Granger
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.19 feet above pool.
Black bass are good on spinnerbaits fished in very shallow water in heavy cover.
Crappie are very good on jigs fished in brush piles all over the lake.
White bass are good on slab spoons fished along roadbeds and points.
Blue catfish are good on jug lines baited with Zote soap or shad.
Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines.
Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.
Somerville
GOOD. Water stained; 73 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool.
Fishing patterns are holding steady.
At the marina, the crappie bite is fair, bluegill are fair on crickets or worms, the catfish are fair on minnows or punch bait.
On the lake, crappie are fair on jigs and minnows over brush in 8-18 feet of water. Crappie are nearing the end of the spawn.
Catfish are excellent in 3-10 feet of water with cut shad or punch bait. Catfish are spawning.
Black bass are good on crankbaits and shiny spinnerbaits in 2-8 feet of water. Bass are nearing the end of the spawn.
White bass are excellent trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows.
Hybrids are good with many undersized fish being caught in deeper water using cut bait or mussels.
Below the dam fishing is slow since no water is being released.
Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
Stillhouse Hollow
GOOD. Water stained; 71 degrees; 4.26 feet below pool.
The annual white bass spawn has almost completely run its course and the annual threadfin shad spawn is now well underway. These coinciding events bring white bass into shallow water to feed on spawning shad most mornings on slow tapering wind blown topographies. These fish quickly move to 20-25 feet in the clear water as the sun rises.
In shallow water, the MAL Original works well to imitate spawning adult shad. Once the fish move out deeper, the silver, three-quarter ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab has been the ticket to later morning fish grouped up tightly, whereas using a sawtooth method of retrieve with the MAL Heavy is the go-to method for fish spread over a larger area.
Largemouth bass are now consistently in 8-14 feet of water, especially on topographic irregularities with some form of cover present.
Dark, small, naturally-colored soft plastics worked with Texas rigs or Carolina rigs are consistent producers here. Unfortunately, the falling water level keeps leaving the hydrilla attempting to regrow exposed, so it has not really gotten a good foothold after the 2024 spring flooding.
Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Belton
FAIR. Water stained; 71 degrees; 3.19 feet below pool.
After much needed rain in the watershed, Belton Lake rose slightly this week and is still receiving water from Proctor Lake.
The annual threadfin shad spawn is at its peak and should continue through the third week of May. With so much forage so consistently shallow, gamefish have moved shallower, as well.
Most morning action is taking place from the bank to 25 feet in areas impacted by overnight winds.
Live bait will have an edge over artificial presentations for white bass and hybrid striped bass until the shad spawn begins to weaken. Fish found on sonar will typically not remain in one location very long as bait and fish move rapidly thanks to increasing metabolism as the spring season moves on.
Fishing large, four-plus inch long, live shad will help select for hybrid stripers and keep smaller white bass at bay. Smaller baits will ensure more action, but for smaller fish, including white bass and blue catfish. Cut, fresh, dead shad is also an option when fishing gets tougher after cold fronts and during calm winds.
Those gamefish spotted feeding on shad on the surface in the first hour of the day and or under cloudy skies, can be sight-cast to. The MAL Original or MAL Heavy with silver blade and chartreuse tail are just the ticket for this scenario.
Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Catfish are excellent. Anglers can find blue catfish in river channels, sand flats and around steep ledges in 10-20 feet of water.
Larger fresh cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds can be caught slowly drifting with small cut shad along sand flats.
Channel catfish are good and on punch bait in 10-25 feet of water.
Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
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