Fish Catching Travel
(Please forgive the couple of formatting errors. I am just to tired to correct them.)
While I am unable to fish right now, I will get that fixed this weekend, the Shoedog got a chance to fish Fayette County today. We really like that lake, and very rarely do we have a poor day. So I was really looking forward to his report when I got home late.
“I planned on an early start at Fayette County lake Thursday as the wind was supposed to be light and cloudy most of the day- sounds good- right? Well- the weather- for the first time in a long time- did what it was supposed to- a great day for fishing! But- Karma had other plans.
It started out at the ramp at Park Prairie. I was the only boat! Amazing. And I was a little late- it was past sun up- barely. It is a sorta steep ramp and it is VERY SLICK at the bottom. We have never had a problem getting out- but it can be tricky. So I backed the boat in and the boat didn’t want to run real smooth- it had been a few weeks- and the water wasn’t coming out of the pee hole. So- I got a toothpick and luckily that was all it needed and after after the boat ran a sec that was good too! So- I left it running and went to pull the truck and trailer out- I had left them on the ramp as no one else was around. I started the truck, released the park brake and started to pull out.
A soon as I did- the tires slipped badly and then everything started sliding back into the lake- oh #%&*! I slammed on the brakes and reset the parking brake and a took a deep breath…..Then I tried again and it was worse- sliding back even when I reset the parking brake. I had to keep my foot on the brake- any thing less and I was going to slide all the way into the lake.
So- here I am- no one anywhere around- the boat running at the dock and me sitting there with both feet on the brake pedal just waiting for my truck to slide into the freakin’ lake! What do do? Call my wife In College Station? Call redfishlaw in Victoria? Neither is practical. I have a “sorta smart” phone and was figuring out who or what to do as I sat there.
It seemed like a long time- but was probably only 10 minutes or so and one of the park caretakers pulled into the ramp area and I waved like a wild man. Luckily he saw me and came down. Neither of us had a chain, but he called one of the other fellows that works at the facility and he brought a chain. We pulled the truck out part way- with no incident- then loaded the boat and pulled it out the rest of the way. Wow was I lucky!
You can’t thank folks enough when they come to your rescue on the water on on the road- these gents were truck savers! I can’t imagine how bad it could have been- I wish I had some pictures of it to remind me to not use that ramp again! I went down the road the Oak Thicket Park and it is a much better ramp. I had used it before and will ONLY use it from here on out! So, anyway, this is supposed to be a fishing report, isn’t it? Well- it didn’t get any better once I was on the water either. I didn’t catch a fish until 10:00 and not my second until 10:40- and that was it for the day! We can usually catch anywhere from 17 to 70 fish there any given day, but not this day.
Fish Number One.
Both came on my go to gold Rapala Husky Jerk but I threw the whole tackle box at them- something I don’t usually do. I stick with a core selection of baits- tried and true- that work 99% of the time. Today was a 1% day! Oh well- better than going to work- right!
I noticed that all the grass seemed to stop at 5 1/2 feet of depth- we usually catch a lot of fish in 6-10 feet there over hydrilla and other grasses but today the grass was not there- weird. Only one place on a point down close to the damn did I see deep grass on the locator. I guess it was not a good day to be a shallow water fisherman!
One of them was a nice fish and the 2nd was a good Fayette Fattie as we call them.
A nice one. Probably thought things were really looking up.
Now I can’t decide where to fish tomorrow- any suggestions? Remember to stop and help someone when they need it- cause- as I learned again today- you never know when it is going to be your turn! Tight lines everybody!”
Thanks for the report, nothing like one of those nice fall days when the bass fishing is tough. Good thing you got some help, that sounds like it sucked. Luckily we have slipped the tires on that ramp a couple of times, but never got stuck. But thanks to the guys who helped you out. So your Karma may have sucked, but they have a good thing coming to them. We should help everyone out on the water that needs it, you never know when it is your turn, today was your turn. Thanks again for the report Shoedog.
I can not wait to get back on the water, a week is way to long. But with Port Mansfield coming up there are 3 full days there and that should cure my ills. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines.
About Redfishlaw
I am a retired attorney who just loves to fish. I was a freshwater guide for about 20 years and now have moved to the salt. I am not the greatest fisherman, but I am committed. So if you love fishing, and want to learn what little I have to offer, stop by anytime.
