Fish Catching Travel
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I try to keep the ads/plugs to a minimum but the other day on Coleto I really got a lesson in what it means to have the right optics from Cocoons. There was something about the combination of water color, lure color, and sunlight that seemed to actually make the Swim Jig glow. No matter how many times I see a fish eat it still excites me, and they were smoking that thing. So the next plan is to take the different lens with me and actually change glasses as I fish and try to really determine the proper lens for the conditions. I know we all can’t have every pair we need, but there is a difference and for those of us that wear glasses Cocoons fit overs are affordable. More on that as spring progresses.
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How about a few more Arkansas pictures? These are my buddy Clyde from a week or so ago when the Shoedog was up there fishing with him. The year I moved to Mtn. Home, 1974, and bought a small gas station/tackle store Clyde came down to work with me. We basically ran the store or fished our butts off for several years. He still keeps after them 40 years later.
A couple of nice stripers.
A hybrid and a smallmouth. You can catch the works on Norfork.
Now that is a nice Kentucky.
We are still trying to finalize plans, but it looks like it will be a full week of fishing on Norfork and Bull Shoals the last week of March. They are a little ahead this year so our timing should be great. One thing to be said for their fishing is the number of species that can be caught. The baits of choice in the spring are a jerkbait, a grub, and the Alabama Rig. I have never used the Alabama rig, not a great choice for Coleto or Falcon, but will throw it quite a bit this trip if these pictures are any indication. And as you can see it catches most everything that swims. It is time to get excited, the fishing should be on. So see you guys in a couple of weeks.
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The Good Old Days
I have been reading the white bass reports online keeping up with the run this spring. Funny how 12″ and up is often mentioned, and 10″ is legal. So I thought I would share a picture with you from Arkansas sometime in the 70’s . Look at the size of the whites on the left, that is not uncommon in those lakes., with 3lbs being fairly common. Also note the 10 fish bass limit in place at the time. There was way over 150lbs on this stringer, and though legal it was a different time and a different ethic.
Maxwell, me, Danny, Terry, and Clyde
That was one of those perfect storm days where the fish bit all day everywhere we went. Most were caught on spinnerbait and jigs, many with really light line. We really did whack them, and it was one of my most memorable days.
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I got this comment from Gary which really sums up the turn the fishing has taken on Coleto:
Awesome report, it’s good to see Coleto getting back to it’s old self, beautiful pictures as well. Hopefully it will hold for the spring season, should be a good buzz bait bite soon! Keep up the good work!
You are so right about the buzzbait bite. And speaking of the buzzbait bite, a bait I want to throw in that vein is the Whopper Plopper by River to Sea. While $17 baits are not usual in my tackle box I plan to make an exception for this one. Also I did see some beds yesterday, and we should have a full on spawn this next moon. So if you haven’t fished Coleto lately now is the time. Thanks for the comment.
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And this comment on my less than stellar day on POC this week:
You might not agree, but to me, this was one of your better reports. Why?, because you explained in such detail why the fish did’nt bite. Also the weather, tide, solunar info adds a lot of value to your reports. I’m sure you will get ’em next time.
Thanks Rick, I hope to get them next time. Now when that will be I am not sure as we are going to have a stretch of weather this week, so we will just have to wait and see. And as far as putting the conditions for each trip, it is the kind of thing that a real fishing log contains. Not only does it give us a place to start next year by reading old reports and comparing conditions, but it gives us additional information to talk about on the blog. And there is one thing to add to the conditions the other day: The wind initially was out of the north/east and it was actually a cold front. It sure seems that speckled trout take a slight drop in water and air temp much harder than other fish. So a small front can have a major affect on the fishing, a much bigger affect than the same front would have on freshwater. So keep your comment coming.
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And for a little different take on my day at POC:
I wanted you to know that I had a good giggle at your expense reading the first part of your report as I have been in your shoes. Get to the ramp with horrible conditions and still convince yourself to go KNOWING it’s going to be bad then later saying to yourself, “well that sucked and should have known better”. LOL!!
Anyways, I really like how you are giving the “technical” information regarding tides, weather, etc before your reports.
Keep up the good work.
Jim
Thanks, I think. Tough conditions come in many forms, but that day at POC the only other option was not going fishing. But we make choices everyday out on the water, it is just some days we might make a few better ones. There is a bright side though, for all those day we make the wrong choices there are those days when we get it all right. Thanks for the comment.
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That catches us up for today. Looks like the weather will be pretty sketchy this week with high winds and rain, we will have to see how that plays out. And as usual I appreciate all of you who send me comments and reports, they are appreciated. I know some of you are fishing so let us know how you are doing. I am about to hit send then it will be off to Rockort/Fulton for the Oyster Fest. I am not sure how many raw oysters I can eat, but it could get ugly. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
