Fish Catching Travel
Being under the weather most of the week I finally got up the gumption to at least hit the lake for a couple of hours. And though I caught a few fish, it was not the best idea I have had lately.
First it was up lake to some of those old reliable spots. The swim jig was up over sunken grass beds. As it was around 3 p.m. I figured they would be buried up in the deeper isolated patches, an hour later I gave up on that theory. So next I went to a Texas rig 7″ red worm, your basic bass rig, and that went over like a lead balloon. So not sure what to do I picked up the frog.
By this time I was hot, 103 is hot folks with no wind or clouds, and even picking up a rod was an adventure. I mean the rods just sitting on the deck were hot. But on I went, sweating like a pig, and I finally got a bite and boated a small one on the frog. He came under a tree on what passed as the first shade of the afternoon. But after another hour of that it was time for another change.
So I headed for a point with deep water close by and threw the old standby buzz bait and caught 2 right away.
Finally one in the boat. Not much, but when you have not caught a fish all week it was nice to feel her on the end of my line.
I am not sure I will ever understand fish. Here it is a terrible set of conditions, high sky, high pressure, 103 degrees and they want a buzzbait? And they would not hit a jig or a worm? Sometimes it just puzzles me, but I have learned one thing, do not look a gift horse in the mouth. As I always say, let the fish tell you what they want.
While all this was going on, I had another issue to deal with. I have had that Carolina Skiff for 13 years, and I love that little boat. Easy to tow, easy to clean, good on gas, it is all the things that make for a good fishing boat. But lately the steering has been stiffening up. So I have checked the rod at the motor, greased and cleaned, and checked the other end a couple of weeks ago. But whatever I did, it did not help. In fact, since I was using the flats boat the last couple of weeks apparently the cable stiffened more.
One thing about your steering cable, it has to work, and work properly, and if it is binding or hard in any way, it is time to change it. The quickest way to end up in the water, with a boat attempting to run you down, is when your steering breaks. And after 13 years it is time to change it. So with that in mind, and not wanting to get stranded, I eased back down lake to try a couple of main lake spots.
I ended up catching 3 more on buzzbait before the heat got to me about 7. The most bites I got were on the little island, though I got one on the big grass flat on the left further up lake. I guess I was not feeling as good as I thought, so I called it a day. I am still surprised that they wanted that buzzbait, but oh well, I guess if I ever truly figured it out it would not be any fun any more.
Random Thoughts
My lovely wife and I headed to North Padre Island yesterday, mainly to just be in the car and take a cruise. When we got to North Padre it said a 106 on the car thermometer, which seemed a little high. Well guess what, it was not as hot as it turned out to actually be. By time we got back to Victoria that evening it was 109! Are you freakin’ kidding me? I must have been in weather that hot sometime somewhere, but I can not remember a true 109 temp reading.
I noticed on the causeway leading out to the island that the tide was out, and the wind fairly flat. The water looked terrible, dead low and a nasty color. If you were out in that yesterday afternoon, wow, hope it was worth it. It just looked tough.
But the bigger issue is this, is this the summer we are headed for? Already 10″ down in rainfall, combining with 100 degrees plus, it could be the ugliest summer in the 10 years we have been in Texas. I have fished in hot weather, wet weather, icy weather, windy weather, you name it, but this is something. It boils down to get up real early, be fishing at daylight, and then quit while you are ahead, depending on the tides. And keep hydrated.
So this week will be a busy week. I want to fish the Gulf a couple of days and plan on getting up early tomorrow and being on the water at daylight. Redfish will be the first quarry, followed by some deep wading for a few trout, easier to keep cool longer that way. And I need to pull the steering cable out of the skiff and get that replaced. Nothing like having your head under the console in heat like this. Oh well, it has to be done.
So I apologize for the slow week at fishcatchingtravel.com. It seemed like there was a conspiracy to keep me off the water this week. But it is time to get a little more serious about the Gulf. I have a tournament coming up in a month and it is time to start patterning a few fish. Or at least that will be my excuse for fishing a little more often.
Thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
