Fish Catching Travel
My fishing plans are just not working out. It all started with a call to jury service set for Monday morning, more on that later. So at least the plan was to head to the Gulf with Chris on Tuesday, but because of the jury selection process I was to be back at 9 Tuesday. So here I sit as the afternoon has gotten nicer and nicer, typing and not fishing. And Wednesday I have to be at the dentist at 9:30 in the morning. Real poor planning I would say.
Jury Duty
I had never been called to jury duty. So I was real interested to see what it felt like sitting on the other side. One of the things I noticed about both the state and the defense, they used the same old tried and true techniques. It only took a few minutes of voir dire to realize what both sides were going to present or not, and what their theories were.
Of course we all got asked questions, and everyone answered. Of course I was not selected, what prosecutor in their right mind wants a long term criminal defense attorney on a jury? And trust me, I have no place on a jury, my years as a criminal defense attorney has given me to many biases, against everyone. It was only slightly painful, but I will say that I have never seen that long a jury panel questioning before a misdemeanor trail. Who knows, maybe it seems longer on the other side of the bar.
To finish that off, I would like to commend the sitting judge in that case. Having appeared before lots of judges, good and bad, I was really impressed with his demeanor and conduct. He allowed a couple of important points to go before the bench and out of our hearing, trust me folks that is where they need to be. Many judges get a little irritated if you keep doing your job, and it was nice to see a judge that really knows how to conduct a courtroom.
Sharks
I got a note from Faye, a long time reader, letting me know she and her hubby would be on the coast later this month. She also sent me a link about a Great White Shark and it’s travels. I love sharks and think they are cool like gators and snakes. Though I have killed and eaten a couple, the taste is not for me. Now it is catch and release, hopefully with a picture or two.
The need for a global shark “understanding” is so important. When you see film of the boats that are “finning” the sharks and throwing them back to drown it is disgusting. I am not one of those guys who gets on the do-gooder bandwagon, but I will always come down on the side of conservation. Quotas for ocean fish are a part of management, and though many folks don’t agree with them, they are here to stay. Sharks should be managed worldwide, Lydia doesn’t know the property lines, only the size of her pool.
Just a note: If you have not been to this site it has the occasional fish story, usually something spectacular or interesting.
Trout
Speaking of fisheries management, Thursday March 27th at 9 am the TPW Commission will hold it’s next meeting. The trout regulations are on the agenda with a few other items. I am not sure if they are still taking comments, but like I said before, if you do not put in your 2 cents worth, you have no complaint. I am in favor of the 5 fish rule for selfish reasons. For me catching a 28″ and above it a great trade off to numbers. That is the reasoning behind the reduced bag, to get more and bigger fish. But I have real sympathy for the guides and folks who rarely fish and want a bag full. And that is why if it is important to you, then tell them. Sometimes our employees (TPW) need to here from us, the owner (citizen taxpayers). It keeps them informed as to the wishes of those that it effects, and it doesn’t hurt for them to remember who they work for.
Monday
In spite of all that I did get on the water for 4 hours with my friend Jeff. Still recovering from a motorcycle mishap, he is not quite ready to fish a full day. Plus he is not that hot on fishing in bad weather either. So after going through the first juror process I was released and told to be back tomorrow morning. I headed home, got something to eat, and decided to go for a few hours. It sounded like the perfect trip for him, so I gave him a call. He was up for that so off to Coleto we went.
When we arrived after noon it was cloudy and dead slick, I mean flat. As it was supposed to rain we elected to stay down lake in case, and that was a good choice as it started raining about 5. First up was the Swim Jig on a deep bank with grass on the main lake, and we actually put 4 in the boat and missed a couple more. To bad that was the last flurry until right before it rained.
This is one time when I am to hard-headed. The big fish are not liking this continual up and down water temp, as much as 15 degrees in some places, and the little fall we had in the water level. The good fish have backed off and are not in a big hurry to eat, they have one thing on their mind, spawning. After catching what we did, small males, we should have backed off and slowed down. Really not my style, but it is my loss.
So about 3 I started throwing the topwater balsa minnow, and from then until 5 we caught fish right along. No females from the looks of things, all small to medium males. As usual, the boys are at the party early waiting on the ladies, and that party will be on this next moon assuming winter gets the heck out of here and lake conditions stabilize.
Man that has got to smart.
We were just twitching it along, and while a couple did blow up on it, the rest sucked it under without fanfare, slurp. The topwater minnow bite will be good from now thru May, be sure to try it some time. And as soon as we get warmer water and air temps if you can hit a day with no wind and a light drizzle, hold on.
Though the action was good, it was clear the better fish have pulled back and are awaiting further developments. And to further reinforce that I saw 3 of the best bass fishermen on the lake in one boat at the ramp. While they were not particularly forth coming, they caught some good fish, and they were deep. So watch the weather and make your Coleto plans accordingly.
A boy and his catfish
Did you see the kid in Louisiana who caught the 114 pound catfish. A cool story and who does not love a Kid who attributes his luck to eating Vienna Sausages? I was a little disturbed by some of the comments about the kid and fishing. We should never forget that there are folks out there who would love to restrict our sport. All of us should respect our quarry, and putting him on the table is part of that. I just wonder what some of these folks eat. They must think meat and fish grow on trees. It is a cool story.
Last Year
I took a look at last years posts for March, and they reflected the current fishing conditions I am finding. One trip I whacked the reds at the Powderhorn, the next struck out at Charlie’s, and then caught a few trout and reds at POC. I complained about the wind, and there were some really low tides. Sound familiar?
Coleto was another story, I guess that is why I fish it so hard until spring really arrives. Looking back I caught some really nice bass, the majority of the bigger ones on the Bagley Bang-O-Lure. The most productive bait was by far the Strike King Swim Jig. There were some caught on spinnerbait, it is almost time for the spinnerbait, and small fish on the crankbait. You could not describe the current fishing conditions any better on Coleto right now. No matter Gulf or Lake, we just need warmer water temperatures, and they are right around the corner.
Sorry that is all the news on this front. With half of Wednesday spoken for I hope to at least get back to the lake for a few hours, but it does not look like it will happen. The wind is projected to gust to 40 mph tomorrow afternoon. Me and those bass have some unfinished business, but who knows what the wind will bring. May be a “Honey Do” day, rats. And I am really needing a saltwater fix, and if it all goes well I will get that done on Thursday. Thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
