Lake Travis Fishing Report - August 20162,975 Readers 
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 ranging from 87 to 89 degrees, the oxygen levels in the upper echelon of the water column are pushed significantly lower making it uncomfortable for bass to stay shallow. As a result, the majority of Lake Travis’ bass have moved deep, many of which are spending a great portion of their day suspended over river and creek channels. To make matters worse, they aren’t grouped up like they are on other lakes this time of year (e.g. Bastrop), which requires you to move around A LOT in order to put a solid limit of bass together. 5 quality bites over the course of a fishing day is a good outing this time of year. With this excessive heat, bass and other gamefish do the majority of their feeding at night and is why August is the month that I spend the most time night fishing. When I night fish, I focus on docks with lights on or near channel swings. The deeper the water nearby the better, and a dock on/near the main river channel with a submerged green light can be a gold mine. My primary bait for dock light fishing is a jigging spoon. Flutter spoons can be good also. Before you get your boat on the light, be sure to cast a crankbait, swimbait, or grub through the light. Hit the edges as well as the center area before you get to the light. Once you’re on the light, mark the fish with your electronics and drop your spoon right to them. If you don’t have electronics, drop your spoon all the way to the bottom and jig in place reeling up a few cranks every 30 seconds or so until the fish tell you what depth they’re holding. Also pay attention to what you were doing with the spoon when you got a bite and vary your jerks/twitches to let the fish tell you what they want. My typical retrieve is a short twitch of the rod tip straight up (6-12 inch movements of the rod tip). Other times a more violent stroke of the spoon is what is required to trigger a strike. Most strikes will occur on the fall so be ready to set the hook as soon as you feel the strike. All gamefish will move in to feed on the bait attracted to lights, so be prepared for anything. If you jack a Crappie on a spoon, have a crappie jig ready to go to capitalize on the school that is sure to be below. Bluegill, Sunfish, White bass, Striper, Buffalo, Largemouth, and Guads are also common visitors, so be ready for whatever the lake yields. If you’re fishing during the day, visit these same docks with lights and use the same techniques. 
Another lure that is good this time of year is the Berkley Power Worms (8 and 10”). I keep my color selection pretty simple. In clear water, I go with either Black Blue or Red Shad. Slowly drag the worm over ledges with a hard bottom that is holding bait focusing on main lake points, bluff banks, and docks. I typically don’t work the lure any deeper than 30’. By the end of September, the water temperature should begin to drop and the shallow water bite should start to pick up. Until then, “Beat the Heat and Stay Deep!” 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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