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Lake O' the Pines Fishing Report

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

East Texas mood water: cypress, coves and a chain-pickerel accent to the bass program.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Lake level
228.07 ft -0.43 vs pool
Air / High
98 / 99 F
Wind
ESE 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07345900, 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.

Lake O' the Pines stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. The gauge reads 228.07 ft, 0.43 ft below pool, easing 0.17 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 2 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 99. 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 Lk O' the Pines nr Jefferson, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07345900. Conservation pool is 228.5 ft.

228.15228.44228.72pool 228.5228.07 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low99 / 75 F
WindESE 2-5 mph
Pressure1011.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset06:55 / 19:39
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 · Partly cloudy, 99/75 F, wind 12 mph, rain 7%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake O' the Pines: 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 O' the Pines 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 O' the Pines 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 95 F, wind to 11 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 94 F, wind to 16 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 99 F, wind to 11 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

Standard Texas limits; no minimum on pickerel. Confirm with TPWD.

Access

Corps parks: Alley Creek, Brushy Creek, Johnson Creek, Lakeside; multiple marina ramps.

About this water

18,700 acres on Big Cypress Bayou, Marion/Upshur/Morris/Camp counties. Corps of Engineers, impounded 1959.

Fishing Lake O' the Pines: the full guide

Piney-woods classic

Lake O' the Pines curls through cypress and pine northeast of Longview: stained, timbered largemouth water with a strong crappie culture (the 155 bridge area especially), chain pickerel in the grass: a Texas rarity: and channel cats everywhere. It fishes intimate despite 18,700 acres.

Chain-pickerel country

This is one of the few Texas waters with a real chain pickerel presence: the grassy, tea-stained shallows suit them, and a spinnerbait burned over vegetation earns slashing strikes bass anglers mistake for their target. A northeast-Texas oddity worth experiencing deliberately.

Cypress-line crappie

The lake's crappie culture centers on its cypress and planted brush: Alley Creek and the 729 crossings hold winter schools, and spring scatters spawners along every shaded bank. Night fishing under lights midsummer keeps the fillets coming when daytime slows.

Cypress-line classics

Pines fishes like an East Texas painting: cypress-lined banks with morning fog, chain pickerel ghosting the grass, and a big-bass program in the stumps and pad fields of the upper lake. Flipping the cypress knees and throwing frogs down the boat lanes are the staples; the Big Cypress Bayou channel organizes winter fish. Ramps and camps ring the lake: an easy, reliable, beautiful fishery.

Common questions

What makes O' the Pines different from Caddo?

Same bayou system, different engineering: O' the Pines is a Corps reservoir with defined structure and deeper water; Caddo downstream is the natural cypress maze. Fish both: they rhyme without repeating.

Is fishing good at Lake O' the Pines 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

Lake Bob Sandlin34 miCaddo Lake35 miLake Cypress Springs37 miWright Patman Lake43 miLake Tyler50 miLake Fork54 mi
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