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Lake Travis Fishing Report - August 20162,901 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!
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