Prairies & Lakes Region Week of May 22, 2024

Arlington

SLOW. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.22 feet above pool. More rain in the weekend forecast, be sure to check ramp status before heading out. The lake is flooded and there is floating debris. Reports that all species are biting in shallow cover. Channel catfish can be caught with shad off the banks.

Athens

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.54 feet above pool. Bass are fair, catching scattered fish on grass edges out to 12 feet with shaky head worms and jigs. Crappie have slowed down on brush with small jigs working best. Fish are easy to find but are finicky. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees. Lake Bastrop water temperatures are in the lower 80s depending on location. The water visibility is around 2-4 feet. Bass have been good on flukes and swimbaits in shad or bluegill colors. The bite has been fair on creature baits in natural colors like watermelon seed and green pumpkin. Report by Jason Hernandez, Bass Institute of Bastrop. Bass are schooling early morning in the discharge, with some action on the main lake afterwards. Throwing small soft plastics on shaky heads, Texas rigged or Carolina rigged is working well. A clear topwater will get some bites too. Flukes and four or five inch stick baits on flats or near grass will get bites as well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 76 degrees; 14.26 feet above pool. All public boat ramps are currently shutdown due to flooding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers typically only reopens boat ramps once the water recedes off the asphalt parking lot and turnaround areas back onto the concrete boat ramps. After the asphalt is free of flood water, USACE still waits several additional days to let the road base dry out. Although a post-flood release of water is now ongoing, it will likely be several more weeks before access is available to the public. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. All boat ramps are closed due to high water levels. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

SLOW. Water stained; 64 degrees; 4.93 feet above pool. Fishing remains slow for all species while the water level is high. The ramp at Benbrook Marina is open.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 11.94 feet below pool. Lake Bridgeport is now around 11 feet low. The water is stained with temps in the mid 70s. Most ramps are open, including Wise County Park, RAB Marina, the dam and the low water ramps. Catfish are closing in on their spawn. Try a rocky bank, shallow, with a prepared bait under a cork. Crappie fishing continues to be outstanding! Jigs and minnows around shoreline cover and offshore brushplies have been putting them in the boat. Some fish were reported around the 380 bridge. Hybrids and Sand Bass continue to wander the main lake area. Live bait and slabs have been putting them in the boat. Underwater humps and the areas around them continue to be the best bet. Largemouth bass have been good on topwater baits early. As the sun gets warm, back off the shore and try deep diving cranks and finesse baits around deeper docks and structure. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Slightly stained; 76 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Hybrids and white bass start early in the morning at daylight and hit the dam or the western shorelines of the lake and look for schooling fish close to seawalls and shorelines. After that fish any hump in depths of 22-28 feet throughout the lake to find fish stacked up in schools. Use spinnerbaits like a mepps #4 spinner or drop a slab down to the bottom and work it fast up and down and the fish will hit it immediately. Also throwing out a slab and reeling it back with a slow retrieve is also working well. The evening bite from 5-8 p.m. has also been very good. Hit up seawalls close to points in depths of 7-12 feet and cast rattle traps, spoons or sassy shads to get the Hybrids to bite. The crappie bite has been getting increasingly better. Look for them under bridge pylons or under docks where the depths are between 3-10 feet. Quick limits are being reported. Guides have been reporting exceptionally nice catches on sunny warmer days. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good on shad or punch bait around shallow points early then humps in 8-16 feet of water midday. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

0.98 feet above pool. Closed.

Cooper

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees: 1.00 feet below pool. The lake is on the rise with water being released at the spillway. Anglers are reporting good catches of sand bass and catfish.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.58 feet above pool. Crappie are good on brush piles 15-20 feet of water on minnows or jigs. Catfish are good in 2-6 feet of water on worms or cut bait. Sand bass good on main lake points with jigging spoons. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Water levels continue to be high so navigate with caution. Bass are good on fishing the boat docks, and shallow points chasing the shad spawn with Texas rig worms, crankbaits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, or flipping into flooded bushes. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 78 degrees; 0.15 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structures with slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combos. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fairfield

Closed to the public.

Fayette

FAIR. Water stained; 75 degrees. Bass are good along the dam and in deep water with Carolina rigs, shaky head, or trick worms. Crappie are good in deep water 15-25 feet of water. Catfish are fair but the bite is improving on stink bait.

Graham

GOOD. Water stained; 69 degrees; 1.74 feet below pool. Lake is stained and the water level is on the rise. Catfishing is great on shad. Crappie is a little slower because of the muddy water. Bass fishing is good up shallow in the new vegetation in the water. Sand bass are schooling on the main lake with the hybrids.

Granbury

GOOD. Water clear; 74 degrees; 0.01 feet below pool. Water temperatures are in the low to middle 70s. Water is clearing, but there is still a lot of debris in the water especially on the upper ends. Be careful navigating. Sand bass continue to be good on slabs on feeding flats early and late. Best sand bass reports are coming from Indian Harbor and near Decordova. Striped bass to 12 pounds are possible on live bait and trolled Alabama rigs mainly on the lower ends. Some top water action is available early on feeding flats by Blue Water Shores. Yellow and blue catfish are good on the upper ends on cut shad. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crankbaits and soft plastics worked near creek entrances. Some good topwater action for largemouth bass is possible near main lake points. Crappie are moving to their post spawn locations on structure and are good to excellent on small jigs and minnows. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water clear; 62 degrees; 9.12 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady as the water levels continue to be high. White bass are good in 14-15 feet of water with shiny lures bounced of the bottom. Birds are leading the way to fish. Catfish are mixed in with the white bass. Launch from the high water ramp at Katie’s Wood Park. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’ the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

SLOW. Water slightly stained. 72 degrees. Black bass are challenging around grass and brush. Try dropping baits at the edge of grass and slow moving streamers. Bead heads will tempt bream and bass. Bream will be on beds and easy to spot, remember they can see you too. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.21 feet above pool. Lake is still muddy due to recent rains and the water level is high. Bass are biting soft plastics in brush piles at midrange depths. The topwater bite is improving in the mornings.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees; 4.34 feet above pool. Bass can be found shallow in the flooded brush caught with your favorite soft plastic. Crappie are on the brush piles and in the grass edges on minnows or crappie jigs. Bream are shallow in the flooded brush. The water is clearing but is still muddy in some areas. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 4.07 feet above pool. White bass will be along the banks if the sad are spawning. Paddle tail swimbaits, and topwater lures are filling the box. If they are not up on the banks, check in 20-35 feet of water on structure, slopes, rock, piles, or humps. Use 1 ounce or 2 ounce slabs in white or chartreuse with a jig tied about 18 inches above it for a double. Crappie are slow. Live scopers rule the lake on the single roaming fish. Very few fish piled up in numbers on structures. Catfish are spawning on the rocks in 3-10 feet of water using sour maze, Milo or chicken scratch fermented in a bucket for two weeks. Then use a barber with punch bait, chicken, liver, shrimp or shad. Black bass are loving the newly flooded brush and forest. Cast white spinnerbaits early in the morning. Cast white spinnerbaits into flooded structures early in the morning, this will work throughout the day when it is cloudy. Work wacky worms on the submerged button willows. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 76 degrees; 3.16 feet above pool. White bass are fair to good on humps and points in 20-35 feet of water with slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair to good as well. 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. Blue catfish are good on cut shad. Drifting mainlake humps, points, and flats near the river channel have produced in 12-32 feet of water. Channel catfish are fair to good, close to rip rap and on baited holes on punch bait. Crappie are fair in 4-25 feet of water. Brush piles, rock piles, stumps, standing timber, and laydowns, have all produced fish. Cover close to drop off ledges has been productive. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Water continues to be on the rise and is dirty so fishing can be tough. Bass are in 4-10 feet of water with crankbaits, spinnerbaits or dragging a soft plastic. The best bite seems to begin at noon.

Limestone

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.07 feet above pool. Crappie are good in 8-17 feet of water on brush piles, standing timber and power lines using minnows. White bass are being caught on the docks with lights at night on beetle spins. During the day white bass can be caught in 8-17 feet on points and flats with silver war eagle super spoons. Catfish are shallow on beds, and out in 8-20 feet on cutbait in creek channels and flats. Largemouth bass are still in 3 feet or less on Texas rigs, frogs, and jackhammer chatterbaits. Some largemouth bass have also moved back to the main lake brush, bulkheads, docks in 4-8 feet using Texas rig, and jackhammer chatterbaits for the deeper bass. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 74 degrees; 11.43 feet above pool. Fishing is slow for all species while the lake is flooded. Check ramp status before heading out.

Palestine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 0.53 feet above pool. Water is still stained in some areas from local runoff. Bass have been very good, with soft plastics working well at the flooded edges, shallow crankbaits and small spinners in the shallows. Catfish have also been very good, with the small channels about 5 feet out from rocky shorelines or breakwaters on worms, shrimp, and cut bait fished under a bobber. Blue catfish have been fair, larger fish caught at night on trots and jugs using black salties, perch, and cut bait, rod and reelers catching the 1-3 pounders in the daytime on live minnows and cut bait around roadbeds and rocks. White bass and yellow bass are excellent now, you just may have to hunt around to find the humps they are holding on. Trolling with a Coyote or Pet spoon or a Bomber Model A crank has been productive in this hunting. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing.

Palo Pinto

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 4.01 feet below pool. The lake is finally on the rise and the creeks are flowing after the rain with more rain in the forecast. Catfish are good on cut bait and perch. Swift water gar are biting in shallow water. Drum are biting in shallow water on minnows and worms. Crappie bite has slowed down, due to the rising water. Carp are trying to spawn in shallow water. Bass are improving. Report by David Holt, Lake Palo Pinto RV Park and Resort.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.06 feet above pool. White bass are excellent relating to humps and long points in 17-26 feet of water using 3/4 ounce Bovee slab with a jig 12 inches above. Watch for blue herons working deep water later mornings in 35-40 feet of water. Crappie are good and relating to brush 18-26 feet deep with some fish suspended mid depth. Catfish have moved along rocks and long points, using a slip cork and prepared bait working best along rocks. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees; 3.22 feet above pool. Several of the boat ramps are closed due to high water. Sand bass and catfish are good with live or cut bait in 30-35 feet of water. Crappie are scattered in 15-25 feet of water with minnows. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.

Richland Chambers

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 0.33 feet above pool. Water clarity is stained on the main lake and muddy up the creeks. Spillway Gates have been open for the past couple of weeks and probably will have at least four open for the next month as Bardwell and Navarro Mills Lakes are 12-14 feet above full pool. White bass are good with slabs on main lake points and humps in 25-35 feet of water. There is an early morning topwater bite on the south shoreline. Hybrid stripers are fair on the 309 Flats and Pelican Island in 30 feet of water on live shad. Catfish are fair on windblown points with shad. Crappie fair on minnows over brush piles in 15-20 feet of water. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service.

Somerville

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 2.58 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are consistent. Catfish, crappie and bluegill are good on minnows, worms, and stink bait at Somerville Marina early morning. Black Bass are fair hitting soft crankbaits and spinnerbaits in 6-10 feet of water. Crappie good on the brush piles in 10-20 feet of water and pilings biting minnows and small jigs. Catfish are very good in 2-8 feet of water. Larger catfish are good on jug lines baited with shad or cut bait. White bass are very good trolling in the lake using Pet spoons and jigs, and when anchored with ghost minnows or shad. Hybrids are very good, finding schools is the key, caught on cut shad and 2 ounce jigs. Hybrids are good, finding schools is the key, caught on cut shad and 2 ounce jigs. Hybrids are also being caught from the shore at the dam and Welch Park areas. Water is slightly off color near the dam and very muddy in the upper lake area. Flood gates open at 95 cfs and various species are good at spillways while water is being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees; 10.12 feet above pool. Only one public boat ramp is currently accessible at the Union Grove Park. It is a four lane ramp. Fishing for largemouth bass in the newly flooded terrestrial vegetation and along the inside edge of what was the shallowest hydrilla stands has been excellent for quality fish on soft plastics, including sunfish imitating soft plastics. White bass fishing has also been very good, with my clients landing over one hundred fish per trip on each of my last several outings. Fishing 24-33 feet in clear water and on bottoms free of dying hydrilla has been the key to success. Dying hydrilla is making side-imaging difficult to find fish with, so 2D and down-imaging are very useful now. We've been using MAL Dense Lures vertically until fish lose interest, then changing over to using MAL Heavy Lures with a sawtooth retrieve to continue catching white bass. Best bite for white bass has been 8:15-11:00 a.m. wind and gray cloud cover definitely enhances the bite. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GREAT. Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 0.80 feet above pool. Lake Tawakoni continues to fish great and is setting up on a solid summer pattern that should continue through most of the summer. The hybrid striper and white bass bite is very good. Big fish have been running humps and ledges in 15-25 feet. Live bait and swim baits are catching fish. The eating size blue catfish bite is winding down but the channel cat bite on prepared baits such as punch bait is cranking up. We are seeing limits of fish daily in 18-24 feet of water. The crappie bite is also good. Fish are solid in 8-14 feet on minnows and jigs near bridge pylons and brush piles. The largemouth bass bite is fair. The early morning frog bite has been good on newly emerged lily pads. Square bill crankbaits are also catching fish in 1-4 feet on the edges of rip wrap and dock pylons. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 2.82 feet above pool. Striped bass fishing is excellent on live shad and topwaters. Anchoring on deep river ledges and flats in 60-80 feet of water fishing suspended around 40 feet catching quality and quantity on live shad. Top waters early along rocky banks where shad are still spawning. Catfishing is good using cut shad and prepared baits along the rocks in 20-40 feet of water. Free line dead shad or fish vertically along the rocks. Bass are fair using top waters early along the bluffs and on long points. Water temps in the mid 70s look for fish under docks and tires near marinas. Clear water is along the southern end of the lake. Crappie are fair using jigs fishing structure using electronics to locate active fish in 12-18 feet of water. Clear water is from TI point to the Dam and in the little mineral arm of the lake. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Stripers are good, catching the better fish starting with topwaters early, then switching to swim baits in 10-20 feet of water to get smaller fish. Water is starting to clear up from the recent rains on most of the lake. The lake has dropped 3 feet over the last week, and should return to normal, if it does not rain too much later this week. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water heavily stained; 78 degrees; 0.96 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Crappie are fair on main lake brush piles on minnows and jigs.

Whitney

FAIR. Water stained; 76 degrees; 8.80 feet above pool. Catfish are good using cut shad in the mouth of creeks. Striped bass bite is improving. Some limits being caught on live shad in 20-35 feet of water. Crappie continue to be fair on small jigs and minnows fished near deeper structure. White bass are fair moving out of the creeks in shallow waters. Largemouth bass continue to be fair along structures and docks. Most boat ramps are closed as are state parks due to high water. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water normal stain; 78 degrees; 2.28 feet below pool. White bass are good in shallow water main lake points and fish are reported being caught on main lake structure on slabs. White bass are good on main lake structures on slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combos. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

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