FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by 

** For a super deal use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online  order!**

Not sure when my luck will turn on me, but it was not today.

Thursday I was headed out to take care of a bunch of stuff so Friday I would be free to fish.  Then my buddy Jeffish called and said they could do some plumbing work and was I going to be around.  Of course.  So him, his dad Ken, Alex, and Justin all rolled up and got to work.  They fixed all kinds of stuff that was needing it.  Crossroads Plumbing is a great company and does good work.  And that has nothing to do with him being my buddy.  They got a ton done, and it was inspected and finished Friday morning.   So the point of this?  Instead of getting the other crap done I needed to on  Thursday I had to wait until Friday morning so I was not able to get on the water until 1:00.

It was 70 degrees with a 15 – 20 wind out of the south, and while it had a good chance of rain it never did.  It stayed cloudy, with occasional sun, and I could feel it was gonna be good.  And it was.

Why I love the Bang O Lure.  I look forward to this every year!  Funny how pictures can be deceiving, the second fish here was quite a bigger.

There was at least 25 trailers at the ramp, looks like a busy weekend for Coleto.  There were bass boats buzzing around everywhere and there was a boat on most banks.  So figuring everything had been fished I just started in a cove.  Sometimes you get lucky, and today I did because the first stump I threw at in the back of a cove had fish on it.  It was a spinnerbait bite, and I missed it.  So I picked up the Bang O Lure and tossed it back to the same spot and she smoked it.  From then on it was the pattern.   And how lucky have I been lately?  I had a big fish come out of a stump and smoke the Bang O Lure, and my line broke when I set the hook.  I almost cried, and then it floated to the top.  My luck continues, but as we all know it can’t last.

The only other place I fished that was a little different from a cove was a creek channel I have been catching them on, and that place did not disappoint and it was an easy 10+ there.  Most of those came on the bluegill swim jig with a Havoc craw trailer.  And like it has been they just want it straight reeled at a steady pace close to the bottom.  On braid you can feel them if they barely touch it, or in some cases smack the crap out of it, cool bite.

     A few on swim jig, but the bulk of them were on the Bang O Lure.

At this point I probably boated a dozen on the Bang O Lure and swim jig in that area, and they almost all came out of wood.  So the next logical stop was a big cove with scattered wood all over it.  Now obviously that cove had been pounded during the day, it is a popular place.  But guess what?   They were there, and not just here or there, but on almost every good piece of wood.  Make a good cast to wood, twitch that minnow past it and hold on.  Nice ones, little ones, mediums, didn’t matter they were on the wood, especially the shady side.  Some areas are getting pounded, it is spring, but it was real obvious this afternoon that those areas are not being fished effectively.

That bank was covered up in wood and it was an easy 15, they were eating it under as it was jerked by wood, or sucking it off the top.  A couple actually did the spring time topwater bite and came out of the water and exploded on it.  You know the kind where the bait gets tossed in the air and you get to see the fish.  The best wood was in 3 feet to out as deep as 10.  You just had to make the Bang O Lure splash over the wood until they could not stand it.  And if they did not eat on top, or you could see them roll under it, then I would jerk it under and work it fast and erratic.  You can also catch them by throwing to the bank just twitching it right along on top.  They tend to be the smaller fish right now, but get a good warm cloudy day and it won’t be long before they are big fish.  But if you see anything below the surface, work it under and watch them roll out. y Cocoons are worth their weight in gold, you have to be able to see it.   But no matter what this freakin’ fishing is off the chart.

As I came out of the back end of the big cove a bass boat was coming at me on the other side, so he cut across real fast and cut me off.  As usual, I was in the skiff.  It had not been out in a couple of months so I wanted to run it.  Over the last 6 years since I have had 2 boats bass fishermen make some kind of assumption about the boat, which is stupid, but happens all the time.  It makes me sad that bass fisherman have come to this.  The only revenge was I kept following them for a little ways and caught 2 behind them.  I did not see anyone fishing that pattern today, but I did spread the news.

Another boat was coming my way and we stopped and chatted.  Thomas had fished the lake in the past, and today had caught 2.  So in the spirit of fishcatchingtravel I paid it forward just like the 2 guys did for me at the river the other day.  I filled him in on how to catch them, and told him about the web site.  Not a couple hours after I chatted with Thomas on the lake I got this comment on the blog.

I met you tonight on Colleto an wanted to tell you thanks for the tips! You hadn’t even left the cove an I caught a 4 pounder !!! I’m going out tomorrow again. I would love the chance to learn some more.

That is freakin’ awesome.  And kind of funny because I told him the site was about sharing truthful fishing information.  We all need to help each other out, watch our for each other, and quit making this some king of freakin’ contest.  It is not the size of your boat, or some other part, that makes you a fisherman.  Thanks for the comment Thomas, maybe we can get it organized to fish together some day.

And it was not all about the bass today.  I saw the eagle, which I assume is the one that was here last year.  That poor eagle got harassed by the ospreys on a regular basis last year.  Then I saw the real dinosaur, the giant alligator in the same cove as last year.  His back was covered in mud and he was sunning.  I grabbed the camera, but the minute I moved he exploded off the bank in a shower of water and mud.  It is so awesome to see the really big ones, they are cool, but that is one scary creature.

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

SA Joe dropped this comment after my trip to the Nueces River.

You’re welcome. Glad you did ALOT better than my big fat zero when i went. I used my knowledge from fishing the red river lock n dam #5 and threw crank baits and Kastmasters lure to catch white bass there. Just didn’t work for me Dec 29th when I went. But i also fished way north at Airport Rd and it just got crowded. Was planning on heading south Wed but ended up going local and slayed some Lrg Mouths. Biggest was 5lbs today.

I only went about a mile or so above the Hwy 59  bridge so not really sure what the Airport Rd area is.  I trolled down river until there was a train bridge and fished some below that before I trolled back up.  But as I tend to do, when in doubt go bass fishing, and looks like you had a good day.  I appreciate the heads up on the whites, may try to do it one more time.  And as usual thanks for your participation.

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

And speaking of white bass Ro dropped this comment on the Pedernales River, which I hope is my next destination.

Great white bass report Doug! Sounds fun! I ran all the way up the Pedernales River Friday: they weren’t up yet. Most bait and arches are midway up, but predominantly 10-13 inch lmbs. Will try again in a couple weeks.

Thanks for letting me know.  That little white bass extravaganza the other day has me itching for more.  Plus with good timing you can add a bonus striper or two on a good day.  When they start let me know, would love to hit that right.  And looking forward to the next time the Austin Boys head this way, always a good time.

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

So there you have it, my great fishing luck continues.  It seems like I am in tune and fishing well.  And as anyone who really fishes a lot knows, it can’t/won’t last.  But I am going to ride this horse as long as it continues.  Going to a new spot has always been fun for me, sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks.  But the last few weeks has me itching for more.  But I have not forgotten about the salt.  It won’t be long, and I am still waiting for the perfect weather report so I can head to the Upper Laguna out of North Padre for a few days.  Please keep sending those comments and reports, it makes for a much better site.  It is hard to believe that this blog will be heading into year 7 this summer, who would have thunk it?  And the big thing, Australia is a little over a month away and visions of big fish on the Great Barrier Reef are dancing in my head.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines