October 23, 2016 by Redfishlaw

Weather

86/62  Intervals clouds and sun.  20% chance rain.  Wind ESE  11 -15

Tides

High  4:47am     Low   7:47pm  The tidal velocity is low today and the only real period of activity is somewhere around 10 -12am.

Port O’Connor Texas

I was so irritated when I got home that I could not even think about posting.  We all have those days on occasion, where we fish poorly, and today I take all the credit.  I was at the wrong place at the right time, the right place at the wrong time, and even the wrong place at the wrong time.  Man yesterday is still sticking in my craw this morning,  One thing about a fishing blog, you don’t get to ignore the days that suck, it just comes with the territory.  So here it is in all it’s glory.

It was one beautiful morning.

It seemed perfect when I first jumped over the side this morning.  A fairly light breeze was rippling the surface when I got out on the island.  The tide was not moving but started shortly after I began fishing.  To make a long story short look at the pictures below, the only ones I am posting today.  Nothing says it better than these 2.

                                       Are you freakin’ kidding me!

I am going to make this one short and sweet.  I made 4 wades, caught as few as 2 in one spot, and as many as 10 in another.  The punch line, 3 trout were keepers, if you stretched two of them, the biggest was 17″ and there was not one red worth a hoot.  So looking back at it my questions is, why?

Hell if I know.  Soon after starting the tide began to move out.  But it was really evident it was a low velocity day.  The water just “easing” down.  As it came out of the drain it did not even create a visual riffle around the points.  The wind began picking up and was actually blowing the grass back against the weak tide.   The first place, near Army Hole, had fish on it, and I did catch fish, but mostly small.  I kind of got a sign on how things would go when I had 3 really nice trout blow up on it, and I missed all 3.  That was the last big “chance” of the morning.  Whether topwater or plastics, I just did not make the best choices.  From there I hit 2 more drains down the island, one out of Conte and one we call the Bikini Cut.   I finished up on a drain in Barroom, where I caught 3 more small ones.

The tide was high, and again it was one of those “high” lows were the water did not really move.  You could tell it was going out, but there was not the bait activity that has been prevalent the last month.  So when it comes down to it, it was all on me.  I did not adapt.  So that is all I am going to say about my day.  It sucked!  The only redeeming thing to it, it will be about impossible to fish any more poorly.  I will get over it on my next trip by catching some fish, but it still pisses me off thinking about it this morning.  I guess what is irritating is my expectations were high based on the last few trips.  How bad am I whining?   My wife just walked by and told me it is time to move on dear.  She is right.

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On a better note it was good to hear from Joe Bass, who is suffering through a week of fishing on Travis.

GO CUBS GO !!! Don’t think i ever mentioned it. I’m from Chicago, born and raised.

I’m on Travis for a week slaying the bass, thumb is wore out from 3 days of fishing. Got 4 more to do. How do i get some pictures to you?  (We figured it out.)

Also need to comment about people with different boats. I have to laugh at the people that need the latest and greatest 60k boat. Trade it out every few years. It doesn’t matter to me what another person owns. We are all on the water.

Met 2 guys in a beat up aluminum boat, 2 guys in Kayaks today. Nicest people ever. Then had a jackass today blow past me (new boat) on the left within a good cast, scared the crap out of me. I was about to turn left and if I did would have been speared by the jackass. I then took my turn into the cove, and then watched the guy also take the turn but i beat him into it.

(This additional comment came with the pictures.)  Travis was on fire today. I took 25 pictures with flip phone. Forgot the camera again.  Fish 22 was 3.9lb 20in blew up on the top water. Picture enclosed. I could send all 25 but when you see one Bass you seen them all. LOL  Had over 35 total. 4 or 5 of them I didn’t take pictures. Had some that came off before i got to boat. Catch and release, afraid of a picture etc….whatever excuse i can use.  Set the hook on one bass with spinner ait band came back with only the blades. Then used the blades when they came off another spinner.

Joe

Man I love me some spinnerbaiting when they are eating it like that!  Travis is on my list early spring this year, I did not get to fish my one trip there, but after spending some time on the water I am looking forward to that early pre-spawn trip.  And there is just something satisfying getting the “last word” on some rear end, though it is a little out of my “Be Nice” philosophy.  I have almost been hit twice coming in to POC through the Barroom channel when turning left into Barroom.  Most folks do not know the rules of the road while on the water.  It might be hard for their uneducated brain to understand the concept that the overtaking vessel is the burdened vessel and anyone you are passing has the right of way.  In other words, some fool runs up on your ass and passes real close, you take a sharp left or right turn, and they slam into you, they are at fault.  But as we all know, and might have experienced ourselves, these is just something about a new boat that seems to temporarily overrules good sense.   It happens.

All my people are from the Stockton Illinois area west of Freeport, and are dyed in the wool Cub fans.  My dad, his dad, and the rest of the family, minus a few of those deranged and confused stinkin’ Cardinal fans who somehow were born with defective DNA, live and die with the Cubbies.  And so are all my wife’s people, true blue Cubbie fans.  So I will be watching, and trying to get over that Cub fan mind set that we are going to lose it somehow.  But hope springs eternal, it is finally “Next Year”!  Thanks for the report.

(Note – We dropped Game 1 but get another chance to square it up tonight.  They have moved the game to 5pm our time due to a rainy forecast, so with a little luck they can get the game in.  The difference with this bunch is it is nice to know that result can change with one swing of the bat.)

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There was a team tourney on Coleto Saturday that took 17lbs to win, a little low for Coleto, but do-able.  I would have fished but the trolling motor from the Mako is in the shop.  My complaint?  It has been there 3 weeks now and it is still sitting in the same spot.  So as soon as I get this posted I am headed out there, if it has not been looked at I guess I will pick it up and find somewhere else to take it.  If any of you in the Victoria area have any suggestions on who might look at it drop me a note.

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I am not going to dwell on yesterday any more (probably) now that I have gotten it off my chest.  And my day can go even better if there is something being done on my trolling motor.  It is just as important part of my fishing as a rod and reel and I feel naked without it.  Thanks to Joe for his pictures and report.  And if the spirit moves any of you drop me line on whatever.  Your contributions make this what it is.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines