FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Making chicken salad out of chicken (you know what).
The plan was to fish the Gulf today, and that got short circuited by a really important trip. My buddy Jeffish saw the crappie fishing report so he stopped by Thursday and said he wanted to take the day off and get his son Korbin, the future 2030 Bassmaster Champion, out of summer camp and go crappie fishing. No way I was going to turn down an offer like that.
So I picked them up at 7:00 and off to Coleto we went. Now understand one thing, I have crappie fished there maybe 3 times, or less. There are lots in there, I just have not really messed with them. So we picked up 5 dozen minnows and in the water we went. And then a head up rear moment complicated the whole day.
We split them between two floating minnow buckets, put them in the lake, and within 5 minutes they were all basic dead as doornails. I guess the 30 degree increase in water temp was just a little to much for them, duh! A couple of fighters hung on so we hit 3 places, and caught a catfish or two at each place with dead ones.
A good eater.
We actually were headed back to hit the Damn Store and get some more live ones, but since we caught at least one catfish everywhere we went we said what the heck, lets keep catching catfish. If you will recall last post I told you Mr. Crappie 1 + 2 were catching them off timber by dropping it down to the bottom into fairly deep water, at least 10 foot plus, reeling it up 2 cranks and catching crappie. Well guess what, it works for crappie and catfish, even with our stupid dead minnows.
What is not to like about a happy kid and a catfish. That was me 50 years ago.
From there we just wood hopped. It seems like we would pull up on the outside trees and tie up and catch a couple, then they would quit, so we would move on.
This is a nice average size on Coleto.
It was no more complicated than tying up, dropping it to the bottom, reeling up 2 cranks and catching fish. We managed to add 4 nice crappies and one keeper bass on dead minnows. If you know anything about crappie fishing with minnows, dead ones are almost worthless. If we managed 4 nice crappie on dead ones who knows what we would have caught if we had not killed our bait.
Even a 15 incher on a dead minnow.
Before we quit about 1 we boxed around 13 or 14 cats and crappie for a fish fry. It really was that easy, and I can only imagine how it would have gone if we had live minnows. When we got to the cleaning table we spoke with another guy who had 17. He found the same thing we did, catch a couple and then they would quit. He caught his as shallow as 6 and out to 20 feet. So if you want to catch a fish fry for your house keep it simple. Drop it to the bottom, reel up 2 cranks and hold on. Lively bait and trees, the fish are there somewhere, and if they are there you will know it right off the bat. Keep moving and trying different depths and you will get rewarded. There was one thing that definitely made a difference, and that seemed to be using fluorocarbon line. I had the most bites and that is the only difference we noted.
So though I did not make the Gulf, still waiting for the flats boat back, nothing beat the look on Korbin’s face as he struggled mightily with a catfish all of 8 inches. There are many ways to keep our sport alive when we are gone, but there is none better than sharing it with our children. Love of the outdoors and fishing, and an appreciation of what it means, can be fostered before girls (or boys), sports, and all the other things that distract a young person. But once it is inside them, as it was for me, they will always come back to it. Pass it on.
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I may not have hit the bay but I got this short report from Elaine a couple of days ago.
Fished with friends today at Green’s with croaker. This was a drift then power pole down and fish it out. About 3 hrs of this and readjusting we had one trout. Numerous boats there, some anchoring, some wading but didn’t see Any catching. Rain clouds sent us home.
First thanks for the report, it brings up several comments. When I am drift fishing I also use the Power Pole. Hopefully I catch a couple of keepers back to back then Power Pole down, it just gets tough when you can’t even do that. You have to give those guys credit, now they are putting 2 on the back of many bass boats, which for most are just are great way to hold the boat after getting it off the trailer. I can only think of a couple of times I have actually used it bass fishing. Additionally, croakers account for zillions of nice trout on the coast every summer, but they are not a magic bullet. As the say in real estate, location, location, location. And of course, nothing like summer on the coast. Why I love hunting season, then I am out there much more, nothing like getting to park in the first spot or two at Froggie’s and only seeing a few boats all day. So sorry it did not go as well as you would like, but as you know, that is fishing. It was good to hear from you and comment anytime the spirit moves you.
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And this comment from Lee brings up several points.
Thanks for the code to the Coccoon glasses. Just got two pairs in Amber and also blue mirror with gray. Really liking them.
I’m down at Galveston around Jamaica Beach for my annual vacation and trying to get some fishing in from my kayak in the bay. I’m struggling with fish breaking me off now that I’m using a leader with braid. Do you use a leader and if so, what kind of knot do you use to connect them? I’m using a uni to uni and haven’t had this problem on Lake Travis. Not sure if it’s a speckled trout thing with the teeth or if I’m messing something up all of a sudden. Lost three lures last night. Still figuring out the salt thing. Thanks for the great blog. I read it regularly but just signed up. Really appreciate you sharing the knowledge as it helps me out.
Yikes, I feel your pain with the braid to mono issue. I also use the uni to uni knot and failure seems to boil down to user error, at least in my case. It seems that very problem happens to me on occasion and it happens when I join them improperly. If either side of the knot, either the braid or mono, lets a wrap go over the other knot, even a little, it will slip pretty easily. Be sure to wet both knots when you pull them tight. The way to tell is does your braid come back with no mono, then it is probably your knot. But that does not seem to be your problem, especially since you are using it successfully in fresh water. But that would be where I would first look when I tie it. Now if the mono is breaking somewhere on the leader and not at the knot it is something else. As you figure out the salt thing you might have hit a pocket of Spanish Mackeral, which can bite mono off like a hot knife through butter. They really inhabit the bay this time of year and they love lures. So if you are setting the hook and the lure is just gone, often not even feeling the fish, it could be them. For me I have just about quit using braid on the coast and now almost exclusively use fluoro, mainly because of the very problem you have had. Sorry I can not be more help in that department.
I am glad you took advantage of the deal at Cocoon’s. It was a great deal. Anytime you can get 4 pairs of great sunglasses for around a $100 what is not to like about that. Be sure to register your warranty, they stand behind them and additionally they occasionally send great offers like the last one to folks who register their warranty.
Last, you all will never know how good it makes me feel to get this kind of feedback. Sharing what little knowledge I have with folks is the reason for this blog. I get so tired of how fishing seems to have evolved into what seems like a National Security issue. More than any other sport it seems secrets and misinformation rule the day. There are plenty of fish for all and sharing info makes us all better fishermen. Thanks for your kind comment and feel free to comment anytime. And if you can drop the occasional Travis comment I would love to hear them. I will be making a trip there with the family at the end of summer and am looking forward to seeing what that is like on a holiday weekend. I assume it is nuts.
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And last I heard from Austin Aaron.
Doug,
I hope all is well. It’s been too long since I dropped you a line. The wind kept me away from the coast most of this month but I finally made it down to POC last weekend. I stick to shallow water and the early morning low tide wasn’t playing to my strengths but I managed 10 reds in a morning of fishing. The best fish of the morning is a fun story. I was paddling up to a patch of shell and next to an old duck blind. A cormorant was sitting on the duck blind and didn’t fly off until I was right next to him. He flew over the shell as I was preparing to cast and then made a slow loop back to the shoreline. I normally couldn’t care less about a cormorant but paused on my cast to watch him finish his flight. Right when he reached the shore a big school of reds spooked from his shadow and started fleeing. I cast as hard as I could to get my lure into the middle of the school and had an immediate hook-up. That red pulled me out over 100 yards before I landed him. He was right at 28”. I’ve never felt thankful for cormorants until that morning. Sure glad I was watching him because I would have never fished the spot where we spooked those fish.
The reason for the email this afternoon is to see if you could shoot me the name of the outfit that makes 1/32 oz jig heads. I frequently use a weightless set-up and would like to try 1/32 oz but am having a heck of a time finding anyone that makes it. I seem to remember that you found a group that makes them.
I hope all is well,
Aaron
Cool story. Whether it is mullet, bait, or reds, it is amazing what a shadow does to them. Death from the sky. The collective knowledge of the eons is imprinted in their brain. Your experience is a great example of what can be gleaned from watching the water. It may be as profound as scattering redfish, or as subtle as a small ripple, a flipping mullet, or as some call it, a simple disturbance in the force. But when it happens and you take advantage of it is a beautiful thing. And 10 reds for the day works anytime.
Now to the jig heads. I got them made for me at a tackle store down the road from the tackle store I owned for 2 years in the mid 70’s. It is a small store, and when you go inside it is actually one of the better tackle stores in the country for a small business. They have tons of tackle and a large supply of lure making products, and are able to pour what ever jig heads a person needs. I wish I had written down the hook I had them use with the jig head, it is a finer wire and I have had no problem with them bending or breaking. And for a guy like you who spends lots of time in shallow water they are perfect.
So here is a suggestion, watch your mailbox, I am dropping you a couple so that you can see them. My good buddy lives up there and if these are what you are looking for I can send him out there and get you a handful. Gerry is easy to work with and after you see these you can see if they meet your need. The price is so right. We can go from there. As usual good to hear from you.
https://www.facebook.com/Gerrys-Qwik-Stop-Tackle-150591391701937/?fref=nf
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Humminbird
I wanted to keep you updated on the Humminbird saga. As you have read here the GPS was not working properly in spite of what I was initially told. So after complaining here they offered to fix if for me though the warranty was out. So I sent it back and low and behold it is already back. Unfortunately I do not have the boat right now, so I can not hook it up and see if it works, but will be able to do it next week. I am happy with their response and quick service. I will let you know how it goes.
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The Boss and I are sitting around this morning finalizing some of the Australia plans for this spring. Only going for 2 weeks to a place as big as anywhere decisions have to be made about getting the most bang for your buck. The Great Barrier Reef, crocodiles, the outback, Sydney, kangaroos, so much to see, so little time. But I have reserved 4 days for fishing and I am already stressing out over the decision on where to spend my time. Tuna, barramundi, reef fish, they are all on the list, I can not wait!
So there you have it for today. I am getting back in the grove and the reports will start coming more often. As I always tell you I so appreciate you sticking with me and love any comments you want to share. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
PS: Watch This!
