FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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When I got up this morning it was cloudy and I had a change of plans.  I just could not resist heading to the lake after reading the weather report to see if the bite has progressed any since last week.  It has to turn on at some point, you would hope, so today let’s see if we can catch a few.  Then to the Lavaca tomorrow or the next day.

Weather

82/68  am clouds then partly sunny with a 10% chance of showers.  Wind SW 5 -10.

Lake Levels

Today   97.50     Last trip  10/22  97.74 msl   (Ongoing slow drop.)

Solunar Times 

Major Period  11:09 am to 1:09 pm  (Only applicable period today.)(When they bit.)

2 Boats

I have kept 2 boats for just his morning’s occurrence.  As I headed to the lake around 10:30 this morning with the skiff I felt the trailer do something funny.  Then a mile or two later it did it again, and as I looked back a tire just exploded in a thousand pieces.  But hey, no problem.  Pulled over, took it off, and put on the old spare.  Dang it – obviously the spare was starting to dry rot from just sitting on the trailer for years.  (Will have to add that to the watch list from now on.)  So with a bad spare I turned around and headed back to the house, switched boats and an hour later I was fishing.   The upside of 2 boats, but there is the downside, now need a complete set of tires on the skiff trailer, and a new trolling motor to replace the well used one on the Mako.  It never ends.

Fall is buzzbait time on the lake, at least it has been most of the 6 years I have fished Coleto, and I was determined to force feed them today.  The water  temp was 74 at the ramp and 69 way up lake and is fairly clear.  There was barely a ripple on the water.  That may sound counter intuitive for buzzbait fishing but actually it is one of my favorites, cloudy and dead calm. But to be sure I was not missing anything I started throwing everything, plastics, swim jig, buzzbait, all without success, and I mean not a bite for at least an hour.  So at the point I decided to stick with the buzzbait, and shortly it happened.

It was on a really, and I mean really flat bank, the boat in 3′ tossing to 1″ when the first one came over the side, then another.  I could see  them coming in that shallow water.  Then I had the best bite in my history of throwing buzzbait, an absolute explosion.  She freakin’ popped it.  After a monumental struggle I put the lip lock on a fish that was an easy 7, pushing 8, a real pig.  I went for the camera, oops, that would be home on my desk.  Oh well.  So back to fishing and 2 casts later another hoss in the same catagory smoked it, I got a hook in her but she pulled off.  In a total of 5 minutes I put 8 in the boat, including 5 nice ones, it was awesome.  Then back to nothing.

After fishing the rest of the afternoon I caught 2 more on the only other bites I had, another nice one on a buzzbait and one on a white swim jig.  To tell the truth I just can not figure it out.  A school of nice ones, including 2 big ones shallow and tearing it up, and then zip.  Even trying to replicate the pattern, it is not one obviously, produced nothing.  It is tough out there, but at least I had the pleasure of catching one of the bigger bass I have boated this year.

I did feel a little better after speaking with a guy at the ramp who spoke with Mr. Crappie 1 and 2, and their production is way down the last couple of weeks.  They are crappie masters and are having trouble catching limits, something they normally do every day.  It is tougher than normal.  To add to that when I idled out of a big cove there were massive schools of shad poised right in the mouth on the channel, and I mean huge schools.  Look for them to do that fall migration to the creeks, at which point the fishing should improve.  At least that is my theory and I am sticking to it.

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Here is a great report from Ross following my Garcitas post, obviously he knows the winter drill.

Great report, I love it when folks are kind enough to fill us in on their success and you obviously had some.  Wish I had recognized the shrimp pattern quicker, when they are on the shrimp the popping cork really comes into it’s own.  The popping cork is often overlooked which is to bad, now is the time and sitting here typing this as the rain sprinkles down makes me want to jump in the boat and head that way.  And good luck on the cast and blast.  Monday there were ducks flyingon the creek, the Sandhills were in full throat, and I even saw a couple of geese.  And the lake has as many ducks as I have seen this early.  Fall is here and there is not a better time to get outdoors.  So grab a friend or a kid and get out there.  Thanks and hope to hear how it goes.

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As our water temperature begins to slowly drop the tactics to bag a mess will change with it.  It is becoming “corky” time, along with a few other choices you should take advantage of including several versions of twitch baits, and the Controlled Descent Lures.  The Controlled Descent Lures by My Coast Outdoors should really come in to it’s own as the water temp continues to drop.  I am not here to tell you that they are the easiest bait to get the way you want it, but once you do, like the other day on Garcitas, game on.  It does take some thought and work, but that is the fun of it.  Obviously it catches fish no matter how you use it, but there is a way to get it to do exactly what you want, definitely not available in all plastics.  When you can take a bait and make it suspend perfectly horizontal, literally stopping it right in front of a big fish’s face, the potential is obvious.  Suspended horizontally, as the little paddles on the Paddle Shad wiggle, will result in some ferocious strikes, it so reminds me of jerk baiting for bass in cold water.  So get you some, find that perfect balance to make them eat, and hold on.  I am always looking for something they have not seen before and this is one.  They were eating it Monday and as soon as I hit Baffin could produce the biggest trout of the year.

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Cluster F’

I have been consumed for a week with attorneys, state agencies, insurance companies, family, contactors, and it seems like everyone else in the book.  Everyone in the family has been stressed out.  My parents are involved in a contract dispute and it went way beyond what it should have.  It is finally resolved as to them today, thanks to my brother for doing the basic leg work.  One thing that always happens in disputes like this:  Everybody and their freakin’ brother is a lawyer who knows the law, in spite of the fact they do not have a clue.  And then getting the attorneys to give you an absolute answer is like trying to take their first born.   So hopefully that is done, reminds me why I do not miss practicing law.

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As I finish this I am torn, be responsible and get tires, or load up and head to the Lavaca.  So while I mull that over rest assured, if not today then tomorrow.  The river should be getting in full swing and it is one of my favorite places to fish that I look forward to all year.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines