FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Brought to you by 
No better time to pick one up than the Houston Fishing Show!
**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**
Thought For the Day
Why do you rarely push the gas peddle to the floor in your car but feel it is necessary to do it in the boat?
Beautiful!
Unfortunately I give the Boss’s weekend birthday in New Mexico a 3 out of 10, and I was the problem. We make the 11 hour drive, check in, head to Inn of the Mountain Gods where we had some free play and $30 of free food. We are there less than an hour when I start to feel a little rough. I hadn’t eaten lunch so we did that, but no dice. So exactly 1 hour after we get there I have a snot slinging head full, sneezing, coughing, aching, piece of crap cold, I mean a giant. So great. Now I am sick, and to make matters worse, our hiking plan are further foiled when the wind literally blew a steady 25+ all weekend with gusts easily topping 50mph. I mean it blew, and then blew some more. When the truck was parked it would literally rock, it was insane.
I have seen more turkeys in the Ruidoso area in 5 or 6 trips than I have the rest of my life in the outdoors combined. They are everywhere.
We did manage to do some scouting in the national forest for future hiking and saw the usual bunch of mule deer. We managed to have a little bit of other fun, but dang it, I was hoping it was going to be a great weekend. She soldiered on like the trooper she is and here I am home 5 days later and feeling like a mile of bad road.
Weather
61/79 Cloudy in a.m. then clearing and windy. Winds S 20 – 30. Chance rain 10%.
Solunar Time
Best 9:03 am to 11:03 am.
Lake Level
Today 96.76 msl 6 days ago 96.80
After looking at the weather for Wednesday it was obviously a lake day with gusts to 30mph. So not sure what will happen tomorrow but I am fishing no matter what.
*******************
A big boy.
Like I said the other day, why do they get it absolutely right when they forecast high winds? Unfortunately they were right on today. When I got to the lake it was blowing at least 20, then got really cranked up, and it never let up one bit before I called it a day.
*******************
The Houston Fishing Show is this week, no better time to stock up!
*******************
And speaking of forecasts, the solunar table could not have been any more correct. I caught a good dozen during that period, and then from noon until quitting at 2:00, one little one and not another bite. The water is fairly clear and was 67 degrees at the ramp at 7:30, getting to the mid 70’s in some coves in the afternoon. There are tilapia bedding and I saw a couple of bass, but with the winds it was tough to really get a feel for what is going on.
Enjoying the heat of the day. His back was covered with dried mud.
Starting with spinnerbait on the second cast a small one jumped on, so I stayed with it a while, putting 4 more bass and a white bass in the boat. There were shad flipping and it sunk in my pea brain, shad spawn. The water temp is right and it will happen in the mornings for a while so keep your eye out. At this point the wind was freakin’ howling so it was time for a crankbait. Both a regular shad looking bait, and a Bagley Rattlin’ B Minus in the Realistic Shad, caught fish. 2 small catfish even joined the party, smacking the snot out of it like they are want to do. 3 white bass added to the mix, they are clearly spawning up lake, along with another 3 or 4 small bass.
Crankbait fish. The bass is the best I could do today, it was tough.
I don’t think I had a big bite today, it was really tough fighting the wind, of course that was where the fish were. And the few places that did not have any were completely barren, including the back ends of 2 really good spawning coves. It was definitely the wind pounding on the banks with shad flipping. Speaking of calm places, I figured a fish or two would hit a Bang O Lure in the back ends, but that was not happening. Before the wind got completely crazy one did smack it after twitching it a time or two and reeling it slow making a wake. That had the potential to be killer today with a moderate wind, but it was a little more than “wind”. And if I had to do it all over again when the shad were happening the white swim jig would have been the ticket. So if you get a chance to fish Coleto watch for the shad, it was definitely where the fish were.
As I was heading in I saw something that was just plain crazy. Understand there where serious white caps, and I mean big ones for Coleto, and here comes a small jon boat with 3 people in it. I saw no life jackets and it was plowing. Now I may be crazy and have no room to talk, but I hope I would have stayed at the house. On the plus side today the wildlife was out, ducks everywhere, deer, a couple of gators, things were happening this morning. I should have been out at daylight.
*******************
RANT
By time you read this a fishing day will be lost thanks to the “guvment”. Today is do our taxes day, something that has to be done and is a chore. And I only have one comment on the current state of affairs – For what we are paying we are being flat ripped off! Hell why don’t they just go ahead take the rest of it and give it to someone else who did not earn it? They have already taken care of themselves. People work their whole life and after a little success the money grubbing politicians decide that your money is their money. And don’t get me started on “Parties”. It has taken decades under both “Parties” to get here, and both are equally to blame. So keeping with my current philosophy – “Vote out each and every incumbent no matter the party, maybe they will get the hint.” As you can tell I am not to pissed off. Happens every year.
******************
Friday it will be off to the Houston Fishing Show. It will be great to see the guys from Wade Right and Michael of Controlled Descent Lures. Not only are their products great, they are home grown Texans trying to make it in a tough business. So every chance I get I try to patronize local, buying the “name brand” stuff is fine, but you are supporting corporations who are living the high life on your money. So support you local folks, they need and deserve it. And there are plenty of good deals at the show.
*******************
And speaking of buying local I got this tip from John. Woodee custom rods is going out of business and are selling out the last of their inventory. My understanding is they have spinning rods left. https://www.facebook.com/WoodysCustomRods/
They were advertised at $80 (originally sold for $200), but he let us have all we wanted at $60. (No warranty at this price) The bait casters all gone but he has med action 6’6″, 6’9″, 7′, and 7′ 6″ spinning rods. They have all cork handles and have fast tapers. I especially like the 6’9” and 7’6″. If any of your friends want some, Mason said its okay to give out his cell.
Hope you and your wife have a great trip.
Thanks for the tip so if you are in the Houston area give him a call, you will not find a better deal on a custom rod. If you think you might want one drop me a note and I will give you his number, the price is sure right, I just don’t want to put his number out there. And thanks for reading, I always love to hear from new folks, and would love to hear from the rest of you. And as far as our trip, see above.
********************
One more thing about the wind, it has even chased me to New Mexico and Amistad. Time for it to give it a rest. Fishing in 20mph plus is doable depending on the body of water, but it sure is a hassle. As an example, while I was fighting a fish it blew me to close to the bank where the trolling motor hit a stump and snapped the transducer off the trolling motor. And easy fix, but just an example of things that happen when it is howling. All I have to say is I am sick of it.
Friday it is off to the Houston Fishing Show, then this weekend I owe my buddy Jeffish a trip as we planned to go the weekend I went to Amistad. He has a relative in town and I will be taking them out for trout if the wind does not blow to freakin’ hard. So that is it for a couple of days. It has been tough the last few trips, but the good thing about that is it always turns around, and this time of the year when it does it will be great. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
