East Texas Freshwater Fishing Report

Published 12:50 pm Thursday, October 28, 2021

Bob Sandlin — GOOD. Water clear; 68 degrees; 1.49 feet low. Black bass are good on crankbaits, shaky head jigs, red, blue, or black Texas-rigged plastic worms, and chartreuse bladed spinners near brush piles, timber, and rocky shorelines. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in brush piles, under docks, and timber near a creek or channel. Catfish are good on chicken liver, punch bait, and cut bait.

Caddo — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 76 degrees; 0.13 feet high. Largemouth bass are good working crankbaits, flipping jigs, buzz baits, wacky rigs, drop shots near creek channels, crossings, points, and trees. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs near brush piles and timber. White bass are good on slabs, live bait, and jigging spoons on the channel edges, flats, and main lake humps. Chain pickerel are slow. Catfish are good on live bait, nightcrawlers, and punch bait.

Cedar Creek — EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 69 degrees; 1.25 feet low. Largemouth bass are excellent biting on shad patterned chatterbaits and one-fourth ounce shaky head worms. Bass are moving up in shallow water 7 feet or less around rocks and boat docks. White bass and hybrids are good on main lake humps using silver slabs. Crappie are excellent in brush piles in 8-18 feet of water using minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on main lake humps using slabs.

Fork — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 2.14 feet low. Fishing is slow, but the shallow bite is the ticket right now. Bass are good using chatterbaits early in 1-3 feet of water after the bite tapers off, transitioning to square bills like Xcite XB 1 in 3-5 feet. Shaky heads are good in submerged timber in 3-6 feet of water with Lake Fork Tackle Baby ring fry. The crappie bite is heating up, moving to creek channels, and suspended to 12-26 feet of water using minnows and jigs.

Jacksonville — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 0.52 feet low. Largemouth bass are fair with deep diving crankbaits, shaky head jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms near points, timber, and brush piles. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs working for timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait.

Lake O’ the Pines — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.04 feet high. The bite continues to be good with similar patterns as weeks past. Bass are good biting on topwaters in the shallows and over grass, in deeper water on Carolina or Texas rigs, diving crankbaits off drop-offs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs under bridges and near brush piles, fallen timber, and deep creek bends and ledges. Catfish are good with punch bait or cut bait.

Palestine — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.75 feet low. The Fall bite is in full swing. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows relating to timber and brush in 12-30 feet of water. Bass are good with a topwater bite early, switching to jigs later in the day. Rely on heavy structures such as the boathouse, brush piles, bridges, and laydowns. Catfish are good on cut bait, chicken liver. You will catch bigger catfish on stinkbait.

Richland Chambers — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 68 degrees; 1.59 feet low. White hybrids and black bass are fair using Texas or Carolina rigs, spinnerbaits, and shallow diving cranks on or near points. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water on minnows near bridge pilings, brush piles, and timber. Catfish are good, using punch bait in standing timber.

Sam Rayburn — GOOD. Water stained; 74 degrees; 2.65 feet low. Fish have moved up to shallower water and are feeding for winter. Largemouth bass are good with some topwater action using frogs and spinnerbaits. Schooling bass are good on crankbaits off the flats in 6-15 feet of water and Carolina jigs in 18-25 feet of water off of points. Crappie are good in deeper water structures on minnows and jigs.

Sulphur Springs — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 4.12 feet low. White bass are good early back to the pockets using chatter bait in water depths 1-3 feet. Try topwaters at first light on the main lake points 1-3 feet deep using a KVD Sexy Dawg. Later, try shaky heads worms with GrandeBass Rattlesnakes or Lake Fork Tackle Baby Ring Fry in 5-8 feet of water. Largemouth bass are good on football jigs, crankbaits, and drop shots working near points, drop-offs, and fallen timber. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in near brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are fair on chicken liver, cut bait, and earthworms.

Tawakoni — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.31 feet low. Blue catfish are good on fresh cut bait and live bait. Channel catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait. Largemouth Bass are good on diving crankbaits, Texas-rigged plastic worms, football jigs, and bladed spinners near rocky areas, docks, and flats. Crappie are good on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs around brush piles, docks, and bridge pilings. White bass are moving fast. Troll constantly to keep your bait moving over structures. Stripers are fair, not seeing quite as many as early summer. Catfishing is good on this lake.

Toledo Bend — FAIR. 68-70 degrees; 4.18 feet low. The water level is 167.7, with no generators running and no rain this week. The water is clear in the main lake and feeder creeks. Water temperature in the main lake is running 68-70 degrees, and further back up in the creeks is 66 degrees. Largemouth bass are on shallow running crankbaits in crawfish pattern and shad colors, white spinnerbaits, Texas rig worms, and craw worms. Some local guides have been catching bass on a topwater frog imitation bait in 2-4 feet of water. Crappie are being caught in 12-24 feet on timber and laydowns using jigs and shiners. The catfish bite is good on cut bait and punch bait. Remember to watch your moon phase chart or app for your best bite and times for this week. Good luck and tight lines! Safety Reminder: Everyone needs to wear their life jackets (PFDs). Inspect your lanyard (for wear and tear) on your engine kill switch before leaving the boat ramp to make sure they are in good operating conditions.

Tyler —  GOOD. Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 0.70 feet low. Black bass are good on tubes, football jigs, crankbaits, and Carolina-rigged plastic worms near points, flats, and brush piles. Crappie continue to be good on minnows and jigs in timber and brush piles in 13-15 feet of water. Catfish are good on cut bait, chicken liver, and punch bait. White bass are good with slabs and swimbaits. Bream are good with dough bait, live crickets, or cutworms.