With the heat of the summer starting to fade, the fish are starting to bite! Over the past few weeks I have solely focused my attention on Lake Travis and boy has Lake Travis produced.
I’ve been going for the top water bite in the morning and man it’s been hot. I’m targeting depths of 6-10 feet on gradual sloping banks, with plenty of cover and trying to avoid bluff walls. The more cover you can find the better for example stumps, trees, grass, boulders etc.
Bass are ambush predators, so keep that in mind when scoping out a fishing spot. There are plenty of banks that will set up right but lack crucial elements.
- 6-10 foot of water,
- a gradual sloping bank and plenty of cover
Throwing a whopper plopper has been my go to, but I’ve also had success on walking baits. You might consider running a little square bill through these areas. Bouncing them off rocks or running them over grass has been very effective as well.
Once the top water bite begins to fade, I’ve been switching to medium diving crankbaits like the Strike King 3XD in a craw color and if you don’t try anything you’ve read this far, trust me, you want to give this one a try. When I tell you I’ve caught 20-30 bass in one area in about 30 minutes, I’m not exaggerating. I am truly blown away with how much success I’ve had on the 3XD.
Another crank bait that has done well is the Rapala DT-8 in a shad color. Even though The Strike King 3-XD out performed the DT-8, it’s definitely still worth having on the deck.
I’ve found my success throwing these baits around chunk rock in 15-20 feet of water, with the bass usually at around 10 feet.
How you retrieve these crank baits is crucial to your success. Most people will go with a plain old
straight retrieve. I’m not saying this won’t work but to maximize your success there are a few
small changes you can make. For instance, stop and go multiple times in your retrieve. This can create a reaction strike from the fish that is following your bait rather than that same fish following it all the way to the boat and ultimately being spooked.. Another tip is to allow your crank bait to “beat the bottom” meaning your bait is hitting the bottom and kicking up mud or gravel. This gets the attention of the fish in the area and can be an effective way to get a strike.
Later in the morning, if you notice you’re not getting bit on moving baits, it’s time to slow down and finesse those fish.
Some people hate finesse fishing but I love it! Here are some of my go to finesse baits for Lake Travis. I prefer to throw a Texas rig if possible, specifically a baby brush hog in watermelon red. All of my soft plastic baits have red flakes right now due to the bass feeding on crawfish. When throwing a Texas rig or ned rig, it’s important to focus on cover such as rock piles, trees, and my favorite…chunk rock. Crawfish love hiding in chunk rock so a texas rig or ned rig works perfectly.
I hope this report for Lake Travis helps you on your next fishing adventure! If you are interested in seeing exactly where I fish and how I locate fish you can book a guided bass fishing trip at anfguide.com or call me at 512-750-9295
