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Caddo Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The cypress cathedral: Spanish moss, ancient trees and bass fishing inside a painting.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Gauge
2.10 ft
Air / High
96 / 98 F
Wind
ESE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07347700, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Caddo Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 2.10 ft, 166.40 ft below pool, easing 0.09 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 99 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Black Byu nr Oil City, LA.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07347700. Conservation pool is 168.5 ft.

31.2285.30139.38pool 168.52.10 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp96 F
High / Low98 / 75 F
WindESE 5-5 mph
Pressure1012.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:52 / 19:36
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 98/75 F, wind 5 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Caddo Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Caddo Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Caddo Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Louisiana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

TX/LA border rules: either license on most water; slot rules on bass. Confirm TPWD/LDWF.

Access

Caddo Lake SP, Uncertain landings, Shady Glade; guides recommended for first visits.

About this water

26,800 acres of natural cypress lake, Harrison/Marion counties, TX / Caddo Parish, LA.

Fishing Caddo Lake: the full guide

The oldest water

Caddo is Texas-Louisiana's only natural big lake: a flooded cypress forest where largemouth ambush from root balls, crappie hang under the moss, and chain pickerel flash in the ditches. Navigation is by marked boat roads through the trees: go slow, look up occasionally: nowhere in America fishes more beautifully.

Navigating the maze

Caddo's boat roads (marked since steamboat days) thread the cypress: stray casually and props find stumps. GPS tracks help; idle humility helps more. The reward: bass pitching at trunks that predate Texas statehood, in scenery no reservoir owns.

Beyond the postcard

Crappie under the moss canopies, chain pickerel in the grass edges, and a night catfish culture on juglines: Caddo fishes deeper than its beauty. Duckweed mats of summer demand frogs and patience: winter opens the water and the sight lines.

Navigating the maze

Caddo humbles GPS: the boat roads through the cypress (marked by decades-old signs) are the only sane routes, and locals memorize them like streets. The fishing rewards the effort: swamp pockets nobody reaches hold bass that never see baits, and the paddle-in sloughs serve chain pickerel and warmouth beneath Spanish moss. Hire a guide for trip one, buy the boat-road map, then earn the maze.

Common questions

Is Caddo hard to fish alone?

The maze intimidates deliberately: hire a guide once or follow marked roads conservatively. The fish live everywhere: confidence in navigation is the actual skill.

Can bass boats run Caddo safely?

On the marked boat roads, yes: off them, stumps own everything. Idle discipline and daylight navigation are the rules: the lake punishes shortcuts and rewards patience.

Is fishing good at Caddo Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Red River23 miLake O' the Pines35 miWright Patman Lake42 miLake Bob Sandlin67 miMillwood Lake67 miCaney Lake70 mi
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