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Lake Amistad Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The border giant near Del Rio: gin-clear canyon water, hydrilla edges and a history of heavyweight bass.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
99 / 99 F
Wind
SE 15 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08447410, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Lake Amistad locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 15 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 99. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 97 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Pecos Rv nr Langtry, TX.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp99 F
High / Low99 / 81 F
WindSE 15-16 mph
Pressure1008.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset07:24 / 20:04
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 99/81 F, wind 21 mph, rain 5%

Fair or better. A 21 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Lake Amistad 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
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Lake Amistad today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 106 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 104 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

Largemouth bass: 14-inch minimum. A Mexico permit is required to fish the Mexican side; most anglers stay in US water. Confirm with TPWD and NPS (it is a National Recreation Area).

Access

Diablo East, Box Canyon and Rough Canyon NPS ramps. Lake levels swing: check ramp status before driving.

About this water

64,900 acres on the Rio Grande, Val Verde County, TX / Coahuila, MX. IBWC dam, impounded 1969. NPS-managed recreation.

Fishing Lake Amistad: the full guide

Desert clear water

Amistad floods the Rio Grande, Devils and Pecos canyons behind a border dam shared with Mexico: 64,000 acres of improbably clear desert water. In its 2006-2012 heyday it was the best big-bass lake in America; water-level cycles have swung it since, but the bones remain: hydrilla lines, rock ledges and giant fish genetics.

Fishing the clear stuff

Everything happens on the grass edge and the breaks below it: swimbaits and jerkbaits along hydrilla walls, deep cranks and Carolina rigs on the ledges, and big topwater at dawn over points. Water clarity demands distance: long casts, natural colors. The Devils River arm runs clearest and coldest, and holds smallmouth alongside the largemouth.

The comeback canyon

Amistad's recovering water levels are re-flooding the hydrilla-and-huisache habitat that made it a top-5 national bass lake, and the fishery is answering: better spawns, rebuilding size classes, and the clear-canyon sight-fishing that made its name. The constant through the cycles: smallmouth on the rock veins, stripers below the dam, and Mexico's quiet side across the line requiring proper permits.

Common questions

Do I need anything special to fish Amistad?

US water needs just a Texas license (it is exempt from the state park pass, but NPS ramp fees apply). Crossing into Mexican water requires a Mexican permit: the border runs mid-lake and is marked on charts.

Is fishing good at Lake Amistad right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Lake Nasworthy127 miMedina Lake146 miO.H. Ivie Lake161 miBraunig Lake181 miCalaveras Lake185 miCanyon Lake186 mi
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