FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Tomorrow’s fishing will be with Bobby on Coleto.  I guess my primary concern is how much the lake has dropped.  If you follow this I have been pitching to shallow cover up lake for a couple of months and doing so-so.  So with that in mind, from now on when lake fishing there will be a lake level.  I have no idea of the specifics of where we are related to “normal” on Coleto but I know it has come down some.  From now on when fishing the lake there will be a current level and the level last time I was there.  That will give it some context.  The weather does not look real promising, but if we can avoid the lightening it should be ok.

Weather

88/69  Scattered thunderstorm increasing during day.  80% chance of rain  Wind ESE 10 – 15.

Current Lake Level     96.28 msl (0.01)

Solunar Times

• Best Times   3:01A – 5:01A
•                        3:24P – 5:24P
• Good Time   9:13A – 11:13A  (Yep)

I turned on the weather map when I got up at 5:15 and there was the beginning of small storms coming in off the Gulf.  It looked like we would be ok for a while, and we were until we were on the way home.  As far as the water level at the lake, it is still slowly coming down.  The water temp was still 86 – 90 degrees, and as it has been, with the water clear down lake and cloudy up.

Bobby broke his run of bad luck on Coleto today.

Bobby has been having a little trouble getting on the fish so I was hoping we could catch a few and let him get the hang of it.  So we headed up lake and started tossing stick worms around shallow cover.  On the first bank we caught 6 or 7, and it stayed that way until we quit when the trolling motor battery crapped out.

                      It did not take him long to get with the program.

As I have been doing for a couple of months, we were pitching the plastic to shallow cover/wood and they were eating.  One big difference today was he was throwing his weightless on 12lb line, a 1/4 weight and 20lb for me.  Both of us were throwing 5″ stick worms, his a Lake Fork Tackle, mine the Big Bite.  He had me down pretty good and I was wondering if it was the bait or the front end of the boat. More on that in a minute.  But no matter what it had to be tossed tight to cover and most bites came immediately.  In fact, right as we started he was almost over a tree in 6 foot of water, flipped his bait and caught one almost under the trolling motor.

 Trust me, that second fish is going to have a pain in the ass for a while.

We kept with the stick bait until we fished most of our second bank, which was really shallow since the lake has come down.  So after boating probably 12 – 14 we got to a place where I caught a couple on swim jig the other day, and we had a new bite.  He is a big swim jig fan like I am so we both were all about it.  He was throwing a white/white Rage Craw and I was throwing the bluegill/ watermelon Rage Craw, and he got me down about 4 or 5 to zip.  When we moved to the next bank he wanted to sit a minute, so I hoped up front and started catching them.  It was real clear the front end was the place to be today.  With the water receding there are only so many perfect places to pitch.  And the ones that were up ate the fist swim jig they saw, no matter the color.

              Bobby caught a nice 5 fish limit.  Some real solid fish.

The last place we fished was where we started.  I caught a couple on swim jig and lost a big fish.  We were reeling at a moderate speed today and then I had one eat when I jerked it.  Then a couple of casts later I was letting it fall beside the boat, one thumped it, I got a good hood set, but he pulled off right beside the boat.  We did not see him, but the size of the scale on the barb of my swim jig was a big one.  So that was my shot today.  So since they were hitting the jig in front Bobby picked up the stick bait and boated one more before we called it a morning as the trolling motor battery called it a day.  Sorry Bobby, break out another hundred.  It actually worked out because on the way home it rained like crazy for a little bit so we were done anyway.

We learned several things today.  First they are definitely interested in the swim jig.  Both white or natural, it just seemed to be who was in the front of the boat.  But with the water so shallow where we caught them it only makes sense.  The good thing was they were eating it,  a sign of things to come.  Another thing that really has me anticipating the fall fishing, there were bass chasing minnows or fry of some sort.  Coleto is a great winter topwater minnow lake, and things are looking good for some of that this year.   One thing that surprised me was there was a white bass dying on the surface way up lake.  You can tell because they turn black, which you usually see in the spring after the spawn.  Not sure what is up with that, but may do a quick troll in that area next time out, it is where we caught them this spring.  Last, when the fish are in the beginning of a major transition, which the Coleto fish are after a really long hot summer, it is always nice to have 2 people fishing.  Today fishing the stick worm weightless was better and the front of the boat was better for the swim jig, and it looked like color was irrelevant.  Hard to learn that much  by yourself.

So for a half day it was good.  We boated around 20, and it helped his confidence.  We all get in the occasional rut, his had just lasted a while.  But all it takes is boating a few fish to give a guy confidence, and if we had been keeping fish his 5 fish limit was tourney worthy.  Plus we had a good time BS’ing about fishing.  He first got on the swim jig with me 2 years ago and we whacked them pretty good.  Now that he learned a little about pitching he has something a little new in his arsenal.  It was my pleasure to spend the morning fishing with him and share a little knowledge.  Next thing is getting him up to Fayette.  He is a hard core bass guy and one trip there and he will be hooked.

A great week so far, no real big fish lake or bay, but the numbers have been great.  The catching has been consistent, and is an indicator of things to come.  What is next?  Not a clue but it might involve fishing with my buddy Jeffish and his sone Korbin, the 2020 Bassmaster Champ.  Other than that I will be back in the water soon.  Trout and reds eating a topwater is a thing of beauty, and there are several places I want to get to I haven’t.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines