If it swims there is something here to catch it with.
Plastics for all conditions.
Fish Catching Travel
Yesterday was a get a few things done day, today it is a job I have been putting off for quite a while. Getting every, and I mean every, bait out of every box, and both boats, and putting hands on each one. Then it is hook replacement, sanding rust and imperfections off topwaters, cleaning what dirty baits that can be cleaned, and just general maintenance. And of course there are a few lures being retired. Those guys are headed for the garage sale at some point. Besides making sure it all works right it is nice to have a fresh idea of just what I have and where it is.
************************
My buddy Aaron from East Texas, who works down here off and on, is back home in East Texas until the oil economy settles down some. Until that time he is fishing. He is not only a great bass fisherman, he is just a good all around fisherman. So when I was on the way home from North Padre I got 4 texts from him in a matter of 15 minutes. And without further ado here they are.
This may be the fattest 5.8 I have ever seen. What a hoss!
And this 6.2 is no small one either.
7.2. They are getting bigger.
And the big girl for the morning at 8.3. One good fish.
All these fish were part of around 12 big ones he took off one bank in nothing flat. All were caught on a chatter style bait out of a small East Texas power plant lake. He didn’t mention which one, and I did not ask, keeping with my policy of not sharing anything you don’t want me to. Aaron can catch those bass, not to mention most any other fish that swims. Thanks for the pictures Aaron. l hope to make it up to Fork in the near future.
***********************
I happened to be watching the Zona show, which I like, and he was fishing Perlas Lake on a private South Texas ranch. That is the sister lake to the one that the TPWD decided it was ok to give some of our Share A Lunker fry, paid for by you and me, to a private ranch where folks pay an astronomical fee to fish for the weekend. After that came out then there was some sort of agreement that it would not be fished for something like 10 years, and only TPWD could have access to the fish. Apparently either party can cancel the contract at anytime and TPWD can have the fish back. Which as a retired attorney I call bulls&$t, but that is another issue.
Watching the show, and listening to the owner, I do not question his motivation. He wants to grow big fish. In fact, he is thinking out of the box and I appreciate his efforts. But folks this is an example of how the rich have it made. No matter how you shake a stick at it, he got a deal you and I can not have. And to add insult to injury, the fishing is so expensive that the majority of Texans can never afford to fish there. And looking at the way the property was constructed, at the owner’s expense, there was no reason in this world he should have been given our fish. He clearly has the wherewithal to purchase whatever fry he needs from where ever. I do not fault the owner in any way, but I have a hard time with TPWD doing sweetheart deals with our property. Yes, those fish belong to us, not TPWD.
I consider this a symptom of an underlying problem with the game and fish boards in most states. Generally they are appointed by the governor. And if you look at the make of up the boards they are generally well off, politically connected, individuals. In fact, it would be interesting if someone did a study on how many members of state fish and game boards gave money to the governor’s campaign. I know I should not be so skeptical, but I find it hard to trust the very people we pay to manage our resource when things like this come to light.
**************************
More I learned on the Baffin Trip
1. The Capt. was throwing braid with a 20lb. Big Game leader. So much for my theory that a 10lb. fluorocarbon leader would get more strikes. 2. We actually ended up fishing exactly where I fished 2 of the last 3 times I was there. 3. Water quality plays a huge part of fish location in that area. It seems like they tend to move in mass if conditions dictate, and just because it is Baffin and all those famous spots does not mean they are there all the time. 4. When it got slow for us on the guided trip it was the same as it is when not guided. In other words, we are not doing that much wrong when the bite gets tough. 5. Like I said, he did not fish slow, but thoroughly. Part of that was if the topwater bite was not happening the switch to twitch baits was pretty quick. In both location and lure selection there is a fine line between flogging a dead horse and giving up to soon. 6. Bait, bait, and bait. We fished around bait, end of story. 7. A winter front is proceeded by a strong SW wind. See tomorrow prior to the big front on late Monday. 8. 2cnd day after a really big chill go fishing, big trout eat.
The one thing that really left a good taste in my mouth after the guide trip is that at least I am fishing the right structure with the right baits. Be it bars, points, edges, hard mixed bottom, whatever, those locations are consistent everywhere. As usual it is the little things that separate the great ones from the rest of us. There is so much to learn. I am sure I will remember another thing or two and will put it up when I do.
**********************
I have been intrigued by the Suspending Waxwing by Shimano. A hard bodied bait it has an unusual wing on the nose that is supposed to make it a great subsurface walk the dog bait. Apparently you can just crank it along and it will wander back and forth. So I am really looking forward to giving it a try on those trout, and it should be a tarpon killer. And trust me, the day I spend $17.00 on a bait is the day I am pretty confident it has real potential.
************************
I hope you all have a good weekend, and if you fish let me know, we love fresh reports. It is back on the water for me. Not sure where, but chasing those big trout got my juices flowing, just have to do a little map study and think about what I have learned. Big trout are different animals, and the next couple of months is the time to catch one. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
