On this page you can find my latest bass fishing reports for the various bodies of water that I offer guided trips on. You can find the guide for what the scores mean at the bottom of the page.
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)
05/02/2026 – Lady Bird Lake is at a normal level with stained water offering roughly 2–4 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 71 degrees. Bass are positioned shallow to mid-depth, generally in water up to 10 feet deep, and are relating primarily to flats with submerged vegetation. Most fish appear to be in a post-spawn phase, though there are still some being found on beds. There is currently a mix of fish holding around spawning areas as well as others beginning to transition toward more offshore post-spawn locations.
Neko-rigged creature baits and drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been producing the most consistent action when worked through these vegetation-rich flats. Bass are grouped up in specific areas, and once a productive zone is located, it has been possible to generate multiple bites from the same area. Overall, the bite has been good, with consistent action throughout the day.
04/28/2026 – Lake Austin is at a normal level with clear water offering roughly 4–6 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 72 degrees. Bass are positioned shallow, generally less than 6 feet deep, and are relating to flats with submerged vegetation. Fish are in a mix of spawning and post-spawn phases, with many grouped up in specific areas.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms and Neko-rigged creature baits have been producing the most consistent action when worked through these shallow vegetation flats. Once fish are located, it is common to generate multiple bites from the same small area. Overall, the bite has been good, with steady action throughout the day.
Big Bass Score = 4; Numbers Score = 4; Total = 8
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
11/09/19 – Post cold front conditions made for some difficult fishing on this day. Just make sure to get out there before or during a cold front and you should catch them really well. Did well with a medium diving crankbait along rocky shorelines just before the front came through.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 1; Total = 3
Lake Lyndon B. Johnson
05/02/2026 – Lake LBJ is at a normal level with stained water offering roughly 2–4 feet of visibility and water temperatures around 70 degrees. Bass are positioned shallow to mid-depth, generally in 3–10 feet of water, and are relating to submerged vegetation as well as wind-blown areas. Most fish appear to be in a post-spawn phase, and wind has been a key factor in positioning bass, often grouping them up in specific areas as they follow baitfish.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms and Neko-rigged creature baits have been producing the most consistent action when worked through vegetation and along wind-affected areas. Early in the morning, walk-the-dog style topwater baits have provided an additional opportunity before transitioning to subsurface presentations. Focusing on wind-blown stretches and thoroughly working productive areas has been key to generating consistent bites.
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
04/14/2026 – Lake Travis is sitting roughly 18 feet low with clear water offering around 4–6 feet of visibility and water temperatures near 68 degrees. Bass are positioned in 10–20 feet of water, relating to brush located near spawning areas such as shallow pockets and large flats. Fish are in a mix of pre-spawn and post-spawn phases, which is typical for Travis this time of year as it tends to lag slightly behind other area lakes due to its size and depth.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been the most consistent producer when targeting these fish around brush. Bass are grouped up well, and once a productive piece of cover is located, it’s common to catch multiple fish from the same spot. Slowing down and thoroughly working each piece of brush has been key to maximizing bites.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 3; Total = 5
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
11/14/2025 – Stillhouse Hollow Lake is sitting at full pool with clear water around 6 ft visibility and temperatures at about 67°. The fall season is fully here, and bass are scattered. You can catch them on a variety of techniques, but finding big groups or consistent patterns has been tough lately.
There are still large schools of nomadic bass roaming the main lake chasing shad, but they are tougher to find than a few weeks ago. These can be targeted using forward-facing sonar and mid-strolling small minnow-style soft plastics. For anglers looking for bigger bites, a football jig worked along steeper, rocky shorelines has been the best bet.
Big Bass Score = 2; Numbers Score = 1; Total = 3
“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