Check out the Swimming Jigs and Rage Craws.
Fish Catching Travel
It was really foggy this morning, and the boss wasn’t feeling to good, so after that all got straightened out it was time to hit the lake. By time I dropped the boat in the water it was 10:30. The water temp was 65 at the ramp, 76 at the mouth of the out flow cove, and as low as 64 degrees way up lake. And the water has come up an inch or two, so maybe with a little luck we will get that rain this weekend and continue the upward trend.
As I write this I am watching Championship Match Fishing, which I really like. I like the format, basically catch them as fast as you can until they tell you to quit. So while big fish are great, catching them without stopping is the way to go. Well today I wish I had been fishing in that style of tournament.
Let the Strike King Swimming Jig bite begin.
I started in the cove right above the bridge throwing a topwater. I had several hits near the point, but the cove itself was a bust, as most of them were today. So up the lake I worked, including stopping at the point we whacked them on the last trip, and just could not got anything going on the topwater. The water was off color the further up I went so I finally settled down to throwing the Swim Jig until I finally found some.
No real big ones today, but boy did they bite.
The fish were on long straight banks with grass on the bank. It was a steady retrieve, and most of the fish came out of 3 foot of water. Some of them smacked it, some knocked a bunch of slack in it, and others swam with it sideways. But no matter how they hit it, they were eating it. About half were like the ones in the pictures, the other half smaller. I had one come off some rocks that I should have gotten the hook in, I am sure that was a big one. But other than that it was like they all came out of the same mold.
And bite……………..
and bite.
Of the 3 coves I fished in only one did I catch a few fish. And those I caught in the coves came on topwater, and were all small. They are just not quite in the coves in mass yet. It was clearly a Swim Jig on the main lake kinda of day, and once I stayed with that the bite was on for the rest of the afternoon.
They were choking on the Swim Jig.
Other than replacing a couple of craws I used the same Black/Blue 1/4 ounce Swimming Jig all day. It was paired with a watermelon red Rage Craw, which is my favorite color in almost every plastic. It swims best for me on 12lb. mono at a moderate retrieve. And I can not stress enough how if you tip some grass, or anything else, speed it up, or drop it, but just do something different, that is what makes them eat it.
The big girls are not to far behind.
This was a chunk.
Most of my bites came on long straight banks with some deep water close by. But the real hot spot was what we call the swings, where the channel swings away from the bank and it starts to flatten out. The perfect spot was sitting in 6 foot of water and just able to reach the bank. And of course that is where the fish are headed, to the flats, if they are not headed into a spawning cove.
All males turning out early for happy hour. It is not quite Ladies’ Night.
It was one of those days were I didn’t bother to keep count, partially because once you got a bite you were sure to get another, or several in the same area. They are so ready to make the big shallow move, and if it stays warm we should get a big migration to the bank on the next moon. And I am starting to see a lot of Tilapia back in the pockets, so we are close. Of course we are so weather dependent during this period, and while they could be knocked back by another big cold front, the urge to spawn is strong and the good bite is just around the corner.
Wish I had taken the big camera today, almost every cove protected from the wind with the sun shining in it was full of alligators and Tilapia.
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The 2015 Crab Trap Cleanup is set for February 21 thru March 2 when the season is closed and any trap is considered abandoned. The big day is set for February 21st, but any trap you find during this period can be picked up and taken to the dumpsters that will be set up at major ramps. So even if you don’t participate on the big day if you see a trap anytime during this period pick it up and trash it.
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Though a chef I’m not, I do enjoy cooking and do quite a bit of it. So when the Boss brought me a Christmas present back from her trip, and it was a set of knives from her dad, I was all about it. They are nice and sharp, one of my pet peeves. And it will let me retire some that need it. Nothing more frustrating than a cheap knife that will not take an edge. So thanks Jack.
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I continue to hear, and read, spotty Gulf reports. It seems the only thing that remains somewhat stable is the redfish bite. Trout continue to be a hit or miss thing. But with the water temp barely topping 60 degrees that is not particularly surprising. So I am not sure what the plan will be as the Gulf is up next. But I do know that my last trip left something to be desired in the size department.
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I have always been somewhat ambivalent about buying the extended warranty, but have done it on my last 3 engines. And we have used it on all three of them. I am picking up the Carolina Skiff today and it has saved me some money, which is always nice.
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There you have it for today. Not that I would ever promote gambling, but we got our Super Bowl numbers in the big-bucks pool, and they really suck. I can actually count on one finger the number of times we have won, and one win may be an exaggeration. I am not sure why we continue to fund other folks in pools, and our luck with raffles is no better. So enjoy the Super Bowl, even if like my lovely wife you really only watch it for the commercials. Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
