The last few weeks on Eagle Mountain Lake have been a classic late-summer grind.
Hot water. Very little wind. Holiday and weekend boat traffic. And that aggravating ghost bite where fish are barely touching the bait. On several trips, clients had to learn to read those tiny bites and get their hooksets dialed in before things really got rolling.
We’ve also been dealing with a ton of small fish. More than a few trips turned into a game of sorting through “catfish daycare” to find the better keepers. Still, we covered water, located active schools, and put together really good boxes.
Recent trip highlights:
Carlos and his crew fished a full moon with almost no wind and the ghost bite hanging around. Once they figured out the bite, they caught some really nice fish. That trip was also one of the first where we noticed fish starting to show up in different areas and depths — an early look at the summer-to-fall transition.
Jonathon and Steven hadn’t fished in about 20 years… then made up for lost time. They hit a two-man 50-fish limit in under two hours, kept fishing, and released 75+ more for 125+ fish total.
The Perez family (repeat clients) dealt with dead-calm water, holiday traffic, and the ghost bite. We stayed mobile, found schools that were willing to eat, and put together a good box anyway.
The Leal family from Lubbock hit another holiday-weekend madhouse — no wind, light bite. We covered water, caught fish at nearly every stop, and finished with a strong box.
Larry Morris with his brother and nephews ran into the same ghost bite and plenty of little fish. We weeded through them, caught a ton of fish, and ended up with another really nice box.
The bigger story: the transition is starting.
For most of this stretch, Eagle Mountain has still been fishing like summer: hot water, calm conditions, light bites, and lots of small fish. But the fish are starting to change. They’re showing up in different areas and depths, and a real break in the heat should accelerate that shift.
A few degrees of water-temperature drop can change everything fast.
Mornings should improve. Recreational boat traffic should start backing off. The fish should transition harder into fall patterns — and get hangry.
So here’s the short version of the last three weeks:
HOT. CALM. GHOST BITE. LOTS OF LITTLE FISH. A LOT OF MOVING AND ADJUSTING.
But still a lot of fish — and good boxes.
And now? The first real signs of fall are starting to show up.
We spent the last few weeks grinding through the end of summer. I think the switch is about to flip.
Want in on it? Book a guided catfish trip on Eagle Mountain Lake with North Texas Catfish Guide Service — 29 Years guiding Fort Worth–area charters. See current catfish guide rates.
Whack Em and Stack Em.
