Catch Big on Lake Sam Rayburn This Fall

As of October 9, 2024, Lake Sam Rayburn is offering some excellent fishing opportunities, especially with the cooler weather setting in. Here’s what you need to know for a successful day on the water.

### Weather and Water Conditions
The water is slightly stained with a temperature of about 80 degrees, and the lake level is currently 0.82 feet below pool. The weather forecast looks promising with partly sunny skies and a high of 89 degrees, dropping to a low of 71 degrees at night.

### Sunrise and Sunset
Sunrise is at around 7:30 AM, and sunset will be at about 6:45 PM, giving you ample time to take advantage of both the morning and evening bites.

### Fish Activity
Bass are schooling more actively in the mornings, particularly around grass edges and points. You can expect a lot of topwater action during this time. As the day progresses, bass tend to move to secondary points and offshore flats, where using Carolina rigs, dropshots, and shaky heads can be very effective. Crappie are fair on standing timber in about 27 feet of water, with brush piles and minnows over jigs being the go-to setup. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 24-27 feet of water and in the river bends, responding well to cut bait and minnows.

### Best Lures and Bait
For bass, topwater baits like poppers, frogs, and swimbaits are excellent for the morning bite. As the sun rises, switch to finesse baits such as jig head minnows, dropshots, and Carolina rigs. For crappie, minnows and jigs are the best choices. For catfish, cut bait and minnows are the way to go.

### Hot Spots
One of the hot spots right now is around the grass edges and points, especially in the morning for topwater action. Another productive area is the standing timber in deeper waters for crappie. The river bends are also worth targeting for both bass and catfish.

Overall, Lake Sam Rayburn is in a great state for fishing, with fish in all stages of transition due to the cooler weather. Make sure to target the hay grass and flooded bushes early in the morning for bass chasing bait, and don’t forget to use your forward-facing sonar to locate suspended bass at the mouth of creeks and on offshore flats. Enjoy your day on the water