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Lake Livingston Fishing Report

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

Trinity River powerhouse: the white bass and blue catfish factory an hour from Houston.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Lake level
129.86 ft -1.14 vs pool
Air / High
88 / 88 F
Wind
SSE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08066190, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
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.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Lake Livingston serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 129.86 ft, 1.14 ft below pool, up 0.15 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 88. 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 86 F with a rain chance. 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 Livingston Res nr Goodrich, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08066190. Conservation pool is 131 ft.

129.77130.25130.74pool 131129.86 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp88 F
High / Low88 / 77 F
WindSSE 5-8 mph
Pressure1013.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 14%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 19:40
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 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 88/77 F, wind 9 mph, rain 14%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Livingston: 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 Lake Livingston 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 Lake Livingston 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 82 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 83 F, wind to 21 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 87 F, wind to 18 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

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

Regulations

White bass: 10-inch minimum, 25 per day. Striped/hybrid bass: 18-inch minimum, 5 per day. No length limit on catfish, 25 combined. Confirm with TPWD.

Access

Livingston State Park, Wolf Creek Park, Browder's Marina and the 190 bridge ramps. The dam tailrace has dedicated bank fishing access on the east side.

About this water

83,000 acres on the Trinity River, Polk/San Jacinto/Trinity/Walker counties. Trinity River Authority, impounded 1969.

Fishing Lake Livingston: the full guide

A river lake that fishes like one

Lake Livingston impounds the Trinity River across 83,000 acres, and the river never stops mattering: current, stain and shad drive everything. This is not a trophy largemouth lake: it is arguably the best white bass fishery in Texas and one of its great catfish waters, with hybrid stripers below the dam and a striper fishery in the tailrace that locals guard jealously.

The white bass machine

From February to April the whites run the Trinity above the lake in one of the state's great fishing migrations: boats line the river from Long King Creek north. The rest of the year, schools roam main-lake flats and humps: troll small cranks to find them, then slab them vertically. Birds do the scouting for you from September on.

Catfish, the everyday certainty

Blues and channels thrive in the fertile, stained water. Drift cut shad across the flats near the river channel, or anchor on baited holes off the 190 bridge. Trophy blues push 50-plus pounds in winter on big fresh baits. The Pine Island and Kickapoo areas hold reliable eater-size fish almost year-round.

Common questions

When is the white bass run on the Trinity?

Typically late February through early April, peaking with the first warm, stable stretches of March. The river above the lake fills with staging fish: small jigs and roadrunners do the work.

Is Lake Livingston good for largemouth?

It holds bass, but the stained river water favors whites, hybrids and cats. If you want a green-fish trip, nearby Conroe or Rayburn are better bets; if you want bent rods all day, Livingston wins.

Can I fish below the dam?

Yes: the tailrace is a famous bank fishery for stripers, hybrids and big blues when the gates run. Watch the generation schedule and respect the current: it is serious water.

Is fishing good at Lake Livingston 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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Lake Conroe35 miLake Houston56 miLake Nacogdoches62 miSam Rayburn Reservoir64 miNeches River70 miLake Limestone80 mi
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