The weekly fishing report as compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for July 29 and also available on the internet at https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/fishreport.phtml:

NORTHEAST

ATHENS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.19’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, swimbaits, spinners, root beer, and black colored wacky-rigged plastic worms working on vegetation lines, brush, and timber. Crappie are good with minnows in standing timber and boat docks. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait. Sunfish are good on cutworms.

BOB SANDLIN: GOOD. Water clear; 85 degrees; 0.10’ low. Black bass are good on swimbaits, jigs, diving crankbaits, chatter baits, and plum or purple-colored plastic worms in 14-25’ near creek channels, submerged timber, and boat docks. Plastic frogs are still effective early near grass lines, and lily pads Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait in 12-25’.

BRIDGEPORT: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.16’ low. Black bass are fair on diving crankbaits, flukes, and Texas-rigged plastic worms in 14-28’ fishing rocks, roadbeds, and submerged timber. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs fishing bridges, timber and brush piles. White bass are good on slabs and swimbaits on main lake points, flats, and drop-offs. Hybrid stripers are good on main lake humps and points with live bait. Catfish are good on punch bait and live bait in 12-24’.

CADDO: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.51’ high. Largemouth bass are good in shallow water near trees and vegetation fishing plastic creatures. Crankbaits, bladed jigs, and Texas-rigged plastic worms are productive in deeper water near structure and vegetation lines. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs near brush piles and timber in 12-22’. White bass are good on jigs and slabs in the main lake. Chain pickerel are fair. Catfish are good on prepared bait and live bait in 12-20’ fishing channels and timber edges.

CEDAR CREEK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good working topwater plugs very early on lake points, grass lines, brushy cover, shaky heads, drop shots, and diving cranks later in the day along deeper creek banks, drop-offs, and timber in 14-28’. Hybrids and sand bass are off main lake points and humps with slabs, swimbaits, and rooster tails. Crappie are good with jigs and minnows in brush piles, deep water boat docks and near submerged timber in 12-25’. Catfish are good in 12-25’. Live bait and cut bait are working well.

COOPER: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.97’ low. Largemouth bass are good on purple, or plum-colored Carolina rigged curly-tailed plastic worms, crankbaits, and jigs in 16-25’. The white bass are excellent in 15-30’ with slabs, swimbaits, and jigging spoons over humps, flats, and near main lake drop-offs. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs on brush piles. Catfish are good on live and cut bait in 12-25’.

FORK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85-89 degrees; 0.77’ low. Largemouth bass are good on blue fleck, purple and dark green plastic worms, diving crankbaits, bladed jigs and chatter baits near deep structure, points and humps in 14-28’. Some topwater action early with plugs and buzz baits. White and yellow bass are good in the deeper waters of main lake drop-offs, flats and humps. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in 18-25’ in brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait in 10-20’.

JACKSONVILLE: GOOD. Water clear; 86 degrees; 0.05’ low. Largemouth bass are good with crankbaits, drop shots, and spinners in deeper water near docks, rip-rap, and brush piles. Crappie are good on minnows in 12-25’ around submerged structure and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut shad and live bait.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.53’ high. Largemouth bass are good on diving crankbaits, plastic grubs, bladed spinners, and Texas-rigged worms in 15-25’. Crappie are excellent on jigs and minnows in the standing timber areas along the creek channel and brush piles in 12-20’. Catfish are good on punch bait, chicken liver and cut bait in 12-25’.

LAVON: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 1.10’ low. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs fishing 15-25’ over brush piles, submerged timber, and bridges. White bass are excellent in the 20-30’ with jigs, spoons, and slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools of white bass. Black bass are fair on crankbaits, plastic creatures, and swimbaits in 12-24’. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait in 14-25’.

MARTIN CREEK: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.38’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on bladed spinners, crankbaits and plastic worms in 12-18’. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows in 12-18’ in timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait in 12-25’.

PALESTINE: GOOD. Water clear; 86 degrees; 0.02’ high. Largemouth bass are good working blue fleck, or black fleck Texas-rigged worms, swimbaits, and deep running crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows around bridges and timber in 15-25’. Hybrid stripers are good on live bait. White bass are excellent on small swimbaits and slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared baits.

RAY HUBBARD: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on diving crankbaits, chatter baits, skirted football jigs, and Texas-rigged plastic worms in timber. White bass are good on tiny torpedoes and small tail spinners early then fishing slabs and jigging spoons on main lake points, humps, and ridges in 15-25’. Crappie are good near bridges, brush piles and submerged trees in with minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 12-25’ on the north end of the lake.

RAY ROBERTS: GOOD; Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.29’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green plastic worms, diving crankbaits, and jigs in 16-26’ near timber, points, and channel ledges. White bass are good in 20-40’ on slabs and jigging spoons near main lake flats, ledges, and drop-offs. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around bridges, standing timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on live bait and prepared baits.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85-88 degrees; 0.05’ high. Largemouth bass are good on chatter baits, Texas-rigged plastic worms and jerk baits fishing 15-30’ near submerged vegetation, bridges, and points. White bass and hybrids are good on swim jigs and slabs under birds or deeper near main lake points, flats, and humps when marking large bait schools on sonar. Crappie are excellent on minnows on bridge pilings and in brush piles. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait.

SULPHUR SPRINGS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.82’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on plastic worms, grubs, and crankbaits along vegetation lines, drop-offs, and creek beds. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in 13-25’. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait in 12-25’.

TAWAKONI: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 85-88 degrees; 0.50’ low. Catfish are excellent on punch bait and cut bait in 13-28’. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, dark blue or black plastic worms, and diving crankbaits. White bass and hybrid stripers are excellent on live bait and slab spoons. Watch for diving birds to mark feeding schools or use sonar to locate fish feeding in schools of bait near drop-offs, flats, and humps in the main lake. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs around brush piles, docks and bridge pilings.

TEXOMA: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84-87 degrees; 1.05’ high. Striped bass and white bass are good on live bait and topwater baits when fish are near the surface. Diving birds are marking feeding schools on the surface throughout the lake. Use sonar to mark schools along the river channel and flats. Largemouth bass are good fishing jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms, and crankbaits in 8-24’. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs by boathouses, marinas and brush piles in 15-25’. Catfish are good on cut bait, prepared bait, and live bait.

TYLER: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.14’ low. Black bass are fair on Carolina-rigged worms, skirted football jigs, jerk baits and drop shots fishing docks, timber and vegetation edges. Crappie are good on minnows in brush piles and timber. Catfish are excellent on punch bait and live bait. White bass are good in 25-40’ on rooster tails and slabs.

SOUTHEAST

HOUSTON COUNTY: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86-89 degrees; 0.14’ low. Black bass are excellent catching a lot of 2-4lbs and some catches of 8 pounds in 20’ of water on plastic lizards Texas-rigged and shad and white-colored crankbait. Crappie are good using minnows in and around the brush. Bream and bluegill are excellent using live worms near shade and shallow brush. Catfish are good off piers with lights using live bait, and on juglines using shad.

SAM RAYBURN: FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees; 1.35’ low. Largemouth bass are good in the am on topwater in calm water out of the wind, and fair in the pm fishing brush and ledges between 14-18’ on brighter worms, and jigs. White bass are fair, reaching deep with minnows and flashers. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs working shade and tight vegetation windows. Catfish are good on live and stinkbait.

TOLEDO BEND: FAIR. Water slightly stained; 85-88 degrees; 1.67’ low. Black bass are excellent as the best bait is Carolina rigged soft plastic worms in 15-25’ with long casts. Fish until around 9:15 a.m. and then back again around 5 p.m. There are still some successes to be had on topwater early and some 4-7’ middle-size bass. White bass are fair 20-28’. Crappie are fair suspended 13-15’, over brush over 20’ deep, mainly on minnows and occasionally jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait.