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)
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.
06/15/2026 – Lake Austin is offering highly variable conditions, with water temperatures ranging from the upper 60s on the upper end of the lake to the lower 80s farther downstream. Water clarity also varies considerably due to recent rains, with visibility ranging anywhere from roughly 2 to 6 feet depending on location. Despite the changing conditions, the fishing has remained good.
Bass are beginning to settle into summer patterns and are increasingly grouping into schools around submerged vegetation in 5–15 feet of water. Neko-rigged creature baits have been producing the most consistent action, while topwater stick baits have been effective for targeting active fish feeding higher in the water column. As always on Lake Austin, covering water and locating productive stretches of vegetation has been key to finding concentrations of bass.
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
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
06/06/2026 – Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir is offering clear water with temperatures around 79 degrees and a water level nearly 4 feet above full pool. Summer patterns are now fully established, with bass relating to submerged vegetation in 14–20 feet of water as well as nomadic schools of fish chasing shad in open water.
Drop-shot rigged finesse worms have been producing around deeper submerged vegetation, while weightless soft plastic jerkbaits have been effective for open-water schooling fish. Forward-facing sonar has become an important tool for locating and targeting these roaming schools. Overall, the fishing has been good, with anglers finding success by adapting between the deep vegetation bite and the open-water pattern.
Big Bass Score = 3; Numbers Score = 3; 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