Fish Catching Travel
I admit it, I wussed out today. It was so hot and humid yesterday when I did a little work outside, and the forecast for Monday was a heat advisory and 100 degrees, so I decided to skip the Gulf and hit the lake Monday morning. It is 30 miles closer, and not near such a hassle when I want to quit early, and today it was on the road to the house by noon. Nothing like fishing in a blast furnace.
As I am writing this it is set to be 101 again today, with a heat index approaching 110. That is hot, and can be dangerous. So I will get a few things done today, then back to the Gulf tomorrow
One thing I wanted to work on at Coleto was fishing the frog. With the grass beginning to mat in some places there is usually a few places that the fish will eat the frog this time of year. There just has to be some grass somewhere with a bunch of fish on it, but I have not been able to find that one great place. So the plan was to remedy that. I started up lake and the second point I fished one just jumped all over it.
I thought it was about to be good.
From that point on I stayed with the frog way to long. Moving from point to point, stopping at the occasional big patch of grass, only one more took a pass at it. I finally gave up on it and threw the Strike King Swimming Jig and caught one more, though I only fished it for an hour. The one above tricked me, and I was just convinced that one of those grass patches would hold a wad of them, but it was not to be.
That is one real difference this year since the water come up, they are either not there, or the frog is not the bait of choice. And to go along with that they are completely off the buzzbait. Being a power fisherman finesse is not my strong suit, but there has to be a better way. Sooner or late I will find it. So after a 2 fish morning, and with it starting to really heat up, I called it a day.
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I read something on the Falcon Lake Tackle website, and if true, it really disturbs me. According to the website owner, who has at best a contentious relationship with TPWD, apparently TPWD stocked a private lake with bass. Now if the story is true as far as I am concerned it is improper at best. Even the TPWD explanation does not make it one bit better. There is nothing that justifies it. It is our tax and license dollars and I would prefer they do not subsidize a private property owner for any reason. Now if it is open for real folks to fish, no problem, but do not bet on that one. You are not invited. So I want you to click on the link below and read what he has to say.
http://www.tackleandrods.com/lake/flash.htm (scroll down and read July 21 post)
To go along with that, most state commissioners are appointed by a state’s governor. And many state commissions are made up of rich folks, often political allies of the state’s governor. Most of them hunt and fish in places the regular working man can only dream about. And that might include a lake full of big bass paid for by your tax dollars. You think? If my perception is wrong please let me know.
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Fishing can be/is an expensive sport. It seems that as our boats and equipment become increasingly more high tech it just increases the potential for something to go wrong. My friend Chris, who broke the axle on his trailer is fixing it, and the trailer will be back in action today. That is the good news.
The bad news is when he got the boat off the trailer and inspected the bottom he found a bad spot in the hull of his Dargel. While it is bad news, it is not as bad as it could be if he was running across the bay and the hull came apart. He thinks it is still solid, so we will see what has to be done. If it needs repair it will be very interesting to see how Dargel handles this. I think back to my buddy Aaron’s hull coming apart and how Skeeter built him a brand new hull. That is how a quality boat company handles something like that. As long as there is no angler error quality companies stand behind their boats. So stay tuned on this one.
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I heard from Faye who is going to be down to POC for a couple of days this week. The fishing should be great, and since I know you all like to fish live bait, I believe I would buy a few croakers and soak them on deep shell. And if the wind is right, there are some fish being caught in the surf. So good luck and let me know how it comes out. I will be out there somewhere, depending on the wind.
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Steve dropped me a note telling me how much he liked my wading harness. Well Steve, I love it. The harness is a Wade Right by Coastal Fishing Gear, and it is plain and simple the bomb. With a rod holder in the front for holding the rod while tying on baits, landing fish, etc., it is as functional a piece of fishing equipment as I have ever owned. It keeps the rod up and out of the water while you do whatever. Also there are multiple clipping points, and I love the small tackle box that clips on the belt high up on your chest, no more dunked baits or tackle boxes. And the rod tube on the back of the belt let you carry a spare rod, and it just won’t fall out. Having the extra rod saves trips to the boat, and still having a rod tube to set the rod in while you do stuff is great. Seriously folks, this is a great piece of equipment. I have written about it in the past, following buying one at the Houston Boat Show. And after using it I bought my brother one. And to make it even better the folks who own the company are nice folks. So check out their website, you can’t go wrong.
http://www.coastalfishinggear.com/osfm_wade_right.php
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As I finish this it is Tuesday morning and we are forecast to be 101 degrees with a heat index of up to 110. That is approaching the danger zone for outdoor activity. So if you are out in it drink water, and lots of it. I am going to get a few things done today, tomorrow as long as it is not going to hit over 100 it will be back to the Gulf. The Grimes article in the Victoria Advocate confirms what I found, the fish are deeper, either on deep shell or drops. Topwaters are accounting for some good fish, the winds have calmed some, and the fish are biting. As far as where I hit tomorrow, that may be decided as I pull out of the driveway. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
