Fish Catching Travel

Our good bass fishing is right around the corner and Strike King has the baits for you!

Sometimes you take one for the team and today was that day.  Of course I had ulterior motives, I wanted to catch some white bass.  And I hoped to find some so I could tell folks and maybe put them on some fish that they could take the kids.  Unfortunately the day did not start out quite as good as I hoped.

First the starting battery on the Carolina Skiff was dead.  It was dead one day a couple of weeks ago, but I left the key on.  This time there was no reason.  So I put it on the charger and after an hour it would start so off we went.  Of course when I got to the lake it wouldn’t start.

I carry the works in the truck for just such an occurrence.  So I jumped the starting battery with the trolling motor battery and off I went.  I have fished a lot of the lake, but had never been way above the second bridge and the houses way up the Coleto arm.  So I went until there was only a couple of feet of water and started trolling.

Other than one small bass, I did not have another bite for over 2 hours.  I kept heading back down river trolling a Shad Rap and white jig and finally had a bite, way back past the bridge, and it was a white.

That is what they look like.

At this point you would think you could troll around in that area and narrow them down, and then stop and fish them.  You would think that, but it did not happen.  I could not buy another bite. So after about 3 hours I decided to fish for some bass.  So down the trolling motor went and I fished a short bank.  No bites so when I went to move the battery was dead as hell.  At this point it was time to call it a less than rewarding day.  No sense in getting stuck somewhere.

But there is more.  When I get back to the ramp and head to the trailer there is one of the long bunks laying across the trailer.  Apparently it fell off when I pulled out and someone noticed it and put it on the trailer.  Why I did not see it on the ground I do not know, but that is how the day was going.  Now back to carrying all the stuff to fix boats and trailers, I had bolts and screws and tools and fixed it in 2 minutes.  It was time to go home before something else breaks  I know one thing, it just was not my day.

Just for your information quite a few folks were fishing today and most of them were heading into the coves.  We will have a little cool down, but we have a good warm weather pattern coming the next couple of weeks.  The lake should really take off as soon as the water starts the slow steady rise to the spawn.

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I got this report from RL on his trip to POC this weekend.

I had the pleasure of spending a couple hours on the water in poc this am. (Tide was as low as I have ever seen it) Beautiful mourning and there was just enough wind /sun to make the fish bite. It was a very lathargic weird bite. Caught 2 limits of fat trout to 20″ and missed many. Down South in purple/chartreuse worked best followed by gulp jerk bait in pink/white. Hope you have a good week fishing and look forward to your reports!

Great report.  The full moon in the winter can really result in some super low tides.  Sometimes the fishing is pretty good, other times pretty tough.  So sounds like you got them dialed in.  I appreciate your comments and please feel free to let us hear from you anytime.  Thanks.

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 Good morning Doug
Since we are talking saltwater 101, maybe you could put some of the puzzle pieces together. Here’s the big question, where and when. I read about your trips to the river, the creek and the barge canal all deep water cold weather spots. I get that, and then the very next day you are wearing them out at the Army hole flats, or Shoalwater bay in knee deep water on top waters. Seems to me the weather both days were close to the same conditions. How did you know that the fish would be on the flats in the winter? I guess the real question is what’s the magic air or water temperature to move fish from one to another.
If the weather holds, we are headed down to Baffin Bay this weekend for our first trip down there.
Just a side note, we were at the Belton boat show this weekend and saw a great deal on a new 2014 Mako LTS 115hp for $22,000. A 2016 is over $30,000.
Thanks for the help!
Steve

Lets deal with a couple of things first, then get to the important stuff.  That is really a good deal on the 2014 LTS.  We really like ours and when compared to the cost of other boats it is a steal. Good luck on the Baffin trip, I am jealous.  I hope to get back there before the winter is over.  It really does help keep you in the water when every cast could be the fish of a lifetime.  Fishing many other places in this country, and a few others, there are only so many places that really do provide a legitimate opportunity to catch a world class fish, and the ULM and Baffin is one of those.  Those of us who live close need to take advantage of it whenever we can.

Now the tougher question, how to decided whether to fish back lakes or wade.  I am far from an expert, but it seems to me that when the water temp hits 60, and keeps dropping, change is coming.   The trout and reds really start moving to the back lakes.  Lets take Pringle as a perfect example.  Pringle has a large area of soft bottom, as does Shoalwater and some of the other lakes off of San Antonio Bay.  So the sun shines all day, and even though it is cold that soft bottom soaks up heat.  Often it is also somewhat off color compared to the open bay, which in and of itself soaks up a little more heat.  And during the night a lot less of the heat siphons off.

Lets compare that to what happens to some of the areas that were holding fish before the cold weather got there.  Much of it was hard bottom, often with a sand and shell mix.  The water is super clear on lots of it and the minute it starts to get late in the day, much less a big cold front, it cools off immediately and basically stores no heat during the night.  This year was a perfect example, once we cooled off they deserted those places I was catching them.  Now of course they all don’t desert the bay, it is a matter of finding softer bottom.  Some of Big Pocket, Grass Island,  and the end of Ayres Point to name a few, are perfect examples of soft bottom that still hold fish in the winter.

Last time we drifted Pringle you could actually tell when you were going to get bites as the water was definitely off color.  That day we caught them drifting, but as the day warmed up they moved to the bank and we caught them wading.

So I guess the punch line is if it warmer and cloudy, maybe a light mist, it is time to get in the water.  Bank selection is still critical, but no soft bottom on  a cold day and it will probably be pretty tough.  If it is that sunny clear cool day after a super cold night with a north wind, it is time to drift the deeper holes in places like Pringle and Shoalwater.  And one thing to keep in mind as long as we are going there, pay attention to the wind direction on places that had fish, if the water temp is cold and dropping as it blows on a bank it is probably toast.  If it is warming during the day and blowing on the bank the water temp may raise during the day and not run the fish off.  A basic plan, dropping temp, fish the soft bottom.  Warming, back to sand and shell.

And in your example of conditions being the same both days, they probably were.  But remember, even if the conditions are not the best, they will usually bite in the deeper holes, rivers, and back lakes, not true with the shallow bay fish.  So if conditions are perfect for wading, those other areas are still good.

I know this is rambling but one thing that also plays into this is the tide.  We start getting low tides as winter comes on, and picking the perfect day for wading is actually easy.  Does the tide fall all day?  If there is some wind you can drift no matter what the tide and catch fish in the deeper water.  But if the tide is falling we start looking at those places where the water is falling out and not only creating a current, but bringing some bait with it.

I am no trout master, and this is what little I know and should not be taken as gospel.  This really is basic, and while it could be more organized, you get the point.  Of course when it is all said and done nothing beats time on the water.  You can follow the fish and if they have moved you can often adjust pretty quickly, as opposed to trying to grind it out and then realizing it is wrong when a lot of important fishing time has passed.

As I write this I am in the high desert in west Texas.  It has been an interesting day.  I wanted to get this post up today, and there will be another coming as soon as I get a minute tomorrow.  A good Somerville report and a blizzard.  God love that Texas weather.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines