Spring is finally here and so is terrific fishing on Lake Travis as well as our other Central Texas lakes! Lately I've been on Lake Travis, Lake LBJ and Inks Lake and caught fish off beds on all three of them. Historically March and April are about the best months of fishing here in Central Texas. As water temps warm up this time of year the fish start moving to spawning areas to build nests and lay eggs. Once they wrap this up they will feed up heavily as spawning takes a toll on them. If you’ve been thinking about booking a fishing trip with Torwick’s Guiding Service, now is the perfect time.
Currently water temps are in the low 60’s and will continue to slowly increase as the days get longer and the weather gets hotter. Water clarity on Travis varies a bit, you’ll see it as clear as 5-6 foot visibility on the lower end of the lake, and as dirty as 1-2 foot visibility on the far upper end of the lake. Currently Lake Travis is about 50 feet low, so pray for rain! If we don’t get any rain before summer I fear the lake will get severely low. Not good for the health of the lake, local businesses, or people that live around here!
As of writing this we’ve been catching a lot of fish, averaging 20+ fish a trip on most days. Weather definitely plays a factor in how the fish feed, those warmer afternoons tend to be really good as the fish start moving up shallower to feed.
There are two patterns I would recommend right now; pre-spawn and spawning fish.
Pre-spawn: When bass get on pre-spawn patterns you’ll do well targeting the areas around the mouths of spawning coves. Don’t go all the way back into the coves unless you see warm enough water temps. (60+ degrees) Small swimbaits, Texas rigged creature baits, crankbaits, and drop shots are all great options. I like to utilize moving baits like swimbaits and crankbaits as “search baits” to cover more water. Once I get some bites in an area or come across a piece of structure that looks good, i.e a dock, a point, brush, etc. I’ll slow down and work it over with plastics. As you’re fishing, if you’re not catching fish don’t be afraid to keep trying new baits and move around a lot. Something I tell clients is that 90% of the fish live in 10% of the lake. Fish quickly though that dead water, but once you find where they’re stacked up work it over really well.
Spawning: During spring when water temps get above 60 degrees Largemouth bass will move to shallow protected areas to spawn. The backs of coves, behind docks, shallow spawning flats, and behind marinas are all good areas to look. Think of places that are protected from the wind and boat traffic, these are ideal areas. Here are a couple of tips for you when targeting these fish.
Polarized sunglasses: the polarization on sunglasses helps to cut the glare on the water and makes a HUGE difference in being able to see the fish. You’re looking for clean light colored spots on the bottom.
Bring a cooler: Not for keeping fish! Rather for standing on top of. I’ve seen some guides building platforms to strap to the front of the boat. I don’t go to that extreme, but I do bring my big Yeti and put it up on the bow to stand on. That elevated position makes it so much easier to spot fish on beds.
Bright colored baits: White, bubblegum, or Chartreuse colored baits make it easy to visually see when the fish bites your bait. When there is a ripple on the water or its overcast out it can be tough to see the fish eat your bait. Oftentimes I just watch my lure and when it disappears I set the hook.
Swimbaits: A lot of guys use exclusively craw style baits to pitch onto beds. While this works great, sometimes the bass are finicky. Throwing a white colored swimbait that resembles a bluegill or sunfish can be the difference in getting them to hit the lure.
The link below is to an article I wrote a few years back. I put a TON of work and information into it, if you’re really wanting to dive into catching spawning fish give it a read.
Like I said, if you want to catch a lot of fish, have a chance at a big one, and learn a lot while doing it, NOW is the best time to book. Visit my website at https://www.torwicksguidingservice.com/ for more information, rates, availability, or to reserve your trip.