Once the sun comes up and the morning bite slows, I like to back off the bank. I recommend a 3.5 or 4 inch paddle tail swimbait rigged on a ounce lead head. For the most part though I stick with a drop shot, a Texas Rig, and a Carolina Rig. While they may not be locked on bed at this time, they will hover in and out of the areas which they will be spawning in. I recommend starting at the mouths of coves and working your way inside. If you can hit the fish on the head with your bait right after they jump, you will get bit almost every time. My focus is to keep them busy catching fish, learning about what we are doing, and engage them to prevent them from getting bored or fussy. We get far more bites using compact baits, especially when the fish arent extremely active. In these areas I select a bait that will stay above it and avoid fouling up the hooks. If you are looking to learn the lake better and would like to get out with a professional fishing guide, please visit my website for more information on booking a trip. Beating the bank gets tougher as many of these shallow fish have moved, and you really have to work for every bite. The Lake is HEALTHY! Winter fishing, if you read last months report this will be quite similar. There are a variety of baits I throw but especially jigs, dropshots, ned rigs, and neko rigs. If you notice the majority of your bites come on the pause, fish even slower! February is broken up into two main patterns, winter fishing and pre-spawn fishing. That considered, its important to focus on offshore locations near deep water access, where fish can access cool water. If you are new to Lake Travis and want to learn to fish the lake more effectively, consider booking a trip with me! On cold bluebird sky days you really need to force yourself to slow down and give your bait long pauses. Spring is here and the fishing on Lake Travis has been fantastic. All fishing trips include rods, reels, tackle, and a cooler of cold bottled waters. 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. Coves with creek channel bends, or banks with rocky veins and drop offs will be a good place to start your search for bass. Good luck and may the best angler win! I also offer electronics coaching and will round out the last hour of the trip going over how to more effectively use your graphs. Whereas if most of your bites come when you are actively moving the bait, you can pause less and fish a bit faster when in doubt fish slow though. Its about to be a great time to get out and on some nice fish. Areas of structure such as rock piles, small ledges, or grass not far from the shallow areas I described early, will hold fish. Slow down and dont over work it. Everyday Im on the water I am refining the patterns that are working to put fish in the boat. Look for fish busting on the surface to give away their location. Water clarity on Travis is generally very clear year round. Bass are instinctive creatures and will hit a fast moving bait not because they are hungry but because its in their DNA. Pick your days wisely and you can do very well out there on the water. Big fish have greater metabolic needs and leave nursery type areas to follow oxygen saturation and open water forage. Crankbaits are excellent search baits to cover a lot of water. Until then, get out there on the water and keep fishing! However I rig this differently than I normally would. As I mentioned earlier the bass are very much in their typical winter time pattern right now. Pre-spawn Fish April is an excellent month to fish on Lake Travis! If the water appears to be more stained move shallower. Torwicks Guiding Service, Tyler Torwick. Small paddle tail swimbaits, casting spoons, and topwater baits can be effective in targeting these fish. Lake Travis is Central Texas' largest water storage reservoir, holding over three hundred billion gallons. On days when we have some wind and cloud cover you can catch fish on moving baits like spinner baits and topwaters. Recently I have seen water temps as low as 61 degrees first thing in the morning. Both of these lures can be very effective this time of year. Overall, the climate of the Lake Travis and Lake Austin area is temperate with mild winters and relatively low humidity. 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. With the end of summer approaching the patterns us anglers are focusing on will start to change. A Storm Wiggle Wart in brown craw is one of my favorite baits, but there are tons of great options out there. My answer is always the same spring and fall. While you can get bit doing some of those things at the moment, thats not the main way I am fishing. Lake Travis water levels way down. I have a couple dates still open in May so dont procrastinate! 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! Instead, we have been targeting grass edges and shallow sloping rocky banks close to spawning areas. Lake Travis Test Station | Weather (utexas.edu) Public Boat Ramp Information Water Recreation and Safety TPWD Weekly Fishing Reports Water Quality 1996 - 2023 - Lower Colorado River Authority Areas where there are small drops offs that allow fish to sit at the base of them waiting to ambush prey are even better. I will typically start with a search bait such as a crankbait, then gauge their interest in it. When they are not on the surface, make long casts and let your bait sink 8-12 feet deep before beginning your retrieve. NOAA weather radar, satellite and synoptic charts. (i.e. Often times when the bass strikes your bait it is very quick and they usually spit it back out. But honestly my favorite fishing comes in April when the shad spawn. When starting your search for deep summertime bass try targeting areas 20-40 feet deep, there is no need to look deeper unless there is no thermocline present. I recommend fishing deep secondary points, ledges, and the middle of creek channels. As the "Crown Jewel" of the Central Texas Highland Lakes, Lake Travis is THE most visited freshwater recreational vacation destination in the state. 20-35 feet of water is where I have been finding the most fish. Pair this up with a ounce lead head and fish it slowly just over the bottom. January in Central Texas can actually bring some very good fishing! It is common for the bass to pick up and bite you lure very quickly, then spit it back out. This is the time of year when the water temps start dropping from their summertime highs and some fish start moving up more shallow. I divulge everything I have been doing that week with my paid clients during my guide trips. It is 63.75 miles in length, 4.50 miles wide, encompasses 271 miles of shoreline and covers 18,929 acres. It is very light, but that little bit of lead helps it cast far. Spring is right around the corner! Most people will be OK with just bathers / swimming costume at this temperature. If you follow me on social media you probably have noticed a lot of posts from Lake Travis. In most of the country December means winter fishing. Report. In the past I would wait until the fish jumped to start casting. Truthfully there is no such thing as fishing too slow in the winter. 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! I mean isnt Lake Travis made up mostly of rock yes and no. Fall is notorious for being a time to mimic open water bait fish. A Texas rig with a creature bait and a pegged weight can work very well for making accurate pitches at a bed. My favorite baits this time of year are rattle traps and mid to shallow running crank baits, during periods of wind or cloud cover. While its still early in the fall, spend most of your time at the mouth of the coves all the way to about half way back. Days with no wind, high barometric pressure and sunny skies will make fish move a little deeper and hold tight to cover. This type of transition is the first area deep schools of bait fish will pull up from, moving out of the creek channel toward shallower water. If you dont have one of these graphs yet give me a shout and I will help you get set up through Mealey Marine. If you do not feel it was worth your hard earned money I will gladly refund your money. Finesse jigs, shakey heads and drop shots are also baits I will have tied on this time of year, especially on those days the fish are being a bit finicky and want something small and slow moving presented to them. 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. 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. Identifying areas close to creek channels, but up shallower are also good areas to look for fish this time of year. For this I like to fish it on a bait casting setup in order to use heavier line and have more control when I pitch this bait into the fishs nest. Pictured below is a healthy Lake Travis bass caught on an a-rig on a deep ledge in February. 2. During the summer months the bass take advantage of the cooler temps in the early morning and late evening. Summer conditions are still here and will be for at least the next month or two. Make long casts and use a slower retrieve. 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. Cooler water temps tell the fishs biological clock that winter is approaching and that its time to start fattening up. When bass spawn varies slightly year-to-year depending on if we have a warm winter or not. When they are more lethargic I like to drop a small fluke on a drop shot down to them. Tip: a Donkey Rig is a rig with two separate flukes on it, this is a fun way to fish this bait and make it look like a small school of bait fish. Understanding their environment and how the conditions affect the fish makes them more predictable. If you luck out and get on the lake when there is little wind, bed fishing is a blast since you can see the fish very easily. You can find them hitting the surface on and off, live sonar such as Garmins Pantopix is also very useful to find these fish. Fish will not bee line it back into the coves, they will move to the mouths of the coves and stage before actually building a nest. The good news is the water temperature should be warm enough for comfortable swimming. That is a high percentage spot for those fish to pull up on. Water temps throughout the winter have been cold. When fishing the shoreline pay attention to the angle of the bank and what the bank is made up of. These arent community holes, these are spots I am catching fish with paid clients. Something new I am offering on my website is what I call Honey Hole Reports. Lake Austin's current water temperature is 62F Todays forecast is, Clear With a high around 92F and the low around 51F. 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. Lee Benton Fishing Guides Austin. Lets start off with our bottom baits. I recommend this style hook as opposed to a lead head in order to prevent snags. They also go into extreme detail telling you what baits to throw, what colors to throw, how to position your boat, what conditions to look for etc. You may see a brief feeding window open up during periods of increased wind or temporary cloud cover. A Carolina rig, a drop shot, a deep crankbait, and a heavy Texas rig are all essentials this time of year. During the Spring months bass tend to feed heavily on fin bait. 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. When the fish get in pre-spawn mode, I recommend looking for main lake points and the areas directly adjacent to that point. In my experience it throws off the bite and makes it a little tougher. That is the fish that make their home on the main lake. This is why times of year like the spring are notorious for great fishing. A typical half day of fishing has been producing between 20-30 fish on average and should continue through the month of May. Ned rigs and drop shots are a staple on Lake Travis. Pro tip: if the fish is being finicky and not biting the bait but is expressing interest in it us a scent. Lake Travis Water Levels Are Way Down Due To Drought. During the peak of summer the lake temperature is at its hottest, lately I have been seeing water temps in the upper 80s. When scouting I recommend utilizing tools like the Navionics web app or Google Earth to find new areas like this. The average number of fish caught per trip has been exceptional lately. On days with no clouds and no wind you have to really fish a little stealthier and slow down your presentation. I can literally pan the transducer around and see exactly where the schools have moved to in order to make a more accurate cast. Weve definitely noticed that the bite is better near the lower end of the reservoir, meaning closer to the dam. During the summer most of my focus is out deep. I mainly throw my moving baits, like crankbaits and top waters, in the mornings and evenings. There are three types of offshore/ deep structure I look for, ledges, secondary points, and bluff walls with docks. There are still a few fish on beds and they should be done after this next full moon. 6,771 Readers. This is the first time seeing the lake so low for a lot of Austins new residents, so get out there and fish it! Make a long cast past the school and get it down to depth before you bring it through the school of fish. I have been catching bass off both fall and winter patterns. During this phase of the spawn they make a migration from their winter deep water homes, to areas close to spawning coves and flats. Some fish will stay out deep offshore in their typical summertime homes, while others will make a transition and move. Does Travis County rent boats, sailboats or jet skis? Lake Travis Boat Club for long-term or short-term use during your stay on Lake Travis. 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. Lets discuss both! Current weather 15C / 58F (clear sky) Wind 13 mph Humidity 65% Seventy is a magical number on Lake Travis as that is the temperature needed for the shad to begin their spawn. 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. During the fall, weather plays a huge role in how I fish and what baits I tie on. You can catch several fish up shallow but not too many big ones. I hope these tips help you catch more fish! The second pattern I recommend is slowing down and fishing a Texas rigged plastic craw. Next time you are out fishing Lake Travis give these three patterns a try! During the fall there are several baits I always keep tied on, but to keep this short I will focus on three main baits. As I mentioned early in this report, there are still plenty of fish living out deep. A wacky rigged bubblegum colored trick worm is my favorite bait for this. If you know anything at all about Lake Travis then you know the lake is quite low right now. I should note, I also throw this bait a lot in red and orange as well, to imitate crawfish. This past week I have fished both the upper and lower end of Lake Travis. When there is wind I like o throw these baits, especially the A rig. There are many areas on Lake Travis that you can see 25 ft down (to the bottom) and this really affects how fish are caught now and in the coming months. They fight hard and are great table fare if youre looking to take some home. April is a busy month at Torwicks Guiding Service, but I do have a couple dates open towards the end of the month! Lately I have been finding a lot of fish in that 20-40 foot depth range. This is by far the best time of year to fish. We have been getting quality bites fishing carolina rigged lizards and stick baits. 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. In this report well discuss both what the fish are currently doing as well as what they will be doing. 6,013 Readers. With the swings in water temps come different patterns the fish get on. Now is a great time to book a trip! 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. Water temperatures are currently between 67-69 degrees, but with temps forecasted in the 80s all next week I expect to see temps finally get over 70. If you would like to get out on the water or learn how to fish the lake more effectively give me a call or book online via my website! Carolina rigs with a 4 leader have been good in the late afternoon. Not that you cant catch them, but you have to work hard for them. There is still some top water action but not near the constituency of the past few months. Look for hard targets like stumps and or boulders, with sand and gravel nearby. For the shaky head worm, I am using a 4 zoom finesse worm in green pumpkin. A crankbait is one of my favorite ways to catch bass in the fall. 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. Quick, accurate casts into the schools of bass hitting the surface are key to getting bit. During high sun, we am focusing on docks and walkways that provide shade. Strategy 2 requires a stable weather pattern, and cold fronts will limit you to Strategy 1.
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