Overall, the climate of the Lake Travis and Lake Austin area is temperate with mild winters and relatively low humidity. The flutter spoon has been producing a few better bites under the schooling fish! As the water warms up the bass become more active and begin to feed more and more. This past week I have fished both the upper and lower end of Lake Travis. You are getting these fish to react to it. The last bait I recommend is an underspin. Once you get a bite, take advantage of the feeding frenzy it can often trigger. Early in the mornings bass relate to marinas heavily on Lake Travis. I still have some dates coming up so get your trip booked soon with Texas Hawgs, Lake Travis has been fishing a little tough this month. Jun 26, 2009 . Weve definitely noticed that the bite is better near the lower end of the reservoir, meaning closer to the dam. When you see them jump, throw right into the middle of them. They are going to slowly move back into the creeks and coves in search of spawning areas. Lately I have found more success downsizing my swimbait selection to mimic the little threadfin shad the bass have been feeding on. Currently water clarity on Lake Travis is around 4-5 feet depending on the part of the lake you're on. If you position your boat too far off the bank you spend more time letting the bait sink, or worst case, just swinging back towards the boat not even on the bottom. One thing I always remind clients is that not every fish in the lake bee lines it for the bank. March is always a special month on Lake Travis as it is when a major transition in the lake occurs. Small swimbaits, topwater lures, and jerkbaits can all be excellent baits to target these fish. On days with a little wind, cloud cover, and a falling barometer I like to throw baits that elicit a reaction strike, a jerkbait, an Alabama rig, or a small paddle tail swimbait on a ounce lead head work well. This is favorable to them and directly relates to the places they live during these colder months. This generally clears up pretty quickly though. While this isnt the only way, I take advantage of years when the lake is low to learn the shorelines in preparation for when the lake fills back up. Just because the weather is a little cooler and a little more unpredictable, does not mean you shouldnt get out there and go fishing! Time of day and wind direction may have a temporary local effect as can water flows from neraby rivers. A Strike King 6XD or 10XD, depending on the depth, is a great bait to cover water and get down to these schools of fish. Were still experiencing schooling in the marinas early and sporadically throughout the day. I also offer electronics coaching and will round out the last hour of the trip going over how to more effectively use your graphs. This technology is incredible. When they are more lethargic I like to drop a small fluke on a drop shot down to them. A wacky rigged bubblegum colored trick worm is my favorite bait for this. With that said, it has been unseasonably warm. Jigs, ned rigs, drop shots, and Texas rigs are all good ways to present a bait slowly along the bottom to entice that feeding bite. Today's Weather Forecast. On a topographic map these creek channels are generally denoted by a darker color, signifying a deeper depth, relative to the surrounding topography. Lexi-careless 13 days ago This is when the bass make a migration out of deep water where they have been living during the winter. There is still some top water action but not near the constituency of the past few months. My go to Summer techniques are swimbaits, carolina rigs, shaky head worms, and drop shots. During the peak of summer the lake temperature is at its hottest, lately I have been seeing water temps in the upper 80s. You want a bait that gets close to the bottom and even digs into the bottom. This is when they move to the shallows to build a nest and lay their eggs. Occasionally you will come across small schools of suspended bass. The main thing to keep in mind is you are trying to mimic a Threadfin Shad, so select baits that look like them. Right now we are in the early stages of what anglers refer to as the fall transition. The first two baits are my search baits when I first pull up on a ledge or point after finding the fish with the electronics. This is where the ned rig and the drop shot come into play. A Ned rig and a Texas rigged creature bait are both baits that have been putting a lot of fish in the boat for me. Bring your swimsuit and jump in the lake to cool off before getting back to fishing! Despite the fish getting a bit more active, I still recommend fishing these slow. To prevent snagging those I like this way of rigging my swimbaits. Wacky worms, craw pattern soft plastics, and shad/perch pattern baits will be go to baits for a good while. These baits will let you cover water quickly, but once you catch a fish slow down and make repeated casts in that area. https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/honeyholes. Either I fish very slow, or I fish very fast. Shallow areas near deep water are especially good places to look as this is the first place fish will move out of that deeper water to in order to hunt for food. Its the season of the spawn, the best time of year for the average fisherman to catch a not-so-average bass on Lake Travis. Jun 26, 2009 . For this set up I typically throw a 3/8th ounce tungsten bullet weight and a Rage Craw or Zoom speed craw. Its not uncommon though to get bit at the base of the ledge if the ledge isnt super deep. A small swimbait is another bait that works year around on Lake Travis, but especially excels in the fall. 11,848 Readers. In addition to the location were catching them I also tell you the exact baits, colors, and techniques Im using. This Year's Turnback (2016) Lake Travis is overfull and could rise (as of late April) so keep abreast of the lake levels, especially due to . Legend: <0F 0F 10F 20F 30F 40F 50F 60F 70F 80F 90F 100F Its not uncommon for me to let my bait sit there for 5 to 10 seconds before moving it. Bass will also move to cover; look for deep boat docks and staircases. This is the bottom of the food chain and what species like threadfin shad eat. During this time of year the bass pull up shallow to feed and spawn, making them more aggressive and easier to target. Often in Southern climes, the biggest fish of the year can come during this month And I dont mean your 5 pounders. Top water baits have been good for the first few hours of the morning. As of this report though, we finally have our first real cold front. If youre an angler like me you look forward to spring all year long. As long as you stick to the main river channel, watch for hazard buoys, and keep your lake map up while driving, its still a very safe lake even as low as it is. Until then, get out there on the water and keep fishing! I promise you will not find a guide in Austin with a better boat! I had several bass spit up bright orange crawfish last week. Stay cool, and tight lines. When scouting I recommend utilizing tools like the Navionics web app or Google Earth to find new areas like this. Some of the best fishing of the year is almost upon us! The bite on Lake Travis has been great and will only get better for the next month! Let it take line and sink out to help it get deeper. Right now you have the opposite affect going on. With these moving baits stick to colors that resemble a threadfin shad. Sunset Water Utilities has the rights to 348.74 acre-feet of groundwater but is only permitted to use 152.5 . You can cover water quickly, you can trigger reaction baits by choosing a bait that will bump into the rocks on the bottom, and the come in tons of realistic colors. If you are interested in booking a trip with me, visit my website via www.torwicksguidingservice.com and click that Book Online tab! If you are looking to up your game I would love to be your fishing coach! These reports are updated each Thursday at 6:00PM with fresh info. I have some tips for you that will help put more fish in the boat. When its more calm or the bite is slower a jerkbait allows me to cover water, while still fishing slower since Im able to pause and suspend the bait when fish arent as aggressive. Fish these baits with a medium speed retrieve and a steady wind. Ill take 100 degree temps over snow any day. Cast right on top of them when they are boiling on the surface. Winter is my slower season and I have more open dates. With water temps in the low to mid 60s and water clarity anywhere from 6-15 feet depending on what end of the lake you are fishing, the conditions right now are good! Everybody is saying this, but I rarely see anyone explain why the bass do this. The Crappie bite has been good on small 1/16th ounce jigs with chartreuse and blue or black and chartreuse jigs. Currently water clarity throughout the lake is a bit stained, the lower end by Mansfield Dam is still quite clear, but not by our usual standards. You can catch some up shallow in spurts and a few decent ones out deep with really slow presentations using jigs, t-rig worms and shaky heads. Recently I had a day with a morning and evening trip we caught numerous fish, up to 5 pounds, on a spook all throughout the day. When fish are spread out or hangout higher up off the bottom I also like to throw a deep diving crankbait. Reservoir Controlling Authority. During the winter I will pause my bait a lot longer than I normally would. https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/honeyholes. This translates into catching more fish, bigger bass, and being able to throw more moving baits. The ones up tight to the bank are chasing shad so a small swimbait/swimjig, shallow crankbait and even a spinnerbait can get you bit. If you can hit the fish on the head with your bait right after they jump, you will get bit almost every time. My answer is always the same spring and fall. In addition to this, cuts and secondary points close to the mouth of a spawning cove, docks, and rock piles in the same area will also hold fish. Its hot out, but so is the bite on Lake Travis right now! Fish live deep on this lake all year, so catching them in 20 feet of water right now is not uncommon at all. And it's a great recreational playground for all things water-related since it's capable of storing 256 gallons of water. During this time of year I rely heavily on electronics to help me find the fish and not waste time fishing empty water. The measurements for the water temperature in Lake Travis, Texas are provided by the daily satellite readings provided by the NOAA. When it comes to baits to use there are a lot of options but I will give you my top three. I also break down each spot with info on what baits to throw, colors to pick, conditions to look for, how to position your boat, what time of day to fish it, etc. Winter is definitely here and the fish in Lake Travis know it too! The bite is still good during the summer, but its hard to beat springtime fishing! Too often I see clients fishing the jig very fast, lifting it off the bottom quickly and practically swimming it back to the boat. It throws off more flash and vibration and at times can make a big difference. We have been getting quality bites fishing carolina rigged lizards and stick baits. The fish have moved a little since the flooding several weeks ago but we are still coming across some really nice ones. With these hot temperatures naturally comes warmer water temps, which is one of the number one things to affect fish and how the behave. Have a crawfish pattern and a shad pattern ready to go. On days when the fish dont want to commit to a moving bait bite, slowing down with finesse techniques can be very productive. With all these baits, slow down and give the bait long pauses. You want to look for places where its convenient for the fish to move out of deep water and still be close to areas they would eventually build a nest in. Current water temps on Lake Travis are in the upper 80s, anywhere from 85-88 degrees depending on the time of day. Recently I have seen water temps as low as 61 degrees first thing in the morning. Today that was really the key for us, especially fishing isolated docks. Live view forward facing sonar such as Garmin Panoptix has been vital to catching these fish when they are on the move chasing bait. Sounds dumb right? If you fish Lake Travis often this can be the difference between having a good trip every once and a while, to consistently going out and catching fish. Location NWS ID Description Water Temperature Latitude Longitude; Bel Air-Plumtree Run USGS : PTRM2: Plumtree Run nr Bel Air: 55: 39.4964-76.3478: Bristol 2WSW Deeper fish can be had on Texas rigged worms and shaky heads in watermelon and green pumpkin colors and some of the bigger fish have been eating a 1/2 oz up to a 3/4 oz jig in either green colors or black/blue with a good craw trailer. The graph below shows the range of monthly Lake Travis water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data. Until the water temps dip below 60 degrees the patterns I discussed above will be good. Largemouth Bass are going to start moving up into coves to continue feeding on baitfish. Time to buckle down and focus, because the easy fish have been picked off. Get on your trolling motor and quietly move around docks up inside the coves looking for white spots on the bottom. Im looking to those warming trends as the critical hour for big fish potential. The lake is about to explode though with warmer weather on the way so its a great time to get out and on the fish. While I do not offer guided Crappie trips, there are some nice ones in Lake Travis. . Once you determine these factors, you can select a presentation to suit the specific situation. Mix it up and experiment to see what the bass like. The second pattern I recommend is slowing down and fishing a Texas rigged plastic craw. Look for ledges and points that are close to a creek channel and you will likely find these fish. Make sure you are getting your casts very close to the structure, the closer the more bites you will get! If you do not have a flexible schedule and have a particular date in mind that you would like to get out on the water, consider booking now, the further in advance the better! Areas with a lot of rock attract the fish as it provides habitat as well as hold forage they feed on. They will eat though if something easy to catch goes past their face. Summer fishing often requires a fair amount of graphing with the sonar before making a cast. Warm water temps drive fish deep in search of more comfortable conditions. With these baits you want to really slow down and pick apart the structure you are fishing. The permit amendment will allow the utility to drill a well with a pump rate of 50 gallons per minute to provide water to the two Spicewood communities, but it will not increase the overall amount of water the utility is permitted to use. Spring means everything is green, the bass are getting ready to spawn, and the fishing is about to bust loose! These three rigs are very effective at getting down deep, being fished slow, all while presenting a smaller easy to eat meal for those sluggish bass. It is not uncommon to see two or three of these birds sitting statuesque at the waters edge waiting for a shad to swim close by where they can catch it. They are not interested in eating it, just hurting or killing it. Visit https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/shop-2 to check out these reports! Temperatures above that are more comfortable for those not acclimated to the cold. There are days fishing Lake Travis that you can put on a clinic fishing an Alabama Rig in the wind! Of the various styles of topwater lures a classic spook is my favorite. These trips are geared around education and not running my honey holes. As far as baits go, I recommend a dropshot with a small straight tail worm such as a Roboworm, a Texas rig with a curl tail power worm, or a Carolina rig with a creature bait such as a lizard or baby brush hog. We have been catching the majority of my fish on drop shot flukes, on spinning tackle, in 10-20 ft of water. It is 63.75 miles in length, 4.50 miles wide, encompasses 271 miles of shoreline and covers 18,929 acres. Make long casts with your spook across main lake points or ledges adjacent to deep water. Jun 28, 2009. I like an underspin over a normal lead head since I believe the flash from the blade helps trigger more bites. Hit them with a fast moving reaction bait, they follow up with a more subtle plastic. I recommend starting off with a small profile shad colored crankbait, a 4 paddle tail swimbait rigged weedless, or a Alabama Rig with small 3-4 paddle tail swimbaits. These reports go into extreme detail compared to the free reports you here or on my website. Boating, scuba diving and swimming are popular activities enjoyed at the lake. With this colder water you can expect the bass in Lake Travis to be a little more lethargic and tougher to catch. With the gin clear water its very important to match the the size of your bait to the shad. There are several ways I have figured out how to catch them and have produced some very big limits this way. Best Lake Travis Parks. Fishing gets stupid easy and largemouth feed up gorging on seemingly any bait you throw at them. I stick with a ounce football jig in very natural colors. If you intend to stay in the water for a while a thin shorty wetsuit will suffice. If this report was helpful and you enjoyed it, the biggest thank you you can give me is to share this on social media! However, if you are fishing the day after a front moves through and are facing blue bird skies and north winds, the bite can be pretty slow no matter how skilled of an angler you are. Lake Travis is one of the most popular lakes in Texas for recreational activities, with numerous people flocking to the lake each year. Fish the bait slow and really try to get a feel for the bottom. Structure such as shallow brush, rock, or a drop off is ideal just be thinking about where a bass could position themself to be hidden from their prey. This is dependent on 3 factors: Moon Phase, Water Temperature, and Barometric Pressure. Finesse fishing excels this time of year, there are lots of other baits I throw, but what I call the holy trinity of finesse fishing is always on the deck of my boat; a shaky head, a drop shot, and a ned rig. You can contact Tyler by phone (512) 910-7255, or book a trip directly online. I mention all this because I hear about a lot of people fishing elsewhere due to Travis being low. Often times when the bass strikes your bait it is very quick and they usually spit it back out. Swimbait During guided trips a lot of clients ask me how I find structure, how I know where the good ledges are, and where the productive rock piles are at. The bass fishing on Lake Travis continues to be good! Coves that are protected from the wind will be the first places I look. Change baits often and rotate through your arsenal of lures to draw bites. During this time of year, there are two main patterns I fish in order to consistently find fish. While you can get bit doing some of those things at the moment, thats not the main way I am fishing. Typically this is a morning or evening pattern, however on days with lots of cloud cover and wind, you can get them to bite a topwater plug all day long. If you are out there early either fishing from your boat, or at your marina getting ready for a fun lake weekend, have a rod at the ready rigged up with a small 3 swimbait smaller the better. Focus on the mouths of small coves, points within a these coves, and drains along the shoreline in these coves. What this means is that your typical pre-spawn spots will reload quickly with different fish. Do you fish Lake Travis often but unsure where to fish? A Storm Wiggle Wart in brown craw is one of my favorite baits, but there are tons of great options out there. Water temps on Lake Travis are in the mid 80s currently and will continue to rise as summer progresses. If you are fishing later in February start looking for the tops of small ledges that are close to deep water. With that said, some largemouth bass will make a migration to the shoreline early in the morning and late in the evening right before sunset to feed. Ex: Big Jigs, Swimbaits, Big Worms, Big Jerk Baits. These are paid reports that I update every Thursday at 6PM and include 5+ EXACT locations on the lake where I am catching fish with my clients. Look for coves that are protected from both boat traffic and the wind. We will also cover bait selection, colors I like to throw, how to rig your gear, but most importantly the why behind all of that. Keep your eye on the water temps, once the temps start creeping back up into the high 50s low 60s the pre spawn bite will kick off. The tail end of the shad spawn is still going on, so pay attention to the shorelines early in the morning for signs of this. Were also finding the lighter line has been producing a few more bites in the lakes aquarium like water. Football jigs and finesse jigs with a craw style trailer work very well and tend to draw larger bites. I especially like this bait because it is the perfect bait to fish near docks. are all structure I find bass on. Casting up near the back of the docks near the staircases is always a good spot! There are three types of offshore/ deep structure I look for, ledges, secondary points, and bluff walls with docks. This is why you can pitch a bait into their bed and agitate them into biting. During the late summer some fish will move up shallower and will orient around isolated structure. The shoreline directly adjacent to these points is also a very good place to look. Lately the weather has been all over the place with cold fronts and stretches of warm weather. If you notice the majority of your bites come on the pause, fish even slower! If you are interested to know more about catching bass off a nest, visit the Article page of my website. I have a couple dates still open in May so dont procrastinate! Lake Travis Water Levels Are Way Down Due To Drought. Pay attention to the water temp where you are fishing as this can help you decide how you should be fishing. One thing I love about the lake is how different it feels fishing the lower end of the lake close to the dam, versus the upper end out in the Lago Vista/ Spicewood/ Marble Falls area. Bluff walls and creek channel bends where the shoreline is fairly steep can also be very productive. During the fall the fish move shallower, but keep in mind on Travis shallow is a relative term. I find that little bit of color makes it stand out and get a few more bites. Lake Travis Camping I recommend throwing this on braided line with a fluorocarbon leader. Winds are out of the SSE at 8mph, with wind gusts of 17mph. With spring around the corner the fish are going to be on the move once you see water temperatures begin to increase. As soon as the bass catch the shad they are after they go back down 10-15 feet deep, so being fast to cast is critical. I can cut your learning curve of fishing Lake Travis in half but dont take my word for it, check my reviews online! To give you the Cliff Notes version of a thermocline, it is a divide in the lake where the cooler more dense water settles to the bottom, and the warmer less dense water rises to the surface. Focus on protected pockets and stable water. Warmer water instinctively tells the fish that it is time to build nests and lay eggs. If you want big you need to fish 20-50 feet of water. While I dont like seeing the lake so low I do see it as an opportunity to get out and scout. Getting them back into the lake as soon as possible ensures the safety of those eggs, and the future bass population of Lake Travis!
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