Decker Lake

Crappie Fishing on Decker Lake aka Walter E. Long Lake

Lake Walter E. Long is a power plant cooling reservoir on Decker Creek in Austin, Texas. The reservoir was officially impounded in 1967 and serves to provide water for turbines used in the production of electricity from petroleum-based fuels. The dam and the lake are managed by the City of Austin.  (Wikipedia)

Predominant Fish Species in the lake are Black Bass (Largemouth bass), Hybrid striped bass, Catfish, Sunfish and Crappie.

While many authorities will tell you that on this lake, Crappie fishing is not that good, Capt. Jess has found out otherwise! Not only has Capt. Jess taken out some really fine limits of large Crappie from this lake on numerous occasions, but his clients also catch some nice black bass and large catfish by accident.

Fishing Cover/Structure

This power-plant cooling lake has an abundance of bulrush along the periphery. During some years there is also an abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (most commonly hydrilla and pondweed species). Because most of the shoreline is owned by the City of Austin, no private boat docks/houses appear along the water’s edge, but there are distinct creek channels, drop-offs, and submerged tank dams in parts of the reservoir. The water remains warm during the winter if the power plant is generating. Part of the discharge canal is open to fishing from a boat. (TPWD)