The weekly fishing report as compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for Sept. 16 and also available on the internet at https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/fishreport.phtml:
NORTHEAST
ATHENS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 0.59’ high. Largemouth bass are good on spoons, chatter baits, bladed spinners and Texas-rigged plastic worms working the drop-offs, brush piles and standing timber. Crappie are fair with minnows in standing timber and boat docks. Catfish are good on prepared bait. Sunfish are good on cutworms and crickets.
BOB SANDLIN: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 82-86 degrees; 0.35’ low. Black bass are fair on drop shots, crankbaits, chatter baits and Texas-rigged plastic worms in 18-28’ near deep-water humps, flats and boat docks with some bass being caught in 6-10’ early. Crappie are fair on minnows in brush piles, bridges and standing timber. Catfish are fair on live bait and cut bait in 12-25’ near baited holes.
CADDO: GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.62’ high. Largemouth bass are good in shallow water near trees, stumps and grass beds fishing plastic frogs, chatter baits and skirted jigs in 3-5’. Texas-rigged plastic worms are productive in deeper water near timber and vegetation lines in 8-16’. Crappie are good on minnows near brush piles and timber in 14-25’. White bass are fair on jigs and slabs in the main lake. Chain pickerel are slow. Catfish are good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers in 12-20’ fishing baited holes near channels and timber edges.
CEDAR CREEK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.01’ high. Largemouth bass are good working topwater plugs and jerk baits very early on creek ledges and near boat docks. Spoons, black or purple plastic worms and diving cranks fished in deeper water near boat docks, main lake drop-offs and timber are productive later in the day. Hybrids and sand bass are being caught off main lake points and humps with slabs and live bait. Crappie are good with jigs and minnows in brush piles, deep-water boat docks and near submerged timber in 15-28’. Catfish are good in 12-25’. Live bait and cut bait are working well.
COOPER: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 83-86 degrees; 2.54’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on finesse worms, medium-size crankbaits and skirted jigs in 16-25’. The white bass and hybrids are good in 25-35’ with slabs and jigging spoons over humps, flats edges and near main lake drop-offs. Crappie are good with minnows on brush piles and timber near creek channels. Catfish are fair on cut bait and prepared bait in 14-25’.
FORK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 1.46’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on slow-moving finesse worms near standing timber, points and drop-offs. Diving crankbaits are effective at times. White and yellow bass are fair in deeper water with slabs and jigging spoons. Crappie are slow on minnows in 18-25’ in brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are fair on punch bait in 12-24’.
JACKSONVILLE: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.06’ high. Largemouth bass are fair with plastic worms, silver spoons and shad-colored crankbaits in deeper water near docks, riprap and brush piles. Crappie are fair on minnows in 14-25’ around submerged structures and brush piles. Catfish are fair on cut shad and punch bait.
LAKE O’ THE PINES: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 83-86 degrees; 0.06’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on swimbaits, silver or chrome crank and Texas-rigged worms in 15-25’. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in the standing timber areas along the creek channel and brush piles in 15-28’. Catfish are good on trotlines with cut bait or live bait. Baited holes are producing with punch bait.
LAVON: GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.78’ low. Crappie are good on minnows or jigs fishing 15-25’ over brush piles and bridges. White bass are good in the 20-30’ with slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools of white bass. Black bass are fair on flukes, wacky worms and crankbaits in 15-28’. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait in 14-25’.
MARTIN CREEK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 1.51’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits and plastic finesse worms in 15-28’. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 16-28’ in timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on punch bait in 12-25’.
PALESTINE: GOOD. Water clear; 85 degrees; 0.35’ high. Largemouth bass are good working Texas-rigged worms in plum or blue shad-like swim baits and deep running crankbaits near boat docks and riprap. Crappie are fair on minnows or jigs tipped with minnows around bridges and timber in 15-25’. Hybrid stripers are fair on live bait in 25-35’. White bass are good on slabs and swim-jigging spoons. Look for birds diving over feeding schools. Catfish are good on punch baits and live minnows.
RAY HUBBARD: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.54’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on finesse worms in timber, near rocky banks, ledges and drop-offs. White bass are good fishing slabs and jigging spoons on main lake flats, humps and ridges in 18-28’. Crappie are fair near bridges, brush piles and submerged timber in with minnows. Catfish are good on punch bait in 16-25’.
RAY ROBERTS: FAIR; Water lightly stained; 83-86 degrees; 0.21’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on finesse worms, crankbaits and spoons in 16-26’ near timber, riprap and channel edges. There are early and late topwater bites on points with a ledge or drop off. White bass are fair in 20-40’ on slabs and minnows near main lake flats and drop-offs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs tipped with minnows around standing timber near a creek channel and brush piles. Catfish are good on punch baits over haunted holes.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 82-86 degrees; 0.26’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, flukes, grubs and finesse worms fishing near boat docks, secondary points, bridges and drop-offs. White bass and hybrids are fair on slabs or deeper near main lake points, flats and humps. Crappie are fair on minnows or jigs on bridge pilings and in brush piles. Catfish are good on punch bait and live perch. Bream are fair on live crickets or worms near boat docks and rocky shorelines.
SULPHUR SPRINGS: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 2.05 low. Largemouth bass are fair on finesse worms and brush hogs near brush piles, drop-offs and flooded timber. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 18-28’ near brush piles and standing timber. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared bait in 15-25’.
TAWAKONI: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 82-86 degrees; 1.03’ low. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, Texas-rigged plastic worms and swimbaits. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on live bait and slabs with some fish schooling on the surface. Use sonar to locate fish in deeper water near drop-offs, large flats and humps in the main lake. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around brush piles, docks and bridge pilings.
TEXOMA: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 82-86 degrees; 0.68’ low. 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. Schools are constantly moving with the bait. Largemouth bass are fair fishing Texas-rigged plastic worms and diving crankbaits in 16-28’ with some fish being caught in shallow water early in the morning. Top waters, chatter baits and poppers are catching fish in these shallow areas. Crappie are fair on minnows by boathouses, timber and brush piles in 15-25’. Catfish are fair on cut bait, prepared bait, and live bait.
TYLER: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.02’ low. Black bass are fair on finesse worms, skirted football jigs, chatter baits and drop shots fishing deeper docks, timber and vegetation edges. Crappie are fair on minnows in brush piles, structure and timber in 18-25’. Catfish are fair on punch bait and live bait. White bass are good in 25-40’ on jigging spoons and slabs.
SOUTHEAST
HOUSTON COUNTY: GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.05’ low. Black bass are good with some appearances near the piers and docks along with working brush piles. Carolina rigged red worms, crankbaits, spinners and plastic nightcrawlers are best. Crappie are fair on small live minnows on the pier. Bream and bluegill are good using live worms coming quickly out of structures. Catfish are good on juglines using shad.
SAM RAYBURN: GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 3.24’ low. Largemouth bass are good with timber, brush and the early exposure to creek channels. Topwater baits have had surprising success this week, along with worms and jigs. White bass are good staying aggressive lately on brush and points. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs using all structures. Catfish are fair on live and stinkbait.
TOLEDO BEND: FAIR. Water stained; 86-88 degrees; 2.84’ low. The lake is still getting back to normal and it will be a while, but on the bright side water clarity improved mid-lake to south. Black bass are good with topwater, jigs, wacky rigs, Carolina-rigged worms with a 4’ leader and Carolina-rigged baby brush hog in light green illuminated colors. Boat equipment is as essential as ever since the storm reset most patterns and piles. White bass are very active between the depths of 14-20’. Crappie are good with some structure shuffles after the storm, normally around 8-10’. Bream are good with small jigs and crickets. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait.