[rattoomaniac]

Fished Lake Travis from 6:30 am to about 1:00.  We put in at Mansfield Dam and the fish were hopping all over the place.  My son caught two bass while I was loading the boat in the water on a plastic minnow.  In short, we should have just remained there because the fish were biting.

Fished some coves around Arkansas Bend, but could not really fish our normal spots due to large boats mored up for the night.  Surface popper action was OK.  Overall, we pulled 11 bass on board.  None of any real size.

My son wanted to troll for stripers.  We started that up around 10:00, but had no luck.  I guess we have to figure out where to find them.

 

[basstrack]

Always a good day when you get the young ones out with you!

 

[Dez]

Sounds like your boy had a good time. We've never targeted striper trolling on Travis because I believe that there is not a large enough concentration of them and locating a feeding school is difficult. I have caught some trolling for whites though so I know it's possible.

Thanks for the report.

 

[DTodd62]

I couldn't buy a bite out there yesterday. I gasper on a jig and that was it. 6 to 10 in the morning.

 

[fisher1]

I'll tag on to this post and give a report. I fished Travis this morning, Monday, from about 8:30 to 11:30. Thought I'd have a heat stroke if I stayed any longer. Only caught about five or six LMs, no Guads. One keeper about 18 inches, long and skinny bass. All on finesse worms & lizards fished on a C-rig and a T-rig. Most on points in about 12 to 15 feet of water. Bee Creek and Rough Hollow area.

 

[rattoomaniac]

We've never targeted striper trolling on Travis because I believe that there is not a large enough concentration of them and locating a feeding school is difficult. I have caught some trolling for whites though so I know it's possible.

Yep. Just thought we may catch some whites or get lucky.

That said, what is the closest lake to Austin that one would actually have a good chance to troll for stripers and catch one? My son just wants to add "striped bass" to the list of fish he has caught.

 

[RO]

Maniac-

Closest lake to troll up (hybrid) striper would be Decker (aka Walter E. Long).  My bro-in-law was catching them on pet spoons behind pink ladies yesterday afternoon.  And there's a nice report in the striper/whites section on trolling up hybrids and whites from Decker from about a week ago.

Travis does have a few trollable stripers, but you'll troll up more whites, lmb, and maybe even cats sometimes.  About a year ago, my son caught this 30 incher trolling a rapala deep tail dancer and pet spoon combo (striper hit the crankbait, not the spoon).  We cauhgt about 30 whites on the pet spoon part before this beast hit.

Here's a hybrid from Decker last June.  Note my son's depression:

 

[rattoomaniac]

Thanks.  I was thinking Decker, but I have never actually been out there.  I have the pink ladies and pet spoons.

Your son really does seem depressed in that photo.

 

[fisher1]

What great pictures of these kids. The pictures will preserve memories for a lifetime.

 

[mike2010]

The poor boys, will have a life time of memories.