Lake Travis Fishing Report - March 20183,324 Readers  John Thomson with a 6 lb 11 oz Lake Travis Largemouth! Water Temp: 66 degrees The spawn is ON! Bass have been on beds for a month and a half now. I estimate about half of the bass population have spawned and the rest will be finished by the end of April. As a result of this, right now you can target fish in either of the 3 spawning phases (pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn). If you want to target spawning bass, tuck into your favorite cut, cove, or creek and start looking for beds. Water clarity on Travis is excellent, so it won’t take you long to find a bass locked onto his bed and ready to attack anything/everything that threatens the future of his species’ existence. Most bass that I’ve found on beds have been small buck bass (aka Lake Travis specials), but if you spend enough time, you are sure to come across a bigger male bass (up to 5 lbs.) or find both the male and the female paired up. If you find a pair and want to learn a little, post up on those fish and just watch them. It’s amazing to watch a male and female bass spawn. The way it generally works is the male moves up and fans out a clean area on the bottom of the lake. When the female is ready to spawn, she will move back into the areas that males have occupied and the male will swim out and bump her (i.e. escort) her onto the bed. The process of laying eggs doesn’t take long and the female will only stay on/near the bed for a short while (24-48 hrs.) after laying her eggs. Most times, the female will position herself just off the bed and rest after laying her eggs. Sometimes she helps guard the nest, other times she doesn’t. If you want to bed fish, it is critical to find the “sweet spot” on the bed, which is precisely where the eggs have been laid. Sometimes this is easy, other times it is very difficult. As you cast to the bed, watching the mood of the bass is very important. If he doesn’t move, he is very catchable. If he spooks off and takes a long time to come back and won’t come all the way back to the bed, I generally don’t spend any more time on him. Once you get him to stay locked on and make tight turns on your bait, it’s just a matter of time before he attacks your lure. Persistence is key. Jigs, Texas rigged plastics, flukes, and Senkos are all excellent bed fishing baits. If neither of those produce, a drop shot accurately placed on the bed usually closes the deal. Flukes, Senkos, Spinnerbaits, and Crankbaits are all producing right now for pre-spawn bass. The top water bite is also starting to pick up and should get better as bass fry begin to hatch and the shad spawn starts. April is historically a terrific top water month. Bass on Lake Travis will spawn in very deep water, so deep patterns are producing as well. I’ve been fishing in the 25-40 ft. depth zones to target these fish. Guided Fishing Trips For updates or to book a trip, give me a call at 915-217-5263 or email me at raytomasits@yahoo.com Tight Lines! Ray Tomasits - Hill Country Bass Coach  Hill Country Bass Coach (@lake_travis_guide) Instagram photos and videos! Lake Travis Fishing Report - July 2025 Water Level: 673.31 Water Temp: 83.4 degrees For as long as I've lived here, I don't remember ever getting this much rain in our watershed in July. For the first time since 202 → Lake Travis Fishing Report - March 2025 Water Level: 637.02 Water Temp: 57 degrees Main lake water temperatures are rising and are now warm enough for bass to successfully spawn. After searching for only an hour on my → Lake Travis Fishing Report - February 2025 Water Level:637.37 Water Temp: 55.5 degreesThe lake is at 637.37’ above sea level or 43.7’ below full pool. The boat ramp at Mansfield Dam Park closes at 637’. Bo → Lake Travis Fishing Report - January 2025 Water Level: 637.42 Water Temp: 58 degrees The lake is 43.5’ low and fishing great. On my last three trips this month my clients caught 18, 24, and 16 bass includ → Lake Travis Fishing Report - February 2024 Water Level: 631.77 ( 49.33 feet below flood pool ) Water Temp: 58 degrees While Lake Travis water levels are up almost a foot since last month, at just 38% capacity the lake → Lake Travis Fishing Report - August 2023 Water Level: 632.42 (48.68 ft. low) Water Temp: 88.4 degrees Austin Area Fishing ReportAfter one of the hottest Summers, I can remember in Central Texas, the prolonged heat w → Lake Travis Fishing Report - January 2023 Water Level: 639.79 (2.03 ft. high) Water Temp: 59 degrees Unseasonable warm weather has kept water temperatures higher than they normally are this time of year and the fish s → Lake Travis Fishing Report - December 2021 Water Level: 662.18 Water Temp: 65 degreesRecord high temperatures this month have kept the bass much more active and shallower than they normally are this time of year.&n → Lake Travis Fishing Report - June 2021 Water Level:665.79 Water Temp: 76 degrees The water level on Lake Travis is steadily rising from the widespread rain we had last week. This much needed rain has “recharg → Lake Travis Fishing Report - December 2020 Water Level: 659.54 ft Water Temp: 63.5 degreesSteadily dropping water temperatures have sent most bass into their Wintering holes. This time of year most of my time is bein → Lake Travis Fishing Report - July 2020 Water Level: 667.29 Water Temp: 85.0 degrees Despite record heat and higher than normal boat traffic and angling pressure, Lake Travis is still fishing really good. Early li → Lake Travis Fishing Report - March 2020 Water Level: 672.49 Water Temp: 65.0 degrees Bass are in the middle of their annual spawning ritual all over the lake right now. Targeting spawning flats in the bac → Lake Travis Fishing Report - January 2019 Todd Tebbe and his sons (from left) Erik, Will, and Wyatt with a good limit Every now and then Lake Travis surprises me with a big catfish! Water Level: 670.33 Water Temp → Lake Travis Fishing Report - December 2019 Michael Leal with a nice 3 1/2 Lake Travis bass caught during the Turnover Fozzy Whittaker with a few of the over 40 bass caught that day! Water Level: 670.27 Water → Lake Travis Fishing Report - September 2019 Water Level: 673.80 Water Temp: 84.0 degrees When the days start to get noticeably longer and water temperatures start to drop, I always start my guide trips searching shallow for bas → Lake Travis Fishing Report - July 2019 Water Level: 681.11 Water Temp: 82.0 degrees The bass on Lake Travis have moved out to their summer haunts and have settled into their summer feeding patterns. I’ve be → Lake Travis Fishing Report - April 2019 Water Level: 680.84 Water Temp: 63.0 degrees The multiple, seemingly continuous waves of cold fronts that have come through our area in March, and as late as April 1st, have kep → Lake Travis Fishing Report - December 2018 4lb Lake Travis largemouth! Water Level: 681.68 Water Temp: 59.0 degrees Recent cold fronts have cooled surface temps below 60 degrees and have pushed a lot of bass shallow where → Lake Travis Fishing Report - September 2018 4lb Lake Travis largemouth caught last week! Water Level: 655.71 Water Temp: 83.5 degrees Recent rains in the watershed have raised the lake level over a foot and has cooled the → Lake Travis Fishing Report - June 2018 Water Level: 661.80 Water Temp: 81 degrees Near record heat in May and extended drought conditions across much of Central Texas has pushed surface temps to 81 degrees and has wa → Lake Travis Fishing Report - May 2018 Water Level: 666.55 Water Temp: 72 degrees The spawn is all but done and bass have started their migration out towards their summer holes. Right now, you can catch bass both → Lake Travis Fishing Report - March 2018 John Thomson with a 6 lb 11 oz Lake Travis Largemouth! Water Level: 668.62 Water Temp: 66 degrees The spawn is ON! Bass have been on beds for a month and a half now. I → Lake Travis Fishing Report - February 2018 A chunky bass caught on a jig by Allen Codding Water Level: 668.7 Water Temp: 54.5 degrees Regardless of the frequent cold fronts in January and February, bass fishing still rema → Lake Travis Fishing Report - January 2018 Dave Kemper set his personal best record with this chunky 6lb 4 oz Lake Travis largemouth Water Level: 669.34 Water Temp: 58 degrees Recent cold fronts have cooled surface temper → Lake Travis Fishing Report - November 2017 Dave Kemper set his personal best record with this chunky 6lb 4 oz Lake Travis largemouth Water Level: 670.45 Water Temp: 71 degrees Bass are in their typical fall pattern right → Lake Travis Fishing Report - September 2017 John and Matt Thurston with a few of the more than 20 Lake Travis schoolies caught on july 30th Water Level: 671.49 Water Temp: 81 degrees The fall transition has begun. Surf → Lake Travis Fishing Report - July 2017 John and Matt Thurston with a few of the more than 20 Lake Travis "schoolies" caught on July 30th Water Level: 673.54 Water Temp: 89 degrees On July 30th, we hit our 11th straight → Lake Travis Fishing Report - May 2017 Water Level: 679.70 Water Temp: 73 degrees The spawn takes a toll on a bass. The process of laying/fertilizing eggs and then constantly protecting the bed from nest raiders burns a → Lake Travis Fishing Report - April 2017 Water Level: 681.06 Water Temp: 72 degrees Bass are in all phases right now. Some bass are done spawning, some are on beds, and some are just moving up. As such, you can really → Lake Travis Fishing Report - February 2016 Water Level: 682.07 Water Temp: 63.5 degrees Water temperatures across the lake are now consistently above the 60 degree mark and the bass have moved shallow to spawn. There has be → Lake Travis Fishing Report - February 2016 Water Level: 682.94 Water Temp: 61 degrees Recent warm weather has warmed the upper echelon of the water column above 60 degrees and has pushed some bass shallow. There is still a good deep pat → Lake Travis Fishing Report - December 2016 Water Level: 681.61Water Temp: 61 degreesDue to the lack of cold weather late this year, water temps have stayed well into the 60’s allowing typical fall fishing patterns to hold for mo → Lake Travis Fishing Report - November 2016 Water Level: 681.41Water Temp: 74 degreesFalling water temperatures means fast fall action. Bass have moved to the banks and are feeding aggressively. Shad is the primary fora → Lake Travis Fishing Report - October 2016 Water Level: 680.34Water Temp: 79 degreesThis week’s cold front dropped surface temperatures to 79 degrees and significantly improved the bass fishing. On October 22nd, I had the → Lake Travis Fishing Report - September 2016 Water Level: 680.78Water Temp: 84 degreesRecent storms and cold fronts have cooled the surface water temperature to 84 degrees and have heated up the fishing! Bass can be found shal → Lake Travis Fishing Report - August 2016 Water Level: 679.88 Water Temp: 87 degrees The heat of summer has set in and, typical for this time of year, has affected the fishing. With surface water temperatures rangin → Lake Travis Fishing Report - July 2016 Water Level: 681.02 Water Temp: 84 degrees The lake has finally been brought back to full pool and is holding steady. With steady water levels the bass have settled into th → Lake Travis Fishing Report - June 2016 Water Level: 686.45 (5.35 ft. high) Water Temp: 84 degrees With the lake at or above full pool for over 3 months, it has been a great fishing year on Lake Travis. Recent guid → Lake Travis Fishing Report - May 2016 Water Level: 683.13 (2.03 ft. high) Water Temp: 72 degrees Largemouth Bass While there may be a few stragglers out there, the majority of bass finished spawning with the last full mo → |
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