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Lake Palestine Fishing Report

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

Lake Palestine: a 25,560-acre Neches River reservoir southwest of Tyler that TPWD rates excellent for catfish and for white and hybrid striped bass.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
342.86 ft -2.14 vs pool
Air / High
84 / 85 F
Wind
SSE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08031400, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
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 Palestine sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 342.86 ft, 2.14 ft below pool, easing 0.32 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 85. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 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.

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.

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 84 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

Live readings from Lk Palestine nr Frankston, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08031400. Conservation pool is 345 ft.

343.23343.93344.63pool 345342.86 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low85 / 52 F
WindSSE 4-7 mph
Pressure1018.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:31 / 18:40
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 Palestine this week

The best day on Lake Palestine 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
9:59 AM-11:59 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM
Minor period
4:21 AM-5:21 AM
Sun
07:31 to 18:40
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Palestine: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When to come: the Lake Palestine 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
Hybrid striped bass
Striped 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 Palestine today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

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 80 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 fishing license and freshwater endorsement required. TPWD rules for Lake Palestine (valid Sept. 1, 2026-Aug. 31, 2027): blue and channel catfish 25 a day combined, no more than 5 of 20 inches or longer and only 1 of those 30 inches or longer; flathead 18-inch minimum, 5 a day; largemouth bass 14-inch minimum within 5 black bass a day; striped and hybrid striped bass 18-inch minimum, 5 a day; white bass 10 inches, 25 a day; crappie 10 inches, 25 a day.

Access

TPWD's access map lists 17 sites, including Chandler River Park, Kickapoo Ramp, Flat Creek Ramp, Saline Bay and Deep End Ramp; five are public boat launches and the rest are marinas, campgrounds and motels with ramps.

About this water

25,560 acres on the Neches River in Anderson, Cherokee, Henderson and Smith counties, Texas; Upper Neches River Authority; dam completed 1962. Lake level on this page comes from USGS 08031400 near Frankston.

Fishing Lake Palestine: the full guide

The lake

TPWD lists Lake Palestine on the Neches River, 15 miles southwest of Tyler on Texas 155: 25,560 acres, 58 feet at its deepest, impounded in 1962 and controlled by the Upper Neches River Authority. The Texas Water Development Board names the dam Blackburn Crossing Dam, completed on June 13, 1962, with its spillway crest at 345 feet, the conservation pool elevation.

What TPWD rates

TPWD rates catfish and white and hybrid striped bass excellent, and largemouth bass, spotted bass and crappie good. White bass run up the Neches River and Kickapoo Creek in spring; channel and blue catfish are abundant, and flathead catfish give a chance at trophy fish. TPWD stocked sunshine bass (a hybrid striped bass) and Lone Star largemouth bass every year from 2022 through 2025.

Where the cover is

Most vegetation and flooded timber lie above the Texas 155 bridge, in the Highsaw and Ledbetter arms, the Kickapoo and Neches River arms and Flat Creek. Anglers have placed brush piles between the dam and the bridge, and TPWD notes the bridge itself as good structure. Hybrid stripers and white bass are most active from the dam up to Highway 155 in winter and spring; bass anglers report the best results above the pipeline, in Cobb and Stone Chimney creeks and in Saline Bay; catfish anglers drift from Hawn Point, at the mouth of Flat Creek, to the 155 bridges.

Common questions

What are the catfish rules on Lake Palestine?

Blue and channel catfish: 25 a day combined, with no more than 5 measuring 20 inches or more and only 1 of those 30 inches or more. Flathead: 18-inch minimum, 5 a day.

Where do hybrid stripers and white bass hold in winter?

TPWD says they are most active from the dam up to the Highway 155 bridges in winter and into spring.

Which fish does TPWD rate highest here?

Catfish and white and hybrid striped bass, both rated excellent.

Is fishing good at Lake Palestine 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 Athens16 miLake Tyler20 miCedar Creek Lake39 miRichland-Chambers Reservoir41 miLake Fork43 miLake Nacogdoches55 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 08031400 β€” Lk Palestine nr Frankston, TX
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 32.1858, -95.4740 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.