We dedicate this week’s fishing report to the OCARC Fishing Tournament which is this weekend. Contact OCARC at 886 1363.
Weekly Fishing Report Week of July 31, 2024
Sabine Lake
FAIR. 86 degrees. The influx of freshwater has muddied the lake, so expect fishing to be tough until the water settles. Start fishing for flounder, redfish, drum and sheepshead off points and drops until the freshwater run-off runs to the gulf and green water returns. Last week trout, redfish, drum, sheepshead, and bull redfish were biting in the jetties on popping cork with live shrimp or quarter ounce glo chartreuse glo soft plastics fished off the bottom. Then we finished our trout limit at the short rigs, along the beach, and offshore on the rigs in 18-30 feet of water ⅜ ounce jigs to the bottom working up and down. The best color was LSU with a chartreuse tail. When the water became rough we moved to the inside the jetties on rock piles and shells for flounder, redfish and trout. Good speckled trout catches during outgoing tides on the South end of the lake on shell reefs dragging a quarter ounce jigs with glo chartreuse soft plastics, or silver flecked 5 inch plastics. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
EXCELLENT. 85 degrees. Fishing is excellent and patterns are holding steady. Numbers of redfish, croakers, sand trout, sheepshead, black drum, speckled trout, and crabs caught along the jetty with plenty of stingrays and sharks. The surf is producing redfish and black drum, gafftop, lots of stingrays, and bigger sharks along the whole peninsula with high activity towards Gilchrist or High Island. Finger mullet and croaker have been popular baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
FRESHWATER
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 5.26 feet above pool. The bite for all species seems to improve when the water is being generated. This stirs the water, breaking up the thermocline. Bass are slow in shallow water with many smaller fish being caught on frogs, and spinnerbaits. Deeper bass bite is fair with Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow in the morning, but improve midday. Catfish are all over the lake in 20 feet of water and in 12 feet of water in the creek channels. White bass are on points in the south end of the lake near the dam. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service. As the lake continues to drop fish are going to be moving to traditional summer locations pending the thermocline depth. Bass are good early morning on shallow main lake points with medium or deep diving crankbaits, and topwaters. Main lake ledges with Carolina rig shaky head and spoons. Brush piles shallower than the thermocline with Texas rigs, jigs or Carolina rigs. The thermocline is actively fluctuating and will continue to do so while lake level changes. Navigate with caution watching for floating debris, trees, and stumps. Report by Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing.
Toledo Bend
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 91 degrees; 0.85 feet below pool. Water level is still on the rise, but we have finally dried out after 6 days of straight rain. Lake is stained in some of the main creeks, but still clear out on the main lake. Crappie fishing is just slow. It is always slow this time of year, but it is really slow due to the rising water. Few catches on deep brush and lighted boat docks at night. Use live bait, as it is hard to get them to bite a jig right now. Bass fishing is still fair. Water temperature cooled off the lower 80s, but has increased to the upper 80s and low 90s. Very few bites on topwater now that all the clouds are gone, best bite still has been from 8-14 feet on Texas and Carolina rig worm and mid-running crankbait. An 80 year old birthday boy caught a 7 pound fish on a Texas rig, so while the action may be slow quality is present. There are few small fish being caught out deeper in 18-25 feet on drop shot and spoons, these fish are small and most are Kentucky bass. With no moon and poor weather the night fishing has slowed down this past week, but a big Texas rigged worm at night in 14-20 feet is hard to beat, especially with the hot daytime temperatures. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
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