Lake Austin Fishing Report: Winter Pattern Pushes Bass Bite Into Low-Light Windows

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake Austin fishing report.

We don’t worry about tides here on the Colorado River chain, but the **water level and flow** are steady and clear enough that the bite’s been decent, especially early and late. Overnight temps have been cool with a mild warm‑up by afternoon, light north to northeast breeze, and high pressure overhead — classic winter pattern that pushes the better bass bite into the low‑light windows and around any remaining shade and current seams.

Sunrise is right around **7:20 a.m.**, sunset about **5:30 p.m.**, so your prime windows are first light to about 9:30 a.m., then again from 3:30 p.m. to dark. On calmer evenings you’ll see a short feeding flurry right before the sun hits the treeline.

**Fish activity and recent catches**

Local bass guys have been quietly putting together **solid numbers of 1–3 lb largemouth** with an occasional 4–6 in the mix, mostly relating to:

- Steeper rock banks and bluff walls
- Dock walkways with deeper water under them
- Channel swings with chunk rock and brush

Stripers and big whites are less consistent up here than on Travis, but a few **schooling fish** have popped up mid‑lake chasing small shad on calm mornings. Catfish action is fair on deeper bends with bait on bottom.

**Best lures and baits**

If you like to fish **artificial**, here’s what’s working:

- **Small swimbaits** (2.8–3.3” Keitech‑style on 1/8–1/4 oz heads) in shad colors, slow‑rolled along bluff ends and over 15–25 feet.
- **Alabama rigs** with tiny paddletails around points and channel swings when you see bait on the graph.
- **Jigs** (3/8 oz football or compact flipping jig in green pumpkin or brown) dragged on rock transitions in 10–20 feet.
- **Finesse worms/Ned rigs** on spinning gear around docks and laydowns for numbers when the sun gets high.

If you’re soaking **live bait or natural baits**:

- **Live shad** or large minnows free‑lined around bridge pilings and deeper docks for bass and the odd striper.
- **Nightcrawlers or cut shad** on Carolina or slip rigs in deeper holes for channel cats.

Downsizing and slowing way down is the key right now; think “crawl, don’t hop.”

**Hot spots to try**

- **Pennybacker (360) Bridge area**: Work both sides of the bridge, focusing on the pilings and the nearby channel swings with swimbaits, A‑rigs, and jigs. Fish the shade lines when the sun gets up.
- **City Park / Emma Long stretch**: Outside grass remnants, rock transitions, and docks on that stretch have been giving up consistent bites. Run a small swimbait or crank along the breaks, then clean up with a jig or Ned.

Honorable mentions: the **upper river bends above City Park** for a mixed bag with bait on bottom, and the **bluff banks near the dam** for a shot at a bigger bass with a jig or A‑rig in 20–30 feet.

That’s the word from Lake Austin. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI