Hydrilla will give bass fishing a boost on Lake Travis: Robert Brown of bassmanaus- tin.com is optimistic about the fall bite for largemouth bass, although getting a boat on the lake is difficult. He said only one private ramp is open, and that the lake needs about two feet of water to bring some other ramps online, but it is possible to launch off the bank in places. Texas rigs and swimbaits worked in 6-14 feet of water on points and rocky bluffs are currently a good choice. Fish can also be found schooling in river bends where top-water lures are good when the fish are chasing shad. Looking ahead, though, he likes spinner baits. “Fall is a good time for spinner baits on Travis, and hydrilla has really taken over some main-lake areas. I never thought I’d see it like that here.”
Bob Sandlin crappie fishing starting to pick up: Chris Caswell of fishbobsandlin.com said that the crappie fishing has been poor most of the summer but is starting to pick up now that water temperatures are in the upper 70s. He said that minnows are out- producing jigs in brush piles 20-30 feet deep. While fish can also be caught on timber, you may have to search through a lot of trees to find one that is loaded. He said the lake is about 1.5 feet low, and a lot of standing timber is near the surface, so care shouldbe taken running the lake. “Your best bet is brush piles. Almost every point here has a brush pile on it, and there’s more fish relating to the brush than bridges or timber.”
Light bite, but plenty of channel catfish on Conroe: Richard Tatsch of fishdudetx. com reports that Conroe is putting out numerous limits of channel catfish right now. He said good numbers of channel cats are moving to channel ledges that are 15-20 feet deep, although some can also be found around bridges in the same depth. His clients are mostly using stink baits rigged on a rod and reel outfitted with No. 6 or No. 8 treble hooks and a quarter-ounce weight right next to that hook. “With the bite the way it is right now, you will just feel a light bump, then gently raise up to set the hook becausethat’s a fish on it.”
