Dunlap
SLOW. Water stained; 59 degrees. All species continue to be slow. Bass are slow with some small bass catches trolling with deep diving crankbaits midlake and mid river. No reports or crappie. Catfish are slow to nonexistent while shrimp could not even tempt a bite. Report by Lee Johnson and Kenneth Linder, local anglers.
Arlington
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 66 degrees; 0.32 feet below pool. Fish are officially in the winter patterns. A lot of game fish are in the deepest water of the lake or next to the deep water. Shad migrate to these deep holes for the winter and thus game fish follow them. Focus primarily for the 10-15 feet depths range this winter and then on the warm days try the shallow areas next to deep water. A few fish can be caught dragging points and throwing medium diving crankbaits. Sand bass are on deep flats. Crappie are suspended isolated in the main basin or in schools on deep trees. All species will sit facing the warm water current at the discharge during the winter months. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler.
Athens
FAIR. Water normal stain; 54 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Bass are feeding on shad and bluegill gearing up for winter. There has been a decent concentration of fish shallow and deep. Use live-scop to locate offshore bass and have an umbrella rig or a minnow on a jig head ready. Cast a weightless 5 inch stick bait in shad and bluegill patterns for shallow fish. Mix in a dropshot, Carolina rig, and Texas rig worm on the edge of the grass line. Crappie are schooled up on main lake brush piles hitting crappie jigs or minnows. Use a lighter jig head as the water cools down if the wind allows for it. Water clarity 3-4 feet of visibility. Report by Captain Kirk Pasalich, Artifishable Fishing Guide Service.
Benbrook
FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 1.76 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 18-30 feet next to structures with live minnows. Catfish are good in 20-30 feet with stink bait and cut bait. Hybrids are fair on live bait in 20-40 feet. Report by Hundley's Guide Service.
Bois d'Arc
SLOW. Normal stain; 47 degrees; 2.25 below pool. Water temperatures range from 44-49 degrees. The bass bite has been slow, but picking up a few on chatterbaits and spinnerbaits around grass and bushes. Best bite has been suspending jerkbaits around high spots other than pond dams 5-10 feet. Texas rigs and Viper XP Jigs around big trees are fair in 5-8 feet on creeks edges and tree lines or fence lines. Report by Marc Mitchell, Mitchell's Guide Service. Crappie are inconsistent. Fish can still be targeted on tree tops in river channels with minnows on a 1/16 ounce jighead. Crappie can be found from the 897 Bridge to the dam. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Bridgeport
FAIR. Water clear; 50 degrees; 4.48 feet below pool. Crappie bite is good on docks, offshore brush piles, and suspended above boulders with minnows and there is a decent bite jig bite in 8-15 feet and 25-45 feet. Largemouth bass bite is decent using deep crankbait, Alabama rigs, and swimbaits for deeper schooling fish, or on banks in the morning with crankbaits and chatterbaits on main lake rock and docks. White bass and hybrids are biting decently on main lake humps and points, deadsticking slabs or trolling with deep crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut bait and chicken liver on main lake humps, deeper holes in coves, and in the river on boulders. Report by Jack Pellegrini, Lake Bridgeport Crappie Guide Service.
Cedar Creek
EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 3.27 feet below pool. Good stacks of hybrid striped bass and white bass are being found on mid-lake points and drop-offs along sandy flats throughout the entire lake including the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch, and the spillway humps in 8-14 feet of water. Cast spinnerbaits and slabs, and watch for schooling fish on these flats as well as around deeper seawalls and shorelines. Fish any hump in 10-14 feet across the lake to find schools stacked up as the day warms. Schooling activity is best on cloudier days. Birds will show you the way and will become more consistent indicators of active fish as fall continues and throughout December. Target hybrids with a spinnerbait or work a slab vertically with a fast up-and-down motion. Strikes are immediate. A slow retrieve with a slab cast and reeled steadily back is also effective. Try rattle traps, spoons, umbrella rigs, slabs, or sassy shads to trigger bites. The crappie bite continues to improve. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 5–12 feet under bridge pylons, brush piles, and docks. Anglers are finding limits by moving from spot to spot�"catching several fish before relocating. Guides report conditions improving, with larger crappie showing up more frequently. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Fishing is good, the lake is 3.5' low and water temps are in the low 50's.. drifting cut gizzard shad and other rough fish like drum or carp is best. Try depths from 20 to 30'Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
Comanche Creek
68 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. Reports from largemouth bass anglers boast 40 plus fish a day with an occasional bigger fish up to 7 pounds. Limits of eater sized channel catfish on prepared baits is common. Tilapia are abundant on worms fished under a cork. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
Cooper
SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 3.86 feet below pool. Crappie are slow and difficult to find. Best bet is to target river channels with minnows. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Cypress Springs
SLOW. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 0.81 feet below pool. The pattern remains the same but in the coming week expect crappie to pull off structure and roam. Lots of small crappie are on timber and brush. Keeper crappie are coming off the bridge columns with minnows. Open water suspending crappie are easily spooked due to continuous boat traffic. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Eagle Mountain
GOOD. Water stained; 56 degrees; 1.98 feet below pool. Fishing patterns have been holding steady. The eater catfish will start to slow, so switch the tactic to drifting. Trophy blue catfish bite should start to pick up. Blue catfish are good with cut shad on trotlines. Yellow catfish are good with live perch on trotlines. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around boat docks and pushing shallow due to water temperature. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. White bass are fair on slabs over humps and points Perch are good on nightcrawlers around docks. Carp are fair to good on manufactured bait around docks. Report by Captain Bobby Mann, Catch a Dream Guide Service.
Fayette
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; full pool. Bass are scattered with some good quality fish being caught. The bite is slow to fair along the banks with rattle traps, or in 14-20 feet of water on deep diving crankbaits when the wind allows. Fish will continue to move with the roller coaster weather patterns. In a few weeks there should be deep pre-spawn fish. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen's Guide Service.
Graham
SLOW. Water stained; upper 60 degrees; 3.84 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 14-18 feet of water on brush and rock piles. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling out on the main lake flats. Catfish catches are good drifting on the main lake or in creek channels. Bass are slow with slow moving baits on main lake points.
Granbury
GOOD. normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.20 feet below pool. The lake is full and water clarity is good. Best reports continue to be crappie numbers fished around submerged structures. Some good reports from Bentwater to Hunter Park near submerged trees. Striped bass are hit-and-miss but are fair with catches up to 6 pounds on 5 inch soft plastics worked in 20-30 feet of water. Sand bass have been slow to fair but are good on small jigs worked midlake from Indian Harbor to Western Hills. Look for the birds. This is also trophy blue and yellow catfish season and they can grow to enormous sizes. Best blue catfish reports continue to come from the upper ends fishing cut bait on flats adjacent to the river channel. Blue and yellow catfish to 30 pounds are possible. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics near drop-offs near main lake points and near deeper docks. Some good black bass reports are coming from fishing laydowns in the river above Granbury. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
Grapevine
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 53 degrees; 0.02 feet below pool. White bass fishing is best on sunny days. Use a thumper to bring fish to the boat. Now is the time to start deadsticking small slabs and small swimbaits on stinger hooks. Gulls are still leading the way to fish. Fish are still not in deep water for the winter pattern. Some crappie and catfish are mixed in with the sandies. There are plenty of baitfish for the fish to feed on. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O'the Irish Fishing Guide Service.
Hawkins
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees. Small poppers fished around grass and isolated stumps should draw a strike from black bass. Small streamers should bring action from chain pickerel. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Jacksonville
SLOW. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 0.08 feet above pool. Bass are slow, but can be caught on brush in 10-15 feet with Alabama rigs, small paddle tail swimbaits, and small minnow type baits. Some fish can be caught on docks with big worms on Texas rigs.
Joe Pool
FAIR. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. Fish are officially in the winter patterns. A lot of game fish are in the deepest water of the lake or next to the deep water. Shad migrate to these deep holes for the winter and thus game fish follow them. Focus primarily for the 10-15 feet depths range this winter and then on the warm days try the shallow areas next to deep water. Report by Cade Rudiger, local angler. Water temperatures dipped into the upper 50s and warm up throughout the day to 60. Bass are related to bait and the bait has slid out to the mid depth up to 25 feet over major structure changes. The bass bite has been a little slow in the mornings but picking up in the afternoon. It is time to slide out to that first major break in 12-15 feet of water. Soft plastics on Texas rigs and Carolina rigs are working. Shad color crankbaits are working, and it may be time to pull out the Alabama rig and go after the bass. Stay safe and wear your life jacket. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors, LLC.
Lavon
FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 2.12 feet below pool. Crappie are deep hugging the bottom of humps, in 25-30 feet on structure, and hugging silt bottoms. Spider rig fishing working with minnows and jigs. Some crappie can be caught in 6-12 feet in the private boat slips with structure from 7-9 a.m. then from 3 p.m. to dark. White bass are deep anywhere from 100-500 yards off the dam. Turn on your noise making thumper or splasher and anchor up for about 10 minutes. If fish do not come, move a quarter of the way down the dam and try again. Fish should be in the same area as the threadfin. Use live-scope to watch fish get near your lure, then slowly reel up to trigger a bite once the fish starts to study the bait. Small swimbaits on 5/8 ounce jigheads, minnows, or slabs will work. Live threadfin are great. Expect to catch crappie, catfish, or a largemouth while targeting sandies. Catfish are good anchoring on tree lines in 3-15 feet of water with cut bait on the bottom and seem to be producing some very large fish. Catfish are schooling in 25-30 feet feeding on shad. There is a thick wall of bait from the bottom and anywhere from 7-15 feet. Once you see that, you know catfish are in the area. Start dragging cut bait on a santee rig. Black bass are in 15-20 feet of water on laydowns and rock piles. Throw a square bill crankbait up on boat ramps, even in the middle of the day. Put on a 12 foot diver if you do not get a bite. You will be surprised to find not all the fish are deep. Any super sharp drop-offs in 15 feet of water are producing bass with Carolina rigged jigs or a 5/8 ounce jig with a jerkbait soft plastic minnow attached free swimming it over the bass if you have live scope. No reports of bluegill, they have disappeared for the winter. No reports of tilapia. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.
Lewisville
FAIR. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.03 feet below pool. Hybrid stripers and white bass are slow to fair on points and humps in 5-30 feet of water. Jigs, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and live bait are working. There are some fish starting to show up deeper in 30-48 feet as well. 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. Channel catfish are slow to fair on baited holes on humps and points in 20-30 feet of water on cut shad or punch bait. Crappie are fair in 10-34 feet of water with minnows. Check brush piles, submerged timber, laydowns, bridge columns, and rock piles. Submerged cover close to a drop off ledge has been best. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.
Limestone
GOOD. Water clear; 55 degrees; 1.77 feet below pool. Water temperature was 55 degrees before the recent and should drop into the low 50s. Crappie are on brush, roaming, and on the power line pylons. Best bite is on minnows. Crappie eggs are still not fully developed yet. White bass eggs are fully developed though. Numbers of catfish and white bass are in 18-24 feet of water. Catfish are biting in the creeks and on timber with birds. The best catfish bite will be at the marina for bank anglers. Largemouth bass are in 6 feet of water or less on docks, bulkheads and rocks with red chatterbaits, red rattletraps, and Texas rigs. This pattern will be consistent until February when the water starts to warm. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.
Navarro Mills
GOOD. 60 degrees; 0.27 full pool. Crappie are good in 14 feet of water on brush piles with minnows. Good size keepers over 1 pound are possible. Blue catfish are good from the bank or the boat with cut shad. No reports of white bass or largemouth bass. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.
Palestine
GOOD. water stained; 55 degrees; 0.09 feet below pool. Water temperatures have stayed in the low 60s and upper 50s. All boat launches are open and usable. There have been reports of salvinia infestation, and the TPWD has responded, members of the Tyler Fisheries Division have been out spraying several of the lakes in the regions. If you come across their operations or barriers, please give them the space to do their thing, they are trying to improve fish habitat for us. Drain your boat at the point you exit a lake, leave as much open and draining as possible on the way home, and do not enter a lake with bilge, livewell, or baitwell water in there. Unless we get several days of sub-freezing temperatures in January or early February, the season is being set for an early crappie spawn and a great bass spawn. Crappie bite should be in the shallows by mid-January pending there is not a freeze. Bass anglers should start looking at the northern early spawning areas, Flat, Neches River, and Kickapoo Creek now for signs of pre-spawn and staging. Report by Jim's Fishing.
Palo Pinto
SLOW. normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.34 feet below pool. Blue catfish are starting to bite in shallow water on fresh shad and cut bait. Hybrids, sand bass, and black bass are slow. Crappie are biting in deep water on minnows. Report by Palo Pinto RV Park.
Ray Hubbard
GOOD. Water normal stain; 52 degrees; 1.34 feet below pool. White bass are grouped up in large schools on deep flats in 32-38 feet of water. The south end of the lake is the most productive area. Locate schools of bait and fish in those areas with two or three jigs tied above a 1 ounce slab. Thumping the boat produces the best chances. Most fish are suspended in the middle of the water column. Crappie are fair as fish move out from brush to the deeper water along flats and levees. Reports of big blues catfish on the deep flats from the lower end to mid lake. Drifting with large cut bait best. Report by John Varner, John Varner's Guide Service.
Ray Roberts
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 0.94 feet below pool. Crappie are on main lake brush piles 35-45 feet of water, and in the creeks in 12-18 feet of water on timber and in deep holes. Crappie are good with natural colored jigs or minnows. Channel catfish are good on baited holes. Blue catfish can be caught on flats with 40-60 feet of water with cut bait. Sand bass are fair on humps with live bait, or slabs. Largemouth bass are fair to good running in pockets, ditches and draws with a swim jig. Report by Daniel Koberna, Lt. Dan's Crappie Co.
Richland Chambers
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 2.12 feet below pool. Hybrids and white bass are grouping up in bigger schools. Fish can be caught on slabs and spinnerbaits in 18-25 feet. The deadstick technique is improving for hybrid catches. Catfish are good in baited areas in 25 feet of water. Some guides are drifting flats with cut bait for larger fish. Black bass will be using the hard cover as the water temperature declines. Target these areas slowly with crankbaits and jigs making multiple casts. Alabama rigs can be a great option if you have a livescope to target bass on standing timber. Report by Terry Hawkins Guide Service.
Somerville
FAIR. Water stained; 53 degrees; 2.85 feet below pool. The first freeze of the season dropped water temperatures into the low 50s. At the marina all species are fair. On the lake crappie are fair with various jigs and minnows holding tight beneath brush in 8-16 feet of water. Catfish are good in 5-12 feet of water on drop-offs with cut shad, punch bait or using jug lines. Black bass are fair on craw jigs and slow plastic baits in 6-14 feet of water. White bass are slow trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair with jigs or cut bait in deeper water. Below the dam all species are slow while water is not being discharged. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
Stillhouse
FAIR. Water stained; 63 degrees; 1.10 feet above pool. Wintertime fishing patterns are emerging as cold fronts steadily move through every three days or so. Fishing tends to be best as wind velocity is increasing just after the actual front of a cold front passes by, and again on the first day of a returning southerly wind. Foggy days and post frontal are extremely tough, all other conditions lead to so-so fishing. It is necessary to slow down with �¾ ounce white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab. Reel slowly and steadily up off bottom when fish are stacked up in deeper water. Use a white 3 inch curl tail grub with a 3/8 ounce jig head on light braid with a sawtooth method when fish are spread across the bottom, typically in shallow water. Birds are present and have been helpful in locating fish, but are far from consistent at this point, but are far from consistent at this point. Largemouth bass are beginning to move into deep timber where the same slab is effective in drawing strikes while the slab is being drilled upward, or while snap jig near bottom. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Tawakoni
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 52 degrees; 1.65 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni has settled into a healthy winter pattern and all species of fish are feeding! Water temperatures are sitting right at 52 degrees on the main lake. There is a big warm-up in the forecast, so water temperature could rise as high as 55 degrees on the main lake. The hybrid striper and white bass bite has been solid. Lots of big whites and some jumbo hybrids being caught on artificials in 30-50 feet. Best lures have been 4 inch swimbaits and 4 inch chartreuse flukes. The eating sized catfish bite has slowed some as it does every year when waters get into the lower 50s. Fishing under the cormorant roosts still are producing good numbers of quality eating sized fish 3-6 pounds. The trophy catfish bite is good for fish up to 55 pounds. Targeting fish in 20-35 feet has been the ticket on fresh cut gizzard shad. The crappie bite is steady. Fish have staged up in deeper more open water and finding the bigger schools of fish is important. Jigs are working best in 18-35 feet near bridge pilings and deep vertical timber. The largemouth bite is surprisingly good right now. Docks in 4-7 feet have been very good with Texas or Carolina rigged soft plastics, or slow rolled square bills crankbaits. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.
Texoma
GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.31 feet above pool. Striper fishing is getting good with cooler water temperatures. Use electronics and find fish schooled up holding tight to structure. Cast swimbaits on humps and ledges in 10-25 feet of water. The fluke deadstick bite has fired up, drifting deeper 40-60 feet of water in channels and on deep flats. Always keep an eye out for gulls, they have been most active in the evenings. Catfishing is hit and miss on big fish. Drifting whole shad or rough fish on deep flats near the islands 40-55 feet of water baits suspended a few feet off the bottom. Eater blue catfish are stacked up on ledges and backs of creeks on cut shad. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service. Stripers are good deadsticking in deep water, or with swimbaits early in the morning or late in the day. Fish are either over 20 inches or undersized, not too many in between. A few birds are working. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.
Weatherford
SLOW. Water stained; 52 degrees; 5.55 feet below pool. Bait is starting to transition to the creeks. Bass are slow around docks with crankbaits. Crappie are slow with fish suspending in the main lake. Catfish are fair around rock with liver or stink bait. The visibility is 6 inches.
Whitney
FAIR. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 1.44 feet below pool. Fishing remains consistent but the crappie bite has slowed. Catfish are good using punch bait in 20-30 feet of water. Striped bass are good on live bait in 25-30 feet of water. Crappie are fair on main lake brush 20-30 feet of water. White bass are slow on slabs in 20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are fair using soft plastics on deep structure and around docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.
Worth
GOOD. Water normal; 58 degrees; 1.84 feet below pool. Bass are slow but a few are caught on slow moving baits. Crappie are good under the bridge. Sand bass good bouncing slabs off bottom in mid lake. Catfish are good on cut shad. Report by Michael James, local angler.
