Prairies & Lakes Region Week of June 26, 2024

Arlington

GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 1.18 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass fishing is good around grass banks with topwaters, and on chatterbaits, crankbaits and Texas-rigs around dock and rocks. Catfish are shallow on rocks and grass as well and the white bass are starting to school in current related areas.

Athens

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 0.37 feet above pool. Bass fishing has settled in the normal summer pattern with the best bite early or late in the day. Bass are fair on the outside of grass lines in 8-12 feet of water with shaky heads, topwater frogs. Crappie are fair at night with minnows in 25 feet of water on brush. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees. Lake Bastrop is still going strong with schooling bass in the discharge early and later out from and close to the north end of the dam. Using clear small topwaters, small swimbaits and Ned rigs are working well. Working grass edges with worms and flukes work also. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 81 degrees; 9.08 feet above pool. All public boat ramps are currently shut down due to flooding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers typically 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. USACE is releasing about 3600 CFS resulting in about a 4 inch drop per day. Walk-in access to bank fish and for kayak fishing is still permitted even in parks with gates locked as long as posted signage does not stipulate otherwise. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfishing has been great. Shallow water continues to be productive for nights and early mornings. Smaller blues and trophy size can be caught in 10 feet or less using live bait as well as fresh cut bait. As the sun rises drifting deeper water along river channels has been great. Flatheads have been caught near rock piles with live perch or shad. Channel catfish have been great in shallow water around timber using punch bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.76 feet above pool. Crappie are good in deeper water in 18 feet of water using minnows. Largemouth bass are good using soft plastics. Catfish are good on shrimp and stink bait. Hybrid bass activity near Mustang. Report by Benbrook Marina.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water normal stained; 85 degrees; 9.19 feet below pool. All ramps are open, watch the ramp at the dam as it can be slippery. Catfish have been good on cut bait and prepared baits drifting shallow and deep flats. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around offshore brush piles, deeper water docks and the U.S. 380 bridge. Largemouth bass fishing has been tough, the best bite has been on topwater baits early in the day. As the day warms, try a flat-billed crankbait or swimbait around main lake points that have deeper water nearby. Finesse baits around docks have been catching a few fish as well. Sand bass have been wandering the lake in large schools, look for schooling action early and late in the day. Propeller topwater baits will put them in the boat. Hybrids have been scattered, but you may see some with the schooling sand bass. Try a slab deep to pick off the hybrids under the sandies. If they are not on top, check the main lake structure on humps, ridges and drop offs. These fish are moving fast! Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Stained; 82 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Water is partially stained but is clearing up quickly with hot calmer days. Start early in the morning at daylight and hit the dam for hybrids and white bass, or along the western and eastern shorelines of the lake in depths of 4-10 feet. Cast spinnerbaits and slabs and look for schooling fish close to seawalls and shorelines. After that fish any hump in depths of 8-17 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. 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 improving now that the water is receding. Target crappie with small jigs in 5-12 feet under bridge pylons or under docks. 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. Decent bite for eatersize catfish on humps and points in 16-24 feet on cut shad. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

0.82 feet above pool. Closed.

Cooper

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. Water is being released at the spillway. Anglers are reporting good catches.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.41 feet above pool. Channel catfish limits can be caught in 12 feet of water with stink bait. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water on electric chicken jigs, and minnows. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Bass are fair with fish in transitioning to deeper water summer patterns. Target points with deep running crankbaits and perseverance in 15-20 feet of water. Night fishing around the lights is starting to pick up. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 0.16 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 combinations. 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; 95 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass are fair on Carolina rigs in 12-18 feet of water on redbug and watermelon red soft plastics. Perch fishing is really good on little jigs and earthworms in 5-7 feet. Report by Bob Green, Bob Green Fishing. Bass are fair along road beds with crankbaits, jigs, Texas-rigged worms and craws and Carolina-rigged finesse worms. You can also fish along the dam with jigs and Texas-rigged finesse worms to catch some or along the underwater rocks either in the intake side or discharge. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Graham

GOOD. Water stained; 87 degrees; 1.44 feet below pool. Water is getting hot. Crappie moving out to deeper brush good on minnows and jigs. Sandbass and hybrid are schooling out on main lake and around. Bass are deep but some are very shallow in the cattails. Bass are feeding early and later.

Granbury

GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.13 feet below pool. Lake Granbury is currently full and water temperatures are in the upper 80s and even hotter in the back of sloughs. Thermoclines are present on many areas of the lake. Most fishing is better early and late in the day. Sand bass fishing continues to be good near Indian Harbor and near Decordova. Some surface schooling is occurring with fish chasing bait on many areas of the lake. Striped bass continue to be good to excellent on live bait or trolled Alabama rigs. Fish are suspended near the thermocline or are on ledges and drop offs near feeding flats. Good catches are reported near Blue Water Shores and near Decordova. Largemouth bass are fair to good with 6 pound catches on soft plastics and deep diving crankbaits worked near main lake points and humps. Deeper docks are also producing. Crappie fishing is good on small minnows or crappie jigs worked on submerged timber from Water’s Edge to Decordova. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait fished mainly at night near creek entrances. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water clear; 85 degrees; 18.92 feet above pool. Water is being released and the lake level is coming down. The lake is flooded and the water clarity is very stained. White bass are fair but scattered using jigging spoons. Target largemouth bass in the flooded brush, timber and structures with soft plastics. Navigate with caution watching for floating debris. Check ramps status before heading out. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

GOOD. Water slightly stained. 80 degrees. Black bass are in their summer pattern, try dropping baits at the edge of grass and slow moving streamers in shad colors. Early morning should draw strikes around grass beds and lily pads. Bead heads will tempt bream and bass. Bream will be easy to spot on beds, remember they can see you too. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Early morning topwater bite is decent. Catching fish in 10-14 feet on brush and edges of humps with dropshots and Texas rigged soft plastics. Crankbaits and swimbaits are working well on schooling fish.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 6.07 feet above pool. Water level is still up. Bass are moving out to the summer deep spots biting soft plastics. White bass are popping up all over the lake in small schools for a few minutes then go down. Crappie are out on deep brush piles and submerged trees. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 76 degrees; 7.82 feet above pool. Crappie are scattered in 10-30 feet of water. Seeing more in 10-20 feet on timber and bush hitting minnows and jigs. Color does not matter, you just need to match the profile the fish are feeding on. If you have live scope and they keep nosing down, put on a smaller profile jig. You will start seeing a whole bunch of tiny baits and clouds over the structure you are fishing. This tiny bait is what they are munching on a lot of the time. So 1/32 ounce jig head and something small for the tail should get it done. There is a specific lift you sometimes need to do a lot when crappie fishing, it is basically playing keep away with the fish on live scope. You drop down to the fish, touch them on the head with your jig then lift up slowly while keeping a gap between the fish and the jig. If fish come up and touch the jig they will usually go right back down after discovering it is not real. Only lift a half mile an hour. Fish can do short spurts of 10 miles an hour, so if they want the jig, they are going to eat it. White bass are busting on quarter inch shad fry. When sandies are on the move use 3-4 inch swimbaits, otherwise 1 ounce slabs will be good. One day fish are on shallow points, and the next day they are deep in 20-30 feet of water. There is a sediment line down at about 27 feet in some parts of the lake. We turned on the Bobo's Thumper and it took about 10 minutes and fish finally showed up. When the white bass vanish the yellow bass show up like a clean up crew to feed on the remnants. When they show up normally we leave, but a few white bass can be caught. Black bass are on submerged and flooded brush with worms, senkos, white and chartreuse spinnerbaits. Slow down when you catch one because they are schooling together. Channel catfish are still going strong in flooded brush near rocky bottoms. Chicken liver shed, earthworms or punch bait under a bobber as close to the bushes as you can get it without getting snagged. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 6.33 feet above pool. One ramp is open. White bass are fair on humps and points in 15-25 feet of water on slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid striper are fair as well in similar depths as the white bass. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair to good drifting with shad on main lake humps, points, and flats near the river channel 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 10-34 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.

Limestone

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 92 degrees; 0.04 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are holding steady as the clarity begins to improve. Crappie are in 8-15 feet of water on timber, brush and power lines on minnows. White bass in 7-14 feet of water on silver war eagle super spoons. Target docks with lights at night using beetle spins. Catfish are in 10-20 feet fishing on the bottom with cutbait, minnows and shad. Drift in the creek channels, bottom of standing timber, or flats. Some are catching catfish noodling around boat ramps. Largemouth bass are biting on topwater at daylight, then off docks, standing timber, brush piles, bulkheads and rocks with Texas rigs, swim jigs, Carolina rigs. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 14.28 feet above pool. Lake continues to be flooded, with all boat ramps closed. There is a gate open releasing water. Bank angling opportunities are available.

Palestine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 89 degrees; 0.22 feet above pool. The combination of clear skies, light winds, and hot weather is raising the thermocline level. This weekend it should be between 13-16 feet in many areas of the lake, with the possibility of local warm-water turnovers. Some crappie guides are seeing the fish move out of the deeper water returning to 8-12 feet areas to feed. All species remain fair to good, favoring early and late bites. Minnow anglers should protect their live bait for the next month, by using on board, insulated and aerated containers. Also consider carrying extra ice on board to cool the fish in the live well, or an alternate suggestion is to put the keepers directly into a cooler with ice. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.

Palo Pinto

GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 1.06 feet below pool. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and fresh shad. Bass are good in shaded areas. Lake conditions are good with the water level near full pool and baitfish abundant throughout the lake. Crappie are very slow. Report by David Holt, Lake Palo Pinto RV Park and Resort.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. White bass are good on levees, long points and ridges in 16-27 feet of water. There has not been any early morning schooling but expect this to start within the next week.Crappie are good in 18-28 feet of water relating to brush. The best bite is on minnows. Catfish are fair drifting flats with cut shad in 10-15 feet of water. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees; 5.30 feet above pool. Ray Roberts boat ramps continue to be closed after recent storm damage. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.

Richland Chambers

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 82 degrees; 0.22 feet above pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent as there continues to be an influx of freshwater flowing through the lake, and spillway gates are open. Water clarity is good on the main lake and stained up the creeks. White bass are fair with slabs on main lake points and humps in 15-20 feet of water. Fish are scattered and do not remain in any one place for long. Early morning topwater action on the south shoreline near Fisherman's Point Marina. Hybrid stripers are fair on the 309 Flats, Pelican Island and Windsock Point in 30 feet of water on live shad. Channel catfish are fair on punch bait in 10-15 feet of water. Chum them with Range Cubes. Crappie are slow on minnows over brush piles in 15-20 feet of water. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service.

Somerville

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 1.03 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Crappie, bluegill and catfish are fair at the Somerville Marina. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnow, over brush, 10-20 feet of water. Catfish are good 3-10 feet of water on cut shad or punch bait. The spawn nearing an end. White bass are excellent trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are good in deeper water, if you locate them, using cut bait. Discharge is about 380 cfs at the dam. Various species are good below the dam while water is being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

SLOW. Water stained; 81 degrees; 8.83 feet above pool. All public boat ramps are currently shut down due to flooding. The U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers typically 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. USACE is releasing about 1300 CFS resulting in a about 4 inches drop per day. Walk-in access to bank fish and for kayak fishing is still permitted even in parks with gates locked as long as posted signage does not stipulate otherwise. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GREAT. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.49 feet above pool. Lake Tawakoni continues to settle in a solid summer pattern and is fishing very well. The hybrid and white bass bite is good. These fish are settling into a deeper pattern as most fish are being caught 20-30 feet on the edges of ledges and humps are best right now. Live bait and slabs are working well. The eating size catfish bite is as good as it gets. Prepared baits such as punch bait and dip bait are working in 18-25 feet. The crappie have been fair on brush tops in 16 feet have been the ticket. Both minnows and jigs are fishing equally good. You can’t rule out bridge pylons in daylight. Largemouth bass have been good at day light on frogs. As the sun comes up shallow water crank bait on dock pylons and riprap have been good. Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 2.82 feet above pool. Striped bass fishing is great using topwaters along rocky banks and flats catching a lot of 10-16 inch fish with a few bigger fish mixed in. Trollers are catching them driving through the middle of the schools of fish pushing them down. Live bait is working well along river channels and ledges in 20-40 feet of water for bigger fish. Crappie fishing is decent fishing brush piles in creek channels 12-18 feet of water seeing a lot of fish but they are gorging on smaller shad right now and harder to catch. Catfishing is great for channel catfish along shallow flats in 10-20 feet of water and blues on deep flats in 40-60 feet of water using cut shad and prepared baits. Bass fishing is slow fishing top waters early on main lake points. Fish structure 10-20 feet of water using jigs or worms with a finesse approach. Fish shaded docks in creeks and coves late in the day. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass are good on slabs in deeper water. Box fish can be caught on the surface with swimbaits and small slabs. A few stripers can still be caught on topwaters early in the morning. Water clarity has improved and lake levels are normal. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

SLOW. Water heavily stained; 85 degrees; 0.90 feet below pool. Catfish are slow. Crappie are slow on brush piles with jigs and minnows. Bass are slow on deeper water ledges with crankbaits and soft plastics.

Whitney

FAIR. Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.74 feet above pool. Catfish are good using cut shad in 28-30 feet of water. 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 in timber in 15-25 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is slow. Largemouth bass fishing is slow. There are still several boat ramps closed, as are state parks due to high water. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 1.05 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 combinations. 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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