Lake Travis is FULL! - July 27, 2026 - Lake Travis Fishing Report (Austin, TX)

Lake Travis is FULL! I can hardly believe I am typing that sentence, its has been a very long time since I have seen Lake Travis completely full. Lake Travis is considered "full" at 681 MSL, with the recent rains the lake actually made it all the way up to 684 MSL which is in the flood pool. Fortunately we got lucky and that's as high as the lake got.... too high and some of the low lying homes built around the lake can flood. In addition to the lake being full the lake is fully open to boating and fishing. There was a temporary closure on a section of the lake, but that has been lifted. I have personally been on the lake almost everyday lately (not Mondays... if you've wondered why there are no Mondays available on my calendar, that's because that's my day to stay home with the baby since my wife has to be in office that day... I've got dad duties now!) I can tell you first hand the lake is not only beautiful right now, but safe to run. I have had no issues with any large debris posing a safety issue in terms of navigation.

So what does this mean for the bass fishing? Obviously when the lake comes up any significant amount it is going to have an impact on what the fish are doing, where they are living, and the patterns that are working to catch them. Let's talk about it!

Currently the lake is at 681 msl, water temps are around 84-91 degree F depending on time of day and what part of the lake you are on, and water clarity is around 2-6 feet. (Clarity varies a lot depending on what end of the lake you are fishing. Surprisingly the water clarity stayed very good even with all the flooding, even the mid section of the lake around mile marker 24 was fine.)

There are two main patterns I would recommend you focus on if you are getting out there fishing on your own. Fishing shallow flooded brush and fishing out deep offshore in 25-40 feet of water. When the lake comes back up the bass have a TON of new habitat to get up in and hunt. When this happens you can have some good shallow fishing, but at first I find the fish tend to be spread out. Over time though they will start to school up and you will find key areas holding more fish than others. At first the bites can seem random, but pay attention to everything that went into that bite in order to quickly pattern them. Depth, the kind of brush you're fishing, location in relation to the main lake, bait fish in the area, etc. Cover water and keep moving until you get a bite, then slow down and work that area over better.

Shallow Fishing

Probably the most fun part of a lake coming back up after a long drought is all the newly flooded brush. There is a myriad of baits you can throw, but I'll give you a couple suggestions that are rigged up on my rod locker.

-Frog: a topwater frog is arguably one of the most fun baits you can throw. I recommend a popping frog and throw it up into the hardest to get to spots up inside the brush. I would only throw this bait for about the first hour of daylight or an hour before sunset.

-Spinnerbait: A white and chartreuse spinnerbait has been working well. I like a 3/8th ounce 6th Sense Divine Spinnerbait in shad pro, a trailer is optional.

-Swimbait: A paddletail swimbait such as a 6th Sense Whale paired with a keel weighted hook, especially one with an underspin such as a flashy swimmer hook is another great weedless option. Slow roll this bait through lanes in the brush, going slow enough to let it sink out and bump into the brush as you reel it back. For colors I either throw a shad pattern like Pro Blue, or a bluegill color like watermelon. (If you ever order anything from 6th Sense Fishing, fyi the code "TORWICK" will save you 10% off.)

-Buzzbait: another great bait that lets off a lot of noise is a buzzbait. Similar to the spinnerbait, throw this way up shallow in gaps or lanes of the brush. Start turning your reel handle the moment it hits the water to get that blade spinning and to keep the bait on the surface faster.

-Texas Rig: I also like to keep a craw style bait or a flipping bait tied on a pegged Texas rig. For me a Green Pumpkin 6th Sense Bodega is a great all around soft plastic. I usually set this up on 17-20# flourocarbon with a flipping hook and a 1/4 ounce tungsten weight. I don't find the brush is thick enough to really warrant a full on flipping set up, but if you want to pull out the broom stick go for it! Make flips up close to the brush and let the bait sink all the way to the base of the bush. The more flips you can make the better, its a numbers game. Another tip is if you have your sonar on and find a bush that has a lot of sunfish or bluegills around it, really work that bush over well with a lot of casts.

There are quite a few other baits you could be throwing but the ones mentioned above have been working for me and my clients. Now is the time to experiment and figure out what works for you.

Deep Fishing

With it being summer and the water as hot as it is you can expect to find quite a few fish out deep. Come mid day I mostly fish deep and leave the shallow patterns behind. Using your sonar is key for this kind of bite. Spend time graphing looking for secondary points, offshore humps, ledges, or brush. Areas where the shad are schooled up is also important. Spots like ledges and brush piles are all about the structure and bass will naturally hang around them for the cover the provide as well as they do attract other things they feed on. Humps and points on the other hand tend to require the presence of baitfish around to really hold bass... at least in numbers that is.

One thing I have experienced as of the last week or so since the lake came up, is that the bait you are throwing is key. There are days I can clearly see the bass on the sonar and they won't bite until I rotate clients through baits trying to find the one they will feed on.

I try to incorporate a ton of helpful information into these free reports, but I will be honest, I leave out a few of the really juicy details. This past week there has been one very specific bait in particular that wacked them. This weekend I was fishing an area with a couple other boats on it, my clients caught over 20 bass off this spot while the other boats around us picked off a couple before leaving. Check out my Honey Hole Reports that I update on Thursdays for this EXACT information. (This bait will be in the report coming out July 30th) In these reports I will tell you the exact lure brand, color, weight, etc that I am using.

With that said the bite is always changing and that one key bait you figure out one week can totally change and be a dud the next... such is fishing right! There are a couple rigs though that are tied on at all times in my boat.

-Dropshot- If you know me or ready my reports I am the king of the dropshot! I love this rig and have a ton of confidence in it as it is extremely versatile. I recommend using a cylinder weight anywhere from 3/16th on up to 3/8th ounce, lighter the better but at times you are forced to go heavier when fishing deep or the wind picks up. A 1/0 drop shot hook paired with a straight tail worm has been a solid producer. 6th Sense's Bounce Worm or a Zoom trick worm in plum apple or green pumpkin will put fish in the boat. Fish it slow and make sure you are keeping the sinker on the bottom, don't over work or hop the rig up too high.

-Texas Rig: I recommend a tungsten bullet weight paired with a 3/0 or 4/0 worm hook. A green pumpkin orange senko is a solid choice right now fished slow on the bottom. Other baits like flukes and curl tail worms are also great options. The main thing is slowing down, with the warm water right now I see it all too often that clients fish their baits way too fast.

-Carolina Rig: Another rig that I love to cover water more quickly while not necessarily fishing too fast is a Carolina Rig. Set this up with a fairly heavy sinker, 1/2 to 1 oz is my preference and a 3' flouro leader. For baits a fluke, a curl tail worm, or a creature bait are good options. Pick something that has action of its own such as a tail that moves when pulled through the water.

-Deep Crankbait- With the lake as full as it is, there are not a ton of spots that set up well for a deep crank. With that said, there are a few! If you find yourself fishing a point that isn't covered in brush that sets up in 20-25 feet of water, a deep crankbait like a 6th Sense Crush 400 or 500DD can be killer. This is a great bait to try and get fish fired up and make them react when they won't feed on a slow moving bait. This isn't necessarily a bait I am throwing a ton, but when the spot sets up right it can work very well. Something to keep in your back pocket.

If you are getting out there soon my biggest tip is to get up early. Lately I have been starting my guided trips anywhere from 6:15AM to 6:30AM if my clients will allow. While I advertise a 7AM start time, please know if you book a trip with me I am more than happy to start earlier! An early start puts you on the water while its cooler out, the fish are more active, and the boat traffic is light. This is also the time of year when you should be covering a lot of water if you are not getting bites. For me sonar is a big factor in how I fish, when fishing deep I will not stop on a spot with clients unless I see fish on the sonar. Even then, I will only stay on the spot for 15-20 minutes at most if I don't get a bite. Obviously you need to spend time working all parts of the area you are fishing as well as change baits, but sometimes the fish are just lethargic. My style of fishing is to keep moving until I find fish more willing to cooperate.

If you struggle to catch fish consistently on Lake Travis I highly suggest looking into a guided fishing trip with me. Whether you want to just catch a bunch of bass, or you want to get out one on one for a Coaching Trip, I promise you will leave with a lot more fishing knowledge than when you started. I love teaching people to fish and an open book when it comes to showing you what works.

Get out there and catch some fish and let's enjoy the lake before the LCRA lowers it again! See you on the water.

Also, if you aren't already. Please follow my guide service page on Instagram @laketravisfishingguide! I post almost daily and share a ton of helpful info about the lake and local fishing there.