FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It is Sunday morning and I am planning the next couple of week’s fishing, it is going to be a stretch of fishing till you drop.  First up it will be the lake, my usual Coleto Monday, then another day later in the week when it is going to cloud up.  Part of the reason for that is the Austin Boys are coming for their annual Fishmass extravaganza next week.  As the group grows in size they come earlier and earlier in the week.  So  I plan on hitting the lake a couple of days for fun, then it will be pre-fishing on the bay.  If it works out maybe I can give the boys a little jump start on location and baits to give them a leg up on their big weekend.  As the group has grown so has when they start arriving, and the first wave will be in Wednesday, then others will straggle in until Saturday.  First a little fun fishing, then the serious business of saltwater fishing begins.

Weather

78/55  Sunny.  Wind ESE  5 – 10 mph.  10% chance of rain.

Solunar Times

5:04 am to 7:04 am.   (Only pertinent period.)

Lake Level

2 weeks ago  97.37 msl    Today  97.12   (A slow drop over the last few weeks.)

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When I slid the boat in the water it was not really foggy, but a real heavy mist.  It was just cracking daylight as I made my way up lake.  The water temp at the ramp was 71 degrees and way up lake it was 69, so no real difference.  In fact it stayed in the low 70’s most of the day not matter where I was.  One thing that is consistent is the lake is still that brownish/tannic looking.  It is interesting that it is a little more off color mid lake than way up, or way down.

The plan was to work the Bang O Lure over pretty hard today, and other than a senko style worm, I stuck with the topwater.  I caught a couple right on the bank, and then this girl smoked it halfway back to the boat.

She smashed that Bang O Lure.

I was jerking it along, under a little, the letting it pop up, making it splash, and the 2 best ones hit it way off the bank.  Of the other 6 or 7 one might have measured, and most of them were right on the bank.  It was a little tough fishing it when you would jerk it under and you could barely see it, much less a fish below it.  The tell tale sign occasionally is the boil behind it, and when you see it twitch it right on top real erratically, it works when you can’t see them.  A little deeper banks with cover were best for me, especially in a cove with some water on the deeper side.

Cool spider web.

Off and on I tossed a watermelon/red senko style 5″ stick bait with a 3/16th slip sinker on a 4/0 worm hook, rigging it Texas style.  It caught about the same amount of fish, and I did break one off setting the hook that might have been a good one, the rest were just run of the mill.  I do know that if you want to catch fish plastics are the way to go.  I just really enjoy topwater fishing, and Coleto is about to have a pretty good run as we head into winter.  From now through May I will be throwing it, but January into March is prime time on Coleto and I will be ready.

The only other good one this morning.

I probably covered 6 or 7 places before I quit around 2:00 and nothing really stuck out as better than any other.  But I do know that cover with some good water was the best today.  And several times I had 4 or 5 bites in one spot, and then an hour without a bite.

This was a freakin’ dinosaur!

It was a good day with lots of gators sunning, more ducks than I have ever seen on the lake, (Not counting Coots.) and of course the occasional deer.  The pictures do not do that gator justice.  He was thick and had a huge head, the stuff nightmares are made of.  There were several big flocks of gulls resting on the water, a little unusual, and if they are like that next time I will be graphing that area, could be schooling whites.  One flock was at the mouth of the discharge cove, the only place I have seen the whites schooling on the lake.

There was 1 truck at the ramp when I started, 2 when I pulled out.  Fishing is still a little sketchy, but it won’t be long and the first early pre-spawn movement will begin.  I did speak with Mr Crappie 1 and Mr Crappie 2 and they had 9, which for those 2 guys is tough fishing.  One thing I plan on doing soon is drifting for the big catfish.  I did it a successfully a few years ago, but not early enough in the winter, so that is one thing I do not want to miss this year.

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While I was gone my skiff was catching fish.  Occasionally I think of selling it, then I remember it has served me well for almost 18 years, it is a fish catching machine.  And it is nice to have a boat that friends can use if they are needing it.  And while I was gone my buddy Jeffish and his son Korbin, the future 2030 Bassmaster Champion, spent a couple days on the creek and managed to boat a few.

It does not get any better than this!

A nice keeper redfish and Korbin’s first flounder.

Jeffish also reports a nice limit on Friday and Saturday as the creek and river continue to produce.  And with this cold front the fishing will only get better.  But remember, it does not last forever on our coastal creeks and rivers.  So if you have not tried one in your area now is the time.  And congratulations to Korbin, next it will be putting him in position to add a bass to the list of things he has boated.  Take a kid fishing, you won’t be sorry.

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As I work on this I am watching another of my, and the fishing business’s true heros, Flip Pallot, who is fishing with the great Rob Fordyce.  It brings back memories and is actually how I got the fever for saltwater fishing, and the travel to great places that comes with it.  The Walkers Cay Chronicles would come on with the best sound track in the history of fishing shows, my heart would pound, and off he (we) would go.  Traveling the world catching some of the greatest fish ever caught on a fly rod, especially the big tarpon.  Every show was an adventure that touched my very fishing soul.  A man of many talents, his calm demeanor and thoughtful views on fishing is something that we can all learn from.  Plus, when was the last time you boated a tarpon over 180lbs on a fly rod?  Flip has been there, done that, and got the T Shirt. Hell, he is the T Shirt.

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I got this from SA Joe, like me a long suffering Chicago fan.

Try being a Bears fan!!!! At least I got the Cubs also. With their win I’m good for the next 5 years so all other Chicago teams can suck…

I am actually a Yankee who grew up with a family who were lifetime Bears fan.  I have 2 pictures of Walter Payton in my office, the greatest football player in the history of the league.  How can I say that?  He carried them on his back for years, and to get the kind of massive yards he gained behind what at times was a terrible team made him 1 in a million.  During his time at Chicago they had something crazy like 20 different quaterbacks, most who could not hit the broad side of a barn.  Good to hear from you.  I feel your pain!

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Think I will hit the lake again tomorrow.  The plan will be to try to replicate the few places I found fish in some new water.  They are wanting to eat the Bang O Lure, and it is time to toss the swim jig some.  And the weather is so awesome, in fact a little to awesome, and I am anxiously awaiting a real weather change, with a nice wet front, perfect for lake or bay.  And then it is off to POC for a few trips before the boys get here.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines