Fishing Lake Sam Rayburn: Topwater Bass, Crappie on Timber, and Catfish in River Bends

If you're planning to hit Lake Sam Rayburn today, here’s what you need to know:

First off, the weather is looking good with partly sunny skies and a high of 89 degrees, dropping to 71 degrees at night. Sunrise is at 7:14 AM and sunset at 6:53 PM.

The lake level is currently 0.82 feet below pool, and the water is slightly stained with a temperature of 80 degrees. Expect the lake level to drop further in the future due to dam maintenance.

For fish activity, bass are schooling more in the morning, so be ready for some topwater action on grass edges and points. Use lures like chatterbaits, swimbaits, or frogs to catch bass chasing bait in the hay grass and flooded bushes early in the morning. When bass are schooling on the bottom, try using a Carolina rig, dropshot, or shaky head. Jig head minnows and forward-facing sonar are also effective for targeting suspended bass at the mouth of creeks and on offshore flats.

Crappie are fair on standing timber in 27 feet of water, using minnows over jigs on brush piles. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 24-27 feet of water and in the river bends, where cut bait and minnows are working well.

As for tidal and moon phases, today is a waxing crescent moon with major bite times from 3:12 AM to 5:12 AM and 15:42 PM to 17:42 PM. However, since Lake Sam Rayburn is a freshwater lake, tidal influences are negligible.

Hot spots include the grass edges and points for topwater bass action, and the standing timber for crappie. The river bends are good for catfish, especially with cut bait and minnows.

Overall, it's a great day to be out on the water at Lake Sam Rayburn, with plenty of fish to target and effective strategies to catch them.