Weekly Fishing Report Week of August 13, 2025
Sam Rayburn
SLOW. Water stained; 83 degrees; 6.57 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. 94 degrees; 2.23 feet below pool. Hot summer conditions have made fishing tough, with the early morning topwater bite showing slight improvement-producing a few fish in the 4 pound range on Yellow Magic, Pop-R, and Spooks-but lasting only 30-45 minutes. With no morning cloud cover, the bite shuts down quickly once the sun clears the trees. Main lake ridge fishing has been fair, improving in the afternoon, with Texas rigs and big crankbaits working best in 15-20 feet of water during the last hour of daylight until dark. Crappie fishing remains very slow, with no solid reports this week. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
SALTWATER
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 87 degrees. Heading out to the short rigs every morning with light winds and catching limits of trout in 30-35 feet of water. Coming back and catching a few tripletails on the way back 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. Salinities in Sabine Lake are getting better with higher salt content coming up. There are trout being caught underneath bird activity on outgoing tides. Going to the rigs offers a chance at catching tripletail and cobia plus some solid trout. Also fishing ICW with nice trout and redfish off the rock piles using live shrimp with popping corks and Carolina rig live shrimp on the bottom for sheepshead and drum. Salt salinities have come up and some of these fish have moved into the deeper water. 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 varying amounts of sargassum washing in on the surf. People are still catching plenty of redfish, trout, 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 with plenty of bait along the shoreline. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
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