Pineywoods Region Week of November 29, 2023

B.A. Steinhagen

SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.31 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.25 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 40-50 feet of water on standing timber with minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 20-30 feet of water with cut bait or cheese bait. Sand bass are good on main lake points in 30-40 feet of water using slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Limits of bass are good out to 12 feet and on deeper docks using flukes, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Crankbaits, chatterbaits Carolina rigs. No schooling action. Sloughs coming in the lake 8-10 feet of water Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Colder weather will urge black bass to move deeper, so sinking lines with baitfish patterns are a good option in flooded tree tops and deeper holes. Try baitfish imitations and poppers. Crappie will be moving out to open water. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Caddo

GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.20 feet above pool. Many anglers in the river system are fishing for crappie, white bass, yellow bass and black bass. As always look for the birds on the poles if you do not have a graph as they will absolutely show you where the bait is, and the bass will be around the bait. Go with a rattletrap, crankbait, underspin, Alabama rig or spoon and you should catch all you want this time of year. This pattern should be good until we receive a lot of rain and the river becomes muddy, or as long as the salvinia does not float around and clog up the river. The lake is fun, so come on and enjoy this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Conroe

SLOW. Water stained; 62 degrees; 0.69 feet below pool. Catfish are outstanding, pretty much biting on every bait all over the lake from shallow to deep. Perfect time to fill the freezer. Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Bass anglers are finding success in the north half of the lake, targeting shallow water grass beds in 3-8 feet of water. Spinnerbaits and rattletraps are proving to be effective lures for covering more water and attracting bites. Additionally, Texas-rigged worms and trick worms are producing catches near laydowns, docks, and structure. For those seeking larger fish, crankbaits and Carolina-rigged worms or craws remain productive on deeper structures in 6-18 feet of water near rock piles and brush piles. Report by Bryan Brawner, Lake Conroe Charters. Hybrids are in 12-24 feet of water on flats trolling with a pet spoon and a diver, or jigging MTPockets slabs. Whites have been running with the hybrids in some schools as well as juvenile hybrids, please check the tooth patch for proper identification. Crappie have improved in 11-22 feet of water on or near structure with hair jigs from Lone Star Crappie Jigs and Stunna jigs, hair jigs are out producing plastic jigs. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Guide.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 50 degrees; 2.26 feet below pool. Bass fishing has slowed after the recent cold fronts and you need to be very slow in your approach. Squarebill crankbaits and rattletraps are fair in 3-5 feet of water along the edge of grass. Texas rigs and Carolina rigs are best along the edge of grass as well in 3-7 feet of water. Suspending jerkbaits is starting to work as the water temperatures decline. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Fall weather has arrived so fish will start to prepare for cold weather. Black bass are moving deep for the winter. Cast clousers, ned rigs, and large worm patterns in flooded tree tops near creeks and deep water ledges. Crappie are moving out to the open water in 30 plus feet of water biting small jig patterns. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork continues to be as good as ever. Look for fish in big numbers moving as they head toward the deep water winter pattern. Look for timber along main lake creek channels in 28-40 feet right now for numbers of fish and some big fish mixed in. Minnows will work well but they are biting small hand tied jigs and larger plastic baits as well now that the surface water temps have dropped. We are still seeing some fish on brush and lay downs from time to time. Bridged have been up and down the last few weeks but they can be worth checking out for numbers of black crappie. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Houston County

GOOD. Water clear; 56-59 degrees; 1.67 feet below pool. Bass are biting Ned rigs, and wacky worms on boat docks, bulkheads, rocks, and concrete in 3-7 feet of water. Fish will still feed on shad, but crawfish will be a main food source until spring. Crappie are on docks and standing timber in 8-14 feet of water suspended biting minnows. Largemouth bass are in 4-11 feet of water using a Texas rig, chatterbait, or lipless crankbait. Catfish are in 10-20 using cut bait.Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking.com.

Lake O' the Pines

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.05 feet above pool. Crappie are good on standing timber 30-40 feet deep using jigs or minnows. Catfish are good baited holes in 20-25 feet of water with cut bait or cheese bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are good on topwaters in the grass on the edge of the river. Bass are good out to 12 feet of water using flukes, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. There is still hydrilla north of the State Highway 155 bridge holding fish. Cranks, chatterbaits Carolina rigs. Schooling chasing shad. Sloughs coming in the lake 8-10 feet of water Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Livingston

GOOD. Stained; 66 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. White bass are schooling on humps biting slabs. Few reports of striped bass. Catfish should be good drifting with cut bait or big gizzard shad. Crappie should be moving up Kickapoo Creek. Report by Jeff Friederick, Fishin’ Addiction Guide Service.

Martin Creek

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 68 degrees; 4.45 feet below pool. Bass are good using deep diving crankbaits in the timber mid lake, and with swimbaits and rattletraps around hydrilla in dry creek. Crappie are good on minnows around the base of the timber in 20-25 feet of water. Caution, one boat ramp is closed and the other is difficult to unload and load. Use the middle of the ramp due to shallow water.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water clear; 58-63 degrees; 3.53 feet below pool. Bass are good with decent sized schools chasing bait 20-25 feet of water. Crappie are good jigs and larger profiled baits are working well while the crappie feed heavily on shad. The majority of fish have made their way to deeper water. Report by Blake Oestreich, Brushbuster Guide Service.

Naconiche

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; full pool. The overall bite is improving as the water temperatures cool, and as we head toward cooler weather. Bass are starting to school back up chasing the shad. Alabama rigs, deep-diving crankbaits and shad imitations on topwater are getting bites. If you find fish near the bottom, a drop-shot can be deadly. Follow the bait balls and you will find the bass. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services.

Raven

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 66 degrees. Fishing is slow, but the lake level is looking good and clearing. Largemouth bass are slow biting on crankbaits. Bluegills are biting best in the morning and evenings.

Sam Rayburn

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 6.60 feet below pool. Bass are moving deeper with deep diving crankbaits coming into play, and as the water temperature dips into the 50s expect the rattletrap bite to pick up. Some bass continue to be shallow chasing shad fattening up for winter. Wacky worms along the edge of grass and pads will continue to catch fish. Crappie are in the creeks. Catfish are chasing shad balls up the creeks. White bass are schooling with catches on slabs. The lake level is low so navigate with caution watching for stumps and sand bars. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

FAIR. Water clear; 62-66 degrees; 4.24 feet below pool. Bass are good and should only improve as the water cools. Bass are in three stages with catches up to 8 pounds. Shallow bass are in 2-6 feet of water biting spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and rattletraps. Bass in 10-18 feet of water can be caught using a big crankbait, Texas or Carolina rig worm. Deeper bass can be found in 22-28 feet of water on spoons, dropshots and any kind of deep diving bait. Few reports of crappie this time of year while fish are scattered in deep water chasing bait deep. The crappie should start to group up in the coming weeks. Catfish are slow. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Tyler

FAIR. Water stained; 64 degrees; 2.81 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bluegill are good with nice size catches on red worms all over the lake. Catfish are fair all over the lake on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. This time of year nice catches of bass can be had on black trick worms and finesse baits shallow and deep. Crappie are good in 15 feet of water on brush piles using minnows. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Wright Patman

FAIR. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 3.59 feet above pool. Target bass on the edges with rattletraps and swimbaits. Crappie are fair on submerged structures with the jig bite improving. Catfish are good on cut bait, nightcrawlers and minnows.

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