TYLER, Texas — Fishing is a a popular East Texas pastime no matter the season.
That's why CBS19, along with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has created the East Texas Fishing Report to give local anglers the best information as they head out for a day of boating with hopes of reeling in a sharelunker!
B.A. Steinhagen - GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.52 feet low. Black bass are fair only on the edges of the hot summer days searching vegetation edges, mid-depth points, and some river structures on jigs, worms, and crankbait. Crappie are fair with minnows on the structure edges and above brush piles. Sunfish are fair with jigs and crickets. Catfish are good day and night on cut and prepped bait.
Bob Sandlin - GOOD. Water clear; 86-89 degrees; 0.16 feet low. Black bass are good on swim baits, flipping jigs, wacky worms, and bladed spinners near grass lines, brush and rocky shorelines. Try drop shots, football jigs and crankbaits working in deeper water near cover or timber as well. Crappie are good on minnows in brush piles, under docks and timber near a creek or channel. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait.
Caddo - GOOD. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.65 feet high. Largemouth bass are good working square billed crankbaits, flipping jigs, buzz baits, wacky rigs and drop shots near grass lines, channel edges, points and trees. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs near brush piles and timber. White bass are good on slabs and swimbaits on the channel edges, flats and main lake humps. Chain pickerel are slow. Catfish are good on live bait, chicken liver and punch bait.
Conroe - GOOD. Water clear to slightly stained; 90 degrees; 0.01 feet high. Catfish have been good on baited holes in 18-25 feet of water. Hybrid striped bass are good with some white bass in the mix in water depths of 18-15 feet using bait or vertically jigging a slab or spoon. A lot of 16-17 inches fish are showing up, but there are some keeper sized fish mixed in. Check the tooth patch if you are not sure if it is a hybrid or a white bass. Black bass are fair to good in water depths 8-16 feet in the morning around structures using Texas rigs and crankbaits. Crappie and bluegill are tough at times seeing them on the graph in 13-19 feet of water on structure, but little success using jigs or minnows.
Fork - GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86-89 degrees; 0.50 feet low. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters and buzz baits early. Then Carolina rigged plastic worms, diving crankbaits and football jigs working road beds, timber and brush piles. White and yellow bass are good using live bait, jigging spoons and slabs on humps, flats and ridge lines. Crappie are goodon minnows near brush piles, bridges and timber. Catfish are good using chicken liver and punch bait.
Houston County - FAIR. Water lightly stained; 81 degrees; 0.07 feet high. White bass are good on topwaters schooling up and following shad. Black bass are fair early morning and evenings using swimbaits, black and blue Senko, watermelon red off points, and spinners and divers. Crappie are fair in 12 to 14 feet of water using live minnows and moving among brush piles. Bream are good using live worms in shallow structures. Catfish are good on jug lines and over 15lbs using hot dogs and perch plus shad.
Lake O' the Pines - GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.90 feet high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigged plastic worms, diving crankbaits, shaky head jigs and jerk baits. Crappie are good on minnows near brush piles, fallen timber and deep creek bends and ledges. Catfish are good with live bait or cut b
Livingston - FAIR. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 0.15 feet high. White bass are slow follow shad in the Trinity River using jigs, white slabs, duck tracker slabs. Striped bass and crappie are good in Trinity River. Catfishing is excellent biting whatever is cast.
Martin Creek - GOOD. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees; 0.30 feet low. Largemouth bass are good on drop shots, spinners, diving crankbaits and football jigs. Crappie are good on minnows in brush piles. Catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait.
Naconiche - GOOD. Water slightly stained; 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are good moving out from standing and fallen timber with worms and jigs, and vegetation with topwater, jigs, and worms. Crappie are fair on jigs seeking shade. Sunfish are fair on jigs and crickets. Catfish are good on dough balls, cut and live bait.
Raven - GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; Largemouth bass are fair working vegetation spots shallow and deep with a variety of topwater early in the day, worms and crankbait all day. In this heat, best success comes early and late. Sunfish are fair on powerbait pellets, crickets and cutworms.
Sam Rayburn - GOOD. Water stained; 81 degrees; .03 feet high. Fishing should really pick up in the next couple of weeks. Largemouth bass are good shallow flipping in the bushes, and on points and ledges using topwater frogs and jigs. Black bass are schooling chasing the shad around the lake. Crappie are good in the 14-22 feet of water working brush piles using jigs, but most success comes with shiners.
Toledo Bend - GOOD. Water clear to slightly stained; 87-89 degrees; 1.44 feet low. The water level is 170 with two generators operating during the day (7 hours). It’s been an early Bass bite on the Mudfish Trash Can surface popper in orange and yellow in 2-6 feet of water fishing in the edge of grassy mats. We are using 8 WT fly rods for Bass. Our best bite for Blue Gill is on a slow sinking Cap Spider imitation in the colors of white, yellow and black in 1-3 feet of water under the shaded trees in the early morning and late evening. We are using a TB Cricket Junior 5 WT fly rod for Blue Gill.
Tyler - GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.24 feet high. Black bass are good on crankbaits, football jigs, drop shots and wacky worms near points, drop-offs and brushy coves. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on cut bait, chicken liver, punch bait and earthworms. White bass are good in water depths 12-25 feet with slabs and jigging spoons. Bream are good with live crickets, dough balls or cutworms.
Wright Patman - FAIR. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 1.91 feet high. Largemouth bass are fair on spinners, jerk baits,swimbaits and flipping jigs in flooded vegetation, flats and points. White bass are fair on swimbaits, silver spoons and slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows near timber and brush piles. Catfish are good on chicken liver, punch or live bait.
