Fishes Lake Travis
Reservoir · Texas Hill Country · Texas
Lake Travis Fishing Guides
A deep, clear Hill Country canyon reservoir on the Colorado west of Austin, where the lake level swings tens of feet and rewrites the fishing every few years.
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Guides on the Lake Travis
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works
About the Lake Travis
Travis is the deep one in the Highland Lakes chain: a long, narrow canyon reservoir on the Colorado River west of Austin with steep limestone walls, clear water and very little natural shallow cover. The Lower Colorado River Authority runs it for flood control and water supply, and Travis is the lake in the chain that absorbs the swings. That is why its elevation is the most discussed number in Central Texas fishing.
The volatility is not a footnote here, it is the fishery. Travis has moved across tens of feet of elevation within a few years, and where it sits changes everything. A full lake floods cedar, brush and the bottoms of boat docks, and the bass go shallow and feed well. A lake pulled far down exposes all of that, strands ramps, and pushes the fish onto bluff ends, main-lake points and whatever rock is left. Most local knowledge on Travis is really knowledge of what a given elevation does to it, which is exactly what the gauge reading below is for.
The fishing is a mix rather than a specialty. Largemouth are what most anglers come for. Guadalupe bass, the state fish, show up in the moving water at the upper end toward Marble Falls. Striped and hybrid striped bass chase shad in open water, and on a good morning the birds will find them for you before your electronics do. Clear deep water rewards light line, small profiles and being on the water at first light.
Recreational boat traffic from Memorial Day onward is heavy enough to end the fishing by mid-morning on summer weekends. Anglers work around it by fishing dawn, or by fishing weekdays.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Travis.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
677.72ft NAVD88
- 24 hours-0.01 ft → steady
Reading taken 37 min ago at USGS 08154500, LCRA Lk Travis nr Austin, TX. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Mansfield Dam Park: county ramp near the dam with access to the deepest water.
Pace Bend Park: large county park on a mid-lake peninsula, ramps and bank access.
Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point: day-use access on the lower lake.
Cypress Creek Park: north shore ramp near Cedar Park and Jonestown.
Arkansas Bend Park: quieter north shore access toward the upper lake.
Upper lake near Marble Falls: moving water and Guadalupe bass.
Note: ramps go dry as the lake drops. Confirm one is usable before towing to it.
Seasons
Late winter: white bass run up the Colorado arm, and bass stage on main-lake points.
March and April: the spawn, and the most forgiving fishing of the year.
Summer: deep and clear, fish early, expect heavy recreational traffic after nine.
Fall: turnover scatters fish briefly, then schooling stripers and hybrids on open water.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lake Travis?
Anglers target Channel Catfish, Guadalupe Bass, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Sunshine Bass, White Bass on the Lake Travis in Texas.
Are there fishing guides on the Lake Travis?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Lake Travis. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Lake Travis?
Mansfield Dam Park: county ramp near the dam with access to the deepest water. Pace Bend Park: large county park on a mid-lake peninsula, ramps and bank access. Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point: day-use access on the lower lake. Cypress Creek Park: north shore ramp near Cedar Park and Jonestown. Arkansas Bend Park: quieter north shore access toward the upper lake. Upper lake near Marble Falls: moving water and Guadalupe bass. Note: ramps go dry as the lake drops. Confirm one is usable before towing to it.
When is the best time to fish the Lake Travis?
Late winter: white bass run up the Colorado arm, and bass stage on main-lake points. March and April: the spawn, and the most forgiving fishing of the year. Summer: deep and clear, fish early, expect heavy recreational traffic after nine. Fall: turnover scatters fish briefly, then schooling stripers and hybrids on open water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Travis?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Texas agency site: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing