FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Since I am still waiting the return of the flats boat I decided to change it up a little on Coleto. I have been fishing it early and quitting early due to the temperature so today it was time to leave late and fish the middle of the day. Historically the better bite on Coleto is rarely in the morning, so with the cloud cover why not give it a try. It may seem counter intuitive to throw buzzbait in the middle of the day in the middle of summer with the water temp in the 90’s, but looking back on past posts it works.
The water is still dropping and clearing, and the crappie are still biting. I saw Mr. Crappie 1 and Mr. Crappie 2 as I was putting in, they had a 21 nice big fatties. They really got me to thinking about what it means to be a real fisherman. It was forecast to be raining in the early morning which is the reason I slept in. So here I am whining about the weather, and choosing to not fish when it is sketchy, and here they are, both 86 y/o’s and fishing when the forecast is for thunderstorms with temps rising into the mid 90’s. These guys are hardcore.
Weather
91/75 rain/thunderstorms early wind S10 – 20 (It blew all of 20 in the afternoon and was 96 degress when I took out.)
Tides
High 9:03 AM 0.4 (The bite was on the fall)
Low 7:02 PM -0.2
Solunar Times
Best 5:43A – 7:43A 6:10P – 8:10P
Good 11:33A – 1:33P (That is when they bit.)
I just got straight to the punch line as I knew I would only be good for 4 or 5 hours in the middle of the day, so I headed way up lake. On the way I stopped at 2 points, the first one where I broke that good fish off Monday did not produce a bite, on the second one I caught a small one. So I motored up lake, and I mean way up, and started on a really flat bank with grass, again somewhat off the chart.
The second one over the side.
The reason I started on that bank is that it has the slender green grass on it. That type of grass has been their preferred habitat this year. One problem with most of it is it is on really flat banks and that are really shallow and a long way from deep water. The bank that held them today was really flat, but close to a channel drop to allow them to quickly get from protected to shallow without moving very far.
They actually bit pretty well along that stretch and a couple of more small ones exploded on it, today they were not missing it. It is interesting to me how some days they miss it by a mile, some days they barely suck it under, and other days the smash it, today they were eating it. So after that stretch I moved to a flat stretch with similar grass and there were a couple more there.
This one smoked it.
Unfortunately, in spite of the forecast for clouds all day it decided to start clearing. Even though another 3 or 4 had a go at it before I quit the buzzbait, as soon as the clouds cleared out it was over. But considering it was flat in the middle of a summer day the fishing was better than it had been. Or just possibly I made better decisions. It was a nice bonus to see several deer, and when I made a move I busted a big bunch of turkeys who were just as surprised to see me as I was to see them.
The lake is clearing more and more every day. We need a little rain, and I mean a good soaker and not a gully washer, to stabilize the lake some and not put any more color in to it. It really is a different lake right now without the deep grass. I just hope when, of if, the lake finally clears that the deep grass is just dormant and will grow with good light penetration next year.
I started about 10:30 and quit at 3 when it really cleared off. The wind blew around 20mph as it cleared, and did not help a lick. After they quit up lake I headed back down and fished a couple of more places, but with the wind straight out of the south there were not many good places out of the wind where you could fish plastics easily. So the afternoons total was just about what I have been catching early, so when I get back there next week I will do an evening trip and see how that goes.
I am still waiting for the LTS to get finished so I can do a serious day on the Gulf. The tide is fairly early tomorrow and I am anxious to hit the falling tide after some daylight topwater fishing. Who knows, maybe the phone will ring in a little bit and it will be done. Right now I am listening to the contractor tear stuff up in the bedroom as we are having a little work done on the closets. So today is a bust as far as getting on the water and I am unsure what tomorrow will bring.
I really appreciate all of you who are hanging with me during this reduced fishing period, but it won’t last. There are fish to be caught and stories to be told. So I can not thank you enough for your loyalty. I am just as tired of sitting indoors, watching fishing and waiting for the temps to moderate, as you of not seeing any real reports. And there is something I have wanted to bring from the bass world into the salt and I am set up and itching to give it a try. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
