My guide booking for the morning of May 25th was rained out and I couldn’t be happier. The prolonged rain event has got Lake Travis rising again, which is good news for all lake residents and anglers.

The gamefish and baitfish all get invigorated by a big influx of cooler water. The good bass fishing we’ve been experiencing should be enhanced in the coming weeks.

Lake Travis continues to churn out big bass, as evidenced by the recent Bass Champs tournament on May 18. Over 120 two-man teams competed.

These teams can only weigh-in three bass per boat, down from the previous five bass limit. This 2013 change puts a premium on catching big bass.

The winning Ft. Worth team of Dale Boren and Jody Holubek weighed in three bass totaling over 13 pounds. Their biggest bass weighed over 6 pounds.

Big bass of the tournament checked in at 7.59 pounds, barely beating a 7.52 pounder. Three other bass weighed over 6 pounds. These are big bass for the post-spawn period.

Plastic worms and grubs continue to entertain my clients with 4-hour catches averaging 25 bass. These largemouth and Guadalupe bass are concentrated in the 8 to 15 foot depth zone off rocky shorelines.

Best colors have been watermelon seed, green pumpkin, and junebug. The key is a very slow bottom crawling technique with lots of pauses. Moving the worm too fast, too far, or hopping the bait just will not produce as well.

A couple of overcast mornings produced some real fast crankbait action. A blue back chartreuse Bandit did a great job of fooling the bass.

Many bass actually swallowed the plug. That is when you know you are using the right color bait. The blue back chartreuse hue has been a long-time favorite of mine in low light conditions.

Chrome chuggers and Sammy’s are producing spurts of topwater action around sunrise. This action should improve in early June.

For updates or a guided excursion, call 512-261-3644, email achristenson1@austin.rr.com, and visit northshorebeacon.com.