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. The further up river you go the more stained the water gets. Bring your swimsuit and jump in the lake to cool off before getting back to fishing! 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. Here in Austin we are fortunate to not have to winterize our boats, and can use them pretty much year around. Aquatic Vegetation. Personally I prefer winter fishing to summer fishing, but as water temperatures drop, the fishs metabolism slows. Secondary points are points underwater further away from a primary point, often separated by a flat. Current Situation | AustinTexas.gov Make a long cast past the school and get it down to depth before you bring it through the school of fish. A jerkbait and a swimbait on an underspin head can also be very productive. In other news, theres been some big changes at Torwicks Guiding Service! If you want to fish on a weekend I recommend booking well in advance. 1 Austin_Native_2 24 days ago For early April, you can expect the surface water temperature to be about 65. Dates for spring are filling up so get your trip booked soon with Texas Hawgs, Lake Travis is fishing good right now. I recommend getting on the water at gray light, Im talking about being launched and ready by 6AM. Today's Weather Forecast. We will cover patterning bass, understanding the current conditions, what baits to throw and why, where to look for bass deepening on seasonality, and so much more! The deeper you go the cooler the water is and the less it is prone to fluctuating with cool evenings or scorching afternoons. The fishing is good now, but the best fishing of the year is still ahead of us! If the bass you are targeting are not getting fired up with the fast moving bait, slow down. The second pattern I recommend is focusing on structure. With the clear water on Lake Travis, throwing something that looks just like what the bass are feeding on can make a big difference. 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. Bass want to build their nests in places they feel safe and protected. The late fall/winter period is here. Main lake points, drains just inside large coves, and small ledges are all places these fish will move to after spawning. Long casts, subtle movements of the bait, and lots of pauses work well when fishing this way. Look for coves that are protected from both boat traffic and the wind. As soon as a couple cold fronts roll through and you see the water temps drop several more degrees the fish will get moving! With a little less water in the lake, the end result is being able to target the fish a little easier in certain areas. You have to train yourself to move a lot this time of the year, because you can bet the fish are. When I get solo clients or groups with only two anglers weve been catching a lot of fish off beds. However, the swimbait, which is also a moving bait, can work during the day when the wind picks up. When I get younger children in the boat the trolling bite has been the ticket lately. Warmer water instinctively tells the fish that it is time to build nests and lay eggs. Bites will be subtle but typically theyll feel like one light thump. The topwater bite in the morning has been a lot of fun. I alternate between a squarebill and a medium diving crankbait. During the winter they fish slow down due to cold water, then fire back up as it warms in the Spring. To know if you should be looking for bed fish or be targeting pre-spawn fish, keep any eye on the water temps. If you dont have a boat, or would like to learn more about Lake Travis consider booking a trip with me! As the water cools you will find these shad moving from deep water, which in the case of Lake Travis will be the river channels and major creek arms. I even pour my own jigs! Stick to colors that resemble a threadfin shad, these tend to get bit the best. During slow periods, the baitfish and bass will relate to the creek channels. 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! Happy New Year and I hope to see you out on the water! 11,848 Readers. On days when we get some cloud cover and especially wind you can catch a lot of fish throwing crankbaits, swimbaits, and Alabama rigs. Jun 30, 2009. Once you have located an area with fish, I recommend either fishing very very slow, or rather quickly. Evenings With this colder water you can expect the bass in Lake Travis to be a little more lethargic and tougher to catch. Areas of structure such as rock piles, small ledges, or grass not far from the shallow areas I described early, will hold fish. 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. That considered, its important to focus on offshore locations near deep water access, where fish can access cool water. Thus, in middle of the Summer you need deep, cool oxygen rich water that carries a substantial food base. If you are looking to up your game I would love to be your fishing coach! I mostly stick to crawfish patters, browns, oranges, and reds are all very good colors. Jun 28, 2009. 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. 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. September is typically a transition month here in the south. This is where the female bass will move to in order to spawn with the male bass. Lake Austin's water temperature & fishing - LakeMonster.com Finding where there are ledges and drop offs along these bluff walls has been one of the best ways to target these fish. The fishing on Lake Travis has been exceptional the past month! Purchase a Honey Hole Report Its no secret the tournament was won on surface baits (see video). Give it a watch! Bass will also move to cover; look for deep boat docks and staircases. I recommend looking for coves and flats that are out of the wind and away from boat traffic. Fishing Lake Austin - Texas Go with as light of a weight as you can and still feel the bottom. During these periods of the day you can find bass patrolling marinas that sit over deep water. Lake Travis Fishing Guides 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. 6,541 Readers. With this report you even get the exact GPS coordinates of where I recommend you fish! In the past I would wait until the fish jumped to start casting. 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. With that winter storm bringing abnormally low air temps and lots of ice and snow, that has delayed this. Also, it provides an opportunity for fish to suspend over deep water in a secure environment. . Lake Travis's current water temperature is 68F Todays forecast is, Clear With a high around 87F and the low around 50F . I have noticed the fish relating to the deep sloped chunk rock banks as the lake level creeps down. As the fall months near the fishing will continue to be stellar! In my opinion, its a waste of time. Central heat wave blamed for at least 4 deaths. When it comes to pre-spawn bass there are a lot of lures you can throw, but I will limit it to my top three baits: a Medium diving crankbait, a jerkbait, and an Alabama Rig. I recommend upping your weight if need be in order to maintain that bottom contact. Then find shallow water closest to that! When they move up to spawn they are very vulnerable and easier for the bass to prey upon. Look for areas up shallower where there is deep water nearby. Please note, the tide times given are not suitable for navigational purposes. During the fall there are several baits I always keep tied on, but to keep this short I will focus on three main baits. Get out there and catch a few! I hope these tips help you catch more fish! There is no central/single point of access. Feel free to reach out to me ! Stay cool and tight lines! Areas getting hit by the wind are usually the best. Fishing around the right lighted docks can result in good numbers of fish being put in the boat. Lake Travis Water Levels Are Way Down Due To Drought. Changes in water flow and temperature can also impact growth rates, so the City and TPWD will continue to monitor Lake Austin vegetation and implement control efforts as needed. I look for steep banks, but not sheer cliffs. Largemouth Bass are going to start moving up into coves to continue feeding on baitfish. Lake Travis Test Station | Weather - University of Texas at Austin I recommend rigging up a ounce jig in a brown or green pumpkin color and working banks with large rock. As for schooling fish, certain deep water marinas on the lake have been holding large schools of largemouth and white bass. (i.e. Whilst sea temperatures for Lake Travis are as accurate as current data allows, there may be slight local and regional variations depending on conditions. Long casts with this style bait, covering lots of water, are very effective. As water temperatures increase, you will find a change in the fishs behavior. 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! Small 3-4 inch swimbaits or Alabama rigs rigged with the same swimbaits are a staple of mine on Lake Travis this time of year. Overall, the climate of the Lake Travis and Lake Austin area is temperate with mild winters and relatively low humidity. If you intend to stay in the water for a while a thin shorty wetsuit will suffice. Knowing how to determine when a thermocline is present is something I cover during my guided trips. You are getting these fish to react to it. Once you determine these factors, you can select a presentation to suit the specific situation. Once they go back down you are kind of just blind casting. You might give one of these a try this month for some good results. 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. Happy New Year everyone! Strategy 1: Throw small baits and retrieve at an average speed. So expect to find fish up inside your favorite large coves. These fish will move on you when you find them, so if you dont get bit after 10 minutes of fishing, graph them again. At this point in the season, you shouldnt be looking in the creeks at all. Predator species like bass will move into the coves to follow their food source. 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. Lets break down these three patterns and discuss them a bit. During increased periods of activity they will move onto the point or flat. On those calm days I tend to slow down a bit, however a crankbait can still be very productive. Also check out the background, notice how the bank is all rock? A green pumpkin Zoom baby brush hog is an excellent choice right now. During the hottest months of the year the bass go deep to offshore points, humps, ledges, marinas and bluff walls. On days when we have weather moving through or some cloud cover, that deep crank bait can work well to fire up a school of hungry bass! 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. Its the same underwater this is what I am referring to, so look for this type of bank! Once Fall arrives the fishing will fire back up again since the water will cool again. Be dynamic this time of year. If you notice the majority of your bites come on the pause, fish even slower! Look for places you could imagine a bass concealing themselves in preparation to ambush a baitfish. Just because the weather is a little cooler and a little more unpredictable, does not mean you shouldnt get out there and go fishing! Also, the timing for fishing these locations is important, as the heat will cause the fish to suspend and become inactive. These feeding windows are often short lived, so dont waste time taking selfies, measuring the fish, or Face Timing your fishing buddies, get back to fishing! Deep diving crankbaits can be good during warm fronts accompanied by either cloud cover or wind. Hot water holds less dissolved oxygen and is also less appealing to largemouth bass, they would prefer cooler temps. TIMELAPSE: A look at the history of 'Sometimes Island' on Lake Travis 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. For more information about my Coaching Trips please visit my website. Winter is my slower season and I have more open dates. Make long casts with the swimbait around cover and work it over any drop offs you find underwater. Best Lake Travis Parks. With that said you typically dont start seeing fish actually on nests until the very end of February. Lately I have been finding a lot of fish in that 20-40 foot depth range. 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. 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. 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! If you dont have one of these graphs yet give me a shout and I will help you get set up through Mealey Marine. A Heddon Zara Spook- A bone colored spook is one of my favorite topwater baits. 6,771 Readers. Something new this year I am offering are what I call my Honey Hole Reports, these paid fishing reports are much different than the reports you can find here. Theres nothing better to get clients excited than when the bass are literally jumping in front of you! They can still find your lure, but I find it makes them a little less discerning and more likely to attach a fast flashy moving bait like an Umbrella Rig. Spring is right around the corner! 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. I am focused on water in the 10-15 ft depth range. 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. When you think you are fishing slow enough, fish slower! Zara spooks, buzz baits, and poppers just to name a few. Water temperature is one of the biggest factors in understanding how bass behave and where they go throughout the year. Each paid report comes as a .KML file opened in Google Earth, accessible on both desktop and mobile. They move from creek channel to flat, and back to creek channel, constantly. PHOTOS: Hail, severe storms hit Central Texas, Hill Country April 28 With that said everyday more and more fish are pulling up into their spawning areas to make nests and spawn. The fish are post-spawn at this point so they will be making their way back out to the main lake and feeding up. https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/honeyholes. The backs of coves will stay slightly warmer than the deep part of the main lake. Now is a great time to book a trip! From year to year your favorite honey hole could be high and dry, or 30 feet underwater! Watch your line to make sure you are maintaining bottom contact, especially when you get down deep with the bait. Winter is definitely here and the fish in Lake Travis know it too! Well, there are several things I like to throw, but lets go with my top three. Jul 1, 2009. Coves will be an important place to look for the next few weeks until winter really sets in. ARL:UT Lake Travis Test Station Real-Time Weather Data Lake Travis Test Station 04/30/2023 01:55:00 PM Look for bluffs with docks as the bass will oftentimes hangout under or around them for the shade. Consider purchasing one today! Fall is just around the corner and I am already starting to get bookings that far out! During the late summer some fish will move up shallower and will orient around isolated structure. A slower retrieve with your baits such as the drop shot or jig will work best on those hot days when the bite is slower. Make long casts up forward of your boat and get close to the shoreline. The last bait I recommend is an underspin. 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. 3700 Lake Austin Blvd. A good starting depth range for an average water clarity could be a break from 15 to 25 ft. 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. When guiding I want everyone to have fun and be fishing. As I mentioned earlier the bass are very much in their typical winter time pattern right now. Also, we have been getting into a lot of White Bass. Long accurate casts are the key to catching these fish. Here in Austin, we are fortunate it doesnt really get that cold. If you are looking for a fishing guide in Austin, TX, especially on Lake Travis give me a call or feel free to book online, I would love to get you out on the water! I tend to find them suspended 10-20 feet under the docks in the shade. If interested in booking a guided fishing trip, please visit my website www.torwicksguidingservice.com. A craw colored crankbait, a jig, or a Texas rigged plastic can all be great ways to target these fish. 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. This time of year I will focus on points and ledges close to the mouth of coves. I have seen water clarity as good at 12 feet on the lower end. With that said, I would expect to see pre-spawn fish getting active within a week or two unless a cold front comes through. These bass are there guarding their eggs, and fish like sunfish and bluegill love to eat their eggs! 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. Not every deep spot like this is loaded with fish, but when you find the right one they can be loaded. If they are higher up off the bottom, the deep crank can work well to get the school fired up. Jul 1, 2009. When bass are suspended the $10,000 worth of fishing electronics I have my boat rigged up with are crucial. www.torwicksguidingservice.com. In my previous report we discussed how the fish will move back into the coves to follow their food source of shad. While not our target species theyre a blast to catch! When fishing it I prefer a medium speed retrieve but I stop and start the bait a lot as well as very the retrieve by speeding up and slowing it down often keep the retrieve erratic and avoid just reeling it in over and over again at the same speed. There is write up on there I did last year covering this its a long read, but well worth it! Weve definitely noticed that the bite is better near the lower end of the reservoir, meaning closer to the dam. With all the recent rain expect some areas to be slightly more stained and more debris in the water. Best Lake Travis Lakeside Restaurants I recommend targeting the mouths of spawning coves. With that said, focusing on the 10-20 foot depth range has been the most productive. Everybody is saying this, but I rarely see anyone explain why the bass do this. Some fish will stay out deep offshore in their typical summertime homes, while others will make a transition and move. Keep in mind during this time the fish are not focused on feeding, rather they become very territorial of their bed. Lastly, fishing offshore bottom contours such as secondary points, ledges, and creek channel drop offs are good places to look for fish. As of this report though, we finally have our first real cold front. There are more of these below the water line, and this is where the fish congregate. I guarantee that this alone will be worth the price of a guided trip! You can catch some fish on topwaters using a walking bait like a spook throwing over trees in 5-12 foot of water and over and near rock piles or cliffs to get some good bites. Winds are out of the SSE at 8mph, with wind gusts of 17mph. When bass are on a nest they become very territorial. Lake Travis water temperatures climbing near 70 degrees mean the fish have made their move out of the depths to the clear flats and shallows of Lake Travis. An Alabama rig is my go to bait for this type of situation. Waterborne Gradient Self-potential, Temperature, and - USGS As the "Crown Jewel" of the Central Texas Highland Lakes, Lake Travis is THE most visited freshwater recreational vacation destination in the state. During March there are two patterns I focus on pre-spawn and spawn fishing. For these baits stick to natural colors like green pumpkin or watermelon. It was a very subtle bite today but a lot of fun! 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.