Prairies & Lakes Region Week of April 23, 2025

Arlington

GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.17 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass are good with fish in all stages of spawn. Good topwater action in the morning, then target any kind of cover when the topwater bite ends. Water temperatures are in the upper 60 low 70s.

Athens

GOOD. Water normal stain; 74 degrees; 0.23 feet above pool. Bass are good in 5-8 feet in grass with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senkos and chatterbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over brush. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.

Bastrop

GREAT. Water stained; 80 degrees. There are still some bass in the reeds, but fish are post spawn and starting to push to deeper water. There is some schooling action at the discharge in the evenings. The shad hatch is only about an inch long, because of this expect the schooling bite to be tough. Match the hatch with small profile baits like crappie launchers, clear topwaters, small Alabama rigs with small baits and small hard jerkbaits for offshore fish.

Belton

FAIR. Water stained; 67 degrees; 3.32 feet below pool. The annual threadfin shad spawn has now become very consistent and will typically remain so through about the third week of May. With so much forage consistently shallow the gamefish have moved shallower as well. Most morning action is taking place from the bank to 25 feet on areas impacted by overnight winds. Live bait will have an edge to catch white bass and hybrids over artificial presentations until the shad spawn begins to weaken. Fish found on sonar will typically not remain in one location very long as bait and fish move rapidly thanks to increasing metabolism as the spring season moves on. Fishing large, four inches or longer, live shad will help select for hybrid stripers, and keep smaller white bass at bay. Smaller baits will ensure more action, but for smaller fish, including white bass and blue catfish. Cut, fresh, dead shad is also an option when fishing gets tougher after cold fronts and during calm winds. Those gamefish spotted feeding on shad on the surface in the first hour of the day and or under cloudy skies, can be sight-cast to. The MAL Original or MAL Heavy with silver blade and chartreuse tail are just the ticket for this scenario. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish remain excellent with a consistent bite. Anglers should search for blue catfish in river channels and around ledges in 20-30 feet of water. Larger cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats will produce eater fish under 10 pounds. Channel catfish are fair but can still be caught on warmer days using punch bait in 15-25 feet of water. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.34 feet below pool. Bass are in all stages of the spawn. Crappie can be caught on minnows and jigs. White bass are in the river on rattle traps and spoons.

Bois d'Arc

SLOW. water stained; 60 degrees; 1.68 feet below pool. The lake continues to be low. Shad spawns are key early morning to run numbers of bass up. Look for birds or shad flickering on the shoreline. DieZel chatterbaits and mini chatterbaits in white or Shad colors are best for bass in 1-3 feet. Squarebill chatterbaits are good mid morning on points and pond dams in 3-5 feet. Texas rigs and weighted wacky rigs are good around bushes and timber. Creature baits in green pumpkin are good. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Crappie are excellent in full post spawn in the mouths of creeks leading to the main river channels. Target timber in 10-20 feet of water fish with plastics over minnows or hand tied jigs. Focus on the lower half of the lake where timber has been flooded longer. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 68 degrees; 4.99 feet below pool. Lake Bridgeport is around four feet low. Recent heavy rains have brought the lake up and muddied the clarity. All ramps are open. Catfish are excellent on cut baits. The river and creek mouths would be a great place to start. Crappie are good but scattered around docks and up shallow on the southern end. Jigs and minnows are both producing. Largemouth bass good on Texas rigged plastics, jigs and pigs and topwater baits. Hybrids and sand bass can be found fairly close to shore chasing spawning shad. A small minnow imitator should work. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. stained; 69 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent. Look for heavy bird activity throughout the lake on flats and near the dam on edges of drop-offs especially on cloudy and overcast days. Reports of great catches using silver or white slabs and spinnerbaits with a very slow retrieve off the bottom in 17-26 feet of water. The crappie have also migrated back into the main lake. Look for them under bridge pylons or under docks where the depths are between 3-10 feet. Guides have been reporting exceptionally nice catches on sunny warmer days. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. The shad spawn is in full swing, so the early shallow wall bite is on fire all over the lake. Fresh caught shad tossed up to the walls on bottom or under a float are a sure way to catch good numbers of nice eating sized catfish. There is still a deeper drifting bite in 12-24 feet of water using cut shad, drum or carp drifted along the bottom. Many fish being caught in the 10-50 pound range. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.

Comanche Creek

0.31 feet below pool. Comanche Creek is closed for the summer and will reopen in October.

Cooper

EXCELLENT. Water stained; 60 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. Crappie are in full post spawn patterns pushing off bank lines to roam in 5-15 feet on timber. The bite is excellent with crappie still preferring plastics over hand tied jigs or minnows. There is low visibility, so the anticipate a slower until the water clears. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Cypress Springs

FAIR: Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.51 feet above pool. Crappie spawn is almost over pushing fish to roam offshore structure in 2-32 feet of water. Fish are hungry and can be caught on minnows or jigs. Channel catfish are feeding shallow gearing up for the spawn. Channel catfish are good on dough bait. Larger catfish can be caught on juglines. Blue catfish and flathead catfish are finished with the spawn. Fish are in 15-30 feet of water biting cut bait. Bass are primarily post spawn aggressively feeding. White bass are good with several limits reporting while trolling, and a few catches caught while fishing for crappie. Report by Chris Caswell, Lake Bob Sandlin Crappie Fishing Guide. Crappie are excellent, roaming 8-35 feet of water full post spawn. Focus River channels for open water crappie and main lake bank lines sloping to the deeper parts, stacked on brush the next few weeks. Plastics are out producing hand tied jigs and minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 67 degrees; 4.79 feet below pool. White bass are fair on windblown structure using paddle tail swimbaits, and inline spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair to good in boat slips and on brush on jigs and shallow on jigs. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and shad in multiple depths. Patterns may change daily with changing weather patterns. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fayette

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 76 degrees. Some topwater bass action has begun. There is a good early shallow bite on under spins and rattle traps, then target bass in 10-15 feet on points and ridges on shaky heads and Carolina rigs. Tilapia anglers are good with cast nets. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.

Graham

GOOD. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.00 feet below pool. Crappie are up in shallow water in the creek with minnows and jigs. Bass are moving up in shallow water feeding on shad. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling on main lake flats with a good bite on jigs and spoons. Catfish are good in 10 feet of water on main lake flats with cut shad and chicken liver.

Granbury

GOOD. Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Granbury water temperatures are in the upper 60s to low 70s. The recent rains have filled up Possum Kingdom and there is a lot of flow through Granbury, so watch out for floating debris. The sand bass action has been excellent on many areas of the lake from Blue Water Shores to Decordova to the Shores in town. Bouncing a slab or spoon will put sandbass in the boat. Crappie continue to be good in the backs of creeks on small minnows and jigs. Largemouth bass are also good on soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits in the shallows on most every creek and slough. Blue catfish are good on cut shad fished on channel breaks from Decordova subdivision to near Water’s Edge. Striped bass are fair to good on live shad and trolled Alabama rigs from near the dam to near the Decordova subdivision. Striped bass to 10 pounds are possible. Hope to see you on the water. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Blue and channel catfish are good on cut bait in 40-45 feet of water. Report by Jeffery Sojourner, Sojourner Fishing.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water normal stain; 68 degrees; 0.84 feet above pool. Bird action is directing anglers to good size schools of white bass. Use a graph to determine the depth your jigging spoon needs to be. Still sifting through numbers of fish to find the keeper sized fish. White bass are still spawning. Catfish are mixed in with the white bass. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Hawkins

GOOD. Water slightly stained. 64 degrees. Chain Pickerel and black bass are spawning in shallow water. Focus on areas with stumps, brush, and vegetation. Bream should be making the move shallow for the spawn. Look for spawning crappie in weeds on sloping banks. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 78 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. Bass are biting soft plastics and swimbaits shallow, and out on brush piles. A lot of bass are now suspended in deeper water. Topwater bite is picking up.

Joe Pool

GREAT. Water normal stain; 68 degrees; 0.25 above pool. All species are biting, bank anglers you are not fishing you are missing out! The big bass are shallow on beds, or waiting just off the bank to move shallow. Crappie are on shallow timber hitting jigs and minnows. Carp anglers are having a blast in the Lynn Creek area. Catfish are mixed in on wind blown banks. Let’s go fishing! Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.43 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are consistent. Hybrid stripers are in 3 feet of water in the creeks. The crappie spawn started over a week ago, but is still not in the height of the spawn. Crappie catches in 1-12 feet of water targeting the base of button willows with jigs. Get in the water with your back facing the lake and jig towards shore. Use a 8-10 pound mono 1/16 ounce to 1/8 ounce jig. The clarity is murky so use a darker colored jig such as black or red, white. Some female crappie are suspended around timber outside the spawning grounds. White bass spawn is in full swing in the creeks with running water. Fish can be caught on white, chartreuse, silver, black in-line spinners early morning and late evening, a 4 pound mono with 1/16 ounce jigs in minnow colors, live minnows with a size 6 hook and split shots or under small 2 inch peggable bobbers, or Carolina rig with the split shots. On the main lake, look for fish on points in 10-25 feet. Keep a swimbait handy because fish might blow shad out of the water randomly and have a feeding frenzy for a few short minutes. Black bass are in the creek systems, guarding nests, and in the back of the coves along with the crappie. Target bass are good early morning in 1-5 feet of water casting a white and chartreuse spinnerbaits to the bank then reel it slowly back to the boat. The rest of the day target bass from the bank to 7 feet around submerged button willows or shallow timber with a Texas rig, darker color worms, or senko. Catfish are in 4-15 feet drifting or casting cut shad, carp, and drum. A bobber on riprap is very productive. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water stained; 68 degrees; 1.60 feet below pool. White bass are fair to good on points and humps in 15-30 feet of water with jigs, slabs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths. 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 good on cut shad. With warming temperatures, check shallow flats in 1-5 feet near timber or brush on wind blown points or coves. The shad spawn has begun, and catfish are being caught on wind blown banks where herons are present as well. Crappie are slow to fair in 2-24 feet of water on brush piles, submerged timber, and submerged cover near drop-offs with minnows and jigs. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water normal stain; 72 degrees; 1.22 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent, but this should be the last week of creek fishing as fish transition back to the main lake. Crappie are in 10 feet of water on brush. Shad are spawning along the banks. Largemouth bass are in 4 feet or less on Texas rigs and chatterbaits. Catfish are 7 feet or less on cutbait and minnows. White bass are in the river for the anglers that like to fish the 164 Bridge with rooster tails and beetle spins. Mainlake white bass are in 12 feet or less with silver jigging spoons. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.

Navarro Mills

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. Most anglers are targeting crappie in shallow water and brush piles with minnows. Few reports of white bass, catfish and largemouth bass. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.

Palestine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.22 feet above pool. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles in 12-15 feet of water around docks. Bass are fair around shallow cover. Catfish are excellent on retaining walls and shallow cover where shad are spawning.

Palo Pinto

SLOW. Water normal stain; 73 degrees; 0.55 feet below pool. Blue catfish are good in shallow water on cut bait, fresh shad and liver. Hybrids are good on spinnerbaits. Crappie are biting in deep water biting on minnows. Report by Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.14 feet below pool. The shad spawn has started, so look on shallow points and flats early morning for feeding white bass in as little as 2 feet of water. Throw small swimbaits, tail spinners or rattle traps. You can also blind cast topwaters and catch numbers of fish. White bass are post spawn relating to structure on humps, long points and drop-offs around shallow flats. Crappie are relating to brush piles in 12-21 feet of water. Small numbers are showing up at bridge columns. Catfish are good on the north end of the lake on long points and around timber 15-24 feet using prepared stink baits. After these rains stage your boat in front of feeder creeks as the running water will bring the cats in. Chumming will help bring the schools into your areas. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.10 feet below pool. Crappie are still in all stages of the spawn from 3-20 feet of water shad imitation baits. crappie will be moving to brush. Catfish are on shallow flats cut bait. Some largemouth bass are on spawning beds. Largemouth bass continue to stage on secondary points hitting slow moving swimbaits, or along grass edges with chatterbaits. White bass are good in the creeks or chasing balls of shad beneath birds with moving baits. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan’s Crappie Co.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water normal stain; 69 degrees; 0.03 feet above pool. The Lake is slightly above full pool with two spillway gates open. White bass are very good in 20-25 feet of water on points, roadbeds, and humps. A slab and jig combination is hard to beat, but the whites can be caught on any number of baits to include the MAL Lures, Mepps Spinners, and Lil' Georges. Still need to use your electronics to find the fish because there is no topwater action and very few gulls leading the way to schools. Hybrid striper action is good with live bait anglers catching fish on shad off the 309 flats and Pelican Island. Blue catfish are being caught on cut bait and shad in the shallow water on windy main lake points. Crappie are fair with spawning fish being caught in 2-4 feet of water in the Richland and Chambers Creek tributaries, shallow water coves and off boat docks with minnows. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin' Guide Service. Black bass are good in shallow was as some are still spawning while others are guarding fry. Shad spawn is happening also, look for birds on the banks ready to pick off shad. Shad will spread out on the points, and this is a great opportunity to catch bass with shallow crankbaits. Shad will also spawn on retaining walls and you can use topwater lures to cover water. Fishing the shad spawn is mostly a morning bite. After that you want to move to the first available cover, docks, grass, and laydowns. This pattern will continue for several weeks. Terry Hawkins Guide Service.

Somerville

GOOD. Water stained; 71 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. At the Marina the crappie bite is fair, bluegill are fair on crickets or worms, the catfish are fair on minnows or punch bait. On the lake Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows over brush in 8-18 feet of water. Crappie are spawning. Catfish are excellent in 3-10 feet of water with cut shad or punch bait. Catfish are a few weeks from the spawn. Black bass are good on crankbaits and shiny spinnerbaits in 2-8 feet of water. Bass are nearing the end of the spawn. White bass are excellent trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair with many undersized fish being caught in deeper water using cut bait or mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow, since no water is being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water stained; 67 degrees; 4.26 feet below pool. The annual white bass spawn has almost completely run its course, and the annual threadfin shad spawn is now well underway. These coinciding events bring white bass into shallow water to feed on spawning shad most mornings on slow tapering wind blown topographies. With the clear water, these fish quickly move to the 20-25 foot mark after the direct sun rays strike the water shortly after sunrise. In shallow water, the MAL Original works very well to imitate spawning adult shad. Once the fish move out deeper, the silver, three-quarter ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab has been the ticket to later morning fish. Dropping the slab to the bottom and cranking it smoothly and consistently 5 to 6 turns up off the bottom while observing for fish response on 2-D sonar or forward facing soar is the key to getting bit consistently. Largemouth bass are now consistently in 8-14 feet of water, especially on topographic irregularities with some form of cover present. Dark, small, naturally-colored soft plastics worked with Texas rigs or Carolina rigs are consistent producers here. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 0.49 feet above pool. A solid Spring pattern has settled in at Tawakoni. We are seeing the beginning of the shad spawn. Water temperatures are 62 degrees on the main lake and the fish are feeding. Hybrid striper and white bass are good on artificial lures such as slab spoons and smaller swimbaits. Fish have been in the 12-30 feet range. The trophy catfish bite finally ended, but the eating sized catfish bite is wide open. Big numbers of fish are being caught with small pieces of cut shad and cut carp and buffalo. Wind blown banks are key in 2-6 feet of water. Crappie are improving better. We are now seeing big groups of fish that are leaving the shallow water. Jigs and minnows are working on brush and bridge pilings in 10-14 feet of water. Largemouth bass are very good on buck brush in 1-4 feet of water with senkos and wacky rigged smaller flukes. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

FAIR. Water stained; 62 degrees; 1.16 feet below pool. The striper fishing is great with the rise in water levels and surface temperatures. The shad spawn is in full force, look for fish shallow along rocky banks on Topwaters and swimbaits. Look for birds on the banks and surface activity. Crappie are still scattered and in spawning stages. Fish are suspended under docks and near the top of brush. Jigs and small shad are working in 12-15 feet of water near creeks and coves. Catfish are showing up along the rocks and shallow flats. Cut shad or prepared baits in 5-12 feet of water near points and drop-offs. Bass are at the backs of coves and for suspended fish near docks. The shad spawn and rise in lake levels will pull fish on to the banks as well. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass can be found in all depths under the birds. Some fish will move into the creeks searching for warmer water due to the rising water. Best baits are swimbaits in deeper water under seagulls, and topwater under egrets are working the banks. The water is muddy in the river so this will push fish to the main lake seeking better clarity. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

Weatherford

FAIR. Water stained; 67 degrees; 5.25 feet below pool. Crappie are good spawning as shallow as 1 foot on the rocks. Bass are fair along shallow banks spawning on beds hitting plastics and crankbaits. Catfish are slow. Water clarity is 8 inches.

Whitney

GOOD. Water normal stain; 66 degrees; 0.31 feet above pool. Catfish are good using cut bait in shallow water. The striped bass bite is good on live bait in 25-30 feet of water. Some Stripers have been caught using topwater baits. Crappie are up the river spawning. White bass fishing is good on slabs in 25-30 feet of water. Largemouth bass fishing is good using soft plastics on deep structure. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.

Worth

FAIR. Water normal stain; 69 degrees; 2.65 feet below pool. White bass are fair on windblown structure using paddletail swimbaits, and inline spinners. Crappie are fair to good in boat slips and on brush on jigs and shallow on jigs and good reports have been coming from the river. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and shad in multiple depths. All fish patterns are changing with warm nights and cool days so patterns may change daily. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service

« Fishing Report Search