Hill Country Region Week of January 28, 2026

Austin

SLOW. Water stained; 51 degrees; 0.40 feet below pool. Following the winter storm the water temperatures are really going to decline. Bass fishing will be tough until the next warming trend. Focusing on deeper fish will be the key. Dropshots, jigs, underspins and jerkbaits will be good options. Focus on areas around deep grass edges and deeper docks with rock around them. A lot of fish will be suspended out deep around the shad. Forward facing sonar and shad imitating baits will be crucial for the next couple of weeks. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing. Based on past cold snaps, expect the Arctic blast to push bass more firmly into true winter patterns. Fish should concentrate tighter to bait, especially on deeper structure, ledges, and channel-related areas. Open-water fish that were roaming ahead of the front will likely continue to do so, but may just hold lower in the water column. Umbrella rigs, drop-shots, football jigs, and slower mid-strolling presentations should become some of the key players. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

Brady

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.41 feet below pool. Expect fish to push deeper and the bite slow due to the weather. Bass should be offshore biting Carolina rigs, jerkbaits or small swimbaits. Crappie will be scattered.

Brownwood

SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 3.05 feet below pool. Black bass to 10.20 pounds are good stroking a creature bait, in Lone Star Disco color, on the ledges in 15-18 feet of water. Shallow bass can be caught with crankbaits on the rocks and docks and Alabama rigs around main lake pockets and points suspended. Crappie are fair to 12 inches on minnows and white and chartreuse or shad colored jigs. Target main lake scattered brush piles in 11 feet of water or shoot under docks in 18-22 feet of water with jigs. White bass are slow to 1.5 pounds on crankbaits scattered around the main lake. Catfish are slow on minnows and on jug lines with cut shad or perch in the main lake docks and drains.

Bryan

SLOW. Water stained; 56 degrees. After the ice storm expect the largemouth bass bite to start off slow, improving as the sun warms the water. Early in the week keep it simple, slowly fishing bottom baits like a jig or a Texas rigged craw or creature bait around the deepest cover. Fish should be glued to the bottom. 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. Later in the week once it starts warming and there is some wind anticipating a reaction bite. Start mixing in a lipless crankbait, or even a spinnerbait and chatterbait if the water has some stain. Report by The Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 2.59 feet below pool. Striper bite has slowed down on live bait with the winds mixing up the water column and sending cool water deeper. Historically after a big cool spell like we have just had there could be a good trolling bite 20-40 feet water depths. Jigging spoon or deadsticking soft plastics 30-50 feet of water will be the best bet for striper and white bass. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. The winter weather may disrupt the fishing patterns, so expect patterns to emerge in the coming weeks. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Crappie should bunch up in deeper water. Crappie are fair in standing timber suspended 25-30 feet down with minnows. Blue catfish are good in 25-30 feet of water on midlake points with cut shad. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Canyon Lake

FAIR. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 20.95 feet below pool. Still finding small schools of white bass and small striper near the Sailboat Marina and the hump at the dam around 30 feet of water on the bottom. Bouncing 3/4 ounce white or silver war eagle spoons off the bottom through the schools has been the best bite. Largemouth bass are fair when a light weight or weightless soft plastic is worked slowly along rocky points and grass edges near deep water. Expect the largemouth bass to slow due to the freeze, but the striped bass should fire in the next couple of weeks. Report by Tyler Stanley, Game on Guide Service.

Georgetown

FAIR. water stained; 53 degrees; 8.76 feet above pool. Expect largemouth bass to be below the thermocline and tight to structure. Fish slowly with jigs or soft plastics.

Granger

FAIR. Water stained; 48 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Blue catfish will be good on shallow windy points. Crappie are fair at night in the river may. Expect the black bass and white bass to be slow. White bass moved out of the river due to the cold. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell's Granger Lake Guide Service.

Inks

SLOW. Water stained; 54 degrees; 0.88 feet below pool. Based on past cold snaps, expect the Arctic blast to push bass more firmly into true winter patterns. Fish should concentrate tighter to bait, especially on deeper structure, ledges, and channel-related areas. Open-water fish that were roaming ahead of the front will likely continue to do so, but may just hold lower in the water column. Umbrella rigs, drop-shots, football jigs, and slower mid-strolling presentations should become some of the key players. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

LBJ

FAIR. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.47 feet below pool. Fishing has been limited due to inclement weather, but crappie should bunch up in deeper water. Before the front the crappie were good in 25-30 feet of water with chartreuse jigs and minnows. Channel catfish are good in 25-30 feet of water on midlake points with punch bait. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Any rock around the lake has been able to produce some bass bites on shad imitating baits. Also, there are schools of bass chasing around balls of shad. Livescoping these fish with a minnow has been productive. Water clarity is 2-3 feet of visibility. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing Tours.

Marble Falls

FAIR. normal stain; 48 degrees; 0.57 feet below pool. Fishing has been limited due to inclement weather, but crappie should bunch up in deeper water. Crappie are fair in 30 feet of water with chartreuse jigs. Channel catfish are good in 25-30 feet of water on midlake points with punch bait. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 49 degrees; 85.38 feet below pool. The lake is very low at only 5.8-percent full. Medina Lake is closed due to low water levels.

Travis

SLOW. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 13.52 feet below pool. Based on past cold snaps, expect the Arctic blast to push bass more firmly into true winter patterns. Fish should concentrate tighter to bait, especially on deeper structure, ledges, and channel-related areas. Open-water fish that were roaming ahead of the front will likely continue to do so, but may just hold lower in the water column. Umbrella rigs, drop-shots, football jigs, and slower mid-strolling presentations should become some of the key players. Report by Ander Meine, Bassquatch Fishing.

Waco

SLOW. Water stained; 48 degrees; 0.52 feet above pool. Search in 15-25 feet of water in creek and river channels in the lake. Target the edges with depth changes like deep pockets in the mouth of the inlets and slews. Check standing timber and other structures. Live bait is best, but live bait or jigs need to be presented extremely slow. Crappie are slow and lethargic with fish scattered in 15 feet of water. Crappie are very finicky, so use live bait and be ready to feel the light bite. Report by Greg Culverhouse, Crappie King.

Walter E. Long

GOOD. Water normal stain; 42 degrees. Water levels are low, and the boat ramp continues to be closed to power boats due to ongoing repairs. Personal watercraft like kayaks and canoes can be launched from the shore, and bank fishing is possible. Much of the submerged vegetation has died back. The recent cold front will slow bass down and push them deeper. With cooler water be sure to slow down presentations, or possibly 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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