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Possum Kingdom Lake Fishing Report

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

Possum Kingdom Lake: a clear, rock-lined Brazos River reservoir west of Fort Worth, stocked with striped bass by TPWD in most years.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
996.57 ft -3.43 vs pool
Air / High
75 / 78 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08088440, 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.

Possum Kingdom Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 996.57 ft, 3.43 ft below pool, up 1.40 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:39 PM-12:39 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.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

CrappieFair

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

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.

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 75 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 Possum Kingdom Lk at Sandy Beach nr Graford, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08088440. Conservation pool is 1000 ft.

995.29997.14999.00pool 1000996.57 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp75 F
High / Low78 / 56 F
WindS 6-11 mph
Pressure1018.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain22% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:44 / 18:51
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 Possum Kingdom Lake this week

The best day on Possum Kingdom Lake 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
10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:39 PM-12:39 AM
Minor period
4:33 AM-5:33 AM
Sun
07:44 to 18:51
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Possum Kingdom Lake: 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.

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.

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.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

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.

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 Possum Kingdom Lake 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
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Smallmouth bass
Hybrid 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 Possum Kingdom Lake 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 77 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

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 77 F, wind to 5 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 76 F, wind to 7 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 fishing license. TPWD manages all species here under statewide rules (valid Sept. 1, 2026-Aug. 31, 2027): largemouth and smallmouth bass 14-inch minimum, 5 black bass a day; striped and hybrid striped bass 18-inch minimum, 5 a day; white bass 10-inch minimum, 25 a day; crappie 10-inch minimum, 25 a day; blue and channel catfish 25 a day, only 10 of them 20 inches or longer; flathead catfish 18-inch minimum, 5 a day.

Access

TPWD's access map lists a public ramp, five Brazos River Authority areas, the state park, Possum Hollow Camp and the Westside Public Ramp. Possum Kingdom State Park has a boat launch, fishing pier and fish cleaning station; its ADA kayak launch has been closed for repairs since March 3, 2025.

About this water

15,588 acres on the Brazos River in Palo Pinto and Young counties, impounded in 1941 and controlled by the Brazos River Authority. Lake level on this page comes from USGS gauge 08088440, Possum Kingdom Lake at Sandy Beach near Graford.

Fishing Possum Kingdom Lake: the full guide

Lake facts

TPWD lists Possum Kingdom at 15,588 surface acres on the Brazos River in Palo Pinto and Young counties, 75 miles west of Fort Worth off Texas Highway 16, with a maximum depth of 145 feet (37 feet on average); it was impounded in 1941. The Brazos River Authority controls the lake, operational pool is 999 feet above mean sea level, and the water is normally clear. Possum Kingdom State Park counts more than 300 miles of shoreline.

Shoreline and cover

Most of the shore is large rock down to cobble. The lower end has rock cliffs and bluffs, while the upper end spreads into shallower water with shoreline vegetation. Docks, standing timber, laydowns and seasonal submerged plants add cover, and TPWD has placed brush piles and artificial habitat structures that its Habitat Structure Viewer maps with GPS coordinates.

The fishery

TPWD stocks striped bass in most years (125,145 fingerlings in 2026; 378,307 fingerlings and 507,191 fry in 2025) and calls the striper fishery fair, with good growth potential. White bass are abundant and of good size. Florida-strain largemouth have been stocked, and TPWD has also released smallmouth bass in most years since 2020. Channel, blue and flathead catfish are all present. Golden alga blooms hit the lake in 2001, 2003 and 2010.

TPWD's tips

For largemouth, TPWD suggests fishing 10 to 25 feet deep with line as light as possible in the clear water and concentrating on submerged vegetation. Striper anglers watch for birds over fish driving bait to the surface and use live shad or artificials. White bass bite best in prespawn and during the spring run toward the river mouth, on jigs, spoons and slabs. TPWD names Costello Island and the water above it for catfish, and brush piles, docks and the backs of coves in spring for crappie.

Common questions

Is Possum Kingdom stocked with striped bass?

Yes, in most years. TPWD's stocking history lists 125,145 striped bass fingerlings in 2026 and more than 885,000 fingerlings and fry in 2025.

What are the lake records?

TPWD's lake page gives a 34.19-pound striped bass and a 16.02-pound largemouth, the latter credited to the Florida-strain stocking that gives the lake trophy potential.

Do I need a license to fish from the bank at the state park?

No. Possum Kingdom State Park's page says you do not need a fishing license to fish from shore in a Texas state park.

Is fishing good at Possum Kingdom Lake 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 Bridgeport42 miLake Granbury49 miSquaw Creek Reservoir57 miEagle Mountain Lake60 miLake Worth62 miBenbrook Lake63 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 08088440 β€” Possum Kingdom Lk at Sandy Beach nr Graford, TX
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 32.8696, -98.5052 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.