Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

The wind finally started blowing like they said it would, and it is supposed to keep blowing until Thursday morning.  In fact, a Walmart bag just drifted across the lawn on its way to God knows where.  And with it you can feel the slight chill in the air.  It remains to be seen what it will do to the fish.  On the lake they are poised to get after it, and on the bay it is a time of big change.  Of course we can not have it all.  While the next couple of months will be the best fishing of the year the wind will come in to play regularly.  It often comes down to just how bad do you want it.

As I write this the wind is blowing 15+ and will be hitting 30 mph+ today.  We topped out at 39 mph gusts yesterday and may approach that again today.  I have been having some trailer tail light issues so that may be the project for the day, along with putting new line on reels and making sure I have the correct tackle ready to go.  There is always something to be done when you fish 150+ days a year so I will take this chance to get organized before a round of some serious fishing.  To bad I have another dentist appointment in the morning, but that should take care of that for the time being.

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I got the following comment from my buddy Clyde in Arkansas, you know, the guy who lives in a trailer with 10 kids, 10 dogs, and no job.

Any tips on taking decent photos of fish when your by yourself ?

The big one I have learned is you do not have to make a face while you do it, it does not help.  And the other, get a wider lens camera, amazing how that helps.  But the most important thing is to remember you do not have to look like you are having a baby as you try to take it, it is only a picture.  And this is from the guy whose daughter’s journalism class made fun of him for a couple of years.  In fact, they did a mass selfie all making a funny face.  But in your case the real question is if you are ever going to catch one worth taking a picture of!  See you in a month.

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I got this from Jim after my report on Coleto yesterday.

Awesome report. Got to love it when you pick the perfect day and the fish cooperate. Can’t wait to get down there soon.

Fish on!

Jim

There really are a few days every year when you need to be somewhere specific, doing something.  When you fish salt and fresh it is hard to balance both, but when it is time to go one place or the other, it is time to go.  I was a little disappointed with the average size the other day, but the bite was on and it was fun.  The real important thing about Monday was the set of conditions in early spring – warm, cloudy, drizzling, after a good 3 or 4 day warming trend.  The perfect storm.  Thanks for your comment, they should be hard after it when you come.

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And Ed dropped this comment that I had to think about for a little bit.

Your reports are just great. I can’t wait to check my email to see where you’ve been and what your using to catch these fish.
My comment or question is this:
When do you think boggy bayou will turn on? Want to try and go down and kayak in the back and see if I can pick up a couple of reds and maybe some trout .
Last year was really good and I remember you would go there and powderhorn.
My friend and I are looking forward to a camping trip out on powderhorn just want to see when you might think is a better time to go.
Thanks for your time and keep writing and I’ll keep reading your stuff!
Ed

That is a great question, and I only have a guess, for whatever that is worth.  I have not fished either in the last few months but there is no reason to think that Boggy and the Powderhorn are not just dandy right now.  Whether it is Shoalwater,  Pringle, or Twin Coves, the soft bottom back lakes basically hold the heat better than hard bare bay bottom.  But when it comes down to it, the real money is in the drains and combining it with a falling or rising tide.  Using Boggy as an example, the fish are going to be somewhere between the back end and the drains into Lavaca Bay, but they are there somewhere.  The time to go is coming up if you think about it.  The water temp will be rising, the trout will start spawning, and the reds will disperse.  If I have learned anything planning trips like this for years is timing is everything.

Here is the real punch line.  When looking at timing for a trip to the coast, I would absolutely look for those days of the month when the tide is full up at daylight and drops all day, a classic one tide day.  That is when I would come irrespective of any other factor.  So good luck with that and drop me a note when you are going to be here I may know a few more specifics.

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I am so appreciative that Cocoons has come on board and after a couple of months I have learned 2 really important thing about sunglasses –  1. There is no such thing as to many pairs.  Reasonably priced, Cocoons allows most of us the ability to own a couple of pairs for different conditions.  2.  As far as sunglasses go, they need a different name.  They are a tool like any other we use, an important one as far as fishing goes.  Standing barely knee deep in the Gulf, mullet and game fish streaming by,  I was amazed as a quick toss brought an immediate bite from a trout or redfish that I could actually see.  The right tool for the job can make all the difference.

Probably the biggest thing I am learning is how important contrast is, it is what allows us to differentiate the things we see.  Never having worn yellow,  on really cloudy days they provide the additional contrast necessary to differentiate things in the water.  And on those same cloudy days mirrors take out to much of the light.  But take those days when it is so bright you can see reflections in everything, the mirrors are spot on.  So far my favorite lens is the amber, they seem to perform best in all conditions.

But the punch line is you can spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy pair of sunglasses that are great for a specific set of conditions, or you can spend a whole lot less and get a few different pairs and be covered no matter what the conditions are when you hit the water.   So if this sounds like a commercial so be it, but it really has been interesting to see the differences in on the water application.  Lens color really does matter.

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has proposed assorted regulation changes for next year and are now taking comment on them.  If you want to stay informed and participate in the shaping of regulations in Texas this is the way.  And it is very important if you have an opinion on a regulation that you register it with TPWD.  If you do not you have no right to bitch if the regulation affects you.  Additionally TPWD needs to be constantly monitored.  They work for us, and like all government employees they occasionally need to be reminded who the boss is.  Take their decision to give taxpayer fish to a rich private land owner a couple of years ago.  I don’t mean to go all Bernie Sanders on TPWD, but if we do not participate they will be more than happy to accommodate their connected rich friends.   Do you think any of the commissioners are hurting for great places to hunt and fish?  But they have done a nice job of allowing comment and the website is easy to use.  So check out the proposed regulation changes by copying the link below and pasting it in your browser to let them know your .02 worth.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/

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That is it for my bored ramblings today.  I do want to take a second to say something that is really important to me:

Happy Birthday to my lovely wife Nancy!

Behind every serious fisherman is a long suffering wife.  I am a most fortunate guy, she has indulged my fishing disease for 30 years, and done it with a smile on her face.  She never complains, never says no (Except for the new Yellowfin, what’s up with that?), and always stands with me no matter what.  There is one thing I can say for sure, I married well and way out of my league.  So Happy Birthday Nancy, you are the best.

As far as the fishing it will be back on the water somewhere.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines!