Fish Catching Travel
A slow start, a great middle, and a ‘says it all” kind of finish.
I got together with my friend Chris for some cast and blast today. Suffice to say it was an interesting day. You have days like this, half was good, half was interesting.
We headed for the Cottonwood Bayou area to do a little duck hunting. Now one thing I will say about Chris, when you do some outdoors kinda stuff with him you know one thing for sure, it will start early. So when I spoke with him the night before, and he said meet him at his house at 5, I was a little surprised. That was a little later than usual for him, he seems to like being on the water while most folks are still sleeping, but I am ok with that.
We put in at Charlie’s and headed down the barge canal, then across the bay towards the Cottonwood Bayou area. He had a couple of spots he wanted to check out and see if he wanted to set up the decoys. He decided on a spot, and it looked perfect. A small pocket with an island for us to lay on. We parked the boat, loaded up with decoys, guns, packs, and the stuff you have to have, and started across the pond.
He made it fine, I on the other hand did not. I got off the straight line and found some mud, and I mean mud. I was instantly in over both knees. Of course I fell, getting everything wet. It looked like I might need help, but ended up saving myself by crawling on my knees until I got to a little better ground near the island. Of course I was huffing and puffing and about to have a heart attack, but whatever, I was hunting.
It was already about 15 minutes past shooting time, and several bunches of Red Heads cruised by as we set out the spread. We laid up in the mangroves, and for the next hour we saw a few, but they were not coming to the spread. Chris thought the boat might be to close, so he moved it. And going back across the pond he sunk a time or two, but it he made it.
At this point in the morning we had not even had a looker. Finally a couple peeled off and headed our way. Chris whispered to me, “Here they come.” I got ready, but did not see them, and then all of a sudden there was a duck coming right in my face. He was so close that I missed. Nothing like missing a 15 yard shot at eye level. Chris missed his and then he popped the one I shot at. And that was it. We never had another duck even so much as look at us. This is so like the way things have gone for me lately, a good day then a slow day.
Just Saturday I killed my limit, today I could not hit the only one I shot at. Now lately I have had the same thing happen fishing. I whacked some real nice ones on Coleto, then things conspired against me the next trip, and I had a bad day. So since I have been every other one lately, I hoped to catch a few fish. So first we had to pick up the decoys and head back to the boat. Sufficed to say we both found the worst mud we could find and it was ugly. Just the thought of it makes me laugh out loud right now. But finally we were in the boat and fishing.
Over the next couple of hours we concentrated on the drains leading out of the Cottonwood Bayou area and the other back lakes there. Some had no fish, others had a few. I started off with 4 small reds, and then tossed it to a little eddy behind an oyster bar where we had been getting the reds, slow rolled it when one thumped it, and in the boat she came. At 23 1/2″ it is the best trout I have caught in a while.
This was one heck of a trout. She was mixed in with some smaller reds. of course a CPR fish anytime.
This was Chris’s best trout for the day.
We just drifted the drains and threw plastics. I think Chris had a big redfish boil a Maniac Mullet, but other that most came on plastics. I an not sure what he was throwing, but today I was throwing a MirrOlure in a 4″ soft shad in the Chicken/Chartreuse tail on a 1/16th oounce lead head. This winter the Electric Chicken color in 3/4/5″ has easily been the most consistent color for me. I am sure there are other colors and styles that work, I just have not had to try anything else.
Chris lands one of the 6 or 8 reds we caught in one area.
We found the reds and trout together in one drain, and they were shallow. Some took it on a Texas Two Step retrieve, some on a slow steady retrieve. I think that paddle tail on the light jig head is perfect for a slow steady retrieve shallow in the winter, and the last couple of trips it has worked for me. So if you have some fish located, be sure to vary your retrieve, it works.
My best red from the drain where we caught our best fish.
For the next couple of hours we drain hopped all the way back to South Pass. We managed some trout in South Pass just fishing the drains. Some of our fish were caught out of the boat, some wading. There were several boats in there so my guess South Pass Lake is producing some good fish. While about half would be keepers there, we of course caught some shorts. As were we not keeping any fish, there was no way to tell how many keepers we would have ended up with, but it was probably in the 10 category. Ok numbers for a cast and blast. To bad we didn’t have success on the ducks like we did on the fish, but I wouldn’t want to get to greedy.
We finally called it a day about 2:30 and headed back to Charlie’s. We were covered in mud, wet, a little cold, but happy. What a place to live. You can hunt some ducks then catch some fish. This is my favorite time of year. With the lake starting to heat up, some good rain on the way, and the trout just eating it up in the bay, life is good. So off we went and as we got close to Bloomington Chris started to pull over, and I knew right then what the problem was, and he said, “Where is my tire?” Of course we had a flat, and by time he noticed there was not much tire left. Being the prepared guy he is we got it changed in nothing flat and made it home. And it was nice to see one of those drive on jacks that looks like a half a circle work. A cool quick way to change a tire.
And this says it all. The start to the day and the finish of the day. Kind of says it all.
It was funny when I was telling my wife later about wallowing around in the mud like a big hog, how long it took to clean my gun, and the flat tire, she asked me, “Well did you have fun?” Did I have fun, are you kidding. This is the stuff that makes a trip. It will be one of those trips I talk about in later days. It was the kind of day that ends up being a story, a memory. And every time I hitch up the boat that is all I can ask for, to make a memory!
So thanks for reading my stuff. If there is one thing I have learned the last month is now is the time to whack not only lots of trout, but some good ones. I have caught them in rivers, large bays, drains from back lakes, and just about everywhere I have fished. The trout are biting, and if you do not mind a little weather, load up and go to your favorite area, they will bite. And finally, as I sit here and finish this a nice steady rain is falling. The lake needs it, the rivers and ranchers need it. So lets hope we catch up.
Good Luck and Tight Lines.
