Prairies & Lakes Region Week of December 3, 2025

Dunlap

SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees. Bass are slow on spinnerbaits and wacky worms in the early morning. Crappie are slow with minnows. Report by Lee Johnson and Kenneth Linder, local anglers.

Aquilla

GOOD. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 0.97 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles in 20-25 feet of water with minnows or jigs. Bass are good 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; 66 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. As we approach winter most of the shad are making the migration to deep water. Game fish like largemouth bass and sand bass will be around the balls of shad in 10-20 feet of water. The catfish are still in deep water and main creek channels. Crappie are beginning to suspend across the basin for winter. Around the warmer water at the discharge all game fish will sit facing the current feeding on shad. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Athens

GOOD. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 0.56 feet above pool. Bass are feeding on shad and bluegill gearing up for winter. Shad are in the backs of the coves. There has been a decent concentration of fish shallow and out deep if you like to live-scope. If you are going to scope offshore, have an umbrella rig and a minnow on a jig head. The shallow bite continues to be on weightless 5 inch stick bait or 5 inch soft jerkbait in shad and bluegill patterns. Mix in a Texas rig worm, spinnerbait, or jig around docks. 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 the wind allows for it. Water clarity 3-4 feet of visibility. Report by Captain Kirk Pasalich, Artifishable Fishing Guide Service.

Bastrop

FAIR. Water normal stain; 65 degrees. Bass should be in the reeds and shallow grass hitting Texas rigs, or squarebill crankbaits. When the water temperature drops below 60 degrees fish will suspend in deeper water.

Belton

EXCELLENT. Water normal stain; 64 degrees; 0.33 feet above pool. We are just past peak fall fishing conditions for white bass and hybrid striped bass. The fishing is still excellent and will likely stay this way until the water temperature drops below 60 degrees in a few weeks. Finally our migratory fish-eating birds, like gulls and terns, have begun to arrive and find fish primarily in the mornings. These birds should become more of a fish locating asset in the 3-4 weeks to come. So, for now, sonar still remains the staple for finding fish in 30-35 feet around sunrise and sunset, then 35-52 feet the rest of the day. The MAL Dense worked vertically by cranking it upward through the lower third of the water column assisted by viewing this on Garmin LiveScope is my go-to tactic. When the water temperature hits 60 degrees, we will be switching over to the 3/4 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish bite remains consistent. Large numbers of blue catfish under 10 pounds can be found along shallow banks in 10-15 feet of water. To catch larger blue catfish drift in 25-40 feet with fresh cut shad. Channel catfish are excellent using punch bait around gravel beds and timber. Flathead catfish are slow, but can be found around large rock piles using live bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

FAIR. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Catfish are good in 18-30 feet on cut and stink bait. Hybrids are fair in to 20-30 feet on minnows and small jigs with lots of shorter fish being caught. Crappie are fair next to timber in 15-30 feet on minnows. Report by Hundley's Guide Service.

Bois d'Arc

FAIR. Normal stain; 57 degrees; 1.97 below pool. The morning bite has been a slower due to the cooler temperatures. Grass is the ticket, if you find it stay with it. Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and swim jigs are working over and around grass in 2-4 feet. Spinnerbaits or suspended jerk baits around bushes just offshore in 4-7 feet of water are fair. Starting to see groups of bass staging offshore in 10-17 feet around pond dams and high spots. Carolina rigs working best in these areas. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Crappie are schooling up, but the fish are not very active so the bite is slow. Anglers will have to cover water and really work to land catches. Minnows are preferred over jigs. Some reports of crappie in the creeks. Fish are tough to find while migrating from the 897 Bridge to the dam holding to the bottom of the lake. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bridgeport

FAIR. Water clear; 57 degrees; 4.43 feet below pool. Crappie are fair on docks, and offshore brush piles in 8-15 feet of water or 25-35 feet of water with minnows or jigs. Largemouth bass are fair using deep crankbaits and swimbaits for deeper schooling fish, or along banks, main lake rock and docks in the morning with crankbaits and chatterbaits. White bass and hybrids are fair on main lake humps and points, deadsticking slabs or trolling with deep crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut bait and chicken liver on main lake humps, deeper holes in coves, and in the river on boulders. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 63 degrees; 3.03 feet below pool. Good stacks of hybrid striped bass and 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 schooling fish on these flats as well as around deeper seawalls and shorelines. Fish any hump in 10-14 feet across the lake to find schools stacked up as the day warms. Schooling activity is best on cloudier days. Birds will show you the way and will become more consistent indicators of active fish as fall continues and throughout December. To target hybrids use spinnerbaits or work 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 5–12 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. Catfishing is good in 2-8 feet of water on the north end, or drifting 10-36 feet of water throughout the lake with fresh gizzard shad and cut rough fish. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

80 degrees; 0.29 feet above pool. Comanche Creek stays warmer due to the power plant. This attracts many bass anglers from all over in the winter. Fishing is excellent with most folks reporting numbers of largemouth 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. Limits of eater-sized channel catfish are common on this lake. Tilapias continue to be caught on worms fished under a cork. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Cooper

SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 3.56 feet below pool. Crappie are slow and difficult to find. Best bet is to target river channels with minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Cypress Springs

SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.79 feet below pool. Lots of small crappie are on timber and brush. Keeper crappie are coming off the bridge columns with minnows. Expect crappie to pull off structure within the next two weeks. Open water suspending crappie are easily spooked due to continuous boat traffic. The recreational traffic should decrease. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 1.56 feet below pool. Fishing patterns have been holding steady but with cooling temperatures dress warm to discern pattern changes as the water temperature drops. 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 trot lines. Yellow catfish are good with live perch on trot lines. 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

SLOW. Water stained; 68 degrees; full pool. Overall the bite is off for what is typical for this time of year. The water is stained with lots of algae. Some baitfish are shallow. Bass are slow in shallow water with rattletraps and spinnerbaits, or in 12-15 feet of water on Carolina rigs. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen's Guide Service.

Graham

SLOW. Water stained; upper 60 degrees; 3.68 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 14 feet of water with minnows. Sand bass and hybrids are biting on main lake flats. Trolling a white crankbait around schools of shad works well. Catfish are biting on cut shad out on the main lake drop-offs. Bass are slow due to the cold water. Cast slow moving baits like jigs and Carolina rigs.

Granbury

GOOD. normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. Lake Granbury is at full pool and water temperatures are falling into the upper 50s and low 60s in some areas. Water is stained in the river above Granbury and is starting to clear after the rain and runoff. Largemouth bass continue to be fair to good for fish up to 5 pounds. Work crankbaits and soft plastics near points and ledges. Sand bass and small stripers are fair to good on slabs and spinnerbaits fished on flats near Ports-O-Call and near Indian Harbor. Look for the birds. Best striped bass action continues to be on the lower ends in 15-25 feet of water on swimbaits and live shad. Catfish action is great on the upper ends in the stained water. Best bait for catfish is cut shad. Crappie action continues to be good on the main lake on submerged structure using small minnows and jigs. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.73 feet below pool. Before the cold front the white bass were feeding hard. White bass should be suspended 20-35 feet down over 60 feet of water. Now is the time to start deadsticking small slabs and small swimbaits. Crappie and catfish are mixed in with the sandies. There are plenty of baitfish for the fish to feed on. Gulls are still leading the way to fish. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O'the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 62 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; 60 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. Bass fishing is tough, but bass can be caught. Target docks with jigs and square bills crankbaits, or on brush and structure with soft plastics and jigs, and suspended fish on minnow style baits.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.24 feet below pool. As we approach winter most of the shad are making the migration to deep water. Game fish like largemouth bass and sand bass will be around the balls of shad in 10-20 feet of water. The catfish are still in deep water and main creek channels. Crappie are beginning to suspend across the basin for winter. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Lavon

FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 2.11 feet below pool. Fishing patterns were consistent before the cold front. While it is raining fish like to hide under structure, such as underwater lay-downs, docks, or underwater rock shelves. Fish near creek mouths for catfish feeding on stunned baitfish, and other fish coming out of the creek system. Use cut shad drum or blue gill. Crappie are great in 15-20 feet on structure with igs and minnows. Some black bass are in 2-10 feet of water. A few bass have been caught on a ledge in 22 feet, but the best catches are in 10-15 feet when the sun comes up with a squarebill crankbait and 12 foot series 5 diver, watermelon red watermelon green creature baits, or plastic worms. White and chartreuse spinnerbait is good early. If you have live scope a small 5/8 ounce paddle tail jigs will land a bite. There are still a few white bass in 10-15 feet of water, but most of them are now in black water. Black water means the water appears black due to the abundance of gizzard shad. You should see this in 2-4 feet along the bank. Cast to the bank, almost hitting the bank and drag it across over their heads. After the third reel on your fishing reel, it is pretty much over and you have to repeat. It is a quick bite and accuracy matters. If you cast 2 feet from the bank, your cast landed on fish and they will not bite. White and chartreuse paddle tail swimbaits are best. While the water temperature is dropping in the mid 60s the catfish are primarily in 10-15 feet of water, but can be schooling deep. Bite is on cut bait. Bluegills spawned about a month ago because fish smaller than a pinky nail can be caught. Bluegill, shad and tilapia spawn multiple times per year. Bluegills are active on almost every brush pile in 15-20 feet. Worms are best with the white pieces of bacon, if they are very active as they will not pull the bait off the hook and you can reuse it multiple times. A big factor in this is using a two or four pound monofilament line anything more than that your catch ratio plummets. Tilapia can be found along the banks of the marinas, and 2 feet off the shoreline in schools of 10-30 every 20 feet apart. Use a small barber 2 to 4 pound line and a small piece of worm will catch them just as fast as you can catch bluegill on brush piles. Target sandy banks and rip rap, which is the Boulders surrounding boat, ramps, dams, railroad tracks. If you do not get anything after one minute, go ahead and make your bobber deeper until you start getting bit. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.04 feet below pool. The fishing patterns should remain consistent until the water temperature reaches 50 degrees. Hybrid striper and white bass are slow on points and humps in 10-30 feet of water with slabs, spoons, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits. 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 in 15-32 feet of water. Channel catfish are fair on baited holes on humps and points in 15-30 feet of water on cut shad or punch bait. Crappie are fair in 10-34 feet of water on brush piles, submerged timber, laydowns, and rock piles. Submerged cover close to a drop off ledge has been best. More crappie have been showing up around the bridge pilings as well. Minnows are working better than jigs. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water clear; 63 degrees; 1.69 feet below pool. This cold weather should push the water temperature down in the mid 50s. Switch to red chatterbaits, red rattle traps, and Texas to catch largemouth bass in 6 feet of water or less on docks, bulkheads and rocks. White bass will get into tighter schools and gorge on shad. Target sandies on mainlake points and flats with silver super spoons. White bass will be in 6-20 feet of water, and periodically move shallower. Catfish will start piling up on mainlake and wind blown points to feed on shad. Crappie are will scatter on cloudy cold days and bunch up on warm sunny days. Target 8-20 feet of water with minnows. Some crappie will also start suspending on timber and in the middle of creek channels. Some crappie have eggs already. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

GOOD. 67 degrees; 0.16 full pool. All species are good, but the size of fish is down. White bass are good trolling with spoons. Crappie are good in 12 feet brush piles with minnows. Catfish are good throughout the lake on perch. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.

Palestine

GOOD. water stained; 60 degrees; 0.10 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this cold front should knock the water temperature to the upper 50s. Crappie will start to transition into the creeks. Crappie are good in 16-25 feet of water with jigs or minnows. Bass and hybrids should be more open water oriented chasing bait balls. Catfish are good in shallow water in the creeks with cut bait.

Palo Pinto

SLOW. stained; 60 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. The lake is full. High winds and cold weather has kept anglers off the water. Before the front blue catfish were biting with cut bait and fresh shad. Crappie were biting in deep water with minnows. Drum and carp were biting on worms. Report by Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water normal stain; 64 degrees; 1.05 feet below pool. Before the cold front white bass were fair all throughout the day in shallow water on long points and coves. Later in the morning white bass are shallow in 18-21 feet on long points, coves and ledges. White bass will start to group back up and as the water temps get into the mid high 50s they are also in the deeper water out from structure. When the water drops into the 50s, deep water fishing will improve and dead sticking while thumping will be the ticket. Crappie are slow and in brush piles in 18-25 feet of water, and on bridge columns. Catfish are good in wooded timber in 18-22 feet on prepared punch bait. Chumming will help bring the schools into your areas. Some reports of big blue catfish on the deep flats mid lake. Drifting with large cut bait best. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.89 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are fair to good running in pockets, ditches and draws with a swim jig. Crappie are good with natural colored jigs or minnows. Orange and chartreuse or green and chartreuse jigs when the clarity is muddy. Target fish in the middle of the creeks channels in deep holes and pockets, on flats with timber in 12-18 feet or in 25-30 deep brush. Channel catfish are good on baited holes. Blue catfish can be caught on flats with 18-24 feet of water with cut bait. Sand bass are fair on humps with live bait, or slabs. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan's Crappie Co.

Richland Chambers

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 67 degrees; 1.94 feet below pool. Good, water is stained and in the low 60s. Catfish are excellent for eater size fish. Big catfish good and will improve with the cold weather. White bass are good on slabs and spinnerbaits. Overall size is very good size this year. Hybrids are starting to group up and feed up. This is a great time to catch big hybrids deadsticking or on an Alabama rig. When fish hug the bottom you want to deadstick a fluke, and when fish are suspended use the Alabama rig. As the temperature cools the black bass will seek hard cover, such as rock, stumps, and dock poles. Bass can still be shallow, but will use the hard cover. Bass can be caught on jigs, squarebill crankbaits, and chatterbaits. Good Fishing, Terry Hawkins Guide Service Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water stained; 66 degrees; 2.74 feet below pool. The cooler 34 degrees nights are here for the first time this fall, this means the water temperature will start to decline. At the marina all species are fair. On the lake crappie are fair with various jigs and minnows holding tight to brush in 8-12 feet of water. Catfish are good in 5-12 feet of water on drop-offs with cut shad, punch bait or using jug lines. Black bass are fair 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 slow with jigs or cut bait in deeper water. Bite is slow below the dam. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

FAIR. Water stained; 64 degrees; 0.81 feet above pool. We are just past peak fall fishing conditions for white bass and hybrid striped bass. The fishing is still excellent and will likely stay this way until the water temperature drops below 60 degrees in a few weeks. Finally our migratory fish-eating birds, like gulls and terns, have begun to arrive and find fish primarily in the mornings. These birds should become more of a fish locating asset in the 3-4 weeks to come. So, for now, sonar still remains the staple for finding fish in 30-35 feet around sunrise and sunset, then 35-52 feet the rest of the day. The MAL Dense worked vertically by cranking it upward through the lower third of the water column assisted by viewing this on Garmin LiveScope is my go-to tactic. When the water temperature hits 60 degrees, we will be switching over to the 3/4 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. Bass are being caught from nomadic schools following shad in open water, best located with forward-facing sonar. Mid-strolling minnow-style soft plastics and Alabama rigs are producing fair and steady action in open water and over submerged vegetation. Football jigs are also catching bass around rocky structures. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 57 degrees; 1.49 feet below pool. Fish are heavily feeding after a significant drop in water temperature. Hybrid striper and white bass action has been good. Seeing limits of big hybrids, most trips and white bass. The best depths have been 10-20 feet. Swimbaits and slabs are working best, however, be looking for these fish to move offshore and into deeper water soon. Eatier-sized catfish are very good. Limits of quality channel catfish have been reliable on cheese based punch bait in 16-25 feet. Trophy catfish are good and will improve as water temperatures drop. So far we have seen fish to 65 pounds caught on cut bait. Best depths have been 10-25 feet. Crappie fishing is better this week than weeks previous. Target bridge pilings, docks and vertical timber in 15-20 feet of water. Largemouth are very good with squarebill crankbaits in super shallow water next to dock legs and shallow stickups. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. Striper fishing is good on live bait and sassy shad. Gulls will be working shallow flats early with bigger fish feeding below them. Big schools of fish are moving down main lake river ledges throughout the day in 35-55 feet of water. Drifting has been the best way to keep fish active under the boat. Catfishing now is the time to drift for big blues and catch them on big baits. Whole gizzard shad or rough fish in 40-55 feet of water on deep flats off of the river channels. Eater-sized fish are still piled up in the backs of ditches and deep coves. Look for bass in coves with brush and structure. Bass should start to chase big gizzard shad. Water temps will stay consistent this week near 60 degrees with the cooler nights and warmer days. Main lake points throughout the day will hold fish off the banks in 8-15 feet of water. Still seeing a lot of undersized crappie this fall. Bigger fish will start to move in on brush and structure with the cooler temps and continue to roam flats feeding on gizzard shad. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Stripers are good under the birds or ledges and drop-offs in 10-30 feet of water with slabs. Some reports of anglers using live bait or swimbaits. Some sand bass are mixed in. Sifting through quite a bite of smaller fish to complete a box. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 5.33 feet below pool. Bait is starting to transition to the creeks. Bass are slow around docks with crankbaits. Crappie are good on brush piles with minnows and jigs. A few crappie are showing up in the crappie house. Catfish are fair around rock with stinkbait, cut bait and shad.

Whitney

FAIR. Water normal stain; 64 degrees; 1.30 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 20-30 feet of water. Striped bass are fair on live bait in 25 feet of water. Crappie are fair on 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; 62 degrees; 1.52 feet below pool. Bass are slow with a few catches using slow bait presentations. Crappie are slow. Sand bass are good bouncing jigs and slabs off bottom near schools of shad. Catfish are good on shad off points. Report by Michael James, local angler.

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