Weekly Fishing Report Week of July 5, 2023.
FRESHWATER
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 85-87 degrees; 0.64 feet below pool. The thermocline is at 27 feet. Bass are good with topwaters in the pencil grass and hydrilla. Bigger bass are on points and humps biting crankbaits and Carolina rigs. Crappie are stacking up on brush with bluegill mixed in biting on minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on brush and around creeks. White bass are schooling on points biting jigs and crankbaits. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
GOOD. Water stained; 80-84 degrees; 0.82 feet below pool. The water level is 170.95 with both generators running 6 hours a day. Water temperature at the Dam is 83 degrees. North of the three-mile Pendleton bridge, temperatures have been running 87-89 degrees. Air temperature will be up around 99 degrees this week. Crappie are still being caught in 12-20 feet of water depending on cloud cover and generating schedule. Some days it is minnows and sometimes it’s a jig. Best times for your topwater Bass frog bite over vegetation is very early and at dark. Another Bass pattern has been, a floating trick worm in white with a EWG hook no weight. Cadence is twitch, twitch, and let it die. During the heat of the day bass are 20-25 feet over brush piles and ledges. Texas and Carolina rigs have been producing in the outer swings of the creek bends. Best colors in 6-10 inch worms are watermelon candy red, June bug red and Red Shad. Bass are a little selective right now over brush piles and you might catch one or two and the school will shut down. Just move on, find another spot, and catch one or two again. Keep moving, do not stay in one spot for too long. White bass are showing up in big schools in the main lake over humps and river channels, sometimes schooling on the surface south of the Pendleton bridge. White Bass use a Black/Blue back 1/2-ounce rattletrap, a jig-n-spoon in 1/2 and 3/4 ounce, and medium diving crankbaits. Kayakers are catching Blue and Channel Catfish shallow with the spawn going on in 1-6 foot of water with a floating cork and split shot from 3-12 pounds in the shallow flats close to deep water. Best baits this week have been punch baits, squid, finger mullet, and shrimp. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated in this extreme heat. Captains watch, watch your party closely, if you observe someone experiencing these symptoms, feeling lightheaded, nauseated, having muscle cramps, motor skills are slow, they are in trouble, get off the water, and get them cooled down immediately. They may be experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Just a reminder, the summer pattern brings quick developing showers, high winds, hail, and lightning. Watch your weather radar and if you hear lighting, get off the water. Remember, it is always better to play it safe by telling a loved one or friend the area you will be fishing, how many people are in your party and the expected return time. Good luck and keep casting forward! Report from Master Captain Steve “Scooby” Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, and Mudfish Custom Rod Shop.
SALTWATER
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 87 degrees. Jetties are good for speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead and drum on the rock piles with live shrimp under a popping cork. Trout and redfish are biting in the ICW and Sabine Channel bullheads, rock piles glo chartreuse plastics. Redfish are good on lake points and bayous. Look for the bird action on outgoing tides in the morning. Neches River holding speckled trout in 14-25 feet of water using �¾ ounce jighead glo chartreuse tail, jigging silver or gold spoons. Redfish are in the river in 12-15 feet of water with live shrimp under a popping cork, or live mullet on a Carolina rig. North Levy is on fire for trout with topwaters early, switching to live shrimp under a popping cork and crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 80 degrees. The surf is holding lots of black drum, pompano, sharks and redfish biting live or fresh dead shrimp. The North Jetty Gulf side holding limits of sheepshead and trout against Rocks look near the end on popping cork with shrimp. The wreck has good numbers of trout on free-line shrimp or croaker close to rocks. Channel side holding some nice trout close and big redfish on the bottom. Shark on the end of the jetty towards the gulf side. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.
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