Fish Catching Travel
Originally I was going to do a little cat fishing with a friend today but he was not feeling up to it. As we were not going to get in a hurry, I did not leave the house until about 11:00, and since it was that late it made a run to the Gulf not worth the effort, so it was off to do a little bass fishing. To bad we did not catfish, I saw a couple of guys at the cleaning table with a sack full. Folks the catfish on Coleto are shallow and they are biting. I had one last trip, and one this trip, follow a lure all the way to the boat. And like I have said before, when they are chasing lures, they are biting.
I started on a point across from the campground, and tossed a Strike King Swim Jig out and whack, first cast.
Not a bad one for the first cast.
And not all the bad for my third cast.
So I was happy with the way things started. To bad it didn’t stay 2 bass on every 3 casts, but of course that was not the case. Today I decided to stay down lake to see how the bite was in that clear water and try a couple of other presentations. Over the next couple of hours I picked up about 5 or 6 more on a Swim Jig, so it was time for a change. One thing I have been wanting to try was a wacky worm. I generally like it in a little warmer water, with the fish in full spawn, but decided to throw it anyway.
Wanted to show you that pink Zoom Trick Worm.
I ended up catching 4 on this pink thing, and this was the biggest. One of the things I like about it is the same thing I like about the Bagley Bang O Lure, you can often see them hit it. This one actually came out of about 10 foot of water right beside the boat and smoked it.
Probably the easiest way to fish it in Coleto is with a weedless hook wacky style. I like a 2/0 weedless hook, and just hook it right in the middle of the worm. Toss it out to the grass, and twitch it back. Pull it up with a couple of twitches and then let it sink just a little, and that is when they usually grab it. Polaroids are a must, it helps if you can see it. But even if you can’t, you will see the line jump or they will just swim off with it. This is a really fun way to fish, and a good way to put a less than experienced fisherman on some bass. I used it every spring guiding in Arkansas, and with a clear lake like Coleto it just makes it all the more fun. So put that in the back of your mind, we are just weeks away from that being a real effective technique.
Now during the afternoon I also threw the topwater Bang O Lure and the crawdad crankbait. I only caught one on topwater, but I threw it the least. The crankbait is still catching me fish, and I love the way they whack it. It is an interesting time on Coleto, they are biting lots of stuff, which I like. But if you have a particular thing you like or are good at, then do it. They are hitting lots of stuff, but nothing has really separated itself for me as the go to bait. But what a dilemma to have – no complaint when you can catch them on lots of stuff, and it is stuff I like to fish.
Later in the day I decided to hit a windy point and throw a spinnerbait. They have clearly slowed down on the spinnerbait, but with a nice warm day and a little wind, I thought I might catch one. And I did.
Not a bad one on a Strike King Premier Plus Pro model spinnerbait in the blue shad. Think that blade has some flash?
Those of you who have been reading my stuff for the last year and a half know that I love to buzz a spinnerbait. There is nothing I like more than burning that thing as fast as I can run it making a big wake and having one this size smash it. It is something I have done for the last 38 years. I am pretty good at it, but for the love of God I should be. In fact just looking at that number makes me feel old. Hard to believe I caught my first bass waking a spinnerbait on Norfork Lake in Arkansas with Dick Lane in 1975. He is gone now, but I often think of him as I did today. He passed it on to me, and I hope to keep passing it on to others.
Of course as I always say, it is not all about the fishing, you just have to make time to notice what is going on around you. There seems to be lots of different hawks around the lake right now, and the Monarch butterflies were on their annual move. And of course there are lots of these guys. I love them.
My interest in these critters is a combination of primal fear and facination.
About 5:30 I called it quits. Considering I did not get out early, not a bad day. Several fish came over the side, the wildlife was moving, and it was warm. All in all a great day to be outdoors.
So thanks for reading my stuff. Thursday it is off to POC. I want to put a couple of trout in the box for supper, and I need to catch a few after that last trip when things did not go so well. Keep stopping in and keep those comments coming, I read them all. Thanks.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
