Fish Catching Travel
I really got fooled yesterday. The weather report was for rain and possible thunderstorms, and when I got up there was a big storm on the radar just south of us and the forecast was it was coming this way. So all day I kept checking the radar and it was close, and the hourly forecast had the rain chance at 95% at 3:00. But I kept hoping but finally gave up about 4 of even hitting Coleto Creek. So it turned out to be a wasted day, especially since we did not get a drop. It is very irritating when it works out like that. I should have just put on my big boy pants and taken my chances. Oh well, if I do that next time it will start pouring right after I get there.
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If you are a hardcore fisherman I can not stress enough how much you need to put a tarpon on your bucket list. Sometime in the later 80’s or early 90’s I started trying to catch a tarpon all by myself without any help or guidance. That turned out to be a real project. I learned real quick, hooking one was often not the problem, putting your hands on one at boat side was another story. Do not quote me but I believe it was around 15 before I actually landed one. So when I saw the following link of a guy catching a big tarpon from a paddle board it brought back some great memories, though not as cool as this.
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excursions/post/tarpon-catch-from-paddleboard-verified-in-photos/
These are some cool pictures and now I am all cranked up about a trip to south Florida next spring.
A nice Belize tarpon.
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And speaking of the weather forecast it ended up causing Poco Bueno to cancel the offshore part of the weekend’s tournaments. I imagine some teams wanted to fish, and some didn’t. I can only imagine how miserable it would be to spend a couple of days offshore in 5 foot seas.
If you have not seen a picture or read anything about our new state record Blue Marlin go to the article link, it is an awesome fish.
Having been fortunate enough in my life to actually catch and tag a blue marlin I can only imagine what that was like. In fact my lovely wife Nancy even put one to boat side with a successful tag and release that day. To tag 2 marlin in my only day of marlin fishing was real lucky. But those are the days that fisherman live for, and I am so thankful I got that one done.
The deck hand wires my blue off the coast of Puerto Rico.
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One of the things I hear from folks occasionally is I saw you at the ramp or the store but did not say anything. Folks, I really like it when people who read my stuff say hi. Just like when I get comments from my readers, it lets me know you all are out there reading my stuff.
And to go with that I met Jerry (Hope I am right, I am so bad with names.) who lives near Coleto and is a bass fisherman. He is catching fish on Coleto right now, but I am sworn to secrecy on how he is doing it. I can tell you one thing, it is no great secret method, and as usual it is nothing more complicated than figuring it out. I love to get fresh reports on our area, but if you do not want the how and where shared, I do not share them. So nice chatting with you Jerry and hope to see you on Coleto.
The same day another guy, I did not get his name, was there buying baits and said he was catching some really good fish on Texana. He mentioned that somewhere in the Jungle they caught some up to 5lbs schooling. Wish I new more about Texana, my few trips there have never gone well.
I also heard from Rick who jokingly calls bass a four letter word. For all of you who come for the Gulf reports like Rick I promise there will be lots to come in the future. It would help some if I could get on those trout a little better, but that will take care of itself soon. As the old saying goes, “The more I fish the luckier I get.”
And Steve sent me a comment asking me about the first island, which I assume you meant the first chain. There are several nice reefs and islands in that area that hold trout and reds. I have had good luck both wading the adjacent reef and drifting the small pass. Probably the best success I have had there has been in the winter. So next time you are down give it a try. And being right next to Shoalwater there is enough water for a day of it.
So if you see me say hi, and feel free to send me a comment if the spirit moves you. I love hearing from all of you.
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And finally we have all of our travel plans set for Costa Rica done and the dates are set. I am lucky enough to get to fish offshore 2 days for sailfish and 1 day inshore for rooster fish. It would be nice to knock both of those off my bucket list. The only fish left on my current list besides those 2 is a big tuna. Guess it is time to work on the new bucket list depending on how it goes in November.
That is it for today. I will be back at the coast either in the morning or Monday morning. So sorry about no fishing report at the end of the week, but I fully intend to cure that little issue asap. And the countdown begins on the boat repairs. It has been in the shop a week, so we shall see how long that takes. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
