Fish Catching Travel

Time to throw that Strike King spinnerbait!  Man I love spring!

It was nice to get my buddy out of the house as he has been laid up with a broken leg.  Jeffish and I always have a good time fishing together.  In this instance not only did we want to catch a few whites to eat, but I wanted to show him where they were in case he got a chance to take his son out to catch a few

It was still blowing out of the north, 15 mph, still a little chilly but not near as bad as yesterday.  We motored up lake to the last deep water and dropped the trolling baits over the side and in about 2 minutes had our first one.  From then on we had a good solid bite.

Hooked up!

We circled a large area and would catch one or two here and there, and did manage to figure out a couple of key areas where we would catch one or two each pass.  Shad imitating crankbaits about 45 feet behind the boat in 6 – 10 foot of water was the ticket.  We had multiple hook ups and put around 10 – 12 smaller ones in the box for a fish fry and released the rest.  We caught them off and on for about 3 hours.

A little better than the average size today.

It was not as windy up lake today, and we noticed that when it would slick off every now and then the fish would bite in the calmer places.  I really was puzzled though that the fish were a smaller today, and we only caught a few of the bigger ones.  I am not sure if the bigger females went farther up lake or what, but they moved.  But it still is fun to watch them smack it and drag the rod down.  As it got a little later in the afternoon we made a pass or two and only caught one so it was time to hit a couple of bass banks before we quit.

You never know what you will catch trolling.

So next it was a little crankbait fishing.  I used the same red one from the day before and managed to catch 3 fish.  The one below was in a tree and ate it when I cranked it next to the tree and stopped it.  He popped it and went back in the tree, but since he ate it I was able to keep slow and steady pressure and he finally backed out.  Jeffish just could not get it going, so we headed down lake to a bank I have caught a few nice ones on lately.

There is a red crankbait down his throat somewhere.

We spinnerbaited  one of my favorite spring banks and did not have a bite.  The only real difference from the day before, when I caught the big one on it, was the wind was not really pounding on it like it was.  So with no bites in about a half hour we called it a day.

There is one sure sign that the fishing is less that stellar on Coleto, when you get back to the ramp at 4, and there is not truck and trailer one.  We are still stuck in that high pressure with a north wind cycle.  It really is not surprising, it is still winter in south Texas.  But that is going to change, and change fast.  We cleaned a dozen or so, caught another 20 give or take a couple, so not a bad day at all considering.

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Speaking of catching white bass I got his comment from Matt.

You need to try Texana for white bass. Go up the Navidad north of Hwy 59.

I have heard that it can be pretty good there, and it should be right now.  I have never tried it up there and I have a questions or 2 for you or anyone else that knows.  I see off Highway 59 on the north side there is a sign for a ramp.  Is that the one to use?  And how about the ramp on the south side?  How far up do you go above 59? Any help you can give any of us is greatly appreciated.  And thanks for reading.

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Folks if you want to read not only a complete report, but a how-to for those of you who fish Travis here it is.

Redfishlaw,
Last spring I annihilated white bass day in and out on Travis near the Perd, also off Pt. Venture, on a sandy slow dropping bank trolling 8-12FOW. Also a bunch of Crappie to 2.6 lbs and many just under striper.
Bait of choice was the Storm Smash shad 06-07 in Metaalic yellow/black back. They have a rattle to them so they work well in murky, stained, muddy water. They’re also cheaper than the Shad rap…. The hooks can be a little cheap so I just kept the split ring pliers and some good red replacements handy.
Speed of choice was 1.7-2.3mph.

Thank Jay, that is a great report.  I know from my  past trolling adventures where you have stripers in the lake there is always a chance to really catch a big one.  In fact I was just telling Jeffish yesterday about getting spooled on Beaver Lake by a huge striper while trolling for white bass the  year before I moved here.  And nice you had crappies mixed in with them.  Anytime you want to fill us in with a report or comment please let us know, we appreciate it.

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And I got this great question from Jimmy.

Sounds like you had a great day at Coleto. I sure enjoy reading all posts and a really good job on the saltwater lures 101 article. Just wondering, have you heard any updates on the Lavaca River or Garcitas Creek?

Funny that you asked, I have not heard a word.  Sorry not much help here.  If any of you out there have caught a few on either place give us a shout out.  I know that normally it is often about over there, but who knows.  So if you have a clue let us know.  Thanks for keeping up with us Jimmy.

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And last I got this from a Rick, a regular around here.

Great report….as usual. Man you really do get around. Looking forward to a POC report.

You POC reports are coming in spades.  I will be down there 3 days this week, one of them with the Austin Boys so I am sure there will be a couple of good reports.  With those guys something spectacular usually happens.

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As I finish this up today Bill Dance is on TV fishing the North Fork of the White River in North Arkansas.  I fished and guided on that river many days over 20 years and it leaves me a little nostalgic.  Both the White and the North Fork are premium trout rivers with some of the biggest brown trout in the world.  And if  you just want to catch fish you can sure do it on both rivers.  You don’t have to be a big fly fisherman to catch fish, and if you have never tried it put it on your bucket list, you will not be sorry.  And it gets me cranked up for my trip there in less than 2 months.

My schedule this week involves 4 days of fishing, at least 3 at POC and one at Coleto.  The other day will be doing our taxes.  I am one of those folks that does not mind paying taxes,  I consider it a privilege to live here.  My only complaint is what we are getting for our money.  But a few days on the water will definitely take the edge off.  And last but not least I sure love hearing from all of you, so keep those cards and letters coming.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines