The early February Texas Tournament Zone contest on Lake Travis drew 190 boats competing for the $10,000 first place prize.
Randy Hibler and Randall Christian brought a 19-pound five bass limit to the scales to claim first place.
Big bass were scarce with only two fish over 7 pounds and two over 6 pounds weighed in. Largemouth in the 2- to 3-pound range were plentiful.
We are a few weeks away from the beginning of the spawn. The recent 55- to 57-degree water must rise above 60 degrees to trigger a mass spawning movement.
My recent four hour charters are producing eight to 15 bass up to 3 pounds. Sunny days are best, and the bite slows in overcast conditions.
Crankbaits and swim baits are attracting some nice bass, but the bottom crawling soft plastics continue to be the best producers. Best depth zone has been 8-15 feet off rocky shorelines.
Best plastics have been the Zoom Ultra-vibe craw, Zoom Trick Worm, Zoom Dead Ringers and Z-man TRD. A variety of colors will work, but green pumpkin is hard to beat since it mimics the color of our native crawfish.
Early pre-spawn bass feed primarily on crawfish and bluegill. Shad-hued baits hit the stage in April when the shad spawn begins.
The end of this month marks the beginning of our smoke glitter grub and weightless Senko bonanza. Shallow bass just cannot resist a slow swimming grub or a slowly falling stick bait like the Yamamoto Senko.
For updates or a guided excursion call 512-261-3644.
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