Cooler Weather Fishing Action at Lake Sam Rayburn

As of December 1st, Lake Sam Rayburn is offering some exciting fishing opportunities despite the cooler weather. Here’s what you need to know: ### Weather and Water Conditions The water temperature is around 65 degrees, and the lake is slightly stained. The lake level is currently 2.48 feet below pool, which is expected to continue dropping slowly through the winter. ### Weather Today, expect a mostly cloudy sky with a high of around 60 degrees and a low of 39 degrees tonight. This cooler weather is starting to affect fish behavior, but there's still plenty of action. ### Sunrise and Sunset Sunrise is at about 6:53 AM, and sunset will be around 5:04 PM. ### Fish Activity Bass are active, particularly in shallow water where they are chasing bait into pockets. You can catch them using spinnerbaits, topwater frogs, Texas rigs, wacky rigs, and shallow water crankbaits. There is also a significant amount of schooling bass around main lake ledges in 17-22 feet and main lake drains in 10-17 feet. For these, try using a dropshot, Carolina rig, or a shaky head. Crappie are transitioning from main lake brush to creek channels, and they can be caught on brush piles with minnows over jigs. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 24-27 feet of water and in the river bends on cut bait and minnows. ### Best Lures and Bait For bass, topwater frogs, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits are working well in the mornings around hay grass and flooded bushes. As the day progresses, switch to Carolina rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads for the schooling bass. Crappie are biting well on minnows over jigs on brush piles. For catfish, cut bait and minnows are the way to go. ### Hot Spots - **Main Lake Ledges**: Look for schooling bass in 17-22 feet of water. - **Creek Channel Swings**: Shallow bass are centered around shoreline brush, hay grass, and high spots. - **River Bends**: Blue and channel catfish are fair in these areas on cut bait and minnows. ### Tidal Report Since Lake Sam Rayburn is a freshwater lake, there are no tidal changes to consider. However, the best fishing times today would be during the major bite times, typically early morning and late evening. Overall, Lake Sam Rayburn is providing a good mix of shallow and deep fishing opportunities, making it a great spot to catch a variety of fish despite the cooler weather. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.