BizkFishBizkFish

Lake Amistad fishing conditions

Texas · Rio Grande / Del Rio · 64,900 acres · max 217 ft

Clear, deep desert water with bluff-wall bass

Sample dataUpdated October 19, 2026 — 1:04 AM
8.7out of 10

Current conditions

Excellent

Fishing score 87/100

How this score is calculated

Water temperature19.5 / 20

71°F and falling (-2.2°F / 3 days) against a 58–82°F active band.

Barometric pressure15.0 / 15

29.74 inHg and falling (-0.12 / 24 h).

Wind10.0 / 10

10 mph out of the E. Ideal chop on wind-blown structure.

Water clarity8.2 / 10

10.2 ft of visibility. Very clear — downsize line and lengthen casts.

Water level4.3 / 10

+5.1 ft from normal pool and falling (-0.9 ft / 7 days).

Moon & solunar5.2 / 10

56% illumination. Quarter moon — weaker feeding periods, rely on light change.

Seasonal pattern10.0 / 10

Fall pattern is fully established, with good flow on a current-driven fishery.

Sky & rain15.0 / 15

72% cloud, 84°F air, 0.2 in of rain in 24 h.

What should I do today?

The single highest-percentage pattern for the conditions right now.

TargetLargemouth Bass
Depth4–13 ft
LocationSubmerged grass edges, main-lake points, laydowns and dock lines
TechniqueTexas rig / swimbait
Lure4.5 in paddle-tail swimbait
ColorGreen pumpkin / natural shad
RetrieveSlow to moderate, bottom contact every few feet
Best window5:29 AM – 8:14 AM
WhyWater has dropped 2.2°F in three days, so fish are sliding back to the first deeper break, falling pressure ahead of a change usually triggers a feeding window, heavy cloud extends the low-light bite well past sunrise, a 10 mph E wind is stacking bait on the wind-blown banks.

Backup pattern

Jerkbait on wind-blown rock for smallmouth bass — Present on deep rock; drop shot in 25–40 ft.

Right now

Current conditions

Water temp

71°F

▼ -2.2°F / 3 days

Air temp

84°F

72% cloud cover

Wind

10 mph

Out of the E

Pressure

29.74"

▼ Falling pressure — a change is moving in

Water level

+5.1 ft

▼ -0.9 ft / 7 days

Clarity

10.2 ft

Strong flow

Rain (24 h)

0.21"

No meaningful runoff

Moon

56%

First Quarter · solunar 12/100

Sunrise

5:54 AM

Low-light window opens 25 min earlier

Sunset

5:03 PM

Evening window runs the last 2 hours

Season

Fall

Pattern driving today's plan

Best window

5:29 AM

Through 8:14 AM

Timing

Today's fishing windows

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM11 PM
  • Solunar minor 211:56 PM – 12:56 AM
  • Solunar major 25:26 AM – 7:26 AM
  • Morning prime window5:29 AM – 8:14 AM
  • Sunrise5:54 AM
  • Solunar minor 111:56 AM – 12:56 PM
  • Evening window3:03 PM – 5:38 PM
  • Sunset5:03 PM
  • Solunar major 15:26 PM – 7:26 PM

Structure

Lake structure and depth zones

Today: 4–13 ft — Largemouth Bass0 ft30 ft60 ft90 ft120 ftShoreline / bankShallow flatDrop-offOffshore humpLedgeMain channelSecondary point
Typical structure profile for Lake Amistad: bluff walls and ledges, boulder points, flooded brush when the lake rises, hydrilla flats in devils river arm. Average depth 50 ft, maximum 217 ft.
  • Bluff walls and ledges
  • Boulder points
  • Flooded brush when the lake rises
  • Hydrilla flats in Devils River arm
  • Submerged roadbeds near Diablo East

Substrate

Bottom composition and why it matters

  • Rock 42%

    Holds heat in spring and crayfish year-round — the first place smallmouth and staging bass set up.

  • Gravel 18%

    Primary spawning substrate. Fish stack on gravel transitions when water hits the 58–66°F band.

  • Vegetation 12%

    Oxygen, shade and ambush cover. The outside grass edge is the highest-percentage line on most lakes.

  • Sand 10%

    Clean bottom for bait schools and sight-feeding fish, but little cover — look for the edge where sand meets something else.

  • Clay 8%

    Holds hard bottom in stained water and dumps the most colour after rain. Crankbait banks.

  • Mud 6%

    Warms fastest in late winter and holds wintering bait, but goes dead in the summer heat.

  • Timber 3%

    Vertical cover fish use to change depth without leaving structure — key on standing timber during frontal swings.

  • Brush / artificial 1%

    Man-made brush piles and docks concentrate crappie and bass, especially where they sit on a depth change.

Depth

Depth guide for today

Depth bands for today — adjusted for the fall pattern, current water temperature, cloud cover and wind.
SpeciesDepth todayActivityWhere they are here
Largemouth Bass4–13 ftHighClear water means long casts and natural colors. Bluff transitions in 15–30 ft hold quality fish all summer.
Smallmouth Bass9–23 ftHighPresent on deep rock; drop shot in 25–40 ft.
Striped Bass9–32 ftHighRoaming schools in the main basin, best located with side-imaging.
Catfish11–27 ftHighFlatheads in the rock shelves; channel cats on the flats.

Targets

Target species at this water

Largemouth Bass

Clear water means long casts and natural colors. Bluff transitions in 15–30 ft hold quality fish all summer.

Active temp
58–82°F
Structure
Submerged grass edges, main-lake points, laydowns and dock lines
Technique
Texas rig / swimbait
Bait
Live shiners
Lure
4.5 in paddle-tail swimbait (3.5"–5")
Color
Green pumpkin / natural shad
Retrieve
Slow to moderate, bottom contact every few feet
Best time
First 3 hours after sunrise and the last 2 before dark

Stages from wintering creek channels to secondary points at 52–58°F, spawns on hard bottom at 62–68°F, then slides to grass edges and ledges once surface water passes 78°F.

Smallmouth Bass

Present on deep rock; drop shot in 25–40 ft.

Active temp
52–74°F
Structure
Rock transitions, gravel flats, current seams and offshore humps
Technique
Ned rig / drop shot
Bait
Crayfish, leeches
Lure
2.75 in Ned-rig finesse worm (2.5"–4")
Color
Green pumpkin / smoke purple
Retrieve
Drag and pause, 3–5 second pauses
Best time
Mid-morning on cold fronts, low light in summer

Holds deep rock until water hits 48°F, moves to gravel spawning flats at 58–64°F, then splits between shallow current and 20–30 ft humps through summer.

Striped Bass

Roaming schools in the main basin, best located with side-imaging.

Active temp
55–72°F
Structure
Open-water bait schools, river channels, dam tailraces and long points
Technique
Live bait planer boards / vertical jigging
Bait
Live gizzard shad or herring
Lure
1 oz flutter spoon or 5 in swimbait (4"–7")
Color
Chrome / pearl white
Retrieve
Vertical lift-drop or steady mid-column pull
Best time
Dawn and the hour either side of dark

Runs up major tributaries in spring at 55–65°F, suspends over the thermocline through summer, and schools on the surface chasing shad once water falls under 70°F.

Catfish

Flatheads in the rock shelves; channel cats on the flats.

Active temp
60–85°F
Structure
River channels, holes below points, flats adjacent to deep water
Technique
Anchored cut bait / drifting flats
Bait
Cut shad, skipjack, chicken liver
Lure
Circle hook 6/0–8/0 on a Santee rig (Palm-size bait chunks)
Color
n/a — scent driven
Retrieve
Static or 0.5–0.8 mph controlled drift
Best time
Sunset to midnight; all day when water is stained

Pushes shallow to spawn in rock and bank holes at 70–78°F, then feeds on channel edges at night through summer and gorges on shad in the fall.

Patterns

Season-by-season patterns

Winter

55–60°F

Deep and slow: drop shot and jigging spoon on 25–45 ft rock. The best bite is 11 AM–3 PM when the sun warms the rock.

Spring

62–76°F

Bass spawn on gravel pockets off the main lake; sight fishing is realistic in this clarity.

Summer

82–86°F

Deep crankbaits and Carolina rigs on 18–28 ft points; topwater on bluff ends at first light.

Fall

66–80°F

Shad push into the creeks; a walking topwater over deep water gets violent strikes.

Outlook

7-day fishing forecast

DayScoreWaterWindPressureLevelClarityBest speciesTechniqueBest window
Today87Excellent71°F10 mph E29.74"+5.1 ft10.2 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:29 AM – 8:14 AM
Tue81Very Good69°F8 mph N30.23"-6.4 ft12.9 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:30 AM – 8:15 AM
Wed77Very Good69°F4 mph N29.81"-3 ft11.4 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:30 AM – 8:15 AM
Thu82Excellent69°F5 mph E30.26"-5.2 ft10.6 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:31 AM – 8:16 AM
Fri78Very Good70°F18 mph SW30.13"+1.8 ft10.8 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:32 AM – 8:17 AM
Sat86Excellent71°F13 mph S30.36"+1.2 ft8.3 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:33 AM – 8:18 AM
Sun85Excellent70°F17 mph S30.27"-5.5 ft8.1 ftLargemouth BassTexas rig / swimbait5:33 AM – 8:18 AM

The water

About Lake Amistad

Amistad is a clear canyon reservoir on the Rio Grande where visibility of 8–15 ft is normal and the water level swings dramatically with drought. Bass relate to rock — bluff ends, boulder-strewn points, and the hydrilla that grows in the shallow flats when the lake is up.

Surface area
64,900 acres
Max depth
217 ft
Average depth
50 ft
Elevation
1,117 ft
Typical clarity
12 ft
Annual level swing
25 ft
Coordinates
29.520, -101.050
Region
Rio Grande / Del Rio

Local knowledge

Expert notes

  • In water this clear, fish farther from the boat and downsize line. A drop to 12 lb fluorocarbon on a jig routinely doubles bites here.
  • Rising water after a Rio Grande flow event pushes bass into flooded brush within a day; falling water pulls them back to the first rock break just as fast.

Logistics

Access, ramps and boating

boat ramp

Diablo East

The main NPS ramp with a courtesy dock and marina nearby.

boat ramp

Rough Canyon

Access to the Devils River arm; ramp usability depends heavily on lake level.

kayak launch

Box Canyon

Small-craft friendly access with sheltered water.

Rules

Regulations

  • Texas fishing license required; a Mexican permit is required to fish the Mexican side of the international reservoir.
  • Largemouth bass: 14 in minimum, 5 per day.
  • National Park Service boating rules apply in the recreation area.
  • Check ramp closures — sustained low water closes several ramps entirely.

Always verify current regulations with the relevant state wildlife agency before fishing. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Transparency

Data sources

Where this data comes from

Conditions are modelled from each water's documented climate, structure and seasonal patterns. Modules marked “Live data integration pending” are not yet pulling from their API, so those values are clearly labelled as sample data rather than presented as real-time readings.

  • Weather API

    Pending

    NOAA / National Weather Service — Air temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall and barometric pressure with a 7-day forecast.

  • Water Level & Flow API

    Pending

    USGS Water Services — Reservoir stage, discharge and 7-day level trend from the nearest gauge.

  • Water Temperature

    Pending

    USGS / NOAA buoys — Surface water temperature and its multi-day trend.

  • Tide & Current API

    Pending

    NOAA CO-OPS — Tide predictions, current direction and speed for coastal zones.

  • Moon & Solunar

    Live

    Computed on-site — Moon phase, illumination and solunar major/minor periods are calculated from date and coordinates.

  • Water Clarity

    Pending

    Satellite imagery + angler reports — Visibility estimates by lake arm, refined by submitted fishing reports.

  • Fishing Regulations

    Pending

    State wildlife agencies — License, size and creel rules, linked to the official agency page for verification.

  • Map Data

    Pending

    Bathymetry + access point database — Depth zones, structure locations and boat ramps for the lake infographic.

Keep reading

Related guides and nearby waters