POC 6/23/16.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Boat Decal Home of the all time great Bang O Lure!

Weather

A mix of clouds and sun. High 93F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tides

Low   1:55 AM    -0.2
High  12:38 PM     0.6

I Thought I Saw Something Tailing.

As I eased down the bank in the last arm of the Oil Cut I saw a redfish tailing.  I toss to him but no bite.  So I reel in and see another.  I make the perfect cast, and the world explodes.  I never saw this guy.

P1010552

Not sure if I can get him up!

P1010548

That thing is a freakin’ monster!

Over the years we have had a few really big black drum in the boat but this is the King!  The pictures do not do him justice.  As thick as me this thing was a mutant freak.  Every time it happens I think back to that guide at POC who told me you can not catch them on lures, man I must be some fisherman.

When I tossed at the tail this guy just rolled it.  I was using 8lb fluoro and the 1/32 jig head with a paddle tail.  He immediately started ripping off drag and the fight was on.  It goes back to the little things, do not freak out, do not hurry them, get out the big net, and always, always on a big fish like this, keep the nose of the boat pointed straight at him.  It gives you the ability to spin the boat when they go under it, which it did multiple times.  And during the fight do the down and dirty used by fly fishermen, changing rod angles to tire and confuse, then do not mess around with the net until you are ready to stick him.  It all went well and after a major battle it was over.

There actually was a boat coming by and they stopped and took these pictures.  I honestly could barely hold him up.  An easy 50, he felt a lot bigger than that.  One thing about black drum, they are bulldogs.  The fight is pretty recognizable and it doesn’t take long to figure out what you have on.  It was the best part of the morning’s fishing.

The tide was coming up as  I dropped the boat in the water at Froggie’s before 6.  The water temp was 84 – 86 everywhere.  The plan was easy, do the milk run, no wading, catch few for supper, and call it a day when it got real hot and the tide slacked at noon.  The water was off color from Froggie’s to Big Bayou.  I kept with topwater to long, but did put a 17″ in the boat for supper.

P1010545

A fighting filet on the Knocker B.

I started with a Skitter Walk, but it had the saltwater hooks on it, and using 12lb mono like I do on a softer rod I had several right off the bat that did not stay hooked up.  Forgot to change the hooks.  Finally changing to the Bagley Knocker B I put a couple in the boat.  Unfortunately it was to late and they stopped hitting it.  The water just was not clearing so I thought I would head up to the Oil Cut and see if it was any better.

P1010546P1010556

                       This was the best I could do with the reds.

Once I got to the Oil Cut the water color was only slightly better.  I alternated between Redfish Magic and a 3″ red/copper paddle tail on a 1/32 jig head.  The trout were just not having it and the reds were on the small side.  The 2 above were 18″ and the other 3 I caught were nowhere near that.  But the black drum made the whole morning worth getting up for.

One the way in I stopped back in Big Bayou and tried to catch a few more trout but that is not where they are right now.  So I fished one more bank with spinnerbait and caught the last small red.

At this point the tide was up and slack.  The wind was not bad, but the water color just did not clear enough to be right.   I really think out on the island shoreline the fishing should be a little better.  For the morning it was around 10 fish and this guy.

P1010553

This thing came all the way in holding the paddle tail.

There were several lady fish, some kind of hog fish thing, a blue crab, and the usual pin fish.  So off to the ramp and when I get back to Froggie’s everybody has the same idea I do, call it a day.  The parking lot is full, and there are 3 waiting, welcome to summer time in POC.

*******************   

I got this great report on Fayette.  Speaking of a summertime pattern.

Doug,

A friend and I fished Fayette today from 6am to noon. And like what you reported on Coleto, there was barely a breath of a breeze on the lake and flat calm conditions. I wasn’t sure how the fishing was going to be today after the full moon last night. It started slow but picked up quickly. When I got off the lake at noon we had caught 43 fish with the biggest going 5# and the rest being good solid 2-3.5# slot fish.

All fish were caught Carolina rigging Berkley Havoc bottom hoppers in the color of Redbug and Watermellon Candy. We fished deep water points ranging in depth from 18-25ft. One spot yielded 20 fish as they are really stacked up and in a solid summer pattern. The real keys to catching fish today though was using a “heavy” rig and working it back SLOW. By heavy I mean using a 1.25 once weight to make long casts to cover a lot of water and to stay in contact with the bottom in the deep water. Some bites were very light while some about pulled the rod out of our hands.

All in all it was another great outing on Fayette.

Jim

PS: Two weeks ago my bass club, the Metropolitan Bass Club, fished our overnight tournament on Fayette. It ran Friday 6/10 at 6pm to Saturday 6/11 at 6pm. Hardly anybody fished past 1pm Saturday as it was just to blazing hot! I caught a respectable 20.20# but was nowhere close to the winners. 1st was 29#, 2nd was 28.58# and 3rd was 27#. Those were some big stringers!

That is some serious good bass fishing.  I love that lake, traffic and all.  Looks like I need to start fishing that way here on Coleto.  Without any major grass to hold them shallow I just might be beating my head against a wall.  (Not unusual!)  As usual your reports are appreciated.  And folks he could not be any clearer about where and how.  So those of you who fish Fayette, there  you have it, the summer time pattern is in full swing on Fayette.

******************

And Rick sent me this note on Jason’s couple of comments.

If you want to spice up your blog a little, get Jason to tell some of those Lee Richter stories. Lee was a longtime fishing guide and marine repair shop owner in POC. He and my dad used to race boats back in the late 50’s and he took my family out green light fishing at night at the jetties a couple of times. Lee was a real character (in a good way).

That would be awesome.  So Jason the ball is in your court.  It does not have to be a novel but any stories you could share about a POC icon would be appreciated.

*******************

Looks like we are in a consistent weather pattern.  Chance of showers, high low 90’s, it is Texas summer.  It is fishin’ light shortly after 6, and as much as I like to sleep in it is not going to work right now.  Will be watching the tides closely looking for the high to be in the early a.m. and running water at daylight.  I wish I could figure them out better on a rising tide, I really am not all that good at it.  Give me a falling tide and a couple of drains and I am in business.  Makes me want to load the boat and go right now.  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.
This entry was posted in Fish Catching Travel. Bookmark the permalink.