East Texas Fishing: The Honest, Lake-by-Lake Rundown

Lake Fork is the lake everyone knows. Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) puts it on the Sabine River in Hopkins, Rains and Wood counties, about five miles northwest of Quitman, at 27,264 acres. TPWD says more than 65% of the Texas Top 50 largest bass, including the state record, came from Fork, and more than half of all ShareLunker entries came from this one lake.

TPWD lists largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, white bass and sunfish as the main species. Its fishing tips point to hydrilla, boat houses, docks and points as places that hold fish. Fork is full of submerged timber, so TPWD warns boaters to stay in the buoyed boat lanes.

Know the rule before you keep a bass. Per TPWD's Lake Fork regulations, largemouth bass have a 16–24 inch slot. You may keep bass 16 inches or shorter, or 24 inches or longer, and only one largemouth 24 inches or longer per day. TPWD also requires anglers to drain all water from their boats before leaving, because of zebra mussels.

TPWD puts Lake Palestine on the Neches River, 15 miles southwest of Tyler on Texas 155, at 25,560 acres. TPWD rates its catfish and its white and hybrid striped bass as excellent, and its largemouth, spotted bass and crappie as good.

TPWD's tips are specific to the lake:

• Hybrids and white bass: fish from the dam up to the Highway 155 bridge in winter and into spring.
• Catfish: drift worms or chicken livers between Hawn point and the 155 bridges.
• Crappie: fish near Highway 155 in spring with small jigs or minnows. Anglers have also sunk brush piles between the dam and the bridge.
• Largemouth: fish the upper end of the lake, including Cobb and Stone Chimney creeks. TPWD notes the timber and vegetation are above the TX 155 bridge.

TPWD says special regulations apply to some species here, so check the current rules for Lake Palestine before you keep fish.

TPWD places Cedar Creek Reservoir about 15 miles west of Athens, between US 175 and Texas 274, at 32,623 acres. It rates catfish and white/hybrid striped bass as excellent and largemouth and crappie as good. TPWD says catfish are abundant and that more of the legal-size catfish are blues than channel cats.

TPWD's tips: follow the birds to find schools of white bass and hybrids, use cut shad or live bait for blue catfish, and look for largemouth in the weedy backs of coves in the lower third of the lake. Statewide fishing regulations apply.

Lake Athens is much smaller. TPWD lists it at 1,799 acres, about five miles east of Athens in Henderson County. TPWD rates its largemouth bass as excellent and says the lake is known for bass of 3 to 8 pounds. The lake record is 14.19 pounds.

TPWD names spring as the best season for bass, and February through May for crappie and white bass. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is nearby.

Athens has its own bass rule. Per TPWD's Lake Athens regulations, largemouth have a 14–21 inch slot. You may keep bass 14 inches or shorter, or 21 inches or longer, and only one bass 21 inches or longer per day, within a five-fish daily bag. TPWD also requires anglers to drain water from their boats here.