Fish Catching Travel
It is always good to be back after being gone for 5 days, And it was good to see my folks and lots of other relatives, including my new Grandbaby Wren. Mother and daughter are doing fine as is the rest of the family. So with that taken care of it was time for a quick afternoon trip. I had several things to do before I could hit the lake, and it was around 1 when I hit the water.
The lake is still on the decline, we need more rain. It did not help matters that the clouds had cleared out and the sun was shinning. First thing I noticed was it had dropped 7 degrees near the ramp and 4 degrees up lake. Since I had not fished there in about 8 days I figured what could have changed much? Well some things have changed
The water up lake was slightly off colored but I started with a topwater anyway, and that turned out to be a bust, as did spinnerbait. In fact I only had one bite up lake and that was on the white Strike King Swimming Jig, and I missed it. So back down lake in search of clearer water, but it had a slight haze to it. Guess we had a little rain while we were gone, and it didn’t help the topwater bite.
Finally at 4 one ate the Swim Jig. I took a picture in case it was the only one for the day.
I moved to a deeper main lake bank near the dam with some grass on it and finally caught one. Then another, and for the next hour and a half I kept the trolling motor down and kept swimming that jig.
A little better.
Even though I kept alternating with the topwater they were just not having it. I had been catching 10 or so in a morning or afternoon on it, but it was not working. So once I caught the second one on the Swim Jig I just kept it in the water. Most were about 10 foot off the bank in 3 – 5 feet of water. It was harder to feel them today as they just were not real active when they hit it.
Not as big an average has they have been.
The only thing that was similar with the fishing compared with before I left was they still wanted it medium/slow tipping grass and cover. Other that it was a tough bite.
The last good one for the day.
All in all not a bad trip for a short one. The fish have definitely changed some, and with this cold front right around the corner it may get a little tougher. One thing I will say for that Swim Jig, it is one good bait when the bite is tough. But when it is tough they can be so hard to feel. So it takes lots of concentration. You have to watch your line and be ready to set the hook when you feel anything. I think I actually felt 2 bites of the 7 I caught, the rest just swam with it.
So with Coleto kinda figured out it is time for the bay. With all the river visits it has been awhile since I fished the Gulf. The weather may affect tomorrow, we will have to see, but it will be the start of some pretty serious fishing. I plan on hitting POC, Indianola, Keller, and Shoalwater. That will take some doing but I have the time this week, so let the fishing begin.
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It was good to hear from Bobby –
Just a note Doug my friend. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. And a big thank you for showing me how to fish on coleto. I have learned a lot from you. I wish we could fish more together as you know my job takes most of my time.Anyway thanks for the blog I read it all the time..
Merry Christmas my friend..Bobby
Thanks for dropping me a line. I hope you guys have a great Christmas too, and I will see you on the lake.
I also heard from Evan, who has a case of the hunting fever right now –
It has been way too long since I’ve commented on one of your posts. Rest assured tho – I have been reading every last one! Still enjoy the stories and the lessons.
I figured you’ve been getting into duck hunting a little more that I should comment on this post.
Any day you can kill a duck is a good day in my book! I cannot wait for the season to open back up.
I have been doing quite a bit of deer hunting too, so it keeps me calm until I can get after some waterfowl.
I’m headed back to Kansas next week to chase ducks, geese and some whitetail.
What I need to do is bust out the kayak and hit the bay for some trout and redfish. Lord knows its been warm enough!
I’ll keep reading so long as you keep writing. Thanks for taking the time to share!
-Evan
Thanks for the kind comments Evan. Hope to see a picture of one of those big Kansas bucks down. And it is still warm enough for a little kayak fishing. Have a good Christmas and New Year, I appreciate you reading this drivel.
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That will do it for now. I am ready for a stretch of serious fishing and I hope you come along for the ride. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
