FISHING REPORT

Weekly fishing report for select areas from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department:

FRESHWATER

AUSTIN: FAIR. Water clear; 72 degrees; 0.67 feet low. Fishing patterns are consistent with weeks past with fish relating to the creeks gearing up for the summer. Bass are good in the canals with wacky worms, small paddle tail swimbaits, or a shaky head senkos in shallow water. Lady Bird Lake bass fishing is good in shallow and deep vegetation using weedless swimbaits and Texas rigged senkos.

BRAUNIG: EXCELLENT. Water stained, 82 degrees. Red drum are good on live tilapia, perch and shrimp in 10-20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are good around the jetty rock and reed beds on watermelon spinnerbaits and jigs. Channel catfish are good on the park shoreline on shrimp and cheese bait. Hybrid stripers no report. Blue catfish no report.

CALAVERAS: GOOD. Water stained, 80 degrees. Red drum are good on live perch and shrimp in 15-20 feet of water for both shoreline anglers and boaters alike. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and live perch. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid stripers no report. Yellow catfish no report.

CANYON LAKE: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 1.63 feet low. Bass are very good around hydrilla and points using plastics in watermelon or green pumpkin. Good early morning topwater bite with shad imitations. Striped and white bass are good at night in the marina green lights at night using live minnows and small shad colored swimbaits. Crappie are good in the hardwoods up river and on the main lake Corp of Engineers brush piles using live minnows.

CHOKE CANYON: GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 20.11 feet low. Bass are very good shallow in 5-8 feet of water in the grass using crankbaits and chatterbaits, and deeper on the lower end with crankbaits. Crappie are very good with limits over brush piles using live minnows and jigs. White bass are good on jigging spoons on humps near the dam and road beds. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

GRANGER: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 0.55 feet high. Black bass are slow on white spinnerbaits. Crappie are good on jigs all over the lake from 5-10 feet. White bass are fair on slab spoons fished along shallow road beds. Blue catfish are good in the Willis Arm on jug lines baited with shad. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines fished in timber.

FALCON: GOOD. Water stained; 78-83 degrees; 41.46 feet low. Flathead catfish bite is good up the river. Spawning keeper catfish bite is slow at the back of creeks and edge of channels using shad, and stink bait. Bass are good on plastic worms, and crankbaits in 8-15 feet of water. Gar are shallow along banks with vegetation using live or cut tilapia and cut carp. White bass are good in the rapids up river along the bank. Crappie are in a post spawn transition going to deeper water on brush piles and vertical timber.

LBJ: GOOD. Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.82 feet low. Crappie are good in 15-20 feet of water on chartreuse jigs.

MEDINA: FAIR. Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 55.87 feet low. Black bass are fair with topwaters, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. White bass are good using slabs on main lake humps. Watch for birds to point out schooling fish. Striped bass are fair on slabs and Alabama rigs. Catfish are good with commercial and cut baits.

TRAVIS: GOOD. Stained; 73 degrees; 26.09 feet low. Bass are chasing minnows early on sunny days. Look near the fronts of coves and in 5-10 feet of water on points and rocky shorelines using topwaters early switching to worms later in the day. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide. Bass are good with many smaller catches but good numbers if you are just looking to catch lots of fish, they are there. Best baits are 4-5 inch worms and craw worms in watermelon colors. Shallow crankbait and walking style topwaters and poppers are also producing.

SALTWATER

BAFFIN BAY: GOOD. 76 degrees. Fishing this past week has really been good, you would never know there was a big freeze last year. The big trout have shown back up and the water is looking good. Live and artificial baits are working equally well for all fish. The best bite is mid morning. Hopefully the tide will stay up, and the fish will keep biting live shrimp under corks.

CORPUS CHRISTI: SLOW. 76 degrees. Redfish are good in the potholes in Pelican Island, Ingleside Islands, and inside and outside Ransom Islands using cut mullet and menhaden. Some sharks are mixed in.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: FAIR. 80 degrees. Winds continue to blow, but some fish can be had. Few trout and redfish biting on artificials. Redfish and drum are biting live shrimp under a popping cork. The Colorado River is clear and full of bait, so the fish are just slow to take the bait.

PORT ARANSAS: GOOD. 78 degrees. Redfish are good on the flats in Aransas Bay using cut mullet and menhaden. Trout are good on the flats with live shrimp under a popping cork. Jetties holding jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, redfish and drum biting on shrimp in 15-25 feet of water.

PORT ISABEL: GOOD. 79 degrees. Plenty of slot trout on the gas well flats, Unnecessary Island, Three Island and Horsehead Bay. Redfish near the island on gas well flats, north from

Unnecessary Island to the Cullen House and south bay near the oyster reefs. All in all typical spring fishing and it will just get better. Stay safe out there.

PORT MANSFIELD: FAIR. 74 degrees. Fishing is still fair to good despite very high winds and water levels. Water clarity is dirty but the fish are still eating. Redfish are mostly shallow and trout have been out a little deeper. Kwigglers 4 inch paddle tails have been best and topwaters.

PORT O’CONNOR: GOOD. 81 degrees. Nice sized trout are good at the jetties biting on artificials and large shrimp. Keeper drum and redfish are good on large live shrimp and sardines. Bull redfish are good on crab, sardines, and piggy perch.

ROCKPORT: GREAT. 70 degrees. The only thing the wind is not blowing is the fishing pattern as the fish can be caught in the same way this week. Redfish are great in 2-6 feet of water in sand pockets on menhaden, or drifting with soft plastics. Trout are good in 2-6 feet of water on live shrimp and soft plastics. Drum are good in 2-6 feet of water on dead shrimp. Waders are finding good success on trout and redfish in the early morning on live bait and plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: GOOD. 79 degrees. Plenty of slot trout on the gas well flats, Unnecessary Island, Three Island and Horsehead Bay. Redfish near the island on gas well flats, north from Unnecessary Island to the Cullen House and south bay near the oyster reefs. All in all typical spring fishing and it will just get better. Stay safe out there.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: GOOD. 80 degrees. Winds continue to blow, but some fish can be had. Few trout and redfish biting on artificials. Redfish and drum are biting live shrimp under a popping cork. The Colorado River is clear and full of bait, so the fish are just slow to take the bait.