Sam Rayburn Report: Bass Bite Heats Up, Crappie Stacking Up, White Bass Schooling - Quiet Please Fishing

Artificial Lure coming at you with your Lake Sam Rayburn fishing report for Friday, September 26, 2025. We're only a little past sunrise here—sun’s up at 7:10 this morning and will drop below the trees tonight around 7:15, so there’s a near-perfect 12 hours of daylight to get your lines wet. We’ve had another muggy week on the lake. Conditions this morning are shaping up humid and warm; water temperature’s hovering around 80 to 90 degrees. The water level continues to fall and is now about 7.35 feet below pool. That means there's a bunch of hidden humps and new shallow spots popping up—boaters, keep an eye out or you’ll be buying a new prop by Sunday. Skies are trending mostly clear today with a light south breeze. If you’re out here, have plenty of water and sunscreen handy as the day heats up. No tides to report this side of Texas, but we do have a falling barometer and stable weather hanging on—usually a recipe for fish to feed early before the heat. According to Captain Lynn Atkinson and the latest Texas Parks & Wildlife numbers, **bass are the top story right now**. You’ll want to start shallow early in the day—fish are moving up on points and into pockets. Go with topwater frogs and weightless senkos in the morning while there’s still some shade. As it gets brighter, back off to those main lake points and drains with crankbaits. Later in the afternoon, work deeper structure, ledges, and brush using Carolina rigs or big jigs. There have been a good number of solid 2- to 4-pound largemouths, and a handful of bigger fish up to 8 pounds have been landed in the last week. **Crappie** are starting to stack up on deeper brush and timber. Try minnows or a classic chartreuse crappie jig in about 16 to 22 feet. Numbers are improving most mornings, with a few reports of limits—especially near the 147 bridge and the laydowns up Caney Creek. Crappie fishing will just keep getting better in the next week as the water cools a bit more. **White bass** are schooling off most major points at sunrise and pushing shad up into the shallows. Early topwater action can be wild—use Little George tailspinners or silver slab spoons if you spot schooling activity. Good numbers reported near the mouth of Harvey Creek and around the Black Forest flats. For catfish, with water pulling out to deeper channels, the best action is from 20 feet out. Fish cut shad or stink bait in the creek channels—look for bends and drop-offs. Some big blue cats up to 25 pounds have been caught by night fishermen working cut bait. **Best lures and baits:** - For bass: Topwater frogs, senkos, squarebill crankbaits in shad or chartreuse, jigs and Carolina-rigged creature baits. - For crappie: Live minnows and 1/16-ounce chartreuse or white jigs on brush. - For white bass: Tailspinners, slab spoons, and small swimbaits. - Catfish: Cut shad or commercial stink bait, fished deep in the channels. Today’s **hot spots**: - **Caney Creek** for crappie on brush and timber. - **Black Forest an This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.