Lake Austin Fishing Report - December 2024
In the past I've spent more time fishing Lake Travis, Decker, and LBJ... that's all about to change. I have to admit, I'm really excited with what I'm seeing out at Lake Austin. As many of you know Lake Austin was once a great fishery producing a lot of big fish. Long story short, an excess of grass carp were introduced into the lake to eliminate the hydrilla out there and ended up ruining the fishery out there.
Well I'm very happy to report that the grass is back! And when I say back, I mean it! I found hydrilla, coontail, eel grass, and milfoil in the lake. While some grass fishes better/ easier than others, it's all beneficial habitat to the lake. While fishery biologists and anglers will disagree on how much grass is beneficial, what I found was a sight for sore eyes. I found numerous spots holding fish and caught a ton of bass. In addition to that I ended up hooking a big one on a crankbait!
Currently water temps out there are in the low 60's with really nice water clarity. The water for Lake Austin comes from the bottom of Lake Travis, so the closer you are to the upper end of the lake, the clearer the water will be.
If you are headed out there my biggest recommendation would be to spend time graphing with side imaging and locate grass. While there is a lot of grass in the lake, it's not just everywhere. There are several mile stretches of the lake that do not have any grass growing on them. While fishing brush piles or other structure in these areas can be good, my recommendation is to pass that stuff up and find grass.
Grass in 5-15 feet of water was the ticket. I would often times come across grass and be able to see some bait such as perch sitting over the top of it. Crankbaits, swimbaits, and jerkbait are working well fished over the top of the grass, as well as near the deep edges to it. Stick with colors that resemble a shad, those were getting bit the best.
After fishing the moving baits over the grass I like to follow up with something slow moving. A weedless dropshot or a light Texas rig would also get bit.
My other tip for you is to cover water. If you pull up on a patch of grass and fish it for 15 minutes and don't get a bite, keep moving. There are times when you'll finally find grass that's holding fish and you'll catch multiple is a short time period. Don't fish fast in that you present your lures quickly, rather keep moving and don't slow down to work an area over really well until you get a bite.
If you'd like to save yourself a lot of time graphing and searching for fish, my most recent Honey Hole Report for Lake Austin has 10 pins in it with EXACT coordinates showing you where all the grass is located that I caught fish out of. In addition to that, as always, it includes the exact baits and colors I have been using.
I am now offering guided trips on Lake Austin as well! With the good fishing out there, I'm excited to expand and start guiding other lakes. Especially with the closure of Lake Decker, this is prime time for Lake Austin to get good. If you'd like to book a trip on Austin, reach out via the contact form on the home page of my website, or give me a call!