Reach 3 · MoPac, Johnson Branch and Eanes Creek
MoPac. Hatched water inside the Johnson Branch cove has no TWDB survey coverage.
The bottom
- The channel hugs the south bank analysis:
- It's about 470 ft wide, and the deepest point of each cross-section runs 16–20 ft.
- The deepest line runs about 130 ft off the south bank.
- The south bank reaches 15 ft within about 70 ft.
- The deepest cell in the reach, about 20 ft, is marked with a star on the map.
- The north side is a broad flat analysis. It reaches 5 ft about 50 ft out, 10 ft about 100 ft out, but doesn't reach 15 ft until about 290 ft out. That's a shelf more than 200 ft wide in 10–15 ft of water.
- Johnson Branch cove (north) is shallow. Its inner part has no TWDB coverage, so I won't give depths there unverified.
- Eanes Creek enters from the south, right at the bridges (OSM).
- Bridge pilings. In 1999, TWDB surveyed below the bridge piers and found "no unusual change in the bathymetry" (TWDB 1999). So don't expect scour holes at the pilings.
Cover and grass
- Bridges. The MoPac (Loop 1) bridges carry the Roberta Crenshaw walkway slung underneath (OSM).
- Grass. Fanwort grows here. The City reported grass building up "between MoPac and I-35" (City of Austin, FY2024–25). The north flat is the most grass-friendly bottom in the reach analysis.
Water: clarity and current
- Clarity. Clear (City of Austin, FY2023).
- Current. When the dam releases, the bridge pilings break the current into seams. The guide saw bass hold tighter to pilings during releases (Torwick).
- After rain. Johnson Branch and Eanes Creek bring in runoff. Most of the lake's creeks are now "ephemeral, dominated by storm flow" (TXST 2019).
Through the seasons
| Season | What to expect | Play analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Clear water, and fish on the flats | The outer edge of the north-flat grass |
| Summer | Surface fanwort on the flat (City) | Dawn: the shaded side of the bridge and the edges of open-water schools |
| Fall | Grass tops sit below the surface (City) | Grass edges on the north flat, plus the pilings when the dam releases. Top spot |
| Winter | Cold | The south channel wall and the bridge shade |
How to fish it for a giant
The Approach
- Where a giant sits. The edge where the north flat drops into the channel, and the Emmett Shelton/MoPac pilings when water is moving analysis.
- The flat. Sit in about 15 ft, 250–300 ft off the north bank, and swim a glide or wake bait down the slope over the grass tops in low light analysis.
- The pilings. Down-current of each piling, cast past it and swing a swimbait or slow glide down the seam. With no current, crawl a jig around each piling base analysis.
- Line. 20–25 lb fluorocarbon at the pilings; braid with a fluorocarbon leader in heavy summer grass analysis.
Access, hazards and rules
- Access.
- Rowing Dock is on the south shore, just west of MoPac.
- Texas Rowing Center (1541 W Cesar Chavez) is on the north shore below MoPac (TPWD paddling trail).
- An unimproved path leads down from Stephen F. Austin Dr. under MoPac (City of Austin).
Hazard
The ARC map marks "unmarked hazards (shallow)" at MoPac (ARC map). Rental kayaks launch from both docks in this reach.
Pro tip
At MoPac, a 200-ft-wide grass shelf sits right next to a 20-ft channel wall and two rows of pilings. That's three kinds of cover within a long cast. It's the best all-around spot in the upper lake analysis.
Reach 3 Spots: MoPac and Johnson Creek
4 spots: 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D. Close-up maps from the 2008 survey; scores from the giant ranking.
3A · MoPac piling rows
#20 of 51Deep water2Cover4Forage4Low pressure3Data4Best: Post-spawn and summer
The bridge line is the OSM road or rail centerline. Pier markers are inferred from NBI span counts by assuming equal spans centered on the channel, except at the railroad bridge, where TWDB's footing outlines are used. Orange dashes show where a downstream eddy line should form during a release inference. Contours: 2-ft, at 30 soundings per acre within 250 ft.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Bridge (NBI 2025) | southbound deck 32+2 spans (944 m), northbound deck 36+8 spans (1,287 m, also crosses the UPRR); longest spans 31.4 m and 38.1 m; built 1973 |
| Water width along the deck | 395 ft (2008 TWDB shoreline) analysis |
| Deepest water under the deck | 17.3 ft, 122 ft from the south end analysis |
| Deep-water access | deepest within 300 ft: 19 ft analysis |
| Data support | 30 soundings per acre; nearest sounding 122 ft from the crossing center |
Why a giant would use it. MoPac has the most piers in the guide (NBI: 32–36 spans per deck), so it gives the most vertical cover and all-day shade under the double deck. Score factors: cover = MoPac pilings (many); forage = shad in shade lines; pressure = rowing traffic. inference
Wind and current. Release current makes seams on the downstream side of every pier row; work from upstream. Shelter under the deck in any wind. A SE or NW wind runs along this reach (long fetch). inference
Sun and shade today (Oct 12). Shade under the deck at all hours. analysis
Boat position and cast lanes. Hold upstream of the deepest span (yellow triangle) and cast down-current to the eddy behind each pier (magenta arrows) inference.
Big-bass plan by season (★ = this spot is a seasonal pick) inference
- Winter / pre-spawn: 3/4 oz football jig or a 10-in Texas-rigged worm crawled along the pier bases in the deepest span (about 17 ft). Pause 5–10 seconds at each pier.
- Spawn: 6–8 in slow-sinking glide (sunfish or shad colors) swum past the shady side of each pier and killed beside it. Give followers the 180° turn.
- ★ Summer: The deck shades the piers all day. Pitch a 3/4 oz jig or a 10-in worm to the pier bases at first light and from dusk to the 10 pm fishing cutoff.
- Fall: 6–7 in swimbait or soft glide down the current seam past each pier when Tom Miller is releasing.
Hazard · Bridge debris Broken concrete and rebar lie under the bridges (City of Austin 2025). Expect snags.
3B · South channel wall above MoPac
#45 of 51Deep water2Cover3Forage3Low pressure3Data2Best: any season (not a seasonal pick)
Orange line: break top. Blue dot: base of the break. Black dots: 2008 TWDB soundings. Shoreline squares: bank type (see the Bank-Type Map chapter). Contour interval: 5 ft, at 8 soundings per acre within 250 ft.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Depth at the bank | 4.2 ft (first wet grid cell, 0 ft from the OSM shoreline) analysis |
| Break top | 4.7 ft, 0 ft from the bank analysis |
| Base of the break | 15.4 ft, 35 ft from the bank analysis |
| Slope | steepest 4.5 ft per 10 ft; average 3.1 ft per 10 ft across the break analysis |
| Bank type | wood (confidence: low-medium) |
| Deep-water access | 20-ft water 654 ft away; 25-ft water 8081 ft away; deepest within 300 ft: 20 ft analysis |
| Data support | low (nearest sounding 156 ft away; the break is interpolated) |
Why a giant would use it. A south channel wall just upstream of MoPac. It drops from about 4 to 15 ft within 30 ft. Score factors: cover = wooded channel wall; forage = sunfish; pressure = rowing traffic. inference
Wind and current. Best wind: from the NNE (blowing onto this bank) analysis. An NNE wind blows onto it. Concentrated release current. inference
Sun and shade today (Oct 12). This is the SW bank of the reach. With 40-ft trees, a shade band of 25 ft or more falls on the water at: 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm. analysis
Boat position and cast lanes. Hold over about 17 ft, roughly 80 ft off the bank (yellow triangle). Fan three casts to the break top (magenta arrows), then turn and work parallel to the break along the dashed lane inference.
Big-bass plan by season (★ = this spot is a seasonal pick) inference
- Winter / pre-spawn: 3/4–1 oz football jig or 10-in Texas-rigged worm dragged down the face from 5 to 15 ft. Long pauses.
- Spawn: Slow-sinking glide counted down to the break top (5 ft), swum along it and killed at the edge.
- Summer: Walking topwater or wake bait along the bank in the first and last hour; a 10–12 in worm on the 15-ft base in between.
- Fall: Swimbait or glide run parallel to the break top as shad push up.
3C · North flat below MoPac
#30 of 51Deep water2Cover2Forage3Low pressure3Data5Best: any season (not a seasonal pick)
Orange line: break top. Blue dot: base of the break. Black dots: 2008 TWDB soundings. Shoreline squares: bank type (see the Bank-Type Map chapter). Contour interval: 2 ft, at 47 soundings per acre within 250 ft.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Depth at the bank | 1.0 ft (first wet grid cell, 0 ft from the OSM shoreline) analysis |
| Break top | 9.6 ft, 200 ft from the bank analysis |
| Base of the break | 15.2 ft, 232 ft from the bank analysis |
| Slope | steepest 2.2 ft per 10 ft; average 1.7 ft per 10 ft across the break analysis |
| Bank type | lawn (confidence: low-medium) |
| Deep-water access | 20-ft water 1273 ft away; 25-ft water 7417 ft away; deepest within 300 ft: 18 ft analysis |
| Data support | good (a 2008 sounding lies within 15 ft of the break) |
Why a giant would use it. A wide flat below MoPac on the north side, about 200 ft wide, ending at a break from about 10 to 15 ft. Flats near the bridge give bass a place to roam and chase bait. Score factors: cover = open flat; forage = sunfish; pressure = rowing traffic. inference
Wind and current. Best wind: from the S (blowing onto this bank) analysis. A south wind blows straight onto the flat. It is the most wind-exposed spot in Reach 3 under the prevailing wind. Mild current on the flat. inference
Sun and shade today (Oct 12). This is the NE bank of the reach. With 40-ft trees, a shade band of 25 ft or more falls on the water at: 8:05 am, 9:00 am. analysis
Boat position and cast lanes. Hold over about 16 ft, roughly 278 ft off the bank (yellow triangle). Fan three casts to the break top (magenta arrows), then turn and work parallel to the break along the dashed lane inference.
Big-bass plan by season (★ = this spot is a seasonal pick) inference
- Winter / pre-spawn: Suspending jerkbait or a 3/4 oz jig worked slowly off the edge at about 15 ft.
- Spawn: Wake bait or slow glide over the flat, then let it fall off the 10-ft edge, where pre-spawn females stage.
- Summer: Big walking topwater over the flat at dawn and dusk; a 10–12 in worm dragged along the 10–15 ft edge after sun-up.
- Fall: Swimbait run parallel to the edge, best when wind blows onto the flat.
3D · Johnson Branch delta flat
#31 of 51Deep water1Cover3Forage4Low pressure3Data5Best: Spawn
Orange line: break top. Blue dot: base of the break. Black dots: 2008 TWDB soundings. Shoreline squares: bank type (see the Bank-Type Map chapter). Contour interval: 2 ft, at 45 soundings per acre within 250 ft.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Depth at the bank | 4.3 ft (first wet grid cell, 0 ft from the OSM shoreline) analysis |
| Break top | 4.3 ft, 242 ft from the bank analysis |
| Base of the break | 15.4 ft, 340 ft from the bank analysis |
| Slope | steepest 0.8 ft per 10 ft; average 1.1 ft per 10 ft across the break analysis |
| Bank type | wood (confidence: low-medium) |
| Deep-water access | 20-ft water 1511 ft away; 25-ft water 7177 ft away; deepest within 300 ft: 17 ft analysis |
| Data support | good (a 2008 sounding lies within 15 ft of the break) |
Why a giant would use it. The Johnson Branch delta: a 3–5 ft flat that ends at a 4–16 ft break. Fine sediment (City 2025). Creek water and bait collect here. Score factors: cover = creek delta; forage = creek inflow; pressure = paddle traffic. inference
Wind and current. Best wind: from the W (blowing onto this bank) analysis. A west wind blows across the flat. Creek inflow after rain. inference
Sun and shade today (Oct 12). This is the NE bank of the reach. With 40-ft trees, a shade band of 25 ft or more falls on the water at: 8:05 am, 9:00 am. analysis
Boat position and cast lanes. Hold over about 17 ft, roughly 385 ft off the bank (yellow triangle). Fan three casts to the break top (magenta arrows), then turn and work parallel to the break along the dashed lane inference.
Big-bass plan by season (★ = this spot is a seasonal pick) inference
- Winter / pre-spawn: Jig or big Texas-rigged worm crawled down the delta slope to 15 ft. Go slow.
- ★ Spawn: Sight-fish from a distance in clear water: weightless soft jerkbait (Fluke) or stick worm to beds on the delta. The lake record (14.05 lb) took a Zoom Fluke from a creek in February.
- Summer: Walking bait or wake bait over the delta at dawn. After a storm, a big white spinnerbait along the mud line.
- Fall: Glide or swimbait across the delta lip (4–15 ft) as shad move toward the creek.