Arlington
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; 2.45 feet below pool. The weather continues to be hot for our metroplex lakes. Shad are migrating to main lake flats and the backs of creeks for the fall season. The bass bite is slow with fish hanging around the main body of water with a lot of schooling activity. Crappie are great as fish begin to put on more weight for winter and big schools of crappie can be found around brush and timber around river and creek channels. Catfish are great, fish are feeding around the main river and creek channels. White bass are great. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.
Athens
GOOD. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 0.24 feet above pool. Bass are good and can be caught in grass 8-12 feet with Texas rigged worms, wacky rig senko and crankbaits. Bass are also good on brush in 15-18 feet with spoons and Texas rig worms. Crappie are slow on small jigs over brush.
Bastrop
GOOD. Water normal stain; 93 degrees. Lake Bastrop is fishing decent for bass. The best places to start are on either end of the lake, and the discharge is always good early in the morning. Best baits are small shad colored swimbaits, a Carolina rigged fluke in white or clear shad colors, or shaky head worms. Later in the day, move to deeper ledges and humps with a Carolina rig in watermelon colors. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
Belton
GOOD. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 0.29 feet above pool. The autumn turnover is near, but it will not happen this week due to cookie-cutter days with daily lows in the 70s and highs around 92 degrees. There is only about 4 degrees difference between the surface temperature and the temperature at 60-65 feet, so just a few cool days and nights will do it. In the meantime, fishing is still tough as white bass and hybrid striped bass roam about in search of shad and remain suspended most of the daylight hours, oblivious to any bottom features. Extensive use of side-imaging to cover ground, in conjunction with downriggers used to put bait just above the fish with precision is producing the best with #12 Pet Spoons on the riggers. If an area seems to have a good density of fish and bait present, slow down and cast the MAL Heavy or MAL Mini horizontally using a countdown method for suspended fish or the sawtooth method for bottom-oriented fish. I also leave one rod hanging vertically in a rod holder with the bait very near bottom so I can race it up past them as they show beneath the boat on Garmin LiveScope or 2D sonar. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are great. Anglers can find blue catfish around points and river channels in 10-25 feet of water. Larger fresh cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds can be caught slow drifting with small cut shad along ledges and river channels. Channel catfish are great in 10-20 feet of water with punch bait. Flatheads are good on live bait in shallow water around river mouths. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
Benbrook
Water normal stain; 83 degrees; 2.35 feet below pool. Crappie are fair on live minnows or small jigs staying tight to trees. Catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait in 20-30 feet of water. Hybrids are slow. Report by Hundley's Guide Service.
Bois d'Arc
EXCELLENT. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 1.25 feet below pool. There is a good shallow bass bite in 2-4 feet around pond weed early morning with a topwater lure with a cupped propellor tail or buzzbaits. Texas rigs are good around timber in 3-10 feet of water. Main lake and offshore bushes are good on Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and mid-running crankbaits in 7-16 feet. The bite on offshore brush and rock piles has slowed. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Crappie are excellent. Fish are starting to transition to deeper water to a fall pattern, but can still be shallow. Use hand tied jigs or minnows in 8-30 feet of water concentrating efforts in 15-25 feet of water. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Bridgeport
FAIR. Water clear; 79 degrees; 2.65 feet below pool. Crappie are good on docks, and brush piles in 15-30 feet of water with minnows. Largemouth bass are fair to good with topwaters, crankbaits, and spoons on main lake points and deep rock. White bass and hybrids are good on main lake humps and points with topwaters, slabs or trolling. Catfish are good on cut and live bait on main lake humps. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.
Cedar Creek
EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.47 feet below pool. Consistently finding the best hybrid action in 13-18 feet of water with slabs, and spinnerbaits using the proven saw tooth retrieve technique. Trolling spoons with a hellbender set-up at 3 mph in 13-17 feet of water is absolutely crushing the white bass on several humps throughout the lake. As water temperatures decrease into the low 70s we will target big hybrids on shallow ledges and humps with Alabama rigs. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck's Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good anchoring on humps in 12-24 feet using small shad or cut shad on the bottom. Drifting larger cut bait like carp, drum or big gizzard shad on flats in 10-25 feet all around the lake. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
Comanche Creek
Comanche Creek is scheduled to reopen in October.
Cooper
GOOD. Water stained; 78 degrees; 1.84 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 15-30 feet of water on or near the bottom.
Cypress Springs
FAIR. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 0.40 feet below pool. Crappie are excellent in 12-25 feet of water on brush and docks with hand tied jigs or minnows 12- 25 feet of water. Try tying a minnow on the hook beneath a hand tied jig. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Eagle Mountain
FAIR. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 1.66 feet below pool. Anticipate a tougher bite while the lake is heavily stained and trying to turnover paired with a high pressure system. Sand bass and black bass are slow. Catfish are fair on manufactured bait or cut bait. Perch are good beneath docks with nightcrawlers. Carp are slow. Report by Captain Bobby Mann, Catch a Dream Guide Service.
Fayette
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; full pool. Bass are good early in the morning working underspins on points just off the grass, then rattle traps off the bank later in the morning or Carolina rigs 14-16 feet of water. Later in the day use deep diving crankbaits off points for 3-4 pound bass. Some bait fish can be seen surfacing along the banks early in the morning. Few catfish anglers on the water. As the autumn coldfronts begin expect increased topwater action. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen's Guide Service.
Graham
GOOD. Water stained; upper 80 degrees; 2.35 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 14 feet of water on brush with minnows and jigs. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling around the hot water outlet with a good bite on spoons and shad. Bass are slow biting early and late in shallow water. Catfish are good on main lake flats with cut shad.
Granbury
GOOD. normal stain; 83 degrees; 0.69 feet below pool. Granbury water temperatures are in the low to middle 80s. Water clarity is normal and the turnover that started will resume as the water starts cooling again. Striped bass and sand bass are schooling on the surface from Striper Alley to Ports-O-Call. Lots of these fish are chasing shad in open water. Some birds can point you to these feeding fish. An Osprey pointed out some surface feeding striped bass just the other day. Gulls are slowly arriving as well. Crappie fishing is good to excellent on small jigs and small minnows fished from in town to near Waters edge. Largemouth bass are being caught in numbers with an occasional fish to 5 pounds. Look for fish holding near creek entrances on shallow flats. Soft plastics and lipless crankbaits are effective. Topwater catches are good early and late for largemouth bass. Catfish action continues to be good on cut bait fished on humps and ridges close to creek entrances. Some big blue catfish are being caught on the upper ends. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
Grapevine
FAIR. Water clear to slightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.53 feet below pool. White bass are good with schools moving quickly as they chase shad. Be sure to match the hatch with 1-1.5 inch bait. Target fish on shallow points, or 15 feet down midlake. A few catfish can be caught mixed in. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O'the Irish Fishing Guide Service.
Hawkins
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees. Topwater early and late will produce good black bass and bream action. Small white poppers working shallow around the shoreline are a good bet. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Jacksonville
SLOW. Water normal stain; 87 degrees; 0.07 feet above pool. Bass are biting soft plastics on brush in 8-20 feet of water. The topwater action is improving in shallow water. Schooling bass are hitting topwater or swimbaits.
Lavon
GOOD. Water normal stain; 86 degrees; 1.97 feet below pool. Crappie are fair to good with limits possible, when the water temperature cools the bite will improve as fish start feeding up. Target crappie in 10-18 feet of water with structure in 15-18 feet being the sweet spot. Any colored jigs is good as long as it is in their face. Bass are good in 5-20 feet of water on rock or concrete structures, such as boat, ramps, riprap, and bridges. Cast white and chartreuse spinnerbaits in the morning, then switch to a square bill crankbait in crawfish or sexy shad colors. In the morning bass can be as shallow as 2 feet hugging the bank. Around 8 a.m. switch to a 12-15 foot diver in the same colors. If the crankbait bite is slow, switch to a soft plastic and slow the presentation down. Try a slender flat-bodied creature bait in Okeechobee, watermelon, red and watermelon green, Zoom motor oil worms, or Beaver tails. Watermelon red or watermelon green with watermelon red is best. Bass are not attacking swimbaits. White bass are on underwater points and ledges on the main lake in 10-15 feet of water. Use a white or chartreuse 1 ounce slab with a jig tied approximately 18 inches above to produce two fish on one rod. A thump or a splash or will keep them under your boat. Tap the bottom of the boat with a broom stick or something to make noise to keep them under you as they are very curious. Larger catfish are starting to move as shallow as 9 feet with a concentration in 15-18 feet of water. Cast cut shad, bluegill, or drum for the big fish. Channel catfish are sitting in 12-15 water on shallow flats with drop-offs nearby. Fish are primarily staying on the flats all day long. Remember, if you chum, they will come. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.
Lewisville
FAIR. Water normal stain; 82 degrees; 1.42 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady but as the water cools more white bass should be showing up on humps and points. White bass are fair on points and humps in 15-32 feet of water. Slabs, spoons, spinners and live bait are working. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are slow in similar depths as the white bass. These fish have been moving fast. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair to good on cut shad drifting humps, points and flats in 15-32 feet of water. Also the runoff areas after the recent rain should hold fish. Channel catfish are fair to good on baited holes on humps and points in 15-30 feet of water on cut shad or punch bait. Crappie are slow to fair in 10-28 feet of water. Check brush piles, submerged timber, laydowns, rock piles and submerged cover close to a drop-off ledge. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.
Limestone
GOOD. Water clear; 82 degrees; 0.87 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 8-15 feet of water on offshore brush, power lines, and standing timber with minnows. Largemouth bass are good on offshore brush, docks, bulkheads and rocks in 4-12 feet of water with Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, or Carolina rigs. White bass are on main lake points and flats in 7-16 feet of water with spoons. White bass can also be caught on beetle spins at night around docks with lights. Catfish can be caught with cut bait or minnows on the main lake or at the mouths of creeks. Shad are transitioning to be the backs of creeks. Limestone Marina continues to be the best place for bank fishing. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.
Navarro Mills
GOOD. 85 degrees; 0.01 full pool. Catfish are excellent with any catfish bait. White bass are elusive. Crappie are shallow or suspended in the water column 3-6 feet below the surface above brush. Crappie are preferring minnows. No reports of largemouth bass. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.
Palestine
FAIR. Water stained; 87 degrees; 0.08 feet below pool. Catfish are biting cut bait and fresh shad. Sand bass, and hybrids are biting early morning late evening on spoons and spinnerbaits. Crappie are biting in deep water around docks and brush piles on minnows. The lake is steadily dropping a little everyday, but the water is fairly clear. Report by David Holt, Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.
Ray Hubbard
GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.91 feet below pool. White bass are fair in the mornings with very little surface activity on the common flats. Throw small swimbaits, tail spinners or rattle traps. Later in the morning white bass are shallow in 12-16 feet on long points, coves and ledges. The best technique is to troll in 12-14 feet of water. Crappie are slow and relating to brush piles in 12-15 feet of water. Crappie are at some bridge columns. Catfish are fair in wooded timber in 12-15 feet on prepared punch bait. Chumming will help bring the schools into your areas. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.
Ray Roberts
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 82 degrees; 1.07 feet below pool. The transition to fall patterns is just around the corner. Crappie are fair on timber in 12-18 feet of water with minnows or natural colored or silver and chartreuse jigs. Largemouth bass are good offshore, and secondary points at the mouths of creeks with jigs or shad imitation baits. Large worms are not as productive. Start using topwater frogs on mats and vegetation. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan's Crappie Co.
Richland Chambers
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.63 feet below pool. White bass and hybrids are still slow, but should improve as the water cools. Catfish are excellent with numbers of eater size catfish being caught. Black bass can be caught around docks using a variety of lures. The water level is perfect for throwing square bill crankbaits and chatterbaits under docks. Cover water on the main lake docks and docks on secondary points. Slow down and flip the docks when you get a bite on a moving bait. There can be multiple fish on a dock. Also look for underwater lights under the docks by looking for cords going into the water. These lights stay on all night and can really produce some nice fish during the day or early morning. Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.
Somerville
GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.55 feet below pool. The marina bite continues to have a consistent fair crappie bite, fair bluegill bite with crickets and worms, and good catfish bite with minnows or punch bait. Main lake crappie are fair with jigs or minnows over brush in 8-15 feet of water. Catfish are fair in 10-15 feet of water near structures with jug lines, cut shad or punch bait. Black bass are fair on crankbaits and soft plastic baits in 6-14 feet of water. White bass are fair trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair in deeper water using jigs and cut bait. Below the dam, all species are slow with zero water being discharged. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
Stillhouse
FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.12 feet above pool. The autumn turnover is near, but it will not happen this week due to cookie-cutter days with daily lows in the 70s and highs around 92 degrees. There is only about 4 degrees difference between the surface temperature and the temperature at 60-65 feet, so just a few cool days and nights will do it. In the meantime, fishing is still tough as white bass roam about in search of shad and remain suspended most of the daylight hours, oblivious to any bottom features. Extensive use of side-imaging to cover ground, in conjunction with downriggers used to put bait just above the fish with precision is producing the best with #12 Pet Spoons on the 'riggers. If an area seems to have a good density of fish and bait present, slow down and cast the MAL Heavy or MAL Mini horizontally using a countdown method for suspended fish or the sawtooth method for bottom-oriented fish. I also leave one rod hanging vertically in a rod holder with the bait very near bottom so I can race it up past them as they show beneath the boat on Garmin LiveScope or 2D sonar. Some smaller, "schoolie"-sized largemouth have turned up doing some surface feeding, but it is light and spread far and wide. A small, clear soft plastic on a jighead cast fast and accurately is about the only thing these shad-eating bass will respond to consistently. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Tawakoni
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 0.62 feet below pool. Fish are on the move and it can be a challenge to stay on them. The hybrid striper, striper and white bass bite has been good. Fish are stacking up on shallow points in 10-20 feet. Fish are sporadically feeding on the surface early mornings and late evenings when there is some wind. Slab spoons, downriggers and swimbaits are working equally well. The eating sized 1-3 pound catfish bite is red hot. Limits are being caught daily in just a few hours with prepared baits such as punch and dip baits. The crappie bite has picked up. Minnows are working best in 12-20 feet near bridge pilings. The largemouth bass bite is good on frogs at daylight. Then switch to shallow crankbaits around dock legs and submerged irrigation intakes. Shaky heads have been good too. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.
Texoma
GOOD. Water stained; 84 degrees; 0.28 feet above pool. Striped bass fishing is up and down depending on the temperatures. Warmer days have the fish moving fast and surfacing on top early and late. Live bait and slabs are working on shallow flats and ledges off the main lake in 15-25 feet of water. Crappie are biting jigs or minnows on points with stumps and brush in 12-20 feet of water, or docks and shade in coves. Eater catfish are good on punch bait in 18-28 feet of water on flats and in the backs of ditches. Baited holes are producing numbers. Soon big blue catfish will roam the deep flats chasing big baits. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Stripers are hit-or-miss with the best bite on topwaters or slabs on flats in 10-20 feet of water or deep in 60 feet of water. Target structure and the ledges of drop-offs. Some anglers are using live bait or trolling. Fish should be moving shallow as the water begins to cool. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.
Weatherford
FAIR. Water stained; 88 degrees; 4.63 feet below pool. Water visibility is about 8 inches. Bass are slow around docks with crankbaits and jigs. Crappie are fair on brush piles with minnows and shad. Catfish are fair with cut bait, shrimp or shad.
Whitney
GOOD. Water clear; 85 degrees; 0.42 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bat in 25-35 feet of water. Striped bass are slow on live bait and topwater baits where fish are schooling. Crappie are up in the main lake in brush 15-30 feet of water. White bass fishing is poor on main lake humps in 25-30 feet of water. Largemouth bass fishing is good using soft plastics on deep structure. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.
Worth
FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.97 feet below pool. Reports of catches of carp with bait balls. Catfish can be caught on punch bait.
