Fish live deep on this lake all year, so catching them in 20 feet of water right now is not uncommon at all. Jun 28, 2009. Schooling Fish Zoom trick worms in natural colors like green pumpkin or watermelon black seed have been good options for the dropshot. These threadfin shad feed on plankton and are moving in search of that. are all structure I find bass on. It seems the August key depth zone is about 25 ft. THE ULTIMATE LAKE EXPERIENCE OPENING MAY 13 A Revolutionary Floating Water Park, Challenge Course and Private Island Getaway! Focus on more gradual sloping shorelines that have rock along them, but are adjacent to deep water. 6,541 Readers. Lake Travis is one of the most popular lakes in Texas for recreational activities, with numerous people flocking to the lake each year. 11,848 Readers. During the spring bass move up shallow to build nests and lay their eggs. 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. This is the bottom of the food chain and what species like threadfin shad eat. Now on those overcast or stormy days this will change, but lately the weather has been pretty stable. Early in the mornings there is still a marina bite to be had. On a topographic map these creek channels are generally denoted by a darker color, signifying a deeper depth, relative to the surrounding topography. The average rainfall is about 32 inches of rain a year, which means the sun shines more than 300 days a year. A wacky rigged worm on a 1/0 weighted wacky hook fished as close to the sides of the docks as possible is a good way to catch these lethargic suspended fish. While the weather may be hot, the bite can sometimes be just as hot! Please feel free to visit my website, or give me a call! I cant tell you how easy this has made this type of fishing for me! Winter fishing, if you read last months report this will be quite similar. Top Bassmaster Tournament Lures on Lake Travis (slide show), Its May and the fishing is really strong on Lake Travis. We will also go in depth about how to use your electronics to find fish. were focusing on main lake points and docks with quick access to deep water nearby. Focus on protected pockets and stable water. 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. For this set up I typically throw a 3/8th ounce tungsten bullet weight and a Rage Craw or Zoom speed craw. Live view forward facing sonar such as Garmin Panoptix has been vital to catching these fish when they are on the move chasing bait. With that winter storm bringing abnormally low air temps and lots of ice and snow, that has delayed this. During the summer the warm water and sunlight provide ideal conditions for plankton blooms and an ample food source for these hungry shad. Were still experiencing schooling in the marinas early and sporadically throughout the day. When you think you are fishing slow enough, fish slower! Those rocky veins on the other hand provide all of that! If the fish want structure or shade, that is where they are forced to go. By this time the bass have begun spawning and will continue to do so the rest of the month. During the summer the bass spend a lot of time just hanging out in small schools. Ex: Big Jigs, Swimbaits, Big Worms, Big Jerk Baits. Once you catch a fish off a nest, please return them to the lake quickly. I look for steep banks, but not sheer cliffs. Casting up near the back of the docks near the staircases is always a good spot! We have been catching the majority of my fish on drop shot flukes, on spinning tackle, in 10-20 ft of water. To cover water more quickly a paddle tail swimbait such as a 4.2 Keitech Fat Swing Impact rigged with a belly weighted hook can be deadly. A good indication of this is if you follow my Instagram account and see me posting a lot of photos from my trips at Lake Decker! Central Texas summer weather has usually started to settle in by this date, so come prepared for the sun and heat. Boating, scuba diving and swimming are popular activities enjoyed at the lake. We will cover a wide variety of topics including tackle selection, rigging, what bait to throw and why, understanding seasonal patterns and how they affect bass behavior, how to read the conditions to develop a pattern, how to read your electronics more effectively, and much much more. Winter is definitely here and the fish in Lake Travis know it too! If you see fishing jumping you need to be quick and accurate. Generally the very first dock, closest to the mouth of the cove will be the best. Both of these lures can be very effective this time of year. If you need a refresher, here is a video I filmed last year with a lot of details about how to fish this bait. When the lake is low like it is now you cant drive very far up the Pedernales, it becomes more of a creek. Pre-spawn fishing is a blast and it often presents you with the best chance of catching a BIG bass! (Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA Today Network) Bass fishing in September on Lake Travis can be a very fun time to hit the water! Lately I have been finding a lot of fish in that 20-40 foot depth range. During the winter time the lake has no thermocline and the water is cold from the bottom of the lake to the top of the lake. As long as the water remains hot, a portion of the bass population will remain out deep in search of cooler more comfortable water. Right now Lake Travis is very much in a fall type pattern. Hot water holds less dissolved oxygen and is also less appealing to largemouth bass, they would prefer cooler temps. Lake Travis Water Temperature (Today) 29th Apr 2023 23.5C / 74.3F The water will feel warm (balmy). I always tell clients, spring and fall are hands down my favorite time of year to fish. Jun 26, 2009 . Subtle movements with your rod tip, smaller dragging motions to the side, and a slower reeling presentation with moving baits tends to do better when the weather is hot and the water is hot. Weve had some really productive trips lately, so dont let the fear of summertime fishing stop you from hitting the lake. Now all I have to do it pan my transducer around and tell you exactly how far away and how deep the fish are. We have been fishing ledges and drops in the 20-35ft depth and having to fish very SLOW Without going in to great detail the heavy soft plastics, jigs, a-rigs, and slab spoons have been the go to baits this winter for most of us. Sounds dumb right? With water temps this warm expect to find most of your fish out deep once the sun comes out. Cold water slows the fishs metabolism and they are less likely to feed on an erratically moving bait. Sunken speedboat now points skyward after Lake Mead water level drops. Focus on rocky shorelines with a more gradual slope to them. We try and use the shade lines to our advantage and fish where there is a shadow cast on the water. I guarantee that this alone will be worth the price of a guided trip! I am an open book with my clients and will treat the day as if we were practicing for a fishing tournament. With that said, I would expect to see pre-spawn fish getting active within a week or two unless a cold front comes through. You will notice fish become more aggressive during brief feeding windows rather than feeding all day long. This will vary depending on weather and if we get more cold fronts. This data release provides gradient self-potential (SP), conductivity, and temperature measurements made during an investigation of surface-water and groundwater exchange in Lake Travis near Austin, Texas, where the Colorado River is incised into two zones of the Cretaceous-age Trinity aquifer (the lower-zone, and several hydrostratigraphic units of the middle zone). Cast it right up against a dock and let it fall. Lastly, fishing offshore bottom contours such as secondary points, ledges, and creek channel drop offs are good places to look for fish. Fish slow enough that you can feel the bottom at all times, long pauses and more subtle movements with the bait will produce more bites. For more aggressive and active fish I like to jig a silver ounce jigging spoon around these schools of fish to trigger bites. For trips with children I recommend a half-day trip. In the last few weeks we have been catching fish on surface baits then switching to spoons and drop shots when the schools move deep and suspend. The fishing on Lake Travis has been phenomenal the past few weeks! The dog days of summer are here and its hot out! Flukes: A Zoom fluke in a shad color rigged weightless or on a Owner twist lock hook with a small belly weight can be deadly fished up shallow. When graphing for them make note of the depth you are seeing them at, it is common to find them fairly deep, which means you will need to give your bait plenty of time to sink to the depths they are at. Smaller subtle baits tend to get bit better this time of year. For the most part though I stick with a drop shot, a Texas Rig, and a Carolina Rig. 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. Written by Professional Austin fishing guide, tournament angler and owner of Torwicks Guiding Service, Tyler Torwick. I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram @LakeTravisFishingGuide I post daily on there with tons of great Lake Travis fishing content! Pre-spawn Fish A walking style plug such as a Zara spook in a natural shad color has been consistently putting fish in the boat! Aug. 14, 2022 (KLAS) June 2022. A craw colored crankbait, a jig, or a Texas rigged plastic can all be great ways to target these fish. Have a crawfish pattern and a shad pattern ready to go. The second, to fish for bass that are using staging locations. Often times when the bass strikes your bait it is very quick and they usually spit it back out. When fishing though I am always looking for the banks made up of rock as the bass like hard bottoms, plus all this rock attracts other species like sunfish, bluegills, crawfish, various species of minnows, and sometimes shad. Fishing deep will still be productive and a consistent way to catch bass on those days when its bluebird skies with little wind. The A rig and the crankbait are effective ways to burn the bank and cover water. Key baits this month, when the fish are on bed, are bluegill imitations like square bill crankbaits or small swimbaits. April is an excellent month to fish on Lake Travis! This isnt to say they wont feed, but they do become more selective and less aggressive. I have found fish out shallow and out deep, so being versatile is key to consistently catching good numbers of bass. Now is a great time to book a trip! With the end of summer approaching the patterns us anglers are focusing on will start to change. Points, bluff walls, and offshore structure such as rock piles or brush piles can be especially good. Fish slow and really pay attention to the feel of the bait hitting the bottom. Water Level. 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. A little tip for you guys docks can be very good places to find bass, but especially when they are isolated docks. We have been finding numbers up shallow as well as deep. Happy New Year everyone. I mostly stick to crawfish patters, browns, oranges, and reds are all very good colors. The biggest fish want the best possible combination of cover and favorable environmental conditions. Dates for spring are filling up so get your trip booked soon with Texas Hawgs, Lake Travis is fishing good right now. The current lake level is about 28 feet low, but by the time you read this it may be a couple feet lower! The lower end of the lake feels more like just that a lake. If you find yourself struggling to catch fish please consider booking a trip with me! With water temps in the low 60s this is the prime time of year if you want to sight fish for Largemouth on beds. Be dynamic this time of year. It is a bait I pick up selectively, throw three or four times, then set it down. For this though, I will throw colors like Smoke or Natural Shad. A slower retrieve gets more bites in my opinion. Host a fundraising event. That considered, its important to focus on offshore locations near deep water access, where fish can access cool water. Go with as light of a weight as you can and still feel the bottom. Test your agility on over 2 football fields of pulse-pounding obstacles then relax and play on over 1500 feet of beautiful lake Travis shoreline with beach games, food, drinks and more! Some clients opt to take a lunch break midday and stop at one of the many great restaurants on the lake. Look for bright spots on the bottom where the male bass has cleared away sediment from the rock with his tail. Look for structure such as main lake points, ledges, and deep rock piles. As they leave their post spawn homes, the bass will begin moving deeper and relating to steeper bluffs. If you notice the majority of your bites come on the pause, fish even slower! Lets discuss both! As I mentioned early in this report, there are still plenty of fish living out deep. Due to this then move out deep seeking cooler water. So what does this mean for bass fishing and how to target them? I recommend a bright color such as white, bubblegum, or merthiolate as it is easy to see underwater. There is no central/single point of access. Central heat wave blamed for at least 4 deaths. You will also find a population of fish that stays out deep, even when its getting closer to sunset. The shorelines of Lake Travis hold all types of forage including threadfin shad, sunfish, bluegills, and cichlids that these bass will hunt for. The Crappie bite has been good on small 1/16th ounce jigs with chartreuse and blue or black and chartreuse jigs. Fish this bait over and around cover can trigger some exciting blow ups. I am focused on water in the 10-15 ft depth range. I will typically start with a search bait such as a crankbait, then gauge their interest in it. As of right now, I have been doing best targeting the points at the entrance to coves and fishing as far back as about halfway into the coves. Lake Travis has finally begun what I refer to as the fall transition. As the water gets into the 70s the bait fish in the lake spawn. I like to keep my boat as far away as possible and make long casts with the swimbait or Alabama rig and run it right through the middle of those schools of bass. July fishing is notorious for being challenging. Historically some of the biggest bags I have caught on Lake Travis have been in the fall, so dont be afraid to book in advance if you dont have a flexible schedule and want a certain date! Pictured below is a healthy Lake Travis bass caught on an a-rig on a deep ledge in February. During the end of September and the beginning of October, depending on when we first start seeing cold fronts, the lake temps will start to drop. If you are fishing later in February start looking for the tops of small ledges that are close to deep water. If the slow presentation wont draw a bite, switch baits to something fast moving. For largemouth bass winter time is about survival. I alternate between a squarebill and a medium diving crankbait. Also, deep timber off of these points can also be good. Largemouth love living down in the grass and will position themselves on holes or edges in the grass in order to come up from below and ambush their prey. The evening bite has been very good. I recommend looking for areas with rock or grass, avoid spots where the bottom is mostly sand or gravel. This is important because it brings cool, oxygenated water and food to the bass. April is one of my favorite months to guide because here in Central Texas that is when the Shad spawn. Lets not forget about the white bass run that is taking place farther up lake (up river) and the crappie that will soon be showing up in the shallows and the marinas to spawn. Threadfin Shad are one of the main food sources for largemouth bass. This is where the female bass will move to in order to spawn with the male bass. 3. Repeated casts alongside structure like this can often lead to a few extra bites. A Ned rig with a green pumpkin TRD worm, a Neko rigged Grande Bass airtail rattler, and a finesse jig are all bottom baits I like to fish slow this time of year. Jun 30, 2009. The fishing is only going to continue to get better over the next couple months! A green pumpkin Zoom baby brush hog is an excellent choice right now. Keep in mind that during this time of year cold fronts, rain, and wind can cause the lake temp to change more than normal. As the fall months near the fishing will continue to be stellar! Do not expect to get bit on your first cast by any means. During this time of year bass also tend to hang out in schools out deep. Look for coves that are protected from both boat traffic and the wind. A crankbait is one of my favorite ways to catch bass in the fall. Finding where there are ledges and drop offs along these bluff walls has been one of the best ways to target these fish. As for the crankbait, I like to throw mostly craw imitation colors such as red/ orange and brown. Currently water clarity is 5-10 feet depending on what end of the lake you are on. I recommend upping your weight if need be in order to maintain that bottom contact. Schooling Fish Lee Benton Fishing Guides Austin. One thing I always remind clients is that not every fish in the lake bee lines it for the bank. We are now officially in the heat of the Summer. However, the top part of the water column is the most prone to temperature fluctuations. I am accepting reservations now. Its not uncommon though to get bit at the base of the ledge if the ledge isnt super deep. The bass are spawning all the way from the dam on up to Marble Falls, so it doesnt matter what end of the lake you are fishing! Recently I have seen water temps as low as 61 degrees first thing in the morning. Lake Austin's current water temperature is 62F Todays forecast is, Clear With a high around 92F and the low around 51F. For the drop shot, Im using a zoom fluke in the albino color. As of last month I have a new tool in my boat Garmin Panoptics Livescope sonar. When bass are suspended the $10,000 worth of fishing electronics I have my boat rigged up with are crucial. Your guide to Lake Travis Fishing. Early in the morning I like to start out looking for schooling fish or throwing a topwater bait. 6,011 Readers. Repeated casts to high percentage targets, fishing quick, and rotating baits often will also help get you more bites. Days prior to cold front or storms can have very good fishing. I like this style bait since I can fish it fast making it walk the dog back and forth, but not fish it back towards me out of the strike zone too quickly. Really, its times like these when Im able to hoan in and focus, making my time on the water count. Water clarity is the typical Travis gin clear water; 8-12 foot visibility on the lower end of the lake is pretty normal. 6,540 Readers. Carolina rigs with a 4 leader have been good in the late afternoon. Also, in the heat of the day, you might wacky rig a finesse worm on light spinning tackle and target docks with plenty of shade. A few stripers up to 8 pounds have been showing up in the mix as well. Until then, get out there on the water and keep fishing! So expect to find fish up inside your favorite large coves. I put a lot of work into these free reports and love sharing info, however I dont share ALL my secrets! Wind blow shorelines and big marinas can hold a lot of bait fish, which in turn attracts the bass. I have noticed the fish relating to the deep sloped chunk rock banks as the lake level creeps down. As soon as a couple cold fronts roll through and you see the water temps drop several more degrees the fish will get moving! You can catch them right on the bank out to 35-40 feet of water. Summer has the water very warm, as of late around 85-87 degrees, which also slows the bass down. Winds are out of the SSE at 8mph, with wind gusts of 17mph. First off, while we are experiencing this cold front expect the bite to change and the fish to react to it. I am the former team president of the Baylor Bass Fishing Team and fish competitively in several tournament trails in Central Texas. They move out and down the bank pretty fast. September is typically a transition month here in the south. Great targets can be points, docks, seams, or any other obvious transition where bass have an opportunity to ambush. When fish are spread out or hangout higher up off the bottom I also like to throw a deep diving crankbait. I find a deep diving jerkbait like a Megabass Vision 110 +2 to be a great option to trick them into biting. Currently there are two main patterns I would use when targeting bass on Lake Travis. Temperatures average 74 to 94 degrees in the summer and 40 to 70 degrees in the winter. One tip though, if you are fishing on the upper end of the lake where the water is a bit more stained, consider adding some chartreuse dye to the tail of your bait. When this happens the fishing gets good! Wind breaks up light penetration through the water and causes it to refract making it a little more difficult for the bass to get a good look at your bait. This process all has to do with water temperature. 6,013 Readers. Ideally I want the front of the docks to be sitting over about 40 feet of water, too deep and these areas are tough to fish. There are seasonal patterns to every lake, but not all fish make a migration to those textbook spots at the same time, or at all for that matter. The water will feel warm (balmy). . Once water temps reach the low 60s you will find fish on beds. Slow down and dont over work it. They are going to slowly move back into the creeks and coves in search of spawning areas. Im talking air temps in the upper thirties, the kind of weather where we Texas finally pull out our heavy jackets and coats. The shoreline of Lake Travis is mostly limestone and as the lake drops exposing new rock and the wind creates chop it tends to make the water a bit more cloudy than normal. With the pop-r I like to work it about 2-3 feet giving it small little pops of the rod tip to make it spit water, then pause it briefly before continuing. If you know anything at all about Lake Travis then you know the lake is quite low right now. https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/shop-2, The Bassmaster Elite guys (2018 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest) showed up to Lake Travis, Bassmaster Recap Video Lake Travis 2018, Top Bassmaster Tournament Lures on Lake Travis (slide show). There are a couple things you can expect. We would recommend a small black and blue craw imitation, worked slowly on the bottom over brush piles or grass patches. We will go over how to set up your graphs, what each sonar frequency does and when to use them, and how to interpret what you are seeing on the screen. It is common for the bass to pick up and bite you lure very quickly, then spit it back out. With summer approaching the water temps are in the mid 70s and rising. Pair this up with a ounce lead head and fish it slowly just over the bottom. But, good techniques for deep points can be deep diving crankbaits, carolina rigs, and even jigs and Texas rigs. My two favorite trips to guide are trips with children and my coaching trips. Top water baits have been good for the first few hours of the morning. The bite is still good during the summer, but its hard to beat springtime fishing! The time change is on March 10th so the lake is about to explode. AUSTIN, Texas The mean water level on Lake Travis is 657 feet above sea level, or 64.5% full, down from the same time a year ago. Bait it up with some canned cat food and leave it out over night. Lake Travis Parks. Conversely, my stained water strategy is to target bass in 7 ft or less. Its mainly about how high in the water column the fish are positioned and their level of activity. Some days you can even find some good ones on top waters. Dont let the heat stop you from booking a trip and getting out on the lake with me this month! This time of year can hold some very good fishing! April is a busy month at Torwicks Guiding Service, but I do have a couple dates open towards the end of the month! At this time in 2020 . I recommend this style hook as opposed to a lead head in order to prevent snags. As for the fluke, I like to rig this on an Owner twist lock hook and make long casts with it. We just happened to pull up on the right school of fish at the right time feeding. Lake Lyndon B. Johnson's current water temperature is 69F Todays forecast is, PartlyCloudy With a high around 85F and the low around 49F. During March there are two patterns I focus on pre-spawn and spawn fishing. This is the time of year when the water temps start dropping from their summertime highs and some fish start moving up more shallow. Coves with creek channel bends, or banks with rocky veins and drop offs will be a good place to start your search for bass. Something new I am offering on my website is what I call Honey Hole Reports. A 1/16 oz weighted hook and a watermelon/red fluke has been producing great numbers and an occasional big bass on the lake. I guarantee youll notice there are small ledges made up or rock with usually 10-20 feet of gravel and small chunk rock above or below those veins of rock. These small silver bait fish are plentiful in Lake Travis and are like candy to hungry bass. When I get solo clients or groups with only two anglers weve been catching a lot of fish off beds. With the lake level so low, there is very little isolated cover in the lake such as brush or trees. The water temperatures will remain warm for a while longer, but as the summer drags on, the bass internal clock tells them fall is approaching. My primary approach for bass fishing Lake Travis in January is to employ 1 of 2 strategies. The measurements for the water temperature in Lake Travis, Texas are provided by the daily satellite readings provided by the NOAA.