FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Check out the KnockerB.  If you like a one knocker you will like this as much as the trout do!

(The Shoedog walked about 50 feet to file this report.)

 Well, since I can’t fish in Fayette and I am not sure of the water conditions at Somerville ( I know it has come up a bunch), I am just gonna fish in the backyard. No fuel costs and a fully stocked fridge for break time snacks, too.
I share a small, nice pond with a couple neighbors and it has been coming back slowly after it went completely dry in the great drought of a few years back. We restocked it and it has started to show some nice progress.

Nice to walk 50 feet and put them in the boat.

For a while, I was not having much luck, even though I knew there were fish there, but lately, it has become what it used to be. I can go out and catch some nice fish just about any time i want- a real nice deal. And, one of the main reasons we bought this home.

Sorry to keep hounding about those feathers on the topwater but they work.

So, today I started out with a Super Spook Jr. in bone with the feathered back hook. I caught 3 decent fish and one small one. Then I decided to go back to the big tackle box- I mean garage- and tie on a frog- good idea, it turns out. I caught 8 or 9 and several were nice fatties. Their color was awesome with the clear water and the weed cover- nice and black. Good fish. Nice fish. Pretty fish. As my wife says when making fun of us fisherman!

Time for that frog no matter where you live in the country.

All in all, a good mornings fishing. Warming up for a 3rd trip to Arkansas this spring. Why not?

Nice fish from a really small pond.

Now, I want to report on a different situation. The pond in our backyard overflows/empties into a nice, 40 acre lake across the road. We live on one creek/drainage area into the lake and to the west of us is the larger arm of the lake that has a larger creek entering it. Again- a main reason we bought our home here- a nice area with slightly larger lots and no through streets/roads, and the pond and the lake. We have been here 12 years now and have seen the lake flooded, almost cut in half by drought and everything in between.  I have caught MANY nice bass from the lake- including my personal best 8 lb. 12 oz. fish pre-spawn a few years back. It has been a lifetime dream of mine to live in a place like this- I have been lucky.

BUT- last winter, sometime in November or early December, a new development was started to the northwest of our community. It is probably about 100 acres, if I had to guess. I found it Christmas week when I was driving my folks around the area to see all the new homes.  The entire area had been cleared and had no remaining ground cover. I realize that we live in an area of major growth, like much of Texas, and fully expect ongoing development all around us. I was disappointed, but so it goes.

Fast forward a couple weeks. It is January and I have big bass fever! I run down to the lake to put the boat in and see a big, muddy mess. The water was so off color, I almost didn’t fish. Oh well, I thought, the rains we had after Christmas left some silt and I bet it is only on the surface and I can still fish. So I did.  In 2 hours, I had one bump on a spinner bait. I could not see the blades on my bait until I took it out of the water. It was so bad I finally realized why. The ground clearing and the new development were directly upstream of the lake.

I happened on to a fellow a few days later that I know that lives right on the upper end of the lake. We talked about it and he said he had been in contact with some people in regards to the situation. Since then I know that a complaint has been filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and some folks have been working on the situation.   Apparently no proper silt fencing was erected and we have had tremendous amounts of silt and runoff from the development.

I have not heard of a single fish caught in the lake from a number of people that fish it regularly. I took pictures this morning to show the difference in the pond in my back yard and the lake across the road- a startling difference. Very sad.  I don’t know if there is anything to be done. I know some of our homeowners association members have been on it to some degree. There has been talk of a similar situation nearby in the past that went to a lawsuit. Bummer. All around.

If there is one takeaway from this, I would recommend everyone be very aware of what is happening around them. This happened very quickly and will probably take years to reverse or remedy. All I wanna do is go fishing………..in the lake that has always been good to the people that live here…….

Thanks for listening/reading. Hope I can send better news from Arkansas later in the week.

*******************

First off there are a lot of jealous folks, me included, that you can walk out in the backyard and catch some fish.  There is no better place to live for a fisherman.  And to catch them on top out of a pond not much bigger than  a small swimming pool is cool.

Having fished your lake it is really a good fishin’ hole.  Not only does it have some big fish in it, the average is great.  I have really enjoyed fishing there, and it really disturbs me that your water quality is so messed up.  I really do not remember much from law school concerning water law, hell I don’t remember much these days, but it does trigger something and I hope your HOA pursues it.

And speaking of that, the water clarity at Coleto has left something to be desired the last year and a half.  I have often wondered if there is some major construction going on up the Coleto arm that has been keeping it off-color even well after any major rain.  So if any of you Coleto fishermen have any thoughts on that drop me a note.

And good luck to Shoedog’s HOA on resolving this issue.  I wish I was not so skeptical, but if it involves your government protecting and regulating like it should the damage will be done before they get off their ass and really take a look at it.  So you and your bunch need to keep the pressure on, it is the only way to get results.

(Shoedog just got an email from the HOA and the state is going to investigate.  Please surprise me and get to the bottom of it no matter what it is.)

*****************

Bagley Knocker B

Speaking of College Station the Shoedog was in Gander Mountain and he found some of the Bagley topwaters I have been telling you about.  The color I had so much luck on was the Bluegill and he found a couple of other colors.  This one is their shad version.

It comes with a dressing on the tail like I have been raving about, and the color is just plain cool.  And the knocker is loud and deep and they really seem to like it.  So I can’t wait to see him and get this one.  It will be splashing around POC in less than a week.

******************

I got this question today, to bad I am out of town and not sure of the answer.

Any information on the freshwater in West Matagorda. I heard it was pretty bad. Thanks.

Thanks for the question Jason but I just do not know the answer.  As I am not sure how much rain we have had since I have been gone most of the week I am no help.  But as full as the rivers and creeks were and with new rain it might become an issue anywhere there is a large amount of runoff.  I might be a little more help next week as I intend to hit the bay pretty hard.

********************

I am having a good time with the grandbabies, they grow up so fast and if you miss it you can never get it back.  So don’t let family get away from you, we only get one.  Other than that the Shoedog and Clyde caught 12 smallmouth in the first hour they fished tonight on Lake Norfork, including a couple of nice ones, there will be a report to follow.  I am really looking forward to throwing that new Bagley on the bay starting Monday.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines