"Summertime Slugfest: Bass, Slabs, and More on Rayburn" Podcast By cover art

"Summertime Slugfest: Bass, Slabs, and More on Rayburn"

"Summertime Slugfest: Bass, Slabs, and More on Rayburn"

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 Welcome back, folks—Artificial Lure here with your on-the-water scoop for Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas, on this hot July 6th, 2025. If you’re looking to put a bend in your rod, Sam Rayburn’s serving up classic East Texas summer conditions: stained water, riding about half a foot high, and surface temps settled around 86 degrees. Largemouth bass are active—just not stacked up in one spot—but folks willing to grind are coming up with decent numbers on soft plastics, crankbaits, and Carolina rigs. The bite’s fair, not on fire, but certainly worth your time according to Lone Star Outdoor News.

The weather’s been pretty stable—a sunny, humid Sunday, with highs climbing into the mid-80s. Most mornings start off muggy and settle into a light afternoon breeze. Sunrise this morning was at 6:21 AM and sunset’s rolling in at 8:26 PM, giving you a big window to chase some bites.

Solunar tables predict the best fishing around 2:20 PM to 4:20 PM, giving you a mid-afternoon bump. You’ll also catch a minor flurry first thing in the morning, from 7:50 to 8:50 AM, so don’t hit the snooze. Fish activity’s solid, and folks are reporting good catches, especially around brush piles and offshore structure.

The talk of the dock has been some real hawgs coming out of recent tournaments—including two double-digit bass over 10 pounds swinging across the scales this week, almost hitting the 40-pound bag mark according to Major League Fishing. These big fish are mostly coming offshore on main lake points and deep wooded humps, with pros keying in on both minnow-style plastics and deep crankbaits. The 5-inch Z-Man Jerk ShadZ in smelt and Deps Sakamata Shad, rigged on a 3/8-ounce head, have been pulling their weight. The drop-shot with a 6-inch Roboworm Straight Tail Worm is also getting bit.

For sheer numbers, a classic Carolina rig is catching fair-sized largemouths. Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Mark Davis swears by a 3/4-ounce tungsten Carolina rig weight paired with any soft plastic—lizards, brush hogs, or big worms. In stained water like we’ve got now, keep your leader shorter so the fish zone in on your bait. The Carolina rig is a local staple for a reason: you can slow-roll it across points, creek ledges, or deeper grass in 10-20 feet of water and pick up steady action.

White bass have picked up on slabs around main lake humps, and the catfish bite is strong on cut bait. Crappie are good if you anchor on deeper brush in 15-22 feet, fishing live minnows.

Best baits this week:
- Soft plastics (green pumpkin, watermelon red flake)
- Deep-diving crankbaits (chartreuse, shad pattern)
- Carolina rigs with big worms or creature baits
- Slabs for white bass
- Live minnows for crappie
- Cut shad or punch bait for catfish

For hot spots, try the Five Fingers area and the mouth of Harvey Creek for bass, especially early and late. The Black Forest and Veach Basin continue to see pressure but are still producing kickers for anglers working offshore structure and brush piles.

That’s your Lake Sam Rayburn report for July 6th. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a beat. This has been a Quiet Please production—for more, check out quietplease dot ai.

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