Hill Country Region Week of February 18, 2026

Austin

FAIR. Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.42 feet below pool. Bass are moving to shallow water this week due to the warming trend. Be on the look out for bedding bass in the creek and around inner grass lines. Good time of year to be power fishing shallow with a senko, wacky worm and weightless fluke. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.

Brady

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.52 feet below pool. Fishing is best as the day progresses and water temperature rise. Shallow bass can be caught with rattle traps, and some deeper bass can be caught on Carolina rigs.

Brownwood

SLOW. Water stained; 51 degrees; 3.11 feet below pool. Black bass to 8.19 pounds are excellent on soft plastic creature baits in Lone Star Disco scoping around docks and jigs in 10-12 feet, and jerkbaits in 3-8 feet of water on the rocks around main lake pockets and points. Crappie are slow to 10 inches on minnows in the main lake scattered brush piles. White bass are slow with catch up to 1.25 pounds. Fish are scattered around the main lake. Catfish are slow on jug lines with cut shad or perch in the main lake.

Bryan

SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees. Continue to target bass on the bottom around deep cover with a jig or a Texas rigged craw or creature bait. When the water is a little clearer throw a suspending jerkbait with a long pause. If the bass are finicky, downsize to a shaky head or a Ned rig and just let it soak. When there is a reaction bite cast a lipless crankbait, spinnerbait or chatterbait. Report by The Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

GOOD. Water normal stain; 63 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. Stripers are biting on live bait from 2-30 feet of water. Fish will be shallow on calm wind and high temperature days. White bass are thick from High-Line north trolling crankbaits, and are also piled up in the main body 20-42 feet of water hitting jigging spoons. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Crappie are good in 10-15 feet of water on brush with chartreuse jigs. Blue catfish are good in 20-25 feet of water with cut shad. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Patterns will remain consistent until the water temperature rises into the 60s. Stripers continue to be good trolling umbrella rigs and downriggers with bucktails in 31-52 feet of water on the points and humps. Livebait and jigging spoons are fair to good along the river channel and main lake points and humps. White bass are good, with some hybrids mixed in, from Garrett Island to the river trolling crankbaits. Stop on the main points and humps with jigging spoons and smaller shad or jumbo minnows in 28-45 feet of water. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service.

Canyon Lake

GOOD. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 21.19 feet below pool. The bass bite is improving with fish moving shallow due to the warmer water temperatures. Bass are in a pre-spawn and some are spawning throughout the lake. A small swimbait on a ball head, underspins, and Alabama rigs have been doing a lot of damage. Covering water along grass edges and rock transitions has been good to locate fish. Bass are grouped, so if you catch one do not be scared to stick around for a while. A light Texas rig, finesse jigs, and weightless worms have also been producing good numbers of fish. Report by Tyler Stanley, Game on Guide Service. Bass are good on the outside grass lines of main lake points with a neko rig and a dropshot. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing Tours.

Georgetown

SLOW. water stained; 62 degrees; 8.05 feet above pool. Water temperatures are rising to the low 60s, with stained clarity across the lake. Largemouth bass are beginning to move up into shallow water as they transition toward prespawn areas. Bass are slow, but action should continue to improve as warming trends hold. The best bites are coming from slower presentations in the shallows. Creature baits worked methodically around cover are getting consistent looks. Bass are also feeding on shad near main lake points, especially during the middle of the day. Rattle traps and squarebill crankbaits have produced a few quality fish when fished around wind-blown structure

Granger

FAIR. Water stained; 48 degrees; 0.32 feet above pool. Black bass are fair on jigs and rattle traps fished up river around timber. Crappie are showing up in shallow sloughs and coves off the river with night fishing producing best. White bass are fair up river from Dickerson’s Bottom to Fox Bottom. Blue catfish are good on shad fished along windy shorelines. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell's Granger Lake Guide Service.

Inks

GOOD. Water stained; 56 degrees; 1.00 feet below pool. Bass are being caught on crankbaits in 5–12 feet of water around rocky areas and submerged vegetation. Fish are grouped up, and anglers can often catch multiple bass in small productive zones. Bass are holding in shallow to mid-depth areas and appear to be shifting toward pre-spawn patterns. Anglers should expect to see more fish staging and preparing for the spawn over the next few weeks. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

LBJ

FAIR. Water stained; 59 degrees; 0.26 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water on brush with minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good in 20 feet of water on cut shad. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass fishing is picking up as the water temperature rises. Bass are good slowly dragging a Texas rig over shallow rock piles and rocky banks. Water clarity 2-3 feet of visibility. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing Tours.

Marble Falls

FAIR. normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.52 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water on brush with minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good in 20 feet of water on cut shad. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 85.90 feet below pool. The lake is very low at only 5.8-percent full. Medina Lake is closed due to low water levels.

Travis

FAIR. Water normal stain; 59 degrees; 14.39 feet below pool. Bass are fair being caught mid-strolling minnow-style soft plastics for nomadic fish roaming open water, with forward-facing sonar playing a key role in locating these schools. Large groups of bass, sometimes numbering dozens of fish, are following bait and can provide fast action once located. Crankbaits are also producing bites along steep, rocky shorelines, particularly during the early morning hours. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

Waco

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.46 feet above pool. The crappie bite is slow while fish are scattered and lethargic. Small fish are in 20-25 feet brush piles, some more active fish are on brush piles in 40 feet. Some crappie are roaming in channels in 30 feet of water. Small live minnows or small jigs in blue and chartreuse, or purple and chartreuse jigs seem to be the best. You will have to get the bait right in front of the fish and hold it very still with a slight twitch every few minutes. Report by Greg Culverhouse, Crappie King.

Walter E. Long

GOOD. Water normal stain; 55 degrees. Water levels remain low, and the ramps continue to be closed to power boats due to ongoing repairs but progress is being made. You can still launch personal watercraft like kayaks and canoes from the shore, and bank fishing is possible. The shift to warmer outside temperatures have improved the bite with good activity on warmer days. Look for reaction bites with jerkbaits, swimbaits, chatterbaits, and lipless crankbaits. Weedless soft plastics, stick baits, dropshot rigs, and jigs are also good options at grass edges and across submerged vegetation. Report by Team YAKUSA.

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