Athens — SLOW. Water clear; 51-54 degrees; 0.48 feet above. Fishing pattern is locked in until the water warms back up. Black bass are slow in brush piles to 30 feet of water using jigs, look for deep bait and throw flutter spoons. Crappie are fair with many small catches coming in deep brush piles. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Caddo — SLOW. Water lightly stained; 46 degrees; 1.06 feet high. Bass are slow to bite in 5-8 feet of water on the edge of trees and grass lines using Texas rigs and senkos. It is the time of year for the bass to start staging to spawn.

Cedar Creek — EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 48-52 degrees; 1.58 feet low. Crappie are good on brush piles in 15-25 feet of water using jigs. Largemouth bass are good on docks off points in brush piles in 14-16 feet of water using Carolina rigs and shaky heads. Hybrid and white bass are excellent in 30-35 feet of water following the shad. Catfish are good on main lake humps or baited holes using frozen or live shad. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.

Fork — FAIR. Water Stained; 46-47 degrees; 6.22 feet low. Bass bite has been slow most days, but is picking up. Viper XP jigs are working around big wood in 3-6 feet of water. Z-Man chatterbaits and spinnerbaits are good around ditches and creeks in 2-5 feet of water around big wood. Report by Lake Fork fishing guides Marc Mitchell and Jason Hoffman, Lake Fork Pro. Surface temperatures dropped to the mid 40’s for the first time this winter right before warming up last week. Crappie bite has been a little slower after the cold front, but getting better by the day with some fish weighing in around two pounds. Still catching lots of fish out deep in 54-56 feet of water, but have started to migrate to spawning areas in 20-35 feet of water. Best bite using minnows, the jig bite should pick up as water temperatures rise. Seems like we are catching way more black crappie out deep, and white crappie in the shallower areas. As we move into the spring bite we will see mostly white crappie. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Jacksonville —  GOOD. Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 0.17 feet above. Largemouth bass are fair with shaky head jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms near points, timber, and brush piles. Starting to stage up for the spawn. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs working for timber and brush piles, starting to migrate to spawn. Catfish are good drifting with cut bait.

Lake O’ the Pines — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 47 degrees; 0.63 feet low. Crappie are good just off the creek channel in 40 feet of water drifting by the dam using minnows or jigs. Few fish up shallow indicating the spawn is about to start. Catfish are fair in 15-20 feet of water on cheese bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow on Texas rigged senkos in 5-8 feet of water on the edge of trees and grass lines. Report by Jeremy Baker, Jeremy Baker Fishing.

Palestine — FAIR. Water lightly stained; 50-54 degrees; 0.23 feet high. Crappie fishing is very difficult right now with fish scattered at various depths biting on jigs and minnows. It will probably be like this for the next 3 weeks while the fish are transitioning for the spawn. Report by Mark Standrige, Three Nails Guide Service. Bass are good in the Kickapoo Creek area. The water is stained chocolate brown, but the bite is on using big eyed �¼ ounce swim jigs cast into the grass reeled back slowly. South end of the lake producing good bites on swim jigs thrown in vegetation. Boat house pilings in at least 10 feet of water using worm and jigs are also producing. Crappie are good in brush piles using crappie jigs with crappie nibble. Sand bass are slow but improving up the river using small spinner baits in chrome/blue colors. Catfish are good in 14-17 feet of water nightcrawlers and cut bait. Good sized catches coming from trotline and jug lines using cut bait and live perch on the main lake, and north end. Report by Ricky Vandergriff, Ricky’s Fishing Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn — GOOD. Water stained; 50 degrees; 3.49 feet low. The shallow bite has slowed due to the cold water temperatures. Bass are fair using crankbaits on points, ditches and drains and Carolina rigs or drop shots near creek c hannel ledges. Crappie are slow migrating back into the lake for the spawn. Catfish are in 12-18 feet of water in the channels on cut bait. There is not a lot of grass in the lake, so now is a good time to scope out the hard structures for future fishing. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Sulphur Springs — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 54 degrees; 5.18 feet low. Bass are fair on crankbaits and finesse jigs. Crappie are fair on brush piles on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good drifting with cut bait.

Toledo Bend — FAIR. Water stained; 43-49 degrees; 3.00 feet low. The water is clear in the main lake and stained in the feeder creeks. Water temperature in the main lake is 49 degrees and further back up in the creeks is 43. We had some snow in the Mid Lake area. It was light but nevertheless it snowed in East Texas. Largemouth Bass have been scattered due to the freezing weather patterns. Some fishermen are having luck with the Alabama rigs and football jigs on the lake. Crappie are holding in 20-35 feet of water off brush piles and vertical timber, but fingers crossed they should move up when the weather gets warmer. White bass are staging in the Logansport area. Catfish are in 2-4 feet of water at the base of cypress trees in the Mid Lake area. The catfish were biting on shrimp and Captain’s garlic weenies. February and March are excellent months for a big bass on TBend. It’s going to be a nice weekend for fishing. Good luck to all you Kayakers in the tournament this weekend. Watch for gators. Good luck and tight lines! Report from Captain Steve (Scooby) Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Mudfish Rod Shop, Kayak/Guide Service

Tyler — GOOD. Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 0.18 feet low. The bite is good and will get better with the full moon. Crappie moving shallow, anticipating an early spawn, biting on jigs and minnows. Bass are good in 12-16 feet of water on live bait, chatterbaits, and finesse worms. Catfish bite is slow. Bluegill are good on red worms in 25-30 feet of water. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.