Weekly Fishing Report Week of April 26, 2023.
Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.33 feet above pool. Spring fishing patterns are holding steady, but some fish may push deep as the lake drops. Bass are in all stages of the spawn with a few still shallow. Bass are good flipping crankbaits, jigs and soft plastics into buck brush and timber, and the grass lines in 6-12 feet of water. Some fish can be found on secondary points and in 25 feet of water with crankbaits, Carolina or Texas rigged worms. Small crappie on piles biting minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good moving into the main lake in 12-18 feet of water. Sand bass are fair to good spawning in the creeks, with a few on points using minnows and jigs. Big bluegills showing up on brush piles, and moving shallow to spawn. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
GOOD. Water stained; 65-69 degrees; 0.79 feet below pool. The water level is 171.28 with one generator running 24 hours a day. Water temperature at the dam is 65 degrees, and 65-69 North of the three-mile Pendleton bridge. Good numbers of bass have been caught using black and blue, white and chartreuse, or watermelon pepper bladed jigs. Bass are biting �½-1 ounce Jig-n-pigs on points with clay bottoms. Best colors are colors black and blue, or peanut butter and jelly. For darker colored water use a Carolina rig with a plastic worm 8-10 inch in watermelon red and plum apple. Texas rigged zoom speed craws and baby brush hogs are producing catches in shallow casting to the edge of the grass and buck brush. Best colors have been watermelon red, all white, black with red glitter, and blackberry with purple flake. Some bigger bass have been caught on Senko’s and flukes in black and blue flake, watermelon red, black and red flake and motor oil colors rigged wacky or Texas style. Flyrodders are catching quality bass over vegetation using eight and 10 weight fly rods. Top flies this week have been a weighted spoon fly black with red glitter, and a Stealth Goober top water fly. Best color has been a green and black with a chartreuse bottom and a yellow and black back with a chartreuse bottom. Crappie bite has slowed in the shallows with fish starting to move on vertical timber and brush plies. Some crappie have spawned, and others are fluctuating in and out depending on water depth and water temperatures. Bluegill are starting to show up in the shallow flats and boathouses. 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. Report from Master Captain Steve “Scooby” Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, and Mudfish Custom Rod Shop.
SALTWATER
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 74 degrees. Fishing will continue to improve the next few weeks with the warmer weather. The salinity continues to be good in Lake Sabine holding nice fish. Trout are good along the shoreline on soft plastics, swimbaits and live shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are biting in the marsh, and along the ship channel shorelines. Sheepshead, drum and bull redfish are biting along the jetty rocks. Look for the trout bite to pick up in the jetties in the coming weeks. Flounder fishing has increased with jigs tipped with shrimp, or live bait fished off the bottom in the marsh. When the winds allow North Levee wall continues to be very productive for limits of trout with topwaters early morning. ICW holding limits of redfish. Neches River and Bessie Heights are holding nice limits of redfish, some trout, and the occasional bull redfish in 3-7 feet of water using 1/4 ounce glo chartreuse swimbaits. Report by Captain Randy Foreman and Captain Chris Phillip, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 70 degrees. The surf is starting to hold some black drum, pompano, small shark and occasional redfish. The North Jetty surf side holding sheepshead and trout against rocks look for bait. Redfish in the channel on Carolina rigged mullet, shad, and crab. The end holds nice schools of trout and sheepshead. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.
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