Lake Travis Fishing Report - January 2019

Our warmer than average temperatures through most of winter have kept the fish biting really well on Lake Travis.  While most fish are still deep, there are still some fish shallow and there are certain times in the day when the shallow bite is actually better than the deep bite.

When I want to target bass holding deep, I look for river and creek channels that offer 30-50 ft. of depth.  My electronics become critical in finding these fish.  If I don’t see bait and or fish, I won’t stop.  Persistence is key in the winter time.  Sometimes I’ll hit 5 or more spots before I even cast a line.

Once I find them, I’ll cycle through a number of lures to figure out what they want to eat and how they want it presented.  Carolina rigged craws and flukes are my first choice.  A ¾ oz. or 1 oz. football head jig is my second choice and my primary if I’m looking for a big bite.  If bass are holding extremely tight to the bottom, jigging spoons dead sticked 3-4 inches off the bottom can be deadly.  If they don’t bite the spoon dead-sticking it, I’ll try dropping it to the bottom and giving it short hops to try to simulate a dying shad.  If none of these techniques work and I feel like there are bass where I am fishing, I’ll go to my drop shot.  With my drop shot, I am dropping the lure straight down to fish that I can see on my sonar.  If the fish are active, they will usually hit it pretty quick.  If not, a longer soak with no movement will usually elicit a bite.

If the weather warms, especially if we get some sun in the afternoon, I will try running primary and secondary points and rock walls with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and shaky head worms.  There is usually a small window of time during the warmest part of the day when bass will move up and feed.  Timing and covering water is critical to make this work, so if you don’t get bit on your first stop, keep moving and keep casting.

If the weather stays warm, we are only weeks away from the first wave of bass moving in to spawn.  This is when the fishing really turns on and fish can be caught on beds and in pre-spawn staging areas.

I still have availability for February and some in March, so please call if you would like to book a trip! 

Ray Tomasits - Hill Country Bass Coach

www.hcbasscoach.com

Hill Country Bass Coach (@lake_travis_guide)
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