Pineywoods Region Week of June 7, 2023

B.A. Steinhagen

GOOD. Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. Bass are good targeting main lake vegetation with a hollow body frog, or white and chartreuse swim jig. Water levels have been fluctuating, scattering the fish.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles or timber in 15-20 feet deep using minnows or jigs. Catfish are good shallow on cheese bait or cut bait. Sand bass good on main lake points with slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are good off points with brush in 15-20 feet of water with Texas rigged worms, deep diving crankbaits, jigs and jigging spoons. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Black bass are good on topwater and subsurface patterns. Fish poppers around boat houses and retaining walls, deceivers and small jig patterns are working well. Bream are on beds, try bead heads and wooly buggers Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Caddo

SLOW. Water stained; 72 degrees; 0.72 feet above pool. Bass fishing is tough as the current slows. The summer spots for schooling fish have just not really kicked off yet and it seems the most consistent bite right now is still on trees. Lake level is falling and it is finally getting hot so the grass and pad fish should improve. Keep a frog, pop r or choppo, fluke or senko and a Texas rig pit boss on the fishing deck. Let the conditions tell you what to throw. As always, it is a beautiful on Caddo and always fun to come visit a lake God spoke into existence and enjoy the majestic views this lake offers. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Conroe

GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.26 feet above pool. Eater catfish are steady on structure around 25 feet of water using Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms, minnows and punch bait over range cubes. Average size has been varying from small fish one day to nice ones the next with average catches ranging from 30-60 pounds versus the 100 pound fish being caught in weeks past. Trophy catfish are slow while the spawn is on, but can be caught on structure and ledges using natural baits. Quite a few nice catches of hybrids and white bass trolling with jigs. Make sure you know the difference and that they are over 18 inches. Our outstanding game wardens are out and doing a fine job making sure folks stay legal! Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Bass fishing has slowed somewhat with the turbid warmer water. During the day, bass can be caught on deeper structures and drop-offs in 16-20 feet of water using Carolina rigs, drop shot rigs and pegged Texas-rigged worms. Very early and late, bass will be active in shallower water ranging from 3-9 feet around docks, bulkheads, and laydowns especially near deeper water and bluegill beds.Soft plastic worms, senkos, and jerkbaits which can cover the most water will be good in shallower waters. Additionally, crankbaits and swimbaits can be good around riprap areas. Report by Bryan Brawner, Lake Conroe Charters. Hybrids are good in 17-24 feet of water jigging slabs, or trolling with deep diving crankbaits with a pet-spoon tied 12 inches behind it. Always check the tooth patch for a white versus hybrid. Still catching many juveniles but getting keepers as well. Crappie are good and the bite continues to be aggressive with a solid thump using jigs or minnows in 14-22 feet of water on or close to structures. You will need to hit several spots. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Guide.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 80 degrees; 0.77 feet below pool. Bass are fair with topwaters early around grass on yellow magics and frogs. Carolina rigs and Texas rigs are best in 12-20 feet around points with 10 inch blue fleck worms. Deep crankbaits are good on the deeper points over 20-25 feet with DD-22 in shad patterns. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Pro. Black bass are good on topwater frogs and bait fish pattern lures on flooded timber and grass. Bream are excellent on beds. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing keeps heating up on Lake Fork just like the weather. We have been blessed with great winds and weather for the last few weeks and that helps so much with boat control when crappie fishing. Brush piles, lay downs, bridges and those post spawn summer time trees have been loading up even more this week. Big white crappie are beginning to stack up in certain brush piles, on trees and some days they pull up in lay downs too. Black crappie are still good on bridges, lay downs and in big groups on certain trees. Covering water and checking areas is key right now. What may have been great yesterday may not be as good today and what may have been bad last week may be on fire this week. Just continue checking that structure that has been productive in the past and eventually you will find some good fish. Small hand tied jigs are still dominating the bite on my boat but minnows will put lots of crappie in the boat right now on Lake Fork. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Houston County

GOOD. Water stained; 79 degrees; 0.14 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are good in 4-15 feet of water on docks, bulkheads and points with Texas rigs, squarebill crankbaits and shaky heads. Crappie are good on standing timber, and deeper docks in 12-22 feet using minnows. Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking.com.

Lake O' the Pines

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 1.54 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles and timber 15-20 feet deep with minnows or jigs. Catfish are good shallow on cut bait or cheese bait. Sand bass are fair in creek channels using slabs or deep diving crankbaits. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are good off points in 15-20 feet of water with Texas rigged worms, deep diving crankbaits, jigs and jigging spoons. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Livingston

GOOD. Stained; 85 degrees; 0.12 feet above pool. White bass are beyond excellent on the humps and points on the mid to south end of the lake jigging with �¾ ounce slabs off the bottom near the island white and chartreuse. Still waiting for surface action. Catfish are excellent on the flats with shad or cut bait. Crappie are slow on some brush. Report by Jeff Friederick, Fishin’ Addiction Guide Service.

Martin Creek

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85-90 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Lake is full and stained above the railroad bridge. Bass are good along the hydrilla in 10 feet of water using red bug and plum colored worms. Crappie are good suspended over brush in 15-20 feet of water. using shad and black/chartreuse colored jigs with pink heads. Catfish are fair on jug lines using live and cut bait. Night crawlers on rod and reel drifting in 10-15 feet of water.

Nacogdoches

GOOD. Water clear; 78-82 degrees; 0.35 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good shallow on grass edges or along creek channels. Topwaters in the morning hours is still a good technique. Lots of fish are suspended in the water column feeding on shad. Stay on the lookout for schooling bass as we get into the summer. Crappie fishing is good. Black crappie are grouped up well on timber. Brush piles are holding good numbers of fish. Report by Blake Oestreich, Brushbuster Guide Service.

Naconiche

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees. Bass are in schools off shore with catches ranging between 2-5 pounds. Topwater frogs are landing catches along with Alabama rigs, jerkbaits, underpins. The fish that stay shallow are in the jungle-thick stuff, so get them by frogging! The crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services.

Raven

GOOD. Water clear; 82 degrees; 0.00 feet full pool. Visibility is about 3 feet. Crappie are fair around the fishing piers on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut and prepared baits. Bass can be found schooling around shad balls, occasionally blowing up through them. A chrome rattletrap pulled through the shad school is good for a limit in no time.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Bass topwater bite is picking up, and wacky worms, spinnerbaits and Carolina rigs are good on offshore ridges and humps. Crappie are good with mostly smaller sized fish being caught on brush piles and timber using minnows and jigs. Blue and channel catfish are good off points in 20 feet of water with cut bait. White bass are roaming on humps and points. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

GOOD. Water stained; 78-81 degrees; 0.64 feet below pool. The water level is 171.33 with no generators running. Water temperature at the Dam is 78 degrees. North of the three-mile Pendleton bridge, temperatures have been running 77-81 degrees. The shad spawn is winding down and starting to move into groups, shad balls, suspending in the water column depending on temperature in 12-22 feet of water. Bass will be feeding on shad balls in the outer swings of creek channels. The bluegill spawning beds will be the key for another big bass bite using swim jigs in bluegill colors with a short trailer in green pumpkin and watermelon red with just a little tail dip in chartreuse. Look for a hard sandy bottom where the bluegill can spawn on shallow points close to deep water. Some bigger bass are being caught on the main lake using Carolina rigs with a 10-12 inch old monster worm in colors watermelon red, watermelon red candy, black/red flake and tilapia gold over brush piles and edges of the river channel. Pay close attention to your thermocline as this can make or break your fishing day. The frog bite is picking up on popping frogs and hollow body frogs early morning and late evenings over vegetation. Captain's tip: If you are missing bass on a hollow body frog, two things you can do to improve your hook up ratio is to bend the two hooks out a little further away from the body then take your frogs and put them in a plastic bag or container and place them on the dash of your vehicle for a couple of days. As the sun warms the windshield your frogs will become softer and more pliable from the heat. You can thank me later. Flyrodders are catching Bass over vegetation using 8 and 10 weight fly rods. Top flies this week for bass are black or white Stealth Goober, a shad imitation crease fly, and a baby bass foam popper with a white tail. Crappie bite is still hot offshore using minnows and jigs. While fishing deep for Crappie using minnows you might catch several types of fish like catfish, white bass, bluegill, and gaspergou. Safety reminder: It's getting into the 90s in East Texas, so protect your skin by using your sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Remember, it is always better to play it safe by telling a loved one or friend the area you will be fishing, how many people are in your party and the expected return time. Report from Master Captain Steve “Scooby” Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, and Mudfish Custom Rod Shop.

Tyler

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. Bass are slow out to16 feet of water using topwater frogs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and worms. Crappie are good in 12-16 feet of water on brush piles preferring minnows. Catfish are slow with cut bait in 16 feet of water on brush. Bluegill are good on red worms. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 79 degrees; 1.93 feet above pool. Catfish are good on in 13 feet of water with punch bait. White bass have been slow, try trolling a shallow crankbait around main lake points. Crappie are fair but still being caught in 11-15 feet of water on brush piles. Report by Brooks Tarkington, Lake Wright Patman Guide Service.

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