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Lake Buchanan Fishing Report

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

The deep, clear giant of the Highland Lakes: stripers in open water, whites up the Colorado.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Lake level
1018.95 ft -1.05 vs pool
Air / High
93 / 95 F
Wind
ESE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08148000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Buchanan locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The gauge reads 1018.95 ft, 1.05 ft below pool, easing 0.20 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 95. 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)Good

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

Largemouth bassFair

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 bassFair

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 LCRA Lk Buchanan nr Burnet, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08148000. Conservation pool is 1020 ft.

1019.111019.471019.84pool 10201018.95 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low95 / 78 F
WindESE 4-7 mph
Pressure1011.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain8% cloud, 42%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 19:53
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 · Showers, 95/78 F, wind 18 mph, rain 42%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Buchanan: 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 Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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 99 F, wind to 20 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 99 F, wind to 11 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 99 F, wind to 15 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

Striped bass: 18-inch minimum, 5 per day. White bass: 10-inch minimum, 25 per day. Largemouth: 14-inch minimum. Confirm with TPWD.

Access

Burnet County Park, Cedar Point, Llano County Park and marina ramps around Buchanan Dam. Canyon of the Eagles resort area serves the north end.

About this water

22,333 acres on the Colorado River, Burnet/Llano counties. LCRA storage reservoir, dam completed 1938. First of the Highland Lakes chain.

Fishing Lake Buchanan: the full guide

The top of the chain

Lake Buchanan is the first and largest of the Highland Lakes, 22,000 acres of clear Hill Country water on the Colorado River behind a mile-long 1930s dam. It fishes nothing like an East Texas grass lake: this is open, rocky, wind-swept striper water, with granite islands, gravel flats and river current in the upper end.

Stripers and whites

Buchanan holds the Hill Country's benchmark striper fishery: live shad on downlines over the river channel and humps, surface action at dawn in summer, and deep winter schools near Garrett Island and the dam. White bass run the Colorado toward Colorado Bend State Park every spring: a classic wade-and-jig fishery when the water is right.

Reading a canyon lake

Water level matters here more than anywhere: Buchanan is the storage lake of the chain and can swing many feet between wet and dry years. High water floods brush and turns on the bass; low water concentrates everything on the river channel and main-lake structure. Check the level trend on this page before you plan the trip.

Common questions

Why does Lake Buchanan's level change so much?

It is the main storage reservoir for the Highland Lakes chain: LCRA moves water downstream for supply and drought management. Wet years fill it and flood brush (great fishing); droughts can drop it 20+ feet and reshape every pattern.

Where do the white bass run in spring?

Up the Colorado River arm toward Colorado Bend State Park, typically late February through April. Wading anglers work the gravel runs with small jigs when flow and clarity line up.

Are there guides on Buchanan?

A solid fleet of striper guides works the lake year-round with live bait: the fastest way to learn the open-water game on a big, windy canyon lake.

Is fishing good at Lake Buchanan right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Inks Lake6 miLake LBJ18 miLake Marble Falls19 miLake Travis34 miLake Austin50 miStillhouse Hollow Lake51 mi
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