Fish Catching Travel
Baits that catch fish!
Finally I got to go fishing today. A little work, some bad weather, a little sickness, and a couple of trips to Austin, have all conspired to keep me off the water. The forecast for today was for a low in the 60’s at daylight with possible rain. It was great, warm with no rain as I backed the skiff in the lake. I took the skiff to see how it ran after a trip to the mechanic. The engine ran fine, it is the rest of the stuff on the boat that doesn’t work worth a hoot, more on that later.
One of the consequences of the locator crapping out was I did not have a water temp, but with it being spawning time I headed to a cove protected from the 20mph south wind. I threw topwater in the first one, along with a Strike King Swim Jig, and a spinnerbait. It was 1 fish in the first cove, 2 in the next, 2 in the one after that. With none of them worth much I decided to fish the main lake and fishing a bank near the bridge I got my first real bite.
She smashed a spinnerbait halfway back to the boat.
I was about to head up lake when I got a call from Chris who said come get me at the ramp in a little bit, so I fished a couple of places heading back to the ramp. It was all spinnerbait after the one above, but it was still here and there, but at least it was consistent. By time I picked him up it was 6 or 7, 5 on spinnerbait and one each on swim jig and topwater.
After picking him up we headed up lake, stopping way up lake on a long flat bank. It wasn’t long before we were catching them. In fact Chris caught one on his first cast. For the next hour it was pretty good and we caught maybe 10 or 12, most of them nice chunks.
A good average for the day.
By this point the wind was blowing fairly strong, which with the skiff turned out to be a problem. I try not to run down products, but I could not have made a bigger mistake when I bought the Motor Guide trolling motor on the skiff a few years ago. It is a piece of crap, and that is giving it a break. It has no power, it is noisy, the handle fell off, it might be on forward, then it might be reverse, you get the point. And when the wind is blowing it is useless. The prior trolling motor was a Minnkota 55lb thrust, and this one is also supposed to be 55lbs of thrust, but I promise if you tied them together and turned them on the Minnkota would drown the Motor Guide. I have been wanting to replace it, and now that starts as soon as I finish this.
But I digress. We began to work our way back down lake, but the wind was blowing just right to make it tough on us. It gets clearer as you go down, but the back ends of most of the coves are a little off colored. As we went along it was obvious the fish were taking a break. We might have caught 4 or 5 as we worked down lake. I did lose a real nice one on the swim jig when it ate right at boatside and promptly swam right in the trolling motor. Other than that we never had a definitive run after the first bank up lake. I know there is a better way to catch them, I just did not quite figure it out, but it has been a couple of weeks.
It was one of those days where I got another dose of perspective. When we quit at 1:30 I would have called it an ok day until Chris said that is the most he had ever caught on spinnerbait. So that in itself makes it a good trip. And we did catch over 20 in a few hours, which is also not that bad. It was just nice to be out there again.
I did want to say one word about spinnerbaits. If you have been reading me you know I had some trouble with Booyah spinnerbaits breaking. They were kind enough to send me 3 replacements. When I started this morning there was one tied on so I tossed it and on the third fish I set the hook and came back with the knot. The wires break right in the bend, not sure why, but even the replacements are breaking. I remedied that by doing what I should have done when I left the ramp, replace it with my favorite, the Strike King Bleeding Bait spinnerbait.
My personal preference is a white (BB38CW-328) in the 3/8 ounce with a silver number 5 willow leaf on the back. The skirt is a white with red streaks and the hook is red. It is a sturdy spinnerbait that buzzes easily and can stand up to multiple fish and still run right. Most of the fish today came quite a ways off the bank and were flat out stopping it. It really sucks when a good one knocks the stuffing out of it and all you get back is the knot. It must be a lot worse for the fish with half that thing hanging off his jaw. The Bleeding Bait spinnerbait is just a better bait, and that is all I have to say about that.
***********************
Our weather is going down the tubes tonight, with a high of 45 or so tomorrow. Chris and I were talking about possibly fishing Baffin Friday, but that will be somewhat weather dependent. No matter what I am fishing somewhere, we will just have to see. And on the subject of Baffin I got several comments on that article on fishing lighter baits. First this from Billy.
In response to your query about the Baffin guides using the smaller jig heads. Didn’t read the specific article you spoke of, but by your description, I am 99% sure I know who you are talking about. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure it is Sally and Aubrey Black. I have had the pleasure of fishing with Aubrey for the past 13 years. In fact, in his words, a buddy of mine and myself were one of his first customers when he started guiding Baffin. He uses some of the smallest jig heads I have ever seen. Some times he uses 1/32 ounce, but more often than not, it is a 1/64 ounce. If you happen to venture down that way again, look him up. He is first class. Here is a link to their page.
http://www.baffinbayrodandgun.com/
Thanks for letting me know, that is exactly who it is. It really confirmed something I intuitively knew, and with the heavy pressure it makes so much sense. And just for your info, the comments do not automatically post, I read all of them before I put some out there so trust me, I read every single one. The problem with auto posting is spam, of which I get tons a day. So that is why comments do not automatically post. I appreciate you reading my stuff and comment anytime. Plus, fishing with the same guide for 13 years, can anyone think there is any better recommendation? And along with the comment from Billy I got this comment on the same subject from John.
Go to http://www.saltyangler.com for the article about the Baffin Guides. Look at the archived issues tab. That story is in the FEB 13 edition. I stop in to read the blog every day, enjoy it very much especially since I fish the Seadrift area.
Thanks for the link. If you want to expand your arsenal for trout this article is a must. And I really wanted both Saltwater Angler and the Blacks to get the credit. It is awesome when guides cough up this kind of information. As soon as I get done writing this I am going to re-read the article and visit their website. And John I appreciate both your kind comments and your continuing support.
Folks this is what I whine about constantly, the sharing of information. It makes us all better fishermen and it doesn’t cost a penny to do it. And it is why I am always looking for your comments so I can share them with others. And remember if you just want to talk about something, or somewhere, and you don’t want me to share it I am ok with that, just be sure to tell me that.
**********************
The Eyeball.
After needing to get the cataract off my right eye for over a year I finally got it done. I can not tell you how great it is after only 2 days. I can see stuff I have not seen in years, and my up close in that eye is almost perfect. I can not thank Dr. Robert Marquis enough. A good fisherman, I can safely say he is a better physician. So if you have been putting off dealing with something like cataracts these folks are the bomb. Every department, every person, and anything that was done, was first class. The folks in the office, from front desk to surgery, were personable and professional. I can not recommend them more highly. So thanks Doc, what a difference!
http://www.texaneyecare.com/html/doctors.html
*********************
So outside I go. The list includes taking off the front deck, taking off the old trolling motor, taking off the old locator, removing the cracked fuel bulb, and ………. If you have owned boats for any amount of time you know what I am talking about. It is time to fix the skiff, and with a crummy day in the works for tomorrow I can get most of what I need to get done, done. Then when I pick up the various parts it will be a breeze only having to put them on. Owning 2 boats can at times be a real pain in the rear. But boy is it nice to have 2 so if I decide to fish it is no problem, just take the other boat. But of course that brings a whole other set of other costs and responsibilities. You got to love boat ownership. As they say, one of the best days is when you buy your boat, and the next best day is when you sell it.
So fishing is on the plate. The bass fishing was good this morning, and will only get better in the coming months. From the reports I have heard the fish are biting on the bay when folks can get out with our high winds lately. I will be heading to the bay as soon as the wind is below 20. From what I learned last month the second day after a norther can be really good trout fishing, and if there is a little cloud cover with it look out. I appreciate you all hanging in there so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
