Lake Austin Fishing Report: Autumn Bass Bonanza, Catfish & Panfish Bites

Artificial Lure with your Lake Austin fishing report for October 8th, 2025. Folks, it’s that magical early fall stretch and Lake Austin is showing out for anglers willing to put some time in before or after the daily bustle.

We kicked off this Wednesday morning with clear skies, a light north breeze, and a chilly start—it’s classic autumn in central Texas. Local sunrise today was at 7:27 am, with sunset set for 7:01 pm. Water temps are falling into the upper 70s; that’s prime time for activated bass feeding runs. No tidal swings to mind on this freshwater body, but those cooling temps are the key note.

The bite’s been solid the last week. According to Texas Parks & Wildlife Weeklies and verified local guides, anglers are hooking into good numbers of largemouth bass with most fish hanging from 2 to 5 pounds. Most success is coming off the early morning or that last hour of light, especially in shallow cover and dock lines. Reports show several fish pushing 7 pounds being caught, especially around dropoffs near Steiner Ranch and the lower end by Tom Miller Dam.

Best producers right now: shad-colored crankbaits and medium-running squarebills bouncing off rocky points. Soft plastics like green pumpkin Senkos or flukes fished weightless are drawing hits off submerged grass beds—especially north of the 360 bridge. If you’re into topwater, try walking baits at dawn near the boat docks; keep an eye out for surface shad busts, the bass are keying in. Local shop staff are also seeing good results on white spinnerbaits during the midday wind.

Catfish anglers have been steady with cut shad and chicken livers fished deeper flats—mostly channel cats in the 1-3 pound class, but a few blues up to 10 caught near the deeper bends.

Some panfish too: bluegill and redear sunfish are still hitting worms and small grubs close to bulkheads, especially midday after things warm up.

Bait of choice: live shad or perch, but with the current clarity, artificial lures in natural shades will get you bit just fine for bass. For catfish, stick with the stink—all the cheeses, livers, and punch baits are working.

Hot spots this week?
- Steiner Ranch cove edges—work the points and boat slips.
- The mouth of Bull Creek has also fired up during low-light hours for largemouth.
- If you’re bank-bound, try the shaded stretches around Emma Long Park.

No specific striper or white bass reports for Lake Austin (you’ll have to head east for those fall runners), but plenty action for standard fare.

Boat pressure has been relatively light, but with this stretch of weather expect a few more folks out through the weekend. Keep safety top of mind.

That’s it for today’s Lake Austin report! Thanks for tuning in to your local source with Artificial Lure. Be sure to subscribe for the latest right from the water’s edge. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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