Prairies & Lakes Region Week of January 7, 2026

Dunlap

SLOW. Water stained; 63 degrees. Bass are scattered and bigger bass are biting more in the evening in deeper water. A couple of keeper limits reported on dropshots in 12 feet. Catfish are picking up in 10-15 feet of water with reports of limits. No reports on crappie. Report by Lee Johnson and Kenneth Linder, local anglers.

Aquilla

GOOD. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 1.31 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 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; 61 degrees; 0.88 feet below pool. 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. A lot of bass are hanging around the rocky areas feeding on crawdads, shad and smaller fish. Alabama rigs and jerk baits have produced larger bass. Catfish are in deep water feeding below shad. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Athens

FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.34 feet above pool. Water clarity is 2 feet of visibility. Water temperature rose to 60 degrees, but should decline with the cold fronts. There has been a decent concentration of fish 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; 0.67 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. Anglers can find blue catfish in river channels, sand flats and around steep ledges in 10-20 feet of water. Larger fresh cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds are active and slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats will produce. 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; 1.77 feet below pool. 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; 56 degrees; 2.49 below pool. Mornings bass bite is slow, but spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are fair in 3-5 feet of water on bushes or grass. Brightly colored squarebill crankbaits are good in 3-7 feet, and Texas rigs on big timber on the edge of creeks is good in 3-5 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Crappie are slow in the creek channels in 30-50 feet of water on timber. Cover a lot of water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Bridgeport

FAIR. Water clear; 50 degrees; 4.59 feet below pool. 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. 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 in creek channels drifting. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.

Cedar Creek

EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 3.54 feet below pool. 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 remain good while 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; 0.56 feet above pool. Comanche Creek continues to boast excellent fishing for eater-sized 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. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Cooper

SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 4.26 feet below pool. Crappie continue to be slow in the river channels with minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Cypress Springs

SLOW. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 0.79 feet below pool. Crappie are excellent roaming midlake to the dam with jigs, but have some minnows just in case. Black crappie are in 10-50 fish schools. White crappie are roaming solo in open water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water stained; 56 degrees; 2.02 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. Bass are fair with rattletraps over grass, and in 4-10 feet of water with Carolina rigs. The bite is steady between cold fronts. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen's Guide Service.

Graham

SLOW. Water stained; upper 60 degrees; 4.02 feet below pool. Crappie are good with jigs or minnows in 14-16 feet deep in brush piles and on rock piles. Catfish are good on cut shad in 20-25 feet deep water near creek channels. Bass are slow in about 12-14 feet near rock piles with slow moving baits. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling around main lake flats. The bite is good on jigs and spoons.

Granbury

FAIR. normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.34 feet below pool. Lake Granbury water temperatures are in the middle to high 50s in most areas. Best fishing reports are for crappie from mid-lake to Hunter Park. Crappie are good on small jigs fished suspended near underwater structure and docks. Granbury sand bass action has been slow to fair on slabs and jigs fished on flats adjacent to the channels. Best sand bass action is from Ports-O-Call to the Shores. Striped bass are slow on live shad and 5 inch soft plastics worked on channel ledges on the lower ends near Striper Alley. Largemouth bass are good in numbers near major points in 15-30 feet of water and many are feeding with the sand bass and small striped bass. Some bigger largemouth are being taken on soft plastics near major creek entrances with some good reports coming from the river above Granbury. Catfish action for blues and yellows are fair to good on cut bait worked from near Waters Edge to near Hunter Park. The action for catfish and striped bass improve on those colder days. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 0.33 feet below pool. Fish will bite throughout the day when there are south winds and sunshine. 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. Birds are flying over areas with fish. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O'the Irish Fishing Guide Service. Good south wind and sunshine fish all day

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. Bass are slow, but can be caught along the bank with Texas rigged soft plastic worms, and some off of deeper brush on a Texas rigged baby brush hog. Had a few slow ups on topwater walking baits, but bass would not eat. Schoolers can be caught out deep suspended on Alabama rigs and minnow type baits.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.43 feet below pool. Bass fishing is tough due to the constant warm and cool trends. Most shad are in deep water while the bass seem to be setting up adjacent on summertime deep water spots. If you can find any rock at Joe pool there has been fish on them. Sand bass are past the bridges feeding on shad waiting to make their migration up the river. Crappie are in piles. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.

Lavon

FAIR. Water stained; 51 degrees; 2.07 feet below pool. Fishing patterns remain consistent. Crappie are deep hugging the bottom of humps, in 25-30 feet on structure, and hugging silt bottoms. Spider rig fishing working with minnows and jigs. Some crappie can be caught in 6-12 feet in the private boat slips with structure from 7-9 a.m. then from 3 p.m. to dark. White bass are deep anywhere from 100-500 yards off the dam. Turn on your noise making thumper or splasher and anchor up for about 10 minutes. If fish do not come, move a quarter of the way down the dam and try again. Fish should be in the same area as the threadfin. Use live-scope to watch fish get near your lure, then slowly reel up to trigger a bite once the fish starts to study the bait. Small swimbaits on 5/8 ounce jigheads, minnows, or slabs will work. Live threadfin are great. Expect to catch crappie, catfish, or a largemouth while targeting sandies. Catfish are good anchoring on tree lines in 3-15 feet of water with cut bait on the bottom and seem to be producing some very large fish. Catfish are schooling in 25-30 feet feeding on shad. There is a thick wall of bait from the bottom and anywhere from 7-15 feet. Once you see that, you know catfish are in the area. Start dragging cut bait on a santee rig. Black bass are in 15-20 feet of water on laydowns and rock piles. Throw a square bill crankbait up on boat ramps, even in the middle of the day. Put on a 12 foot diver if you do not get a bite. You will be surprised to find not all the fish are deep. Any super sharp drop-offs in 15 feet of water are producing bass with Carolina rigged jigs or a 5/8 ounce jig with a jerkbait soft plastic minnow attached free swimming it over the bass if you have live scope. No reports of bluegill, they have disappeared for the winter. No reports of tilapia. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.20 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 10-35 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; 1.93 feet below pool. 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. White bass, catfish and crappie are roaming fish in 18-24 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 eggs are fully developed though. 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. 57 degrees; 0.35 full pool. Crappie are good in 14 feet of water on remote brush piles with jigs or minnows. Quality catches up to two pounds. 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; 50 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. 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.

Palo Pinto

FAIR. normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.56 feet below pool. Blue catfish are good with cut bait, fresh shad and perch. Crappie are slow, but can be caught in deep water on minnows. Crappie are feeding on shad in the creek. The lake is full enough that there is access into the creek. Hybrids are biting top waters or slabs. Black bass and sand bass are slow. Report by Palo Pinto RV Park.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 1.59 feet below pool. Water temperatures dropped this week. The white bass have grouped up on deep flats in 32-38 feet of water. Midday to afternoons have produced a better bite during the full moon. 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. Fish are in the lower half of the water column. Crappie are fair moving out from brush to deeper water along flats and levees. Big blue catfish and larger eater-size catfish can be caught drifting cut bait on the deep flats from the lower end to mid lake. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 54 degrees; 1.04 feet below pool. Sand bass are schooling under shad on deep main lake points in 35-55 feet. Fish are biting 2-3 jigs tied above a 1 ounce slab. Blue catfish can be found off main lake points with bait on it. Crappie are fair in 35-50 feet on brush or timber using minnows or small natural colored jigs. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan's Crappie Co.

Richland Chambers

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 2.28 feet below pool. Hybrids can be caught but need cooler water temperatures to be consistent and bunch up. The white bass are in large numbers in 30 feet of water suspended down 20 feet. Slow rolling swimbaits through the schools is productive, or get on top of the school and deadstick a fluke. The eater size catfish are still biting, so get ready to fill the freezer. The trophy size catfish are improving and it seems bigger fish are being caught as the water cools. Black bass can still be caught shallow on hard structure such as rock or stumps. A chatterbait is hard to beat in these conditions. Covering water is the key when the fish are moving and eating up before it gets really cold. Good fishing. Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water stained; 58 degrees; 2.97 feet below pool. Expect fishing conditions to be up and down due to the weather switching from cold to spring like. 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; 1.46 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; 1.82 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni continues to fish well into the new year of 2026. The lake is in a solid winter pattern as main lake temperatures are sitting right at 53 degrees. The hybrid, striper and white bass bite are good, with daily limits of jumbo white bass with some hybrids and stripers mixed in. Flukes, slabs and small jigs are best in 28-50 feet. The eating sized blue catfish bite is good. Fish are solid in the 1-2 pound range in 30-50 feet on punch bait. Trophy blue catfish are great with daily catches of 20-50 pound blues on cut bait in 3-30 feet. Crappie are good on the 2 mile bridge on small tandem rigged jigs in 22-28 feet. Largemouth bass have been slow the past few weeks. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. Striper fishing has picked up over the past week with livebait, and swimbaits being the main focus. Striper are reacting to swimbaits in 10-20 feet of water on main lake points and structures. Keep your eyes peeled for birds actively working as well, cast and reel through the area around and under the birds. Live bait is producing good fish 35-60 feet in open water and on main lake ledges as well as under the active birds. Look forward to the overcast and rainy weather coming to spike the bite. Catfish are scattered on deep flats 50-65 feet of water drifting med-large cut baits, patience is key as January can be a slower month for catfish on Texoma but can produce some big ones. Crappie remain active on structure in 15-20 feet with jigs being the main focus, day to day color and size preference can change so have the tackle box stocked with a variety of jig heads and plastics. Be patient and hang in there until you find that perfect combo they cannot resist. Electronics play a big role in finding active fish. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Stripers are good with Alabama rigs or swimbaits. Box fish can be caught on structure and ledges, while bigger fish are in deep 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 stained; 55 degrees; 5.76 feet below pool. Crappie improved to good at the crappie house with minnows and jigs. Bass are slow around docks with crankbaits and jigs. Catfish are slow in deep water with liver or stink bait. The visibility is 12 inches.

Whitney

FAIR. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 1.55 feet below pool. The pattern remains consistent for the start of 2026. 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; 1.79 feet below pool. Bass are good with slow moving baits off the bank. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs under bridge columns. Sand bass are good in the mid part of lake under schools of shad. Catfish good with cut bait. Report by Michael James, local angler.

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