Lake Nacogdoches Fishing Guides
A 2,200-acre east Texas water supply reservoir west of Nacogdoches, long regarded as one of the state's better big-largemouth lakes for its size.
Guides on the Lake Nacogdoches
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About the Lake Nacogdoches
Lake Nacogdoches is small by Texas standards at a little over two thousand acres, and it has a reputation out of all proportion to that size. The city of Nacogdoches impounded Loco Bayou west of town for water supply, and the resulting reservoir turned into one of the more productive big-bass waters in east Texas, contributing fish to the state’s trophy largemouth programme over the years. The reason is largely vegetation: the lake grows aquatic plants aggressively, and the hydrilla and native grass beds through the shallow flats and the creek arms give forage and cover in a combination that produces heavy fish rather than merely numerous ones.
Largemouth bass are unambiguously the reason anglers come. The fishing is vegetation work: finding the outside edge of a grass bed where it drops into deeper water, working the holes and lanes inside the thicker mats, and fishing slowly enough to be convincing. Fish in the eight-pound class are a realistic target in spring and the lake has produced considerably better. Crappie, both white and black, hold on the standing timber and the submerged brush in the creek arms and are heavily fished in their own right. Channel and blue catfish work the old bayou channel, white bass school in the more open water, and bluegill and redear sunfish are abundant and spawn in the sandy pockets along the shoreline.
The gauge reports reservoir elevation together with a storage series rather than a discharge trace, which is the correct reading for a supply reservoir. Level is the number that matters here more than on most lakes, because the vegetation that drives the fishery lives in a narrow depth band. A stable or slowly rising level keeps the grass healthy and the fish on its edges. A hard drawdown in a dry summer strands the grass line and pushes the whole fishery out toward the channel.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Nacogdoches.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.01 ft → steady
- Storage32,620 acre-ft
- For the dateLow for the date
Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 08036700, Lk Nacogdoches nr Nacogdoches, TX. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Nacogdoches - the city east of the lake, with lodging, tackle and guide services within fifteen minutes.
The city boat ramp - the main public launch and the usual starting point for a day on the water.
Loco Bayou arm - the upper end of the reservoir, the shallowest water and the heaviest vegetation.
The grass flats - the signature structure and the water most big-bass fishing here is built around.
The old bayou channel - the deep line through the basin and the main catfish and summer bass holding.
The dam area - the deepest, cleanest water and a reliable crappie and white bass option.
Sam Rayburn Reservoir - the far larger lake an hour south, the natural second destination in the region.
Seasons
Spring: the headline season, with big largemouth moving onto the grass edges and crappie spawning in the timber.
Summer: hot, with bass holding in the thicker mats and on the channel edge and catfish the easier daytime target.
Fall: very good as the water cools and bass return to the outside grass lines chasing bait.
Winter: slow for bass but the most consistent crappie fishing of the year on deep brush and standing timber.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lake Nacogdoches?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Redear Sunfish, White Bass, White Crappie on the Lake Nacogdoches in Texas.
Where can you access the Lake Nacogdoches?
Nacogdoches - the city east of the lake, with lodging, tackle and guide services within fifteen minutes. The city boat ramp - the main public launch and the usual starting point for a day on the water. Loco Bayou arm - the upper end of the reservoir, the shallowest water and the heaviest vegetation. The grass flats - the signature structure and the water most big-bass fishing here is built around. The old bayou channel - the deep line through the basin and the main catfish and summer bass holding. The dam area - the deepest, cleanest water and a reliable crappie and white bass option. Sam Rayb...
When is the best time to fish the Lake Nacogdoches?
Spring: the headline season, with big largemouth moving onto the grass edges and crappie spawning in the timber. Summer: hot, with bass holding in the thicker mats and on the channel edge and catfish the easier daytime target. Fall: very good as the water cools and bass return to the outside grass lines chasing bait. Winter: slow for bass but the most consistent crappie fishing of the year on deep brush and standing timber.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Nacogdoches?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Texas agency site: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing