FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
I just got done watching the weatherman tonight and it just might throw me into a depression deeper than a Kentucky bass on Bull Shoals in October. He was talking right at 3 digit highs for most of the week. In fact he said it would be getting HOTTER! Are you kidding me? Combined with the moisture being pulled out of the Gulf due to this high pressure weather we are trapped in it is just going to be ugly. It is summer in Texas but this one seems hotter than most. Who knows, I just may be gettin’ addled in my old age. No matter what it is hot and as you will see in the comment below, some folks are having just a little trouble catching fish.
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The last several blog posts have generated a few more comments I wanted to share with you all:
When I got this comment from Joe Bass I started laughing and could not stop. But not for the reason you might think.
Just got back from a week of very ROUGH fishing. Why cant fishing reports from TPWD be correct. “Water lightly stained; 85–89 degrees; 0.64’ low.” When they say lightly stained it should be considered can’t see JACK=muddy. Dropped a white bait down into the water and lost it after 1ft. Lake Update. Lake Palestine in Flint Tx. DON’T GO. It’s constant brown because of the silty bottom and wind turning it all the time, have to hit the bass in the head to catch any. That is the normal color. Caleveras is clearer. Catfish loved the Chicken Livers. Upper end very shallow, More stumps than a forest, Was in 18ft of water and hit stumps. This place SUCKS. Bulkhead lake=no real cover other than boat docks on the lake. I got lucky and caught one by the dam. 5lb8oz. One week got about 7 bass. Oh did i say it Sucked to Bass Fish !!!
I soooooo feel his pain. This summer’s bass fishing can best be described as tough. Super high water temps, lots of places off color, days so hot you can not touch the steering wheel, it is no wonder fishing is a mite slow. And the TPWD fishing report, like our local television report, often leaves me wondering where in the hell they came up with that. But the reason I could not help laughing is it really does describe my last month. But keep the faith, it will get better and I promise not laugh at your next comment. (Probably!) But you could not have said it better about my bass fishing right now – It sucks to bass fish!
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One comment concerning knots to connect mono and braid came from Randy and had me doing a little research.
In my experience, the best knot for attaching a leader to braid, is the J knot. I have tried the double uni-knot, but I can break this knot because the braid cuts the leader.
You can look up the J knot on the netknots.com website.
Thanks for the heads up. It might take me a little bit to get the hang of it but will definitely give it a go next time I join braid and mono. According to the website it is slightly stronger than the uni and has less stress on the line, which could solve the problem Lee has been experiencing. This is the kind of participation I love, trading good info we might not come across otherwise. So thanks for the comment Randy, I really appreciate it.
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The question on 1/32 jig heads brought a couple of suggestions from Colby that I wanted to share with you.
Doug,
The 1/32oz jigheads are now sold commercially. Tackle Town in Rockport has them(I bought some there about 2 weeks ago) and I understand the Black’s down at Baffin Bay are also selling them. Aaron’s trip is a good tip for everyone. Let nature tip you off on where the fish are. Most trips something will happen in nature to let you know where catchable fish are located. And sometimes nature will SHOUT at you to get you to notice, like a flounder chasing a baitfish all the way out of the water! Great sight when it happens and it sure makes fishing easier.Similar to Aaron’s trip I once saw one redfish lazily tailing in water not two feet deep along a shoreline. I was farther than a cast away so I had to ease up closer. When I made the cast must have been 50 redfish busted like a big covey of quail! That will get your attention.
Let nature give you those tips. But you’ll never get them going by in a boat at 30 mph. Slow down, listen, watch and catch more fish.
Get that boat going! Thanks for the continued blog, especially during these 100+ degree days.
Colby
And then he followed up with this additional place to find them.
Doug,
Donnie also has the 1/32 oz jigheads at Port O’Connor Rod & Gun. Great little tackle store that really has a lot of good tackle stuffed in a small space. Colby
Thanks for the info on where folks can find 1/32 jig heads locally. Tackle Town in Rockport was the first place I found the Bagley jighead when I first started trying it out. I didn’t know about Rod & Gun in POC. I give all the credit for most of the nicer trout I caught this last year and half to the Blacks. They wrote the first article that got me using them, and I had heard that they were coming out with their own. And those of you near a Cabela’s or Bass Pro can always check out the Shaky Head hooks used for bass fishing. They can be found in light weights with a bigger hook. The best of those I have found are the ones available from Bagley Baits, (Check them out be clicking on the link above.) their small one is my favorite and is probably the best hook of the bunch. What I like about the ones I had made is beside the simple fact they work for me is they are under $30 a hundred, which saves big bucks. And the other benefit of having them poured is I got to select the hook of my choice. Since I rarely use over 8lb line I need a finer wire so I can set the hook a mile out, and I have not had a problem with any fish bending them, including a 50lb+ drum last month. So thanks for letting everyone know.
And the boat will be back this week, but this might have been one time I should have done the work myself. Since it was nothing more than a hub change it was no big deal and that is what I get for not doing it. And worse, since I just got the GPS back I can not even put it on the boat and see if it works. I know one thing for sure, it will be off to the Gulf as soon as I get it back. And as usual I really appreciate your comments, keep them coming.
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So here it is Sunday morning and I am watching fishing instead of fishing. Several of the shows today are out of Florida, a place I love to fish. I have fished the area around the Caloosahatchee River where it meets the coast near Fort Myers, but have never actually fished in the river. We love that area and have stayed many places around there. The river is 67 miles long and has great bass fishing, with good snook and tarpon on the lower end. I think my next trip will be on the river somewhere. In redfishlaw’s world, where the Boss says I live without a clue, nothing would be better than to catch a few big bass and then head down river and put a tarpon, snook, or some big specs in the boat.
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Not sure what is next but Monday morning I will be at the marina seeing whether my boat will be done shortly. Since it is at most a 2 hour job a couple of weeks is plenty of time to get that done. And then when I think of simplifying my life by selling the skiff it is times like this that remind me why I need a back up. So in my case the old adage: BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand really means Break Out Another Two Thousand. Oh well why save for retirement or the future, just spend it all on fishing stuff. It is only money. There will be some fishing this week, we will just have to see where and how. And I really love your comments, so keep them coming. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
