Hill Country reservoirs ease toward fall turnover

What's next

With the gauge nearest the lakes chain and the southern site both sitting in the low 70s, expect the Highland Lakes region to keep easing toward its fall turnover window over the next couple of weeks rather than flipping this week.

As surface water continues shedding summer heat, baitfish and the fish following them typically start shifting off deep summer structure toward creek arms and mid-lake flats — a pattern worth planning around rather than fishing last month's deep spots out of habit. The 548 cfs reading at the eastern gauge is worth watching too; a pulse of current at that volume can create a short-lived feeding window below any structure it moves through before flows settle back down.

With a waning gibbous moon this week, the low-light window around dawn and the hour before dusk remain the more consistent times to be on the water.

Context

Water in the high 60s to low 70s on Hill Country tributaries in late September is on schedule, not early or late, for the seasonal cool-down that eventually turns these reservoirs over in October and November. The 85°F reading at the northern gauge is a reminder that cooling arrives unevenly across the watershed before the whole system settles together. Canyon Lake's healthier storage this year, per My Canyon Lake Fishing, points to the broader Hill Country carrying more water into fall than it did a year ago.