Wa ter l i g h t l y stained; 87 degrees; 1.45 feet below pool.
Black bass are good up the river fishing worms and crankbaits around timber.
Crappie are good on jigs and minnows fished in 4-8 feet of water.
White bass are good on road beds and humps, but most catches are undersized.
Blue catfish are very good on jug lines baited with shad or cut bait.
Yellow catfish are slow.
Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.
Somerville
FAIR. Water clear; 90-92 degrees; 1.77 feet below pool.
Fishing is good but slowing due to heat.
The lake is in good shape for baitfish with lots of shad scattered in shallow water.
Catfish, bluegill and crappie are fair on minnows and worms at Somerville Marina early morning.
Black bass are slow hitting slow moving plastics and spinnerbaits on drop offs and brush in 6-10 feet of water.
Crappie are fair on main lake brush piles and pilings using minnows and various jigs.
Catfish are fair early in the morning in 4-10 feet of water. Larger catfish are good in deep water on jug lines baited with shad or cut bait.
White bass are fair trolling Pet spoons or using shad and ghost minnows on humps in 6-10 feet of water.
Hybrids are slow using cut bait and 2 ounce jigs.
Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
Stillhouse Hollow
GOOD. Wa ter l i g h t l y stained; 87 degrees; 16.44 feet below pool.
If this report sounds a bit like a broken record, it is because the weather is driving the fishing and the weather has been, is now, and will continue to be, unchanging as long as this hot, dry high-pressure dome sits atop the Lone Star State.
Morning fishing is definitely more productive for white bass than afternoons or evenings. Fish are in as much as 45 feet of water and relating to breaklines.
Finding fish with sonar and downrigging for them has been extremely effective. This both helps find fish and indicates their willingness to chase lures. If the fish willingly chases down rig lures, then Spot-Locking atop them and working MAL Heavy Lures with white tails vertically from bottom, upwards through the fish is effective, as is working MAL Heavy Lures horizontally using a sawtooth-style retrieve.
Quality largemouth bass fishing continues with dark, naturally colored soft plastics fished on the outside edge of the hydrilla now standing in ~20 feet of water both early morning and just before/after sunset. Some morning topwater largemouth action for smaller “schoolie” bass continues. Small, clear “fluke” style baits cast fast and accurately get the most attention.
Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Belton
GOOD. Wa ter l i g h t l y stained; 88 degrees; 15.79 feet below pool.
If this report sounds like a broken record, it is because the weather is driving the fishing and the weather has been, is now, and will continue to be, unchanging as long as this hot, dry high-pressure dome sits atop the Lone Star State.
There are varying degrees of morning white bass topwater action from about 6:307:15 a.m., with less consistent “popcorn” schooling thereafter, until around 9 a.m.
After that topwater bite ends, anglers are left with the more difficult task of finding fish by searching with sonar. Once found, Spot-Locking a cast’s length from the fish and then casting to them using a “sawtooth method” with the MAL Heavy with white tail has been my go-to tactic when fish are found on or near the bottom.
If fish regurgitate small, young-of-the-year shad, drop down to a MAL Mini lure.
If fish are scattered and/ or suspended, nothing beats downrigging right over top of them. Multi-lure rigs incorporating #12 and #13 Pet Spoons is a sure bet.
Channel catfish have been coming into baited areas well. Focus on depths where the thermocline meets the bottom with at least sparse cover nearby.
Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
Lake Belton is currently 15.3 feet below full capacity.
Catfish are great in shallow water.
Smaller blue catfish and trophy size catfish can be caught in 5-30 feet of water using live bait as well as fresh cut bait.
Flathead catfish have been caught near rock piles with live perch or shad.
Channel catfish have been great in shallow water around timber using punch bait.
Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
Limestone
GOOD. Water clear; 89-94 degrees; 1.99 feet below pool.
There is a really good white bass bite at the docks in the lights at night. White bass are good on points, humps, docks at night in 7-14 feet of water using silver jigging spoons, crankbaits, and swimbaits.
Largemouth are slow so be sure to have patience in the tackle box. Target bass in 3-12 feet of water in brush piles, docks and bulkheads using Carolina or Texas rigs and spinnerbait.
Crappie are excellent in 10-18 feet of water on brush piles, standing timber, and power lines using minnows. The best bite is from 11 a.m.7 p.m.
Catfish are good on flats and standing timber in 10-20 feet of water using cutbait and minnows fished off the bottom. The thermocline is around 14 feet of water.
Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking. com.
Bryan
GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees.
Fishing patterns remain as steady as the heat.
Crappie are fair to good on brush piles with jigs or minnows.
Catfish are good with medium to large minnows near the boat ramp and off the pier.
Report by The Bait Barn.
Bass are fair on crankbaits.
Report by Aggie Anglers.
Waco
GREAT. Water stained; 85 degrees; 9.43 feet below pool. The crappie bite has picked up first thing in the mornings, hopefully this is an indication the fall bite will be starting.
These fish have not moved from their summer patterns though, they just start feeding more aggressively. Continue to focus on 8-16 feet of water on main lake points with brush and the edges of creek channels and drops with Snacky lures FS200 on a crappie magnet Eyehole jig in 1/16th ounce tipped with minnows and a 10-foot Bucks ultimate rod from BNM Fishing.
Report by Robert Stover, Workingman Crappie Guide.
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