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Wright Patman Lake Fishing Report

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

Northeast Texas timber water: Wright Patman spreads flooded forest and crappie across the Sulphur River.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
W 1 mph

Sources: 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.

Wright Patman Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings a mixed sky, wind W around 1 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 98. 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 100 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 75 F
WindW 1-4 mph
Pressure1011.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain29% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:53 / 19:38
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, 98/75 F, wind 6 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Wright Patman Lake: 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 Wright Patman 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
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 Wright Patman Lake 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 94 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. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 94 F, wind to 11 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 98 F, wind to 9 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 license. Crappie, bass and catfish limits per current TPWD regulations.

Access

Corps ramps at Rocky Point, Piney Point, Clear Springs and other parks around the lake.

About this water

A 20,000-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Sulphur River, Bowie and Cass counties, Texas.

Fishing Wright Patman Lake: the full guide

A flood-control lake

Wright Patman Lake covers about 20,000 acres at conservation pool on the Sulphur River in northeast Texas, with levels that swing dramatically for flood control. Standing timber, flooded brush and stained water define it. Crappie lead the fishery, with largemouth bass, white bass, catfish and bream, in a lake that fishes very differently depending on the pool.

Crappie in the timber

The standing timber holds crappie year-round: vertical jigging the trunks in 8-20 feet, shallower in spring when fish move to spawn. The lake produces good numbers and respectable size, and local anglers work brush piles and timber lines they have fished for years. Spring and fall are the peaks, with winter fishing well on deeper structure.

Bass and white bass

Largemouth relate to the flooded brush, timber and any grass: flipping jigs and plastics to the wood, spinnerbaits along the edges when water is stained. White bass run up the Sulphur River in spring, providing fast action, and school over open water through summer. Catfish are abundant and reliable on cut bait through the flats.

Texarkana-area logistics

Corps ramps and parks serve the lake at Rocky Point, Piney Point, Clear Springs and others, with campgrounds at several. Water levels vary widely: check current elevation before towing, as ramps and structure change substantially. Texarkana is minutes away with full services, and the timber demands careful navigation away from marked lanes.

Common questions

How much does the level change?

Substantially: it is a flood-control lake, and pool elevation changes which ramps work and where fish hold.

Where do crappie hold?

In the standing timber: vertical jigging the trunks produces year-round, shallower in the spring spawn.

Is navigation tricky?

Yes: timber and stumps outside the marked lanes. Idle in unfamiliar water and trust the markers.

Is fishing good at Wright Patman Lake 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

Millwood Lake29 miCaddo Lake42 miLake O' the Pines43 miLake Bob Sandlin56 miLake Cypress Springs60 miRed River61 mi
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