Prairies & Lakes Region Week of January 14, 2026

Dunlap

GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees. Bass are good with creature baits on cloudy days. Reports of 3-5 pound bass and limits of smaller bass. Catfish are biting on punch bait in the middle of the river. No report on crappie. Report by Lee Johnson and Kenneth Linder, local anglers.

Aquilla

GOOD. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 1.36 feet below pool. The pattern remains consistent for the start of 2026. Crappie are good on brush piles in 20-25 feet of water with minnows or jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits in 5-10 feet of water. Catfish are good in the timber with prepared baits. Sand bass are fair in 20-30 feet of water on jigging spoons off main lake humps. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Arlington

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 61 degrees; 1.30 feet below pool. Bass are starting to migrate shallow for the spawn. A lot of bass are hanging around the rocky areas feeding on crawdads and shad. Alabama rigs and jerk baits have produced larger bass. Sand bass are good on shad in the main basin. Crappie are good on brush piles. Target deep piles by the dam and progressively shallower piles as you move towards the river. Catfish are in deep water feeding below shad. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Athens

FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.40 feet above pool. Bass continue to be shallow and deep. If you like to livescope, offshore bass can be targeted with an umbrella rig, and a minnow on a jig head. Shallow bass can be caught with a weightless 5 inch stick bait in shad and bluegill patterns around docks. Mix in a dropshot, Carolina rig, and Texas rig worm on the edge of the grass line. Crappie are schooled up on main lake brush piles hitting crappie jigs or minnows. Use a lighter jig head as the water cools down if wind allows for it. Report by Captain Kirk Pasalich, Artifishable Fishing Guide Service.

Bastrop

FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees. Bass are suspended in deeper water. Fish can also be targeted in the warmer water at the discharge.

Belton

EXCELLENT. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.75 feet above pool. Winter patterns are in place now, therefore really keeping an eye on the weather will be key to fishing success. The best results will be had during the wind shift from south through west to north as dry cold fronts push in. Fishing will improve as the winds swing through the southwest and right up to the point where the northerly winds peak. The next best scenario will be on the first day of returning southerly winds. The worst results can be expected during post-frontal conditions with classic clear, cold, calm weather in the hours or days following the passage of a front. Foggy conditions will also make fishing very difficult whenever they set in. All other conditions will typically result in average fishing. We are in the midst of a short warmup between fronts right now and the water temperature is rising. The fish have responded positively and have shown a willingness to chase farther and faster than back in mid-December when the water was nearly 5 degrees cooler. Fishing has been solid in the first three hours of the morning following sunrise, and again in the mid afternoon, from 2-4:30 p.m. The MAL Dense with silver body used vertically has been my lure of choice. Fish it by dropping to bottom, removing all slack, then cranking the lure upwards through the lower third of the water column while observing fish response on LiveScope. If the fish are reluctant, experiment with slowing the retrieve after the blade begins spinning. The best depths have been 35-41 feet. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are excellent. Trophy size blue catfish can be found along river channels, sand flats and around steep ledges in 30-40 feet of water. Larger fresh cut baits have been effective for the trophy size fish while eater size fish under10 pounds are still active and slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats is best for those. Channel catfish are slow but can be caught on punch bait around timber in 10-25 feet of water. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

FAIR. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 1.89 feet below pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent. Crappie are good on live minnows and small jigs next to timber. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Hybrids are good on live bait and umbrella rigs in 20-40 feet of water. Report by Hundley's Guide Service.

Bois d'Arc

FAIR. Normal stain; 55 degrees; 2.62 below pool. Morning bass bite slow, but a few can be caught on spinnerbaits slow rolled around timber 3-7 feet. Midday squarebill crankbaits are best around old pond dams and long points in 3-6 feet. Texas rigs are fair on big timber in 5-7 feet along the edge of creeks. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Finding crappie is not an issue, but the bite is very hit-or-miss. The pattern remains consistent in the creek channels in 30-50 feet of water on timber with jigs or minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bridgeport

FAIR. Water clear; 53 degrees; 4.68 feet below pool. The fishing patterns are consistent. The hybrid bite may improve deadsticking baits, if the water temperature drops. Many fish are almost in prespawn mode skipping over the true winter patterns. White bass and hybrids are fair on main lake humps and points, deadsticking slabs or trolling with deep crankbaits. Crappie are good on docks in 10-15 feet, 20-30 feet on offshore brush piles, with roamers suspended top third of the water column in 30-40 feet. Minnow bite is good and jig bite is decent. Largemouth bass are fair using medium crankbaits, Alabama rigs, and swimbaits for deeper schooling fish. Morning bite is along the bank in the morning with crankbaits and chatterbaits on main lake rock and docks. Catfish are good on cut bait and chicken liver on main lake humps, deeper holes in coves, and in the river in creek channels drifting. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 3.69 feet below pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent. Good stacks of white bass are being found on mid-lake points and drop-offs along sandy flats throughout the entire lake including the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch, and the spillway humps in 8-14 feet of water. Cast spinnerbaits and slabs, and watch for these flats as well as around deeper seawalls and shorelines. Hybrids can be caught with spinnerbaits or working a slab vertically with a fast up-and-down motion, strikes are immediate. A slow retrieve with a slab cast and reeled steadily back is also effective. Try rattle traps, spoons, umbrella rigs, slabs, or sassy shads to trigger bites. The crappie bite continues to improve. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 8–14 feet under bridge pylons, brush piles, and docks. Anglers are finding limits by moving from spot to spotâ€"catching several fish before relocating. Guides report conditions improving, with larger crappie showing up more frequently. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good drifting midlake to the south end in 16-30 feet of water, or anchoring in 2-8 feet of water. The best bait has been cut shad. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

68 degrees; 0.82 feet above pool. Comanche Creek continues to produce numbers of tilapia, channel catfish and largemouth bass. Catfish are good on prepared baits. Largemouth bass are good on a variety of baits worked near points on many areas of the lake. Tilapias are also abundant and are good on worms fished under a cork. This power plant reservoir draws anglers from all over. This lake requires a reservation and is only open Thursday through Sunday during the day. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Cooper

FAIR. Water stained; 53 degrees; 4.40 feet below pool. Crappie are reported to be fair to good with jigs or minnows.

Cypress Springs

SLOW. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 0.76 feet below pool. Crappie are excellent roaming open water midlake to the dam with minnows or jigs. Black crappie are in 20-50 fish schools. It is best to cast to the schools. White crappie are suspended individually in deeper water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water stained; 56 degrees; 1.98 feet below pool. Fishing patterns have been holding steady. The eater catfish will start to slow, so switch the tactic to drifting. Trophy blue catfish bite should start to pick up. Blue catfish are good with cut shad on trotlines. Yellow catfish are good with live perch on trotlines. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around boat docks and pushing shallow due to water temperature. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. White bass are fair on slabs over humps and points Perch are good on nightcrawlers around docks. Carp are fair to good on manufactured bait around docks. Report by Captain Bobby Mann, Catch a Dream Guide Service.

Fayette

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; full pool. High north winds in the forecast before the weekend. Water clarity should not be affected, but fishing along the dam will be a challenge. Bass are fair with rattletraps over grass and in front of the reeds in the mornings. Then shift to 4-10 feet of water with Carolina rigs. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen's Guide Service.

Graham

SLOW. Water stained; upper 60 degrees; 4.07 feet below pool. Crappie are good with minnows on rock piles in 16-18 feet. Bass are good with jigs or crankbaits on main lake points in 12-16 feet. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling on main lake flats hitting jigs or crankbaits. Catfish are good in deep water near creek channels with cut shad.

Granbury

FAIR. normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.33 feet below pool. Lake Granbury continues to be in the upper 50s on most days. Striped bass fishing is reported as slow to fair on jigs and shad fished near channel breaks on the lower ends. White bass are fair to good from in town to the Hunter Park area. Look for birds to find the fish. There is good action on small grubs and slabs worked in shallow water to 10 feet. Largemouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics worked near major creek entrances and working laydowns in the back of creeks and in the river. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait working shallows near the creek channel. Big yellow catfish and blue catfish are possible. The best action is near Water Edge and north of Hunter Park. Crappie action continues to be good to excellent working submerged structure from Bentwater north. There is some good action in the river near Tin Top on jigs worked slowly off the channel ledges. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.65 feet below pool. White bass are good targeting schools on midlake humps. Pay attention to sonar to locate fish. Birds are sitting over schools, but actively diving on schooling sand bass. White bass are in 28-30 feet of water on the bottom. A thumper or a thumper stick is a key to success. Deadsticking small slabs and small swimbaits on stinger hooks. Blue catfish are mixed in with the white bass. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O'the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 52 degrees. Small poppers fished around grass and isolated stumps should draw a strike from black bass. Small streamers should bring action from chain pickerel. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water normal stain; 58 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Water was dirty after recent heavy rain, and water temp was 56-57 degrees. We caught a few fish on brush with soft plastic on a Texas rig, but the majority of the fish we caught were on red rattle traps and white chatterbaits in under 3 ft of water.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.46 feet below pool. Bass fishing is slow, but the mid morning through afternoon has been fairly good. Fish can be found on deep structures 15-20 feet of water, and in 8-12 feet on timber. Dropshot, Texas rigs, soft plastics, and the occasional football head jig on some of the deep rock structures. Look for large balls of bait and look for suspended bass just below. Think safety and wear your life jacket! Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors. Crappie and white bass are good in the main basin. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Lavon

FAIR. Water stained; 51 degrees; 2.11 feet below pool. Crappie are on the humps or in 25-30 feet of water on structures hugging the silt bottom. Find threadfin schools and the crappie will be nearby. Spider rig fishing with minnows and jigs will land fish. White bass are deep 100-500 yards off the dam. Turn on your noise making thumper or splasher and anchor up for about 10 minutes. Moving a quarter of the way down the dam until you find fish. Use live scope and watch for fish studying the bait. Then start reeling up slowly to trigger a bite. Small swimbaits on 5/8 ounce jig heads, minnows, or slabs will work. Live threadfin, if you can get them and keep them alive, work great. Expect a bi-catch of crappie, catfish, and sometimes some largemouth bass. Catfish are good in 3-15 feet and 25-30 feet. Anchoring up on tree lines in the shallows with cut bait on the bottom seems to be producing some very large catfish. There can be large schools in 25-30 feet of water in the shad wall or bait. This thick wall of bait is from the bottom to 7-15 feet. Drag cut bait and santee rigs along the bottom. Planner boards help tremendously. Black bass are on laydowns and rock piles in 15-20 feet. Cast a squarebill crankbait or a 12 foot diver on boat ramps throughout the day. Any super sharp drop-offs in around 15 feet of water are producing bass with Carolina rigged jigs and 5/8 ounce jigs with a jerkbait soft plastic minnow attached. Free swim it over the bass if you have live scope. Bluegills and tilapia seem to have disappeared for the winter.Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.33 feet below pool. White bass are fair in 30-50 feet of water, and hybrid stripers are slow in the same depths. Check river channels and flats near the channels. Jigs, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits are working. 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 humps, points, and flats near the river channels in 20-45 feet of water. The shallow water bite is fair as well in the far ends of the lake in 2-5 feet. Crappie are fair in 15-35 feet of water. Check brush piles, submerged timber, laydowns, bridge columns, and rock piles. The creeks are producing as well. Submerged cover close to a drop-off ledge usually is best. Minnows and jigs are working. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water clear; 55 degrees; 2.01 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are steady. Some crappie are as deep as 24 feet with most in 10-15 feet of water. Crappie are on brush, roaming, and on the power line pylons biting minnows. Crappie eggs are still not fully developed yet. White bass, catfish and crappie are roaming fish in 18-24 feet of water. White bass eggs are fully developed though. A few more fish have made the push toward the north end along with a few more headed into the creeks. Largemouth bass have started feeding on crawfish, so red and crawfish pattern baits will be a key to catching bass. Largemouth bass are in 6 feet of water or less on docks, bulkheads and rocks with red chatterbaits, red rattletraps, and Texas rigs. This pattern will be consistent until February when the water starts to warm. Numbers of catfish and white bass are in 18-24 feet of water. Catfish are biting in the creeks and on timber with birds. The best catfish bite will be at the marina for bank anglers. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

GOOD. 55 degrees; 0.39 full pool. Crappie are good in 14 feet of water on remote brush piles with jigs or minnows. Blue catfish are good from the bank or the boat with cut shad. No reports of white bass or largemouth bass. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.

Palestine

GOOD. water stained; 51 degrees; 0.03 feet below pool. 50-53 degrees. Typical winter weather has finally arrived, so the air and water temperatures are average for this time. Bass in the 8 feet water off of points and near channels. Try Cheney Bay and the Smith Point entrance to Saline. Anglers are reporting success on slower moving large plastics. White crappie are good in 16-22 feet of water on brush and timber. Black crappie do not seem to be moving towards the shallows yet. Catfish remain good, primarily at night, on trotlines and jugs, using cut bait. Rod-and-reel anglers are producing good daytime catches with shrimp and cut baits on channel edges. Fishing report by Jim's Fishing Lake Palestine. Fish have settled into winter patterns. Crappie are good on timber in 16-25 feet of water with minnows or jigs. White bass and hybrids are good in open water following bait. Deadstick with swimbaits. Largemouth bass are good in the creeks with moving baits, or on docks with jigs. Catfish are good in shallow water with cut shad. Catfish up to 45 pounds are possible. Report by a local angler.

Palo Pinto

FAIR. normal stain; 54 degrees; 0.65 feet below pool. Blue catfish are good with cut bait, fresh shad and perch in deep water. Crappie are slow on minnows. Sant bass and hybrids are slow. There are a lot of bait fish in the creek. Catfish are feeding on the bait fish in the creek. Report by Palo Pinto RV Park.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 1.64 feet below pool. White bass are grouped up on deep flats 32-38 feet of water. The south end of the lake is the most productive area. Locate schools of bait and fish those areas with the 2-3 jigs tied above a 1 ounce slab. Thumping the boat produces the best chances. The fish also were on the lower half of the water column. Crappie are fair and moving out from brush in the deeper water along flats and levees. Big blue catfish and larger eating size catfish are on the deep flats lower and mid lake. Drifting with large cut bait best. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 52 degrees; 1.10 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 35-50 feet on brush or timber using minnows or small natural colored jigs. Sand bass continue to school under shad on deep main lake points in 35-55 feet. Fish are biting 2-3 jigs tied above a 1 ounce slab. The wind is blowing bait up on to wind blown points, so this can be a good area to target as well. Blue catfish can be found off main lake points with bait on it. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan's Crappie Co.

Richland Chambers

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 2.25 feet below pool. Hybrids are still roaming and unpredictable, but should become more consistent with steady cold nights. White bass are good on points in 20-30 feet of water. The use of electronics is very important because there are not a lot of diving birds. The catfish guides are catching large numbers of keepers on cut bait. Black bass can be caught shallow on square bill crankbaits and chatterbaits. Bass will be around hard cover and there feeding up for the winter colder temperatures. On windy days work rocky banks with a big swimbait. You will have to cover water, but it is a way to get some really big bass in the boat. Good Fishing, Terry Hawkins Guide Service Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water stained; 56 degrees; 2.95 feet below pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent with the cold night and mild days. At the marina the crappie bite is fair, and catfish are fair on minnows or punch bait. Bluegill are slow on crickets and worms. On the lake crappie are fair with various jigs and minnows holding tight under brush in 8-16 feet of water or roaming. Catfish are good in 5-12 feet of water on drop-offs with cut shad, punch bait or using jug lines. Chumming areas helps. Black bass are slow on craw jigs and slow plastic baits in 6-14 feet of water. White bass are slow trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair with jigs or cut bait in deeper water. Below the dam all species are slow while water is not being discharged. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.61 feet above pool. Winter patterns are in place now, therefore really keeping an eye on the weather will be key to fishing success. The best results will be had during the wind shift from south through west to north as dry cold fronts push in. Fishing will improve as the winds swing through the southwest and right up to the point where the northerly winds peak. The next best scenario will be on the first day of returning southerly winds. The worst results can be expected during post-frontal conditions with classic clear, cold, calm weather in the hours or days following the passage of a front. Foggy conditions will also make fishing very difficult whenever they set in. All other conditions will typically result in average fishing. We are in the midst of a short warmup between fronts right now and the water temperature is rising. The fish have responded positively and have shown a willingness to chase farther and faster than back in mid-December when the water was nearly 5 degrees cooler. Fishing has been solid in the first three hours of the morning following sunrise, and again in the mid afternoon, from 2-4:30 p.m. The MAL Dense with silver body used vertically has been my lure of choice. Fish it by dropping to bottom, removing all slack, then cranking the lure upwards through the lower third of the water column while observing fish response on LiveScope. If the fish are reluctant, experiment with slowing the retrieve after the blade begins spinning. 28-35 feet is solid in the first 90 minutes of the morning, then 38-49 feet as the skies brighten. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Bass are good, focus on roaming schools following baitfish in open water. Mid-strolling minnow-style soft plastics continue to be the most reliable option for both numbers and size. Umbrella rigs are also producing solid fish, especially when worked over submerged vegetation. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. The unseasonably warm temperatures are confusing the fish on Lake Tawakoni. The main lake temperature is 57 degrees, reaching 60 degrees in some areas. The hybrid and white bass bite is somewhat tough. Some days three boat limits are possible then the next day catches are few. This should improve as water declines to the low 50s. The eating sized blue catfish bite is still good in 35-45 feet with punch bait. Trophy catfish are good in 3-20 feet with cut shad. We are consistently seeing fish in the 30-50 pound range. Crappie are good on the 2 mile bridge in 15-25 feet of water with minnows or jigs. Largemouth bass are tough. If the weather stays warm a few more weeks the fishing for the largemouth will improve. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. Striper fishing is continuing to improve on artificials. Swimbaits and flukes are working on structures in 15-25 feet of water and in deep water along river ledges in 50-65 feet of water. Watch for gulls over the active fish in the early mornings and before dark. Watch for fish to feed hard with the north winds and fronts. Catfish are starting to gather on deep flats off the river channels and near the mouths of deep coves. It is trophy blue time of year on Texoma but the eater fish are still stacked up on deep water in ditches on cut shad in 35-55 feet of water. Crappie have moved out off secondary ledges and humps on structure and stumps in 18-25 feet of water. Jig color makes a difference depending on the weather and the day. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Stripers continue to be good with Alabama rigs or swimbaits. Box fish can be caught on structure and ledges in 12-25 feet of water, while bigger fish are in deep water in 40-75 feet of water. A splash motor or thumper will bring fish to the boat. Birds are working. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 52 degrees; 5.85 feet below pool. Crappie are slow at the crappie house with minnows and jigs. Bass are slow around docks with soft plastics. Catfish are slow in deep water with liver or stink bait. The visibility is 12 inches.

Whitney

FAIR. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 1.57 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 30 feet of water. Striped bass are good on live bait and swimbaits in 25-30 feet of water. Crappie are fair on the main lake brush 20-30 feet of water. White bass are slow on slabs in 20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are fair using soft plastics on deep structure and around docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

GOOD. Water normal; 56 degrees; 1.83 feet below pool. Bass are good from the bank with crankbaits midday. Crappie are good on docks and bridge columns using live minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait. Sand bass are good around schools of shad bouncing slabs and jigs. Report by Michael James, local angler.

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