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Richland-Chambers Reservoir Fishing Report

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

A 44,000-acre hybrid factory southeast of Dallas: big water, big schools, few crowds.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Lake level
312.87 ft -2.13 vs pool
Air / High
93 / 93 F
Wind
SSE 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08064550, 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.

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

Richland-Chambers Reservoir serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 312.87 ft, 2.13 ft below pool, easing 0.14 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 11 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 93. 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

Hybrid striped bassGood

Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

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.

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 96 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 Richland-Chambers Res nr Kerens, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08064550. Conservation pool is 315 ft.

313.24313.94314.63pool 315312.87 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low93 / 73 F
WindSSE 11-13 mph
Pressure1012.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain6% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset07:01 / 19:44
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, 93/73 F, wind 12 mph, rain 3%

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 Richland-Chambers Reservoir: 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.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: Jun-Sep

Stocked white bass x striper cross. Open-water shad chasers; birds and busting bait give them away. Schooling at first light over main-lake humps and channel edges. Slabs, tail spinners and live shad once you mark bait. It is usually over by mid-morning.

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.

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.

When to come: the Richland-Chambers Reservoir 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
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 Richland-Chambers Reservoir 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. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Hybrid striped bass led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 12 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

Hybrid striper: 18-inch minimum, 5 per day. Blue cat: 25 combined with channels, one over 30 inches. Confirm with TPWD.

Access

Fisherman's Point, Oak Cove and Midway Landing marinas; public ramps at the 309 and 287 crossings.

About this water

44,752 acres on Richland and Chambers creeks, Freestone/Navarro counties, TX. TRWD, impounded 1987.

Fishing Richland-Chambers Reservoir: the full guide

The quiet giant

Richland-Chambers is the third-largest lake wholly in Texas and somehow still a locals' lake: 44,000 acres where hybrid stripers school hard against points and humps, white bass fill the flats every summer morning, and blue catfish grow to trophy class on the shad-rich water. The bird action from November through February is as reliable as anywhere in the state.

Where to start

The 309 flats and the mid-lake humps hold the summer hybrid schools at dawn; the Richland arm stains first after rain and fishes best for largemouth around timber; and winter drifting cut shad over 20-30 ft flats produces blues to 50-plus pounds. A slab spoon and a shad-imitating swimbait cover most of what this lake asks.

White bass wind drift

RC's open flats built a drift-fishing culture: wind-pushed boats dragging slabs and tail spinners across the 15-25-ft humps load up on white bass and hybrids without ever anchoring. Bird season (October-February) turns it visual: gulls diving on pushed shad mark schools from a mile. Between drifts, the flooded timber of the Richland arm keeps crappie boxes honest.

Common questions

When is the bird-chasing season here?

First cold fronts (usually November) through February: gulls mark the hybrid and white bass schools pushing shad, and a slab under the birds is instant action.

How windy is too windy on Richland-Chambers?

Locals fish 15 mph gladly (the drift is the technique) and quit around 25: the open flats build steep chop. The timber arms stay fishable when the main basin churns.

Is fishing good at Richland-Chambers Reservoir 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

Cedar Creek Lake24 miLake Athens27 miBardwell Lake38 miLake Palestine40 miLake Limestone43 miLake Tyler60 mi
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