New moon fall transition sets up Hill Country shoreline bites

What's next

Expect the cooling trend to continue as fall fronts push through. Each cold snap should pull the 70°F water toward the mid-60s, and that is when fish tend to shift from deep summer haunts toward the shallows and bait.

Plan around the first and last two hours of daylight. With the New Moon, nights are dark, so fish often feed hardest at dawn and dusk and then ease off through midday. Fish structure first: docks, wood and rock edges, then work outward if the shallow bite fades.

Flow is a useful guide on the Colorado. Gauge 08158000 showed 371 cfs, enough current to concentrate baitfish along seams and eddies. Gauge 08155500 was low at 19 cfs, and gauge 08170990 was at 0 cfs, so those spots are calm and clear. Slow, deliberate presentations should do better there.

Check the forecast for the next front. A falling barometer ahead of a front often brings a short feeding burst, and the days right after can be tougher until fish settle.

Context

Mid-October is normally the start of the fall transition on Texas Hill Country lakes. Surface temperatures are easing out of the upper 70s and 80s, shad begin moving into creeks and coves, and fish follow them. This puts the region about on schedule for the season.

The real cooling usually arrives in November, when the water drops into the 60s and the bite shifts toward points, creek channels and deeper structure through winter. Until then, October offers some of the most comfortable and productive conditions of the year. Typical patterns apply, so check Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations for limits and seasons before harvesting.