The trusty Solunar Tables show last week was an unusually good time to go fishing, and this pattern will continue into the weekend.
Friday afternoon’s major period will peak at 3 p.m. and continue into the late evening. Saturday’s major will peak after 3 p.m. as well.
For night anglers, 3-6 a.m. Sunday morning looks most promising. Sunday’s overall majors drop, but will peak at 3 p.m.
Old School Tip: Bill Dance on Deep Water Worm Fishing
“As your worm hits the water, strip line off the reel so the worm will sink straight down. Otherwise, it will “pendulum” right back under the boat, and you won’t be covering the water you think you’re fishing.”
BIll Dance, bass guide to fishing lures, 1973
TPWD Fishing Reports
Amistad
GOOD – 32.3 percent, water very stained: temperature 82 degrees; 61 feet below pool.
Lake conditions are holding steady with no significant changes from last week. Report from Shon Riley, Lake Amistad Fishing Guides.
Brownwood
GOOD – 99.4 percent, water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.26 feet above pool.
We are in the dog days of summer. Fishing is tough all over the lake.
Catching black bass around 3 pounds, slow in 3-15 feet of water on wacky rig senkos on the dock poles. Crappie around 11 inches are slow in 1-2 feet on minnows and jigs, 10-18 feet on deeper large docks with brush on the main lake and on scattered brush piles.
White bass around 1.5 pounds are slow on crappie jigs and crankbaits out of the lights at night. Catfish are slow on cut shad on the main lake flats.
Buchanan
EXCELLENT – 100 percent, water slightly stained, 75-85 degrees, 0.03 feet below pool.
Live bait, trolling, and some top water has been working. White bass and stripers are surfacing.
Look for cleaner pockets of water. Water is stained mid lake and muddy around Garrett island and north. Trolling with downriggers and umbrella rigs produced stripers and hybrids in 18-32 feet of water. Catfish are good at the mouth of the river and up-river with the inflows. Reports from Travis Holland, TH Fishing and Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide.
The Lower Colorado River authority continues to advise the public to use caution and to stay off the Highland Lakes at night. Be aware there may be unscheduled releases from the Highland Lakes dams, so the public should exercise caution and avoid being in the water near the dams at all times. Check the LCRA website current conditions.
Coleman
FAIR – 95.8 percent, water normal to stained; 84 degrees; 0.83 feet below pool.
Black bass of 2 pounds are slow in 10-20 feet of water around the off points of the lake with a scope minnow.
Excellent Crappie fishing: 14 inch fish on minnows in 8-15 feet under docks in Rattlesnake Cove on the right side going in. Hybrid bass are good to 6 pounds on square bill crankbaits in the lighted docks. Catfish are slow on prepared bait, nightcrawlers and chicken livers.
Hubbard Creek
FAIR – 52.9 percent, water stained; 80 degrees; 11.33 feet below pool.
Bass are fair to good with soft plastics in brush piles. Crappie are on brush piles biting minnows or jigs. Several anglers out trolling for white bass.
Nasworthy
FAIR – 85 percent, water slightly stained; 79 degrees. 1.03 feet below pool.
The bass bite has been good flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water. The spawn is ending and bass are staying in the shallows as the water temperature rises to the 80’s.
The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. Focus on holes in the reed banks where bass will set up on their beds. Watch for balls of bass fry because a fry guarder will be close by.
Crappie are fair around main lake boat docks on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report from the Angelo State Fishing Team.
O.C. Fisher
SLOW – 18.5 percent, water stained. 85 degrees, 29.17 feet below pool.
Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels.
O.H. Ivie
FAIR – 54.3 percent, water quality unknown. 83 degrees, 15.91 feet below pool.
Lake is leveling off and there is still a fair top water bite in the shallow flooded green salt cedars.
Topwater frogs working best, or a Whopper Plopper white or grey belly. Some bass are being caught on small swimbaits and 12-15 feet of water in drains and pockets slowly rolled off the bottom. Bass around 6 pounds reported.
Crappie are slow but they are caught if you can work and move around to various trees in the clear water mid to lower lake. Minnows best around deeper trees. White bass are best at night under lights. Some being trolled down by the dam on crankbaits. Channel and Blue Catfish are good up the river with cut shad under a cork being the best. Report from Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.
Spence
SLOW – 15.3 percent, water stained, 80 degrees, 47.91 feet below the pool.
Few reports due to the fluctuation of water level. Report from Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
Twin Buttes
SLOW – 16.1 percent, water stained, 82 degrees, 31.49 feet below pool.
Channel catfish are still biting in shallow water in punch bait. White bass and crappie are biting at night under lights with minnows or shad. Report from Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.
