Texas Prairies & Lakes fishing report
By TPWD
Nov 30, 2019
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Prairies & Lakes Region - Week of November 27, 2019

Arlington
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 1.57' low. Largemouth bass are around docks and structures on spinners, topwaters, and plastic worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs around docks and brush structure. Fishing from the bank has been successful for both crappie and largemouth with some longer casts. Catfish are good on live bait and stinkbait.

Athens
FAIR. Water clear to stained; 62 degrees; 1.01’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, crankbaits, jigs, and spinnerbaits. The ledges and points continue to prove success. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs among vegetation. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stinkbait. Sunfish are fair on cut earthworms around boat docks.

Bastrop
FAIR. Slightly stained; 58 degrees; Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigged plastic worms, topwater, french fries, crankbait, and rigged lizards among the warmer water near the plant. Along the dam has also produced results. Crappie are fair on jigs and live bait near submerged vegetation. Channel and blue winter catfish are biting on stinkbait or cut bait.

Belton
GOOD. Lightly stained; 58-63 degrees; 2.61’ low. Largemouth bass are fair with spinners, and Carolina rigged plastic worms among Cedar Creek and Stampede Creek. Smallmouth continue to hit mid-lake, and rocky banks on the north end fish on grubs, jigs, and buzzbaits. Hybrid stripers are good on live bait, jigs, and crankbaits in deeper water. Crappie are fair on jigs in deep cover. Catfish are fair on shad, shrimp, blood bait, and stinkbait.

Benbrook
FAIR. Water stained; 61 degrees; 9.76’ low. Due to lake elevations, all boat ramps are closed. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigged worms and lighter-colored spinnerbaits in the mouths of the creeks and submerged creek beds. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striped bass and white bass are good with slabs, spinners, or spoons. Catfish are good on stinkbait and live bait.

Bridgeport
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees: 4.70’ low. Black bass are fair on rigged worms, topwater, spinners, and rigged crawfish near rocky point drop-offs. Crappie are good with jigs and minnows in brush piles and structure. White bass are good on slabs and live minnows in the main lake deep water. Hybrid are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on shrimp and cut bait.

Cedar Creek
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 60–62 degrees, 2.28’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigged creature baits, plastic worms, and buzz baits along with the Caney Creek flats on the southeast end of the lake. Hybrid stripers are good with Rat–L–Traps matching the baitfish throughout the lake and moving with schools. Crappie are good on pink and white jigs around larger docks and structure. Catfish are good on cut shad, dough bait, and stinkbait 5 feet or deeper. Use live bait with trotlines.

Cooper
FAIR. Water clear; 61–63 degrees; 2.79’ low. Largemouth bass are fair with topwaters, Carolina rigged worms and spinners on main lake points, and around the main lake major drops off islands. The white bass continue to be good on slabs and live bait. Catfish are excellent on live and cut bait.

Eagle Mountain
FAIR. Water stained; 60-63 degrees; 1.98’ low. Black bass are fair around the marina and boat docks on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and worms around the Trinity River vegetation and steep shoreline drops. Hybrid striped bass are good on crankbait near ledges and in the main lake. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait, prepped bait, and liver.

Fayette
GOOD. Water stained. 64 degrees; Largemouth bass are good on craws, spinners, worms, and crankbait in the warmer water working slowly around points, along the dam or drop-offs. Sunfish are consistently fair on worms and crickets. Catfish are fair on stinkbait, live bait, and cut bait.

Gibbons Creek
FAIR. Water stained; 60-64 degrees; Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigged soft plastics, spinners, and buzzbaits. Instrument detected structures, and warmer water discharge of the plant have been consistently the best. Crappie are good on jigs, especially in the warmer discharge waters. Catfish are good on live bait and liver-flavored prepared bait.

Graham
FAIR. Water stained; 57-60 degrees; 2.73' low. Largemouth bass are good on bottom bait, and slow-moving reeling lures using boat dock cover, points, and ledges. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs and Alabama rigs. Catfish are fair on cut shad and live bait.

Granbury
FAIR. Water lightly stained. 63 degrees. 0.46’ low. Crappie fishing is fair, finding the brush piles and amongst boat docks with minnows and jigs. Catfishing is fair fishing over baited holes near deeper water. Look for white bass to be mid-lake and up north. They can be caught on slabs and live bait. Largemouth bass are around boat docks and shoreline cover. Stripers are sluggish, but can be hooked on live shad.

Grapevine
FAIR. Water stained; 58-62 degrees; 0.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas, and Carolina rigged worms and spinnerbait near vegetation, rocky shoreline drops, and along the dam. White bass are good on live shad also close to the dam in deeper water. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on live and prepped bait.

Jacksonville
FAIR. Water stained; 59-61 degrees; 0.92' low. Largemouth bass continue to be fair along the dam, and creeks with vegetation with spinners, jigs, and crankbaits. Crappie are slow on jigs. Catfish are slow on cut shad, and prepped bait.

Joe Pool
GOOD. Water stained; 61 degrees; 2.83’ low. The largemouth bite is fair to good on plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits around submerged humps, and detected structure. Crappie are good using live bait around the highway bridges. Catfish are good on cut bait by the spillway.

Kemp
FAIR. Water clear; 58-62 degrees; 2.26’ low. The Wichita River structure and west bank coves are good with Texas-rigged, straight-tailed worms, crankbait, and spinnerbait. Crappie are good on crappie jigs around structures. White bass and hybrid continue to be good on slabs throughout the reservoir. Catfish are good with blood and liver prepared baits.

Lavon
GOOD. Water stained; 60-62 degrees: 4.00' low. Crappie are good with white and chartreuse or black and chartreuse jigs in 22 to 28 feet of water on slopes and ledges. White bass are slow but are found on 1-ounce slabs in 25 ft of water. Black bass are good in 5-20 feet on crankbaits worms and jigs. Catfish are excellent on cut bait in 11-27 feet.

Lewisville
FAIR. Water stained; 59-61 degrees; 0.98’ low. Black bass are good on Texas-rigged plastic baits and spinnerbaits within timber. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and weighted jigs among submerged vegetation. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and cut bait. Hybrid stripers are fair on rattle traps.

Limestone
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 3.07’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on plastic worms, topwater, spinners, and buzz baits in the mouths and into the many creeks. White bass and hybrid stripers are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs around standing timber. Catfish are good on cut shad, shrimp, worms, or prepped baits, especially above bobbers at night.

Navarro Mills
FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees. 2.29’ low. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in mid-depth ridges, with brush type structures and among standing timber. Catfish are good with stink bait, live and cut bait. White bass are fair on slabs. Black bass are slow with spinners, buzzbait, and jigs.

Palestine
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 62–64 degrees; 1.73’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigged worms, spinners and jigs on Cobb creek, and Saline Bay. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Hybrid stripers are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are excellent on shad and chicken livers.

Palo Pinto
SLOW. Water stained; 59-61 degrees; 3.07’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigged plastic worms and spinners on submerged cove beds and submerged points. Crappie are fair on live minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on live shad. Striped bass are good on live shad and jigs. Catfish are fair on live shad, minnows, and stinkbait.

Proctor
FAIR. Water lightly stained. 58 degrees. 3.27’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on the creek beds and channels with spinners, crankbaits, jigs, and minimal topwater. Trolling for hybrid stripers with live bait is fair. Crappie are good with jigs among structure and near the spillway. Catfish have been good on stinkbait and cut bait.

Ray Hubbard
GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 2.95” low. Largemouth bass are slow on shakey heads and mid-depth crankbaits. White bass and hybrid are fair in deep water on drop shot and spinner tail shads. Crappie are slow on minnows and small jigs along bridge pilings and in trees at 7-20ft. Catfish are good on cut bait and gizzard shad in deep water. Hybrids are moderate on swimbaits at shallow to mid-depth along the rock jetty and in front of the Harbor.

Ray Roberts
GOOD. Water stained: 59-61 degrees; 0.24’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigged worms, lizards, and topwater with vegetation cover in 15-25 feet of water on the main lake points. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows around the brush and timber of the northern coves. White bass are fair around deep structure in 20-40 feet on white or clear shad. Catfish are good on live bait and stinkbait.

Richland Chambers
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 59-63 degrees; 3.31’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwater, plastic worms, spinners, and jigging spoons on submerged points. White bass and hybrids are good on slabs and jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs around structures. Catfish are excellent on live bait and cut bait.

Somerville
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 62 degrees; 0.19’ low. White bass are plentiful, and hybrids are running underneath. The dam has several white bass, perch, and a few crappie. Crappie fishing has been exceptional on the marina from early morning until about 10:30 am. There are plenty of catfish and bluegill on the marina.

Squaw Creek
GOOD. Water stained; 58 degrees; 1.47’ low. Catfishing is excellent fishing the timber next to channels up north. The largemouth bass fishing has been great around shallow and deep structure on soft plastic worms and crankbaits. Crappie continue to be slow.

Stillhouse
FAIR. Water stained; 62 degrees; 2.66’ low. Largemouth are good on topwaters, spinners, and crankbait around the points, and vegetative beds. Smallmouth are fair with topwaters and crankbaits. White bass are fair with Alabama rigs and small spinners in open water drops. Sunfish are fair in shallow water on cutworms. Catfish are fair with live and cut bait. Trotlining is best in the upper lake using live sunfish.

Sulphur Springs
SLOW. Water stained; 58-62 degrees; 0.59’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigged plastic worms, topwater, spinnerbaits, and bass jigs on submerged creek beds in the Century Lake area. Crappie continue to be slow on minnows. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers, livers, cut and live bait.

Tawakoni
FAIR. Water stained; 58–62 degrees; 1.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and jigs among timber and deep coves mouths. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on slabs, spoons, and Alabama rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows under bridges, docks, and marinas. Catfish are good on live or cut shad.

Texoma
GOOD. Water stained; 58–62 degrees; 1.48’ high. Striped bass are excellent using slabs, swimbaits, and live bait- deadstick and cast. Largemouth bass are good drifting live baits in less than 20ft are producing best results. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on live shrimp, cut bait, and minnows. White bass are good and are biting on live bait and Alabama Rigs.

Weatherford
FAIR. Water stained; 59–62 degrees; 2.89’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits and plastic worms in and around cove edges with vegetation increasing the bass habitat. White bass are good with minnows, smaller crankbaits, and Alabama rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in brush structure. Catfish are good on crawfish, livers, blood baits, and cut bait.

Whitney
FAIR. Water stained 60 degrees; 6.38’ low. Black bass are good on plastic worms, jigs, and crankbaits throughout the 12-25 foot ridges all along the lake. White bass are fair on Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits, and with minnows in the main southern reservoir approaching the dam. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs in the middle or upper end of the lake. Catfish are good on live shad, stink bait, and cut shad.

Worth
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 59-62 degrees; 1.87' low. Largemouth bass are fair on buzzbaits, spinners, and worms along flats. Shooting docks with depth drops provide a bass highway. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs with cover and under docks. Catfish are good on live bait, stinkbait, and cut bait.