Lake Travis Fishing Guide- January Bass Fishing Report
As far as how the bass have been behaving and where to find them, not a ton has changed. Water temps have been in the mid to high 50's. With this recent cold front and snow, yeah you read that right... SNOW! We actually got around 2 inches of snow out here at Lake Travis, I would expect to find water temps closer to that mid 50's mark.
Something I will be testing out this week while scouting is a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait. These are two baits that I love to throw on Travis once the water temps have gotten cold. So check back later this week for another fishing report to hear how those baits are working.
As far as the bite goes on Travis, slow and deep seems to be the name of the game. Bluff walls, especially those with a couple docks on them, and deep creek channels have been the most consistent place to find fish. If you read my last article on breaking down a certain area of Lake Travis, you should remember that I look for well defined creek channels and the places they make a bend. These are high percentage areas that will hold bass when the water is at its coldest.
If you really know the lake you may recognize the background of the first photo. (Hint, this spot was in my Lake Pro Guides report last week) This fish was caught at the base of the drop off into a creek channel, right where it makes a bend. There also was a dock next to where this fish was caught... all of these things factor into what makes a good spot a great spot!
As I mentioned, bluff walls are still fishing well. This is actually kind of a year round pattern. With that said, there's times that these fish better than others. Right now though, I have been finding fish down deep along these bluffs. 25-35 feet deep seems to be the sweet spot most of the time, but early in the mornings or whenever weather is moving in we have caught them deeper.
As far as baits go, the good 'ol Ned rig has been producing better than anything else for numbers. A football jig is still always on my deck as is a drop shot. The ned rig in Green Pumpkin has been getting a lot of bites but also some nice quality fish. Slowing way down at times seems to be key. This is something that changes from trip to trip, so always be experimenting with it and paying attention to what you are doing when you get a bite. As of this past week letting the bait sit and fishing it slow seems to get bit more. This is typical of bass behavior in cold water.
If you are are like me, you are just counting the days until Spring gets here and the best fishing of the year kicks off! If you are limited to fishing weekends, I recommend considering booking a trip now. I am starting to get trips booked March and April, and my Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning trips always book up in advance. Don't miss out and reserve yours today!
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