Does anyone know of any prime bank fishing spots in the Austin area? I see a lot of posts on here for the DFW area, but not much on Austin. I go to UT, and I'm looking for some places to relieve some stress and catch some bass, catfish, or pan fish.

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Hook 'em horns

jpeezy, I believe it is the Sabine River that runs through Georgetown. There is a really nice park and the water looks real good. I have seen several people pulling fish out of there. It is also nice scenery, so I would try that out. Other than that, I don't know much about the area. My Brother-in-law lives in Georgetown, so I know that area a little, but I don't know of many others. I do remember renting canoes at Zilcher Park and getting out on Lake Austin. I have caught a bunch of fish out there also.

HEY JPEEZY,
HERE'S TWO GOOD PLACES TO GO.LAKE GRANGER
HAS SOME GOOD BANK FISHING AREA'S( FOX PARK,
WILLIS CREEK AND THE DOPPLER RADAR ARE SOME
GOOD SPOTS.ARE YOU CAN GO TO THE FERGUSON POWER PLANT IN MARBLE FALLS AND FISH THE DISCHARGE AREA.GOOD SPOT TO CATCH WHITES,
A FEW BLACKS AND CRAPPIE.I MAY SEE YOU THERE.
JIGIN-JAINTOR

Yes,
These are the janitor's Hot Spots. Just dont leave your rods lying around at Granger or they might walk off.

I posted this last year on the same question... I edited out the ones that are more than 20-30 minutes and added one or two.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here's a few I know about and some I've tried (not all with success, but there's potential and it's relaxing).
1. McKinney Falls state park (SE Austin). Onion creek runs through there.

2. Below Longhorn & Tom Miller (Redbud park)dams, especially when they're releasing (striper)

3. Barton Creek below Barton springs.

4. If it's open again, Camp Mabry has a good little (perfect) fishing pond. C&R only, and you have to get a pass from the OOD.

5. Decker has decent bank fishing, but they charge to get in! Still it's close.

A lot of these are panfish places, esp Barton Creek, but I could spend all day catching bream. For peace and fun, Camp Mabry is my favorite, but it's been a couple years since I went. don't know if Sept 11 changed things there.

Regards,
Rod

The river that runs through Georgetown is not the Sabine(east Texas). It is the San Gabriel River,and it does have some good bank fishing. The area around lake georgetown is pretty good, and the areas outside Taylor, upstream from Lake Granger can be very good, crappie, whites, cats and bass.

Also as was mentioned on this thread, below Tom Miller dam, below Lake Austin in the redbud isle area is great bank fishing for crappie, spotted bass, smallmouth, Rio Grande perch and largemouth.

At Pleasant Valley and East First, on the other side of town from Tom Miller, is excellent for whites, spots, and stripers when there is water being released.Just above the dam, athe LCRA power plant, the discharge canal has some fantastic white bass fishing. I used to just slaughter them there this time of yr, due to the hot water being discharged out of the power plant,tons of shad draw the whites in by the thousands. Lightly fished area too.

Rudy

Whens the last time you guys fished at red bud island? I have never, ever caught or seen anyone catch fish there. It looks great, but has not produced for me . Am I doing something wrong?

My son and I have gone to Red Bud a few times and it hasn't produced for us. It's a fun place to go with my son, he enjoys going to the end of the island and having the water all around, pretty day, and all that. But haven't managed to catch a thing there.

I too am looking for some good bank fishing places here in Austin. As well, what are some of the more likely types of fish and techniques for bank fishing around Austin. For instance, might I have better luck trying to using live bait for catfish from the bank than trying to do some sort of artificial for bass. Frankly, I just want to find a place to catch a few things to keep my son's interest in it all... don't really matter what so long as it's fun. :-)

I'll give a few of the places mentioned in this thread a try.

Thanx.


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- Hsoi

Hey Rudy,

I stand corrected. I don't know why Sabine came to mind. Anyway, I live in Ft. Worth, so I can't be held accountable.

Redbud island... basically perch perch and perch for us normal fishermen. However, back in I want to say 1993 or so, a guy caught a state record striper below the dam. To catch them they have to be releasing water which makes life a bit tricky. That fish was later unseated within a year, I think, by one caught on the Guadalupe using an imitation trout. The one caught at Tom Miller was, and I remember because it was odd, 44" long and 44 pounds, as reported in the paper. He used a whole perch and 30# test on the equivalent of a surf rod. Took something like 20 minutes to pull it in. I imagine he did some walking as a fish that size using the current could put quite a bend in even a surf rod.

I wish I could find an internet article to prove it, but it is true. Fishing there is best when they're releasing water, as under most dams. But that is a gritty enterprise and tough to get close to the current. I'm not even sure you can get to a good spot anymore with teh new construction there.

Otherwise, with no flow or very low flow, get a small tub of golden larvae, a small hook, bobber and split shot and noodle around for perch. Iv'e caught a few big ones there and many small ones. Lots of fun for kids (and adults).

For real little kids, Iv'e seen a guy and his son pull perch after perch out of the fountain pond on the south side of town lake next to the First street bridge. They hit the bait so fast it made you laugh, and it was fun to watch.

Good luck!

Ok... Here are some spots i have tried.

onion creek has some big old bass in there. It's best to find the deeper holes when the water has gone down a little.
Don't eat anything from there!!!!!! Get on william cannon and head east ( of the highway) till you get to a bridge.

City park : Me and my dad have caught two big blues there as well as a few bass, even though we mainly targeted cats. Lake austin has 10 million bass in it right around city park. My grandma used to own a little dock on the other side of the lake from the park. We pulled hundreds of bass out of there when I was a kid. For cats use a minnow on the bottom and for bass use a minnow on a bobber ( also a white spinnerbait or road runner)

There is a place called dutchmans landing on lake travis. GREAT for lots of perch, also pretty good for crappie if you are lucky. It is a covered marina. 5 bucks per person www.dutchmanslanding.com/

Decker lake has lots of fish, but banks fishing is tough unless you have a 9 foot pole. People catch all kinds of fish if they can cast out past the weeds.

I have caught a few bass out of town lake in various places. They seem to be abundant. There are lots of carp in there too. You can fish at any park

Found it!! Here's Tx Parks and Wildlife lake records. Scroll down to Town Lake, the fish I was thinking about was caught in 1993. This Morris guy must be the King.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/records/freshwater/twbr.htm

Also see that there is a Northern Pike on the list (caught back in 1981)!!

Makes for an interesting read. Have fun!

Hey Rudy you mentioned a place to fish near the outfall of a LCRA powerplant for whites is that the plant at marble falls I am not sure where that spot is but would be interested if it is close to Austin.

There is a good bank fishing area just below Max Starke Dam in Marble Falls. I'm not sure how you get to it. From the water, you can see an old rail line running down from the bluffs. I've been told that you access this path from a place called The Ramp, for a $3.00 charge. There are signs for it coming south out of Marble Falls on 281. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone much over 40. When the whites start running, they will be up there.

Hey Shortstrike are they letting people back down below the Dams again I know for a while they prohibited anyone from going anywhere near them due to 911 and all?? I have fished Blue hole (large deep hole 75ft+ just down stream of Starke) by boat a couple of times when the run was on for whites and it was great limited out 3 days in a row.