FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
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HAPPY MOTHER”S DAY TO MY MOM AND THE REST OF YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE!
ACCESS
One my pet peaves is the limited number of ramps in the POC area. Take any weekend and the ramps and lots are crowded with occasional mass chaos. My favorite was the weekend we fished a tournament, one of 3 that day, and one held it’s weigh in Saturday at 5:00 at the ramp at Froggie’s, talk about chaos. Over the last 30+ years I have launched at everything from dirt, to sand, to 8 lane monsters, and one thing that has become readily apparent is no matter where you go there are more folks on the water.
With the increased pressure on the limited number of facilities at many places, there just is not enough room during any area’s prime time. A perfect example is the ramp at Froggie’s on almost any day for the next 5 months. I understand that a great ramp with bathrooms and cleaning table are not cheap, but they are an investment in the growth to come. If you had told me when I first started guiding that fishing was going to become this popular I would have not believed you. And the sport continues to grow, especially inshore saltwater, and if the economy remains relatively stable, the pressure will only increase.
In my case the cost of the fishing license, and the excise tax that I pay in the cost of every lure, is a deal. I would have no problem paying more for the privilege, either in ramp fees or license increases, if it went directly to providing more access on the water. As budgets decrease many agencies are struggling, and with that is the closing of some facilities, the national parks a great example of that. Reducing access is not the answer and only acerbates the problem. Access has become an increasing problem due to the increased number of users, and if it is not addressed at some point it will reach critical mass in some places. And the benefits of increasing ramp availability is not only lowering traffic and congestion at the ramp, but in the case of the Texas coast, spreading fishermen out over larger areas.
So whether it is updating facilities, or building new ones, there has to be an investment in the future. I know times are tough for Game and Fish departments but acquiring access in the woods and water should be priority number one. As more and more private land is closed off to folks it is imperative that public access for the common man is preserved and expanded. The outdoors belong to each and every one of us and to keep our outdoor pursuits alive more access is an investment worth making.
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I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Neal who with some friends has been developing a great website and it is up now and ready to go. It is a great site and if you want to do a little dreaming, or some actual planning, at some of the best lodges in the world, this is the place. It is easy to navigate and if some of those places do not get your blood flowing you are not a fisherman. I already sent the link to the Boss in case there are options on our New Zealand itinerary. And though he is a law student, and I might question his sanity, the site is a professionally done resource. So do yourself a favor and check them out, I did and it makes me want to hit the road!
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I got this comment on the wind from Don, timely considering what the wind has been doing the last couple of months.
I am reminded that you may be a mere mortal after all.
From up here in Austin I have been paying attention to the wind reports and I can’t remember a single day thinking that the wind would be ok for the coast. Its even too windy for Lake Travis. My pleasant white bass kayak trip on Lake LBJ turned into a 4 mile paddle across the lake into a 20mph wind.
I forget its just a windy time of year.
This made me laugh for another reason. As I approach my 64th birthday I am reminded I am a mere mortal every morning when I crawl out of bed! The wind has been nothing else but consistent, 15 – 25 mph out of the SSE. My problem with it, besides the occasional ass busting ride, is it has been blowing on many of my go to spots. But if anything that should spur me on to look for more places that are not affected by our prevailing winds. Unfortunately the other day the wind was not the problem, it was me, I just did not fish worth a hoot. I just looked at the 10 day forecast for POC and they could just copy and paste, 15 – 25 for the next 10 days, great. And Dude, paddling 4 miles in a 2o mph wind is definitely putting on your big boy pants. After a while, wind or not, it is time on my part to quit bitchin’ and do something about it. Drive farther, fish harder. Thanks for keeping in touch.
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It is Saturday morning and I am doing my usual watch fishing thing. Some shows I really like, and some not so much. One I do enjoy is Big Water Adventures, he is a freakin’ nut, and he fishes everywhere for lots of different fish. Today they are in Venice LA, a bucket list place for me. Funny when you consider it is not all that far from here, maybe a couple of hours farther than Grand Isle, which is an easy hump. Though they are catching cobia, for me it would be a chance to catch some really big redfish. When they are that big they eat crankbaits, spinnerbaits, plastics, and topwater like the Whooper Plooper, right down my alley. A 5 day trip would be about right to figure something out.
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The last couple of years I have been doing a little experiment with reels. Over most of my fishing life I was an Ambassadeur 5500C fan, but also had Shimanos, Diawa, and Lews. After having several Corrados and Citicas, which I had trouble with, it was time for a new plan. After spending $150 on a reel, and then the occasional cleaning and new bearings, running $50 or so at least every year due to heavy use, I was sick of shelling out the bucks. So I started buying reels on clearance. I have no preference for brand, only price, keeping it $40 and below. Of course some are better than others, but I can honestly say I have not lost a single fish due to any reel. So if they are really cheap I buy 4 or 5 whenever they come up. The offshoot of that is it really has cost less over the long run. My favorite, which I have a couple left, has been the Daiwa Laguna, it is a good little reel. And when they start acting up, in the pile they go and out comes a new one.
And speaking of being a cheap skate I have found a good way to pick up the occasional rod at a great price. Academy sells combos, some nice ones, some not so nice. But what happens is the scum bags steal the reels and they are left with a rod. There are 2 places to look for them, one if there is a rod without a reel in the combo section, or in the wall rack with a yellow sticker on the handle without a price on it. They have a chart for the price without the reel, and it is a good deal. Now they are all not exactly what I want, but good ones do come up occasionally. I have gotten several Lew’s rods that way, and my favorite trout rod before I broke it was a Pflueger that I got for $12. So if you like to treasure hunt there are some good bargains to be had. It is nice to look at the pile of rod and reels in the boat and the total comes to $300 for the lot and it is not painful when, not if, I finally break something.
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Thanks for letting me rant on a few things that I have been thinking about, a good way to spend Saturday morning if not on the water. And it really has been hard to get over the fishing the other day. It has been a while since I had a day like that on the bay. Part of that is not going as much this spring, but if it is going to stay this way for a while, and it looks like it will, time to get some resolve. So wind or not I am going to extract some revenge on those trout. And thanks for your continued comments, we love getting them and read them all. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
