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Wright Patman Lake Fishing Report

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

An 18,994-acre Corps reservoir on the Sulphur River southwest of Texarkana, where TPWD rates white bass and crappie as the popular catches.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Lake level
224.91 ft
Air / High
84 / 84 F
Wind
SE 4 mph

Sources: Texas Water Development Board (Wright Patman Lake), 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Wright Patman Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The gauge reads 224.91 ft, easing 0.16 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 4 mph, falling pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:53 AM-11:53 AM and 10:21 PM-12:21 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

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)Excellent

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.

CrappieGood

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

White bassGood

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 87 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

Daily lake level from the Texas Water Development Board (Wright Patman Lake); live weather.

Water level, last 30 days

Texas Water Development Board daily estimate, 100% of conservation capacity on 2026-10-23.

224.94225.16225.39224.91 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low84 / 48 F
WindSE 4-6 mph
Pressure1019.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:27 / 18:33
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 Wright Patman Lake this week

The best day on Wright Patman Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 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€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:53 AM-11:53 AM and 10:21 PM-12:21 AM
Minor period
4:15 AM-5:15 AM
Sun
07:27 to 18:33
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

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: 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.

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 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 Wright Patman Lake 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. Largemouth bass led the card at good. 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. Largemouth bass led the card at good. 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 79 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 game fish here under statewide regulations (see the current Texas Outdoor Annual). In the Sulphur River below the dam, live nongame fish may not be moved to any other water.

Access

Corps ramps at Malden Lake, Herron Creek, Berry Farm Park, Clear Springs, North Shores, Intake Hill, Rocky Point, Piney Point, Overcup Landing and Jackson Creek; Kelly Creek and Big Creek marinas; Cass County Park; Atlanta State Park (TPWD).

About this water

An 18,994-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties, Texas, impounded in 1956.

Fishing Wright Patman Lake: the full guide

Lake facts

TPWD places Wright Patman Lake on the Sulphur River in Bowie and Cass counties, 10 miles southwest of Texarkana, and lists it at 18,994 acres with a maximum depth of 40 feet. It was impounded in 1956 and is controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. TPWD gives the conservation pool as 220.6 feet above sea level, a usual fluctuation of 4 to 5 feet and moderate clarity.

What TPWD says about the fishing

White bass are very popular, with high numbers of quality-size fish available for harvest, and crappie offer large numbers of legal-size fish, with white crappie outnumbering black. Channel and blue catfish are present at high densities of quality-size fish, flathead catfish add another option, and largemouth bass are moderately abundant with good numbers of legal-size fish. Bluegill and redear sunfish round out the list.

Cover and structure

TPWD describes the structure as inundated timber, brush, creek channels and riprap. Vegetation covers less than 10% of the surface, with chara, American lotus, black willow and buttonbush the dominant plants. Five man-made habitat reefs have been placed in the reservoir, and TPWD's Habitat Structure Viewer gives their GPS coordinates.

Access around the lake

TPWD's access list includes Corps-operated ramps at Malden Lake, Herron Creek, Berry Farm Park, Clear Springs, North Shores, Intake Hill, Rocky Point, Piney Point, Overcup Landing and Jackson Creek, the privately run Kelly Creek and Big Creek marinas, a Cass County park with bank fishing, and two ramps at Atlanta State Park. Most charge a fee; TPWD lists Overcup Landing as free.

Common questions

How much does the lake level change?

TPWD gives a usual fluctuation of 4 to 5 feet around a conservation pool of 220.6 feet above sea level; check current levels before launching.

What does Wright Patman offer anglers?

TPWD highlights white bass and crappie, high densities of quality-size channel and blue catfish, flathead catfish, and moderately abundant largemouth bass.

Are there special limits?

No. TPWD says all game fish here are managed under statewide regulations.

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: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Millwood Lake29 miCaddo Lake42 miLake O' the Pines43 miLake Bob Sandlin54 miLake Cypress Springs60 miRed River61 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Reservoir level
Texas Water Development Board β€” Wright Patman Lake
Water Data for Texas, daily average elevation estimated by the TWDB from operator data (for this lake, the Lower Colorado River Authority). A daily figure, not a live reading.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.3000, -94.1700 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 5, 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 5, 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.