FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Tip of the Day

It only takes a second to attach the kill switch, it may save your life.  Do it for the folks in your life who love you.

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I had a good time yesterday fishing the bay and looks like I made a good call as to the order of where I fish this week.  It is raining this Tuesday morning as I type this.  I am just waiting for it to settle down some to head to the lake as it is thundering pretty regularly.  I hope to get in a long half day today.  I am meeting a couple of tourney guys for some fishing Saturday and it would be nice to get in a day or two on the lake prior to fishing with them.  Somehow they got the notion that I might have a clue about fishing the swim jig, so time to go see if I can make them eat it.

Weather

75/46  Rain early then clearing.  90% chance of rain.  Wind NE 10 – 20.

Solunar Times

Good 8:12 to 10:12 am.   Best  2:23 to 4:23 pm.

Lake Level

Today  96.74 msl.   A week ago  96.76 msl.   (We need the rain.)

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At 8:30 it was off to the lake.  It was still raining and 48 degrees when I got there.  As soon as the boat was off the trailer and parking the truck it started pouring.  So I hung out a little until it slacked off.  The water temp was down a few degrees, and some of the coves have a little tint from some runoff, which also dropped them several degrees.

The goal was to make them eat a swim jig.  It has been a slow spring for me, especially the swim jig bite.  Of course the complete lack of grass has definitely slowed it’s effectiveness the last couple of years.  But since the plan was to make them eat, I stuck with it excusively until 12:20.  I fished up lake and most of the fish came off cover of some sort, none way off the bank.

Not a giant but glad to have her.

Before I started back down lake I caught 7 bass on the swim jig and 2 catfish.  Both of them were tight to cover and smacked it.  It only took a minute to figure out what they were, and if they are up like that they are heading to the beds.   Of the 7 bass only a couple were okay, the rest small.  It definitely helped that the clouds stayed until after noon.  Once they were gone, and the high pressure which will dominate our weather for several days moved in, the fishing slowed considerably.

Catfish city.  They don’t hit lures often, but when they do it only takes a second to figure out it is a cat.

I stuck with the bluegill color and a watermelon red craw trailer, though will add a white next trip.  If the cast was perfect and you could swim it right by cover they would hit.  If not, the occasional hop several feet off the bank, produced the occasional bite.  There was nothing after about half way back.   I did miss several who either pecked it, or started swimming with it.  It was easy to see it has not been a staple on the end of my line this winter, I would have caught several of those.  So not a bad few hours, not great, but at least a few were willing.  Then it cleared up so it was time to fish down lake.

Ok if you need to fill a limit, but not enough to win on Coleto.

It was slow after that and I only boated 2 until I quit, both on spinnnerbait.  Missed one on the Bang O Lure and did not have a touch on the swim jig.  Just not sure what that is about.  No place filled me with confidence but I did have one big ass bite, which unfortunately I missed.  Buzzing a spinnerbait and when it got close to the boat I reached down to move the trolling motor letting the bait sink right by the boat, when a freakin’ big one came out of nowhere and absolutely smoked it with 4 foot of line out.  I got a slam hook set, and nothing but bait back, almost.

Look how far she bent it, crazy.  She smashed it flat and ate the blade.  No wonder I missed her.

That big fish literally ate that whole spinnerbait and when I set the hook it was compressed in her mouth, bent, and slid out.  Crazy as a it just happened at Falcon, which makes it twice this month.  It takes a big fish with a big mouth to eat that whole thing, and that one is swimming around with a #5 willow leaf in her stomach.  So while it was a bummer, it is also one of those things that you have to see to believe.

So there you have it.  At 4:30 I gave it up, it was clear the front had put them off their feed.  Nothing spectacular, but a good warm rainy day and it could be epic.  It was nice to catch a few on swim jig, not sure that is the pattern, but I am going to fish it at least another day this week before I meet those guys this weekend.  Who knows, it just might turn into a pattern.  Usually we are trying to find the bait they want, today was making them eat something intentionally, different from your average days on the water but an interesting way to spend the day.  The good fishing to come is all contingent on the end to these cold fronts, which when combined with a continually falling lake, has kept it tough.  Several of the coves  I was in today had beds, but other than a few tilapia, I didn’t see any bass on them and the water temp was 5 degrees lower in some of them.

Tomorrow it is finish the taxes and get them to the CPA, mow the lawn, get some groceries, and do all those things that keeps our life going but mess up the fishing.  Then it will be right back at it, with intentions to fish another 3 days this week.  Then it will be some bay fishing for a few days next week, though all the water will be busy with most of the schools and colleges on spring break.  And just wanted to take a minute to express my appreciation to everyone who reads the blog.  At times it becomes a chore, and then I hear from a few of you and it renews my determination to keep it up.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines