Typically, fishing during the Texas summer heat isn’t top priority for the GTS fun blogging Krew. It’s normally a low grade top 10 activity this time of year. But, thanks to the Corona Virus, it is now just about the only thing left to-do on the captain’s fun list. We have been launching out of Pace Bend and filling the deep fryer with bass this July!
Early Bird Gets the Worm
The real key to summer fishing on the Texas Hill Country lakes is your timing. The time to get out of bed and on the road from Austin is about 5:00. Trucks need to be on the road to the boat shed by 5:30 to get the boat in the water by first light at 6:30. The fishing is better and the morning is the only time of day it’s not stupid hot out. Fishing and decent weather are done at 11:00 AM not matter what time you start fishing. Full discloser, we have never hit Lake Travis by 6:30, maybe July 15 will be the day.
Large mouth for lunch
We pulled in 5 keeper large-mouth on our first 2 trips, with one very nice perch, and few other throw back black bass. In the early morning you can see the fish hitting on top about 20 yards off the points, we pulled in 2 of these throwing small spoons. The bigger bass can be found deep, we pulled in 3 with gig heads and worms around 20-30 feet. We got 1 of these off a point, and the other two off a cliff wall with rock formations in front. There are bait schools, small ones, all over the middle of the lake right now.
Upper Lake
The Narrows: We typical hit the narrows in the winter months. It’s a remote section of the lake with little wake board traffic. One nice canyon wall next to the boat ramp holds all sort of fish. Water is shallow after the canyon bend.
July 15 trip to Lake Travis
We managed to hit the road by 5:45 and were on the water by 6:45, right around sunrise. The ideal time to be there would have been about 30 min earlier. After a short boat ride out to the flats, we quickly found a large pocked of bass jumping out of the water, after throwing just about all plastic and spoons we could come up with, no bites, about an hour into it, I wished I had hit the easy button a had live bait on me. I guess the summer heat finally have made the fish finicky with their diet. After a quick stop a a cliff face, a boat doc, and more more point, we headed back home with no fish. It had been about 10 trip or so since the last time I got skunked. That’s why they call is fishing and not catching.
The trip back to the boat shed wasn’t the best either. About a mile down the road one of the wheels started to shake, and quickly flew off the trailer down the road, so it’s time to replace a spindle and wheel before we head out again on the big boat. spindle repair Youtube video below. It seem a little to hot out for spindle repair this week, so plan B is to hit Pace Bend State Park with the kayaks, live bait, and bring the family along for a picnic. We probably are not leaving at 5:30 in the morning for this trip.
Plan B
We have put a lot of work into our 72 Newman restore boat. My old man warned me to keep checking the trailer wheels ever few trips. One of those lessons I had to learn the hard way. Boat repair will have to wait, we have more Lake Travis bass fishing to do in July. It was about time to break out the kayaks and canoe anyway. I thought it would be nice to get the kids and non fishermen out to Lake Travis at one of the many outstanding parks that provide walk in swimming, picnic tables, playgrounds, and in some places cliff jumping. But they all thought this idea sucked. So time to plan a trip to the best kayak fishing spots on Lake Travis in mind.
Pace Bend
This is the easiest drive for me, a super nice park, and the fishing area that I know best. I’m almost positive you can launch and swim in the flats at the end of the park. If we had to we can launch at the downriver boat ramp, and paddle across the Colorado to one of my favorite spots. The bass were hitting the top water all morning, and wouldn’t take any of the fake stuff. Minnows, Worms, maybe a little liver for the cats, jug lines, fishing form the shore. It’s a whole new ball game from using the power boat. Step 1 throw the kayaks in the pool, and make a quick trip to Ladybird to warm up and test the gear. Target date for trip, ASAP, no later than July 22.
Arkansas Bend – Near Devil’s Cove, this is on our maybe list to hit in July. It’s on the North side of Lake Travis.
Hippy Hollow – for those of you not familiar with Austin, this is the nude swimming park. Probably not going to drag the fishing gear out here.
The Narrows in a great place to kayak, I normally don’t fishing this far up river in the summer, but might have to give it a try.
North Lake Austin Being a “southie”, I do not make it to the North side of Travis too often. It has some nice resorts, a world class zip line, and this fancy beach water park area. In the spirit of checking out new places we have a few trips in the works for August.
Mansfield Dam
Word on the internet is Windy point top water in the morning is working. Devil’s cove, canyon walls and deep coves hit with jigs deep produce bigger bass. After we make our first day trip to this locations, we might try to hit some catfish holes at night with jugs and jigs, before the morning bass bite. The Newman needs some new lights before we make a serious night run.
Texas wildlife and other blog sites have the fishing as good to excellent now. I’m not that great of a fisherman, so if I’m catching fish all the time, can’t be too bad.
Lake Travis Fishing Videos
How to fix the trailer spindle
