Late Summer Fishing at Sam Rayburn - Bass, Crappie, Cats and More

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Sam Rayburn fishing report for Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. Y’all, we’re right in the thick of late summer in East Texas. As the sun broke over the pine trees at 7:11 this morning, the lake welcomed anglers with a stained water surface and temps right about 83 degrees. Lake levels are still running low, about 6.35 feet below normal pool, so watch those stumps and humps running the creek channels. Weather’s classic August—already humid and headed for a high near 98 today with a light south breeze. Not much of a chance of rain, so bring plenty of water and sunscreen if you’re getting out there before sunset around 7:45 this evening. According to Lone Star Outdoor News, the bass bite has been fair, with largemouths coming up early on topwaters and then sliding out to deeper brushpiles and ledges as the heat sets in. Carolina rigs with creature baits and big worms have been producing when the sun is high. Schooling actions get wild near main lake points and at the mouths of coves first couple hours after sunrise. Instagram posts from yesterday, like Bryan McDonough’s, show folks easily stacking up fifty-plus fish before 10 a.m., so morning hours are definitely hot. Not a lot of true giants showing up, but steady action with a few in the 4- to 6-pound range if you’re patient. Bluegill are still thick around shaded docks and main lake brush—good on worms all day if you’ve got kids along. Crappie are fair, with most taken on minnows and small jigs right in brushpiles at 18–22 feet. Catfish action is good with cut bait or punch bait along the old river channel and deeper timber; the big blues and channels seem to be holding a bit deeper in the early morning, then moving up to flats late afternoon. Today’s solunar forecast marks major feeding periods from 6:06 to 8:06 this morning and again this evening from 6:28 to 8:28, with minor flurries close to 9:41 a.m., so near-sunrise and late evening are your best bets for those feeding windows. Top lure picks this week: - **Early:** Spooks, Pop-Rs, and walking baits over grass beds and submerged hydrilla. - **Mid-mornings:** Carolina rigs with watermelon red Brush Hogs or Zoom Ol’ Monsters in June bug. - **Midday:** Texas-rigged big worms on deep structure, shaky heads, and drop shots when the sun’s beating down. - **All day:** Crappie jigs in chartreuse or monkey milk, or minnows, for brushpiles. - **Catfish:** Fresh cut shad or prepared punch bait. For bass, chatterbaits and swimjigs have been solid choices if you’re hitting the edges of grass. According to some of the social media regulars, chatterbaits in white or bluegill imitations are getting that reaction bite. Hot spots right now: - **Caney Creek:** Main lake points and the deeper ends of secondary points have schools of bass pushing shad up, especially first light. - **Veach Basin:** The old creek channel and submerged timber are loaded with brushpiles—crappie and bass both holding there, especially about This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.