Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

Though I have not fished any the last couple of days there is lots to talk about.  First though I would like to welcome Cocoons Eyewear to fishcatchingtravel.com.

Cocoons Eyewear

If you have been reading my stuff you have seen the thousands of pictures where I am usually wearing fitover sunglasses.  The only brand I have ever worn are Cocoons.  I don’t remember when I first bought some, but they have been my standard polarized glasses ever since I saw and bought my first pair.  They have enough sizes to fitover any glasses, with a multitude of lens colors for all conditions.  They have been kind enough to lend support to the blog and I wanted to thank them.

Of course the obvious reason to wear a good pair of polarized Cocoons is to see stuff in the water.  Whether it is a stump on your favorite lake, a tarpon laid up in a pothole, bonefish on a Belize flat, or a big granite shoal just below the surface on Lake of the Woods, good optics let you see it all.  I would not have boated my only permit on the last trip to Belize without them, and I wear them under almost any condition no matter what fish I am chasing.

There is another reason I wear them, eye protection.  Whether it is a huge muskie plug with a 20lber attached, or a 1/4 ounce slip sinker flopping around outside that big bass’ mouth, a layer of protection between your eyes and those potential missiles is worth every penny.  And what is not to like about the lifetime warranty on the frames.  And a word to the wise, register the warranty and save the receipt, they will definitely stand behind them.

A little while ago I actually managed to hit myself in the face with the rod while setting the hook.  It broke the frame, but after a little super glue I was good to go.  My wife was real impressed when I told her I was thinking about putting a piece of tape on them like my 5th grade picture since I forgot to save the receipt.  So register that warranty and keep the receipt, you just might outlive them.

So thanks again to Cocoons Eyewear.  A great product at a great price, what is not to like.  Click on the link to the right and look over their catalog.  You will be surprised at the wide range of eyewear they offer, including clip-ons, which I have a pair, and their new clip on wrap arounds, along with a host of fitover polarized glasses.  You know I don’t plug stuff here that I do not use and believe in, and Cocoons is one of those products that works.

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I got this great report from Aaron A.  He has laid the smack down on them.

Hey Doug,

I’ve loved the recent salt reports.  I’ve had a hard time getting the coast with deer season in full swing but did manage to grab the kayaks for a morning on the water with my wife over Thanksgiving.  The fishing was as you advertised and we had about 50 before lunch (cleaning table pic of the ones we kept attached).  I even caught a black bass in a back creek the cast after catching a trout.  Never had that happen before.

As much as I love fishing, this time of year the focus is deer.  I took a big turkey with the bow for Thanksgiving and spent a good bit of November looking for the big 9 point in the attached photo (taken by landowner on a portion of the property we can’t hunt).  I hunt near Fredericksburg so this is a big deer for a hill country low fence ranch.  I ended up shooting him over a mile away from where this trailcam pic was taken.  Back tines were over 12” and he grossed 146.  He’s the best deer I’ve taken after 27 years of hunting the hill country.

Your Coleto reports haven’t inspired me to give the lake a try but I’ll probably give it a shot during Christmas.  Always feast or famine on Coleto for me as well.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks as always for the reports.

Aaron

Wow on the deer!  That is an awesome buck of a lifetime.  In fact this picture almost looks fake.  All I have to say is you have one good place to hunt as his buddy is no slouch either.

That is a freakin’ monster!

And good job on the trout.  Being able to slip in the rivers and creeks off the Gulf right now in a Kayak is a sure ticket for some fish, the keepers below will do all day long.

A nice solid mess of winter speckled trout.

And as far as the Coleto fishing I will be giving it a go this week so stay tuned, it has to get better.  So as usual I appreciate your great reports and pictures.  Looks like you have made good use of your limited outdoor time.  Thanks again.

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Speaking of deer Shoedog sent me this trail cam photo.  He has really hunted hard this year and this guy has made the camera during shooting hours again, of course when Shoedog took the morning off.

He will forever be known as the Nemesis Buck.

That is really a nice shooter buck.  Shoedog has passed a smaller one or two waiting for this guy.  Who knows, he just might know when to be there or when not to be there.  Hope you get him on the ground.  And good luck in Nebraska.  Shoedog leaves in a day or two for 3 or 4 days of hunting with Terry for those big monster northern bucks.  They did not get a big one on the ground up there yet, so hopefully they can harvest a whooper.

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Yesterday when I blogged about my less than satisfactory Coleto trip I mentioned that the truck parked next to me was my buddy Bobby so I sent a shout out to him to see how he did.

Hey Doug the last time I was at the lake was about 2 weeks ago. Man I did not get one bite. I tried everything I had it was not to be so I just threw in the towel!!!

Guess that was not you.  Ouch!  I know the feeling.  This year Coleto has been a victim of no grass, constantly fluctuating water levels, and poor water color.  The good thing about the lake right now is it can only get better.  So hang in there Bubba, better days are coming.

And speaking of bass we have not heard from our resident bass pro on Fayette and Bastrop.  So Rusty how has it been on the lake?  Might get my blood going for a trip to Fayette, it is usually pretty good right now.

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And as long as we are talking about Coleto, I got this comment from Jeff, whos club has been trying to hold a tourney on Coleto for over a month.

Doug,

Just wanted to touch base with you, our re-scheduled end of year classic is finally upon us. I read your post today about the murky water, is good to hear that the water level is up. We will be coming down early Friday for some pre-fishing. I am thinking I will run my wife way up the river and work down…. With the cooler weather I had planned on targeting the backs of creeks but saw a recent report where water temps are holding between 70-77…

It will be a win for me no matter the case, as you have pointed out I am very lucky that my wife does this with me.

Perhaps one day we will see you out there.

Jeff

The sun will come out tomorrow, sounds like a bad Broadway song, and I will be back on the water.  I think it will be the river or creek for some trout and reds as the lake has continued to confound me this winter.  But we are just a month away from pre-spawn, and as they have done for eons, the fish will answer the call and the fishing will pick up.  And I am still trying to get a couple of days at Baffin to continue my quest for a real trout.  So it is on with the Cocoons and off we go.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines