Sam Rayburn Fishing Report: Late September Action on Bass, Crappie, and Cats

Howdy y’all, this is Artificial Lure with your Sam Rayburn fishing report for Saturday, September 20, 2025. Here’s what’s biting and where you need to toss your line today. Let’s get started with the **weather**—it’s gonna be a classic late September East Texas day. Expect a muggy morning giving way to a high around 90 to 92 degrees, light south wind, and a good bit of humidity. Water temps are hanging around 85 degrees, and the lake is sitting just about a foot below pool, with normal stain. No active weather warnings, so it should be a smooth day on the water according to recent updates from local weather and Lake LBJ fishing reports. Sunrise was at 7:08 a.m. and sunset’s coming at 7:22 p.m., meaning you’ll have over 12 hours of daylight to chase ‘em. According to the solunar table, your hottest bites will be right around **7:35 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.** and **8:03 p.m. to 10:03 p.m.** with minor activity bumps at lunch and overnight. The moon’s in a waning crescent, so you might notice the fish a bit more tentative mid-day. Now, let’s talk about what’s showing up in the fish boxes. Largemouth bass are still king out here—local sticks have been boating fat slot fish and some solid overs in the 6- to 8-pound range this week. According to the TPWD’s all-tackle records and what I’ve seen at the ramp, big bass are biting shallow first thing in the morning, especially in **2-4 feet** around pondweed and brush. Guide chatter says the bite is best on **topwater lures** like buzzbaits or walking baits early, then moving to Texas-rigged plastics or Carolina rigs with watermelon or June bug worms once the sun climbs higher. Crappie are in their late summer haunts—try **15-22 feet** over brush and standing timber with small minnows or 1/16th oz jigs in chartreuse. Folks have been tying up nice slabs, with a handful pushing or even topping 2 pounds this week. Catfish, especially the blues, are active around river channels and the old timber, taking cut shad, punch bait, or chicken liver. Last report I heard, a few channel cats nudged 10 pounds and one blue over 30 pounds hit the cleaning table this week—trotliners and rod-and-reelers alike getting in on the action. Hybrid stripers and white bass are schooling early near main lake points and humps. Best bets are chrome or white slab spoons, Little George tailspinners, and small swimbaits. Look for birds working and you’ll find the action. Top lures and baits for today: - Topwater plugs (zara spook, buzzbaits) at first light for bass - Texas-rigged creature baits, watermelon or June bug, up in shallow grass - Deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina rigs on main lake ledges - Jigs and minnows for crappie near brush - Cut shad or punch bait for catfish in the timber - Slab spoons and tailspinners for whites and hybrids when they chase shad For hot spots, focus on the **Mill Creek area** for early bass and schooling white bass. The **Black Forest** and near the **147 Bridge** are both producing solid bags—work t This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.