FISHING REPORT

The weekly fishing report is compiled for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

FRESHWATER

BASTROP: SLOW. Water clear; 55 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow fishing creeks, rocks and brush on drop shots, crankbaits and jigs. Crappie are slow on minnows in brush piles and standing timber in 14-25 feet. Channel and blue catfish are slow on cut bait and live bait.

BELTON: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 0.56 feet low. Black bass are fair near steep rocky shorelines, timber and drop-offs on drop shots, finesse jigs and crankbaits. White bass are fair on the main lake points, channels and drop-offs with slabs, jerk baits and swim baits in 18-40 feet. Hybrid stripers are fair with live bait in the main lake in 25-40 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows in brush piles in 14-28 feet. Catfish are fair on cut bait and punch bait.

BROWNWOOD: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 2.75 feet low. Largemouth bass are slow with crankbaits, spoons and hair jigs near creeks, rocky shorelines and fallen timber. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in brush piles and timber near creek channels. White bass and hybrids are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on punch bait and cut bait in 15-25 feet near baited areas.

BUCHANAN: GOOD. Water clear; 54 degrees; 6.63 feet low. Largemouth bass are fair with hair jigs, football jigs, brush hogs and purple drop shots on bluffs, rock ledges and rocky shorelines. Striped bass are good along the river channel with live bait and dead sticking swimbaits. White bass are fair on silver slabs near drop-offs, humps and flats. Use sonar to locate schools of baitfish and feeding fish. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 15-25 feet fishing timber and brush piles. Channel catfish are fair on punch bait and cut bait. Blue cats are good on cut bait.

CALAVERAS: FAIR. Water stained; 58-61 degrees. Red drum are slow. Black bass are fair to good on crankbaits and Carolina-rigged worms. Rocks are best. Vegetation is second. Hybrid striped bass are good on Rat-l-traps still following the schools. Catfish are good on stinkbait, chicken livers and cut shad.

CANYON LAKE: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 5.30 feet low. Striper fishing is good along the river channel with live bait. Trolling swim baits is working as well. White bass are fair on humps, flats and ridges with white slabs and jigging spoons. Largemouth bass are fair with suspended jerk baits, jigs, Carolina rigged plastic worms and diving crankbaits near drop-offs, timber and rock piles in 15-30 feet. Smallmouth bass are good on small swimbaits, green or brown plastic grubs and small cranks in 8-20 feet along rock ledges and steep rocky shorelines. Catfish are good with prepared baits and cut bait. Crappie are fair with live minnows and jigs near brush piles and timber near a creek or drop off in 15-25 feet.

CHOKE CANYON: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 55-58 degrees; 22.12 feet low. Largemouth bass are fair working steep rocky banks and calm deeper timber on jigs, plastic worms and crankbaits. White bass are fair on crankbaits. Catfish are consistently good on larger live bait, cut baits and stinkbait.

FALCON: FAIR. Water lightly stained north and clear south; 56 degrees; 39.25 feet low. Winter fishing is always a crapshoot, and with water temps in the mid-50s, there isn’t as much activity as weeks previous. Black bass are fair, pushing their nose into the rocks and going days without feeding activity. We’ve had several over-10-pound catches, but in most instances, that was the only catch of the day. Success is coming on crankbaits in 10-12 feet. Very few shallow catches. White bass are great deep on brush or below ledges. Crappie are good on brush piles and isolated hardwoods still, with the bigger crappie in the hard-toreach sticks. Catfish are excellent hitting coves at their deepest and using live bait and stink bait. Remember to stay on the Texas side unless you have a Mexican fishing license.

GRANGER: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 53 degrees; 0.71 feet low. Black bass are fair on red Texas-rigged plastic worms, crankbaits, brown/green grubs and jigs near rocky shorelines, brushy creeks and timber in 12-20 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows and tube jigs on brush piles and timber near drop-offs in 14-24 feet. White bass are slow on chrome or white slabs in 25-35 feet near lake channels, flats and drop-offs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live bait. Yellow cats are slow.

LBJ: FAIR. Water clear; 55 degrees; 0.66 feet low. Black bass are slow on drop shots, suspended jerk baits, jigs and crankbaits worked near brush, creek edges and rock ledges. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs around brush piles, rock ledges and docks. White bass are fair over main lake points, flats, drop-offs and humps with slabs. Catfish are slow on punch bait and cut bait in 14-28 feet.

STILLHOUSE: FAIR. Water stained; 54 degrees; 1.26 feet high. Black bass are slow on crankbaits, spinners, skirted jigs and drop shots working brush piles, rock bluffs and drop-offs. Smallmouth bass are fair with small jigs and plastic grubs near rocky banks, creek ledges and dropoffs. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs in brush piles and standing timber in 14-28 feet. White bass are slow on slabs off main lake ridges, humps, drop-offs and along the dam. Channel catfish are fair with punch bait. Blue cats are fair with cut bait or live bait near brush piles.

TRAVIS: GOOD. Water clear; 57 degrees; 21.74 feet low. Largemouth bass are fair with medium diving blue crankbaits, red/orange skirted jigs and drop shots near deeper boat docks, rock ledges and points with drop-offs. White bass are fair with slabs or jigging spoons working the main lake channel, drop-offs and humps. Trolling is still effective with pearl or white swimbaits. Striper action along the main river channel is good with live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows in 15-25 feet near docks, brush piles and rock ledges. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared baits in 12-26 feet.

WALTER E. LONG: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 54 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on purple or black drop shots, shad-like crankbaits and chartreuse spinners near timber, creek mouths and brushy shorelines. Hybrid stripers are fair with live shad or spoons. Crappie are fair on minnows in 14-24 feet near brush piles. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live bait. Sunfish are slow on worms and crickets.

SALTWATER

BAFFIN BAY: GOOD; 52 degrees. Redfish are good in the flats on shrimp. Topwaters work on warm sunny days between cold fronts. Flounder are good on croaker or minnows. Speckled trout are good on shrimp in the shallows. Black drum are good in the channels on shrimp or croaker. CORPUS CHRISTI: GOOD; 60 degrees. On the island, underneath the causeway in deep water, are big black drum and redfish. Speckled trout will be in 2 feet and are good on shrimp. Flounder are good around the reefs. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: FAIR to GOOD; 61 degrees. Speckled trout have slowed down a bit because of the temperature but still bite on live shrimp under popping corks and soft plastics around the reefs. Redfish are good near the shoreline on live mullet or shrimp in the shallow water where it’s warm. Flounder are good on shrimp. Black drum are fair on crab or croaker near vegetation.

PORT ARANSAS: GOOD; 61 degrees. Redfish and sheepshead are plentiful along the rocks on the north jetties with live shrimp. Speckled trout are found in the bays using shrimp, mullet or croaker. Wade fishing is an excellent method along the shallow shorelines. Black drum are good in the drains in the deeper water on shrimp or croaker.

PORT ISABEL: GOOD; 68 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are around the shallow grass flats near Laguna Madre. Flounder are near the rocks and feeding around drains and are caught on mullet or shrimp. Black drum are good on shrimp in the deeper water.

PORT MANSFIELD: GOOD; 65 degrees. With the cold temperatures and super low tides, work the mud and grass for both speckled trout and redfish and work your baits slowly using Kwigglers paddle tails and corkies or live shrimp under a popping cork. As the waters warm in the evening, make your way to the west shore, where it will warm up faster. Red snapper are good in Texas waters when you can get out.

PORT O’CONNOR: GOOD; 63 degrees. Speckled trout are along the drop-offs and around the flats on shrimp or croaker. Redfish are good in back bays on shrimp. Flounder are good on croaker or mullet in the shallow grass flats. Very high fish activity is expected in the second half of the week, but it will drop off significantly into the weekend.

ROCKPORT: GOOD; 57 degrees. Back lakes and drains are where the speckled trout and redfish have been, and shrimp or croaker are the best baits. Flounder are fair on mullet around the rocks. Black drum are great around Copano Bay on shrimp or croaker.

SOUTH PADRE: GOOD; 68 degrees. Redfish are good in the flats fishing with cut bait on bottom rigs. Speckled trout are great and will be in the deeper water and the edges of the Intracoastal Waterway. Flounder are good around the rocks on live mullet. Black drum are good along the drop-offs on shrimp.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: FAIR to GOOD; 61 degrees. This side of the bay is best for wading since there is a firm bottom, and that remains the best method for catching fish here. Speckled trout are good on live shrimp or cut mullet along the flats or shoreline. Redfish are good in the marshy areas on croaker. The flounder bite is good around the rocks on mullet.

The 11th annual TTHA Bucks and BBQ Cook-off, National Shooting Complex. Brisket, pork spare ribs, chicken, beans, wild game and showmanship awards. Sanctioned by International Barbeque Cookers Association. Shooting sports, vendors. Click on ttha.com, call 800-800-3207 or email info@ttha.com.

MARCH 24-25

Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission: Regular meeting, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., TPWD headquarters, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin. Click on tpwd.texas.gov.

MARCH 26-28

San Antonio Boat & Outdoor Expo: Latest models of RVS, bay and offshore boats, personal watercraft, kayak and wakesurfing; gear; seminars; fishing tank; Expo Hall, AT&T Center grounds. Call 512-481-1777 or click on sanantonioboatshow.com.

APRIL 17

Padre Island National Seashore: No entrance fee to commemorate start of National Park Week/national Junior Ranger Day at all national parks. Call 361-949-8068 or click on nps.gov.