FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Better Days to Come.

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I am already bored sitting in the house, had an appointment in the middle of the day yesterday so I did not fish and now this.  Winter has come to South Texas.  When I got up it was 47 degrees and the wind was blowing pretty good out of the North.  Now it is pouring, the wind is blowing, and it just might continue for 2 days.  No matter what this is the warmest it will be until about 11:00 Friday morning.  I love winter fishing but it is ugly enough I am not even thinking about sneaking out to the lake for a couple of hours.

The weather will keep me in the house a couple of days, but the folks that fished Monday and Tuesday had some success with some good trout posted online.  And clearly the flounder are biting all along the coast right now, and some of them look pretty big.  It is nice they are caught in the rivers and channels, many of which have bank fishing access, giving a lot more people a shot at the tastiest fish in the Gulf.  In my case flounder are a bycatch from trout fishing and it is great when it happens.  I can almost filet them properly.

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I got this comment from Terry who I fished with when his other plans fell through on his way to the coast.

Let me know when you want to come up this way. Texoma is still producing large numbers of fish daily. Fish over 20 inch are more than common . Actually 6 to 13 pound fish are becoming common again. Hope to see you soon !
Trophyhuntersguideservice

Those of you who read this stuff know I did my fair share of guiding for stripers during my misspent youth, and trust me, if you want to fill the boat give him a call.  Now is the time to sack them up, and if you have not seen the catfish he puts in the boat they are something.  And thanks for the offer Terry, believe me I have not forgotten and will definitely be heading that way. I might not have been the best replacement that day but I sure had a good time.  So thanks for keeping in contact and those are some nice freakin’ strings!  Check out his site if you want to see some big ass catfish, impressive.

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I really did enjoy fishing with David last week.  A confirmed bass fisherman like me, he is on that saltwater journey.  And his applying the Carolina Rig technique used in bass fishing for fishing shrimp was a hit.  According to David there may be a couple of flaws in my photography skills………….

Doug,That was a great writeup!  The picture of me is unflattering in 3 ways:  bait bucket shown, my fat ass and I see my Sahara reel under water!!!  What a loser!!   Great seeing everyone and blessed to be in such good company, like Randy!   DP

I know, friends don’t let friends fish shrimp!  I actually think you are quite svelte for a loser, especially sopping wet, but only in a manly sort of way.   And I never noticed the Sahara under water, nice job, so buy a Wade Right, who does not need more fishing stuff.  (Time for a quick ad.  This is the very reason the Wade Right is the best belt on the planet.  It is hard enough to keep from dunking your stuff, and the Wade Right reduces that considerably.  In terms of the lifetime of your high dollar reels it will pay for itself.)  And last, sorry to Alan,  guess I was making up another Austin Boy and I thought he looked like a Randy.  And Todd says the group needs a Randy anyway.  I just heard from Alan, he is ok with being Randy, so there.  In fact from others comments, any of your group could be a “Randy” depending on how bad someone screws up.  As far as good company, ain’t we all something.  I enjoyed getting to fish with you again and look forward to the next trip.  Port Mansfield here we come!

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I also wanted to respond to Vincents kind words.

Thanks For info… I feel a lot comfortable taking my boat into Powderhorn Bay with the information. Always wanted to fish it just having a boat now did not want to take into bays with out any information about. Thanks for the time you put into this and it is very appreciated. Thank you

Thanks for your kind words.  Ahhhhhh, the Powderhorn.  Just to make it clear that is where I hit a pipe running in the back end of it and gouged a couple of grand off the bottom of my boat.  Please be careful, idle in and take the time to idle around.  It has some deep water and just taking the time to idle and watching the locator can reduce the chance of mishaps.  And as far as I am concerned if you are heading to any shoreline on the Texas coast take your time and idle in, safer that way and you won’t miss potential structure nor blow out a wad of fish.  Last but not least, in fact number 1 on the list, go get a real map and study it, and combine that with Google Earth will really help solidify what you see on the map, and then on the water.  Nothing is better than map study for a first trip anywhere, trust me, I do it everytime.  So have a good time and let us know if you put any fish in the boat.

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I am currently trailer shopping for the Mako.  I can not decide how I feel about buying a new one from them.  It has the beginning of a couple of cracks on the cross members, a problem that must be dealt with.  Also the axle has some rust visible on the inside, so the time has come, new trailer.  Then I mull over doing a major overhall myself with the help of friends, and having messed with a few crappy trailers over the last 40 years I know what a hassle that is.  So the hunt is on, Mako, Coastline, and who knows who else.

But one thing, hard to complain when it has been towed tens of thousands of miles.  It has been on some serious long trips like the Everglades and Louisiana multiple times to name just a few.  And when you add multiple trips to Amistad, Falcon, and some other places I can’t remember at the moment, you are talking some serious miles.  Oh yea, who could forget at least a time or two a week, at a minimum, to local lakes and salt over 8 years.  No wonder it’s pretty rough.   So here we go.  Break Out Another Thousand. (If not 2!)

Note:  I called Bass Pro yesterday in Katy about a trailer and the salesman promised to call me back that afternoon, no response yesterday or today.  What has happened to this company?  

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On real motivator to get it done is the great trailer episode.  The Boss and I were doing 70mph on I10 in Florida pulling the skiff when the trailer frame, not a weld, not a joint, broke in half.  It immediately ripped off the tire and the fender, crap was flying everywhere.  For some reason, I guess we were living right, it broke between the shackles holding the springs. which held the frame together.  A nice deputy stopped and helped us change the tire and limp 3 miles to an exit.  Looking at the phone book in the phone booth, remember them, a guy walks up and said looks like you need some help.  He pointed out a welding shop only a mile down the road, and we were saved.  He immediately welded it up with plates (Only $60.) and we finished our trip to Florida, and then bought a new trailer.  You never know when towing long distances, which I have done regularly.  Never a dull moment.  (Like the time I hit a dead deer on the interstate in the middle of the night, and when I got to the motel parts of him were hanging off the trailer everywhere.  Great.)

It does bring up one thing I have been wanting to rag on for a while, Louisiana you should be ashamed of your roads.  Having just driven hundreds of miles in Florida where the roads are awesome it really highlighted how bad the roads are there.  I know, I know, tax bases etc, but there is no excuse for the condition of many of Louisiana’s roads.  I love fishing there, but the drive across south Louisiana on Hwy 90 is a nightmare on a boat trailer, much less your vehicle.  I dread the drive every time I go, knowing how rough it is.  Just wanted to bitch about it a little, I’m sure it will compel the Governor to issue an emergency proclamation and fix them pronto.

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And last but not least, I am also shopping for a new trolling motor for the Mako.  So lets see, trailer, trolling motor, needs new upholstery, hell, might as well buy a new boat.  For some reason the Boss is not down with that.  She can be so mean.  So I will spend he day spending play money until next week, and dreaming of being on the water.  But after last weekends no complaints, but it is time to go fishing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines