The East Texas Fishing Report for the week of Aug. 20:
ATHENS — Lake Athens is pushing four feet below normal and the water is clear. Surface temp seems like bath water, about 88 degrees.
Most fishing has been slow due to hot weather, low water and a lack of traffic. A few slot fish reported on plastics dragged on brushy points near deeper water.
No reports on crappie or catfish.
CEDAR CREEK — Cedar Creek is about five feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Bass fishing is slow, according to Dean Janke at Sunny Glen Resort. Janke said anglers are reporting the best results on deep ridges using Carolina rig plastics.
Crappie, white bass and hybrids are very slow. Catfish are fair at night on punch bait and cut bait.
PALESTINE — Lake Palestine is three feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Bill Miller at Flat Creek Marina said bass are fair to four pounds on cranks and plastics fished on points near deeper water. Best bite has been early.
Catfish are good on cut shad drifted along creeks in 12-16 feet of water. Juglines are producing cats to 30 pounds.
White bass and hybrids are fair on deep humps and ridges down south.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS — RC is about eight feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Larry Winters at Midway Landing said crappie anglers are reporting limits on minnows fished in timber 15-25 feet deep; the fish are suspending 10-22 feet down, depending on the time of day.
Black bass are fair on plastics and spinnerbaits worked in 4-8 feet of water on timbered points. Topwaters are drawing strikes early in the day, but the bite is short lived.
Catfish are good on rod and reel baited with grasshoppers, stink bait and shad. Jugline traffic has slowed way down.
White bass are good. Lots of schooling activity early in the day. Humps in 16-25 feet of water are holding fish at midday.
FORK — Lake Fork is 3 1/2 feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Tony Parker at the Minnow Bucket said bass anglers are picking up good numbers of slot fish to five pounds using Carolina rigs and crankbaits in 20-25 feet of water. A few school bass reported on Rat-L-Traps. One bass angler reported catching a 45-pound flathead catfish on a deep crankbait.
Crappie are fair on minnows fished along creeks near timbered points in about 35 feet of water.
TOLEDO BEND — T-Bend is about 8 1/2 feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Charlie Shively at Bill's Landing said catfish have been good to 50 pounds on trotline baited with live perch. Rod and reelers are picking up some nice blues and channels; the fish are grouped up in creeks and old river sloughs.
Crappie are fair on minnows fished along river ledges in 12-20 feet of water. The fish are suspended 8-12 feet deep.
SAM RAYBURN — Sam Rayburn is about 3 1/2 feet low and clear. Water temp is in the upper 80s.
Ann Thomasson-Wilson at Ann's Tackle said bass fishing has been good to six pounds on black/blue craws and heavyweight camo or little gator pattern jigs pitched in matted vegetation in 6-12 feet of water. A few fish taking topwaters early and late. The Yellow Magic has been deadly. Ribbit Frogs and Super Flukes also have been effective.
— Matt Williams
Sports
East Texas Fishing Report
- Sports
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Martin’s Mill senior Jackson Latimer has signed a national letter of intent to play golf at East Central University in Ada, Okla.
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5/27 Camps Calendar
Submissions for our Camps Calendar are published free of charge. If you have a camp you’d like to publicize, send information to sportseditor@athensreview.com.
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Hail to the coach!
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BRETT HOFFMAN: Broken ankle shelves top roper
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Wallace hired as Cross Roads AD/HFC
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5/24 Camps Calendar
Submissions for our Camps Calendar are published free of charge. If you have a camp you’d like to publicize, send information to sportseditor@athensreview.com.
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Up and over
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