Tyler — GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.24 feet above pool. Rain and cooler weather in the forecast for the weekend. Crappie are good using minnows and jigs on brush in 16 feet of water. Catfish are good in 12-16 feet of water nightcrawlers, shrimp, and liver. Bream are good on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are good on crankbaits, plastic worms and topwater frogs. Carp are biting minnows, worms, and dough bait. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Palestine — GOOD. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.17 feet above pool. Water temps are at 84-89 degrees. The recent weather with overcast clouds and intermittent rain and a forecast for more the next several days has really improved fishing, and made it more comfortable for anglers. Bass are good and have improved after the first light and before late afternoon in the deeper water points and the few drop-offs. White bass and hybrids have also expanded their bite periods. Channel catfish remain excellent but small in the daytime near shore, but blues are better at night for rod and reelers using shrimp and punch bait. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.

Bob Sandlin — GOOD. Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.31 feet above pool. Summer fishing patterns are holding steady. Channel catfish are fair in 14 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. A few catches of blue catfish in the same areas with cut bait. Crappie are good on brush piles and standing timber in 20-25 feet of water with black and green jigs or minnows. Crappie are good at night under the bridges with minnows. White bass slow. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Black bass are feeding early on shad patterns around grass and retaining walls. Main lake points are good for bass using clouser type patterns. Bream are plentiful with wooly buggers and small worm patterns. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Bass are good on points in 18-22 feet of water using deep water baits like deep diving crankbaits, dropshots and Texas rigs. Night fishing has the best bite and is an escape from the heat and recreational boaters. Sand bass and black bass schooling together near the dam, and bridges. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Caddo — FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.25 feet above pool. Another rain event is coming and that means more muddy water and more current coming down the river into Caddo. Work topwater baits early in the day around the grass and edge of lily pads all over the lake. When the sun rises, use a fluke or a frog bounced over the pads. Normally bass move into the river to deep cuts following bait, if this happens a shaky head, dropshot, or a light Texas rig. The lake is setting up beautifully with a lot to come at this time of year on this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Fork — GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 0.11 feet below pool. Bass are slow while the moon is fuller, and fish are more active at night. Early morning has been good for about an hour or so on frogs and flukes around grass in 2-4 feet. Switching to an offshore bite the rest of the day with Carolina rigs and Texas Rigs on points and humps in 15-20 feet with big worms or KO sticks. Deep crankbaits are good over rop offs in 22-27 feet. XD 6 and XD 8 chartreuse and blue back and landing bites. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Cooling temperatures, light rain, and cloudy days have kicked the shallow bite into high gear in the middle of July! Bass are hitting topwaters and shallow streamers fished over flooded milfoil and hydrilla. Look for schooling bass in the open water and creeks as shad hatch is in full swing. Also, check out the brush piles as big bass are using them to feed on crappie. Bream are excellent in the dshallows, wooly buggers and small poppers should bring a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The crappie fishing on Lake Fork continues to be excellent as we get deeper into the summer pattern. Fish are still stacked up on brush, trees and some lay downs. Best depths are 14-28 feet with a few fish a little shallower and a little deeper. The bite has been somewhat finicky lately. Minnows are a good choice to help overcome the slower bite. You can still catch fish on smaller hand tied baits or soft plastics. I’ve also noticed that rotating spots or finding new spots with less pressured fish has been important. The catfishing on Lake Fork is excellent like it seems to always be for eater sized channel cats. There are still tons of fish under roosting trees in 14-22 feet of water on the north ends of the lake. Bait a hole with cattle cubes or sour grains to get those fish concentrated. Then use any catfish bait of choice to load the boat. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Lake O’ the Pines — GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 0.79 feet above pool. Solid summer pattern is holding steady for the bass. Bass are good with schooling activity starting to pick up. Follow the shad to find the bass. There is still some bass in the bushes along the banks pitching Texas rigged worms and jigs, or wacky rigs. Bass are good on brush piles on points on the south end of the lake in 15-25 feet of water with deep running crankbaits, jigs, wacky worms and Texas rigs. The north end of the lake is producing catches on the grass and bushes. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Athens — FAIR. Water normal stain; 90 degrees; 0.36 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are stable. Bass are slow, but solid body frogs, buzz baits, and chatterbaits are catching fish early and late. After the sun rises target Shaky-head worms and jigs on the outside of grass lines 8-12 feet on main lake points and flats. Crappie limits are possible at night over brush in 20-25 feet with small jigs. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Hawkins — GOOD. Water slightly stained. 80 degrees. Black bass are chasing poppers and shallow streamers on the main lake points. Cooler weather and light rain have dropped the water temp. Bead heads will tempt bream and bass. Bream will be on beds and easy to spot, remember they can see you too. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville — SLOW. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 0.14 feet above pool. Fishing has been better, catching more numbers at times, and bigger fish have been being weighed in this week. Swim baits, crank baits, on suspended fish, and soft plastics for fish in brush from 8-16 feet. Water has cleared up, and water temps are in the upper 80’s.