Lake Travis Fishing Report - May 2018

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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 shallow and deep. I have been focusing on schooling activity that is happening all over the lake on my recent charters. While it seems everywhere I go, especially early, I’m finding schooling bass, I’ve been finding the better fish on main river channel swings and ledges and on main lake points. Early in the morning when the fish are actively schooling, top waters have been doing most of my heavy lifting.

When you catch a bass out of a school, the general rule of thumb has always been that the size of the fish you catch is indicative of the size of the fish in that area. That rule is certainly not holding true this year. On a trip with Bill White and his son last week, we pulled up to a ledge and immediately starting catching small bass on top waters. None of the first 15 fish were over 2 lbs. We were just about to move locations when a school surfaced within casting distance of the boat. My next cast into the school produced a hefty 6 ½ lb. largemouth. 4 casts later Bill hooks and lands a 5 lb. largemouth. After a few more Lake Travis “specials,” I hook into a 4 pounder. When it was all said and done, the best five bass for our boat weighed just over 22 lbs. and were all caught on the same ledge.

When the sun gets high and/or the wind starts blowing, crankbaits, jerk baits, and swimbaits have been producing. If the schooling bite slows, I have been switching over to soft plastic worms, jigs, and drop shots to target fish that have settled on/near the bottom.

If you are in the Austin area, come out to watch some of the best bass anglers in the country compete for $100,000 on Lake Travis. Lake Travis is host this year to the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. The tournament runs from May 17-20th. Takeoff is at 6:15AM daily and weigh-ins start at 3PM at Jones Brothers Park in Jonestown, Texas. If the lake keeps fishing as well as it has for another week, we should see some big weights coming into the scales!

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

www.hcbasscoach.com