Limestone
GOOD. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 1.47 feet below pool. Bed fishing continues this week. Largemouth bass and crappie can be caught in spawning areas and backs of creeks. Crappie are in 3 feet or less hitting minnows. Largemouth bass are in 4 feet or less on Texas rig and chatterbaits. Catfish are 7 feet or less on cutbait and minnows. White bass are in the river for the anglers that like to fish the 164 Bridge with rooster tails and beetle spins. Mainlake white bass are in 12 feet or less with silver jigging spoons. Bank anglers it is your time to shine with good fishing from the bank at Lake Limestone Marina and Campground, Running Branch Marina and the 1512 Bridge. Report by Colan Gonzales, Lake Limestone Guide Service.
Richland Chambers
FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. Strong winds continued to limit angling opportunities. White bass are good on the main lake. White bass and small hybrids are scattered in 25-30 feet of water on points with slabs and jigs. Check out Pelican Island for some of the best spring action. Eater blue and channel catfish have slowed but are still fair on punch bait in 30 feet of water on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. Chum with Range Cubes. Blue catfish are being caught on shallow windblown points with shad. Reports of Crappie being caught on minnows in shallow water on both the Richland and Chambers Creek tributaries. The shallow water spawn bite will improve greatly as the water warms to plus 60 degrees. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.
Athens
GOOD. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.37 feet above pool. Bass are good in grass 5-12 feet of water with Texas rigged worms, wacky rig senko and chatterbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over brush. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.
Cedar Creek
FAIR. stained; 61 degrees; 0.16 feet below pool. Hybrid and white bass are returning to the main lake after their annual spawning run into the creeks. These fish are now congregating on windblown points throughout the lake and on shallower flats near drop-offs and ledges. The shad spawn will begin in the coming weeks, which will trigger early morning schooling action along shallow points and seawalls, attracting birds to the area. To target these fish, use 1/2 ounce to 1-1/2 ounce slabs and spinnerbaits. Work the baits close to the bottom, as this will entice strikes. Thumping the bottom of the boat will also help group fish underneath as you fish these spots. The crappie bite is strong around docks, bridges, and in creeks, with minnows or jigs proving to be effective. Catfish are biting well in shallow flats at the mouths of major creeks and along adjacent points and shorelines in 2-6 feet of water. For deeper water, try anchoring or drifting with fresh shad on main lake flats in 12-24 feet. This catfish bite should remain productive for another month. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are shallow around creek mouths drifting in 1224 feet of water with cut shad or rough fish. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
Palestine
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.18 feet above pool. Catfish are good around the boat houses, retaining walls and buck brush along the bank with chicken liver and cut shad. Crappie are good spawning along the bank, or staged in 8-16 feet of water. Bass are good spawning along the bank, with some staging to spawn or post spawn in less than 8 feet of water on boat houses at the ends of docks hitting spinnerbaits, chatterbait and soft plastics.
Jacksonville
GOOD. Water stained; 67 degrees; 0.17 feet above pool. Bass are good on soft plastics, swimbaits and swim jigs from the bank to 12 feet. Some fish are on spawning beds. Water is clearing up on the south end, and water temperatures range from 63-70 degrees.
Joe Pool
GREAT. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.16 above pool. This is a good time for bank anglers. Some big bass to 9.85 pounds are possible. Bass are spawning in the shallows hitting your favorite soft plastic bait. Crappie are in the shallow timber in the creek. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.
Arlington
SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.43 feet above pool. Bass are spawning from the bank to 5 feet of water. Flip creature bait, or cast moving baits like chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and top water baits.
Bastrop
GREAT. Water stained; 72 degrees. Bass are good stacked up in the reeds hitting Texas rigs or any small profile green bait. Bass are moving to the hydrilla late in the evenings and early morning to feed. The bite is on squarebill crankbait the last and first hour of light. The plant is not generating.
Belton
FAIR. Water stained; 63 degrees; 2.95 feet below pool. White bass are in all stages of the spawn with mature white bass returning to the lake from the spawn, some white bass up in the tributaries spawning, and there are white bass yet to spawn. Target fish on the main lake below the Texas State Highway 36 bridge and downstream from Taylor’s Branch. Fishing is predictable with fish in shallow water under 18 feet of water from sunrise and for 2 hours thereafter. These fish can be found and caught using MAL Originals with chartreuse tails on slow-tapering bottoms by casting, reeling seven cranks, allowing the lure to drop back to bottom, and repeating. After the brightening sun drives the fish deeper, look in 3034 feet of water on the edge of slow tapering areas for more sluggish fish, presenting white, 3/4 ounce. Bladed Hazy Eye Slabs to them by dropping to bottom and reeling smoothly and continuously for about five cranks. Birds have not been abundant or reliable, only occasionally offering assistance. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are excellent. Anglers should search for blue catfish in river channels and around steep ledges in 20-35 feet of water. Larger cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds are active and slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats will produce. Channel catfish are fair but can still be caught on warmer days using punch bait in 15-25 feet of water. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
Benbrook
GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 1.11 feet below pool. Catfish are good shallow and deep on cut bait. Prespawn crappie are being caught in the creeks. Report by Jeffery Sojourner, Sojourner Fishing LLC.
Bois d’Arc
SLOW. water stained; 59 degrees; 3.06 feet below pool. Water temperatures are 55-63 degrees in most areas, but warmer behind big timber areas. The lake is low, and the north ramp is closed. Bass are good behind timber lines in flats and old roadways. Bass are shallow hitting wacky senkos and flukes around bushes in spawning flats and pond dams in the 2-5 feet, or Texas rigged creature baits in 2-4 feet around big timber and some bushes. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Crappie are excellent from the mouth of coves to the back of coves with natural colored jigs. Even more crappie are spawning in the timber west of the bridge. We are in phase one of three in the spawn. Look for crappie to be in all stages of the spawn within the next two weeks. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
Bridgeport
GOOD. Water stained; 62 degrees; 9.18 feet below pool. Crappie are very close to the spawn. Target deeper cover and move shallow as the day warms up with minnows. Check the north end and Three Fingers area first. Sand bass are actively spawning in the north end. It may take some looking to find them as they are moving around quite a bit. A slab or a lipless crankbait should put them in the boat. Black bass are in the late stages of the prespawn, so a jerkbait or slow rolled spinnerbait are good bait choices. Check main lake points near coves and bays. Catfish are good on cut bait in mid depth water. The north end and the river are the go to areas. All ramps are open. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.
