Fish Catching Travel
Falcon Lake Trip
Well after weeks of waiting we are headed to Falcon tomorrow. I expect an interesting trip if nothing else.
There has been a lot of chatter on the web, most of it concerning whether Falcon is in decline, or is it just a seasonal affect when combined with the low level. Opinions and rear ends everyone seems to have one, and who knows which is right. But I think everyone is in agreement, the pressure has affected the fishing. And I would tend to agree.
When I look back at my first trip there it was a 24 hour dream of a lifetime when I caught the 3 biggest bass of my life. And that was after over 30 years of hitting it hard. The next couple of trips were a little sketchier, but other than one, I still managed to break 7 pounds more than not. But over the years I have seen the daily numbers decline some, and with that was an increase in one number, pressure.
Our first trip there we fished an area north, and never saw more than 2 or 3 boats in any one place, and often had the area we fished to ourselves. The pressure has gradually increased, though I am sure if you live there it seems to have materialized overnight. And as we all know, pressure affects big fish.
And when you add in the fact that a lot of that pressure is from pretty good fisherman, there has to be some consequences. Also, when you start factoring in all the big fish that are caught, or broke off, it can not help but add to things. Though I rarely keep bass, other than a couple to eat occasionally, I can only assume that many of the DD’s have ended up on someones wall in some far off state. Now I am not dissing anyone who keeps a wall hanger, but you can not put the best fisherman from all over the country on any lake and not have it hurt somehow. But there was a time in my life when I would have mounted a big one, and I do not fault anyone who does it within the law.
So what will happen the next 4 days? Who knows? Are lots of those really big fish gone? Or is it just intelligent pressure “wising” them up? We shall see. I do know that I have one of my best friends from my hometown coming with my brother and I. I have had my day on Falcon, and for me this trip will be successful if he catches the biggest fish of his life. Is that a reasonable expectation considering the alleged “decline” at Falcon? My opinion still remains this: Slower or not it is still one of the best places on the face of the earth to whack a big one. And seeing the pic of the 14lber on the Falcon Lake Tackle website gives me hope. That is why we fish, the expectations. I can’t wait, and according to the lodges website they have wireless. If they do I will post something every night after we get back. I can not wait!
POC last Thursday
There are times where I must confess I just can not put words to paper, something I guess happens to everyone who tries to write a lot. In my case it wasn’t a loss for words, I just could not analyze my last trip to the Gulf, to painful.
I should have known I was doomed from the start. The first clue was I was awakened at 1 a.m. with a serious abdominal disruption, and ended up in the bathroom for an hour, and ended up with no more good sleep the rest of the night. Nothing like starting your day with about 2 hours of sleep.
Then I made another mistake that I have made before, and should know better. If the wind is this absolutely perfect SE direction, it screws up both the Powderhorn and Keller. So I did not check, and of course it blew perfectly out of the worst direction.
Chris and I launched at Indianola and headed up the Powderhorn Ranch shoreline to the series of marshes towards POC. It was daylight as we started throwing topwaters. He caught one or two on top, and maybe one on plastic. I on the other hand had 3 miss a topwater, and I broke off a good red on plastics. The wind was picking up and we headed to Keller, stopping on the bank entering the bay on the right. The only bite was another good red, and I lost him.
The wind was blowing completely the wrong way for Keller, and we fished another couple of banks without success, if you don’t count some undersized trout and a few sand trout. And then the locator started beeping and acting crazy until we finally turned it off. And then as we headed back to Indianola across Lavaca Bay the bolt came out of the trolling motor head and the head came off. Nice. We jury rigged that and starting fishing in the Powderhorn. I did manage a nice 19″ trout on plastics near the mouth. We picked up a few small reds and trout here and there, but just could not get anything going. We decided to move back in the Powderhorn for reds and as we motored the trolling motor head came off again, and I gave up and we called it a day.
Between me, the boat, and the wind, it was just not my day. To bad Chris had to be along for the ride. We may have caught a dozen or so, but I did not fish worth a darn. It is hard to do all those things that help make a day successful, but it is also necessary. In this case I should have known the wind would not be right, and even though I wanted to fish some places I had not been in a while, POC would have been a far better place due to the prevailing wind direction.
Oh well, live and learn and try not to make the same mistake twice. That will not be the plan for Falcon the next 4 days. Hopefully the right decisions will be made at the right time, and it will all come together. So wish us luck.
Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine
By far my favorite fishing magazine is Texas Saltwater Fishing. The writers do try to give you useful information, some of it real stuff you can use to catch more fish. And with writers from all areas of the coast there is great information no matter where you live on the coast.
If you have not read the October 12′ magazine, pick it up. The story on the tagging operation which was done by Texas A&M is very interesting. It gives you real data on trout movements and is something if you are a trout fisherman you need to read. What does the data mean? I let you decide. But it was nice to see real data and not the anecdotal information that is our usual source of information in the fishing world.
I do have one other comment on something that pops up in the magazine often, the “5 Alive” concept. I have mixed emotions about that concept. For me it would be much better if the state would make the speckled trout limit 5 and be done with it. But I have no problem with someone who does not fish a lot taking his 10, it is legal, and like most folks he does not fish that often. I do remember when they began talking about doing it on the southern coast there was an outcry from the guides that they would not make a living with that limit. And apparently the first couple of years it did affect business. But from all indications now the fishing is gang busters with more big trout than folks have seen in a long time.
Unless the price of gas goes to $10 a gallon, there is little that will reduce fishing pressure on the coast. And if the growth of saltwater fishing over the last 10 years is any kind of a barometer, pressure will just keep increasing. And then comes the basic debate: Do you want to load the boat, or do you want a quality fishing experience? It is coming down to that simple and we can not have it both ways. And I guess when it is all said and done I come down on the side of a 5 fish limit. So if you are reading this where do you come down? Let me know, I really am interested in where folks come down on that issue.
So thanks for reading my stuff today. I know it was not much more than a ramble but that will be changing. We finally got our first real cold front of the year and it is game on. So check back in a day or two, lets see how the Falcon trip goes.
Good Luck and Tight Lines.
