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Lake Fort Phantom Hill Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Fort Phantom Hill: a 4,213-acre City of Abilene reservoir on Elm Creek where TPWD rates blue catfish, hybrid stripers and white crappie the steadiest bites.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
1629.11 ft
Air / High
78 / 84 F
Wind
S 12 mph

Sources: Texas Water Development Board (Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir), Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Lake Fort Phantom Hill offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The gauge reads 1629.11 ft, easing 0.10 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 12 mph, steady pressure near 1017 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:16 AM-12:16 PM and 10:44 PM-12:44 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Hybrid striped bassFair

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Texas requires a fishing licence from age 17, from $30.00 for residents. What a Texas licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with TPWD before you keep anything. The season dates for Texas, read off the agency, are on the Texas seasons page.

Water and weather

Daily lake level from the Texas Water Development Board (Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir); live weather.

Water level, last 30 days

Texas Water Development Board daily estimate, 66.9% of conservation capacity on 2026-10-23.

1628.811629.031629.251629.11 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low84 / 59 F
WindS 12-16 mph
Pressure1017.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:48 / 18:56
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Fort Phantom Hill this week

The best day on Lake Fort Phantom Hill this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:16 AM-12:16 PM and 10:44 PM-12:44 AM
Minor period
4:38 AM-5:38 AM
Sun
07:48 to 18:56
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 15 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

When to come: the Lake Fort Phantom Hill 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
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Striped bass
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Lake Fort Phantom Hill today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 10 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 required; TPWD manages all fishes here under statewide rules (2026-27): striped and hybrid striped bass 18-inch minimum, 5 combined; blue and channel catfish 25, no more than 10 of 20 inches or longer; flathead 18 inches, 5; crappie 10 inches, 25; black bass 14 inches, 5.

Access

Free ramps listed by TPWD: Main Ramp (FM 1082 off FM 600, multi-lane, lighted), Seabee (southwest shore, small boats), Southeast (off FM 2833), Sailboat Point (Dixon Road) and two Johnson Park ramps used only at low water. Seabee and Southeast stop working near 10 feet low and Sailboat Point near 11 feet. Public fishing pier on the west shore off FM 600; no marina or boat rental.

About this water

4,213 acres (TPWD) on Elm Creek, Jones County, Texas; City of Abilene; impounded 1938; conservation pool 1,635.9 ft msl.

Fishing Lake Fort Phantom Hill: the full guide

Abilene's Elm Creek reservoir

TPWD lists Fort Phantom Hill on Elm Creek in Jones County, on the north side of Abilene: 4,213 acres, impounded in 1938, 66 feet at its deepest and controlled by the City of Abilene. Water levels swing moderately to severely and can fall for long periods, the water runs stained to muddy and red in the upper end, and zebra mussels have invaded.

Hybrids stocked in most years

TPWD's stocking history shows palmetto or sunshine bass in most years since 2002, including 80,295 sunshine bass fingerlings in 2026, along with Lone Star and ShareLunker largemouth fingerlings. The lake-record hybrid weighed 16.74 pounds (March 21, 2016), and a 14.35-pound largemouth caught on February 5, 2026 is the lake record for bass.

Where TPWD sends anglers

For hybrid stripers, white bass and blue catfish, TPWD names the spillway, Sailboat Slough, Johnson Park and the west-bank humps. It describes "West Texas surf fishing" with surf rods and small shad or silversides in windblown spots in late winter and early spring, and deep-diving crankbaits, downriggers or live shad in warmer months. Crappie peak in March and April along the rocky east and north shores, where slow-rolled spinnerbaits also take bass in winter.

Common questions

What bites most consistently at Fort Phantom Hill?

Blue catfish, hybrid striped bass and white crappie, according to TPWD, with largemouth occasionally good.

Does TPWD stock hybrid stripers here?

TPWD's stocking history lists palmetto or sunshine bass in most years since 2002, most recently 80,295 sunshine bass fingerlings in 2026.

Do the ramps work when the lake is low?

Some do not: TPWD says Seabee and Southeast stop working near 10 feet low and Sailboat Point near 11 feet, while two Johnson Park ramps open only at low water.

Is fishing good at Lake Fort Phantom Hill right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Brownwood63 miPossum Kingdom Lake71 miO.H. Ivie Lake74 miLake Alan Henry85 miLake Nasworthy96 miLake Granbury110 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Reservoir level
Texas Water Development Board β€” Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir
Water Data for Texas, daily average elevation estimated by the TWDB from operator data (for this lake, the Lower Colorado River Authority). A daily figure, not a live reading.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 32.6000, -99.6830 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.