The better quality bass have been showing up night fishing with jigs and creature baits. Jun 30, 2009. Reservoir Controlling Authority. Personally I like to use bright colored baits such as white, bubblegum, or chartreuse. If you are not seeing fish busting on bait, get your casts close to structure such as the sides of docks or behind boats. An underspin is just a swimbait lead head that has a small willow blade attached to the bottom of it. The other place I find shad spawning is up in the marinas and docks as they lay their eggs in the algae that grows on the dock floats. As it gets colder I will continue going further and further into the backs of coves. When fishing for these bass I recommend having four baits tied on, a swimbait, an Alabama rig, a jigging spoon, and a drop shot. Once you see water temps get above 58 degrees give or take, you will see what is referred to as pre-spawn behavior. You may also get more aggressive with your approach and hop the bait more erratically and even try to bump the bait into the fishs nose. A thermocline is essentially a divide down deep in the lake between the cooler dense water and the lighter warm water. My go to Summer techniques are swimbaits, carolina rigs, shaky head worms, and drop shots. Temperatures average 74 to 94 degrees in the summer and 40 to 70 degrees in the winter. 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). 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. 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. Thus, in middle of the Summer you need deep, cool oxygen rich water that carries a substantial food base. When I get solo clients or groups with only two anglers weve been catching a lot of fish off beds. During late fall and into winter it is common to find schools of bass suspended out deep off of these kinds of spots. Now with that being said the bite has begun to slow up a bit with the warming water. You can never go wrong picking up a spinning rod with light line. A quick tip is to look for Blue Herons and Egrets, these birds feed on the shad and are a dead giveaway to the presence of bait fish. Water clarity in the winter is usually very good, so on the lower end of Lake Travis dont be surprised if you see visibility in excess of 10 feet. I recommend looking for shallow sloping gravel banks where the wind is blowing into. 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. Updated: 12:52 PM CDT April 21, 2021. Not every deep spot like this is loaded with fish, but when you find the right one they can be loaded. Stay cool and tight lines! Also check out the background, notice how the bank is all rock? As for schooling fish, certain deep water marinas on the lake have been holding large schools of largemouth and white bass. If you are not seeing any baitfish activity, keep moving. When the lake is low like it is now you cant drive very far up the Pedernales, it becomes more of a creek. I especially like it if there is a little wind blowing into the area I am fishing. Top water baits have been good for the first few hours of the morning. The first being throwing moving baits. Water temperature is one of the biggest factors in understanding how bass behave and where they go throughout the year. Fall is finally here and the water temps are down into the mid 70s and will continue to get colder with these shorter days and chillier nights. Live sonar is very effective for finding these fish, but simply paying attention to the water and looking for splashes can also give away the bass location. (Photo: @MikeyTantalo) Aug. 2022. I look for steep banks, but not sheer cliffs. Related Links: Make sure you are getting your casts very close to the structure, the closer the more bites you will get! One reason that I like to throw a drop shot for bed fish is because it allows me to continually move and work the bait without actually moving the sinker and pulling it off of the nest. For these baits stick to natural colors like green pumpkin or watermelon. You will also find a population of fish that stays out deep, even when its getting closer to sunset. Throwing the moving baits is more fun in my opinion, but sometimes the fish get lethargic or the conditions just call for slowing down. Fishing gets stupid easy and largemouth feed up gorging on seemingly any bait you throw at them. Like clockwork, every year at the beginning of fall, there is a couple week period where the water starts to cool and the fish get active. When they move offshore they usually are not super active even though they are schooled up. If I am not getting bit throwing a moving bait, I will then slow down and switch to working the bottom with one of those other baits. Deep Offshore Fish My Saturday and Sunday trips book up fast! Bites will be subtle but typically theyll feel like one light thump. If you dont have one of these graphs yet give me a shout and I will help you get set up through Mealey Marine. Since the shad move back here for their food source, predator species such as bass and crappie follow. Too often I see clients fishing the jig very fast, lifting it off the bottom quickly and practically swimming it back to the boat. Now is a great time to book a trip! Water temps on Lake Travis are in the mid 80s currently and will continue to rise as summer progresses. My favorite baits this time of year are rattle traps and mid to shallow running crank baits, during periods of wind or cloud cover. The second pattern I recommend is focusing on structure. This year they have been in the mid 50s with exception of right after that last winter storm we had. The measurements for the water temperature in Lake Travis, Texas are provided by the daily satellite readings provided by the NOAA. If you are taking the time to research a fishing report, this trip may be just what you need. A deep crankbait, a fluke on a heavy scrounger head, or a Biffle bug on a swinging jig head fished on the bottom can work well. A topwater plug such as a bone colored spook, or a pop-r in chrome or a baitfish pattern are good options. I am accepting reservations now. Bass like stability; so going deeper provides them with water that is not prone to change a whole lot. The fishing out there has been consistently good and we havent even had a big cold front to cool things off. That is a good sign as the post spawners are starting to come out and play. Jul 1, 2009. With water temps this warm expect to find most of your fish out deep once the sun comes out. Until the water gets a little colder, they will continue to do so. If the water appears to be more stained move shallower. I recommend graphing these areas and paying attention to your 2D sonar and side scan to identify where the fish are positioned. If this fishing report helps you, please consider sharing it on your social media! In addition to this, avoid the banks that are made up of just sand and gravel with one exception. I love teaching new and veteran anglers alike. In this video I cover my top 5 baits to have tied on. In the south, February is the start of great things to come. Stick to shad pattern baits until the water temps get down into the 70s, then start throwing some crawfish colors. Truthfully there is no such thing as fishing too slow in the winter. These are paid fishing reports I update every single week at 6:00PM on Thursdays. Weve had some really productive trips lately, so dont let the fear of summertime fishing stop you from hitting the lake. Ned rigs and drop shots are a staple on Lake Travis. Areas with a lot of rock attract the fish as it provides habitat as well as hold forage they feed on. 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! Typically the shoreline 100 yards inside and outside of the point will be the first place these fish will stage in preparation to move further back. 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 Theyre my personal favorite at least! When I have clients in the boat who can cast well, I love to cover water with a medium diving crankbait. Dont waste time fishing dead water and burning fuel running all over the lake! A small swimbait is another bait that works year around on Lake Travis, but especially excels in the fall. Water clarity is still very good, Lake Travis is known for being very clear, but at the present time can be a bit more cloudy in some areas depending on the wind. There are a couple things you can expect. 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. Right now the bulk of the largemouth bass are in their pre-spawn pattern. Polarized sunglasses are a must! For the crankbait, alternate between a crawfish and a threadfin shad colored bait, select a bait that will dive to +/- 15 feet. 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. Evenings There is no central/single point of access. In low light or more windy conditions, were seeking out chunk rock and other irregularities on the bank. As far as plastics go Im not very picky, anything that resembles a crawfish usually works well. My biggest piece of advice this time of year is to get out early while its cool, avoid the weekends when its busy, and pack lots of cold drinks! Lake Travis water levels way down. When following these creek channels, look for areas where they touch close to a shallower point or flat. You are trying to trigger a fish into naturally feeding, or illicit a reaction strike from a fast moving lure. They dont hold baitfish, they dont provide habitat, and they are not good ambush points for the fish. In fact, this past week with the very cold temps, I have been catching more fish consistently deep. Where can I find information regarding Lake Travis water temperature, swimming and lake conditions? Keitech is my brand of choice, but there are lots of other good options. are all structure I find bass on. Hydromet - Today's Temperature Data (F) Reports Temperature (F) 4/30/23 1:04 PM Temperature Data (F) 4-30-2023 *Disclaimer: Data is automatically retrieved and subject to revision. But a senko? Tight lines! Weve definitely noticed that the bite is better near the lower end of the reservoir, meaning closer to the dam. As the water gets colder expect the fishing to slow down a bit for the average angler. Generally the very first dock, closest to the mouth of the cove will be the best. During the spring bass move up shallow to build nests and lay their eggs. Most weekdays we have the lake to myself aside from a few dock builders boats. 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. I can cut your learning curve of fishing Lake Travis in half but dont take my word for it, check my reviews online! During the fall, crawfish become a large part of a bass diet. April Temperature Lago Vista TX, Rusty Allen Airport (5 miles) 2023 March April. 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. I do know that access to freshwater and sunlight are important for the spawn. Each week I create a detailed fishing report for Lake Travis that offer 5+ pins in Google Earth that show you EXACTLY where I am fishing, what baits I am throwing, how to work the bait, what colors to use, how to position your boat, etc. 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. When this happens the fishing gets good! These baits will let you cover water quickly, but once you catch a fish slow down and make repeated casts in that area. Currently there are three patterns that I am focusing on to catch the majority of our fish. Some of the best fishing of the year is almost upon us! A typical half day of fishing has been producing between 20-30 fish on average and should continue through the month of May. Temperatures above that are more comfortable for those not acclimated to the cold. In an effort to find this, some bass will seek out deeper areas of the lake to live. As I mentioned early in this report, there are still plenty of fish living out deep. Cliff Pace started the first day with 10.5 pound bass first thing in the morning. During the winter they fish slow down due to cold water, then fire back up as it warms in the Spring. I mention all this because I hear about a lot of people fishing elsewhere due to Travis being low. 6,011 Readers. Fall fishing is a blast, not only can you catch them on a variety of patterns but I typically see high numbers and a larger average size fish. Paying attention to these factors, and especially the water temp helps me decide on where I want to be fishing. Focus on more gradual sloping shorelines that have rock along them, but are adjacent to deep water. Sometimes you catch two fish at once with it! If you know me you know I HATE the cold! However, this is just a ballpark figure and there are always exceptions. Its quiet, theres less boat traffic, and oftentimes I find myself in sort of a meditative state. This type of fishing is all visual. The bigger fish are still out a bit deeper in 15-30. You can catch several fish up shallow but not too many big ones. During March there are two patterns I focus on pre-spawn and spawn fishing. Until then, get out there on the water and keep fishing! Moving baits such as swimbaits and crankbaits is about to get good so keep trying those to get some good bites. Weather plays a big part of how fish behave and what baits will work better to catch them. As for the fluke, I like to rig this on an Owner twist lock hook and make long casts with it. Once water temps reach the low 60s you will find fish on beds. There are several ways I have figured out how to catch them and have produced some very big limits this way. On Lake Travis there is an abundance of bluff walls. Water clarity on Travis is generally very clear year round. Have a boat of your own? I recommend a bright color such as white since it is easier to visually see when the bass has taken the bait. 20-35 feet of water is where I have been finding the most fish. A Carolina rig, a drop shot, a deep crankbait, and a heavy Texas rig are all essentials this time of year. While not the species I normally guide for, I love catching them as theyre hard fighters and are great for clients who want to keep their catch. Keep in mind though the seasonal transition these fish make has to do with water temperature and not the date on the calendar. However, you want to let it sink and try to follow the bottom contour keeping it a few feet up off the rocks. Secondary Points This isnt to say they wont feed, but they do become more selective and less aggressive. March usually kicks off the good fishing for the year. In particular, I look for shorelines that have small rocky drop offs, or veins of rock as I refer to them. During the peak of summer the lake temperature is at its hottest, lately I have been seeing water temps in the upper 80s. This is when the bass make a migration out of deep water where they have been living during the winter. During this time of year the bass pull up shallow to feed and spawn, making them more aggressive and easier to target. Unlike some fishing guides, I offer what I call a coaching trip. Early in the mornings and late in the evenings there has been a solid topwater bite. When they move up to spawn they are very vulnerable and easier for the bass to prey upon. Currently water clarity on Lake Travis is around 4-5 feet depending on the part of the lake you're on. For some anglers this can make staying on the bottom a little tougher, this long pause helps over come this. If you are interested in booking a trip with me, visit my website via www.torwicksguidingservice.com and click that Book Online tab! Once you start seeing these temps the bass start to get more active and move up out of their deep summertime homes. Keitech, Megabass, and 6th Sense all make a great option. If the bass you are targeting are not getting fired up with the fast moving bait, slow down. We have been finding numbers up shallow as well as deep. Choose a bait according to the depth of the bank you are fishing. June marks the beginning of summer, and with the warm weather lately the fish know that! With the lake so low there is a lot of good structure at the right depth out close to the river channel on the main lake. These are typically the first areas bass move to in order to make their way to where theyll ultimately build a nest and spawn. I will typically start with a search bait such as a crankbait, then gauge their interest in it. But upon further inspection they are mostly sand and gravel, these areas generally dont hold too many fish. It is a bait I pick up selectively, throw three or four times, then set it down. Numerous things affect bass behavior, but water temperature affects the metabolism and how active/ inactive they will be. These trips are geared around education and not running my honey holes. What I find to be most important in the winter is timing when you fish based on the weather forecast. The water temperature on Lake Travis is currently around 64-66 degrees. If you can hit the fish on the head with your bait right after they jump, you will get bit almost every time. You can catch several fish up shallow but not too many big ones. My passion is fishing and I love teaching others how to fish. If the fish want structure or shade, that is where they are forced to go. Pay attention to the water temp where you are fishing as this can help you decide how you should be fishing. September is typically a transition month here in the south. You can usually see these super shallow fish blowing up in schools on the bank. This stuff will attract them really well! The backs of creeks also tend to warm up quicker than the main lake since they are not as deep. Be focused on creek channels, or the river beds at the bottom of the lake. A slow moving bait paused on the bottom makes for an easy meal. Currently water clarity on Lake Travis is around 4-5 feet depending on the part of the lake youre on. While I do not offer guided Crappie trips, there are some nice ones in Lake Travis. Until the water temps dip below 60 degrees the patterns I discussed above will be good. My next two baits are for once you have made numerous casts at the schools and are now ready to get directly over the top of them and fish vertically over them. This is why times of year like the spring are notorious for great fishing. Please check out my most recent video on fishing Lake Travis in the winter. Lake Travis has a ton of bluff walls, but not all of them are created equal. Ambush points are always good places to look, but sometimes they just relate to structure since its instinctual, not always to position themselves to feed.I approach these the same way I approach ledges as far as baits. Offshore areas such as humps on the bottom with rock, small ledges where fish can set up to ambush prey, or bluff walls with docks that provide shade are all places I have been catching fish. Not all marinas are created equal, but certain ones are holding large schools of baitfish, which attracts predator fish such as largemouth bass and white bass. Stick to natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon, or variations of those. Once Fall arrives the fishing will fire back up again since the water will cool again. 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. The Lake is HEALTHY! Lake Travis is mostly rock, so there is a large population of crawfish in the lake. It was 71 degrees across most of the lake this past week, but expect that to keep slowly going down as we get further into fall. Summertime fishing can be hit or miss for a lot of anglers, but I promise you, if you put in the time and learn how bass behave and why certain conditions make them behave a certain way, you will be more successful. A bass eggs will not hatch until the water temps are in the low 60s. Look for ledges and secondary points in anywhere from 15 to 35 feet of water. The well-known vertical speedboat at Lake Mead is now surrounded by water after the lake rose four feet in May, 2023. With this heat and warm water, the bass have been moving around and a couple new patterns are working well. A fishing report can only help you so much. This time of year can be very productive! During the winter I will pause my bait a lot longer than I normally would. Also, the timing for fishing these locations is important, as the heat will cause the fish to suspend and become inactive. Fall is just around the corner and I am already starting to get bookings that far out! Most of the bigger fish are hitting jigs, shaky heads and Carolina rigged plastics. These reports are updated each Thursday at 6:00PM with fresh info. A drop shot, a football jig, a Carolina rig, and a deep diving crank bait can be very effective. The National Weather Service reported an estimated wind gust of 65 mph in Burnet County, the highest in the area. So how should you best approach the change in seasons? Instead, I am looking for the first stretch of deep water out in front of the areas where the fish have been spawning. Bluff Walls Keitech is typically my favorite brand, but any small paddle tail swimbait in a shad color will work. Each paid report comes as a .KML file opened in Google Earth, accessible on both desktop and mobile. This is where the ned rig and the drop shot come into play. Lake Travis is still fishing a little tough this month with a few active days in between. 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 . The fishing on Lake Travis has been phenomenal the past few weeks! They move out and down the bank pretty fast. During winter I often fish deep, which on Travis can be 30-45 feet of water. Bass are instinctive creatures and will hit a fast moving bait not because they are hungry but because its in their DNA. To know if you should be looking for bed fish or be targeting pre-spawn fish, keep any eye on the water temps. 6,540 Readers. When bass are on a nest they become very territorial. On several occasions I have watched my bait fall down the screen, watch a fish move up to it on the graph, then set the hook. Texas rigged creature baits, football jigs, shakey heads and drop shots are all effective baits. During this time of year bass also tend to hang out in schools out deep. Its not uncommon though to get bit at the base of the ledge if the ledge isnt super deep. While the weather may be hot, the bite can sometimes be just as hot! Look for ledges that sit in 10-20 feet of water on top and drop off deeper. Strategy 1: Throw small baits and retrieve at an average speed. 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. A small roboworm or trick worm in something watermelon, green pumpkin, or purple is a sure fire way to put fish in the boat. Freezing temperatures over night can drop the surface of the lake several degrees, whereas a warm sunny day can do just the opposite. Keitech makes a ton of excellent colors, so stick with something that looks like a baitfish. Lake Travis Lodging Then find shallow water closest to that! Those fish may have moved out deep but they still have to eat. Lately the weather has been all over the place with cold fronts and stretches of warm weather. Understanding what is going on beneath the surface of the lake, not only with largemouth bass, but also with the other species of fish in the lake, can help you become a better angler. Lake Austin is a popular spot for boating and fishing, as it has a massive population of bass, many of which weigh over 10 lbs. However, the swimbait, which is also a moving bait, can work during the day when the wind picks up. One, this helps maintain bottom contact, and two it makes the bait easier for the fish to catch up too. As for the Texas rig, this bait is often times interchangeable with a jig. These three rigs will cover a wide array of spots on Lake Travis. They fight hard and are great table fare if youre looking to take some home. I look for banks where there isnt a super steep drop off, but I do want to find deep water (15+ feet) fairly close by. Read on to learn more about the temperatures you should look for when going for a dip and some tips on acclimating your body to cold water swimming. I prefer a ounce football jig most of the time, but on days with no wind and high barometric pressure I go to a round ball 3/8th ounce finesse jig in the same color. Consider purchasing one today! Live Webcam. The coldest month is January with an average water temperature of 56.7F / 13.7C. If you purchase one of my Honey Hole Reports and dont think it was worth your hard earned money I will gladly refund your purchase. While the bite this time of year can be a little more hit or miss, if you put in the work you can still have some very rewarding days on the water! These are the places fish will pull up to in order to stage before making a move to spawn. One key to the topwater bite is finding the right kinds of banks. A swimbait- I like to throw a 4 paddle tail swimbait rigged on a ounce lead head a lot. New for this season I am running a 2022 Phoenix 921 elite with a Mercury 300 on the back! That is still a little ways off with as hot as its been. I want to keep my bait in that 20-35 foot depth range. One other important thing to mention! If you notice the majority of your bites come on the pause, fish even slower! Check me out online at www.torwicksguidingservice.com. In other news, theres been some big changes at Torwicks Guiding Service! Lets break down these three patterns and discuss them a bit. I completely disagree! silver, white, smoke). During the fall there are two main forages the bass prefer; crawfish and threadfin shad. Lake Travis Vacation Rentals Anytime you see shallow structure in the lake such as brush, anchor blocks, or isolated rock piles, make sure to cast at those. For the most part though I stick with a drop shot, a Texas Rig, and a Carolina Rig. Visit www.torwicksguidingservice.com to book your trip. The warmest water temperature is in August with an average around 86.2F / 30.1C. You can find them hitting the surface on and off, live sonar such as Garmins Pantopix is also very useful to find these fish. Here in Austin, we are fortunate it doesnt really get that cold. Largemouth bass want to be around cover and structure, featureless bottoms like Im describing dont give them this. During the late summer some fish will move up shallower and will orient around isolated structure. For this type of fishing there are four baits that are my go-tos, but there are plenty of others that will work. Obviously there are times these arent the best places to be fishing, but for a lot of the year, especially times when fish favor deep water, these can be the ticket. Once again, these lures would be most effective when color matched to the predominate prey species in your fishery. The flutter spoon has been producing a few better bites under the schooling fish! Mammatus clouds over Crosswater Yacht Club on Lake Travis on April 28, 2023 . While the shad pattern is very popular to fish this time of year, imitating crawfish can also produce some nice fish! Lake Travis Fuel Docks Things are getting ready to bust loose! On windy days, especially when you get a drop in the barometer, I have found bass positioned suspended off the ledge willing to eat a moving bait like a crankbait or swimbait. When a thermocline is present fish will go as deep as the can without going below it. This is important because it brings cool, oxygenated water and food to the bass. Lake Travis's current water temperature is 68F Todays forecast is, Clear With a high around 87F and the low around 50F . If you follow me on social media you probably have noticed a lot of posts from Lake Travis. Cold water slows the fishs metabolism and they are less likely to feed on an erratically moving bait. If interested in booking a guided fishing trip, please visit my website www.torwicksguidingservice.com. The bass fishing on Lake Travis continues to be good! Tight lines! 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. Identifying areas close to creek channels, but up shallower are also good areas to look for fish this time of year. As for the crankbait, I like to throw mostly craw imitation colors such as red/ orange and brown. 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. 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!