Fish Catching Travel
After whacking them the other day on Coleto I was excited about my next trip. According to the weatherman the wind was to be out of the northeast at 15-25 with cloudy conditions and a slight chance of rain. So with that forecast I decided it was back to Coleto and not the Gulf. It worked out ok, but if I had known that the wind was going to flat out die and it would be almost 80 by 1:00 I would have headed to the Gulf.
After last trip I went right to the swim jig. So let me take some time here to tell you what I have learned the last year, and especially the last month about using it. While I have thrown a couple of different ones, the Strike King Pro Model Swim Jig has clearly been the best. With the fish being so shallow, and with the amount of grass on some of the banks, I have stuck with the 1/4oz in any of the brown/natural colors. On the back I am using the Rage Craw, and for me color has been irrelevant as far as the Craw goes.
The jig has a metal keeper that holds the craw in place, and it works great. It does allow you if the craw starts to rip to turn it over and you can often get some more use out of it. And there is a small trick, trim the skirt just past the bend in the hook. It allows the swimming action of the craw to really work. And when you get a Rage Craw out of the pack be sure to separate the claws if they are still attached to each other. Slide it on the hook and pin it down with the keeper.
I have thrown it on everything from 10lb. line to 20lb, but I have finally settled on 14. Now it would seem counter intuitive to use a high speed reel, but it is not the speed of the retrieve, but the hook set that is influenced by a high speed reel. Today they were actually eating it and swimming towards me, so fast in fact that some were almost at the boat before I felt them. You need the high speed reel to get the slack taken out and the hook set.
This size is really biting on Coleto.
The speed of the retrieve is definitely determined by what the fish want combined with the depth. When you cast be sure to hit the bank. It is surprising how often they are in super shallow water, more right now with the spawn in full swing. Often if there is a clear space between the grass and the bank they are in it. Once it hits the water keep it moving, and when you hit some grass, get ready. And occasionally when you get it half way back give it a twitch, they often track it. As far as the bite, it can be anything from a thump, a tick that feels like a bream, or they just swim towards you with it. If you do miss a few try reeling it just a second after you feel them, and then set the hook.
One of the better ones I caught today. As the fishing has gotten better the fish are consistently bigger on Coleto right now.
And so putting all of the above together they bit for me all day. It started off drizzling and cold, and ended up dead calm and hot. I just stuck with the Swim Jig all day, and they hit it all day. I caught fish from the first bank to the last bank for over 8 hours.
There are beds everywhere, and though I am not a bed fisherman, if you are, Coleto is the place to be. I have basically been sticking with spawning areas, and almost all are holding fish. And of course right now when you catch one you almost always catch another. Today I did not throw anything but a Swim Jig because that is what they wanted. Of course you can catch fish on lots of other things, so while you need to give the Swim Jig a try, you can catch them right now on whatever you are good at.
This girl, my biggest of the day, came off an isolated stump in a little deeper water. Be sure right now to swim it by any piece of cover you can find.
So what a good day. From terrible conditions to absolutely beautiful, the fishing was fine. I have no idea how many I put in the boat, but it was a bunch. They came from coves, long spawning banks, and main lake flats. Always make sure you can reach the bank and from that point on listen to the fish. They will tell you the speed to retrieve it, and the last few trips I have actually seen several of them eat it at the boat, which gives you an idea how fast I was using it.
Next week is going to be a great week. It starts Tuesday with a night hog hunting trip with dogs. I have wanted to do that for a while, and with my daughter’s father-in-law here, it should be a great adventure. Then a day at the Gulf and one at Coleto to give that South African a real taste of south Texas. He has had many adventures around the world, and I hope to give him a couple to add to his list.
So thanks for reading my stuff. Remember to take someone fishing when you go, be nice on the water, and remember what is truly important, your family.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
