Freshwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of October 9, 2024

Alan Henry

GOOD. Water clear; 75 degrees; 0.24 feet above pool. Crappie are fair in 15-30 feet on jigs and minnows fishing over trees. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.

Amistad

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 65.56 feet below pool. Black bass are fair on main and secondary points, ledges and suspended in 15-25 feet. Ned Rigs, shaky heads, deep diving suspending crankbaits and slow dropping finesse baits like wacky worms, flukes, suspending stickbaits are catching fish. White bass are good on main river ledges in 35-50 feet on spoons, Sabiki rigs, umbrella rigs, grubs and small underspins in shad colors. Stripers are fair in 40-60 feet on bucktail jigs and large flutter spoons. Happy fishing. Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service.

Arlington

GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 6.21 feet below pool. The fishing pattern remains consistent despite the water level dropping 1 foot. Brush piles are in 10 feet of water. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass are biting shallow on crankbaits and creature baits. The offshore bite is good as well once the sun rises on brush piles and 10-15 feet of water.

Arrowhead

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 77 degrees; 6.28 feet below pool. Fishing pattern is holding as the water slowly cools off. Catfish pattern is holding steady drifting with fresh cut shad. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.

Athens

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 81 degrees; 0.73 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady for the first week of October. Bass are slow, but can be caught on the outside of grass lines with Texas rig worms and weightless flukes. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.

Austin

SLOW. Water stained; 72 degrees; 0.75 feet below pool. Bass are good with creature baits or craws near dock pylons. There is very little topwater action.

B.A. Steinhagen

FAIR. Water stain; 85 degrees; 0.06 feet below pool. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees. Bass can typically be caught early in the discharge with baitfish colored small swimbaits, flukes, crankbaits and clear topwaters. Throw a 1/4 ounce shaky head with a trick worm and let the current take it to get some good bites as well. In other areas, work the edge of underwater vegetation or the edge of deeper reeds throwing worms, flukes or creature baits. A wake bait over the top of vegetation works well also. Work all points and along the dam using crankbaits or small ball head jigs with small straight tail swimbaits to catch bass. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

EXCELLENT. Water stained; 81 degrees; 1.62 feet below pool. White bass fishing has been on a month long hot streak thanks to fall patterns kicking in very early this year, beginning with an early September cold front. White bass and hybrid striped bass are gathered in large schools relating to the bottom in 28-45 feet. The morning bite is longer and stronger than the afternoon bite, with the morning bite in full swing until around 8:30 a.m. For icing on the cake, this past week there has been an added bonus of light, well-dispersed topwater action breaking out between 10-11:30 a.m. with white bass and hybrid bass chasing adult threadfin shad aggressively. Although this has not lent itself to following the schools and sight-casting, it definitely gives away the location of bait and gamefish, allowing for vertical and horizontal presentations from a fixed position near the topwater commotion. Once fish are found, use your splasher to draw them in and keep them near. My go-to lure has been the MAL Original with chartreuse tail reeled straight up off the bottom when fish are stacked under the boat, and the 3/4 ounce. Fish a white Tornado with a sawtooth method when fish are seen on the bottom out to the port or starboard side by side-imaging. Migratory birds have begun to show, including cormorants, coots, pelicans, teal, and osprey. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfishing is excellent. Fair numbers of blue catfish under 10 pounds can be found in the mouths of creeks and along old river channels in 10-20 feet of water. Drifting with fresh cut shad has worked best. Channel catfish have been fair using punch bait around gravel beds and timber. Flatheads have been slow but can be found around large rock piles using live bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.88 feet below pool. Catfish are good in shallow water. Perch are good in shallow water. Crappie continue to be good in 20 feet of water using live minnows. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are shallow around structure using chatterbaits and Texas rigged worms. Few reports on catfish and sand bass.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.83 feet below pool. Crappie are excellent in 15-20 feet of water on brush piles with minnows or jigs. Channel catfish are fair in 25 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. White bass are fair at night in the lights with a white spinnerbaits. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Black bass are chasing shad and bream. Windy retaining walls will produce marauding bass. Try topwater baits in a fish pattern and streamers in a bream pattern. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Water clarity is 3-5 feet of visibility. Bass are great under shaded docks with shaky head worms and jigs, and grass edges with bladed jigs, buzzbaits or frogs work well in shallow creek pockets. Topwater walking baits and Alabama rigs are great in the morning and evening. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.

Bois d'Arc

stained; 85 degrees; 2.71 feet below pool. The morning bass bite is fair around grass or pond weed with ribbets and horny toads over grass. Carolina rigs good on offshore brush piles and points 10-14 feet. Texas rigs and flukes are good on tree lines and the edges of small creek channels in 6-8 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Crappie fishing is hot with fish on timber, brush or any structure you can find in 8-25 feet of water. Focus on the outside edges of timber lines and open water main lake timber under the surface. These fish have not been pressured, so any bait you want to present to them will work. Tons of fish around 12 inches can be put in the boat and quickly. This is definitely a lake to hit up if you are looking for a mess of crappie. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Brady

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 12.73 feet below pool. Black bass are slow with a few being caught late afternoon before dark around deeper rocky shorelines using senkos and slow rolling spinnerbaits. Catfish are slow with a few caught late afternoon into the night on cut bait. Crappie and white bass are slow.

Braunig

GOOD. Water stained, 91 degrees. Redfish are fair from the bank using live bait, fish bites and dead shrimp, or from boats trolling with plastics and silver and gold spoons 10-20 feet. Channel catfish are slow being caught in weeds and rock line on cut bait and cheese bait. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 11.93 feet below pool. All ramps are open. Catfish are good on cut baits, they have been hanging around with the hybrids and sand bass. Check the main lake humps and ridges to find fish. Sand bass and hybrids remain scattered around the main lake and moving fast. When they come under the boat, be ready! Slabs and live bait have been effective. Crappie fishing continues to be on fire! Docks and offshore brush have been the most productive. Jigs and minnows have been best. Largemouth bass have been excellent on topwaters at sunrise. Back off to main lake points with medium running shad colored crankbaits as the sun warms up. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Brownwood

GOOD. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.29 feet above pool. Black bass to 5.67 pounds are fair on frogs in the grass and weeds. Also on cranks off the rocks in 2-8 feet around the rock cuts. Fall transition is in progress and the fish are starting to move into the pockets and shallow flats. Crappie are fair with catches up to 10 inches caught near docks with brush on minnows in 12-15 feet and some offshore brush piles. White bass are good to 2.25 pounds on crankbaits around the lighted docks. Catfish are fair to 4 pounds on shad and liver.

Bryan

GOOD. Water stained; 87 degrees. The bass bite picked up after the recent cold front. Bass are good on brush piles and shallow with topwater lures. Report by the Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

FAIR. Water normal stain; 81 degrees; 12.79 feet below pool. Striper fishing has picked up over the past week but hit and miss with the keepers but plenty of action. Vertical jigging, or slabbing, with ½-1 ounce spoons has been working well and the live bait bite has been getting better daily. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Cold front should increase the topwater action and possibly turn on the live bait bite. The topwater bite is improving for white bass and scattered stripers at the mouths of creeks working towards the back. Striped bass continue to be good trolling bucktail jigs on downriggers in 16-30 feet of water. Fish are feeding on shallow sandbars in the morning and afternoons. Catfish are slow in 15 feet of water on live shad, but are still on deep rock piles and ledges in 15-20 feet of water biting punch bait or shad. White bass bite is good on jigging spoons in 20-30 feet of water. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Crappie are good on brush piles and standing timber in 25 feet of water with chartreuse jigs. Blue catfish are good on structure in 30 feet of water. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are good working rock piles with crankbaits and swimbaits to catch active Fish. Throw flukes, Texas-rigged worms and a jig throughout the rocks to get some big bites. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Caddo

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.17 feet below pool. Caddo is fishing good with these cool mornings helping to bring the temperature down. Look for the shad on the main lake and fish with a fluke, frog, trap or spinnerbait. In the river a drop shot, Texas rig or shaky head will still work but a Shad color crank bait will come into play very soon out here. The old Alabama rigs will come into play soon in the river around the cuts and points. The lake will be turning red pretty soon and will be even more of a majestic time to come visit this beautiful lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Calaveras

GOOD. Water slightly stained, 89 degrees. Redfish are being caught off the bank from the fishing pier to Jet Ski Cove on fish bites and live bait, or trolling along the dam in 10-18 feet with gold and silver spoons. Blue catfish are being caught on the road bed in front of the crappie wall on cut bait. Channel catfish are being caught on rock lines with shrimp and cheese bait. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.

Canyon Lake

GOOD. Water normal stain; 78 degrees; 25.51 feet below pool. There is a good bass topwater bite In the morning with a spook or buzzbait. Then as the day warms focus on the outside grass lines with a neko rigged worm. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. normal stain; 79 degrees; 2.52 feet below pool. Good stacks of hybrids and white bass are being found on midlake points and drop offs along sandy flats throughout the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch and the spillway humps in 11-17 feet. Cast spinners and slabs and look for schooling fish on these flats as well as deeper seawalls and shorelines. Fish any hump in 14-22 feet throughout the lake to find fish stacked up in schools as the day warms up. Look for schooling fish on cloudier days and as the birds start showing up as the weather cools off later in the month.. Use spinnerbaits or drop a slab down to the bottom and work it fast up and down and the fish will hit it immediately. Also throwing out a slab and reeling it back with a slow retrieve is also working well. Cast rattle traps, Spoons, Umbrella Rigs, slabs or sassy shads to get the hybrids to bite. The crappie bite has been getting better. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 5-12 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Limits are being reported, although guides have been reporting conditions are improving with bigger sized fish being caught. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are beginning to move shallow on the humps and points anchored with cut shad in 8-16 feet fishing bottom fishing, or drifting with bigger cut bait in 12-24 feet of water. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Choke Canyon

FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees; 31.64 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water due to low water levels. Call to check ramp status. Bass are fair early in the morning or late in the afternoon on main lake long extended points with shad colored crankbaits and flukes. If you come across some hydrilla there are usually a few in the cover. Catfish are in 15-30 feet of water. Crappie are biting on deep docks in 25 feet of water with live minnows or grubs. White bass are schooling early in the morning on long points near the dam. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.

Cisco

GOOD. Water normal stain; 74 degrees; 13.69 feet below pool. Catfish are biting on cut bait. Bass are hitting topwaters. Crappie are hitting on minnows, or pretty much any kind of bait you can buy from the bait shop there biting on like crazy this week. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.

Coleman

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.25 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are slow on topwaters early in the morning, or flipping a senko into cattails. Crappie are fair with jigs and minnows.

Comanche Creek

0.40 feet above pool. Comanche Creek, formerly Squaw Creek, has reopened for the fall and winter season. Anglers have not been disappointed with daily limits of largemouth bass up to 8 pounds and eater sized channel catfish are common. Many largemouth bass anglers were boasting on 50-100 fish days. Channel catfish limits are common on prepared baits. Tilapia are also abundant in Comanche Creek and can be caught under a float or with cast nets. Tilapia are an invasive species and should not be returned to the water if caught. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Conroe

GOOD. Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.94 feet below pool. Water temperatures are reaching the mid to upper 80s during the day and water is as clear as Conroe gets. Catfish are doing good on baited holes from 10-30 feet of water on Catfish Bubblegum, worms, liver, and punch bait. Drifting natural baits on wind blown points can produce some nice catches as well. Crappie are poor to fair in 14-21 feet with a few folks able to find some but the population is still low and will be for the next couple years most likely. Bass have been good chasing bait shallow early and moving offshore and under docks as the relentless sun gets higher in the sky. Pitching docks and cranking wind blown points have been working well.

Cooper

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. Fish are starting to move to winter patterns so target the river channels. Be cautious of lake turnover as the water begins to cool. This will slow the bite for about two weeks until the water stabilizes. Hybrids are great off main lake humps and points with live shad, you can catch them vertically jigging spoons. Crappie are slow but can be caught in 3-10 feet of water on the bottom of timber with a crawdad jig. Catfish are good on the edges of the river channel in 15-20 feet of water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Corpus Christi Lake

SLOW. 85 degrees; 10.59 feet below pool. Few reports from anglers on the water.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water stained; 78 degrees; 0.84 feet below pool. Channel catfish are great in 15-20 feet of water with stink bait. Crappie are good on brush piles in 10-15 feet of water on minnows. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Water clarity is 3-4 feet of visibility. Bass are on hard cover, and can be caught with a dropshot or shaky head worm. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 76 degrees; 5.85 feet below pool. White bass are fair to slow on main lake structures. White bass continue to be scattered due to ongoing water releases. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fairfield

Closed to the public.

Falcon

GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 45.10 feet below pool. Bass are slow in brush piles with crankbaits and soft plastics. Blue catfish are good with catches up to 30 pounds in 15-20 feet of water dragging or anchoring fresh cut shad or tilapia. Bow fishing for gar are good up the river. No reports on crappie. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.

Fayette

GOOD. Water normal stain; 88 degrees. Bass are good in shallow water early in the morning with rattle traps. After the morning bite bass can be caught in 12 feet of water with shaky heads and Carolina rigs. Perch are slow on shallow flats in 5-8 feet of water and starting to push deeper. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 1.94 feet below pool. Bass are good early on top waters and frogs and flukes near pond weed. Shaky heads are good around boat houses in 3-8 feet. Carolina rigs are good on road beds and points in 12-17 feet. Deep crankbaits are good over humps and road beds 12-22 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Windy banks can provide schooling bass action, so be ready with a small topwater lure or streamer. Dock fishing is providing a variety of fish with small beaded fish imitations. Catfish are shallow around boat houses. Bream are scattered in shallow banks. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork is improving as the water temperature drop into the 70s. You can find fish all over the lake and any type of structure between 12-58 feet. We are seeing some fish on brush piles, laydowns, bridges and road beds. The best fish are definitely on timber. Focus on the edge of timber and creek channels mostly. We will see more fish hitting deeper timber as the water temps drop to the 60’s and 50’s over the next few months. Minnows are still a dominant bait, but small hand ties are producing again and soft plastics should also put some good fish in the boat. The overall bite will get better and better as we head deeper into fall and winter. Catfishing continues to be incredible on Lake Fork. We are seeing lots of catfish around timber in depths from 18-58 feet as they follow bait fish using smelly prepared catfish bait. You can also draw even more fish in with some chum, cattle cubes or sour grains. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Ft. Phantom Hill

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 7.71 feet below pool. Anglers are reporting good catches of crappie. Hybrid stripers are fair to good. White bass can be caught trolling with crankbaits or live shad. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters along the rocks.

Georgetown

SLOW. Water stained: 85 degrees; 9.99 feet below pool. Expect the bite to improve as the water temperature cools. Sand bass are hit-or-miss in the evenings. Bass are slow in the evenings with catches up to 2 pounds. Carp and gar can be caught up stream. Black drum can be caught in the stilling basin.

Graham

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 4.62 feet below pool. Bass are feeding on shad, so there is a good bite casting topwater in the morning and evening. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling all over the lake on spoons and jigs. Crappie are on brush piles biting minnows and jigs.

Granbury

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.80 feet below pool. The lake is turning over and will continue to do so as the water cools. White bass are schooling on many areas of the lake from the lower ends to Indian Harbor to the Shores. There are numbers of small sand bass with keeper fish mixed in. Striped bass are good on live and trolled baits in 10-20 feet of water from Striper Alley to Indian Harbor. Some catches reported near town as well. Catfish are active and can be caught all over the lake using cut shad and prepared baits. Best reports for the bigger catfish continue to be on the upper ends. Crappie action continues to be fair to good on jigs and small minnows fished near underwater structures in 10-15 feet of water. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are possible working creek entrances and docks from Decordova to Indian Harbor. Some good largemouth catches are reported in the river near Tin Top. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Granger

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.31 feet below pool. Black bass are good with catches up to 5 pounds on crankbaits and worms fished in timber up river. Crappie are very good on jigs and minnows fished over cover in 4-12 feet of water. White bass are good on slab spoons fishing over humps and roadbeds. Blue catfish are good on shad. Yellow catfish are good on live bait. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 1.35 feet below pool. White bass are good double rigged with a slab and jig. To locate fish use your graph, or follow the birds to find schooling sandies. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Greenbelt

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 50.00 feet below pool. Crappie are in standing timber. Sand bass are good. Catfish are good on minnows and worms. Largemouth bass are good.

Hawkins

GOOD. Water slightly stained. 80 degrees. Bass are chasing bait fish around the edges of grass. Bead heads will tempt bream and bass, dropping the flies at the front of the grass line. Try clouser-type patterns around boat houses. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Houston County

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this should change as the weather begins to cool. Sunfish are good. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. Bass are slow midday, with the best bite in the morning.

Hubbard Creek

SLOW. Water Stained; 85 degrees; 14.38 feet below pool. Bass are slow with the best bite around the north end of the dam on rocks of the overflow, and in Game Warden Cove in 4-11 feet of water on trees near the rocky shoreline. Smaller fish are biting topwaters, and bigger fish were caught on square bill crankbaits for jerkbaits for schooling bass. Blue catfish can be caught on juglines with live bait or cut carp. White bass are schooling throughout the day.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. Water temps high 70s, clear. Fish are schooling and biting top waters, swimbaits, crankbaits and spoons. Also soft plastics are good on the docks and brush piles. Frog bite is picking up in the pads.

Joe Pool

SLOW. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 0.28 below pool. Fishing is slow while the lake is turning over. Squarebill crankbaits, swimbaits, and topwater will catch fish. There has been a lot of sporadic schooling for white bass and largemouth bass. Crappie can be caught on minnows under the bridges. Shad are abundant with catfish showing up beneath. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lake O' the Pines

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; 1.00 feet above pool. Water clarity is slightly stained with 2-3 feet of clarity. Bass can be caught on creek channel bends throwing Texas rigged creature baits, senkos, or compact jigs in black and blue. Grass edges are holding a high number of fish and can be caught on 3-4 inch swimbaits, flukes, or bladed jigs. Matted vegetation seems to hold the larger fish in fewer numbers, and can be caught throwing a ribbit frog or hollow body frog. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Crappie are starting to migrate to creek channels timber in 6-30 feet of water with jigs. Be cautious of lake turnover as the water begins to cool. This will slow the bite for about two weeks until the water stabilizes. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Lavon

EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 3.20 feet below pool. Best way to fill a stringer of catfish is to chum with sour grain in a five gallon bucket in 9-15 feet. Very good numbers of nice sized catfish of all sizes can be caught on punch bait, chicken, liver, cooked shrimp, or fresh chunks of shad. Dragging shad on Santee Rigs is producing some 10-15 pound fish with an occasional 20-30 pound fish. If you are dragging your baits and you hook up to a good fish, anchor up in that exact spot and cast around the boat. Pay attention to your side imaging shooting at least 100 feet 455 gtz . This will brighten up the fish as well and you can see them on your side imaging. Crappie are great with 1/32-1/8 ounce jigs or minnows. Look for sinking logs or stumps in 5 feet of water to start the morning and any kind of hard structure out to 18 feet. Then fish submerged timber or brush piles as the sun rises in 18-20 feet of water. These fish do not pull out of the shallows until 9-10:00 a.m. Black bass are in 3-20 feet, with bigger fish being caught in 7-15 feet. White and chartreuse spinnerbaits are good early in the morning 1-5 feet. A spinnerbait has been excellent on hard structure, or very sandy flats with structure nearby. When the bite tapers off an hour or two after sunlight, switch to a 3-6 foot diver gradually moving to a 12-15 foot diver as the sun rises. Some days fish will not react to a reaction bait, such as a crankbait, so you might have to slow down and Carolina rig or Texas rig to entice a bite. Rocks along banks, boat ramps, floating and submerged tire reefs, and rock piles. Do not be scared to try 1-5 feet of water all day long because there are some shallow ones right now. There is a whole bunch of 3-5 pound fish up shallow all day. Long scattered through that lake. White bass are very good. As soon as that water hits about 72-75 degrees these fish will go super shallow and you will not find any on any points deeper than 5 feet. There are so many fish mixed in with the gizzard shad. This will make the green water turn black and with polarized glasses the fish will pop for you. Small rooster tails or road runners will works as well, but the hook gap is too big for most dinks using a swimbait on a quarter ounce head. You are going to use a quarter ounce jig with a 3 to 4 1/2 inch swim bait in white or chartreuse. And this is an absolute must, you have to cast in 1-4 inches of water and start reeling right before it hits the water to prevent it sticking into the clay banks. Your first bite will be in 2-4 feet of water so that is 2-4 reels of the spilling reel, and your cast is over. Repeat. Once you find them, spot lock or anchor within casting distance without your boat drifting into them. Sometimes they will follow it to the boat. Bluegills are good on brush piles in 15-20 feet with earthworms, wax worms, mealworms on light 2-4 pound line. Crickets are catching some bigger fish. Do not be surprised if you catch crappie or catfish, while trying to catch the bluegills. Lunker bass patrol the piles too. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas. Crappie are starting to migrate to creek channels timber in 15 feet of water with minnows. Be cautious of lake turnover as the water begins to cool. This will slow the bite for about two weeks until the water stabilizes. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

LBJ

FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.21 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water over brush piles with minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on punch bait in 25 feet of water over dropoffs and rock piles. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are slow with some topwater action early in the morning. There is not a pattern, so be prepared to cover water and be ready for anything. Limits of bass can be caught near Main lake docks, and docks in The Colorado River with white swimbait and white chatterbaits, following up with a shaky head craw and baby brush hogs. Be sure to use a brightly colored bait since the water clarity is so muddy. Seeing a lot of gar in the canals. Report by Randal Frisbie, Central Texas Fishing Guide, LLC.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.83 feet below pool. White bass are fair to good on humps and points in 15-30 feet of water. There has been some sporadic bird activity on mid lake flats and humps. Slabs, jigs, and live bait are working. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths as the white bass. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad. Drifting mainlake humps, points, and flats near the river channel have produced in 12-32 feet of water. Channel catfish are good on baited holes on punch bait in 15-28 feet of water on humps and points. Cut shad has been working well also. Crappie are fair in 6-26 feet of water. Check brush piles and submerged cover close to a drop off ledge. Cover close to drop off ledges has been best. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Bass are more active at night. Largemouth bass are slow on jigs and finesse worms. A lot of fish are cruising around chasing bait fish. Crappie are heavily stacking up in main lake brush piles in 12-15 feet of water. Sand bass are all over biting live bait or spoons. Lake levels are dropping rapidly, so navigate with caution.

Limestone

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 81 degrees; 2.17 feet below pool. Summer patterns are still in play with the thermocline now at 17 feet. Largemouth bass can be caught in 14 feet of water. Crappie are good in 8-14 feet of water with minnows or jigs. White bass have been schooling in the back of the creeks. Fresh willows continue to be the best brush piles. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Livingston

GOOD. slightly stained; 89 degrees; 0.95 feet below pool. White bass are great in shallow water in the mornings and late evening in 2-6 feet of water. The midday bite is in 10-20 feet of water with Duck Tracker slabs. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.

Martin Creek

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 1.80 feet below pool. Bass are good early and late fishing the hydrilla with pop R’s, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged worms. Crappie are good fishing brush piles and timber in 20-25 feet with fish suspended at 15 feet. Minnows and Bobby Garland jigs are working well. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers. Report by Hambone guide service. Reported by Hambone guide service.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 90.73 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to limited access and low water level.

Meredith

FAIR. Water stained; 72 degrees; 48.48 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady as the water starts to cool off. White bass bite continues to be excellent on just about anything. Bass are good on minnows and artificials. Catfish are fair to good with nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair with artificial baits and minnows. Trout are slow. Walleye are good on minnows, grubs, and other artificial baits. Hit the secondary points of a morning, slabbing in about 40 feet of water. Best of luck to you out there. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole.

Millers Creek

SLOW. Water stained; 83 degrees; 1.83 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water. The best bite will be early and late in the day.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 1.55 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent with 3-5 pound fish being caught on Carolina rig, dropshot and deep crankbaits. Crappie are fair on 1/8 ounce white crappie jig on a split shot. Catfish are slow on live minnows and cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Naconiche

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 0.00 feet full pool. The fish still cannot decide if they need to stay or go from their typical summer haunts. Expect the next two cold fronts to drop temperatures to the mid 70s or cooler triggering the fall turnover. Keep an eye on the thermocline. Bass will bite squarebill crankbaits in 5 feet, if you find them hugging the bottom in 8-10 feet dragging a Texas-rig Mag-worm can be effective. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on dropshots, small paddle tail swimbaits in 4-12 feet of water. Crappie are excellent on brush and standing timber in 10-15 feet of water on 1/16 ounce white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live minnows in the fishing pier area. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Nasworthy

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees. 0.46 feet below pool. The bass bite has been fair on white chatterbait/spinnerbaits early morning and evening. Midday flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water is the ticket to catch shaded up largemouth bass. Crappie were good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team.

Navarro Mills

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 83 degrees; 0.59 feet below pool. White bass are good on chartreuse slabs. White Bass can be found in the main lake on underwater humps or schooling on the surface in the morning and afternoons. Catfish are good on punch bait and shad in the flooded timber on the west end of the lake. Crappie are good on minnows around brush piles in 15-20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are fair on crawfish jigs near the dam. Report by Clay Major, Major Guide Service.

O.C. Fisher

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 40.66 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels.

O.H. Ivie

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 77 degrees; 26.17 feet below pool. The lake is stabilizing after the 7 foot rise a few weeks ago and the bite is improving. The upper end of the lake is murky but fish are starting to school on the lower end. Black bass are slow to 5 pounds on frogs, Whopper floppers and chatterbaits. Most fish are super shallow. Crappie are fair suspended in trees, or suspended in 10-15 feet of water in deep water. Minnows are still best but some fish are caught on red and white or blue and white crappie jigs. White bass are being caught, by the dam on a variety of baits but mainly with live scope jigging. Channel catfish has been fair in 5 feet or less as well on a variety of stink baits and cut shad next to the salt cedar bushes.  Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.

Oak Creek

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 17.33 feet below pool. Black bass bite is improving with reports of fishing being caught on swimbaits. A report of an 8 pound bass being caught on a Seek & Destroy Glide bait. The anglers are also reporting success on large plastic worms fished in deeper water. Crappie are good with reports of fish stacked up. The BoneHead jigs seem to be the most popular bait. The anglers are utilizing their FFS units to locate the schools. Catfish are good on jugs. The larger fish are being caught on live perch. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Palestine

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 1.17 feet below pool. Just as some cooling occurred along came hot and clear weather again. Wind has increased which stirs the water some to help mix and break up the water. Bass have been slow, except during the cooler weather periods, but remain primarily on boathouse patterns. White bass and hybrid stripers remain good early and late, with live minnows, trolled spoons, and casting a Little George lure and small slabs. Catfish are good for daytime rod and reelers. Blue catfish are hitting live minnows and shrimp, and small channels will bite anything you cast. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.

Palo Pinto

GOOD. Water slight stain; 88 degrees; 0.58 feet below pool. Light conditions are great and the water is getting a little cooler. The blue catfish bite is improving in shallow water on cut bait and fresh shad. Blue catfish and channel catfish are biting great on limb lines. Crappie bite has slowed. Bass are slow. Hybrids and sand bass are biting early morning and late evening on roadrunner rooster tails and spinnerbaits. Lake Palo Pinto CreekReport by David Holt, Lake Palo Pinto RV Park and Resort.

Pinkston

FAIR. slightly stained; 76 degrees. Water clarity is clear. Largemouth bass are good on small paddle tail swimbaits in 4-12 feet of water. Crappie are good on brush piles and standing timber using 1/8 ounce white translucent crappie jig. Catfish are fair on live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Possum Kingdom

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.79 feet below pool. Stripers are fair to good with live bait in 20-40 feet early in the day and in 40-60 feet of water later in the day. Downriggers are still slow at the moment and catching very few fish. Fish are moving very fast and it can be hard to stay on top of them. Sand bass are slow in 20-30 feet of water using live shad or small white and silver slabs and jigs or rattle traps. Catfish are still fair to good with cut shad or your favorite brand of stink bait, also known as punch bait. Good numbers of fish are in 15-30 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Water clarity is steady at 4-10 feet of visibility. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Bass are scattered on ledges, points, and deep timber hitting crankbaits, Carolina rigs, dropshots. Report by JK Outdoors Bass Fishing Guide.

Proctor

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.99 feet above pool. The lake is over full pool and with water being released at 105 cfs. Copperas Creek day use and westside dock and ramp has been a popular area for anglers. Promontory Park Day use boat ramp is open. Early morning fishing on jugs has been productive for catfish.

Raven

FAIR. Water light stain; 85 degrees. Crappie are fair on minnows and artificial grubs. Bass are fair on soft plastic artificials. Catfish are fair on worms fished off the bottom. Bluegill are excellent at the boathouse dock on crappie bites and worms.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 79 degrees; 2.35 feet below pool. White bass are fair on shallow points early morning and late evening throwing tail spinners and topwaters. Later in the morning sand bass move to 16-28 feet of water on humps, levees and long points using 3/4 ounce slabs. Trolling is also producing white bass 13-16 feet of water. Crappie are fair and relating to brush in 15-22 feet deep and suspended on bridge pylons moving on and off structure on minnows. Catfish are fair around the north end of the lake around timber using cut shad working best in 12-17 feet of water. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 83 degrees; 0.82 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 5-20 feet with minnows out fishing jigs. White bass has been tough with very little surface activity. Some can be caught off points on live bait and slabs. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 1.35 feet below pool. Lack of rainfall and continued warm weather has lowered the lake level to just over 1.5 feet below full pool. White bass are fair with very few anglers on the lake and even less reports of catches being made. Slabs and Mepps spinners are best when schools are located off main lake points. Hybrid stripers are also slow with a few fish being caught on live bait. October is usually an awesome month for crappie as the water temperature cools. Expect the bite to improve on brush piles in 15-20 feet of water with minnows as the preferred bait. Blue and channel catfish are good on punch bait in 15-25 feet of water in timber on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. Hickey Island timber on the Chambers Arm is also holding good numbers of eater size catfish. Chum with Range Cubes and, or fermented grain. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.24 feet below pool. Fishing is consistent. Bass are schooling more in the morning so expect more topwater action on grass edges and points. Crappie are fair on standing timber in 27 feet on brush piles with minnows over jigs. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 24-27 feet of water and in the river bends on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service. Expect the lake level to continue to drop slowly through the winter. Shallow bass are centered around shoreline brush and hay grass along with high spots, shallow ditches and creek channel swings. These fish can be caught on Texas rigs, wacky rigs, shallow water crankbaits and topwaters. There is a large population of schooling bass heavily chasing bait balls around main lake ledges in 17-22 feet, main lake drains in 10-17 feet, and main lake and secondary points. Cast a dropshot, Carolina rig, ½-¾ ounce jig, or deep diving crankbait. Report by Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 1.37 feet below pool. At Somerville marina the crappie bite is slow, bluegill and catfish are fair. Crappie are slow over brush in 8-16 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair in 3-10 feet using cut shad or punch bait. White bass are slow trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are slow in deeper water, when you locate them, using cut bait. Below the dam fishing is fair, while water is being released at 277 cfs. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Spence

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees. 45.34 feet below pool. Anglers are reporting success on smaller bass in the shallows. They reported catching them on plastic creature baits such as the Toad Thumper and Untamed Sportsman. Bank anglers are catching catfish with shrimp and chicken liver. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.

Stamford

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 1.04 feet below pool. Bass are fair on soft plastics. When you find one fish, stay in the area because you will probably find another. Crappie are fair on concrete. Catfish are fair.

Stillhouse

FAIR. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.07 feet above pool. Due to two mild and dry cold fronts, our weather has been consistent with high pressure, clear, bright skies, and consistent temperature fluctuations day by day. This has produced some visible, fishable topwater action on the lower third of Stillhouse with a mixture of largemouth bass and white bass pinning threadfin shad against the surface. The water is very clear so keeping excess hardware to a minimum on your presentations is a must. The more quickly and more accurately casts are made to "boiling" fish, the more likely a presentation is to be eaten. Clear Spook Jr.'s, clear 3 inch grubs on unpainted jig heads, or shad-imitating streamers behind popping corks are solid bets for these schooling fish going from 7:50-10 a.m. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 82 degrees; 1.72 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni continues to fish well as water temperatures continue to drop. The hybrid striper and white bass bite is good as fish become more active. Seems like fish are preferring slabs and in-line spinners over swimbaits. Best depth has been 3-15 feet. The trophy catfish bite is decent with big fish feeding. Drifting with medium sized cut bait in 2-22 feet has been the ticket. The eating sized channel and blue catfish bite is excellent on a variety of baits but punch bait or dip baits are working best in 10-20 feet. The crappie bite is turning on in 6-12 feet ok brush piles with minnows. Largemouth bass are good early on square bills near rip rap. The shallow water dock bite is about to turn on. When it does, throw small topwaters at daylight or smaller stick baits and hold on! Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texana

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.14 feet below pool. Catfish are good on trotlines throughout the lake. Bass are fair in the north end of the lake.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 1.74 feet below pool. Striper fishing is excellent on live shad. Look at ledges and flats in 25-40 feet of water for schools of fish roaming. A fluorocarbon leader is a must, and downsize with the clearer water. Start watching for fog in the backs of coves and topwaters along those banks for bigger fish. Crappie are still slower, with fish remaining inactive due to the warmer temps. Focus on brush and structure near coves and main lake points in 12-20 feet of water. Bass are fair on shallow-water crankbaits and A-rigs along the bluffs early, and near docks late. Expect fish to start moving up near docks and creeks. Catfishing is great, with blues still being found on flats and ledges in 30-50 feet of water, and channels on humps in 15-25 feet of water on prepared baits. Start checking deep flats 40-50 feet of water for big fish, as the thermocline goes away and lake turnover ends. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Guaranteed Guide Service. Fishing patterns are holding steady and the lake is turning over creating tough fishing conditions. Stripers are fair on the flats in 30 feet of water or deeper with live bait. The artificial bite is slow. Very little surface action for a topwater bite. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Toledo Bend

FAIR. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 4.20 feet below pool. Topwater action is improving in the morning for the first hour at daylight along the edge of grass. Once the sun rises, work a wacky worm and light Texas rig along deep edges of grass and in creek bends in 8-12 feet. Bass are fair in the main lake at 14-20 feet, but most are still small to just keepers, these fish coming on big crankbaits and Carolina rigs. As water continues to cool, the action will improve. Crappie are still slow. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Travis

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 41.27 feet below pool. Lake Travis is fishing good. Look for main and secondary points throwing Texas-rigged creature baits and worms and flukes for some good bites. There are some around the grass patches on main lake flats as well. You can also work around the main lake deep docks to get some bigger fish. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Best bite on the lower end with deeper water and grass. Bass are schooling in the marinas throughout the day hitting topwater and swimbaits. Grass fish can be caught with worms, shaky heads and dropshots. Fish slowly in the grass feeling for a soft bite. Report by Randal Frisbie, Central Texas Fishing Guide, LLC.

Twin Buttes

FAIR. Water stained. 82 degrees; 38.31 feet below pool. Catfish are slow in the main body of the lake on drop-offs with cheese bait or fresh bait. Carp are slow. Crappie are slow and small, with undersized fish scattered in 7-15 feet of water. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.

Tyler

GOOD. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 1.04 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Crappie are good with minnows on brush in 16-20 feet of water, and off the barge. Catfish are good in 10-16 feet of water stink bait, liver and nightcrawlers. Bream are good on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are fair on topwater baits, crankbaits and spinner baits in 4-12 feet of water. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Waco

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.05 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are steady. Crappie are good in 10-20 feet of open water on brush piles with live minnows or jigs. Largemouth bass are slow and scattered. The best bite is early or late in the day with soft plastics. Sand bass are excellent on small slabs, small crankbaits, small swimbaits and small spoons in 15-35 feet on open water humps, points, ridges, roadbeds, and on the Old Dam. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good with cut bait or live shad on juglines or rod-and-reel in 10-30 feet of water. Hybrids up to 7 pounds are being caught with 5 inch swimbaits or spoons at the Old Dam. Best colors are white and chartreuse or chrome.

Walter E. Long

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees. Bass are fair to good on worms, frogs, and topwaters. Bass and hybrids have been schooling on and off all day long. If you scale down the size of your line and throw smaller shad like lures you can still catch good numbers. Crappie are good in the grass. Panfish bite is still pretty good as well. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide. Decker lakes water level is continuing to drop. The lake is fishing well right now. A lot of grass has been exposed with the low water levels. There is a really good punching bite and frog bite right now. Still seeing a lot of schooling activity but it is very scattered. Overall the lake is fishing great. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing Guide Service. Lake Decker is fishing great if you can get on it. They are not keeping it full very well. Bass are schooling after shad early in the pockets, so a swimbait, shad colored fluke, shallow crank or vibrating jig/spinnerbait works good for those. Later, work off the bank around grass with 4-5 inch worms in watermelon or green pumpkin colors. You can catch some up tight to the reeds flipping a craw or creature bait. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water heavily stained; 80 degrees; 4.00 feet below pool. The lake is turning over with visibility about 2-3 inches. Crappie are fair with small sized fish being caught on deep brush piles with minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair along the rocks with punch bait and liver. Bass are slow on deeper water ledges with crankbaits and soft plastics. The lake continues to be heavily stained with about 4-6 inches of visibility compared to the normal 12 inches.

Welsh

FAIR. Water stained. 95 degrees. Few reports from anglers.

White River

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 23.06 feet below pool. Catfish are good. Crappie are good on minnows. Largemouth bass are biting in deeper water ledges with soft plastics.

Whitney

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.31 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 18-25 feet of water. Striped bass are slow on live bait or trolling in 30 feet of water. Some stripers are being caught on artificial baits while trolling umbrella rigs and Alabama rigs. Crappie are fair on small jigs and minnows in timber in 15-20 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is slow. Largemouth bass fishing is slow. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water normal stain; 76 degrees; 2.72 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structures on slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 3.89 feet above pool. Catfish are good with stink bait. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs.

Houston

GOOD. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are eating very well off points and mouths of waterways being caught on crankbaits, grubs and worms. Crappie are tight to structure, chewing on hand tied jigs and minnows. White bass are feeding heavily in the main river channels and later in the evening. Catfish are still very good on jug lines rigged with fresh caught shad and live perch mid lake. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.

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