Sam Rayburn Reservoir Fishing: Essential Angler’s Guide

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Sam Rayburn Reservoir, often affectionately referred to as Big Sam, is a true powerhouse among Texas fishing lakes. It’s the largest lake that lies entirely within the state lines and one of its best fishing destinations. 

Bass, crappie and catfish all offer outstanding fishing in this titanic 114,000-acre reservoir. And we’re about to show you where, when and how to catch those game fish and more.

Sam Rayburn is nestled in the East Texas Piney Woods Region, sandwiched between the equally-impressive Toledo Bend Reservoir and Lake Livingston.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the lake on the Angelina River between 1956 and 1965. The Angelina forms the lake’s most prominent arm, while smaller streams including the Attoya River, Ayish Bayou and Bear Creek all form significant arms off the main lake. 

In terms of fishing, it’s not without its challenges. Of course, no lake of this size is. But Big Sam rewards anglers who put in the time to figure out its mysteries.

Largemouth Bass Fishing

Sam Rayburn Reservoir isn’t known for producing trophy bass to the degree that some other Texas Lakes (say, Lake Fork or O.H. Ivie Lake) are. But there may be no other Texas lake that can match Sam Rayburn for numbers of bass. 

And while 15-pound behemoths may be rare, that doesn’t mean you won’t catch big fish. Rayburn cranks out astonishing numbers of 5- to 7-pound largemouths, and anglers boat multiple 10-pounders yearly.

When to Fish

If you’re out to catch the fish of a lifetime at Sam Rayburn, January and February are the months to do it. Big pre-spawn female bass are loaded with eggs and at peak weight this season. On top of that, winter rains usually raise water levels and trigger bass to feed heavily. 

Largemouths spawn when water temperatures crack the 60-degree mark, which almost always occurs during March on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Expect to find bass on their beds well into April. 

That said, the timing of the spawn varies widely year to year, and even from one part of the lake to another. For example, in warm, north-facing shallows, some bass may bed down as early as February, and a few stragglers could still be spawning at the south end of the lake in May. 

On the whole, though, May is post-spawn season, and it’s one of the best times to fish for bass on Sam Rayburn. The end of the bass spawn coincides with the beginning of the shad spawn, and bass go on a feeding frenzy as a result.

Bass fishing slows down in summer, but there can still be a good morning and evening bite, and night fishing can also be productive. Fall brings some great opportunities too, as the lake cools and bass return to shallow areas.

Where to Fish

The challenge of fishing Sam Rayburn comes from its massive size. With this much water to choose from, the key to success isn’t so much about finding a single great spot but rather identifying a pattern you can use to find good spots on any given day. 

Sam Rayburn Reservoir has an impressive diversity of habitat—timber and brush, hydrilla and grass beds, points, channels and ledges—so almost any style of fishing can be effective.

As a general rule, the upper end of the lake has stained to turbid water (especially after a rain) with an abundance of timber and brush, but little vegetation. The lower end is deeper, somewhat clearer, and has prolific weed beds.

In winter and spring, when rains bring the water level up, inundated shorelines are key, especially at the upper end of the lake. Look for bass around shoreline laydowns and flooded stands of water willow and buck brush. 

That being said, most bass anglers consider the lower part of the lake to be best, especially in winter and spring. Rising lake levels create a window between the tops of the hydrilla and the water’s surface this time of year, and bass gravitate to that zone.

As bass get into pre-spawn mode, key features to look for are the ditches and drains that lead from deep water to the backs of Sam Rayburn’s many creeks and coves. These drains essentially function as a highway system for bass. 

Any protected pocket with shallow water can be productive when bass are spawning. Some of the best areas include Veach Basin, Caney Creek, Harvey Creek, Farmers Flats and Needmore Point.

The best spring fishing is almost always in less than 10 feet of water.

Drains continue to be important after the spawn and again in the fall. Grass tends to grow along their sides, creating perfect cover with well-defined edges. Some drains are identifiable as creek channel-like depressions on depth maps. Others require some searching.

Sam Rayburn Bass Tactics

One of the great things about bass fishing at Sam Rayburn is that you can almost always rely on your preferred fishing lures and tactics, whatever those may be. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, topwaters and a broad spectrum of soft plastics all have their time and place here. 

Crankbaits are ideal for fishing the window between the surface and the tops of submerged hydrilla in winter. Rat-L-Traps are very popular, and square-billed cranks like Rapala’s DT series are perfect for honing in on the right depth so you can tickle the tips of the weeds. 

If you’re fishing inundated brush along the shoreline, a spinnerbait is probably the best option, especially if you’re dealing with typical muddy spring conditions. Sam Rayburn is known for a strong shallow bite, even early in the year when bass would normally be deeper in most lakes. 

A Carolina-rigged worm or lizard is always a good option for fishing drains and weed lines. Classic colors like black, watermelon, green pumpkin and junebug are excellent. When bass are spawning in shallow pockets, try a wacky-rigged Senko. 

During the post-spawn period when bass gorge on shad, there are days when seemingly anything will get a bite. Shad spawn on shallow points and coves in the morning and evening, and bass reliably follow. 

In summer, one of the better tactics is tossing a jig into pockets between beds of grass and hydrilla. Choose a jig with some red or burnt orange to mimic a crawfish. Topwater action on a floating frog can also be good during low-light hours in summer.

Across the board, one of the most versatile lures for bass in Sam Rayburn Reservoir is a soft jerkbait. Versions of these lures can imitate any baitfish, resist snags, and rigged to fish at a range of depths around practically any cover.

Catch More Bass

This is a simply excellent bass fishing lake, so it’s probably not surprising that Sam Rayburn Reservoir made both our lists of the best bass fishing lakes near Houston and the best bass fishing lakes across Texas.

Also, see our complete guide to bass fishing techniques and tips, including many top lure choices.

Crappie Fishing

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is easily one of the best crappie lakes in Texas. Even though crappie populations can be somewhat cyclical, abundant white and black crappie provide a fairly consistent year-after-year crappie fishery. 

Lots of fish in the 12- to 14-inch range are available most years, and don’t be too surprised if you net one weighing close to 3 pounds. The best part is, while the bite at other lakes shuts down during some seasons, Sam Rayburn offers opportunities to catch crappies year-round.

It starts in winter, when a good cold front or two will drive crappies up the Angelina arm of the lake, following schools of shad along the river channel. This pattern is very similar to what happens at Toledo Bend, another legendary crappie lake not too far away.

Focus on inside bends along the river channel and the mouths of major creeks. The ideal depth is almost always between 12 and 20 feet, right around the zone where the channel rapidly drops off to 35 or 40 feet. 

A good rule of thumb is fish the area below the Highway 103 bridge in January, and above the 103 bridge in February.

Then in March, crappies transition toward spawning patterns, and the bite shifts down the lake as fish gather in sheltered backwaters with lots of brush and wood. 

After spawning, crappies move around a lot, but they frequently school up on brush piles—most of which have been placed in the lake by local anglers—and this pattern continues throughout summer and fall. Find brush, and you’ll probably find crappies.

Granted, that isn’t always easy. If you don’t know the location of the brush piles, the best way to locate one is to don a pair of polarized sunglasses and watch for marker buoys just under the surface. 

A key piece of advice is that not all crappies congregate around the single brush pile marked by a buoy. In many cases, there will be multiple brush piles in the area, and the biggest crappies may be out around some of the peripheral brush.

Fishing around bridge pilings can also be rewarding, particularly the 103 and 146 bridges on the Angelina River arm.

Try casting a Rooster Tail or Beetle Spin as a search lure, then switch to jigging vertically when you locate a school. Lit’L Fishie jigs made by Creme Lure Company are popular locally.

Catch More Crappie

Sam Rayburn earned a spot on our rundown of the best places to catch crappie in Texas.

We also have a complete guide to crappie fishing tactics, including the lures, baits, tackle and tips you can use to catch more of these incredibly tasty panfish.

Other Fish Species

Catfish Fishing

Don’t miss the boat on Sam Rayburn’s outstanding catfishing opportunities. Channel catfish are thick as thieves in this reservoir, many weighing 10 pounds or more. Blue cats and flatheads are less common but can weigh over 50 pounds. 

Catfish also offer year-round fishing. Look for them around brush piles and tree stumps near the river channel from late fall to early spring. And keep an eye out for flocks of roosting cormorants in winter; their droppings reliably attract catfish. 

Cats move shallow to spawn in shallow coves and creeks in April and May, offering some of the best opportunities to catch them from shore. In summer, they transition back to ledges and brush piles along the creek channel, typically at depths right around 15 feet. 

Any smelly, natural bait can tempt catfish, including a wide range of punch baits and stink baits, along with chicken livers, nightcrawlers and shrimp. Cut shad is a favorite bait for targeting big blue catfish, and flathead catfish are more likely to strike a live baitfish.

The most successful local catfish anglers catch their limits by fishing baited holes. The same brush piles that attract crappie are also great for catfish; simply chum the area with soured grain like milo or maize, and wait about 20 minutes for catfish to show up.

Catch More Catfish

If you like to eat fish, you know all about catfish. But they also are super fun to catch. If either of those are your goals, you’ll want to know where to find the best catfish fishing lakes in Texas. (Spoiler: Sam Rayburn is among them.)

If you’re looking for catfish in the same general area, be sure to read through our listing of the best catfishing lakes near Houston to find some great spots nearby.

We also have a full how-to guide to catching catfish, including the best baits, tackle and tactics.

White Bass

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is home to a substantial population of white bass (also known as sand bass), though most anglers seldom encounter them outside of their spring spawning run.

White bass spend most of the year pursuing shad in open waters along the creek channel.

But as winter turns to spring, these fish embark on an epic spawning run up the length of Sam Rayburn Reservoir toward the Angelina River. Smaller male white bass are the first to show up at the upper end of the lake in February, and larger females follow not long after. 

As the calendar turns to March, thousands of white bass will be staging above the Highway 103 Bridge. Schooling white bass bite readily on spinners, spoons, jigs, and anything else that vaguely resembles a small shad. Silver, white and chartreuse are usually the best colors. 

The section of the Angelina River above the lake is the best place to be in March and early April, as the fish head upstream. The river is a maze of sloughs and channels in this area, and it’s accessible from the US-59 bridge a few miles above the lake.

Once they return to the lake, white bass resume a nomadic lifestyle and are sometimes encountered by crappie anglers fishing along the channel throughout the warmer months.

Most white bass weigh a pound or two, but individuals up to 4 pounds are possible.

Catch More White Bass

While Sam Rayburn didn’t quite make our list for this species, you’ll find plenty of sand bass in the best white bass fishing rivers and lakes in Texas.

And whether you’re fishing Big Sam or one of the spots on that statewide list, come prepared by reading up on our easy white bass fishing techniques and tips.

Bluegill & Sunfish

Although Sam Rayburn isn’t as well known for big bream as nearby Toledo Bend, the reservoir nevertheless supports plentiful bluegill and redear sunfish, including some that measure 9 inches or more. 

Fishing for bluegill and sunfish should be thought of more as a numbers game here.

These fish readily bite live worms and crickets in shallow water, providing great opportunities for family fishing trips.

The best season to go after them is spring, when they spawn in vast colonies on shallow flats, creating dish-shaped beds that are easily visible if the water is clear enough to spot them. Spawning peaks in April most years and trails off into May.

In summer, larger bream transition to deeper brush piles and weed edges, while smaller ones stay in shallow water. Big bluegill often mix in with crappies in the summertime and sometimes strike jigs intended for the latter.

Catch More Bream

Looking for bluegill and redear sunfish as big as your hand? We have a hint: They aren’t too far from here. Check out our small but powerful (hey, just like bream) list of the best bluegill and sunfish fishing lakes in Texas.

And while fishing for bluegill and their sunfish kin is about as easy as it gets, it can still get better. Or at least more fun. So read our simple guide to bluegill and sunfish fishing success.

Planning Your Trip

Getting to Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is a little over 2 hours northeast of Houston via Interstate 69. From I-69, take US-190 E to reach the lower end of the lake, or US-59 N to reach the upper end. 

The lake is also a short drive from smaller cities like Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Jasper. In addition to the public access sites listed below, several privately operated marinas, bait shops, motels and resorts cater to anglers around the lakeshore.

Bank & Boat Access

A variety of federal, state and county lands provide access to Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages many access sites, while the U.S. Forest Service oversees the Angelina National Forest. 

Listed here in clockwise order starting at the lower end of the reservoir, some of the best bank and boat access can be found at: