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Canyon Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

An 8,308-acre Corps reservoir on the Guadalupe with stocked striped bass, white bass and catfish, and a winter trout tailrace below the dam.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
907.49 ft
Air / High
78 / 83 F
Wind
SSE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08167700, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Canyon Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The gauge reads 907.49 ft, easing 0.28 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:37 PM-12:37 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Rainbow troutExcellent

The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Texas requires a fishing licence from age 17, from $30.00 for residents. What a Texas licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with TPWD before you keep anything. The season dates for Texas, read off the agency, are on the Texas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Canyon Lk nr New Braunfels, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08167700.

907.57907.86908.14907.49 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low83 / 53 F
WindSSE 8-11 mph
Pressure1019.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:40 / 18:53
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Canyon Lake this week

The best day on Canyon Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:11 AM-12:11 PM and 10:37 PM-12:37 AM
Minor period
4:32 AM-5:32 AM
Sun
07:40 to 18:53
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Canyon Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. The top of this band is already stressful. In rivers fish mornings and evenings; in lakes WDFW notes rainbows turn sluggish and go deeper, so troll or suspend bait near the bottom.

When to come: the Canyon Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Smallmouth bass
White bass
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Canyon Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Texas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Texas fishing license required. The lake is under statewide regulations. Special trout regulations apply on the Guadalupe from 800 yards below the Canyon Dam release to the second bridge crossing on River Road; see the current TPWD Outdoor Annual. Zebra mussels are present: clean, drain and dry boats and gear.

Access

TPWD lists public access at Rebecca Creek, Potters Creek, County Ramp 23, Cranes Mill and its marina, Tom Creek, Comal Park, Canyon Park, Jacob's Creek, Turkey Cove and Skyline/Canyon Dam. The Corps operates seven major parks; most charge entrance or ramp fees.

About this water

An 8,308-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Guadalupe River in Comal County, Texas, impounded in 1964; maximum depth 125 feet. Below-dam flow: USGS gauge 08167800, Guadalupe River at Sattler.

Fishing Canyon Lake: the full guide

A deep, rocky Hill Country reservoir

Canyon Lake was impounded on the Guadalupe River in 1964 and is run by the Corps of Engineers for water supply, flood control and recreation. TPWD lists 8,308 surface acres and a maximum depth of 125 feet, with clear to slightly stained water, steep rocky banks and isolated flooded timber. All species are managed under statewide regulations.

Striped and white bass

TPWD rates white and striped bass excellent. Striped bass do not reproduce in the lake and are kept going by TPWD's annual stocking. In summer both species gather around main-lake points and humps.

Black bass and catfish

Largemouth are rated good, smallmouth fair, and Guadalupe bass are present. TPWD says largemouth fish best in spring, fall and winter, with summer the hard season, and that topwaters, buzzbaits and crankbaits along rocky shorelines produce. Catfish are rated excellent, mostly channel catfish, and the most consistent catches come from the upper third of the reservoir. Crappie are rated poor.

The trout tailrace

Below the dam, TPWD stocks the Canyon tailrace of the Guadalupe with close to 20,000 rainbow trout in weekly stockings from early December through late January, at Guadalupe Park below the dam, the third and fourth crossings on River Road and Camp Huaco Springs. Special trout regulations apply from 800 yards below the dam release to the second bridge crossing on River Road. TPWD's public lease at Camp Huaco Springs gives nearly half a mile of bank access in winter.

Common questions

When is trout stocked below the dam?

TPWD stocks close to 20,000 rainbow trout in the Canyon tailrace in weekly releases from early December through late January.

Are the striped bass natural?

No. TPWD says striped bass do not reproduce in Canyon Lake and depend on its annual stocking program.

What are the best seasons for largemouth?

TPWD names spring, fall and winter; summer is the most difficult.

Is fishing good at Canyon Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Guadalupe River4 miLake Travis40 miLady Bird Lake40 miCalaveras Lake42 miLake Austin42 miBraunig Lake44 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 08167700 β€” Canyon Lk nr New Braunfels, TX
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 15:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 29.8850, -98.2550 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.