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Lake Travis Fishing Report - March 20183,148 Readers  John Thomson with a 6 lb 11 oz Lake Travis Largemouth! Water Temp: 66 degrees The spawn is ON! Bass have been on beds for a month and a half now. I estimate about half of the bass population have spawned and the rest will be finished by the end of April. As a result of this, right now you can target fish in either of the 3 spawning phases (pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn). If you want to target spawning bass, tuck into your favorite cut, cove, or creek and start looking for beds. Water clarity on Travis is excellent, so it won’t take you long to find a bass locked onto his bed and ready to attack anything/everything that threatens the future of his species’ existence. Most bass that I’ve found on beds have been small buck bass (aka Lake Travis specials), but if you spend enough time, you are sure to come across a bigger male bass (up to 5 lbs.) or find both the male and the female paired up. If you find a pair and want to learn a little, post up on those fish and just watch them. It’s amazing to watch a male and female bass spawn. The way it generally works is the male moves up and fans out a clean area on the bottom of the lake. When the female is ready to spawn, she will move back into the areas that males have occupied and the male will swim out and bump her (i.e. escort) her onto the bed. The process of laying eggs doesn’t take long and the female will only stay on/near the bed for a short while (24-48 hrs.) after laying her eggs. Most times, the female will position herself just off the bed and rest after laying her eggs. Sometimes she helps guard the nest, other times she doesn’t. If you want to bed fish, it is critical to find the “sweet spot” on the bed, which is precisely where the eggs have been laid. Sometimes this is easy, other times it is very difficult. As you cast to the bed, watching the mood of the bass is very important. If he doesn’t move, he is very catchable. If he spooks off and takes a long time to come back and won’t come all the way back to the bed, I generally don’t spend any more time on him. Once you get him to stay locked on and make tight turns on your bait, it’s just a matter of time before he attacks your lure. Persistence is key. Jigs, Texas rigged plastics, flukes, and Senkos are all excellent bed fishing baits. If neither of those produce, a drop shot accurately placed on the bed usually closes the deal. Flukes, Senkos, Spinnerbaits, and Crankbaits are all producing right now for pre-spawn bass. The top water bite is also starting to pick up and should get better as bass fry begin to hatch and the shad spawn starts. April is historically a terrific top water month. Bass on Lake Travis will spawn in very deep water, so deep patterns are producing as well. I’ve been fishing in the 25-40 ft. depth zones to target these fish. 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!
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