OUTDOORS: Lake Conroe Fishing Report

Fishing on Lake Conroe is fair to good. The water temperature in the main lake is running 70 degrees around daylight at the dam, and the water level is 199.95 feet, which is about two feet below pool. No water is being released at this time, according to the San Jacinto River Authority. Pool is 201 feet above mean sea level.

Largemouth bass are in post-spawn pattern and really tough right now in the middle of the day. Early int he day, however, you can catch a few on the rip-rap rock on the bridges on any shad-imitating baits. Some are also being caught occasionally around brush piles.

Crappie are doing great pretty much anywhere you want to catch them — bridges, brush piles — but depending on the cold fronts, they change. Stronger winds can make it difficult to hold on a fishing spot. Guide Richard Tatsch said most of the depths he is catching them in are 10-25 feet. Minnows and jigs are the best baits.

Catfish are scattered, according to Tatsch. Some are in deep water, and some are along the bulkheads, depending on when the cold fronts move in. For the fish on the bulkhead, he uses cut bait under a cork. The deeper fish are in 15-20 feet of water, and he is using stink bait, tight lining. Tatsch said he uses a No. 8 treble hook and a ⅛- to ¼-ounce egg sinker and Mr. Whiskers stink bait that he gets from Stow-A-Way Marina.

Hybrids are doing the same as the rest of the fish. According to Tatsch, they are sporadic at best. Tatsch also said he is catching them on live shad and swim baits. They are running around sandy deep points right now. Sometimes they are on the surface, but they can also be up to 30 feet deep.

Bream are being caught deep on brush with the crappie, according to some anglers I have spoken to. Night crawlers and meal worms are the best bait.

Richard Tatsch owns the FishDude’s Guide Service and has been a licensed professional fishing guide since 1996. His boat is a 24 foot Pathfinder bay boat, which is very spacious and safe enough for the roughest conditions on Lake Conroe. He can be reached by email at admin@fishdudetx.com, or by phone at 936-291-1277.