Athens Review, Athens, Texas

Sports

February 8, 2010

2/8 The East Texas Fishing Report

Matt Williams CNHI

Athens — CEDAR CREEK — The lake is three inches high and muddy. Water temp is in the mid-40s.

Fishing guide Jason Barber said bass fishing has been very tough lately. The better fish are coming off deeper docks in 7-12 feet of water, mainly on 3/8-ounce jigs and red Rat-L-Traps.

Catfish are good to 15 pounds on shad soaked in 3-5 feet of water around cormorant roosts. Running creeks are holding lots of quality fish. Crappie are slow. Best bite has been around bridge pilings and brush piles in 15-20 feet of water. Barber said hybrids are feeding on roving schools of shad in 30-40 feet of water near the dam; the fish are suspended 18-20 feet down.

PALESTINE — Lake Palestine is about four inches high and stained. Water temp is in the mid-40s.

Bill Flashnick at Porter's Sporting Goods said bass fishing has been tough. A 16- pound sack won the Bud Light team event over the weekend. The weights dropped fast from there with only a few limits reported. Best bite was up north, mainly on jigs and spinnerbaits fished along channel breaks.

Not many crappie anglers on the water. Flashnick said white bass are beginning to make the annual spawning trek up the Neches River. Best access is off Highway 31. A few anglers reporting decent results in the back of Flat Creek.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS — RC is about seven inches high and stained. Water temp is in the mid-40s.

Most fishing has been tough with limited traffic on the water, according to Larry Winters at Midway Landing. Bass fishermen are picking up a few keepers on jigs and spinnerbaits tossed along channel breaks in 6-10 feet of water, but numbers are hard to come by.

Catfishermen are picking up a few limits using punch bait in standing timber near channel breaks and along wind blown shorelines. Crappie are slow.

FORK — Lake Fork is about four inches high and stained. Water temp is in the mid-40s.

Chris Parker at the Minnow Bucket said bass fishing has been slow. A few fish reported on Rat-L-Traps, Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits worked around shallow grass beds in 3-8 feet of water. There are some fish grouped around pods of shad in deeper water, but the bite is slow. 

Crappie are fair on live shiners soaked under the Highway 154 bridge. The fish are hugging the bottom in 36 feet of water and taking live shiners. Main lake points near the dam are holding fish in 45 feet of water.

No report on catfish.

 NACOGODCHES — The lake is about normal level and stained-to-muddy. Water temp is in the mid-40s.

— Matt Williams

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