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Brazos River Fishing Report

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

The middle Brazos below Possum Kingdom country: limestone bluffs, sandbar camps and river bass that fight above their weight.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
17 cfs
Air / High
97 / 98 F
Wind
S 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08091000, 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Brazos River stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. The river is running 17 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1011 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)Good

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

Largemouth bassFair

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 bassFair

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 96 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 Brazos River near Glen Rose.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08091000.

12172217 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp97 F
High / Low98 / 78 F
WindS 8-9 mph
Pressure1011.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain42% cloud, 28%
Sunrise / Sunset07:08 / 19:51
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 · Showers, 98/78 F, wind 11 mph, rain 28%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Brazos River: 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 Brazos River 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 Brazos River 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 18 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 102 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

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

Regulations

Texas license. Standard statewide river limits: check TPWD. Navigable streambed is public: high banks are private.

Access

Bridge crossings from Possum Kingdom tailrace to Glen Rose: Dark Valley, FM 129, Tin Top, Highway 51: with local shuttle outfitters.

About this water

The middle Brazos River through Palo Pinto to Somervell counties, Texas: a floatable warm-water river between Possum Kingdom and Lake Whitney.

Fishing Brazos River: the full guide

John Graves’ river

The middle Brazos: the canyon-and-bluff miles through Palo Pinto, Parker, Hood and Somervell counties: is Texas river fishing at its most storied, the water of Goodbye to a River. It runs warm, green and gravel-bottomed past cottonwood bars and limestone walls, carrying largemouth, spotted and white bass, channel and flathead cats, and sunfish in every eddy. Flows swing with dam releases and rain: the river fishes best when it moves but does not rage.

Float-and-fish

The classic approach is a canoe or kayak float: put in at one crossing, camp a sandbar, take out at the next. Work the bluff eddies and rock gardens with small crankbaits, spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged craws for bass; swing jigs through the deeper holes for whites in spring when they run upriver from Whitney and Granbury. Wade-fishing the gravel runs at low flow is equally productive and free of logistics.

Reading the releases

The Glen Rose gauge is your planner: 100-400 cfs floats comfortably and fishes well; under 50 turns a float into a drag; over 1,000 muddies the game. Morris Sheppard Dam (Possum Kingdom) releases drive the upper reaches: sudden rises happen, camp high on the bars. Summer heat makes dawn and dusk the feeding windows: midday belongs to swimming holes.

Crossings and camps

Access rides the bridges: Highway 4 (Dark Valley), FM 129, Rochelle’s and Tin Top crossings, Highway 51 near Dennis, and the Glen Rose area take-outs. Texas rivers allow camping on the streambed’s sandbars: the overnight float is the full experience. Outfitters around Graford and Weatherford run shuttles. Respect private banks above the gravel: the riverbed is public, the fences are not.

Common questions

What is the best float stretch?

Dark Valley to Tin Top covers the classic bluffs in an overnight; Glen Rose-area day floats are gentler logistics with the same species.

When do white bass run?

February-April, pushing upriver from Granbury and Whitney: find them stacked below rapids and creek mouths, a jig per cast.

Can I camp on the river?

Yes: Texas sandbars within the streambed are public. Camp high, watch release schedules, pack out everything.

Is fishing good at Brazos River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Squaw Creek Reservoir4 miLake Granbury15 miBenbrook Lake31 miLake Whitney35 miLake Aquilla41 miLake Worth43 mi
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