Fish Catching Travel
I am tired, my belly is full of a Cowboy burger from the Bag, but I am determined to get his posted now before I forget something or fall asleep. Of course at my age it sure is possible. The Shoedog and I had one of those 24 hour periods where we packed as much as possible into one day. Coleto, Teal hunting, and POC were on the agenda, and from 4 pm to 4pm we had at it. Nothing like fall.
The Shoedog made it to the house around 2 Wednesday, we off loaded his stuff, and off to Coleto we went. The wind was fairly calm as we headed up lake. It took several places before we got a bite and we threw a variety of baits before I lost a good one on a buzzbait. Shoedog had been throwing a swim jig and caught a couple of small ones, and when he went to tossing the buzzbait I switched to the Strike King Swim Jig with a Rage Craw. I caught a little one then I got a good bite swimming it next to a stump.
Love that Swimming Jig.
As we worked up lake we had a hit here or there, and finally got a little bit of a pattern. The water has stabilized a little and the floating grass is really on the decline. Consequently a lot of the mats that had fish close are not nearly as productive. Finally my little pea brain started working and we started catching a few.
The pattern is real simple – Anywhere the deeper channel swings away from the bank and the water is 6 – 8 foot deep, with grass coming off the bottom. That grass is green, and the fish are there. Watching the locator has really proven to be invaluable. The grass is really declining, so find the green grass on those swings and find the nicer fish.
This was one great bite. Absolutely smoked it.
It wasn’t fast and furious by any means, but part of it was luck. We both caught a good fish, we both lost a good fish, but the real issue was some of those nicer fish blew up on that buzzbait and just did not hook up. We probably only boated 7 or 8, but not a bad evening trip. The fishing is really improving and it will only get better. Both the swim jig and the buzzbait will catch them, along with plastics, so if you get a chance in the next few weeks give Coleto a go.
A great day to be alive.
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The Great Teal Hunt
We are up at 4 and left at 5 to meet my buddy Chris to head to his lease. Chris was kind enough to ask and we were raring to go. He has all the cool duck hunting stuff so we set up in the cattail and waited for daylight. It was overcast with lightning on the horizon as it cracked daylight. The shooting started around the area we were hunting, but it was an hour before the first Teal showed in our spread. Now not having hunted Teal it was just like Chris said, in your face hunting.
The decoys were closer than the spread we use on the bay, and when the first bunch of Teal came bombing in they were not stopping. We hopped up and the lead flew. And to my amazement I actually killed one. Kind of tough when you are a right eye guy and you have a big old cataract. (I need to get that fixed, what next, a walker?) But by the same token when they come in at eye level about 20 foot from the blind someone is going to die. Jeff and Chris both shot twice and missed and off they flew. I guess it was just my turn.
A little while later 5 or 6 came in from God knows where and somehow we did not get a shot. And to finish off the morning a single dropped in and Chris promptly smoked him. We finally called it quits at 10 with only 2 in the bag. One thing about fishing and hunting, you never know. Chris has hunted quite a bit since the season opened and limits have been the rule. But today they just didn’t show. It was one of those morning with lots of real early shooting in the distance, then it just stopped.
But who cares. It was a cool morning, the anticipation, the dog retrieving, it was the whole hunting package. Of course that will not be the last of the duck hunting this year. Real duck season is coming this fall and we will surely go again. In a fit of good planning we had towed the boat to the hunt so it was a matter of a little clothing change and off to POC.
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POC
The wind was supposed to be 10 – 15 out of the east, and they were half right. As we left the dock it was blowing straight out of the east but a steady 15 – 20, which gives it a pretty good head of steam as it blows down the bay. It was about 11 when we dropped the trolling motor down and went to slinging the Strike King Redfish Magic. Now I know I might rant about the Redfish Magic, but it not only works, it is the perfect bait for those windy days, especially when the tide is high and in the grass. The tides are high during this moon phase, and the east wind helps it along pushing more water in the bay. And while the wind is a hassle, it actually helps the redfishing. We just look for longer grass banks where the tide has flooded the grass.
27″+. Where is this one when tournament fishing?
We started fishing the grass banks in Big Bayou and it was not 5 minutes before the Shoedog caught this one. It fought like the devil and was a harbinger of things to come. Between 11 and 2 we put 5 nice keeper reds in the boat. The wind was a hassle, and running the trolling motor was tough, but as long was you kept rolling that Redfish Magic right off the bottom sooner or later one would smack it. Before I got my first one I spotted a small mud ball, tossed the spinnerbait past it, and slowed rolled it right over the mud , and in the boat came a 18″ keeper flounder. If you see a mud poof as I call them, toss at it and drag your bait right threw it, it is like taking candy from a baby.
I finally got in the act with a good keeper.
So we just kept tossing the spinnerbait as we flew down the banks. It was not easy fishing, but the reds were nice. The fall bite is on at the Gulf and the reds are fat and sassy. We also managed to catch a Spanish, several small trout and one rat red. Our final keeper total for the day was 5 nice reds, 1 flounder, and 2 Teal.
These are headed back to College Station. Probably feed some poor hungry homeless Aggie living in a trailer.
When we were cleaning fish a couple of guys came in with a limit of trout. And of course I forgot it was 5 each, so it did not look like a limit to me. But I love the new limit, sure will make it easier to tell everyone you limited out. They were out early wading and throwing topwater and they told us they caught them all day. We didn’t trout fish but they are obviously biting. The last 2 trips we have caught a flounder or 2 on spinnerbait and I really wanted to try out the Flounder Pounder baits on them but it was just to windy. But the redfish are definitely on the fall prowl. And on a really windy day the Redfish Magic saved the day for us. I love that bait, it flat catches reds.
So there you have it, A Good 24 Hours. To live somewhere you can catch some bass, shoot some ducks, and whack some reds, is a blessing. I am thankful for everyday I get to spend on the water and today was a good one. And a good thing about fishing with the Shoedog he ain’t no quitter and as long as I am throwing he is right there with me.
Surely I have forgotten a thing or two, but when you are as tired as I am right now it is tough to remember your name. So what to do about that? Get up at 5 and head back to POC and do it all over again. We hope to do some wading and topwater, and then when the wind gets to blowing it will be redfish. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff,
Good Luck and Tight Lines
