Rising water and fall shad push bass shallow on Travis

What anglers are reporting The last solid reports from Travis were back in the spring. We do not have fresh catch data for this week. However, with over six inches of rain dumping on the Hill Country over the past seven days, expect stained water in the river arms and major creeks, along with a rapidly rising lake level.

This week's outlook That heavy inflow is the primary driver right now. Fall already pushes threadfin and gizzard shad into the creeks and coves, and the fresh runoff will accelerate that movement. A rising lake floods terrestrial brush and shoreline cover, which bass will swarm into to ambush bait. Water temperatures should be sitting in the upper 60s to low 70s, keeping fish active and willing to chase moving baits.

Where to start Look for the mudlines where stained runoff meets clearer main-lake water, as bass use these edges to feed. Target secondary points, the backs of creeks with active inflow, and any newly flooded brush along the banks. If the sun gets high and the shallow bite slows, back out and skip jigs or wacky rigs deep under marina docks and floating slips near the mouths of those same creeks.

Bait box

• Squarebill crankbaits (chartreuse and black back for the stained runoff)
• Spinnerbaits (white with willow blades to match shad in the creeks)
• Topwater walkers (bone or chrome for early morning schooling fish)
• Keel-weighted swimbaits (slow rolled through newly flooded brush)
• Finesse jigs (green pumpkin, skipped deep under floating docks)

This weekend A major front is forecast to hit Sunday, bringing over four inches of rain and a sharp temperature drop. Saturday offers a strong pre-front feeding window with south winds pushing bait against windblown points and banks. Plan to get your fishing done on Saturday and capitalize on the aggressive bite before the heavy weather shuts things down on Sunday.