The weekly fishing report as compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for April 29 and also available on the internet at https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/fishreport.phtml:
NORTHEAST
ATHENS: EXCELLENT. Water clear; 68 degrees; 0.53’ high. Largemouth bass are excellent on Carolina rigged worms, chatter baits, and bladed spinnerbaits working the vegetation edges and grasslands. Plastic frogs are effective along grassy shorelines and lily pads. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs among natural and man-made structures and creeks. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait. Sunfish are excellent on cutworms.
BOB SANDLIN: EXCELLENT. Water clear; 72 degrees; 0.31’ high. Black bass are excellent on square billed crankbaits, TX rigged plastic worms 7-12’. Plastic frogs and topwater plugs are working early in 2-7’ in or near grass, and lily pads Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in creeks fishing in 12-20’ near brush piles and submerged structure. Catfish are excellent on cut bait in 6-18’.
BRIDGEPORT: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 0.02’ low. Black bass are good on square-billed crankbaits, top waters, plastic frogs, and Texas rigged creature baits in 6-12’. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs fishing bridges and brush piles. White bass are excellent on jigs and swimbaits on main lake points. Hybrid stripers are good on main lake humps and points. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait in 6-12’.
CADDO: EXCELLENT. Water stained; 68-71 degrees; 1.86’ high. Largemouth bass are excellent in shallow water in trees and cover in 1-4’ fishing plastic creatures, frogs, flukes, and rattle baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs near brush piles and submerged structure. White bass are excellent on jigs and small crankbaits in the main lake. Chain pickerel are fair. Catfish are excellent on prepared bait and live bait in 8-18’.
CEDAR CREEK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good working plastic frogs, and topwater early then TX rigged plastic worms, crankbaits, and swimbaits along bank edges and creek beds in 6-12’. Hybrids and sand bass are caught off main lake points and humps with slabs, swimbaits, and live bait. Crappie are good with jigs and minnows in brush piles and near structure in 12-18’. Catfish are good in 5-15’.
COOPER: GOOD. Water clear; 71 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigged plastic worms and creatures, crankbaits, and plastic frogs in 10’ or less. The white bass are good in 20-35’ with slabs, jigs, and jigging spoons. Catfish are good on live and cut bait in 8-16’.
FORK: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 68-72 degrees; 0.17’ low. Largemouth bass are excellent on plastic worms, topwater and chatter baits near roadbeds, submerged structure and points in 8-12’ and plastic frogs in shallow grass and lily pads. White and yellow bass are good deeper water off main lake points and humps. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in 12-20’. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait in 8-20’.
JACKSONVILLE: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.22’ high. Largemouth bass are very good with crankbaits, plastic creatures, and swimbaits in 8-12’. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows in 10-20’ around submerged structure and brush. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared bait.
LAKE O’ THE PINES: GOOD. Water stained; 68-72 degrees; 4.04’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, flukes, topwater baits, and Texas rigged creature baits in 5-14’. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in the timber areas and brush piles 10-15’. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait in 6-16 feet of water.
LAVON: GOOD. Water stained; 72 degrees: 0.19’ high. Crappie are good on minnows fishing 10-20’ over brush piles and bridges. White bass are excellent in the 25-40’ with jigs and slabs. Look for birds diving over feeding schools of white bass. Black bass are good on crankbaits, top waters, plastic lizards, and frogs in 4-12’. Catfish are good on prepared baits and live bait in 10-20’.
MARTIN CREEK: GOOD. Water clear; 69 degrees; 0.03’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, and Texas rigged worms in 6-12’. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows in 12-18’. Catfish are good on cut bait in 6-15’.
PALESTINE: EXCELLENT. Water clear; 72 degrees; 0.70’ high. Largemouth bass are excellent working Texas rigged soft plastic creatures, swimbaits, and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around bridges and marinas in 10-18’. Hybrid stripers are very good on slabs and live bait. White bass are excellent on swimbaits and slabs in 25-45’. Look for birds diving over feeding schools. Catfish are good on cut shad, chicken livers and prepared baits.
RAY HUBBARD: GOOD. Water clear; 72 degrees; 0.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, plastics, and top waters in water 5-12’. White bass are excellent on swimbaits, slabs and jigging spoons on main lake points, humps, and deep water flats. Look for birds diving over feeding schools. Crappie are good near bridges, brush piles, and marinas. Catfish are good on cut bait.
RAY ROBERTS: GOOD; Water stained; 71 degrees; 2.48’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigged plastic creatures, crankbaits and swimbaits in 6-12’. White bass are excellent in 20-40’ on slabs and jigging spoons. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows in the marina, bridges and brush piles. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: EXCELLENT. Water stained; 73 degrees; 0.05’ high. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, plastic lizards and frogs, and topwater baits fishing 3-12’ near submerged vegetation and creeks. White bass and hybrids are excellent on jigs and swimbaits under birds or deeper near points and humps when marking large bait schools on sonar. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs near structure. Catfish are excellent on live bait and cut bait in shallow water.
SQUAW CREEK: GOOD. Water clear; 74 degrees; 0.47’ high. Catfishing is good working baited areas in 6-15’ using punch bait and cut bait. The largemouth bass fishing is good around shallow structure on plastic creatures, swimbaits and rattle baits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
SULPHUR SPRINGS: FAIR. Water clear; 67 degrees; 2.46’ low. Largemouth bass are good on topwater baits and plastics in creeks and coves in 5-12’. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and live bait in 6-15’.
TAWAKONI: EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.28’ high. Catfish are excellent on live bait and cut bait 6-18’. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and square billed crankbaits in 6-12’. White bass and hybrid stripers are excellent on swimbaits and slabs. Watch for diving birds to mark feeding schools or use sonar to locate fish feeding in schools of bait over deeper points, creek beds, and humps in the main lake. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around brush piles, docks, and marinas.
TEXOMA: EXCELLENT. Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.04’ low. Striped bass and white bass are excellent on live bait. Diving birds are marking feeding schools throughout the lake. Largemouth bass are excellent fishing plastic creatures, swimbaits, and crankbaits in 6-14’. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs by boathouses, marinas and brush piles 8-15’. Catfish are excellent on cut bait and minnows in 8-18’.
TYLER: EXCELLENT. Water clear; 66 degrees; 0.33’ high. Black bass are excellent on Carolina rigged creature baits, bladed spinners, and crankbaits fishing dock structures and brushy shorelines in 6-15’. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are excellent on prepared bait and live bait. White bass are good in 25-40’ on swimbaits and slabs.
WRIGHT PATMAN: GOOD. Water stained; 64 degrees; 12.59’ high. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits and rattle baits in flooded areas. White bass are good on jigging spoons and slabs. Crappie are good on jigs in creeks. Catfish are good on cut bait, live bait and blood bait.
SOUTHEAST
CONROE: FAIR. Water stained; 74 degrees; 0.95’ low. Largemouth bass are good fishing Carolina rigs, spinners, and some deep crankbait. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striped bass remain slow. Catfish are good on stinkbait, cut bait, and small minnows deep. Sunfish are fair with live worms or crickets in shallow water.
HOUSTON COUNTY: GOOD. Water clear to lightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.13’ high. Black bass are fair with catches using watermelon red worm and black-blue Senko in an average of 6-12’ feet of water on the north side of the lake. Crappie are fair to good using live minnows around structure. Bream are excellent spawning on live worms. Catfish are good using liver and prepared baits, perch on trotlines, and a 46-pounder hand fishing.
LIVINGSTON: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 0.48’ high. Black bass are good in creek beds, points, and drops with mainly weighted Carolina rigged worms and an occasional crankbait. Striped bass are fair moving quickly. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs in most structures under 6’. White bass remain good on spoons. Catfish are fair on live baits.
SAM RAYBURN: FAIR. Water stained; 73 degrees; 1.06’ high. Largemouth bass are good with topwaters and deep rigged weighted worms. White bass are fair with minnows. Crappie are the best they get on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on live and stinkbait.
TOLEDO BEND: FAIR. Water slightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.23’ high. Largemouth bass remain good with vegetative cover, in timber, and long shallow western points using subtle colored worms, and smaller spinners. Striped bass are fair in deep water in schools. White bass are fair, finding the deep flowing water. Crappie are good on minnows in structure. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stinkbait..