Fish Catching Travel
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I might not have fished last week, but a few folks got out the last couple of days and managed to catch a few. Looking at the week to come it has winds up to 20mph every day. That is the thing about March, you get some and you lose some. Water is warming and most of the gamefish we chase are stirring around and thinking about making some babies. Unfortunately along with that is the winds which either roar out of the north or the southeast, then all day from both directions, and then it will really blow. But the end is near as we approach the middle of the month and our best fishing of the year both fresh and salt is coming.
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Got a great report from my buddy Jeffish who is on Lake Dunlap with family and the future Bass Master Champion of 2030, Korbin, but bass were not on the agenda this weekend.
That thing is as big as you are Korbin! Jeffish said he about wet his pants on this one. Just kidding Korbin.
Korbin and I set some limb lines out on Lake Dunlap and caught 2 channels and a yellow on small perch. Then Korbin caught another yellow on road and reel. Good fight on light pole. 16 lbs or so total. Frying em up for a Sunday feast.
Jeffish and Korbin with a heavy string.
Nice job boys. Looks like a pretty productive weekend. Korbin keeps putting them in the boat no matter where he fishes. So have a good fish fry, makes my mouth water to think about it.
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Shoedog and Fayette County
(Shoedog and I just love that lake. We have time and time again smacked the living crap out of them there on jerkbait. Whether winter, summer, spring, or fall the jerkbait will catch them!)
I waited Friday until it looked like the rain had mostly cleared and headed out to Fayette Co. Lake. Got there about 12:30 and fishing by 12:45. Guy at the ramp said he was disappointed with his day and asked if I had been there much lately. Told him not since the first of the year. I put in at Oak Thicket Park and went out and started on the same long bank we always do on the left going down lake. The weather was changing hourly- Sun, drizzle, partly cloudy, calm, windy- whatever.
I started with my standby Smithwick Suspending Rogue and didn’t have a bite for a few minutes so I put on a crankbait- a Storm Arashi 7 ft. depth bait. I had a strike/miss right off the bat and caught a decent bass in a few more casts.
Crank it up!
Went back to my Rogue and had one jerk the rod out of my hand and barely kept from losing it! I love me some mad Fayette County spring time bass! I had 6 before I got all the way down the 3 stretches heading back in towards the ramp. I decided to go all the way down to the dam and spend the rest of my day just working banks all the way back to the truck.
Those Fayette Fatties love that jerkbait.
I tried the Arashi cranker a few more times, but it was, as usual, for me- a jerk bait day. I seemed to have 4-6 bites on every stretch tried and the windier and/or deeper stretches seemed to be most productive for the better bites. I actually lost 4 decent fish on Friday. # of them i couldn’t keep down and they came up, wallered and threw the bait. I lost a good one I never saw. It seemed to me I should try some larger hooks, so I put on a slightly larger Rapala husky jerk with bigger hooks- gave up on that prety quickly- no action. Put Rogue back on and whacked them some more. I think I will take the 3 smaller hooks off and go to 2 larger and leave of middle hook- see what happens.
This size will literally try to jerk the rod out of your hands.
I ended up at 20 in the boat for the afternoon and I lost 4 and had at least 10 others smack it. A good day. Anytime I can catch 12 or 14 real nice bass and a few ok fish it is a good day. Finished it off by going with the wife to hear our local Bluesman Randy Pavlock at one of our local watering holes and surprise- they were cooking up a mess of free crawfish that eve! Great end to a great day!
(Great report Shoedog. Fayette never seems to let us down. With all that jerkbait practice you should play hell on them in Arkansas in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait to get there!)
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Johnny sent along this tip and a note on Coleto’s current water condition.
Hi Douglas. My wife found these snips at Walmart in the Fabric Department for my tackle box. They are sharp and easy to use. Don’t have to fight the little holes in small scissors with my big fingers. Thought you might want to try them out.
I was at Coleto today and the water from the housing addition to the plant is real dirty. The main lake up to the first bridge is still clear up to a foot deep. Caught a few on white spinnerbait and the old style white swim jig.
Have a safe trip home.
Thanks for the tip on the scissors, will be interested in how they work on braid. Fiskars make good products so for all you guys with the big hands here is a good alternative. And I wondered how the lake was, sounds like it got a lot of off color water after all that rain. Since I plan on fishing there in the morning I will be able to update conditions. And if any of you have had chance to fish it the last couple of days drop us a line, love to get a new report.
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Speaking of getting home safely it was an interesting trip. Las Vegas changes each and every time we go, and it has been almost 30 years since we first went. Probably the most memorable moments of the trip were at Bush International before we even took off.
First, you know how TSA is always running that thing over the speakers about unattended bags? Well there was a ratty back pack left leaning against the counter as we waited for the plane. After a while I finally said something. 10 minutes later a woman with a plastic vest strolls over, and then leaves. Then about 10 more minutes later here comes the cops. So that thing sat there for well over a half hour at least and nobody really cared. Your tax dollars at work.
Second. the plane was 3 hours late, and on boarding there were 6 or so dudes acting a fool. Apparently on the way to this guys bachelor party, his brother decided that he could be a real idiot. So he disregards the flight attendant’s orders twice, and was disrespectful. She did not get in to it with him, and then here comes security, and there goes the fool off the plane. His brother is going but I already paid for the trip, to bad. Could not have happened to a better guy. Other than that the trip was uneventful and we missed the rain.
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It does feel weird when I haven’t fished all week, but from what I hear the weather and rain this week was plenty tough and I did not miss anything. But all this writing about fishing and looking at pictures has me cranked up to go. First will be Coleto, and from there who knows. The first day this week the wind is not expected to top 20 I will be on my way to the Gulf. So pray for calm, the topwater bite has to be on so maybe it will just boil down to which direction the wind is blowing where I can get to the trout. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines