Fish Catching Travel
Could the trout fishing be any better?
If you read my stuff you know that about 10 days ago I fished the Powderhorn. It was one of those days where I did not even have a bite for 3 1/2 hours, and then caught them till dark. They were on a small patch of shell at the end of the boat lane in the Powderhorn.
So today being Valentine’s Day I got a late start. It was my pleasure to walk the dog, make a good breakfast, and spend it with the captain of Team Nancy. I am truly the luckiest guy in th world. Not only is she my best friend and a great wife, but she has never given me one minute of grief about my terrible fishing habit, She has stayed with me through thick and thin for 25 year. Man she must be crazy! But back to the business at hand.
My friend Aaron called me and said he could meet after work, so I headed to the Powderhorn and would wait for his call later. As usual during the week, there was one truck at the ramp, a crabber, and I only say 2 other boats all day. I know the Powderhorn can be tough to fish, but it has good reds and trout, and it always surprises me when there is no one there.
Of course, I stopped where I caught them last time, and they were there. They were right where I told you last time. I just pulled up at the end of the stakes and there they were. In the first drift I put 6 in the box, and caught several more. Popping cork with a Rage Shrimp plastic in white/chartreuse was the first thing I threw. And they were hitting when I got there. And let me say one thing about that bait, it is tough. I rarely go through one in a day, no other plastic can take that.
I also threw a MirrOlure Mirrodine (sp) in a shad pattern, and a Tsunami Corky in a bone. Both caught fish. I intentionally threw them to get better at it. Nothing like sharpening your technique when there are plenty of fish. With the fish still there, and Aaron coming later, I did not want to work them over until he got there. So I decided to try to catch some fish shallow.
So for the next couple of hours I spent a lot of the time throwing the Corky and the MirrOlure. I covered lots of shallow water, but with the cool front and high skies, it just did not happen. Next it was the cove in the front of the Powderhorn. The tide was out and it was only a foot deep. So I idled in one side, then drifted the other side all the way out. I saw a big pod of mullet flipping, and tossed a spinnerbait in them, and caught a 25″ red. With my superior skill, I dropped him when I got the hook out, he hit the deck and was back in the water. So consequently no pic.
Other than that, I just did not find them anywhere else but where they all seem to be. It was getting about 4, the wind was blowing, so I decided to make another drift on them and throw the Corky. The hit it regularly, and I put a couple of more in the box. It also gave me some needed practice at throwing it.
Then Aaron called, so headed back to the dock to pick him up. Now it was cold and the wind was blowing pretty good out of the NE, and that hot shot bass fisherman shows up in a short sleeve shirt. I meanwhile was wearing a sweatshirt and coat. But you know how those East Texas Rednecks are, of course that did not stop him, so out we went.
We pulled right back up on them, in about 3 foot of water and they went to biting. He started throwing that topwater Spook Jr. in a bone color on a windy day in over 3 foot of water. Of course they hit it. He got lots of bites and boated several. In fact he probably got at least 10 blowups in that “deep” water. As in all fishing, you never know.
Over the next hour and a half, we caught fish on plastics, popping cork, topwater, Corky, and the MirrOlure. It was interesting that the popping cork was by far the best. They were still biting when we left, but with the narrow channel out, it was time to go. Aaron loaded the boat and I cleaned fish. We finished with 18 in the box. The biggest was 19″, the rest made it easy. I try to not post dead fish in the bucket pictures, but this is all I got today. When they were biting I just did not stop and take a couple of better pics. So here is the box.
Not a pretty sight, until they are sizzling in the grease! Sorry for the bad pic, but it was full dark when we got to the ramp.
But the real important lesson I have taken from the last month is this: they are bunched up big time. Everywhere I have caught them, which is everywhere I have fished, it has been the same. Seems like you do not even get a bite, but when you find them you can slay them. I often spend to much time in an area, but the way they are right now, that is not a bad trait. So for me, and who I can not speak for others, I have found that by working an area over good, sooner or later you will whack them. They are so bunched up right now.
And though I use a popping cork some year round, it has been an invaluable tool right now. Being able to cover massive amounts of water by throwing all around the boat while drifting has paid off. Once you find them, you can stay with it like I did this afternoon, or you can go ahead and throw your favorite bait. So pick your bay, and then drift it with a purpose. The rewards will come. And believe me, and this is coming from a guy who may be one of the worst trout fisherman in the world, it is not rocket science right now. Use drifts to grid an area, and work it over.
So it has been a good stretch of trout fishing for me the last 6 weeks. Who knows? Maybe I have been living right. But no matter what the reason, it is really a find and catch deal. So if you have a chance, get some Strike King Rage Shrimp in the Wh/Ch tail, put it on a 1/16th jig head a foot and a half below the cork, and go to popping. Then when you find them work the area over really good. It really is that simple right now.
So thanks for reading my stuff. I appreciate each and every one of you. I am not sure where I am off to next, but where ever it is, I can’t wait. Over the last few years I have driven across Texana, and I like the looks of what I see. Aaron wants to give it a go, so who knows, maybe I will give it a try. But no matter what, I will try to keep the fishing information coming.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
