Home of the Swimming Jig and Rage Craw.
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Fish Catching Travel
The reports of the last couple of days have generated a few comments and I wanted to share some of them with you.
Ken, one of the Austin bunch, sent me this comment on his recent trip to the salt and one to freshwater…..
Nice report Doug! J
Cindy and I got onto a few trout in Lavaca river at the end of December – 15 fish, 4 keeps, nice day trip. Water temp that day started at 52 degrees after two really cold days and warmed to 58 by 3PM. They wanted small baits with chartreuse tails worked really slow on the bottom.
Yesterday we fished for crappie with Jess Rotherman on the Colorado arm of lake LBJ – tough bite but we got 17 keeper crappie and a white bass – also caught a few goo, a LMB and a blue cat. Is that an LBJ slam? J
Later, Ken
A slam is what you make it, and crappie fishing you never know what you might catch. My best is a 20lb. striper on 4lb line. And sounds like your last river trip was the way most of the river reports are right now. Just got a report of someone with a couple of days on Garcitis and the best he did was 3 keepers one day. So good to hear from you and keep those comments coming.
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I got this from Jim, who struggled some this weekend.
Nice report on the trout, I am going to have to find that Bayou; Yes? Seadrift 17JAN: The parking lot in was packed with empty trailers. Not sure what the ratio of duck hunters were to fishermen. I hit San Antonio Bay and the Barge Canal towards BP on the 18th, Saturday. So, a little background; the game warden recently told the launch owners there in Seadrift that we fishermen could not throw the cleaned carcass of fish in the water at the cleaning station. Additionally, we could not toss them in a container box for local crabbers to use either; so into the nearby dumpster they go. I looked in the dumpster after striking out on the fishing Saturday. It was about 3:30 and not to my surprise I counted 7 trout and 1 small Red; that’s It! (EYE, Twas was a hard day for any fisherman Mate). I believe the oyster boats have that water so messed up right now that the fish have moved on and when you combine the super low water there well good enough to satisfy my hurt. Certainly it was not my lack of skill; Ya Think?
I am sure it had nothing to do with your fishing prowess, must have been the conditions. In fact, we talked to the guy at the ramp at Charlie’s and he said they were seeing very few trout. And I was surprised first time I cleaned fish at Seadrift that you could not throw them in the water. Not sure what the rational is, but I suspect it is lack of water movement and the occasional super low tide leaving a pile of heads and tails at the ramp. So thanks for commenting and reading my stuff.
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And Keith had a similar problem……
I read your blog at least every 2 days. This morning I read your post for 1/19 and it disturbed me because my girl and I fished roughly some of the same spots you did. We started off in the cut going to bill days reef the one with the houses along each side, fished mainly the left side down past where the duck hunters were yesterday morning. I was throwing down south plastics and also a top water. NOTHING.
next the coast guard flat I waded she fished live shrimp. NOTHING next off to a cut on the left way down past the oil cut I believe it is called wittakers cut on the left heading towards big pocket, again waded (nasty mud hard wade) then to Grass Island the funny thing is I am 45 years old and fish POC quite often and am an avid artificial guys. Right at the mouth of the inlet into grass island I had a first in my life experience yesterday. I CAUGHT AN 18 INCH MULLET HOOKED SQUARE IN THE MOUTH ON THE DOWN SOUTH. Go figure my only fish of the day. Then we had to go pick up our decoys south of the army cut and get back to froggies and head home to Canyon Lake. Glad you did great, enjoy reading your stuff, just miffed me this morning knowing we fished the same water and all we got was a mullet. I wish I had my phone with me to take a picture of the mullet with the down south in it’s mouth, to far of a walk back to the boat. Oh well maybe next weekend will be better. I live for the days the water looked like it did yesterday not all that common in POC.
Again thanks for doing what you do and writing as you do it is very enjoyable toread and although I have never met you feel like if I ran into you at Froggies I could talk to you like a friend. Keep it up, thanks.
Keith
Anytime you see me at the dock, or anywhere else for that matter, say Hi, it puts a face to folks I only know via the site. And as far as your day, I feel your pain. It really does suck when you have it tough and then someone else whacks them. It is interesting that other than the one place we limited, in 2 days we caught a total of 5 keeper trout. It is tough right now, it is just that simple. The mullet thing is cool, have not had that happen, yet. So thanks for your kind words, I appreciate them.
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And of course I heard from my favorite salty dog………..
Great report! Keep hitting the salt, after all thats what the poll sez. LOL
I hear you Rick, the tribe has spoken and I may be slow but I am not stupid. Expect the number of salt reports to go up this year. (But I did slip off to the lake and that report is coming soon.)
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Voe dropped me this comment, and he must have been reading my mind. I lost your email and was wanting it so I could take you with me to the the salt some time………
Hey Doug,
Sounds like a good time for sure. I’ll be heading out to the Powderhorn area tomorrow as suggested last week. Probably put in at FM1258, might even venture out into the Ranch shoreline. Maybe we’ll even pass by each other for a quick chat.
Good Luck Voe
Hope you caught some and am looking forward to hearing your report. The Powderhorn can be great and it is well worth your time to explore and learn. And I have caught some of my biggest redfish there.
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Matt I am not sure how I can help you much with this one……….
Saw you backing in the driveway while I was cooking supper. I’ll say I might me a little jealous you were fishing while I was working.
There is always quitting your job, selling the house, buying a mobile home, leaving everyone behind, and moving to POC to start guiding. I did that when I was 20, a lot easier to do then than later with family and adult responsibilities. Plus, there are so many guides in POC that they have to wear badges so they don’t guide each other.
And not wanting to rag on guides, been there done that, but I did have an interesting conversation with a “guide” on the water 2 days ago who was looking for drum for a guide trip the next day. He gave me some guff because I said we have been catching drum on the Down South. In fact his comment was “On lures? Come on brother.” 2 things to say about that. 1. I think the Shoedog boated around 200lbs of drum on plastics the very next day. 2. You are a guide and have not caught a drum on plastics? Done a lot of fishing on the bay have you? I hope for your customers sake you had a good day.
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And our buddy Clyde put in his 2 cents worth on drones……….
Amen on banning drones!
I am right there with you hommie.
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And one last thing about Monday. It was just last time that the Shoedog was here that we left a trail of money as we zipped across the bay. Well Monday we had to make a quick U-turn and pick up a $20 that blew out of his pocket. I guess that boy has more money than he knows what to do with. But I don’t have any room to talk, I lost a box with 5 or 6 topwaters on the lake somewhere today.
That about catches up on a few things that have been ignored while we were fishing. It is so good to hear from all of you, your comments are always appreciated. Unfortunately the weather is going to deteriorate the next few days, but if it includes the rain that were are supposed to get it will be great. We are over 20″ down the last 2 years and anything is better than nothing. And I have another fishing report I will get posted soon. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
