Lake Austin Fishing Report: Early Fall Charm, Productive Bass and Catfish Action

This is Artificial Lure bringing you the Wednesday, September 24, 2025, fishing report straight from Lake Austin and the surrounding waters. The lake’s showing off that early fall charm: still-warm surface temps, just starting to cool overnight as the days get shorter. Sunrise is coming in right around 7:21 a.m., with sunset at 7:27 p.m.—giving us nearly 12 hours of classic Texas fishing prime time. Today’s weather’s looking mild as we transition from the brutal summer heat. Expect the air to start around the high 60s this morning, warming to upper 80s by midday, with a light southern breeze around 7 mph. There’s a 30% chance of a passing shower, but nothing to keep you off the water. Clouds will make mid-morning through early afternoon a bit milder, and water temps are running in the low 80s—ideal for shifting fish back to the shallows. Lake Austin’s tidal influence isn’t strong, but with last night’s full moon, expect a minor movement mid-morning and again just before sunset. Early risers have seen good action at first light, and the evening bite is picking up strong as the sun starts to dip, especially near deeper docks and the mouths of creeks. Let’s get to the fishing: Bass, as usual, are the main show. Local anglers are landing plenty of keeps in the 2–4 lb range, with a couple bruisers pushing over 7 lb reported this week from around Emma Long Park and the downstream flats near Walsh Boat Landing. Most folks are finding success slow-rolling bladed jigs in shad colors and working Texas-rigged ribbon tail worms in watermelon red along weed edges. Early mornings, a black buzzbait or popper worked parallel to seawalls has drawn out some big surface strikes right at dawn. Catfishers are picking up chunky channels and a few flatties off deep bends north of the Hwy 360 bridge, using cut shad or nightcrawlers tight to the bottom after dark. Sunfish and bluegill are stacked up around boat docks and shaded trees, with small pieces of worm or crickets doing the trick—grab the ultralight if you want constant action, especially if you’re fishing with kids. Hot spots to circle for today: Emma Long Park is producing for bass, particularly if you focus on the rocky points with bluegill-colored crankbaits. The dock lines and weed beds near Steiner Ranch are turning up both largemouth and a few bonus spotted bass, especially when worked with finesse soft plastics or small jigs. Upstream around Bull Creek’s mouth, things have been hot for numbers—fish schooling on shad in the cooler pockets during these early autumn mornings. For gear, don’t overthink it: Keep a white spinnerbait, a natural green pumpkin worm, and a topwater tied on. If you’re after catfish, fresh cut bait sets you up well, with dip baits working around dusk. In summary: Look for bass to push up shallow in the mornings and evenings, with topwater baits and shad imitations leading the way. Keep an eye on the weather and adjust your presentation if the wind turns or clouds roll in. If y This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.