For The Week of August 6, 2025. Presented by TPWD.
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 87 degrees. Going to the rigs offers a chance at catching tripletail and cobia plus some solid trout. Head out to the short rigs on mornings with light winds to catch limits of trout in 30-35 feet of water. The catching a few tripletails as we return to the jetties. Fishing the jetties for redfish, trout, drum and sheepshead with live shrimp using Carolina rigs and popping corks. Staying in the channel and finishing up on redfish, sheepshead and drum. The salinity in Sabine Lake is improving. There are trout being caught underneath bird activity during outgoing tides. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. Water temperatures are hanging in the 80s. Water levels are slow-moving back and forth with a moderate amount of sargassum washing in on the surf. People are still catching plenty of redfish, gafftop, and black drum everywhere. There’s plenty of keeper speckled trout being caught along with sand trout, sheepshead, and crabs caught along the jetty. The bigger stingrays and sharks are definitely in full swing, and a few close to state records have been landed this past month. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
FRESHWATER
Sam Rayburn
SLOW. Water stained; 83 degrees; 6.35 feet below pool. The water is low with large stumps exposed and fish moving back to deeper water. Conditions are changing quickly with bass moving to points, humps, and offshore structure due to water releases. Caroline rigs and big baits are working for the deep bite. There’s some topwater action in the shallows early in places, but fishing is mainly focused on deep structure. With all the water being released, the bite has been challenging. Bluegill are abundant on brush piles. Crappie are fair. Catfish are good in creek channels and off points. Lots of freshwater is still coming in from recent rains, but heavy water releases are making fishing difficult. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
FAIR. 89 degrees; 1.85 feet below pool. Bass fishing is fair. Very little action for the hour of sunlight on topwaters. Some good bass can be caught in 10-14 feet on Texas rig worms and shallow running crankbaits. Some deeper fish coming on football jigs and big crankbaits with a few fish this week in the 8-pound range. Just not many bites out deep, but when you get a few, they’re good ones. Few school fish showing up in the mid lake area. These calm, no wind days help get the shad up to the surface with spoons, small topwater and shallow running crankbaits being best. Crappie fishing is just tough. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
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