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 05 July 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
4/13/2026 – Inks Lake is at a normal level with stained water offering roughly 2–4 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 73 degrees. Bass are positioned shallow, generally less than 10 feet deep, and are relating to main lake points with a harder bottom. Wind-blown points have been the most productive areas. Fish are in all phases of the spawn, though the majority appear to be transitioning into a post-spawn pattern.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been producing the most consistent action when worked along these main lake points. Focusing on wind-blown areas has been key, as those locations are holding the most active fish. Slowing down and thoroughly working productive stretches has helped generate consistent bites.
Lady Bird Lake (AKA: Town Lake)
06/13/2026 – Lady Bird Lake is offering water temperatures around 83 degrees with clear water providing roughly 4–6 feet of visibility. Summer patterns are now fully established, with some of the best fishing coming from targeting large, nomadic schools of bass that are actively following schools of shad in open water.
Mid-strolling minnow-style soft plastics and suspending jerkbaits have been producing the most consistent action. These fish are not relating to bottom cover or structure, making depth largely irrelevant as they roam the lake following baitfish. Forward-facing sonar has become an essential tool for locating and staying with these massive schools. Overall, the fishing has been good, with anglers finding opportunities to catch multiple bass once an active school is located.
06/27/2026 – Lake Austin is offering clear water with roughly 4–6 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 82 degrees. Summer patterns are well established, with bass relating to submerged vegetation on main lake flats in water up to 15 feet deep. Overall, the fishing has been fair, with productive areas continuing to hold groups of fish.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been producing the most consistent action when worked through submerged vegetation. Focusing on main lake flats and thoroughly fishing productive stretches of grass has been the key to generating bites. Once active fish are located, it is often possible to catch multiple bass from the same general area.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 3; Total = 5
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
06/22/2026 – Lake Georgetown is offering good summer fishing with water temperatures around 80 degrees and stained water providing approximately 2–4 feet of visibility. The lake remains roughly 4 feet above full pool, flooding shoreline vegetation throughout the backs of many creek arms and creating excellent shallow cover for bass.
Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and 4-inch paddle-tail swimbaits have been producing the most consistent action in less than 6 feet of water. Targeting flooded brush and vegetation in the backs of creek arms has been the key pattern, with bass using the newly inundated cover as both feeding and ambush areas. Covering water with moving baits has been an effective way to locate active fish, and anglers who focus on freshly flooded shoreline habitat should continue to find good success.
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
07/02/2026 – Lake Travis is offering clear water with roughly 4–6 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 82 degrees, and a water level approximately 9 feet below full pool. Summer patterns are firmly established, with large schools of bass relating to the many marinas throughout the lake where they are actively feeding and grouping up.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been producing the most consistent action around marina docks and associated structure. During the first and last hour of daylight, a drop-shot rig fished near bluff ends has also been producing quality fish. Overall, the fishing has remained fair, with anglers finding the best success by targeting schooling bass around marinas and taking advantage of the low-light feeding windows.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
05/13/2025 – Relatively tough fishing right now. You can catch a ton of dinks, but finding better quality fish is a little tougher right now. Mostly just kind of junk fishing key areas right now with drop-shot rigged finesse worms, jigs, T-rigged ribbon-tail worms, squarebill crankbaits, and chatterbaits.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 1; Total = 3
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
07/03/2026 – Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir is offering clear water with roughly 4–6 feet of visibility, water temperatures around 83 degrees, and a water level approximately 1 foot above full pool. Bass are relating to submerged vegetation on the main lake in 8–15 feet of water, with summer patterns continuing to produce consistent action.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been the most productive presentation when fished through the deeper grass. The first hour of the morning and the last hour of the evening have become the most productive feeding windows, making those periods the best times to target active fish. Overall, the fishing has remained fair, with the main-lake vegetation pattern continuing to produce consistent catches.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 2; Total = 4
“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