Five Key Things From Bass Pro Tour Day 1 on Lake Travis
AUSTIN, Texas – As predicted for the Berkley Stage Two Presented by Mercury, the fish are biting on Lake Travis. Another prediction heading into the tournament was that catching many bass over the 1-pound, 8-ounce variable weight minimum would be a challenge – that also proved to be true as a multitude of barely non-scorable fish were caught.
Aside from the fish catches, here are five key things from the day:
1. Changing Weather Conditions
Weather is always a story for fishing, and it will undoubtedly play a role this week in the outcome of Stage Two. On clear-water fisheries such as Lake Travis, it becomes even more vital.
The overcast, rainy conditions on Friday likely helped the reaction bait bite and extended the early morning shad-spawn bite for some.
Group B will fish under rainy conditions on Saturday, and likely experience a similar bite, but the weather is forecasted to change drastically after that. Warmer conditions with sunny skies and predicted temperatures nearing 90 degrees are being called for beginning Sunday.
The question is how the anglers will adapt and if the fish keep biting at this pace with different weather overhead.
2. The Dock and Morning Bites
The first period was easily the best of the three on Day 1, and points to a strong morning bite. The overcast weather contributed, but it emphasizes the need for the field to get a good start. Those who had strong mornings stayed there the entire day.
Another trend on the first day was anglers fishing around the many residential docks and marinas on Lake Travis. The field attacked the docks and caught plenty. That dock bite could play an even more prominent role in on the sunny days coming, as bass seek shade in the clear waters.
3. An Eye on Heavy Hitters
As the anglers showed today, Lake Travis is full of bass. But most of them are smaller in size and even the 1-8 variable minimum weight is a challenge at times. But there are also some lunkers, including Russ Lane’s 7-12 Berkley Big Bass of the Day.
Qualifying for Heavy Hitters has been a hot topic among the anglers since the tournament began in 2020. Anglers are scored and ranked by their biggest single bass from each regular-season event. As a result, they’re constantly trying to catch at least one “Heavy Hitters fish” at each event stay in contention.
A look down the standings shows many pros’ big bass of the day in the 2- and 3-pound range, making Russ Lane’s big bass and the Alton Jones Jr.’s 6-14 great separators in the race for that big-fish-focused event.
4. Fish Management
Even on a bass factory-like Travis, fishing is sure to get a little more challenging as the Bass Pro Tour field continues to catch fish at this rate. In the recent Heavy Hitters event, anglers knew they’d be going to a different lake if they advanced to the Knockout Round and had no reason to hold back. At Stage One, they were fishing the massive Sam Rayburn, which dwarfs Lake Travis.
There will be no switching lakes and fish management will likely be more critical than in recent events. Knowing when to back off your fish is something many anglers will have to factor into their game plan.
5. What’s It Going to Take?
After the first day, Brandon Coulter holds down 20th place with 11-7. This position will serve as the Toro Cut Line when Group A anglers return on Sunday.
If weights remain steady on the second day of competition, top anglers like Brent Chapman and Mark Rose can likely skip the day and still advance. Those anglers immediately behind them are also reasonably safe.
Beyond the top 10, 12th through 31st place are all separated by just over 10 pounds, which should make for an exciting battle to make the Knockout Round.