Good morning anglers this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Austin fishing report for Wednesday April 16 2025. We are deep into the spring bite and Lake Austin is fishing GOOD right now. Weather this morning started clear and mild with overnight lows in the upper 50s warming into the mid-70s by afternoon. Winds are light out of the southeast which helps keep the water slightly stained and temps steady around 65 degrees. Sunrise hit at 6:59 AM with sunset coming at 7:56 PM.
With spring in full swing the largemouth bass spawn is on. Anglers are reporting plenty of shallow fish and active bedding bass all along the grass edges and banks. Most bass are ranging from 1 to 3 pounds but a few big females over 5 are showing up for lucky folks working deeper grass pockets. Target beds and shallow cover in 2 to 6 feet—grass is key right now for locating bigger groups of fish.
Best baits are wacky rigged stick worms in green pumpkin or watermelon, dropshots with smaller plastics, Texas rigged worms, and finesse swimbaits. Topwater is picking up in the first hour after sunrise and again toward sundown—try a frog or walking bait around docks and grass lines. Anglers using these lures are scoring good numbers. Live minnows have been working for crappie and bass as well.
Aside from bass, a handful of catfish and even a few flathead catfish have been logged in the deeper holes with cut bait and stink bait. If you want some panfish action, bluegill and sunfish are active around docks and brush with worms or small grubs.
Recent catches from the past week include largemouth bass up to 6 pounds, smaller Guadalupe bass, and a couple of grass carp. Reports show catch rates remain steady with good numbers and occasional big fish each trip.
For hot spots, check the upper end of the lake near Emma Long Park—lots of shallow cover and grass beds loaded with spawning fish. Another dependable area is just below the Pennybacker Bridge, especially early. The shady banks and boat dock edges here hold feeding bass all day.
Tide is not a factor for Lake Austin as it is a river-fed reservoir, but water levels are running just a bit below full pool which is keeping vegetation right at prime depth.
In summary, grab your wacky rigs, finesse plastics, or a swimbait and focus shallow near grass. Early and late is best for big bites, but fish are active all day along the right structure. Good luck out there and tight lines from Artificial Lure. Stay safe and enjoy Lake Austin!