baits. Then you can work around the point with shaky head and jig and pig, targeting fish holding in seven or eight feet of water.  There are big chunk rock on the bottom at that depth the spots love.

10. N 33 09.927 – W 86 29.060 – Going back up the river the right bank is steep and there is no development on it.  Where it opens back to the right you will see some low brown buildings marking part of the Alabama 4-H Youth Development Center.  Downstream of it a bluff bank runs out to a couple of small points on the river.

Depending on current, stop on the downstream point and fish it with crankbait, shaky head, jig and worm. Then work up the bluff, casting spinnerbait and jig and pig into eddies behind any protrusion on the bank. Rocks and blowdowns will break the current and offer a feeding spot for bass to hold. 

If the current is strong, go up to the end of the bluff and fish it drifting backwards with the current, using your trolling motor to control speed and boat position.

Fish were hitting on these spots a few weeks ago, our best five from them weighed about 14 pounds. Zeke, fishing similar places, had 20 pounds. You can catch Lay Lake spots and largemouth like that for the next six weeks.

How and Where To Catch March Neely Henry Bass

March Neely Henry Bass with Peyton Nance

Pre-spawn bass in the grass and feeding on points leading to bedding areas, eating just about any bait you cast.  Neely Henry can’t be beat for March fishing, where those hard fighting Coosa spots are fighting with quality largemouth for your lure.

Neely Henry is an 11,235-acre lake on the Coosa River at Gadsden running 77 miles from its dam to the Weiss dam upstream.   The upper lake is mostly river, with some oxbows and sloughs. The lower lake has big flats and creeks to fish. The whole lake has extensive shallow grassbeds, docks, rocks and sandy bottoms that are important in the spring.

Peyton Nance grew up right on the lake in Attalla. His father and grandfather took him fishing as far back as he can remember.  His father entered them into a tournament on Neely Henry when Peyton was ten years old, and he fell in love with bass tournament fishing.

Peyton’s uncle, Brian Colegrove, was a well-known tournament fisherman in the area for years. He also taught Peyton a lot about bass fishing.

 He fished some high school tournaments but concentrated on playing football and made the Auburn football team. He has been on the football team and the fishing team at Auburn the past three years.

Peyton also fishes local pot and buddy tournaments on Neely Henry as often as his college schedule allows and does well in them.  As we fished, he constantly pointed to places and said things like “we got a limit there weighing 18 pounds,” or “thats where we won the tournament in the last hour, catching five weighing 19.5 pounds.”

Two days after Peyton and I fished Neely Henry, he and his dad won the big ninth annual Rat-L-Trap tournament at Guntersville with five bass weighing 22.79 with a 7.03 kicker!

“By the end of February, water is warming enough, and days have gotten long enough that both spots and largemouth are concentrating on spawning,” Peyton said.  They are positioning themselves near spawning flats and feeding heavily to get ready.  They may move some with changing conditions day to day, but they will be near the spawning flats all this month.

“I usually keep it simple in March with just five baits out, and three of them are crankbaits,” Peyton said.  He always has a DT 4 and DT 6 as well as a Little John squarebill in shad colors rigged.  Those baits cover the water depth he fishes this month.

To back them up, he has a white swim jig and a white and chartruese bladed jig ready to fish in the grass. Although those five baits will cover almost all situations, he will also be ready to pull out a rattlebait, bladed jig, shaky head and jig and pig if the situation calls for them.

Peyton and I fished the first Friday in February, the day after the flooding rain. The river current was ripping as the Alabama Power Company released water trying to get ready for all the new water coming in, and it was muddy everywhere.  The lake dropped four feet from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, making it tough for us.

The following places are good all month long. You may have to adjust some based on daily conditions, but you can have great catches of both spots and largemouth right now.

1.  N 33 56.624 – W 86 01.221 – Going up the river just upstream of the Highway 77 bridges, a slough enters the river on your right.  AS you enter it splits to the left and right. To your left two small pockets are full of grass where March feed heavily. The point coming off the left bank at a blue pumphouse runs way out across the slough and holds staging bass.

Peyton eases into the slough and stops in the middle of the left side, out from the point between the two arms. But that is not the point he fishes; the point to fish comes off the left side across the mouth of the left pocket. It has big stumps on it the bass use for cover, ambushing shad moving into the coves.

Sit in about eight feet of water at full pool and make long casts across the point.  Depending on water level, you want to bump the bottom two to five feet deep, and Peyton chooses the DT right for that depth, a four for hitting up to four feet deep and the six for up to six feet deep.

After fishing the point, go into the grass and fish around both pockets with swim jig and bladed jig. Watch for birds in the grass, indicating baitfish is present. When we fished white cranes were feasting on shad that had gotten trapped in the grass by the rapidly dropping water.

This short pocket right on the river gives early bass fast access to the shallows.  There were a few bass chasing shad here, and a couple bumped Peyton’s bladed jig out in front of the grass, but the muddy water made it tough to hook up.

2.  N 33 57.048 – W 86 00.885 – Going up the river from the bridges, a roadbed runs right along the edge of the water on the left. Go to where the bank swings back to the right and leaves the roadbed.  There is a brown fishing dock with blue chairs on it, in front of two camping trailers. Start at that dock.

The river channel swings in right on this corner and largemouth, with a few spots mixed in, feed on the riprap alone the bank.  Cast your squarebill right on the rocks and bump them as you reel out.  Peyton likes a shad colored bait most days, but if the water is stained up bad, he will go with a red color.

Fish up to the first small point past the dock and fish it hard. It is rocky and worth a few casts with a shaky head or jig and pig after using your crankbait.  Sometimes fish on the point just want a slow-moving bait.

3.  N 33 56.846 – W 86 00.379 – Going upstream past the big pocket with the marina but before you get to the small island, a white wood fence is on a point on your left.  The point out from it is pea gravel and holds pre-spawn bass going into the cut behind it to spawn, but spots will spawn out on the point.

Peyton will fan cast it with his crankbaits, bumping the bottom with them. He will also try a rattle bait and likes a chrome with blue back Rat-L-Trap, buzzing it across the point. Some days the bass just seem to want that noisy vibrating action more than a wiggling crankbait.

4.  N 33 57.096 – W 86 00.453 – Go back into the big pocket with the marina in it.  The water in the mouth of it is very shallow but a channel is marked with poles to get into it. Big grass beds all around the back hold feeding fish all month, and some will spawn in here in March since the shallow water warms fast.

Peyton says he starts at the marina on the right side of it and fishes all the way around the back. He says if you hit every blade of grass in here with a swim jig like a three-eights white 6th Sense jig with a white Rage Craw trailer on it, you will catch a limit most days.  He normally uses a half ounce swim jig, but this shallow water calls for the lighter one.

You will be fishing shallow water, most less than two feet deep, and you will have to trim up your motor to keep it from dragging.  But the fish are hear even in the very thin water.  Toward the end of the month in warmer water, a frog like a Ribbet, reeled over and through the grass, will also catch fish here.

5.  N 33 56.101 – W 86 02.090 – Going back down the river under the bridges, a development with rainbow colored houses is on your left. At the end of them is the opening to the slough that runs back up parallel to the river.  The upstream point of the opening is a major staging area for bass moving into the slough to spawn.

Peyton says there are big logs and stumps on this point that the fish use.  Stop out on the end of it on the river side and fan cast it with crankbait, bumping bottom at different depths, then buzz a rattle bait on it.  Work upstream covering the end five or six feet deep all the way up to a foot deep at the bank.

Since this slough runs upstream, muddy water does not push into it fast and it will be clearer than the river when it first muddies up.  There was a definite mud line across its mouth the day we fished.  When this happens, shad and bass will often move back into the clearer water. 

Under those conditions, go back into the slough and fish the grass with swim jig and bladed jig.  We tried that, but the fast dropping water must have pulled the fish out with it. Under stable conditions, this pattern will work on tough days.

6.  N 33 54.707 – W 86 04.031 – Going down the river channel marker 12 sits on the downstream point of one of the islands in the string of them out from the bank.  Behind it is an old sand quarry and big spawning flats, and Peyton says the point is a place many bass hold on moving in during the month. Late in March there may even be some post spawn fish moving back out during a warm month.

Stop out on the river side. With the water down we could see the point of the island behind the marker drops down into a saddle that comes back up onto a hump with a big log on it. Peyton says that saddle is the key spot for holding fish.

Get your boat in close to the marker and cast toward the bank, across the tip end of the island in close to it in a foot of water.  Use both crankbaits, bladed jig and rattle baits. Work them all the way across the saddle, bumping bottom until you get to the log. Unless the water is real high you should be able to see them. Work a jig or shaky head through them.

Peyton chooses his jig based on water color, using black and blue in stained water and green in clear.  But with both he uses a green pumpkin chunk trailer.  Work the log carefully with it.

7.  N 33 51.527 – W 86 05.733 – Canoe Creek is a big creek on the right downstream where the river makes a sharp turn to the left. It is wide and shallow, so be careful back in it. Go in to where is swings to the right. Straight ahead is Permeter Creek and a bridge crosses near the mouth of it.

Peyton says bass hold on the riprap and move to the bank on the downstream right end of it to spawn back in the flat there.  Start at the bridge and cast your crankbaits along the rocks, bumping them from right on the bank down to six feet deep. Sun on the rocks will warm them and make the bite better, especially early in the month. And Peyton likes a little breeze in all the places he fishes, enough to ruffle the water and break up his baits silhouette.  That improves the bite.

Fish to the end of the rocks and the area at the end of them.  Bass bed back in here so later in the month, drag your shaky head and jig on the bottom in likely bedding spots.

8.  N 33 51.686 – W 86 05.678 – Just upstream  of the mouth of Permeter Creek a long shallow  point runs out.  If you have a good GPS map on your electronics, or a paper map, you can see how the Canoe Creek channel hits the bank upstream of it then turns and runs a long way along it. Fish hold all along the channel drop and move up it to spawning areas.

Leaving the riprap you have to swing way out, it is only a couple feet deep going across the point.  Get way out on the end of the point with your boat in the channel in 10 – 15 feet of water.  You will be a short cast from the top of the point that is three to five feet deep.  Cast your DT 6 up on top then bump it along the bottom until it clears the drop. Your bites will usually be right on the lip of the channel.

Also work your shaky head the same way. Peyton rigs a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits finesse worm on a three sixteenths ounce Spot Sticker head and crawls it along the bottom. When it gets to the drop, feed it line so it falls down the slope on the bottom.

This drop is long enough you can spend a lot of time fishing it, and going back over places you catch fish is worth it.

9.  N 33 51.768 – W 86 06.077 – Going up Canoe Creek a big ramp, Canoe Creek Park, is on your left.  There are a few houses downstream of it with a riprap bank in front of them. Stop downstream of the last house from the ramp and fish upstream to the pocket above the ramp.

This bank is an outside bend of the creek. The riprap and docks along it hold bass as does the wood cover along the bank. Just downstream of them there are a lot of blowdowns that are good to fish and there are stumps all along the bank, too.

Fish your squarebill crankbait, bumping rocks and wood, then follow up with your jig and pig, fishing it close to all the cover.  Released fish refresh this bank every weekend.

10.  N 33 52.343 – W 86 06.223 – Muscadine Creek enters Canoe Creek on the left a little further upstream. A big house with some big tall trees in front of it sits on the point between the two creeks. It is a big, flat, shallow point where spots and largemouth stack up pre-spawn moving into both creeks.

Peyton says you can have your best day ever for spots right here in March.  To prove his point, he hooked a spot that looked like it weighed about five pounds but came off right at the boat.

You should sit on the Muscadine Creek side in about seven feet of water just off the end of the point.  Fan cast it with your crankbaits, that is what the big spot hit.  Also try crawling your bladed jig on the bottom. We got a good three pound largemouth here on one.

There are some big stumps and gravel on the point. 
A shaky head will catch fish here, too.  Fan cast all over the point, hitting water three to five feet deep.

These places are producing spots and largemouth right now.  Check them out and catch some!