The weekly fishing report as compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for July 8 and also available on the internet at https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/fishreport.phtml:

NORTHEAST

ATHENS: GOOD. Water clear; 84 degrees; 0.26’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinners, and shaky heads working the vegetation and brush. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs in standing timber and man-made structures. Catfish are good on earthworms, cut bait, and prepared bait. Sunfish are excellent on cutworms.

BOB SANDLIN: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.23’ high. Black bass are good on finesse baits, swimbaits, crankbaits and plastic worms in 10-25’ near creek channels, submerged timber, and boat docks. Plastic frogs are still effective early near grass lines, and lily pads. Crappie are good on minnows in brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are good on cut bait, live bait, and chicken liver in 10-20’.

BRIDGEPORT: GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.23’ high. Black bass are fair on diving crankbaits, flukes, and Texas-rigged plastic worms in 12-18’ fishing structure, gravel and timber. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs fishing bridges, standing timber and brush piles. White bass are excellent on slabs and paddle tails on main lake points, flats, and drop-offs. Hybrid stripers are good on main lake humps and points with live bait. Catfish are good on punch bait and live bait in 12-24’.

CADDO: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.62’ high. Largemouth bass are good in shallow water near trees and vegetation fishing plastic creatures and frogs. Crankbaits, jigs, and Texas-rigged plastic worms in deeper areas near structure, and vegetation lines are productive as well. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs near brush piles and timber in 12-22’. White bass are good on jigs and small crankbaits in the main lake. Chain pickerel are fair. Catfish are good on prepared bait and live bait in 12-20’ fishing channels and timber edges.

CEDAR CREEK: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.53’ low. Largemouth bass are good working topwater plugs early on lake points, grass lines, and brushy cover, shaky heads, weighted Senkos, and wacky rigs later in the day along deeper creek banks, drop-offs and timber in 12-28’. Hybrids and sand bass are off main lake points and humps with slabs, swimbaits, and rooster tails. Crappie are excellent with jigs and minnows in brush piles, deep water boat docks, and near submerged structure in 12-25’. Catfish are excellent in 12-25’. Live bait and cut bait are working well.

COOPER: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigged plastic worms, crankbaits, and jigs in 12-18’. The white bass are excellent in 12-30’ with slabs, swimbaits, and jigging spoons over humps and flats and near the main lake drop off. Crappie are good with minnows in standing timber and brush piles. Catfish are excellent on live and cut bait in 10-25’.

FORK: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 83-85 degrees; 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on blue plastic worms, bladed jigs and crankbaits near deep structure, points and humps in 10-22’. Plastic frogs are effective in grass patches and lily pads. White and yellow bass are good in the deeper water of main lake points, flats, and humps. Crappie are excellent on jigs and minnows in 18-25’ in brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are excellent on cut bait and live bait in 10-20’.

JACKSONVILLE: FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 0.22’ low. Largemouth bass are fair with crankbaits, drop shots, and buzz baits. Crappie are good on minnows in 12-25’ around submerged structure and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut shad and live bait.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.28’ high. Largemouth bass are good on diving crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, and Texas-rigged worms in 10-25’. Crappie are excellent on jigs and minnows in the standing timber areas along the creek channel and brush piles 12-20’. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers, chicken liver and cut bait in 8-25’.

LAVON: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.08’ low. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs fishing 15-25’ over brush piles, submerged timber, and bridges. White bass are excellent in the 20-30’ with jigs, spoons, and slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools of white bass. Black bass are good on crankbaits, jigs, dark plastic worms and swimbaits in 12-24’. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait in 10-25’.

MARTIN CREEK: GOOD. Water clear; 87 degrees; 0.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and plastic worms in 12-18’. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in 12-18’ in timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait in 12-25’.

PALESTINE: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.42 low. Largemouth bass are fair working dark green or black Texas-rigged worms, swimbaits, and deep running crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around bridges and timber in 15-25’. Hybrid stripers are good on slabs and live bait. White bass are good on small swimbaits and slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared baits.

RAY HUBBARD: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on diving crankbaits, skirted jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms in timber. White bass are good on tiny torpedoes and small tail spinners early then fishing slabs and jigging spoons on main lake points, humps, and ridges in 13-18’. Crappie are good near bridges, brush piles and submerged trees in with minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 12-18’ on the north end of the lake.

RAY ROBERTS: GOOD; Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 0.59’ high. Largemouth bass are good on plastic worms, diving crankbaits, and jigs in 16-26’ near timber, drop-offs, and channel edges. White bass are excellent in 20-40’ on slabs and jigging spoons. Main lake flats, ledges, and drop-offs are holding fish. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows around bridges, standing timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on live bait and prepared baits.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84-87 degrees; 0.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, Texas-rigged plastic worms and spoons, fishing 12-25’ near submerged vegetation, rocks, and points. White bass and hybrids are good on swim jigs and slabs under birds or deeper near main lake points, flats, and humps when marking large bait schools on sonar. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs under bridges and in brush piles. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait.

SULPHUR SPRINGS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.43’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on plastic worms, jigging spoons, and crankbaits along vegetation lines, drop-offs, and creek beds. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in 13-25’. Catfish are good on cut shad and live bait in 10-25’.

TAWAKONI: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 83-87 degrees; 0.06’ low. Catfish are excellent on live bait and cut bait in 10-20’. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits, dark red plastic worms, and diving crankbaits. White bass and hybrid stripers are excellent on swimbaits and slab spoons. Watch for diving birds to mark feeding schools or use sonar to locate fish feeding in schools of bait near drop-offs, flats, and humps in the main lake. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around brush piles, docks, and marinas.

TEXOMA: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 81-86 degrees; 2.55’ high. Striped bass and white bass are good on live bait and topwater baits when fish are near the surface. Diving birds are marking feeding schools on the surface throughout the lake. Use sonar to mark schools along the river channel and flats. Largemouth bass are fair fishing shaky worms, swimbaits, and crankbaits in 10-24’. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs by boathouses, marinas and brush piles in 15-25’. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait.

TYLER: GOOD. Water clear; 84 degrees; 0.26’ low. Black bass are fair on Carolina-rigged worms, skirted jigs, jerk baits and drop shots fishing dock structures, and vegetation edges. Crappie are good on minnows in brush piles and timber. Catfish are excellent on punch bait and live bait. White bass are good in 25-40’ on rooster tails and slabs.

SOUTHEAST

HOUSTON COUNTY: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86-87 degrees; 0.23’ low. Black bass are fair early morning and evenings using swim baits with several 5+lbs catches this week. Also successful are black and blue Senko, watermelon red off points, and spinners, and divers. Crappie are fair in 12-14’ using live minnows and moving among brush piles. Bream are good using live worms in shallow structure. Catfish are good on juglines, and over 15 pounds or more using hot dogs and perch plus shad.

SAM RAYBURN: FAIR. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair with all success coming early, late, and now at night. Fishing lights have helped attract some bass. The best habitat is still vegetation edges with topwater, worms, and jigs. White bass have slowed with minnows seeking depth. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs vertically fishing thick vegetation and among structures less than 20’ deep. Catfish are good on live and stinkbait.

TOLEDO BEND: FAIR. Water slightly stained; 84 degrees; 1.09’ low. Many of the black bass stayed shallow, with success coming between 2-8’ on wacky rigs and topwater. Striped bass are slow with minimal movement. White bass are good schooling late in the afternoons in the many creeks and caught on spoons. Crappie are slow due to the mayfly hatch and should return to normal numbers in 2-3 weeks. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait.

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