FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
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As I do every year it was time to look back at the pictures from 2016. There were good times and bad, some big fish caught, some tough days, but most of all there was fun times. My biggest fish on 8lb. line, a couple of really nice trout, and a bag full of solid bass. It is easy to see and track the fishing by just looking at a couple of pictures from each month.
January
A trip to the mountains of New Mexico
You gotta love Baffin.
No really, I love the Upper Laguna
And a few bass along the way.
I would like to take a second and thank those folks that have helped me out with some support. I love my Cocoons, they put additional fish on the end of my line, they work. And Coastal Fishing Gear with the WadeRight harness came on board and I use it religiously wading. Having 2 rods is the bomb, not to mention not dunking my reels. The Bagley Bang-O-Lure has been one of my favorite baits for almost 40 years, and it works just as well today as it did then. Hard to improve on perfection. So thanks, Dave, Tim, Don, and all the rest. Every little bit helps.
February
It was a big bass month.
Love that swim jig!
And we smoked them with the Austin Boys.
There was a short but ok white bass run on Coleto.
March
Whacking them in Arkansas on the Alabama Rig.
And Coleto produced lots of good fish on the Bang-O-Lure.
And lots of hybrids, whites and stripers on the Arkansas trip.
My best striper of the trip.
April
The wading was good that month for reds and trout.
A nice flattie.
And Coleto stayed good.
May
The limit restriction on trout seemed to really start to show a better average at POC.
I love it when you hold the camera way out and can not get the whole fish in the picture.
And a good trip to Fayette.
I fished with lots of folks this year. Clyde, Jeffish, Billy, Voe, Jeff, John, Todd, Pete, John, John, Chris, Dave, and I can not even remember who else. Troopers all, we had a good time. And Chad the Mad Trout Fisherman’s reports have added another dimension to this blog. Thanks.
June
A heck of a black drum on 8lb line and my trout rod.
And still loving the size of some of the trout this year.
A nice pike on the Canada trip.
We saw momma and her 2 cubs.
And what more can you say about the ridiculous smallmouth fishing?
They were freakin’ toads.
The smallmouth fishing in Canada was stupid good. But after a while it is just catching another one. With other plans this year there won’t be a Canada trip. I think Florida will be back in the picture in the fall if I can swing it.
July
We love Big Bend National Park.
A huge canyon leading into Mexico.
It was a slow month for me on the bay.
The beginning of a period of lots of unders. Though no complaints as each trip we caught lots, just a big run of unders.
August
But there was the occasional good one mixed in.
The fishing was pretty good in August.
And the reds were pretty steady.
And Coleto did it’s part. Overall it was a good month in terms of sheer numbers on lake and bay.
September
Coastal Fishing Gear came on board.
Saw some great sunrises on the bay this month.
That will work.
It was actually pretty consistent.
And always getting me some of those Coleto big ones. Fishing was consistent on both lake and bay considering the hot weather.
It was so hot during this time period I did not fish all that much. And it really was a run of unders and we had several days we caught them one after the other, and barely scratched a limit. Guess I am going to have to add the live bait thing to late summer, early fall.
October
The fish were biting.
The Bagley Knocker B topwater did it’s part.
No real big trout, but plenty of keepers.
The bass were biting but running small with falling water levels, high water temps, and no grass.
November
Yummm!
Getting it done with the Austin Boys.
My best of the year.
No weight or measure, just quick CPR and in she went.
And a nice red out of Garcitas. I always look forward to the couple of months when the trout come in the rivers.
And the trout came into the Lavaca.
Though still slow the lake gave up the occasional good one.
This year fishcatchingtravel.com had it’s 500,000 visitor! That just blows me away. From a few over 60 visits the first month we run around 7,000 – 10,000 visitors a month, depending on how much folks are fishing. I like that distinction, it lets me know that folks come here for real fishing information when they are headed out.
December
Headed out on Garcitas.
The Austin Boys had them surrounded.
We sacked a few, considering the wind blew 30mph+ and the ride back was the freakin’ worst, this was a good mess.
And a great day on the lake with the Bang-O-Lure. It is about to be big bass time on the lake.
And a real good one on the swim jig.
Last, but most importantly, I want to thank you the readers. That is what this is about, and it is what keeps me writing. The fishing is easy, the keeping up with this is the work. So thanks for coming, and there is one group, you know who you are, that I can never thank enough. You have been here from the beginning and I feel like I know each and every one of you. Thanks.
2016 was a good year, but 2017 is shaping up to be epic. On the books already is a few days on the Upper Laguna the minute the weather is right, and I mean soon. Then a couple of days on South Padre in February. If the wind is not to bad it will be the long run up the barge canal trying to put a winter hole snook in the boat. And the couple of times I have fished it this time of year the good trout were there pretty thick.
Then in late March into April it will be Australia. Maybe a couple of days of barramundi fishing, and a couple of days of chasing yellowfin tuna, both hopefully getting crossed off the bucket list. Makes me excited just typing that. And if God is kind, and the creek don’t rise, trips to Louisiana and Arkansas are worked in there somehow. And that is just the next 5 months. What is there not to like about that? And of course the regular fishing will continue on.
So I am sitting in a motel in Big Springs Texas as we are on our way back from Colorado. As soon as I get home tomorrow I will get up some great pictures and stories. We had a wonderful time driving the mountains, seeing the wildlife and we saw a bunch, taking a sled ride with the Huskies in a snow storm (awesome), and I caught my first trout on fly in a tailwater when it was 8 degrees with a real pro. More on that coming, I had no idea there was that much good fishing there. What a trip. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
