It’s that time of the year again. The bass have finished their spawn and are looking to feed. Luckily, the annual shad spawn begins at the tail end of the black bass spawning cycle. Swimbaits, Alabama rigs, chatterbaits, and other imitation shad lures can put a few dozen bass in the boat. Look for shad activity around the various coves and creeks throughout Lake Travis. Pitch your favorite swimbait or topwater lure for some fierce bass action! On a recent trip after a slow start, we came across a school of largemouth bass feeding on shad. The bass hit the swimbait with such force, it nearly knocked the rod out of my client’s hands. As the water temperature climbs to the mid and upper 70s. These bass schools will start to migrate towards the deep-water marinas and remain their through summer.
A great secondary bait to have on deck that has been really loading the boat is an imitation craw soft plastic. My personal favorite is a Zoom Speed Craw on a ¼ ounce shaky head. That has been putting bigger bass on the boat between 3 and 5 pounders nearly every trip. Start on the main lake just outside the coves and creeks. Throw the craw bait at any structure like points, stumps and laydowns. Sometimes, the bass hit the bait as soon as it hits the water, which typically means they are very shallow and looking up at the shoreline. Cast your lure as shallow as possible and continue to work the bait to the depths of 15 feet.
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