Texas Fishing Report

Published 9:11 pm Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Athens — GOOD. Water clear; 60-63 degrees; 0.08 feet low.Bass are slow and scattered along grass lines, and schooling up to chase shad. Moving baits such as rattle traps and smaller baits are working best. Crappie are good in brush piles in 16-25 feet of water using small jigs. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Bob Sandlin — GOOD. Water clear; 55 degrees; 1.69 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; 58 degrees; 0.28 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; 61 degrees; 1.45 feet low. Largemouth bass bite has backed off some. Fish in 8-14 feet of water on secondary creek channels using Texas rigs and a four-ounce shaky head. White bass and hybrids are good on main lake humps and points using silver slabs. Night fishing is excellent right now too. Crappie are good using jigs in brush piles in submerged brush piles in 8-18 feet of water and around docks near creek channels. Catfish are good on baited holes. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.

Fork — FAIR. Water lightly stained; 62-64 degrees; 2.76 feet low. Largemouth bass are fair and clinging to the same holding pattern. Bass are biting on chatterbaits in the backs of coves in 1-3 feet of water, but we should see this bite going away soon. Viper ST jigs 3-5 feet of water and one-half ounce football jigs in 8-10 feet of water on drop-offs. Suspending jerkbaits around wood in 5-7 feet has brought several catches. Catfish are excellent on self-baited holes in 20-35 feet of water. Report by Lake Fork fishing guides Jason Hoffman and Marc Mitchell. Crappie are good chasing the shad to warmer water. Catches coming in 26-42 feet of water from the main creek and secondary channels close or adjacent to timber using minnows and soft plastics. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.



Jacksonville — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 51 degrees; 0.40 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; 60 degrees; 0.32 feet low. The crappie are transitioning from the deeper water into the creek channel by 259 bridg. Fish are suspended in 18 feet of water biting on rosy red minnows or jigs. They are also biting on the Corps of Engineers brush tops using any color jig. Catfish are good on stinkbait. Report by Lake O’Pines RV, Marina & Inn.

Palestine — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 67 degrees; 0.81 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.

Sam Rayburn — GOOD. Water stained; 62 degrees; 3.17 feet low. Bass are relating to points and main lake brush piles using jigging spoons and crankbaits. Crappie continue to migrate into the river, with catches in the brushpiles using whitehead jigs or minnows. Catfish continue to move into shallow water and into the creeks. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Sulphur Springs — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 4.56 feet low. Report is same as weeks past. 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; 60 degrees; 1.69 feet low. Channel catfish are good in 30-40 feet of water. Bigger catfish are starting to bite on cut bait. White bass are good on the humps and flats. Striped bass should kick into gear as the temperature continues to decline. Crappie are biting around the marinas on minnows and jigs. Report by Keith Parks, Messin’ with the Fish. The fall channel catfish are on fire right now. Success with punch bait in the trees on the north side of the lake suspended 2 feet off the bottom. Trophy catfish are coming soon when the water dips to 55-degrees. Report by James Evan, Whisk’R Fish’N.

Toledo Bend — GOOD. Water clear; 57-68 degrees; 4.38 feet low. GOOD. The water level is 167.7 with no generators running and a drizzle of rain this week. The weather warmed a little this week and now we are seeing bluegill under the docks again, and bass have moved up to the shallower water. The water is clear in the main lake and feeder creeks. Water temperature in the main lake is running 61-72 degrees and further back up in the creeks is 60. Largemouth bass are good in 4-6 feet of water on small crankbaits, white spinner baits, Carolina rigs, Texas rig worms, lizards, craw worms and senkos. The kayakers have been producing bass casting jerk baits and spinner baits also in shallow water. Flyrodders are using hollow body flies (shad and bluegill colors), and Clouser minnows (chartreuse/white or all black). Good numbers of bass are being caught offshore using electronics casting one-half ounce to one ounce chrome jigging spoons and deep diving crankbaits, or umbrella rigs in 10-16 feet of water off points close to deep water. Crappie are biting around concrete and bridges as the water warms up in the evening. The catfish bite has been good on cut bait, shrimp and punch bait. Cold weather is on its way so the fish bite will change overnight. Important: With freezing temperatures approaching remember to stow your outboard in a down position allowing the water to fully drain so it doesn’t freeze and crack housings. Here’s another hint to save you $$$, keep your batteries fully charged through the winter. Caution: Toledo Bend is very low right now. Be extra careful running the boat lanes as there are many stumps and obstacles. If you don’t know the area, idle in! 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. Good luck and tight lines!

Tyler — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.85 feet low. Crappie, blue and channel catfish are good on brush piles using live baits casting from The Crappie house. Bass are good along the grass lines using spinner baits in 16 feet of water, and starting to stage in 30 feet of water by the dam. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.