Good morning, anglers—this is Artificial Lure bringing you today’s fishing report for Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas. Sunrise came at 6:53 AM and we're looking at a sunset tonight right around 5:17 PM, giving us crisp late-fall daylight. As of this morning, Texas Freshwater Fishing Report notes that water in Sam Rayburn is stained, sitting at about 80 degrees, with the lake currently 8.54 feet below pool—so keep an eye out for shallow structure and exposed timber.

The weather’s holding mild: expect highs near 68°F, a faint southerly breeze at 10 mph, and overcast skies improving toward mid-afternoon. No rain in the forecast, so it's a solid day to be on the water.

Fish activity’s been moderate. Largemouth bass are fair—recent catches coming on top-water frogs early, Senkos, crankbaits, and jigs once the sun climbs. Several regional events, including the November Toyota Series opener, saw big bags getting landed on umbrella rigs like Shane’s The 5th Element, tipped with Keitech Swing Impact FAT swimbaits, and also on deep-running cranks like the Strike King 6XD in Carolina chrome. For plastics, anglers had luck with 5-inch Z-Man Jerk ShadZ (smelt) and Deps Sakamata Shad, rigged with light heads for working offshore schools.

If you’re hunting crappie, results have been fair with small jigs fished along brush piles near the river channel. Catfish action remains good—locals are scoring on cut bait set up near deeper ledges off main lake points, especially during the warmer afternoons.

The solunar tables suggest best bite windows are roughly 2:00 PM–4:00 PM and again after dark, with minor times early from 4:45 AM–5:45 AM. If you're limited on time, plan your casts for mid-afternoon when activity peaks.

Hot spots lately include the Buck Bay area and the north end near Black Forest—both producing better numbers with schools of bigger bass moving in and out of the scattered hydrilla patches. Around the mid-lake timber, look for isolated brush piles and don’t overlook main lake points off the south shoreline, especially when the wind picks up and pushes bait.

Best lures today: for bass, have a 3/8-ounce Bill Lewis Hammer Trap in red ready for shallows, plus a deep-diving 6XD crankbait for 15–20 foot drops. Drop-shot rigs with straight tail Roboworms in natural colors have also been putting fish aboard, especially when bass are fussier. For crappie, stick with chartreuse or white marabou jigs; for cats, fresh cut shad is hard to beat.

Bait and tackle shops report steady business on umbrella rigs, jerkbaits in electric shad, and the ever-popular Senkos in green pumpkin. Tip: with extra low water, be extra careful on your runs and pay attention to submerged stumps—some are right at prop level this week.

Overall, the lake’s producing good numbers of keeper-sized largemouth with a few 6- to 9-pounders reported from offshore flats and hard spots. Crappie limits are coming steadily for those willing to pick apart the brush. Catfish remain a dependable target, especially early and late.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI