Prairies & Lakes Region Week of September 20, 2023

Arlington

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 85-90 degrees; 5.13 feet below pool. Areas with current are holding bait balls attracting the white bass, catfish and bass. Bass are good on crankbaits and moving baits over rocky areas with current no deeper than six feet of water. Crappie are good on brush piles in 20 feet of water. Report by Chris Rivery, local angler.

Athens

FAIR. Water clear; 85-87 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady and bass are schooling all over the lake. Cooler weather and rain in the forecast should improve the bite. Throw small swimbaits in shad patterns and burn them to get the fish to react. Throw jigs and Carolina rigged worms on brush piles as well, down to 25 feet. The bite should get better with the cooler nights and less boat traffic. Crappie should be on deep brush piles with minnows and small jigs. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 95 degrees. Water visibility is about 2-4 feet. The grass near the drills has completely died off. Square bill crankbaits have been good focusing on transitions around 8-10 feet. Swimbaits and flukes have been good up close to the reeds. Dropshot and Texas rigs are fair. Report Jason Hernandez, Bass Institute of Bastrop. Lake Bastrop is fishing well for bass. Lake Bastrop is fishing well. Frogs or wake baits early over grass is a great presentation right now. Working fast moving baits like shallow and medium crankbaits and spinnerbaits along grass edges is getting some quality bites. Later in the day, work a fluke or Texas rigged soft plastics to finish out the day. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 17.96 feet below pool. Surface temperature 84 and falling and the level rising after the recent rain. Until turnover occurs, fishing will rise and fall with local weather. Wind and cloud cover enhance fishing, while bright, calm conditions hinder. With the thermocline still firmly in place and topwater action greatly diminished, downrigging for scattered, suspended fish was the best card to play once again this week. With shad continuing to grow, the #13 Pet Spoon downrigger with a multi-lure setup was my go-to presentation this week. For those without downriggers, using the Pet Spoon behind a Jet Diver, Dipsey Diver, or Hellbender is an option. There has been a noticeable uptick in the number of legal hybrids as part of my catch for the first time in a long time over the past two weeks. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are excellent in 5-15 feet of water. Slowly drifting with suspended baits around points and river channels has worked best for blue catfish. Flatheads have been caught near structure and 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

SLOW. Water stained; 87 degrees; 12.40 feet below pool. All ramps are closed due to low water levels.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water clear; 81 degrees; 14.03 feet below pool. Check ramp status before heading out. Crappie have been quite good around docks and the bridge. Minnows and jigs have been productive. Sand bass and hybrids have been actively schooling early and late. Keep your baits small as they are chasing very small shad. Largemouth bass have been active at sunrise and sunset. Try a large, noisy topwater bait! Catfish have been good on cut bait and prepared baits, drifting the flats. Look out for low water hazards. Main lake points should be given a lot of room when passing by them. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 3.51 feet below pool. Crappie are good using minnows around main lake brush piles in 16-23 feet of water near docks and bridge pylons. Largemouth bass are good in 14-18 feet of water using Carolina rigs or Texas rigs with green pumpkin and California 420 colors. White bass and hybrids are excellent, trolling using hellbenders and pet spoons in 11-14 feet of water on flats and hump will give you plenty of fish. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.

Cooper

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 83 degrees: 1.00 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to heat. Catfish continue to be good on shad. White bass can be caught with slabs in deeper water. This is the time of year birds start working the lake, so they can lead you to schooling fish.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water stained; 90 degrees; 1.25 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles in 15-20 feet of water using minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 15-20 feet of water on baited holes using cheese bait. Sand bass are fair on main lake points in 15-20 feet of water using slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow while fish transition to shallow water. Catches can be had throwing chatter weights under boat houses on points. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 7.94 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structure using slabs, or in mid depths using cocahoe minnows. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fairfield

Closed to the public.

Fayette

SLOW. Water stained; 88 degrees. The water temperature will slowly decline with the cooler evenings improving the bite. Reports that bass are slow.

Graham

FAIR. Water stained; 85 degrees; 5.26 feet below pool. Catfish are good with cut bait and cheese bait. Bass are slow around brush piles in deeper water on jigs and deep diving crankbaits. Sand bass are schooling biting slabs.

Granbury

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 78-81 degrees; 1.27 feet below pool. Granbury water temperatures are in the low 80s and falling slowly. The fall feeding frenzy is starting and many are reporting surface action. Striped bass continues to be fair to good to 10 pounds on the lower ends on live bait and downriggers, or trolling baits. Sandbass action is improving near Decordova subdivision and near Indian Harbor. Big blue catfish are being caught mainly on the upper ends near Hunter Park on cut bait. Largemouth bass are good in numbers with an occasional bigger fish. Largemouth are good near points and creek entrances on spinners and crankbaits early and soft plastics later in the morning. Crappie limits are being caught midlake near submerged timber on small minnows and jigs. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Water clarity is improving as the water temperatures start to decline. Crappie are good for bank anglers using minnows around bridges and docks. Largemouth are slow with some sizable catches. Stripers are fair on minnows from the bank. Catfish are hitting on large minnows or cut bait. It is best when the bait has an odor. Perch and bluegill are hitting around the shore. Report by Terry Hodges, local angler. Striped bass can be caught on the south end from Decordova to the dam on live shad, swimbaits, umbrella-rigs and deep diving crankbaits along ledges and points. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton's Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney. Catfish are slow in the evening on cut bait. Report by Jeffery Sojourner, Sojourner Fishing.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water clear; 83 degrees; 4.51 feet below pool. White bass catches on the mainlake on isolated hills with mostly undersized catches with a few keepers using white or chartreuse slabs with a stinger hook or an assist hook. The bite is very light, so pay attention. Look for birds working the surface to lead the way to fish. Bass are transitioning to shallow water. Check ramp status before heading out. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

SLOW. Water slightly stained. 84 degrees. Fly fishing is slow for black bass, try small poppers and streamers fished above grass or near lily pads in the backs of creeks. Bream can be caught with small poppers and bead heads. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water clear; 85 degrees; 2.10 feet below pool. Bass are moving shallow to the bank biting on squarebill crankbaits and swim jigs. Bass can still be caught on brush piles using soft plastics and jerkbaits.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 1.92 feet below pool. Fishing is steady, with some bass found up shallow on squarebills. Crappie on the bridge pillars. Water is beginning to cool slightly but expect it to decrease more in the weeks to come then we will experience the lake turnover. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84-86 degrees; 5.01 feet below pool. Crappie are stacked up on submerged trees in 8-12 feet of water, with a few deeper, but brush piles in 7-11 feet of water are gold. 1/16 ounce jigs are outproducing minnows. Bushy top submerged trees are fishing great, single branch trees will hold 1-7 fish. Condo and bushy trees hold up to 100 or more fish. White Bass are in 7-15 feet of water on flats and ledges, and main lake points and the very end of boat ramps. Some sporadic topwater action can be found. At the boat ramps 7 feet or deeper, look for white bass hunting the shad that are using the ramp as structure. Some days your thumper will end up spooking the fish. Try taking a broken rod and slapping the water over and over like the fish popping and feeding on the surface. Sometimes that triggers them to come in and feed. Use a 1 ounce white or chartreuse slab. If fish surface or you see a bird along the bank on points or flats out 10 feet throw 3-4 inch paddle tails, or swimbaits. If you do not get a bite after 10 casts, move to the next bird. Black bass are good in 10-15 feet of water using diving crankbaits Series 5 KVD sexy Shad 12 foot diver, zoom motor, oil worm, BeaverTails in watermelon-red, and watermelon Green. Bass are near ramps, rock piles, brush piles, on standing timber, underwater points, tire reefs and submerged boat ramps. Catfish are in 10-20 feet on ledges and slopes or flats in 15-18 feet of water using cut shad or cut bluegill. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 81-83 degrees; 4.44 feet below pool. Water temperatures are now in the lower 80s. White bass are fair on the bottom near humps, points, and drop off ledges in 10-26 feet of water and shallow in 2-8 feet of water. Fish off the bottom with slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths as the white bass, and there can be topwater action on large flats and points. 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. Catfish are fair drifting in 12-26 feet with cut shad or chicken breasts. Check near wind blown points, humps, and flats near creek channels if drifting. Crappie are fair in 8-32 feet of water on standing timber, rock piles, stumps, laydowns, and bridge columns using minnows and jigs. Report by Wes Campbell, BendaRod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water clear; 83-85 degrees; 3.40 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good in 2-12 feet of water using Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, spinnerbait, chatterbaits. White bass are good in 8-14 feet of water using silver slabs, or at night near docks with lights using white beetle spins. Crappie are on offshore brush of standing timber suspended in 6-13 feet with minnows. Still 100 fish days on crappie trips. Catfish are good on points, humps and creek channels in 10-20 feet. Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking.com.

Navarro Mills

SLOW. Water clear; 87-92 degrees; 1.91 feet below pool. White bass are good on chartreuse slabs in the main lake. Crappie are fair on dead minnows in deep water adjacent to sharp depth changes. Catfish are good on cut bait and Danny Kings stink bait near timber. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits along the dam and main lake points. Report by Clay Major, Major Guide Service.

Palestine

GOOD. Water clear; 83-88 degrees; 2.18 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Crappie are good using minnows and jigs on brush piles in 10-20 feet of water, standing timber and bridge pillars in 18-25 feet of water. Crappie will be suspended between 10-18 feet down. Thermocline is at 20-22 feet, so very few fish will be deeper than that. Sand bass and hybrids are good during the early daylight hours on Hwy 155 bridge and main lake humps. Largemouth bass are good offshore in 8-18 feet of water. Catfish are good in 15-20 feet of water with cut bait. Baiting areas helps. Channel catfish are best with stink bait. Report by Sam Parker, Freshwater Fishing Adventures.

Palo Pinto

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 82 degrees; 10.39 feet below pool. Few reports and angler activity while the lake level is low and ramps are closed. Check ramp status before heading out.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 79-81 degrees; 4.00 feet below pool. White bass are fair scattered along the edges of flats in 13-16 feet of water. Later in the morning fish can be caught on humps in 16-27 feet of water. Crappie are on bridge pylons, and brush piles in deep water keeping jigs or minnows in 17-24 feet. Catfish are roaming on points in 13-21 feet of water. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water is clear; 79 degrees; 1.93 feet below pool. Bass are good with topwater bite for an hour at sunrise, then dropshots rigged with a flat worm in 10-20 feet of water. Sand bass are fair in 30 feet of water with slabs. The schooling action has concluded for the year and should resume in the spring. Crappie are fair in standing timber 15-30 feet of water using minnows, brush piles are holding smaller fish. Report by Jim Walling, Ucatchem Guide Service.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water clear; 83-88 degrees; 2.40 feet below pool. Some much needed rain dropped nearly two inches of rain. The air temperatures were in the 70s and 80s and this lowered the water temperature to the mid to low 80s. Water clarity is good. The most consistent bite continues to be hybrid stripers and eater size blue and channel catfish. Hybrid striper guides are using live gizzard shad to catch fish off humps near the 309 flats. Water depths vary but most fish are coming from 25 feet of water. Eater size blue and channel catfish are very good and can be caught on shad or Danny King’s Punch Bait in the timber off the Richland Creek Channel in 25-30 feet of water. The early morning bite has been good and the fish are often suspended at various depths. No reports from the white bass, crappie or largemouth bass anglers. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 5.01 feet below pool. The heat dome finally broke after the recent rains and the dam gates have closed. Water temperatures are now in the mid 80s. Catfish, bluegill, and crappie are fair on minnows and worms at Somerville Marina early morning. Black bass are fair hitting slow moving plastics and spinnerbaits on drop offs and brush in 8-14 feet of water. Crappie are fair on main lake brush piles and pilings using minnows and various jigs. Catfish are fair early in the morning in 8-14 feet of water. Larger catfish are slow in deep water drifting or using jug lines baited with shad or cut bait. White bass are slow trolling Pet spoons on points or using shad and ghost minnows on humps in 6-10 feet of water. Hybrids are slow using cut bait and 2 ounce jigs. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Squaw Creek

GREAT. Water stained. 83 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Closed for the season. Scheduled to reopen October 1, 2023.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 18.51 feet below pool. Until turnover occurs, fishing will rise and fall with local weather. Wind and cloud cover enhance fishing, while bright, calm conditions hinder. With the thermocline still firmly in place, downrigging for scattered, suspended fish was the best card to play this week. With shad continuing to grow, the #13 Pet Spoon downrigger with a multi-lure setup was my go-to presentation this week. For those without downriggers, using the Pet Spoon behind a Jet Diver, Dipsey Diver, or Hellbender is an option. Quality largemouth bass fishing continues with dark, naturally colored soft plastics fished on the outside edge of the hydrilla now standing in 20 feet of water both early morning and just before and after sunset. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 90 degrees; 1.63 feet below pool. Tawakoni continues to fish good as we begin to come out of our summer pattern. A series of cool fronts has cooled water temperatures to the lower 80s and we are seeing active fish feeding in many areas of the lake. The hybrid striper and white bass are herded up in big schools on many different lake points in 8-15 feet. Best lures have been slabs and small swimbaits. The eating size catfish have been very good over baited holes in 20 feet. Prepared baits, such as punch baits and dough baits are working best. We are starting to see Trophy Catfish caught up to 30 pounds using fresh cut gizzard shad in water 15-25 feet. The crappie bite is not bad in 10-20 feet using minnows near bridge pilings and brush piles. The largemouth bass bite has improved in the last 10 days. Early morning frogs and flukes are the ticket then follow it up with a square bill on the rip rap. Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 86-88 degrees; 3.10 feet below pool. Fish are more active with the cooler weather. Striped bass are good with a majority of catches on shallow flats using topwaters early in the morning, but some catches on slabs in deep water. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors. Striped bass fishing is good using topwaters early in the morning along shallow flats on the west end of the lake. Swimbaits can catch fish in 10-15 feet of water on humps near creeks. Live bait fishing is still producing numbers in 35-40 feet of water in creek channels. Crappie fishing is slow on brush in the little mineral arm using electronics to find active fish using jigs with a slow presentation. Bass fishing is slow on topwaters early in the morning off the boulders, or with live shad along the island bluffs in 5-10 feet of water. Seeing a lot of short smallmouth and skinny largemouth. Catfishing is good on shad or prepared baits in 35-45 feet of water. Seeing a lot of keeper fish with the occasional bigger fish. Large blues will be staging along flats near creeks and the river mouths. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma Guaranteed Guide Service.

Weatherford

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 8.81 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 15 feet of water on rocks and brush piles with minnows or jigs. Catfish are fair with a few catches on the rocks near the dam on cut bait or shrimp. Bass are slow still in deeper water on crankbaits and Texas rigged worms.

Whitney

GREAT. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 7.82 feet below pool. Striped bass topwater action is good near the Mccown flats. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Striped bass are excellent from Bear Creek to the dam in 25-45 feet of water on live bait, flutter spoons, umbrella-rigs or swim baits. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton's Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney.

Worth

FAIR. Water normally stained; 79 degrees; 2.68 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structure using slabs, or in mid depths on cocahoe minnows. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

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