Sam Rayburn Fishing Report: Crisp Mornings, Feisty Fish, and Hot Spots to Hit

Howdy folks, Artificial Lure checking in with your Lake Sam Rayburn fishing report for Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. If you’re thinking about wetting a line this week, you’ll want all the details—so here’s what you need to know before you hitch up the boat and head on out. Weather’s crisp this morning—temps started in the upper 40s at sunrise and we’re looking to top out around 63 degrees by afternoon, with light winds out of the north. Sky is mostly clear, and that fall cool-down has the fish feeling feisty. Sunrise was right around 6:38 AM, and sunset will hit at 5:25 PM, so plan accordingly for those prime early and late bites. On the water, the lake is sitting about 8.5 feet below pool and dropping slow, which has created a bunch of new structure and edges for bass to hold on, as reported by Johnston Fishing over at Shelby County Today. Water’s got a medium stain, visibility’s decent, and surface temps are holding near 80 degrees, but expect that to edge down as the week cools off. Fish activity’s been a little hit or miss, but the bite is steady if you’re dialed in. Bass have been scattered but feeding, especially where shad are pushing into the creeks and around the new laydowns or flooded brush left exposed by the falling water. Largemouth are showing up in better numbers on secondary points and creek channels, with the occasional kicker coming from shallow grass near main lake points. Top catches reported in recent days include good numbers of slot and over-slot largemouth, with a few anglers filling limits on unders for fall club tournaments. Some chunky crappie are moving onto the brush piles in 14 to 20 feet, and white bass are showing up in the river channel swings. Best baits right now: squarebill crankbaits in shad or chartreuse, spinnerbaits slow-rolled through wood, and lipless cranks along grass edges. Don’t sleep on a Carolina-rigged creature bait around deeper ledges or a wobble-head jig crawled through isolated brush. For the shallow bite, black and blue flipping jigs, and topwater walkers or buzzbaits if you’re seeing schooling activity, are still putting fish in the boat. For crappie, minnows or small jigs in Monkey Milk or blue/white have been producing well over deeper brush. A couple of hot spots worth checking out right now: Harvey Creek is looking fantastic, with water levels drawing fish out to the channel edges and new woody cover—Reel Life Together just posted clear drone footage showing healthy water and plenty of fishy looking structure. Also, the mouth of Veach Basin where the creek hits the main lake is holding schooling white bass and the occasional big largemouth, especially if you can find the shad. Solunar tables for today rate fishing as "average+" but look for your best major feeding window in the late afternoon, especially between 4:08 PM and 6:08 PM. Minor windows are late morning, 10:19 AM to 11:19 AM, and just before midnight, if you’re burning the lantern oil. Word of warning—keep an eye on the This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.