Welcome to my Central Texas Fishing Reports page. I update these reports regularly based on firsthand experience guiding anglers on many of the area’s best bass lakes. Here you’ll find current fishing conditions, water temperatures, water clarity, productive techniques, and seasonal bass patterns for lakes including Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake, Lake Travis, Lake Georgetown, Lake LBJ, Inks Lake, Belton Lake, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, and more. Whether you’re looking for trophy bass or simply want to know what’s producing before your next trip, these reports are designed to provide current, reliable information from time spent on the water. Each report also includes my Big Bass Score and Numbers Score to provide a quick snapshot of current fishing conditions. If you’re curious how those ratings are determined, you’ll find a full explanation at the bottom of this page.
Last Updated 28 September 2026
04/20/2026 – Belton Lake is sitting at a normal level with clear water offering roughly 5 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 68 degrees. Bass are primarily positioned along steeper, rocky shorelines inside creek arms, holding in 5–10 feet of water. The majority of fish appear to be in a post-spawn phase, as traditional spawning areas have not been producing many bites.
Medium diving crankbaits have been the most effective for targeting these fish, especially when worked along steep rock transitions. Early in the morning, a shad spawn has been providing an additional opportunity, with bass pushing bait tight to the bank on similar rocky shorelines. During this window, topwater baits like a River2Sea Rover have produced well. Overall, focusing on steeper rock and adjusting between subsurface and topwater presentations based on conditions has been key.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
09/28/2026 – Inks Lake is offering stained water with temperatures around 79 degrees and a water level at normal pool. The best fishing continues to be around offshore rock where schools of quality bass are feeding heavily on large gizzard shad.
Big topwater baits and large swimbaits continue to produce well around these feeding schools. Finding areas holding large concentrations of gizzard shad remains the key to locating active bass. Overall, the fishing has been excellent.
Lady Bird Lake (AKA: Town Lake)
09/07/2026 – Lady Bird Lake is offering stained water with 3–4 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 80 degrees, and a water level at normal pool. The best fishing has shifted back toward submerged vegetation in 5–10 feet of water.
Urchin style baits fished in and around the vegetation have been producing the best action, with drop-shot rigged finesse worms also catching fish in the same areas. The nomadic offshore schools that were producing throughout the summer have been less prevalent recently.
07/08/2026 – Lake Austin is offering clear water with roughly 4–6 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 84 degrees, and a water level at normal pool. Bass are relating to submerged vegetation in 5–15 feet of water, with fish grouped up in productive areas throughout the grass.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms and Neko-rigged creature baits have been producing the most consistent action. Once a bite is generated, thoroughly working the surrounding vegetation has been key, as multiple bass are often holding in the same general area. Overall, the fishing has remained decent.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
03/07/2025 – Water temp is 49-52 on the lower end and 55-57 on the upper end. Water clarity also varies from being about 4 ft visibility on the lower end to only 2 ft visibility on the upper end. The bite has slowed down quite a bit and those bigger bites have gotten tougher to come by. The best pattern we’ve had going right now is just using drop-shot rigged finesse worms around rockpiles.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total 4
08/12/2026 – Lake Georgetown is offering stained water with 2–4 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 85 degrees, and a water level approximately 2 feet below full pool. The best fishing has been around small, shallow rocky points with wind blowing across them.
Small baitfish-colored squarebill crankbaits have been producing the best action, with wind-blown rock being the key to locating active bass.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 1; Total = 3
06/29/2026 – Lake LBJ is offering water temperatures around 82 degrees with stained water providing roughly 2–4 feet of visibility. The lake is sitting at its normal level, and summer patterns are well established. Fishing has been fair overall, with bass transitioning from shallow feeding areas early in the day to slightly deeper vegetation as the sun climbs.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms and urchin-style baits have been producing the most consistent action. Targeting shallow rock in just a few feet of water during the early morning has been productive before shifting to submerged vegetation in 8–10 feet of water later in the day. Adjusting with the changing light conditions has been key to staying on active fish.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
Lake Marble Falls
03/03/2026 – Lake Marble Falls is sitting at a normal level with stained water and 2–4 feet of visibility, with water temperatures around 66 degrees. Bass are in various stages of the spawn, with fish positioned shallow throughout the lake as more bass continue moving up to spawn.
Some of the most consistent bites have been coming on wacky-rigged Senkos and weightless soft plastic jerkbaits fished around rocky shorelines and docks in less than 5 feet of water. Slowing down and thoroughly working shallow cover has been key, as many of the bass in these areas are either actively spawning or staging nearby.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
09/23/2026 – Lake Travis is offering clear water with around 4 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 84 degrees, and a water level approximately 6 feet below full pool. The best fishing has been around shallow transition areas with a mix of rock and brush, particularly when wind is blowing into these areas.
Three-inch paddletail swimbaits fished on underspins and urchin style baits have been producing around schools of bass patrolling for bait in less than 10 feet of water. Overall, the fishing has been fair.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 3; Total = 5
08/22/2026 – Lake Waco is offering stained water with 2–4 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 85 degrees, and a water level approximately 2 feet below full pool. The best opportunity for larger bass has been on main-lake flats where fish are feeding on schools of gizzard shad.
Large topwater baits have been producing the best bites around these feeding fish. Drop-shot rigged finesse worms are also producing around wood cover in 10–15 feet of water.
Big Bass Score = 3; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 5
Lake Walter E. Long (AKA: Decker Lake)
10/16/2024 – Boat ramp is now closed due to low water levels while the city “works on the dam.” Projected open date again is not until 2027!!!
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 4; Total = 6
10/28/2025 – O.H. Ivie is sitting about 19 feet low with 3–4 ft visibility and surface temps in the upper 60s. The bite has been challenging lately due to strong winds, which have made it tough to effectively target fish using forward-facing sonar. Despite that, we still managed to put some bass in the boat, and conditions should improve as the weather stabilizes.
The most consistent action has come from spinnerbaits fished shallow over submerged vegetation. Anglers who can find a break in the wind can also connect with open-water bass chasing baitfish by using mid-strolling minnow-style soft plastics with forward-facing sonar. With the next calm window, expect the bite to pick back up.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 1; Total = 3
09/12/2026 – Stillhouse Hollow Lake is offering clear water with 6+ feet of visibility, water temperatures around 85 degrees, and a water level less than 1 foot below full pool. The best fishing has been targeting nomadic schools of bass roaming open water and feeding on schools of baitfish.
Weightless soft plastic jerkbaits have been producing the most consistent action, with forward-facing sonar essential for locating and staying with these roaming schools. Overall, the fishing has been good.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 4; Total = 6
“Score” Guide / Key
Each report ends with a score based on two factors:
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Big Bass Score – odds of catching a bass over 5 pounds.
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Numbers Score – odds of catching solid keeper bass (14 inches or larger).
Both are rated on a scale of 1–5, for a maximum possible total of 10 points.
⚠️ Important: The Numbers Score counts only bass 14 inches and larger. Smaller bass under 14″ are not included, even though they can sometimes be caught in high numbers during a trip.
Here’s what the scores mean (read as: odds of a big bass / numbers of keeper bass):
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1 – Odds are slim to none / 0–4 keeper bass in the boat.
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2 – Low odds, but some big ones live here / 5–8 keeper bass.
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3 – A definite “maybe” for one over 5 lbs / 9–12 keeper bass.
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4 – Decent odds of someone in the boat hooking one over 5 lbs / 13–20 keeper bass.
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5 – It’s on! Very good chance at a 5+ pounder / 20+ keeper bass.
A perfect score of 10/10 is rare — but if you ever see me post it, that means conditions are absolutely on fire and you’ll want to book a trip fast.
Austin Bass Fishing Guide
Austin Fishing Guide