AUSTIN, Texas – As the first competition day of Berkley Stage Two Presented by Mercury continues on Lake Travis, all reports from Mercury Pro Team anglers indicate that there are plenty of willing bass on the lake, but finding the right size will be the biggest challenge.
The variable minimum weight for this event has been set at 1 pound, 8 ounces for a scorable bass. Here’s what several Mercury pros have to say about this impoundment of the Colorado River:
“I caught lots of fish in practice, but it was hard to find those 1-8 and better fish,” Evers said. “I was shocked at how many were 1-4, 1-5, and 1-7, with one really big one mixed in. I don’t have a clue what it’s going to take to do well this week.”
“It’s typical Lake Travis and just like it was when I was here last (the 2018 Bassmaster Elite event), except the water is a lot lower now,” Roy said. “This place is full of fish and it’s so clear that you can see down 10 feet or more. I’m just trying to figure out the right formula to trick good ones; getting a bite isn’t the issue.”
“They were biting really good in practice, but the size is going to be a problem,” Robinson shared. “That’s how it’s been every time I’ve been here: it’s either small ones or giants, with nothing in between. But the lake is slam full of fish.”
“Practice wasn’t that good for me, but I caught a few fish,” the Louisiana pro said. “I’m hoping this event turns out as it did for me at Sam Rayburn, where things started to unfold once the tournament started. That’s what happened there and it continued to get better as the tournament went on.”
“I don’t know how to gauge my practice since I’ve never been here and don’t know what’s good for this lake,” said Burghoff, who’s fishing in Group A. “I’m catching scorable fish, but you have to weed through so many smaller ones to find decent ones. I think this will be one of those tournaments will you have to play the numbers game and catch as many as you can to get fish big enough, but it’s a really fun lake to fish.”
“It’s pretty easy to catch a lot of fish because this lake is full of fish, but the size is the issue,” McDonald added. “I’ve caught them from 1 foot of water to 25 feet, and up and down the lake. It’d be much easier on me if the minimum size were 1-0 instead of 1-8.”