Lake Austin Morning Bite: Tactics for Largemouth, Crappie, and Catfish

Lake Austin woke up to a November morning just how we like it—cool air crisp off the Hill Country, water temps holding steady around 68 to 70 degrees, with that telltale autumn stain on the surface. Sunrise hit right about 6:53 a.m. and you’re looking at sunset rolling in at 5:31 p.m. The solunar tables from FishingReminder pegged our first major bite window from 6:26 to 8:26 a.m., with another rush expected early evening. Today’s a “poor” day per their forecast, but don’t let that keep your rod in the bed of the truck—Lake Austin often throws the script out the window when the weather falls just right.

Weatherwise, it’s been steady—clear skies, a high in the mid-70s, with a light north breeze that backed off just enough to make early boat launches a breeze. No significant wind chop, but a brisk snap in the air kept the fish frisky all morning, especially coming off that first quarter moon last night.

Now for the bite: Largemouth bass are the main ticket, and the cold front earlier this week pushed shad deeper, but there’s still a healthy population running the banks shallow early and shifting out toward ledges and submerged timber as the day wears on. Locals have been reporting a consistent spinnerbait bite in five to twelve feet of water—shad and bluegill patterns are go-to’s right now. Don’t overlook soft jerkbaits and 5-inch stick worms thrown weightless across shallow brush. Afternoon action’s been solid with soft plastics crawled slow along the breaks.

Crappie are schoolin’ up deep near structure—best catches coming between 15 and 22 feet, usually with small jigs tipped with minnows. Folks working brush piles along the old river channel south of the Pennybacker Bridge are hitting good numbers; try a chartreuse or black jig if the bite feels shy.

If you’re in search of cats, prepared bait or fresh cut shad is still your best friend—try timber edges or the rocky drops just upstream from Tom Miller Dam. Blue catfish are stacking up on the river channels, ten to twenty feet deep, while channel cats will follow shad if you can find a run of warm water.

Current chatter says a few sand bass are showing up on long points during the evening window, especially off Emma Long Park. Best bet is jigging spoons or small slabs worked from twelve to sixteen feet.

A couple of hot spots worth a stop: Below the 360 Bridge is still producing solid bass in the early hours, especially in the shadow lines. And don’t overlook the shallows around Steiner Ranch—there’s plenty of submerged brush holding fish all day and a bonus big bite or two lurking in the thickest cover.

On gear, I’d keep it simple—spinnerbaits, soft plastics, and a few medium diving crankbaits in natural baitfish colors for the bass. For crappie, small jigs in black or chartreuse, with or without a live minnow. And for catfish, make sure you brought the stink—cheese baits, punch baits, or fresh cut shad work best.

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