Bryan's Field Notes

The hydrilla on Canyon is the thickest I've ever seen it and the largemouth are in it good. It's also one of the best places to catch a 'mean mouth' - a hybrid between two black bass species - and I've put clients on some of the biggest in the lake.

Because Fayette is a power-plant lake, the bass spawn early here - before the other lakes in the region - so it produces well even when it's still cold out. It's the best average-quality lake I know of in Texas.

I've been fishing Inks Lake for over 50 years and seen a lot of big fish come out of it. A shaky head with a trick worm worked slow through the rock piles is one of the surest bites on the lake, and it takes both largemouth and Guadalupe bass.

On Lake Austin it almost always comes back to the grass. Find the grass, you'll find the bass - that cover is what grows and holds the big fish.

In the summer the recreational traffic is heavy, so I run night trips - quiet, cool, and the big bass are on the prowl away from the daytime crowds.

Some of the largest bass anywhere around here have come out of Lake Austin - the lake record is north of 16 pounds. If you're chasing a lifetime fish, this is a great place to do it.

In summer on Bastrop the bass school up in the middle of the lake, and there are spots where you can sit and catch lots of fish - some days over 100.

Belton is the best smallmouth lake in Central Texas, and a very good largemouth lake too - I've caught a 10.13 pound bass here myself. The clear Corps water is a big part of why the smallmouth thrive.

The number one thing I look for on Buchanan is rock - the largemouth love it, partly because it lets them tuck away from the striper, and the best rock holds the best fish. In cold water, when you think you're fishing slow enough, slow down more; that's how the giants come.

You should see how these big Falcon bass blow up on a frog when that bite is on - it's like a bomb going off. You haven't caught a real largemouth until you've caught one here.

LBJ is probably the best lake in the area for flipping docks, and a lot of the time that's exactly where the biggest bass are sitting. Jigs and flukes are my go-to.

In spring on Marble Falls I've seen best-five limits weigh over 30 pounds - a lot of big fish for a lake this small and this quiet.

On O.H. Ivie, any cast could be a giant. A few years ago it produced the most big bass entered into the Texas ShareLunker program, and every year it puts out some giants.

Travis long had a reputation for numbers over size, but starting in 2011 it's been the best for quality I've ever seen here - plenty of 4-5 pound fish, and some even bigger, on a lake that usually produces 1-3 pound bass.

My personal-best Guadalupe bass on Travis is 3.57 lbs - just .12 under the lake record and .14 under the world record.

Lake Travis is the lake I've put more first-timers and kids on than any other. It's easy to fish, it's loaded with bass, and almost everybody catches.

When Travis is rising and flooding fresh bushes, the shallow bite around that new cover can be outstanding. When it's low and clear, we lean on deeper structure and electronics - either way there's a pattern that works.

The deep, clear water keeps Travis fishing through the heat better than most lakes - as the sun climbs, the bigger fish just slide out to deeper structure.

Stillhouse is one of the rare Central Texas lakes with a smallmouth population, so there's a real chance at a big smallie - the biggest from my boat was 6 pounds.

Lady Bird Lake is the best jig lake around, right in the center of Austin. I've won plenty of bass club tournaments here and know where the big ones live.