Weekly Fishing Report Week of February 28, 2024

Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 58-63 degrees; 0.84 feet below pool. Water conditions are stable, but they are slowly dropping the water level to continue work on the dam. Water is still very muddy north of Calhoun Point. A full moon and warming trend have temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s so anglers should expect fish to be moving to the bank rapidly. Fish with lightweight Carolina or Texas rigs, chatterbaits, weightless flukes, worms, or rattletraps. As well as a spook, pop-r, and buzz bait. Report by Captain Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing. Fishing patterns are holding steady. The water is muddy north of the Texas State Highway 147 bridge and clearing south of the bridge. The grass lines are in 6-12 feet grass of water. Male bass are moving up shallow in the grass, but the females are holding in 12 feet of water. Cast soft plastics and rattletraps. Crappie are moving into creeks to spawn with very few on main lake brush piles. This bite should improve next week. Catfish will follow soon. White bass are good up the river and can be fun to fish as they put up a good fight. If there are high winds it will stir the water up, cooling the water in the pockets. Water is being released as work continues on the dam. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 0.38 feet below pool. Bass fishing is good in really all depths from 1-30 feet of water, with catches up to 9 pounds. Shallower fish are coming on weightless senkos, wacky-worms, chatterbaits and square bills. Mid range fish are biting on Carolina rig lizards and brush hogs, football jigs and mid range crankbaits. Deeper fish are coming on dropshots, spoons and swimbaits. Do no expect these fish to remain deep for long with the water temperature increasing the baitfish will start to push shallow. Crappie are picking up as the creeks clear and crappie move in. Best baits are jigs and live minnows in 6-12 feet. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

SALTWATER

Sabine Lake
FAIR. 62 degrees. The Neches River continues to be fresh, so continue to focus efforts on the points and drop in Bessie Heights Marsh with live shrimp under a popping cork for redfish, sheepshead and drum. Limits of redfish on the flats. Redfish are on the rock piles in the ICW with live shrimp under a popping cork. Sabine Ship Channel is good for redfish. Jetties are good for sheepshead, drum and redfish with live shrimp on a Carolina rig. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar
GOOD. 60 degrees. The fish have been active this week and people caught some great ones when the weather cooperated. They caught plenty of black drum and redfish across the bay and in the surf. Off the jetty, we had reports of flounder, whiting, reds of various sizes, black drum, sheepshead, and small stingrays. The bayside of Bolivar and East Bay have been producing nice speckled trout, reds, drum, and a few sheepshead. Reports from the Texas City Dike were sporadic, but people landed small specks, lots of various sized reds and black drum along with a few flounder, whiting and sand trout. With the tide changes, we caught enough bait on the shrimp boats and more shrimp are coming back into the bay from the gulf hopefully in time to reproduce for a good late spring and early summer season. Report by North Jetty Bait Camp. The ditch has some redfish, with an occasional nice trout, against the grass sides biting popping cork or artificial. Fish the deeper ends of the reefs, or wind protected cuts with popping cork and shrimp. The jetty holding sheepshead and trout on live shrimp close to rocks. Yates Sloughs holding redfish on grass lines close to Sievers Cut fish 12-18 inches under a popping cork with shrimp, or burner shad in black or dark green. Report by Captain Raymond Wheatly, Tail Spotter Guide Service.