TPWD Weekly Area Fishing Report

SAN ANGELO, TX — Here is this week's area fishing report from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department:

Alan Henry

FAIR. 50 degrees; 5.65 feet below pool. Crappie continue to be fair in 25-35 feet with minnows. Report by Randy Britton, The Bait Shop, Post, Texas. 

Amistad

SLOW. Water stained 60 degrees; 65.22 feet below pool. Fishing is improving quickly as water conditions warm, with fish moving into the backs of pockets near grass and responding best to slow-worked plastics. Afternoon water temperatures are reaching the high 50s and occasionally topping 60 degrees. Some fish are still relating to deeper ledges and can be caught on drop shots and swimbaits fished deep. There have been no recent reports on crappie or catfish. Report by Kurt Dove, Amistad Bass Guide

Brady

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.52 feet below pool. Fishing is best as the day progresses and water temperature rise. Shallow bass can be caught with rattle traps, and some deeper bass can be caught on Carolina rigs. 

Brownwood

SLOW. Water stained; 51 degrees; 3.11 feet below pool. Black bass to 8.19 pounds are excellent on soft plastic creature baits in Lone Star Disco scoping around docks and jigs in 10-12 feet, and jerkbaits in 3-8 feet of water on the rocks around main lake pockets and points. Crappie are slow to 10 inches on minnows in the main lake scattered brush piles. White bass are slow with catch up to 1.25 pounds. Fish are scattered around the main lake. Catfish are slow on jug lines with cut shad or perch in the main lake. 

Buchanan

GOOD. Water normal stain; 63 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. Stripers are biting on live bait from 2-30 feet of water. Fish will be shallow on calm wind and high temperature days. White bass are thick from High-Line north trolling crankbaits, and are also piled up in the main body 20-42 feet of water hitting jigging spoons. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Crappie are good in 10-15 feet of water on brush with chartreuse jigs. Blue catfish are good in 20-25 feet of water with cut shad. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Patterns will remain consistent until the water temperature rises into the 60s. Stripers continue to be good trolling umbrella rigs and downriggers with bucktails in 31-52 feet of water on the points and humps. Livebait and jigging spoons are fair to good along the river channel and main lake points and humps. White bass are good, with some hybrids mixed in, from Garrett Island to the river trolling crankbaits. Stop on the main points and humps with jigging spoons and smaller shad or jumbo minnows in 28-45 feet of water. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. 

Cisco

GOOD. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 16.68 feet above pool. Cooler weather and passing fronts have brought north winds and occasional light rain to Lake Cisco, making conditions a bit tougher but still producing fish. Catfish remain the most consistent bite, with anglers catching good numbers on cut shad and punch bait around creek channels. Crappie action is slowly improving on brush and timber in 12-20 feet using minnows. Bass reports are light, but a few are moving shallow on warmer afternoons and hitting spinnerbaits and squarebills around rocks. Wind can make the lake choppy, so use caution. 

Coleman

SLOW. Water stained; 52 degrees; 3.44 feet below pool. Target bass on the points with red crankbait or lipless crankbaits. 

Ft. Phantom Hill

GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 5.57 feet below pool. Catfish should be shallow on fresh cut shad. Hybrids should be in 25-30 feet of water trolling or with live bait. Crappie are in 12-20 feet of water on structure with minnows and jigs. Report by Big Country Guide Service. Reports of a 14 pound bass. Target bass on the points with red crankbait or lipless crankbaits. 

Hubbard Creek

SLOW. Water Stained; 58 degrees; 14.64 feet below pool. Target bass on the points with red crankbait or lipless crankbaits. 

Nasworthy

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.90 feet below pool. Bass are fair flipping soft plastics around reed bases and laydowns in 1-3 feet of water. The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. Bass are beginning to transition into spawning areas with the warmer weather we have had lately. Secondary points leading into spawning pockets are going to be key. It is important to slow down your retrieve during the winter months because the fish are more lethargic due the colder water temperatures. Crappie are fair around main lake boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report by the Angelo State Fishing Team. 

O.C. Fisher

SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 32.14 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels. 

O.H. Ivie

FAIR. Water stained; 54 degrees; 19.80 feet below pool. Black bass are good for catches up to 9 pounds, and few reported over 10 pounds. Fish can be caught in 5-12 feet of water with deep diving crankbaits, umbrella rigs, swim jigs and chatterbaits. Shad patterns are good. Crappie are good suspended down 25-36 feet in deep trees along river Channel swings. Best bite is on minnows. White bass have been slow on jigging spoons around channel swings in the Turkey Bend area. Catfish good jug lines and eight 18 feet of water with cut shad or cut carp. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing. 

Oak Creek

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 22.99 feet below pool. Crappie are on brush and roaming open water with jigs or minnows. Bass are slow with soft plastics in deeper water. 

Possum Kingdom

GOOD. Water stained; 57 degrees; 2.69 feet below pool. Stripers are slow to fair in 30-40 feet of water. Live bait is still doing good but the artificial deadstick bite is starting to pick up. Jigs with a red head and lime green fluke tail seem to be the best color but other colors have been working also. Sand bass are fair to good in 30-40 feet of water in the main river channel. Live bait has been out performing artificials, but some can also be caught using deadstick techniques. Red head with a green or pink split tail fluke seems to be the best colors for deadsticking. Catfish are fair to good with cut and live shad in 2-5 feet of water, or in 30-40 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Bass have started to move up shallow in 10 feet of water or less water biting crankbaits. Water clarity is 8-12 feet of visibility and steady. Bonus rainbow trout catches are possible below the Possum Kingdom Lake Dam at the Hwy 16 Bridge. This is a light tackle fishery so bring your extra light tackle or flys for best results. Use baits like Powerbait in orange or chartreuse colors or whole kernel corn hooked on a very small hook with a light punch wait 12-18m inches above the bait. They will also sometimes hit small jerky baits but dough baits seem to be the best bet. Cast them out and let them sit for best results. Some can be caught using very small jerk baits and swim baits but Powerbait and corn is a more productive method. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. 

Spence

FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees; 51.83 feet below pool. Channel catfish are fair on punch and fresh cut bait in deeper water. Blue catfish are fair on fresh cut bait in deep water on flats and channels. On sunny days big blue catfish can be caught on shallow flats. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service. 

Stamford

FAIR. Water normal stain; 54 degrees; 1.64 feet above pool. Crappie are good at the crappie house and concrete structures with jigs and minnows. Catfish are mixed under the crappie. Catfish are fair. Bass are fair with red crankbaits or lipless crankbaits in 5-8 feet of water on points, or on steep rocky banks. 

Twin Buttes

FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees; 35.73 feet below pool. Channel and blue catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait in the channels and on the flats. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.