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630.23 ft    updated 6:00 AM

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Lake Travis Fishing Report - August 2023

Water Level: 632.42 (48.68 ft. low)

Water Temp: 88.4 degrees
After one of the hottest Summers, I can remember in Central Texas, the prolonged heat wave that’s had a grip on our area has finally let up.  It is still technically summer but the days are already getting noticeably shorter, the mornings noticeably cooler, and it won’t be long before water temperatures begin to Fall and the bite really picks up.

The ongoing drought in our area has Lake Travis 48.7 ft below full pool, which has forced Travis County to close all but one of the lakes public boat ramps.  For those of you looking for public access to the lake, there is one boat ramp open in Pace Bend Park.  It does require you to drive about a ¼ of mile on an unimproved dirt road but the ramp is good (please note there is no courtesy dock at this ramp).  
Because of the limited access to Lake Travis, I have been spending more time guiding on some of the other great lakes in our area.  The first lake I’ve been on more has been Walter E. Long, which is not far from the Austin International Airport.  This lake is loaded with Florida strain Largemouth bass, “Hybrid” Striped Bass (cross between a Striper and a White Bass) and has wide spread coverage of hydrilla and bullrush.  Summer time on this lake is historically when bass and hybrids consistently school in deep, open water.  This summer, however, has been a bit of an anomaly in that regard.  Some days they are schooling really good and other days they’re schooling but only do so in very short windows, thus making it hard to target them.  When I do want to target these fish, I’ve been throwing topwater walking baits to those fish that come up feeding close enough to the boat and stay up long enough for me to make a presentation.  The water temperature is as high as it’s going to get, so a quick cadence to your twitch seems to be working best.  I have also been throwing finesse swimbaits on a ¼ ounce jig head in natural hues.  I keep my eye on my electronics and fish the depth that I am seeing the most fish activity.  If they are up and actively feeding, I fish the swimbait just below the surface.  If they are deeper, I count down my swimbait to the target depth before beginning my retrieve.  To target fish in hydrilla and bullrush, I’ve been throwing Strike King Red Eye Shads, Chatterbaits, and Texas-rigged soft plastics.  There is no matted vegetation this year, so punching hydrilla mats is not required.
The other lake that has really turned on lately and one that I have been spending a bunch of time on is Stillhouse Hollow (about an hour north of Austin).  This is a smaller reservoir but is absolutely loaded with bass and has 100’s of acres of hydrilla.  Weights for the Tuesday Night 3x9 tournaments (3 bass limit by 9PM) hosted by Tightlines Premium Fishing Tackle in Harker Heights have been impressive.  On July 11th, John Thomson and I won with a 3 bass 17.7 lb. limit that included an 8.36 lb. kicker!!  My son, Luke, and I took 2nd place on August 8th with a 3 bass limit of 16.61 lbs.  It has been taking over 16 lbs. almost every week to win one of these tournaments, so to say this lake is on fire is an understatement!  Because of the over abundance of hydrilla on Stillhouse, finding quality fish can be and has been a challenge at times.  When the fish are active, chatter baits, square bill crankbaits, and spinnerbaits have been the most successful in locating pods of active fish in hydrilla.  When not active, Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged soft plastics worked slowly through submerged hydrilla has been productive.  Less productive but still capable of producing a big bite has been punching hydrilla mats with 1 to 1 ½ ounce tungsten weighted Texas-rigged worms and craws.
If you are going to fish Lake Travis, there are still some schooling fish first thing in the mornings around deep water marinas but the fish have been shutting off as soon as the sun gets high.  After that, target main lake points, bluff walls and deep docks with “ned” rigs, shaky head finesse worms, and drop shots. 

Tight Lines!

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