Pineywoods Region Week of December 11, 2024

B.A. Steinhagen

FAIR. Water stain; 63 degrees; 0.27 feet below pool. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 1.09 feet below pool. Fishing has been excellent for big largemouth, especially when the sun is shining. Water clarity is dependent upon the amount of remaining live vegetation present and wind direction. There is up to 4 feet of clarity in grassy and calm areas and approximately 2 feet on the windblown points or coves. Bass have started to move out from the backs of creeks and are starting to congregate at the mouths of main creek channels. The larger fish are sitting on the bottom along creek channel bends or saddles off of mainlake humps. Big fish can be caught with an Alabama rig, flat-sided crankbaits, or a dark colored jig in 10-15 feet of water. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Windy, sunny banks and retaining walls are good bets for black bass. Try subsurface fish patterns in 5-10 feet of water. On warm, sunny days, small shad pattern flies might produce bass around submerged vegetation. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Caddo

GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.36 feet above pool. Caddo is starting to see its winter season kick in with water temperatures in the low 50s now. We still need a bunch of rain but as of now it is still dry. Beginning to see crappie anglers out here more, and the white bass are running better. Anything that looks like a shad should work, rattle traps, swimbaits, Alabama rigs, chatterbaits and crankbaits. Keep your fluke tied on for when they are being hard to bite or a drop shot. This is one of my favorite times of the year to be on this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Conroe

GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees; 1.20 feet below pool. Water temperature is close to 60 degrees and the fish seem to like it. Catfishing are great with numbers of big catfish and eaters. Eater catfish are great on baited holes using catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms or punch bait from 8-40 feet of water. Drift fishing natural baits can produce plenty of eaters as well as some trophy class fish. Largemouth bass have been good from up shallow to off shore on structure or schooling on shad. Cold water and unpredictable winds create dangerous conditions in a hurry so please wear your safety gear. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie finding them in 13-22 feet close or in structure with jigs and minnows. Hybrids have been schooling in 16-25 feet on flats and drop-offs. Many folks are trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, others are using slabs from Bradley Outdoors to jig for them, as well as casting swim baits or crank baits when schooled up. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 60 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. The best bass bite is around big timber near channels and drop offs in 4-7 feet with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, square bill crankbaits, Viper XP jigs, or Texas Rigs with creature baits. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. The water is cooler, so now we have deeper fish. Black bass are slow in 5-10 feet of water with Clousers with a sinking tip line are your best bet. Focus on creek bends and drop-offs. Small streamers and top water patterns might catch active bass in creeks on warm days. Report by Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork. Lake Fork water temperatures have finally dropped into the upper 50s and the big fish are showing up and showing off. This week we have fish all over the lake in depths from 12-58 feet. You can find big numbers of black crappie at the base of shallow trees in 12-18 feet in the mid lake areas. Sometimes you will find white crappie in the same trees suspended halfway down. It is the opposite once you move to deeper water. The black crappie are higher on the trees off shore and the white crappie are further down on the trees. We have seen some bigger crappie in the 2.5 pound range being caught so the winter time big fish season has arrived. The best areas for concentrations of fish are loaded with shad. The bite has been up and down this week but my boat has put the minnow bucket up until next summer. You can still use minnows and they will produce great. Small hand tied jigs are also working extremely well this week. We should also see the aggressive fish hitting plastics and even large baits as the water cools off. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Houston County

SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.26 feet above pool. Crappie can be caught on brush with minnows and jigs. Bass can be caught on Texas rigs. Catfish can be caught on cut bait.

Lake O' the Pines

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.57 feet above pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.

Livingston

GOOD. slightly stained; 63 degrees; 1.03 feet below pool. Water color is a good green. White bass can be caught in 10-20 feet of water. Lots of juvenile hybrids right now, so people need to watch for not keeping them. Catching all fish on Ducktracker slabs and Texas teasers. White and chartreuse. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.

Martin Creek

GOOD. Water slight stain; 59 degrees; 1.74 feet below pool. The power plant has not been generating, so expect the water temperature to be lower. Bass are fair to good in the hydrilla with swimbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and senkos. Crappie are fair to good with minnows and Bobby Garland jigs in 15-25 feet around brush piles and existing timber. Report by Hambone guide service.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.16 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent in 12-18 feet of water Carolina rigs, dropshots or deep diving, trick worms or white and chartreuse worms. Crappie are excellent in 12-15 feet of water and standing timber with ⅛-1/16 ounce white crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Naconiche

FAIR. Water heavily stained; 58 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. Almost 7 inches of rain has the lake up, and stained. In any case, we still have some bass that are being seen in deeper water in larger groups. Most are hovering just off the bottom, so a dropshot has been working pretty well. A few have also been boated with a deep-diving crankbait. Speed cranking with 1 second pauses gets bit.

Pinkston

GOOD. slightly stained; 57 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on dropshot and small swimbaits in 16-20 feet of water. Crappie are poor on small white jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.

Raven

FAIR. Water light stain; 65 degrees. Bass are good with flukes, worms, and lipless crankbaits near the hydrilla grass edge are reported to be working for bass. No angler reports of crappie or catfish this week, but anglers can try minnows on crappie jigs near brush piles or piers to target crappie. Catfish can be targeted with worms or stink bait fished near the bottom at the prairie branch pier or over towards the dam by the valve release tower. Bluegill are biting on worms and hotdogs over at the boathouse dock. Anglers should try to use them on a free lined hook or with a hook and bobber.

Sam Rayburn

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 2.32 feet below pool. The forecasted cold will initially slow the bite as fish become accustomed the fish will really start to feed. Bass are chasing shad in the shallows and off points. When you can find grass on the south end there is usually a bass that can be caught on crankbaits. Crappie and white bass are moving in the river channel. Catfish are good in 15-26 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

FAIR. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 3.71 feet below pool. Bass are fair with shallow fish coming on rattle traps, swim jigs and swim baits. Mid range bass are in 8-14 feet with crankbaits and Texas rigs. The deeper bass bite has been hit-and-miss, but the forecasted cold weather should improve this bite. Cast spoons, tail spinners and dropshots in 20-26 feet. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Tyler

SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.65 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 20-25 feet of water. Catfish are slow, scattered in 10-16 feet of water stink bait and nightcrawlers. Bream are slow on red worms in deep water. Bass are slow on trick worms and crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Welsh

FAIR. Water stained. 60 degrees. A few reports that catches of bass are good.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water stained; 65 degrees; 3.75 feet above pool. Catfish are good with stink bait. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs.

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