Pineywoods Region Week of December 10, 2025

B.A. Steinhagen

FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.43 below pool. Very few anglers on the water. Target bass in shaded areas or submerged vegetation with a slow approach.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 1.23 feet below pool. Crappie are excellent in timber from 20-40 feet of water with jigs. Fish are migrating from the Highway 21 Bridge towards the dam on timber. Fish are varying in the water column. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Caddo

GOOD. Water stained; 50 degrees; water level at 169.01 feet. There is a lot of current flowing in after the rain. It is officially winter fishing now that the water temperatures are on the decline due to the cold mornings. Catching the bass on Alabama rigs, shad pattern rattle traps, white chatterbaits, big swimbaits, or flukes. Even a shad colored topwater bait worked over a school will bring up big fish. Look for bait balls in the river or bayou systems to find white bass and black bass running. Cast a rooster tail, small rattle trap, underspin or an Alabama rig to catch either species. It is a fun time of the year to fish this majestic and divine lake we call Caddo. Report by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Conroe

GREAT. Water stained; 61.3 degrees; 0.95 feet above pool. Catfish action is excellent, with eater-size fish running larger than usual, especially on baited holes in 12-30 feet of water; Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms, and punch bait are all producing well. Anglers targeting bigger fish should drift natural baits like cut bream or shad–bites are fewer, but trophy blues are in the mix. Bass are active on offshore structure and along shad-filled banks, with deep crankbaits on ledges and Texas-rigged plastics or creature baits working best early and late. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie numbers remain strong around timber and structure in 13-28 feet, hitting hair jigs, plastics, and minnows, though bites have been light. Hybrid action is solid, with fish scattered and schooling in 18-34 feet, taking slabs, spoons, larger minnows, and shad; many juveniles are showing up, so check tooth patches for proper ID. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.

Fork

FAIR. normal stain; 50 degrees; 2.61 feet below pool. The morning bass bite is best over flats and long points with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits in 5-7 feet. Suspending jerkbaits are starting to work midday around big stumps and boat houses in 5-7 feet. Carolina rigs are fair on points and road beds 15-18 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Black bass are feeding in the backs of creeks and coves. Cooler nights have dropped water temperatures and bass are cruising the shallows. Streamers are enticing bass early and late in the day. Bream are shallow, try small hoppers. Sand bass are schooling mid-lake. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Lake Fork crappie fishing is about as hot as it has ever been going into the last week of November. Fast limits of crappie can be caught off all kinds of structure. The lake has tons of keeper sized black crappie congregated on brush piles, tire reefs, underwater bridges, regular bridges, road beds, humps, points, ledges and timber. Lots of big white crappie are on deeper timber and some brush piles in 14-40 feet of water. Crappie will bite anything you put in front of them as they feed hard and fatten up for the coming cold water. Small hand tied jigs, minnows and soft plastics are producing catches. This winter should continue to be some very good crappie fishing and a great time to fill your freezer up. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Houston County

FAIR. Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.12 feet above pool. As the weather cools, bass should transition to shallow water to feed on bait fish. Cast reaction baits to land a catch.

Lake O' the Pines

GOOD. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.21 feet above pool. Crappie fishing is very good this week. Fish are holding from the timber north of Watts Island to the Corps of Engineers brush piles, with additional groups staging along the river channel as they prepare to transition into the winter pattern. Most active fish are coming from 14–24 feet of water. Look for V-shaped timber, laydowns, or brush piles for the strongest concentrations of fish. Straight-pole timber is producing fewer fish overall, though quality fish can still be targeted there. Crappie are biting extremely well on live minnows and a wide range of jigs, with fish responding to almost any well-presented offering. Largemouth bass fishing was good over the weekend, with quality better than numbers. Anglers found fish in 10–15 feet of water, focusing on wood structure with deep crankbaits and jigs. Additional bass were taken on deep-diving suspended jerkbaits worked over the tops of brush piles. Report by ETX Outdoors. Crappie are in a full winter pattern with fish moving to deeper timber and roaming open water near the dam. Crappie are good with two inch plastics with minnows. Fish are also up river north of the 155 Bridge. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

Livingston

GOOD. Normal stain; 56 degrees; 0.18 feet above pool. Water is lightly stained and temperatures are sitting in the upper 50s to low 60s. Catfish are fair on live bait and dough balls, especially in deeper flats and near old river channels. Bass are offering opportunity–largemouths have been active on deeper points using Carolina-rigged worms, spinners, or jigs. Crappie are producing around structure and creek mouths with jigs or minnows when the water’s a bit clearer. White bass are still a possibility on spoons and slabs, particularly near humps or main-lake structure early and late.

Martin Creek

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 1.80 feet below pool. Bass are good on most of the lake. Fishing the hydrilla is always good while bass are moving into the creeks. Texas rigged worms, senkos, lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits are good. Crappie are scattered, but also moving towards warmer waters. The Old Dirgin Bridge is holding a few fish scattered on large trees from the railroad tressel to the scrapper cut. Minnows have been the best bait. Sand bass are good from the Dirgin bridge to the warm water outlet using slab spoons and tail spinners bouncing off the bottom. Large catfish should start moving towards the warm water outlet as temperatures get colder. Cut bait should work. Use caution while navigating towards the warmer water with cold temperatures due to the fog and low lake levels. Reported by Hambone Fishing.

Murvaul

GOOD. Stained; 52 degrees; 0.70 below pool. The water is muddy. Largemouth bass are fair with chartreuse and black squarebill crankbaits or bluegill bladed jigs holding tight to rocky main lake points. Crappie are excellent on chartreuse and black crappie jigs on a split shot rig. Crappie are deep and suspended on timber, so it is best to timber hop with live-scope. Catfish are excellent with live minnows, or a crappie jig. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal's ETX Guide Service.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water stained; 54 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Water is heavily stained after the rains. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigs or deep diving crankbaits offshore in 15-22 feet of water. Crappie are good with chartreuse and black crappie jigs, the lighter weight the better. Bigger fish are in standing timber, with keepers on brush pies in 20 feet of water. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal's ETX Guide Service.

Naconiche

FAIR. Water stained; 54 degrees; full pool. The lake is at full pool and has started to clear, with some good fish beginning to stack up. This is a great time to run power-fishing presentations such as square-bills, jerkbaits, glide baits, topwaters, and deep-divers. Early morning and late afternoon bites have been best, though mid-day action can still produce through the rest of the fall and winter. Crappie populations are strong, while catfish have been slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are good offshore in 15-22 feet of water on Carolina jigs, or deep diving crankbaits. Crappie are fair in 8 feet of water with white crappie jigs, the lighter the weight the better. Catfish are slow. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal's ETX Guide Service.

Pinkston

FAIR. Water light stain; 52 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair in 12 feet of water on flukes and Carolina rigged craw baits. Crappie are good on deep brush piles with white and chartreuse crappie jigs, the lighter the weight the better. Catfish are slow with live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal's ETX Guide Service.

Raven

FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees. Not much has changed from last week, with fishing patterns holding steady across the lake. Bank anglers continue to see the most consistent action, while overall conditions and species activity remain similar to recent reports. Report by Aric Brooks, Huntsville State Park.

Sam Rayburn

SLOW. Water muddy; 58 degrees; 9.02 feet below pool. The lake is 9.2 feet low but slowly rising after recent rainfall, with water temperatures hovering around 60 degrees. Overall conditions remain much the same, and the bite is fair across most species. With a warming trend ahead, Friday is expected to be the warmest day and could offer the best window for increased activity. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

FAIR. 59 degrees; 4.14 feet below pool. There’s been little change from last week’s conditions, aside from a coder start this morning. Forecasts show temperatures warming back up throughout the week, so fishing activity is expected to remain steady with no major shifts anticipated. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Tyler

SLOW. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 1.28 feet below pool. Bream are slow on red worms 6-8 feet. Channel catfish are slow on cut bait and nightcrawlers in 6-8 feet of water. Crappie are slow on minnows or jigs in old creek beds, grouping up in 20-25 feet of water or brush piles in 16 feet. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits, trick worms and crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Welsh

FAIR. Water stained. 61 degrees. Run the main channels in deeper water looking for crappie in open water and looking at structure. Most fish should be related to deeper water near the dam. The deeper water maintains a more consistent water temperature for the fish to adjust to.

Wright Patman

FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 3.48 feet above pool. Crappie are in a full winter pattern with fish moving to deeper timber and roaming open water near the dam. Crappie are fair on two inch plastics with minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.

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