Howdy y'all, this is Artificial Lure with your Sunday morning Sam Rayburn fishing report for May 11th, 2025!Let me tell ya, we're smack dab in the heart of late spring fishing season here at Big Sam, and things are heating up faster than asphalt in August! Water's sitting at a comfortable 73 degrees with a slightly stained clarity, and we're running about 0.9 feet above pool level.The bass spawn is wrapping up this week, folks. While you can still find some shallow spawners, the best bite has shifted to those 8-14 foot zones. I've been putting clients on solid fish working ledges, humps, and that old timber with Texas rigs and Carolina rigs. Throw a big worm - anything in a watermelon red or junebug color is working wonders right now.Crappie and catfish are in that spawning dance too, moving between shallow and deep water. Your magic depth has been in that 4-12 foot range. For crappie, minnows under corks near trees has been the ticket for those bedding fish. Some are starting to move to brush piles, but that bite ain't quite steady yet.Sunrise today was right around 6:30 AM, and we're looking at sunset about 8:15 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to get after 'em. Weather-wise, we're enjoying classic East Texas May conditions - warm days perfect for being on the water.For you bass hunters, I'd recommend hitting the Cassels-Boykin area early morning with those Texas rigs, then moving to the deep timber as the sun gets higher. The Ayish and Attoyac arms have been producing consistently too.Hot spots this week: Harvey Creek has been fire for bass in the 4-5 pound range, and the standing timber near Twin Dikes is holding some good schools. For crappie enthusiasts, the brush piles near Caney Creek and the bridge pilings at Highway 147 have been giving up limits.Catfish are taking cut shad and punch bait in 3-10 foot depths, particularly around Hanks Creek and the Powell area.No tidal influence here on our inland reservoir, but pay attention to those boat ramps - with the water level above pool, the conditions are perfect for launching.Remember, with summer crowds starting to show up, be courteous on the water and mind your wake near the bank fishermen. And don't forget to clean your boat before you leave to prevent spreading them zebra mussels.That's the word from Big Sam this fine Sunday. Y'all get out there and wet a line - the fish are biting! This is Artificial Lure signing off until next time. Good luck and tight lines!