Spring Bass Fishing

Season · water 55–72°F

Written by — professional Central Texas bass fishing guide since 2000. 50+ years fishing these waters, 26+ years guiding, thousands of trips across all 16 lakes he personally fishes. More about Bryan →

· · Knowledge base v2026.07

Spring (March–May) is the best bass season in Central Texas. As water climbs through the 50s and 60s, bass stage on points and move onto shallow flats to spawn, feeding heavily. It's the year's top window for numbers and for the biggest fish, and nearly every technique works.

Why: The best fishing of the year — pre-spawn to spawn.
Evidence: Verified knowledge from Bryan Cotter, 26+ years guiding all 16 Central Texas lakes.
Related: Lake Travis · Lake Austin · Bass fishing by season

Verified Answered by , Texas Hawgs guide · Updated Jul 12, 2026

The pattern

Pre-spawn staging into spawn on shallow flats, then early post-spawn.

Where the bass are: Staging points and secondary points, then shallow spawning flats, pockets and coves.

What they're doing: Feeding hard to prepare for the spawn, then guarding beds, then recovering.

Spring at a glance

Type
Season
Months
Mar, Apr, May
Water temp
55–72°F
Spawn phase
Prespawn

How to fish it

Go-to techniques: Squarebill Cranking, Chatterbait (Bladed Jig), Jerkbait, Texas Rig, Wacky Rig, Flipping & Pitching, Crankbait Fishing.

Best lures: Squarebill Crankbait, Chatterbait / Bladed Jig, Lipless Crankbait, Jerkbait, Senko / Stickbait, Creature Bait.

Colors: red craw (pre-spawn), green pumpkin, white/shad, black-blue.

Best lakes right now

Lake Travis · Lake Austin · Lake O.H. Ivie · Lake Falcon · Lake Buchanan · Canyon Lake

Conditions in play

Cold Front, Warm Front, Post-Frontal / Bluebird, Rain, Heavy Rain & Runoff, Wind, Calm / Slick Conditions, Cloud Cover, Spring Warm-Up, Rising Barometric Pressure, Falling Barometric Pressure, High Barometric Pressure, Low Barometric Pressure, Water Temperature, Water Clarity, Current / Generation, Rising Water Level, Shad Spawn, Full Moon, New Moon, Solunar Periods.

What to expect

The most action of the year and the best chance at a personal best — but the biggest fish move up in waves, so timing warm-ups matters.

Common mistakes

  • Fishing too deep while the fish have moved up
  • Ignoring the warm-up windows that pull the big ones shallow
  • Burning past staging points on the way to the bank

Bryan's reasoning

Why is spring the best season? Everything is shallow and feeding to fuel the spawn, so the fish are catchable and the biggest females of the year are up where you can reach them — if I could only fish one season, it's an easy call.

Keep exploring

All seasons & months · Bass fishing calendar · Conditions · Central Texas bass fishing guide

Want to fish Spring with a guide who knows the pattern? See rates and book or call 512-762-0190.