East Texas Fishing Report

Published 7:15 pm Thursday, January 16, 2025

Tyler — SLOW. Water normal stain; 52 degrees; 0.25 feet above pool. Very few anglers on the water due to the cold fronts. Expect the bite to continue to be slow for all species. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Palestine — GOOD. Water slightly stained; 52 degrees; 0.32 feet below pool. A big cold front came through last weekend, after a short warming trend there is another cold front in the forecast for the weekend. None of this is good for fishing, just makes it uncomfortable. White bass are good, but there is a limited bite period. Target the channel in front of Flat Creek Island, or the humps of the bay right after sunrise. Hybrid stripers are good, but again, limited bite periods. Try trolling the channel in front of the Eagles Bluff boathouses, and the channel leading to the overflow spillway. For trolling use redneck trolling rigs with Pet spoons, or yankee trolling rigs with Coyote spoons. Report by Jim Beggerly, jimsfishinglakepalestine. Crappie are good with jigs and minnows in creeks off Lake Palestine. There are even reports of some white bass trickling in as well. White bass can be caught on white curly tails and small crappie jigs, or spinnerbaits. Report by Caleb Hensley, 903 Fishing.

Bob Sandlin — FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.21 feet below pool. Fish are holding tight to large pieces of hard cover in the depth transition between shallow sunny areas and deep water access. They have been biting on a black and blue jig, a finesse worm on a shaky head, and a small paddle tail swimbait in a dark shad color while fishing parallel to depth transitions. Most bites are coming off of individual pieces of hard cover. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Windy, sunny banks and retaining walls are good bets for black bass. Try subsurface fish patterns in 5-10 feet of water. On warm, sunny days, small shad pattern flies might produce bass around submerged vegetation. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Caddo — GOOD. Water stained; 42 degrees; 1.21 feet above pool. The cold weather has dropped the water temperatures into the lower 40s and this next cold front is going to drop it more. The bite has been slow but this is to be expected with lower water temperatures. Stay in the river and fish slowly with a jigging spoon or a suspended jerkbait. You need it in the upper 40s or low 50s for the fish to really be active and feeding. Stay in the river and bayou system and use your graph to find bait if you can find any. This will be where the black bass and some white bass should be hanging around. It is always a majestic time to come out, and fish on this amazing lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Fork — GOOD. Water Stained; 47 degrees; 1.66 feet below pool. The bass bite is best on the main lake around humps and ledges in 15-25 feet with Alabama rigs. Mid range bass are fair, suspended on timber in 12-15 feet with jerkbaits and large spinnerbaits. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Lake Fork crappie fishing has been up and down just like the weather the last few weeks. We have settled into the winter pattern and you can find fish from about 18 feet to as deep as you can find. Some fish are just 8-18 feet down on the timber even in sixty-plus feet deep water. You can also find fish down as deep as 45-50 feet on the same timber. We are seeing a lot of fish but we are seeing tons of small fish. Seems like you can pick a bigger fish or two out of a group and then just find you another group of fish. Smaller baits are working well for my boat and 1/16 ounce hand ties on 6-12 pounds fluoro is my best bait in neutral colors. The key is to hold those baits very still and wait for the bite. If you move the bait or the waves move your bait that fish will most likely not bite. You will need to find fish in protected areas if the wind is blowing that day. Minnows and soft plastics will get you bit as well. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Lake O’ the Pines — FAIR. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 1.51 feet above pool. Fish are holding tight to large pieces of hard cover in the depth transition between shallow sunny areas and deep water access. They have been biting on a black and blue jig, a finesse worm on a shaky head, and a small paddle tail swimbait in a dark shad color while fishing parallel to depth transitions. Most bites are coming off of individual pieces of hard cover. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.

Martin Creek — GOOD. Water stained; 54 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. Martin Creek is at full pool and the clarity is stained with water temperatures 54 degrees at boat launch, and 71 degrees at the discharge. Bass are good on the warm water side from mid lake into dry creek. Utilizing forward facing sonar is producing the best stringers on small minnow lures and jerkbaits. Bass are spawning in some areas. Crappie are fair with minnows and pintail jigs. For the most part the fish have scattered but schools can be found in 35 feet near the dam. Catfish are good at hot water discharge using live and cut bait. Report by Hambone Guide Service.

Athens — SLOW. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Bass are slow in 8-15 feet of water in the grass with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senko and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.

Hawkins — GOOD. Water slightly stained. 55 degrees. Chain Pickerel are active in shallow water. Concentrate on areas with stumps, brush, and vegetation. Small bass are active in shallow areas relating to vegetation and structure. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Jacksonville — SLOW. Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.24 feet above pool. Water is muddy with temperatures in the low 50s. Bass are good in shallow water with soft plastics, or in 10-12 feet on structure with crankbaits.