Athens — SLOW. Water stained; 58 degrees; 0.56 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are similar but should improve as the weather warms. Bass are slow with a few catches on deep points dragging Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow with no reports of limits. Plenty of fish on deep brush, but hard to get to bite. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Caddo — SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 2.03 feet above pool. Caddo is starting to heat up as the water temperature increases. The bass should be moving up to the trees as the full moon gets closer but a trap or chatterbait out over the grass and pad stems should find them staging as they wait to move up. Just a matter of time before the big females will start showing up and showing out. As always just a joy to come and fish Caddo, a lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Cedar Creek — GOOD. Water normal stain; 52-57 degrees; 0.64 feet below pool. The crappie are moving to the bridge and boat docks to start their spawn. Slip corks rigged with jigs and minnows will be key. Focus on the retaining walls with rocks on the shoreline to catch the spawning crappie. White bass and hybrids are good, starting their migration to the creeks. Tandem rigged jigs in the creeks and mouths of spawning creeks will be productive in the coming days. Largemouth bass are good, moving shallow as well as. Focus on shallow brush piles and docks close to the creek channel swings with chatterbaits, squarebills and topwater baits. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.

Fork — FAIR. Water Stained; 56-59 degrees; 2.29 feet below pool. Fork is looking good for the spring. Bass are getting into the new shallow waters as it heats up to the 60 degrees. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits on windy banks in 2-5 feet and the front edge of flooded weeds is working. Squarebills at picking up in the same areas. Texas rigs with June bug or red shad brush hogs good on wood in 5-7 feet of water or on docks with cover. Viper XP jigs in black and blue and blue midnight good on big wood near ditches and creeks in 5-8 feet of water. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Pro. Bass early spawners are beginning to move to staging areas and a few may be on beds. Crawfish and bream patterns might draw a vicious strike, so make sure your equipment is up for the job. Crappie are moving to the mouths of coves towards their spring spawning areas but are still tight lipped. The water is still cold, but a few warm days will set it all off. Get ready! Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Crappie fishing on Lake Fork is finally beginning to show some signs of a spring pattern with water temperature hitting the mid 50s. This past week fish were caught in 8-58 feet of water. It seems like the 15-25 feet range had the most fish, with some lingering deep fish and some shallow staging fish. Target timber along major creek channels, laydowns and brush around the mouths of spawning coves or flats. Water clarity is drastically different with fairly clear water on the south deep end of the lake and very stained water on the far north ends. Best bait in the clear water has been small hand ties in various colors ranging from purple, pink, chartreuse and green. In the shallow muddy water up north we are using big 3 inch soft plastics in black and neon or junebug color on 1/4 ounce chartreuse heads. Minnows will still work at most depths as well on Lake Fork. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins’ Guide Service.

Hawkins — GOOD. 54-57 degrees. Chain pickerel are in the spawn. Small flashy fish patterns in shallow water around reeds and lilies is a good bet. De-barb your hooks to protect the delicate membrane around their mouths. Look for bass cruising and staging fish near bedding areas, small crawfish and bream patterns fished in open pockets near grass and structure might draw a hard strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville — SLOW. Water lightly stained; 54 degrees; 0.03 feet below pool. Bass are good using jigs on brush piles in 12-16 feet of water, or on boat docks with brush. Swimbaits, square bill crankbaits and shaky heads did well also.

Lake O’ the Pines

FAIR. Water stained; 52 degrees; 1.50 feet above pool. Crappie are good drifting near the dam with minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 15-25 feet of water. Sand bass are good north of the 259 Bridge with white jigs. Black bass showing up in shallow water lipless crankbaits. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O’ the Pines Crappie Fishing.

Palestine — FAIR. Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.46 feet above pool. Bass are fair Carolina rigging or watermelon orange brush hog on secondary points, with a few bites off boat docks with as shimmy shaker. Crappie are good under the 155 bridge in 24 feet of water, and few catches in the river channels in shallow water on minnows. White bass north of the railway trestle by HWY 31, and off the shoreline north of the HWY 31 Bridge using small swim jigs and rattletraps. Catfish are excellent on baited holes or the middle of the lake with noodles and bigger fish coming on trotlines and juglines with cut bait, live minnows or perch. Numbers being caught in 17 feet from the river shorelines. Report by Ricky Vandergriff, Ricky’s Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn — GOOD. Water stained; 51-54 degrees; 0.10 feet below pool. The cold front slowed the fishing, but with a warmer forecast the water temperature will increase encouraging all species to move shallow and spawn. There are many submerged cypress trees and brush in the lake. Bass should be moving shallow staging on beds. The inside of grass lines are about six feet deep, the outer grass lines are about 12 feet deep with fish hanging around the points and secondary points biting soft plastics and Alabama rigs. Crappie are coming out of the grass to spawn, stacked up near the 147 Bridge, and up the river mixed in with the white bass. Catfish are in the creek and river channel bends in 25-28 feet of water biting stink bait, cut bait and minnows. White bass are running up the rivers biting small rattletraps and roadrunners. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend — GOOD. Water stained; 52-58 degrees; 0.77 feet below pool. The water level is 171.1 with both generators running 24 hours a day. Just a note, 172 feet is a full pool for Toledo Bend. Water temperature at the Dam is 53 degrees. North of the three-mile Pendleton Bridge, temperatures have been running 52-58 degrees. The back feeder creeks are flowing and clearing. The main lake is clearing. Bass are starting to move into staging areas at the mouth of creeks, ditches, and drains. Bass this week have been caught up shallow from 1-6 feet in the grass, buck brush, and on the edges of the drains next to the flats. Good numbers of bass have been caught on chatterbaits in colors of black/blue, white chartreuse, and red crawfish. Other baits are jig-n-pigs in ½ and ¾ ounce in black/blue, brown/orange, and a Carolina rig with plastic lizards’ in watermelon red and plum apple. Crappie bite has been slow. White Bass are still running north up in the feeder creeks. Catfish are being caught in shallow water current in the feeder creeks on punch baits, shrimp, and homemade weenie concoctions. Common carp are being caught averaging 10-30 pounds off the banks close to the dam. The best bait is a tiger nugget in 8-10 feet of water. As the water warms, more carp will move shallow to feed at night. 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. Good luck and keep casting forward! Report by Master Captain Steve “Scooby” Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, and Mudfish Custom Rod Shop.

Tyler — FAIR. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.20 feet above pool. Fishing is improving. Bass are fair on crankbaits and worms in 10 feet of water. Crappie are fair but improving daily in 10-15 feet of water on jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow with the bite picking up with normal catfish baits. Bluegill are fair on red worms. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.