Prairies & Lakes Region Week of December 4, 2024

Arlington

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 7.88 feet below pool. Water level is low, but target fish near the dam, and the deeper part of the lake. Drop down on brush piles. Use a slower approach now that we are experiencing colder weather and water temperatures.

Athens

GOOD. Water normal stain; 64 degrees; 0.78 feet below pool. Bass are good in the grass in 5-10 feet with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senko and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Moving baits around the grass beds are producing some nice bass. Working flukes and worms popping out of the grass and reeds has been best. Targeting rock piles and ledges with shaky heads and Carolina rigs will still catch numbers of bass. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Bass are good with natural colored soft plastic worms in 2-10 feet. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide.

Belton

GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees; 2.22 feet below pool. Thanks to continued mild weather, the white bass and hybrid striper fishing is consistent and in keeping with how it typically is this time of year. Fishing is best as a front arrives and north or northwest wind velocity increases. Fishing is worse once the north winds subside leaving cold, calm, and clear conditions. Fishing is average as the southerly winds return, and until the next front arrives. White bass fishing is fair with the MAL Original with chartreuse tail for vertical work in deep water, and the White Tornado in 1-1/8 ounce white color for horizontal work when fish show to be carpeting the bottom to either or both sides of the boat. The morning bite is from 7:45-11:00 a.m. Expect a weaker, shorter afternoon bite from 1:45-5:00 p.m. Gulls are beginning to show and help to find fish during the first hour of the day. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfishing continues to be excellent. While water temperatures dropping, anglers should search for blue catfish in deeper, 30-45 feet, river channels and around steep ledges. Larger cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds are still active and slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats. Channel catfish are fair but can still be caught on warmer days using punch bait in 15 to 25ft of water. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 3.67 feet below pool. Catfish are fair in deeper water. Perch are good in shallow water. Crappie are fair on structure with live minnows. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are shallow around structure using chatterbaits and Texas rigged worms.

Bois d'Arc

stained; 85 degrees; 3.72 feet below pool. Bass are very slow on points with grass, and the bite improves to fair in the bushes with spinnerbaits and rage swimmers in 3-6 feet. Texas rigs and Viper XP jigs are good on timber and some bushes in 4-7 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. The lake level is low. Crappie fishing is excellent in the main river channel timber and lower third of the lake in 30-50 feet of water catching crappie 6-28 feet down. Fish are very healthy with big black crappie being caught on jigs. Some catches near the bridge. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 7.83 feet below pool. Lake Bridgeport is near 8 feet low. The lake is very stained with temps in the low to mid 60s. All ramps are open. Hybrids and sand bass are slow. A slab may coax a fish or two in the boat. Keep an eye out for working birds on the main lake and north end. Catfish continue to be good in the stained water on the north end. Liver, prepared baits and cut bait will put them in the boat. Crappie have been slow but should be picking up as the water clears. Docks, brush piles and the 380 bridge are good places to look. Live, frisky minnows are the best bait. Largemouth bass are fair on flat billed crankbaits and swim baits. Try the clearest, warmer water you can find. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

GOOD. normal stain; 67 degrees; 3.74 feet below pool. The recent storms slowed down the fishing just a bit but it has picked up especially on the days it has been warming up into the 70s. Still finding hybrids and white bass on midlake points and drop offs along sandy flats throughout the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch and the spillway humps in 11-19 feet. Cast spinners and slabs and look for schooling fish on these flats as well as deeper seawalls and shorelines. Fish any hump in 12-22 feet throughout the lake to find fish stacked up in schools as the day warms up. Look for schooling fish on cloudier/colder days. 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 7-15 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Crappie fisherman have been moving spot to spot finding limits. Lots of crappies in the 7-9 inch range. Limits of crappie will happen but you may catch a lot of small ones getting to your limit. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good on shallow flats in the mouths of the major creeks and the adjacent points and shorelines are holding fish in 2 -6 feet, or with fresh shad anchored or drifting on main lake flats in 12-24 feet. This bite should hold up for another month or so. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

GOOD. 75 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Comanche Creek stays warmer due to the power plant and this attracts many bass anglers in the winter. Fishing is excellent with most folks reporting numbers of fish being caught with an occasional bigger fish to 8 pounds. Soft plastics fished on a Texas Rigged worm or Carolina Rigged for those deeper fish seems to be the baits of choice. Tilapias continue to be caught on worms fished under a cork. Limits of eater sized channel catfish on prepared baits are common. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Cooper

GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. The lake is low, best to launch near the dam. Crappie are good roaming in the river channel transitioning to the dam for the river pattern. Crappie are hitting minnows, jigs, or hand tied jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.89 feet below pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 5.03 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.

Fayette

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 75 degrees. Bass are good but can be a challenge to locate after the turnover, so utilize electronics to locate fish. Early in the morning use rattle traps, switching to Carolina rigs, dropshots or shaky heads in the afternoons. Still seeing lots of undersized fish. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.

Graham

FAIR. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.36 feet above pool. Water is still murky. Fishing is a little slow. Crappie are on brush good on minnows. Bass are in shallow water good on moving vibrating baits. Sandbass and hybrids are schooling on shad on main lake flats and humps. Catfish is good on cut shad on main lake flats.

Granbury

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.20 feet below pool. Granbury water levels continue to be close to full pool. Water temperatures continue their trend down. Main lake temperature is around 60 degrees and cooler upstream. Striped bass and white bass fishing is good on the lower ends on live bait, slabs and jigs worked on channel ledges from the dam to Decordova Estates Subdivision. Lots of small striped bass and sand bass with some better fish mixed in. Some good catches of striped bass and sand bass have also been reported from Indian Harbor to the Peninsula subdivision. Largemouth bass are good in numbers and can be caught mixed in with the striped bass and sand bass. Bigger largemouth bass are good on main lake points on soft plastics. Some good largemouth bass reports in the river near Tin Top working laydowns. Crappie action is good on submerged timber from the 377 bridges north to Hunter Park. Some good crappie are also being caught in the river on small jigs. We are in the season for catching big blue and yellow catfish on the upper ends near Hunter Park. Best bait for these monsters is cut shad fishing on flats adjacent to the river channel. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 1.69 feet below pool. White bass are transitioning to winter pattern so be prepared to move frequently from shallow points to deep water. Some fish are stacking in deep water and can be caught on slabs with a stinger hook. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

GOOD. Water slightly stained. 60 degrees. Chain Pickerel are active in shallow water. Concentrate on areas with stumps, brush, and vegetation. Small bass are active in shallow areas relating to vegetation and structure. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 0.03 feet above pool. Water is clear in the mid 60's, suspended fish biting swim baits and in brush. Soft plastics in deeper brush, on docks, and on the bank were producing

Joe Pool

SLOW. Water normal stain; 70 degrees; 0.61 below pool. Small bass can be caught on Texas rig soft plastics. Fishing should pick back up after these cold fronts stabilize. Crappie are in the shallow wood, but may slide out a little with the incoming front. White bass and catfish are sporadic here and there. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lavon

EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 3.60 feet below pool. Crappie are in 20-30 feet of water on brush piles and deep submerged timber. There are a few fish in 15-18 feet on structures, but most of them are a little bit deeper. A lot of them are hugging the bottom so you have to let your 1/8 ounce hand tied jig, minnows, or soft plastics touch the bottom and then slowly lift to entice a bite. Crappie need a bigger profile bait to zone in on. You can also find Fish spider rigging, or dragging a jig through the depth of the baitfish. Sometimes the fish will be laying on the bottom next to the dam usually no more than 100 yards off the rocks, other times fish lay at the base of the riprap where it turns into silt and they will be on the first tier of the rip rap going underwater, up to the rocks, to the dam. White bass are in 15-30 feet primarily on deepwater humps and levees, but some will be on points. Thumping the boat making noise will attract them to the boat if they are in the area. Slabs and 3-4 inch flukes have been getting them. There are also a small number of white bass inside the black water. Black water is the water along the shoreline that looks black because there is so much bait l, it turns the water black. There will be a line of black water approximately 3-4 feet thick and it’s just a little band of black going along the banks. The white bass will be swimming inside that black water with the bait so you must cast almost on the shoreline and drag it through the black water. Swimbaits 3-4 inches or rooster tails rooster tails will catch them. Expect to catch a couple black bass in your journey to the Blackwater. Look for the birds on the bank and if you see a couple of them, go investigate and see what the water looks like There are a lot of spots that got the lake that you can just walk up to the black water as it will be 3 feet from the bank right in front of you, with millions of fish swimming by! Black bass are still strong on white and chartreuse spinnerbaits with a half of a zoom motor oil worm as the trailer in1-5 feet on rocks or concrete. Texas rig and bass jigs are pulling them out of 15-20 feet deep brush piles. Due to black water, where all the shad gather right up against the shoreline and it turns black, some fish are being found 5-10 feet all day on any kind of structure close to the shoreline, such as stumps, trees, rocks, or any kind of debris pile. If you happen to stumble across black water, back off and fish, any ledge that you can find within 20-50 yards of the black water. The swimbait bite dragged a couple inches or so above brush piles has been stellar. Along with Alabama rigs if you can take the arm beating, it gives you. Blue catfish are great in 20-30 feet on cut gizzard shad on a Santee rig dragged behind the boat at approximately .03-.05 mph. Every day the school moves so you have to locate them. One day fish will be on one side of the lake and the next they will have traveled 3-4 miles to the other side of the lake. There is a great school of 15-25 pound fish roaming out there and once you find them, it can be an incredible outcome. Every so often as an example, if the wind suddenly changes directions, you will notice on your side imaging, the catfish are now laying in the mud and are not giving you a sonar shadow, but you can see them, sitting there. If they do not have a shadow on your side, imaging that means they are laying in the mud. If they do have a shadow that means they are on the hunt and those fish are catchable. Bluegills are getting harder to find, but they are still around in the deep water brush piles, but not as thick as they were last month. Worms on a very small hook and a split shot above just to keep it in the strike zone will still produce a nice table of fish. Crickets have been king as they also catch a few crappies. A cricket cage bait holder is imperative if you are gonna use them. Otherwise worms are doing well. 20-30 feet on structures. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 3.31 feet below pool. White bass are slow on humps and points in 15-28 feet of water with slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar 2-28 feet of water. 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 on cut shad drifting main lake flats near the river channel in 15-28 feet of water. With the recent rain, the river and creek mouths will hold catfish as well. Channel catfish are fair on baited holes on punch bait in 15-28 feet of water on humps and points. Cut shad have been working also. Crappie are fair in 6-26 feet of water. Check brush piles, bridge pilings, 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 slow, with the most consistent bite in 2-6 feet of water slowly dragging soft plastics on a Texas rig or Ned rig. Some can be caught with a crankbait. White bass and hybrid stripers chasing bait near creek channels.

Limestone

EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 56 degrees; 3.03 feet below pool. Fall fishing is here and the bite is consistent. Crappie are in 10-18 feet on offshore brush with minnows, or tight lining straight down in standing timber. White bass are schooling under the surface in 7-17 feet. Catfish are being caught in 10-20 feet on cut bait and minnows. Largemouth bass can be caught from 2-18 feet this week on docks, timber, bulkheads, rocks with Texas rigs, jigs, chatterbaits, and spinnerbait. Numbers of bass are still on offshore brush and roaming main lake points. Catfish and white bass are on points, flats, and roaming open water. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.44 feet below pool. Still no action for largemouth bass and white bass are slow. Catfish are good throughout the lake on cut perch or shad. Crappie are good one day then slow the next. Target fish in shallow water off of docks, or in open water brush piles using minnows with some bites on jigs. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.

Palestine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 63 degrees; 1.26 feet below pool. Lake level is down, but the forecasted rain should raise it some. Overall fishing is slow, as we are going through some change-of-season weather switches, with frosty mornings and sunny afternoons. Some good reports on white bass in afternoons in west facing creeks, such as Chimney Cove, with some topwater feeding. Also, midday trolling bite for hybrids over humps, roadbeds, and underwater bridges is good on spoons, but it is a short period. Look at the moon position tables to help. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.

Palo Pinto

SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.33 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water. The water clarity is clearing and shad are plentiful. Blue catfish are great in 2 feet of water with cut bait and live shad. Hybrids are fair. Sand bass are slow on minnows. Black bass are slow.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 68 degrees; 2.92 feet below pool. White bass are good on shallow points early morning and late evening throwing 4 inch CoHo with 1/2 ounce jig head especially on windy days. White bass later morning are on humps, levees and long points in 16-28 feet water using 3/4 ounce slabs. Crappie are good on brush in 18-28 feet on or off structure with minnows. Catfish are excellent on the north end of the lake around timber in 15-21 feet of water with the best bite on cut shad, but prepared punch bait will catch fish too. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 1.32 feet below pool. White bass can be caught on live bait and slabs in 15-25 feet. Better quality and quantity can be caught with live bait. Crappie are still good in 5-20 feet on brush piles and small patches of structure with minnows. Crappie are shallow early then move deeper as the sun rises. Blue catfish can be caught drifting cut bait on flats in 20-40 feet. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 2.20 feet below pool. White bass fishing is fair, look for birds and bait near the Pelican Island area and main lake points and keep a slab tied on. Several reports of hybrid striper action on live bait on humps off the 309 Flats. Eater size blue and channel catfish are excellent on blood punch bait in 15-20 feet in timber on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. Chum with Range Cubes. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service.

Somerville

SLOW. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 2.23 feet below pool. There is not much fishing activity on water with cold temperatures and hunting season going on. At Somerville marina the crappie bite is fair, bluegill are fair on crickets and worms, and catfish are fair on minnows and punch bait. Crappie are slow over brush in 8-16 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Black bass are slow on moving plastics in 6-12 feet of water. Catfish are good in 6-10 feet using cut shad or punch bait. White bass are slow trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair in deeper water using cut bait or mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow, because water is not being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

EXCELLENT. Water stained; 63 degrees; 1.77 feet below pool. Stillhouse white bass fishing is going on over 10 days of really good action. With 300 plus fish being caught on morning trips on several occasions. Gulls and loons can be very helpful in finding fish, then the splasher has been very effective at consolidating fish under the boat and keeping them there. Fish are in as much as 53 feet of water so getting to the bottom quickly and repeatedly is key. I am using the MAL Dense with chartreuse tail to accomplish this in the lower two-thirds of the lake. Largemouth bass fishing has been coming on strong. I have had numerous fish over 6 pounds showing up as bycatch when I am white bass fishing, and those targeting largemouth are doing very well working 5/8 ounce and 3/4 ounce. White Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs on bottom by both snap-jigging and by slowly raising them upwards after getting the attention of bottom-dwelling fish and watching their response on LiveScope. The lure's stinger hook is essential, so do not cut it off! Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 2.94 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni has shifted from a fall bite to more of a winter pattern as cold front after cold front continues to cool the water temperatures. The hybrid striper bite has been very up and down the last week. Lots of big wind has made it difficult to fish areas that are holding fish. Swimbaits and slab spoons are working best. Seems like the 10-25 feet range is holding fish. The eating sized catfish bite in the 1-4 pound range is still excellent. Baited holes are working best in 15-25 feet with punch bait. The trophy catfishing continues to improve weekly. Fish are being caught on cut bait in 2-15 feet. The largemouth bite has been good on plastics in 1-6 feet. Slow rolling shallow cranks are still putting fish in the boat but downsizing is working best. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.14 feet above pool. Striper fishing continues to be great with live shad producing limits of fish on points and humps in 25-40 feet of water as fish are coming to the boats to feed. Swimbaits are also working on shallow points and humps off creek ledges in 5-12 feet of water. Catfishing remains great with cooler temps and lake levels up. Drift cut shad on deep flats off the river channels closer to the ends of the lake in 25–55 feet of water. Eaters are still plentiful along ledges and on flats in 40–50 feet of water on cut shad and prepared baits. Crappie are showing up on brush and below docks. Use electronics to locate active fish and hair jigs to catch them. Start looking in coves in 10–15 feet of water and at the mouths of the creeks. Bass fishing is good on plastics off the banks in 5–12 feet of water. Crankbaits are effective throughout the day off the rocks and around docks. There are still a lot of small shad in the lake, so match the hatch for numbers. Big bass will be looking for larger baits as the water cools off. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass are excellent with daily limits on slabs under the birds. It is that time of year that deadsticking will catch fish. Target ledges and drop-offs in 10-60 feet of water. Fishing is extremely good on days with cloud coverage. On sunny days the best bite is early in the morning and the last few hours of daylight. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

SLOW. Water heavily stained; 63 degrees; 4.97 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Crappie are fair in the crappie house on jigs or minnows. Fish are mainly undersized. Catfish are fair suspending in deeper water with punch bait and shad. Water visibility is 4 inches.

Whitney

FAIR. Water normal stain; 76 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 18-25 feet of water. Striped bass bite is getting better on live bait or trolling in 20-30 feet of water. Some Stripers being caught on top water baits. 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 good around the docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 2.58 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.

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