Sorry guys but this fishing report is bad and a bit of a gripe session. Short version of the Lake Travis report is "ain't caught [censored]"

I have been in a major fish catching funk as of late and my confidence is so shot I can't shake the funk off! In my last 4 trips to Lak Travis I have been skunked. Whoever was in the boat with me was skunked as well. I have swapped partners, swapped who is running the trolling motor, tried deep, shallow, everything in between. Tried boat docks, bluffs, points, secondary points, spinners, rattlers, swim baits, jigs, chatterbaits, worms, baby brush hogs, just about anything and everything. I have been fishing Lake Travis since 1996, and never had a run this bad. I know it has to be me, but I cannot figure out what I am doing.

we've all been there. i generally take a page from my golf game, which also sucks, and remind myself to slow down. that seems to help.

or you can wait till post spawn when you can just about toss an empty hook and get bit

A bad day makes a good day a whole lot better. Keep fishing and good things will happen!

GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Find a clear cove. Cast a senko at fish on beds. May take 5-10 casts. This isn’t a brag, just encouragement, I caught 7 in an hr off beds the other day. If you find them, they are chewing. Keep searching if you aren’t getting bit.

I finally got the funk off a couple of days ago. I wasn't slaying them, but I did catch 4 keepers in 10 foot of water with a T-rigged Baby Brush Hawg. I have not had much luck with fishing beds in the past, but I think I finally figured that out over the weekend on a private pond. I need better glasses so I can see the fish better for one thing. Anyway, after chasing bass for about 25 years, I am starting to learn a few things about fishing the spawn that for whatever reason I never picked up on before.

Went out yesterday (3/24/21) and caught a few at a pretty good clip. Nothing to brag about, but after my major slump I am happy to be boating fish again. Saw several small ones on beds, left them alone. Was catching them in 5-10 feet of water on chartreuse worms, texas rigged, which is mostly what I do. Did catch a couple on small spinner baits from under docks in 15 feet of water. Biggest fish was probably 2.5 lbs but I didn't weigh it. My partner was fishing a dropshot with a watermelon colored fry and only had one bight, and he threw a lot with a red spinner with little success. I worked a craw colored chatterbait and a 5" Electric Blue Kalin Grub swimbait with no success and played with a white fluke on a mainlake point with no success.

Appreciate the report. I think the fish are just as confused as us fishermen!!

Last couple of trips to Travis have been productive but the fish are deep and in a weird pattern. Most of them are coming in 10-15 feet of water on slow moving spinner baits. Still seeing small fish on beds, but nothing worth trying to catch. My son caught a 18" drum today and that was a thrill for him. The skiers are back and today was very rough for boat traffic and influx of idiots on the boat ramp. Haven't caught anything bragging size, but at least putting fish in the boat!

This report is accurate, at least for mid lake south. I caught mine on a wacky senko but same depth range. I do not think the spawn is over by any stretch. Lots of empty beds but I think we are in between waves. In fact, the sun peaked out Saturday and there were new fish moving up. Currently in a funk for sure. By the end of this week it should be on fire again.

Been catching them on Spinners and soft plastics, starting to school up, yesterday I saw a ton of fish shallow, but had a hard time getting them to bite. Caught 8 in 4 hours. Felt like I was doing something wrong, but the weather was changing and the wind started blowing from the North. Tried shallow in creeks without much success, then moved to main lake points, caught one, moved to bluffs, started catching a few. I don't have panoptics, so hunting them old school as always.

Good report. What was water temp?

Went out to Travis on Monday, winds were up a bit, and fishing in a 17 foot aluminum boat with a 12v trolling motor is challenging, so I couldn't really get to the points and bluffs I wanted. Did have some success around Cypress Creek area, shallow water, with a small white spinning lure. Also caught a couple in 20 feet under boat docks. LOTS of minnows/shad swimming around! No action on topwater, but the sun kept peaking out. Water was 72-74 degrees. I think the fish were very active, but I only managed 8 in 4 hours. Only 3 keepers, nothing bragging size. My buddy went out last Thursday and destroyed them on everything he threw, fishing mostly in 20-30 foot of water. The fishing is good...you just have to be in the right spot and hold your mouth just right!

Thanks for the report. You did better than I did same day, but a bit up the lake around Briarcliff. Water temp there was around 67. I caught a few small LMB/Guadalupe on shakey head jigs and T-rigged Senko. I caught one (1) keeper size--my first this year. Long and skinny. Wind was fierce in my tin boat too.

OP many years ago I was in the same funk you were in. Trip after trip same results- anywhere from a skunk to catching a few. I finally solved my funk problem. I stopped fishing Travis. Too many other good choices. It's worth the drive to go elsewhere.

MLF BPT will be there for the next 6 days. Go follow the pros around, but not too close. I'm sure they'll get on some fish.

I appreciate that, but I have been fishing Travis for 25 years. It is where I learned to fish. I just love the lake and feel out of my element anytime I go elsewhere. It is close, and it is beautiful. It will always be "home." Headed out tomorrow morning...should be a good one!

It'll be a busy place tomorrow

Okay guys, I forgot to post my last trip out. Day one of the BPT, and it was amazing how few boats were out there. It was neat to see the pros running around, and to see how they did at the same time I was fishing. For one thing, they were not in spots where I normally fish. Nearby yes, but I did not get in anybody's way. That said, at least 75% of those guys caught fish better than I did, so I must be fishing the wrong spots lol! I have been watching a lot of the tournie on live feed since, and I have to say that they are attacking the lake different from me. They either fish it faster or slower than I do. Even when I fish slow for me it is not as slow as them, and when they start covering water, man they really cover water! Also, I am just amazed at how these guys skip under the docks. No surprise to me they break a lot off where they are throwing their lines. But...they catch more than me too. There was one point where one of the guys with a Costa wrap on his boat was on the opposite side of a cove from me and at least for that stretch I caught more than he did. I was a couple hundred yards away from him, so maybe he caught more than I noticed, but he was in teh shallow side and I was on the bluff side. I did hook a monster at one point, but never got to see it. It had to be a drum the way it ran, but it snapped me off and I am still upset about that one...the one that got away! Anyway, I ended up breaking a trolling motor cable so that ended my day. So things I will do differently after watching these pros on my favorite lake: Fish more bladed jigs, dream of being able to afford better electronics to fish offshore, crank more aggressively along the bluffs, get better at the drop shot, and when I slow down, slow down even more, and get better at skipping and pitching under these floating docks. I am thankful for the tour hitting Lake Travis, and I welcome them back ANYTIME! It has been a wonderful waste of productive hours watching these guys. One last thing...it is funny to hear them talk about how small the lake is! I don't feel like Travis is a small lake at all...but I guess I just don't get out much.

I didn't put the boat in over the weekend, but I watched some of the coverage on Saturday and just watched boats run past our place, up/down the Pedernales on Sunday. Early Saturday there were a few boats fishing up the Ped, and the ones I could see seemed to be fishing some odd spots (e.g., shallow sandy banks across from nice docks and drop-offs) and I didn't see them catch anything - that was just my direct observation. I am sure some did better. The most interesting thing was to see a few guys run up the Pedernales on Sunday, with the high current, debris and chocolate milk coming down the river. I didn't get a chance to see the coverage, but if they did well, I would be surprised. My guess is they were not in the hunt and were gambling.

I received a supply of bladed jig heads from Amazon, and decided to give them a try on Lake Travis on Thursday, 13th May. I fished from 9am-noon. Weather was overcast and cool. I didn't think to look at the lake temperature.

I started off fairly shallow with a Keitech Easy Shiner on one of the 1/4 oz bladed jig heads. I caught several in the 12-13 inch range. I then switched to a lighter jig head with 5 inch Senko and started fishing bluffs. I caught several more in the 12-13 inch range and finally the two shown in the attached photo. My buddy and I thought the larger one was at least 5 pounds, but the scale didn't lie. It was 3 lb 7 oz. The smaller one was just over 2 pounds.

All in all a pretty good day after many trips this year of nothing but dinks.

Fished Gloster Bend late morning Saturday and caught two LM. Access was difficult as the weeds are waist high. Saw two snakes and decided to fish somewhere else. Fished Turkey Bend with no luck then met up with a friend and fished his land in Lago Vista. Caught two LM there. All fish were a pound or less and caught on pearl sassy shad.
Previous weekend we fished Jones Brothers Park in Jonestown and caught two both in the two pound range. Both caught on chartreuse/white spinnerbait early morning. I like fishing here, but the $20 park fee is just too steep for me.

Went out 5/14 and did pretty well on chartreuse spinner bait. Fished from 9:30-noon Caught probably 10, with 5ish keeper size. One nice one that was a Travis 3 pounder...you know...6 pounder anywhere else. :-) Stayed on secondary points and boat docks. Fish were hanging shallow, but in deeper water. They were chasing shad of course. Going back out today, will try to remember to post this time. Gonna start in Jonestown with topwater...haven't caught a fish on topwater in quite a while, so fingers crossed!

5/21/21 - Early morning, winds were calm, lots of bass busting the shad first thing in the morning. I got bit on a clear torpedo on my first cast, but missed it somehow. Undeterred, we cast like crazy at the schools of fish. Saw carp and gar all over, thinking they must be spawning but I don't know. Fished hard for many hours as it was overcast and I just knew it was going to be a great day of fishing! Unfortunately, it was one of THOSE days that made me feel like I had no idea what I was doing. I got bit time and time again, and never landed a single fish. Most bites came on a baby brush hog near the surface, but near a bluff of some sort. I don't know, I just was off my game I guess. Crazy day indeed!

What part of the lake are you fishing? I live in Jonestown and rarely catch anything decent (over 2 pounds) from the Jonestown ramps north. Any time you want a back seat pm me!

Fished Point Venture yesterday morning. I caught three, one was just under 3lbs. As I reeled in each fish, there were several others that followed all the way to the shore. I have never experienced that before.
I caught all three in a matter of twenty minutes then that was it. All were caught on Pop R.
I wanted to fish Dink Pearson but it has been closed for quite sometime now. Anyone know why it's closed or if it will open back up?

I launch in Jonestown and fish up to Arkansas Bend, sometimes head down the lake, but usually between Sandy Creek and Arkansas Bend. Top speed is just over 30 mph on the 17' tracker with 60hp motor, so while I used to fish mostly from Arkansas Bend to Cow Creek back in the day...I can't reasonably get there these days. My good buddy owns the boat, so my schedule has to align with his. He usually prefers the backseat himself and let's me run the trolling motor. If I had my own boat, I would be happy to take you out though! Back when I had a boat I took people out all the time. I know what it is like not having a boat...and I sympathize!

How can Travis be -20.69 with all of this rain? I am aware that rain alone will not fill up a big lake but come on! Do they let it out as fast as they get it?

We have not had the much rain west of I35. The watershed has had some rain but not a ton. Several weeks ago we got good rains out west and a ~3' rise. We got almost no run off in the scattered/passing showers this go-round. LCRA appears to have been "better" about not releasing, but they still have released a good amount even while the downstream in-flows were high. I would say it makes no sense, but it does...it is, I presume, all about the money. In short, I believe they are trying to get some income off of hydro. Sure, you can do that, but, to me, that it short-sighted and should be a last resort. There are many ways to generate power, but there are not many ways to to obtain water in central Texas. A while back they were releasing when it made no sense (water was down, no future rain in sight, and no downstream demand), so I sent an inquiry to LCRA asking why they were releasing when it was clear we would need that water back in a matter of weeks or months. LCRA's answer - "Our hydrologist determined that we needed to release." My theory.... LCRA wants to keep the resource scarce to keep LCRA relevant and make the resource they control more valuable. Very few pay attention, and the others won't until there is a crisis.

"Our hydrologists determined that we needed to release." What? I would have immediately replied with "What present or upcoming events have lead to this decision?" "Our hydrologists have determined" is about as plausible as "because we wanted to."

I agree that LCRA would like to "be important" - it's how government entities thrive and grow in power. What if the DEA truly destroyed the infrastructure of the illicit drug trade? They'd have successfully made their organization obsolete. So too for LCRA - if they manage well and get the lakes full again, who needs a powerful LCRA anymore?

Almost as convincing as Flip-Flop Fauci telling you to wear a mask?

Farmers on the coast own some water rights to Colorado river water. There is a certain amount that must be relinquished regardless.

Had a good day of fishing yesterday morning on Travis. Mostly small LMB on a Texas Rig, casting up close to the bank and working it off the ledges to about 10-15'. Most bites were shallow and close to the bank, but I could not get bit on spinner baits or jigs. My partner caught a couple in 15 foot on a drop shot stick worm in green pumpkin. I did catch a nice 3.5 lb on a white swim jig along a 35' bluff. The water was super clear, it has come up a little bit, 75* where I was. All in all we caught about 15 fish in 4 hours, so we didn't light it up, but after getting skunked last time out I was happy to get bit again. One last note, I threw top water for the first hour without a single strike. I haven't caught a topwater fish in so long, and I am desperate to do so. This time of year I usually kill on topwater, but can't get it done this year. I have tried blue, chrome, white, clear, Zara Spooks, Chug Bigs, Torpedos and buzz bait. Anyway, good luck folks! Hopefully the lake gets up a few more feet this weekend. Stay safe and watch out for the pleasure boaters! Also, never forget those who have sacrificed their lives for our rights. God Bless them all!

I had pretty much the same day as Palirwin. Went to Jonestown and started at first light. Fished top water without a single strike. Changed to sassy shad and caught 10, all in the 2 lb range. Most fish were caught within 10 foot of the bank. It wasn't fast and furious, I fished until around noon. I did have a bonus catch, caught a fish with a lure attached to it.

There is that, but rice requirements are generally seasonal (I believe early and later summer are the large demands). There is a minimum flow requirement for the sake of coastal habitat. But, right now, the inflows below Austin are significant enough to supply both and then some.

I did reply and noted the seasonal trends, historical levels, etc and asked for a reasoned explanation....I am guessing you already know what type of response I received...none.

Regarding fishing, I only had a couple of hours Monday morning to test a new trolling motor and fish a little. Ended up with 5, all dinks. All five boated came off of shallow diving cranks working banks of coves up the Colorado. I had a couple of decent bites on drop shot in ~10ft of water - one wrapped me into a tree, the other didn't set. In short, typical Travis. The water up the Colorado was a little stained, but not bad. The water on the Pedernales was pretty dirty with the recent rain/flows.

If any of you boys want to do a little fishing together, pm me. I live in Jonestown but have access to the Lago ramps as well. Just moved from DFW a couple of years ago and Travis is still a dink fest to me. I'd like to learn more from folks who have spent more time on it than me.

Just sent you a PM fivebites. Went to Travis yesterday and the fish were biting well! Saw one of the coolest things I have ever seen along a bluff. There was a school of LMB feeding on minnows under a dock, and the way the water was so clear and the sun was just the right angle, I was able to sit there and watch them hunt. It was so entertaining! It was like someone threw a bunch of minnows into the tank at Bass Pro Shops! Funny thing was, I couldn't get a bite on any lure I threw at them. Still, we went up to the lake a ways and caught a LOT of fish. 3 lbs 1 oz was my best, and mostly caught them on soft plastic close to the bank but in 20 feet of water. This was my first time hitting some of my old fishing holes up there in about 20 years, and I have to say it was worth the LONG boat ride. Boat traffic made it pretty rough in the 17 foot Tracker, but I am glad we went. The fish were aggressive and active. The timing was from 1:00-5:00 in the afternoon, partly cloudy with a light breeze. Water was mostly clear and 78*. I know the size of fish on Travis are smaller than average, but DANG I love this lake! It is just my lake home regardless. Tight Lines folks!

Not sure I sent that PM correctly fivebites so let me know if you don't get it.

No sir. I'll send you one back.

I've only been on Travis a couple of times, but I really enjoy the lake. A couple of weeks ago I was there on a guided trip and we caught about 15-20 in different spots on a shad colored grub on a little jig head.
I'm usually stuck on the bank, but love living near so many great bodies of water!

Shad colored grub is always a safe bet on Travis. Not sure I am going to be able to make it out this week, but hoping for a Thursday afternoon trip.

Fished out of Gloster Bend yesterday from about noon-3. Man, it seemed hot! Water temp was just over 80* but the fish were bighting well in 15-20' of water. Caught them slow rolling a spinner bait and fishing a small worm, Texas rigged of course. :-) I really thought I could get away from the skiers on a Thursday up the lake, which I guess I did, but the jet skiers were very interested in riding around wherever I fished! I don't know why it is they seem to like to buzz my boat. Are they trying to run off the fisherman? I am sure it is just them being oblivious to how annoying it is, but sometimes it feels intentional. Anyway, caught quite a few, biggest was only about 1 1/2 lbs so nothing big. I will say that the number of minnows/shad swimming around the lake is incredible. Many years of fishing Travis and I have never seen them so thick everywhere I go. I know finding the bait helps you find the fish, but when the bait seems to be everywhere it is a chore to get them to bite what I am offering. Still, all the fish I caught yesterday were very skinny little Travis bullets. I really need to work on skipping lures under the docks. My accuracy in that technique is severely lacking!

I live in ATX and haven't fished Lake Travis a bunch but have been on a few guided trips out there with a guy name Tyler Torwick. He knows that lake like the back of his hand. He actually writes the fish reports for TWPD and the technique has been using on his website.

Is the Gloster ramp open? I thought it had to be at 668 for that ramp?

Sorry guys - been pre-occupied. So, I went out Friday (18th), got out there at sunrise, and it was very slow. Was not seeing the Shad, but plenty of sunfish/perch in the shallows. My buddy running the trolling motor was insistent on fishing super shallow and I think it ruined my confidence level. That said, I have other stuff on my mind right now too, and it was probably all just me. At any rate, I can't tell you what we should have fished, but we tried worms, brush hogs, grubs, jigs, crankbaits, spinners, topwater, any color we had, and it just wasn't working around Jonestown and Big Sandy.

In response to fivebites question, yes, Gloster is open. I am ready when you are!

In response to Average Joe - Tyler Torwick is a class act, and a fantastic guide, who does very well on Travis with his electronics and his knowledge of the lake. My buddy went with him a couple of times and his accounts of the trips were very positive and impressive, and we see Tyler on the lake often when we are out there fishing. I certainly give my thumbs up to anyone thinking about hiring him.

My buddy's boat is in the shop for annual maintenance, so I am likely off the water for a few weeks unless someone here has an empty chair on the boat. I will update you all when I get back on the lake!

Moving into the summer time patterns. Handful early shallow on cranks, 1 blow up on a top water. After the sun did its thing, moved out to deeper water on drop shot. Fished 6-9am, 20 fish, all dinks with a few 1-2 ish, and lost 1 fish probably pushing 3. Time to mow the yard and get ready for the crazys this weekend.

We have been doing well on the larger fish on the old drought brush line over the last 4 weeks. The brush line is in about 28-32 ft depending on lake fluctuations. 3/4 ounce Football jigs and c rig.

Chris D is full of IT. The "pushing 3" he lost was probably no bigger than 2.9#s, but he always likes to exaggerate!

Skeeter John is why I make sure to have a scale and offer to weigh every fish...he estimates his 1# over and mine 1# under 60% of the time every time. That said, he is still trying to find a way to estimate numbers caught, but he is so insistent on a fish counter he has a hard time running from the truth. See you tomorrow SJ

Got out yesterday afternoon for a few hours. I do not know how to catch suspended summer bass, but I tried! The lake was busy with skiers and the lake was rough, but I tried and tried, with no success. Then my buddy drug in a 21-22" beast off a ledge with a drop shot creature bait, motor oil color, in 14' of water. I couldn't believe it, because it was a relatively featureless bank, but deep water was near by and I guess he just got lucky. We beat that ledge for all it is worth after that, without a bite. Moved to a main lake cove and found a rocky outcropping and ledge, saw LOTS of fish on that area, but could not get them to bite. Moved in and out of the cove, fished worms, wacky rigs, spinners, swimmers, jigs, old favorites and tried new things. All in all, I got two fish, 1 with a shad colored fluke and one with a 5" Kalin Grub in smoke hologram color. Needless to say, it was tough fishing with very little success. I did see a lot of fish come inspect my lures, but they just wouldn't bite. Had a purple craw on for a bit and the fish would come up to it and hit it with their nose then turn around and bolt away, but they would never open their mouth. I watched this happen 3 times. (In the cove, protected from skiers and North wind) Not sure what it means, but it was frustrating, funny, and interesting. Water temp was 86-87 degrees where we were. Lots of fisherman out there yesterday!

Thanks for the update. I have not been out since the 2nd, but hoping to get out this weekend. I pulled the boat off the lift, so between the heat, traffic and generally slower bite, the motivation has been minimal to launch. I am juggling a 1000 projects, so it is nice to catch up on those too.

Re the number of fishermen, it has definitely changed with COVID and I don't see it going backwards. I felt like I didn't see too many bass boats out there in the past. Now they seem to be everywhere.

I think the fish are pickier in the summer as there's more live bait to chose from. Once winter comes they'll be eager to eat anything probably.

I went out Thursday morning 23rd July with zero expectations. I mainly fish in the area a few miles either side of the mouth of Cow Creek. The wind was pretty strong and controlling my jon boat was a challenge. After doing some work on my boat and tackle, I was on the water about 9:30 am. I fished two new patterns for me this year: transition zones around bluffs and newly created shelfs near deep water. I used Keitech Easy Minnow as a swim bait. I got three bites and only got one in the boat. The first jumped and spit out the bait; the 3rd got tangled up in some dead bushes and broke the line. The one I got in the boat was a nice bass. Unfortunately I found out my scale battery was dead, so don't have an actual weight. My estimate is a high 2 pounder or low 3 pounder. The combination of strong wind and increasing recreational traffic drove me off the lake, and I was back on the lift by 11:30 am.

I hope this thread stays alive. It's the nearest source of Lake Travis information to the old Austin Bass Fishing that I can find.

I love fishing up around Cow Creek! I just don't usually make the drive. Went out Sunday, early, around Sandy Creek, and caught a dozen dinks. Finally was able to hook some fish that I saw on sonar out in the middle of the lake. That was exciting! I screwed it up though, on both of them, before realizing what I was doing wrong. Line was 40 feet deep, and the action on my spinning rod was too light, and I didn't accommodate for all that with the hookset. I got to see one of them when he launched through the surface! Anyway, that was exciting, but I couldn't seem to get my graph to show me my lure anymore after that, and did not have any further luck. Other than that, I caught a few off ledges, two off boat docks in 30 feet of water. Nothing big. Before the sun came up there was large schools busting the surface all around me, but I was never in the right spot to get a lure to them. Lots of off shore, deep water stuff, so that seems to be where they are at. Someday I will go out with someone who can show me how to do that type of fishing properly. Went back out that night and had no luck, but the schools were crashing the surface everywhere then. Full moon so I am sure they were very spread out. Had a snake try to climb in the boat with me, and that caused some funny stories, but they are too long for this forum. Hoping to try again tomorrow morning. I got a new job that starts Monday, which is good for the income, but not good for fishing, so you guys keep posting and help me keep this thread going! I agree with JAlfred, it is fun to have a Lake Travis thread staying alive!

Got out there about 6 this morning, fished for 4 hours, caught a few small ones, but it was just one of those days. Transducer fell off, line kept breaking, and had to tension my trolling motor, so took it back to the garage and did some work on the boat. It is ready to go again, but I think I will just go to the pool instead. :-) Couldn't locate the fish offshore even before the transducer fell off, and only caught them on drop shots in 25 feet of water on ledges. Pumpkin seed color. Nothing on shad colored swim baits, no topwater, although saw some small ones busting the minnows on the surface, nothing on the spinner bait, nothing on spoons, and had one chase the fluke but it didn't swallow. I am looking forward to 6-8 weeks from now when it picks back up!

Me too! Thanks for keeping this going. I did not get the boat out this weekend, again. With the heat and short fishing windows I have opted for summer projects to clear up the fall calendar. Hopefully I can make a morning trip one day this week, and report back.

Got out for a couple of hours this morning. Now, this report won't necessarily help you catch fish, but I will at least tell you about it. Started right before sunrise, fishing a secondary bluff in a creek arm. I was using a 4" Megabass Shad colored Swim bait on a 5/8 oz megabass head. Never used this lure before, but was in Central Texas Outdoors the other day and had to give it a try. 3rd cast up towards the bank, and in about 8 feet was the first ledge. Got bit, nothing to brag about, but the bite was very soft. It just got a little heavy and I set the hook just in case. Didn't measure it, probably 12" LMB.

Right behind me, in about 60 feet of water, there was a specific spot that something kept hitting the surface. It seemed to be one fish, but it hit the same spot about every 5 minutes. After about 5 times of seeing this, I finally cast over there. Reeling my bait through, thinking, this is stupid, then all of a sudden it got a little heavy. No pop, no shake, nothing, but I set the hook and BAM! Brought in a 14" LMB. Cast to that spot for another 5 minutes and nothing so moved on down the bank.

Nothing happening for a little bit, and I decided I wanted to throw a Texas Rig. Looked in my box, figuring I would go with something beside my usual color today. Saw some greenish brown lizards that I don't know where they came from and figured what the heck. But as I reached in to grab on, I noticed under those lizards were some Baby Brush Hawgs. Now, these Hawgs were a sort of motor oil color, but they were discolored a bit by the lizards they were in the same compartment with. I thought they looked pretty cool, but decided I would dip only the arms of the brush hawg in chartreuse die. I ended up with a cool looking, kind of camoflauge with safety arms type of creature bait.

First cast, threw it up to a ledge in about 10 feet of water and let it fall. As I went to hop it the first time it felt a little heavy. I kind of waited for a second to see if it shook or if I just found a little grass. Then I noticed my line was swimming towards the deeper water! I reeled up the slack and set the hook! Brought in a nice 3+ lbs LMB! I was feeling pretty good, because that is a good fish on Lake Travis. Continued down the bank for a few more minutes and no new action. My fishing buddy had not caught anything, and he was ready to move, so we headed to the main lake.

There is a little cove that I like to fish, it isn't much, and I don't know if it even has a name, but we pulled up to the bluff just off the point going into the cove. I cast my camoflauge, custom Zoom Baby Brush Hawg up towards the bank on a 60 deep foot bluff. While casting, as the lure flew threw the air, I said out loud "Come on fish, they don't all have to be 3 lbers." I was a little short of the bank from where I intended, but It started to fall. After about 1.5 seconds my line stopped falling. I knew there was no way it hit bottom, and there are no trees on this bluff wall, so I reeled up the slack and set the hook.

It was one of those moments where you think...what did I get snagged on? Except, whatever it was started swimming deeper. FISH ON!

It started swimming straight up to the surface! I was reeling to keep up and keep tension on the line and she blew through the surface like a Berkley commercial. My heart is racing at this point because I know I have a REALLY nice bass on!

Back down she dove. I was trying to figure out the right amount of tension to get her in, but keep on her to keep her from jumping again. Suddenly she started darting for the surface again. I shoved my rod tip in the water and watched in horror as she blew through the surface another time, giving me a really good look. By now my partner is scrambling for the net and we are both as excited as 12 year olds at a peep show. I am so thankful right now that the Gamakatsu hook stayed in place.

I am making progress now, getting her closer to the boat, when she starts darting for the surface again. I just know, if she busts the surface again, I can't possibly keep her on. However, I am fishing with 8 lbs flouro line, and I don't want to horse her is, and yet she seems to be a wiley veteran fish who knows how to spit a hook. I shove my rod tip back into the water, and she is probably 12 feet away from the edge of the boat at this point. She gets close to the surface, and I guess sees the boat and dives back down. She starts pulling drag like I have never seen a LMB do. I can't believe she is doing this, but I know there are no trees or cables in this area, so I loosen my drag a little and make sure she can pull a little. Finally she is getting tired, and I am able to turn her around and start bringing her to the boat. As she gets about 6 feet away, I have the net in one hand and start to bring her in when she decides to jump again. I about have a heart attack!

By the grace of God, the hook holds again, and I bring her to the net. Now, I would love to tell you that I was cool and scooped her up in the net beautifully. Unfortunately, I looked like I had never operated a net before in my life, and I basically pushed her away with it instead. Luckily, she was out of fight, and I got her turned around again, and on the second scoop I got her in, or rather on, the net. I need a bigger net I now know.

I landed the second biggest fish (on Lake Travis anyway) career today. I have caught bigger fish in other places, but this baby had a mouth like a bucket on her. I tried to weigh her on the [censored] Berkley digital scale, but it was not working right still...I need to get a new scale. I was able to measure her at 22" length though. The size of her head was amazing to me, and her mouth was disproportionately large for her girth. I don't know what she weighed, probably like 6 lbs. Now, I know this is no lake record, but this was one of the most exciting catches of my life! Sometimes things just work out for you.

I fished about 15 more minutes without a bite, and packed it up to head home. I do have to get work done today, and the skiers were coming out. Besides, I couldn't top that story and asking for any more would just be selfish!

Cool story and congrats on a "monster" here at Travis. 6 pounders are few and far between on this son of a motherless goat!! LOL! Hurt my back pretty bad a while back and it's just not any better so started calling to make appointments with a surgeon to see what's what. If I gotta do it I don't mind it in either the heat of summer or cold of winter. Nice job!!

Nice write up and great fish! Almost has me excited enough to convert the boat back to fishing rig rather than restaurant runner/tube puller. LOL

Great story very well written. I didn't know until the end that you were going to get this Travis hog into the boat. That will definitely get me back on the lake next week in the August heat.

P, thanks for the story. Nice job!

About a year ago (8/23/20), Skeeter_John and I were fishing on Travis and I hooked what we thought was a decent fish a good ways from the boat. She surfaced quickly and we both thought it was a 5-6 or so, so we kept talking about whatever while I worked her in. She surface again closer to the boat and we got a good look -- she had some size and the adrenaline started to kick in for both of us. She made some good runs and we finally boated her. Ant 8.8# super healthy fish with good mouth and solid belly. Like you said, no lake record but a fun time none the less. Mine wasn't 8# test, but it was a 3xd with thin hooks that were bent-out. A thrill for sure. We were trying to get her back in quickly and forgot to get girth/length measurements. It sure if fun when you hit a good one on Travis.

I got out Friday ~7am-10am mainly to run the boat and scan some new areas with the lake up. Boated 7, most being shallow crank early with a few more on the drop shot in 15-30ft of water. Generally 12-14" (with a couple of guads on the smaller end).

I've been catching crappie fairly reliably all summer on a small brushpile I made. Last week a friend asked me to take him and his three visiting grandsons to my brushpile and "put them on some fish". I netted a bucket of minnows and we set out. Naturally, we didn't get a bite and the three boys (ages 5-10 years) lasted only about 2 hours.

Today, I set out bass fishing and decided to give the brushpile a quick try first. So, today, of course, the fish cooperated. I used a 1/32 oz jig with crappie bites to get 8 bites in about an hour. I landed 5, 2 came off as I lifted them into the boat, and I think the other was either a catfish or bass because my 4# test line broke fairly quickly.

Fishing in 35 feet; all bites were very close to bottom. Decided to skip bass fishing and clean the crappie for supper tonight.

Nice Crappie! Haven't caught a crappie in years, but they are my favorite to eat!
I got out this morning and caught a few on Flukes with a 1/8 oz weighted hook. Nothing bragging size. Caught one on a swim jig. All were caught on bluffs in deep water, but they all hit near the surface. Tried fishing the bottom with Texas Rig but no luck.
All in all, nice day but slow fishing today. Some jack [censored] on his wake boat decided where I was fishing was the place he HAD to be and started doing laps around me. I finally left before I chased him down and did something I shouldn't do. Why do people have to suck? I wasn't even in an area out of the wind...it just seemed so intentional. Anyway...tight lines!

Went out today to see if my back could hold up for a few hours. Put in at Lago Marina at first light and fished around the marina for about an hour. Caught 7 and missed another 6 or 7 on a spook, all under a pound and a half. Typical Travis dink fest. 2 were guads, so I'm betting the short strikes were probably small guads. Tired of catching babies so headed up river past cow creek to the first major creek north of cow, not sure of the name. Caught two on Texas rig and one on a bandit in about 10 feet. Biggest may have gone a little over 2 pounds. The jet fleas started coming out around 9:30 and I called it a day. Hey...wasn't much but at least I'm back in the boat. MRI this Wednesday...fingers crossed and say a little prayer boys!

Glad you got back out there! Always nice to put some in the boat, even when they are small. Wish I could have made it out today. Probably not going to make it this week if I had to guess.

Got out Thursday morning for a good day on the lake. The fish were not on fire, but we managed to catch them pretty regularly from sunrise until noon. Mostly on swim jigs, but some on finesse rigs in 20 feet. The big one was 21" but only weighed 3.9 according to the Berkley digital scale. Not sure I believed it, but re-weighed it a couple of times and all weights were plus or minus 2 ounces from there. Anyway, it was a good fish. Had a monster grab a fluke and strip me off under a marina where my line broke, pretty sure it was the zebra mussels on the corner that got me. It was 14lbs Abrazx but it came off clean like someone cut it. Either I had a bad spot in the line, or it was cut by the mussels. At any rate, it must have been a striper the way it took off. It gave me 5 seconds of adrenaline pumping action then 5 hours of frustration and wondering what the heck it was! All in all, it was my best day of catching in a while. I am wondering if the fall pattern is getting started, even though that doesn't make sense. Waning moon, and temps are as hot as they have been all year. Next new moon is Sept 6, and I think that will get them really going for us daytime fisherman. Do you pay attention to the moon phases?

Fished 7:15 to about 10 this morning. Wish I had more time. The Spook bite was ON! Caught 13 or 14. No giants but most were solid 2 - 2.5 pounders. For Travis that's a good day for me. Biggest was about 3.5. Dang near had to throw it in the dirt to catch em they were so shallow. The topwater bite died about 9 so I moved out to a secondary point and threw a bandit crankbait. When I pulled it off the ledge in about 6 feet the bait just got real heavy. Thought maybe I had hooked some brush for a second. NOT. Felt the line start moving and I rared back on it. GOOD striper!! Net was under my front deck and she was stripping drag like crazy as I tried to open the front box up. No go. She pulled way too hard. Ran to the back and bam, line broke...no bait...no fish. I saw her and I've never caught a huge striper, but have caught several over 12 pounds up at Texoma. Biggest I've caught was a little over 16. She was a least that big. Fish or no fish...THAT was a blast. First striper I've even seen on that lake! One of these days I'm gonna figure out how to use the GoPro I've had for nearly 3 years! LOL. Fun day.

Nice day fivebites! I went out Wednesday morning for a few hours and only managed a few small ones. It was dead calm, and the only bites we had were on ledges in 10-20 feet. Only caught like half a dozen or so, and the biggest was probably 2 lbs. Admittedly I didn't spend much time fishing near the bank because it was so calm and still. I figured there was no way they were that shallow. We need to go fishing together my friend! Sure wish you had landed that striper. I have never caught a good striper on Travis either, which is amazing with all my years fishing out there. Caught a few small ones when white bass fishing, but never a really nice one on Travis. Makes me want to go to Buchanan and chase some down.

That's the first and ONLY striper or sandbass I've ever seen in 4 years fishing this lake! LOL. I may try to go Thursday depending on this crazy wind that's supposed to be blowing in this week. Hit me up and maybe we can get out for a few hours. My back will only let me stay on the water four or five hours, so half a day is about all I can manage right now.

4-5 hours is about my max usually too. I actually went out Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Did not do much on these trips. Most fish were caught shallow, on drop shot and texas rig. The wind was a bit of a challenge, but not the worst I have fished in. I have caught thousands of white bass on Travis, but I used to go minnow dunking for them at night (and crappie). The water temp did drop 3 degrees in the lower end, so they should get feeding real soon.

Short spur of the moment trip this morning, 6:30-9:30am. 10 fish, a few dinks, a few ok, and 3#. All drop shot. Top water and shallow crank early produced nothing. Gave in and went with the DS 30 min after sunrise. 3 in the first 6 cast, lol. Shallow on rocky shoreline, with decently sharp drop off. After the sun came up, caught the rest on long points and bluffs/shade in 20-25ft.

Any of you boys up for half day at Decker tomorrow? Hit me back so I can buy a pass. Haven't been there since late spring, so not sure what the bite is like. Will be going EARLY and stay til around noon or until the back says get off the lake!

Sorry it has been a while guys. Fishing has been slowly picking up for me. Been catching several in the 2-3 lbs range, mostly on flukes fished very slowly on bluffs and around docks. It seems like the fish get into little frenzies and I will catch several in 15 minutes but then they shut down again. There is so much bait on this lake, it is incredible. The bite is light and you really have to be on your best game. Have caught a few on crankbaits and worms, but mostly it has been the fluke for me.

Fished mid lake today (5th Oct) from 7:30-10:30. Water temp 79, with light north wind. Fished 1st hour with topwater; caught 1. Gave up on topwater and went to Keitech swim bait; caught none. Finally switched to flipping 5" Senko; caught 5 in the 1-1.5 # range. As reported by Palirwin, bite was very light. It was a beautiful morning on Lake Travis.

Fished 9-2 Wednesday, caught 5 total, nothing bigger than 14"
Tried Crankbaits, swimbaits, dark, light, flukes, worms, big and small, spinnerbait, topwater when the clouds were still out early, just couldn't get bit. Talked with one nice gentleman who was about my age (okay probably 15 years older than me) but he said he had caught 12, 3 were 2-3 lbs. He was catching them all with a popper, although when I saw him he was fishing a crankbait, so I guess it slowed down for him too. Anyway, his fish, and the ones we caught, were on the mainlake bluffs.
I tried fishing shallow in Sandy Creek, tried mainlake points, nothing, tried 20 foot of water, nothing. Tried the marinas, nothing.
3 times I watched a bass chase my lure almost back to the boat but not commit. Not sure they were trying to eat it, almost like they were trying to school with it. It was weird.
Water was 76-77* and the clouds were out with the sun peaking out a little as the day went on. Very light breeze, maybe 5 mph from the south, shifted to the north for a little bit, then died. Hope you all are doing better than I am lately!!!

Got a couple hours in yesterday evening without much luck. Got a few bites, but apparently I need to replace all of my fishing line because I was broken off each time. Well, one I got up and it jumped and spit my hook, but as much as I was breaking off I was trying to not set the hook as hard, and so then I lost the fish like that. Can't win for losing! Anyway, I was getting bit mostly on a shaky head in 5 feet depths. A few other fisherman I talked with were not having great days either. Wind was brutal. I fought it for a bit on the bluffs, but gave up and moved to the creek where I was protected somewhat. I think the fish were on the bluffs better, but in a 17 foot aluminum boat, you can't hardy take 15-20 mph winds. The fish are biting, you just have to be able to get to them. What kind of fishing line are you guys using on Travis? I need something that is zebra mussel resistant and shock resistant. I have had HORRIBLE experience with Seaguar Abrazx Flouro so not doing anything Seaguar ever again. BPS Mono was what I kept breaking off yesterday, so I think that is out. I am seriously at a loss with breaking off fishing line lately.

Re flouro, you mentioned not wanting Seaguar -- I don't like Abazx, but have decent luck with InvizX. I picked-up some Googan squad flouro on sale last year (only because it was on sale for about $9) and it has been decent. Also, worming-wise I have turned more to DS than shaky or t-rig, and I think keeping the hook suspended off the rocks has helped to me to avoid a lot of the frustrations with the mussels.

I've used 8-pound Trilene XT since I began fishing Lake Travis in the early 80s. I've had very few break offs. The XT is a bit stiffer than the XL, so I have to trail it behind my boat from time to time to untwist it.

I used to fish with XT on baitcasters and XL on spinning reels, that was all I used for many years. I do like the point about drop shots, but I just haven't developed confidence in that rig yet. Although, I have watched my buddy use it successfully for a year now. At any rate guys, I no longer have access to a boat, so regrettably you won't see many updates from me anymore. If anyone wants someone for the back of their boat, please hit me up. I am happy to pay for gas and boat launch fees!

My last trip out was on Sunday and I caught a ton of fish, lost count. Caught them on crankbaits mostly, but also a 3" Kalin Grub, swimming it. I caught them on bluffs, points, and back in the creeks. It was just one of the great days where fish hit everything. I hope to meet some of you guys soon and do some fishing, and I will report here if it is on Travis, but I will fish anywhere. I really hope you guys will keep this thread alive.

I have been using P-Line Fluoroclear Mist Green for the last several years after switching from Trilene XL(XT always was stiff-line memory) I use 12lb and 15lb on bait casting and 8lb-10lb on Medium Spinning rods. Tackle Warehouse has the bulk spools...but generally I get two years out before changing it out. Personally like the feel of a hybrid/mono line and the color (mist green) I think it helps from being too visible for the fish especially in clear lakes. Just my .02 on line for clear water fishing

You have my number. Sorry you had to give up the boat, but I have one! We need to all meet up one day and have a little fun tourney. No money, just braggin rights! Or money and braggin rights!

I like the sound of that! I work harder for bragging rights than money any day of the week. Maybe next week we can get out there fivebites

Holla at me mid week. I think I'm headed to Rayburn Sat - Mon.