Fish Catching Travel
I hope that yesterday’s post got you to thinking. The decisions that are made by our Parks and Wildlife Department have far reaching and potentially long term consequences. So if you have an opinion, express it. Those of us that love hunting and fishing need to be proactive in our sport.
I received this comment from Mac, a reader who I have traded a few emails and I wanted to share it with you.
“After reading your sharing of the past year, I thought I might share of my outdoor 2013 experience.
Large trout are rare in these days. Last February I ran into 6 large trout sunning themselves in 2 foot water in Pringle Lake. In my haste to throw a mirrorlure past them, it landed in the middle of the 6 fish. Spooked, they disappeared quickly in the clear water. No fish, but to see 6- 30 inch sow trout will always stay in my mind.
In March I fished in Northern Ireland for brook trout. My wife, who is a nurse, from there, knows a fisherman and he took me to some pristine water. We traversed by a salmon stream located right by the Bushmills distillery. It was loaded with fish but our host said salmon were not that good of a fish. We found a small brook-only 2 foot wide- and caught brookies which later became our dinner with pints of Guiness .
In May I took some fellows here in Bastrop down to fish Powderhorn Lake, one of my favorites, because of its remoteness. The wind came up and blew 30 mph. It became like fishing in chocolate milk. No fish, but we saw all types of wildlife ie : deer, wild hogs, coyote, 2 bobcats, alligators, jackrabbits wild turkeys and finally a bald eagle sitting in the burned area on the south west end of the lake. We stopped at the marina and had a hamburger. We saw it is for sale and all of us thought ” lets buy it and start living a more simple and peaceful life. One friend says he still interested in buying it. If he did, I told him I would move there. It probably will not happen , for we our always reluctant to make a change when we are 60 plus.
In June , while fishing the gulf, I witnessed several sailfish attacking baitfish. The baitfish were actually in a ball located on top of the water-easy prey. Others have seen this phenomenon, but is very rare. Lucky me!!!
August found me wading the back lakes in St Charles Bay. One day the temp was 100 degree plus and no redfish were being seen. While walking past a remote duck blind, I happened to notice a large oversized red lurking on the underside of the blind. He was so content to stay in the shade, he would not strike a lure in the sun. Even though I walked right up to the blind, he still stayed in his spot. I then thought–This fish is so hot and also smart that I left him there. Returning to the same spot in October, I think the same fish was still there. He was so majestic, I just could not throw a bait to him. After this colder than normal winter, I hope he is there this spring for he has become a fixture in my life
September has always been my favorite time if year. I saw large schools of reds in our bays, witnessed 50 tarpon around the Port A jetties, only to hook one and see 5 or 6 jumps and lose the fish. I caught a 5 lb snook in the bayleaf flats of Redfish bay. One sight I will always cherish: While walking early along the gulf beach in Port A, The water became turbulent with large schools of Redfish. Soon all types of birds attacked from above. Nature put on a show for me and I reflect on this incident often.
Now that winter is here, fishing the flats has slowed and the fireplace sometimes calls me before the water does. I have time to reflect over the past year and count my blessings as you do. Today the wind is howling out of the north and the temp is 37 degrees here in Bastrop. I am going out on the porch and get another log for the fire. A hot soup, some homemade bread and again a pint or two will make my day I go back and read your past clips and return to the water as though I was fishing right there with you. Please keep your gift of writing and photographing for all of us. Thank You , Mac.”
I appreciate his comments and am happy to share them with you. Nothing like a winter day, some comfort food, and maybe a pint or two. Reliving the experiences of the year before remind us how wonderful and precious every day spent outdoors is. I read every comment and email that comes here, and will strive in the future to share more of them with you.
On another note, I got a text from my friend Clyde saying he and his wife want to go to Panama with my wife and I tuna fishing. I think that is a great idea. The spring of 2015 should be perfect. Nothing like the anticipation and planning that go into a trip like that. Gives us all something to work for. And who knows, maybe a big cuberra and a roosterfish to boot. Sounds like a plan.
This morning I am off to Fayette County, it will be interesting to see how the fishing is following this cold front. Since I am able to fish it 2 days, I will get a good chance to figure it out. Fayette is one of my favorite bass lakes in the early spring. Jerk bait and jig will be the choice of the day until the fish prove it otherwise. So stop in soon, hopefully we will have a good couple of days with some pictures. Thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
