Lake Austin Fishing Report: Fall Bass, Crappie, and Trout Stocking

Lake Austin is waking up a bit this November morning, right on the tail end of a humid front sweeping through Central Texas. Local forecasters this Friday call for sunrise at 6:59 AM and sunset around 5:32 PM. We're in the First Quarter moon, with the major fish activity windows hitting from about 6:25 to 8:25 AM and again from 6:45 to 8:45 PM, according to FishingReminder. That gives you solid windows for the early riser bite and an hour or so before dusk for a good shot at a big one.

The weather's been swinging mild to cool—mid-50s at dawn and rising toward the 70s by mid-afternoon with light southeast winds. These conditions are classic for fall bass movement, with fish pulling up onto rocky points and shallow flats to chase late shad schools. Water clarity’s pretty typical this time of year, stained a little after the midweek rain but clearing steadily.

Recent reports from folks on the water and area guides have largemouth bass as the main draw right now. Most catches have been in the 1-3 pound range, with a few solid 4s and 5s showing up for those working structure near deeper water. Catfish—mostly channels and some blues—are biting steady at night and early morning, especially on cut bait off the deeper channel bends. Sunfish remain active in the warmer coves for anyone bringing kids or looking for a fish fry.

Bass anglers are mostly running shad-imitating lures. Top choices this week are chrome and shad-colored jerkbaits like the Berkley Stunna 112+1, plus flukes in pearl or white, rigged weightless or on a light jighead. Early and late, walking topwaters such as Zara Spooks or Heddon One Knocker in bone or silver will draw explosive hits off wind-blown banks, especially when cloud cover hangs in. If the bite slows midday, it’s time to drag a green pumpkin Texas rig or a drop shot with a 4” finesse worm along the deeper grass edges, particularly near ledge drop-offs.

Crappie have started moving a bit deeper with water cooling, but some slabs are still coming from submerged brush and docks in 8–15 feet of water on small jigs or live minnows.

For bait, it’s tough to beat fresh-cut shad for catfish, red wigglers or crickets for sunfish, and small minnows for crappie. Bass will take a lively shiner, but artificials are the name of the game for numbers.

Prime hot spots to try today:

- The mouth of **Bee Creek**, especially around the submerged timber, is holding steady with bait and bass both early and late in the day.

- The rocky banks and retaining walls near **Emma Long Park** always produce for numbers, particularly for those fan-casting jerkbaits as the sun’s coming up.

- For crappie and bonus bass, the deeper docks upstream from **the 360 bridge** are holding fish—work the shade lines carefully.

There's good news from Texas Parks and Wildlife too: Rainbow trout stockings kick off next week on Nov. 26 in Austin-area Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes, making it a great bonus option for multi-species anglers or anyone fishing with kids.

This has been your daily Lake Austin report from your buddy Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in—tight lines out there, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local tips and on-the-water updates.

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