Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Freshwater Weekly Fishing
Week of August 30, 2023
Alan Henry
FAIR. Water clear; 81 degrees; 4.42 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 15-25 feet of water using minnows suspended over trees. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.
Amistad
GOOD. Water clear to slightly stained; 85-89 degrees; 49.57 feet below pool. Black bass are good on main lake points near deep water and close to river channels in 10-20 feet of water throwing poppers, buzz baits, frogs, Texas or Carolina rigs around the hydrilla. White bass are good on topwaters, blades, bucktails in 25-50 feet of water. Stripers are fair on main river channels. Tight lines and happy fishing! Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service. Catfish has slowed somewhat after the big rain. The lake came up almost 2 feet this week. Things are starting to get back to normal and the fish numbers are getting better. Water temperatures are up to 89 degrees with the lack of wind this week. Report by Captain Kent Terrill, 3 T’S Guide Service. Bass are slow due to the summer time pattern. Topwater baits in the morning and evening and punching grass with creature baits can be productive. Tight lines! Report by Olin Jensen, Jensen’s Guide Service.
Arlington
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 95-104 degrees; 6.59 feet below pool. All species are relating to cover where the current is flowing. Bass are suspended in 5-10 feet of water biting black and blue fleck creature baits, or candy watermelon brush hogs. Navigate with caution as some areas are very shallow and obstacles are exposed. Report by Chris Rivery, local angler.
Arrowhead
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 7.67 feet below pool. Catfish continue to be good on the main lake drifting with fresh cut shad. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.
Athens
SLOW. Water clear; 90 degrees; 1.47 feet below pool. The thermocline continues in some parts of the lake at 25 feet. Bass are good off main lake points with deep grass using Carolina rigs. Schooling bass are sporadic chasing shad throughout the lake biting lightweight flukes. No report on crappie. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.
Austin
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.70 feet below pool. Lake Austin is fishing well. Work deeper stretches on the river bends with soft plastics to get some good bites, especially under and around docks.. You can also throw a frog, floating perch or other top waters around and under docks and trees overhanging the water to get those bigger bass. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Lady bird lake is 87 degrees. Water clarity is good all over the lake with a slight stain from Congress Bridge down to Longhorn Dam. Bass have been slightly sluggish on slick, calm mornings. Bass seem to be biting better with a breeze and cloud cover. We have been seeing tons of big balls of bait in the main river channel with the majority of small fish chasing them. LCRA is releasing water in the evenings and that’s when we are seeing better fish chasing bait up on the surface. Good bait choices right now are slowing down with a big worm or a drop shot. Finding shade around banks and bridges is a good way to get bit with these baits. Fish are concentrated in these areas and also out in deeper grass 12-18 feet of water. Punching a heavy jig in the matted vegetation is a good way to access bigger fish during the day. After you catch a fish, slow down in those areas because more fish tend to be nearby. Keep covering water until you stumble upon fish. Overall the lake is hit-and-miss with different weather patterns. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.
B.A. Steinhagen
SLOW. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 0.07 feet below pool. The river is fishing great for bass using small crankbaits and Texas rigged soft plastics.
Bastrop
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 97 degrees. Bass are fair with green pumpkin seed dropshots on deep water ledges, or green pumpkin creature baits against the reeds. In deeper water try using darker black/blue or June Bug. Report Jason Hernandez, Bass Institute of Bastrop. Bass are good working the dam area with small swimbaits, topwaters, and wake baits are getting some good bites right now in the early morning. Switching to a fluke and shaky head will get some good bites later in the morning or early afternoon. You can find some standing trees and get some bites flipping those. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
Belton
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 78-87 degrees; 17.05 feet below pool. There is less angler congestion on the lake after the start of the school year, so it is a peaceful time to be on the lake. This trend will continue as hunting seasons, football, and cold weather all serve to further reduce the number of anglers on the water. If history is any teacher, here is what lies ahead for the remainder of August and into September: A strong topwater bite should continue with fish staying on the surface until the sun’s direct rays strike the water, followed by less consistent “popcorn” schooling action thereafter. Mix in a little downrigging and perhaps some horizontal casting, and anglers can plan on a 25-fish limit of fish or more per person and a lot of variety in tactics. Mornings are best, starting around 78 degrees and, four hours later, typically warming to 87 degrees. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Anglers should use caution when navigating shallower water as under water hazards are there. Catfishing has been great in shallow water at nights and early mornings. Smaller blue and trophy size catfish can be caught in 10 feet or less using live bait as well as fresh cut bait. As the sun rises drifting deeper water along river channels has been great. Flatheads have been caught near rock piles with live perch and shad. Channel catfish have been great in shallow water around timber using punch bait.
Benbrook
SLOW. Water stained; 87 degrees; 8.68 feet below pool. Benbrook crappie limits are common on jigs and minnows fished on submerged trees. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water stained; 90-93 degrees; 1.01 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 15-20 feet of water on brush piles using small minnows. Catfish are slow on baited holes in 20 feet of water. Sand bass are slow on mid lake humps in 20-30 feet of water using slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow at night on points and underwater lights using chatterbaits, worms, and jigs. Bass are in 18-25 feet of water throughout the day. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Bass are slow on topwater or subsurface patterns early and late in the day. Fish poppers around boat houses and main lake points to land a few. Deceivers and small jig patterns may land a few as well. Bream are slow on bead heads and wooly buggers. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
Brady
GOOD. Water stained; 83-89 degrees; 12.73 feet below pool. Brady Lake is getting lower every day, check ramp status before heading out. Bass fishing is slow, but can be caught early or late in the day. Quality fish are still being caught flipping the salt cedars early and late in the day with watermelon red senkos or some equivalent. White bass are good, fishing a rattletrap or crankbait into the schooling action early in the day. Crappie are slow around the docks and marina. Catfish are slow on trotlines or jugs up river on live perch.
Braunig
EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained, 95 degrees. Redfish are in the late summer pattern. Shoreline anglers fishing with live baits have been doing excellent near Dead Tree Point and off the points around the reservation areas and fishing pier. Redfish are chasing schools of bait around the dam area as well as in and out of coves. When they get like this, slicks can be a great way to identify this behavior. Boaters trolling or casting live baits and spoons can capitalize on this behavior for a few more weeks or until we get a heavy rain storm cooling the lake off. Hybrid stripers no report. Keep in mind it is hot so stay safe and hydrated.
Bridgeport
GOOD. Water clear; 87 degrees; 12.55 feet below pool. All ramps are open, but steep with limited places to tie up especially at the dam. The Labor Day weekend will bring some traffic, with Wise County Park and the north end being the busiest areas. TPWD wardens and Wise County Sheriff's will be patrolling the lake. Crappie have been quite good around docks and the bridge. Minnows and jigs have been productive. Sand bass and hybrids have been actively schooling early and late. Keep your baits small as they are chasing very small shad. Largemouth bass have been active at sunrise and sunset. Try a large, noisy topwater bait! Catfish have been good on cut bait and prepared baits, drifting the flats. Look out for low water hazards. Main lake points should be given a lot of room when passing by them. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.
Brownwood
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85-86 degrees; 7.44 feet below pool. Black bass to 6.38 pounds are fair on Jigs, shaky heads, swimbaits and glides in 2-15 feet of water early and late in the day. Crappie are slow in brush piles and around the docks on minnows in 10-18 feet of water. White bass are slow to 1.00 pound schooling on jigs and small moving baits and under the lights. Catfish are slow to 8 pounds on jug lines with prepared and cut bait.
Bryan
GOOD. Water stained; 87 degrees. Bass are fair on crankbaits in deep water, or with Texas rig or soft plastics in the sticks. Report by Aggie Anglers.
Buchanan
GREAT. Water lightly stained; 84-91 degrees; 23.28 feet below pool. Striped bass are fair on live bait in 25-50 feet of water, or trolling in the same depth ranges with �½ ounce bucktail jigs. The trolling bite has picked up with some bigger fish in the 26-32 inch range being caught. There is still some sporadic surface activity but nothing that can really be patterned. One day they may go crazy and the next nothing. White bass are mixed in with the surface feeding fish and will hit just about anything you can get in front of them as long as you move it fast. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing.
Caddo
GOOD. Water stained; 85-90 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. The water level is still dropping due to the heat and lack of rain, so navigate with caution. Bass fishing is slow, but there are several spots where fish are schooling. Try a fluke, rattletrap, topwater plug or a Texas rig worm when you find schools. Some fish can be caught working a frog over the pads. There are more pads this year than we have seen in several years. In the river or bayou system, try a worm or fluke around the trees and a pop r on the edge of the grass and pad lines. As always it may be hot, but Caddo is a must see beautiful and majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Calaveras
EXCELLENT. Water slightly stained, 93 degrees. Redfish are now in the late summer pattern. This brings excited schools in and out of coves feeding and chasing moving bait fish. Look for slicks throughout the lake as they do not tend to just stay around in the coves, they will follow large schools of baitfish. We see this a lot between the Dam and the crappie wall this time of year. Bait and frozen Gulf shrimp have been working well, or trolling soft plastics and spoons. Shoreline anglers have been doing good around boat ramps and around the dam area. Blue and channel catfish are hanging out in 20-30 feet of water during the day moving to shoreline edges in and around reed beds, as well as in coves at night to feed. Catfish have been biting on live bait, cut bait and worms. It can get very hot, very fast this time of year especially when the wind dies down, so stay safe and hydrated.
Canyon Lake
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 16.48 feet below pool. There is good topwater bass action around isolated grass clumps. When the sun comes up flipping grass with craw style baits has been most productive. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing.
Cedar Creek
GOOD. Water normal stain; 85-88 degrees; 2.96 feet below pool. Crappie are good using minnows around main lake brush piles in 16-23 feet of water near docks and bridge pylons. Largemouth bass are good in 14-18 feet of water using Carolina rigs or Texas rigs with green pumpkin and California 420 colors. White bass and hybrids are excellent, trolling using hellbenders and pet spoons in 11-14 feet of water on flats and hump will give you plenty of fish. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.
Choke Canyon
SLOW. Water stained; 85-87 degrees; 25.85 feet below pool. Fishing continues to be slow, but should improve as the weather starts to cool. Bass are slow with a few catches early in the morning with topwaters in the grass. Then fish brush piles or timber in 8-15 feet of water with plastic worms and Carolina rigs. No report for white bass. Catfish are slow. Crappie are slow on deep brush piles in the main lake using minnows or small grubs. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.
Cisco
GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 10.24 feet below pool. Bass are good on plastic worms. Catfish are good on cut bait. are good. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.
Coleman
SLOW. Slightly stained; 85-87 degrees; 7.79 feet below pool. Bass are good in the morning and evening in deeper water and around docks. Hybrids are schooling and can be caught with a rattletrap or topwater. Few reports of crappie.
Conroe
GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 1.77 feet below pool. Dog days of summer have definitely taken a toll on the catfish bite. A mess of catfish can be caught on baited holes, you will just have to bring plenty of bait and work through the tiny fish. Some better catfish and trophy size fish can be caught suspending natural baits around structure and drifting ledges. Wind blown flats can produce pretty well at night for both. Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Bass fishing remains sporadic, with the best bite before sunrise or late in the day. Additionally, during full moon periods coming up, larger fish can be caught late morning to early afternoon in deeper areas with structures that hold bait, such as thicker brush piles. Carolina rigs worked slowly through the brush with darker plastic have shown good results, with the weights increasing based on the targeted depth. Deep-running crankbaits are also proving effective during the day on mid-lake flats with brush located near drop-offs and channels. Report by Bryan Brawner, Lake Conroe Charters. Hybrids are on the move with most fish scattered in 17-25 feet of water, with some fish in small schools. Target points and flats Trolling with a pet spoon and a diver, has had some success, using MTPockets slabs jigging for them. Crappie continue to be slow having to hit many spots to get the hotties. Thumps continue to be lighter using a longer rod

Blackdog Loc: Round Rock, TX

Horse Poop!

Do they know the words "Not Good"?

Okay, my bad. I live in the heart of Texas and it is too hot for any decent fishing.

Still, thanks for the report.


BD

soxtroy Loc: Plano Texas

Lake is so hot they come precooked.