FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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There’s a storm a comin’!

While watching the weather at 10:30  Thursday night it dawned on me, if he is right, that tomorrow might be the last fishable day for the next 4 or 5.  So with not a bit of thought or preparation I was up and gone to the lake before daylight.

Weather

92/75  Partly cloudy with stay thunderstorms.  20% chance.  Wind SE 15 – 25.

Lake Levels

Today  94.98 msl   Yesterday 95.01  (The steady decline continues.)

Solunar Times

Good  6:41 am to 8:51 am  (Definitely biting during this period.)   Best  12:57 pm to 2:57 pm.

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Get inhaled!  

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The lake continues it’s downward spiral.  There is color at both upper ends, otherwise it is fairly clear.  The water temp was 85 in the morning and moving to 90 when I quit at 1:00.  The wind was just starting to come up, and I got rained on twice.  What finally drove me off was a big black cloud coming and it was raining pretty good.  Of course by time I got home it had quit in town.  Man we need it to rain, then rain some more.

I know it may be getting boring but the fishing was consistent again today, a few on swim jig, a couple on buzzbait, and 20+ pitching the watermelon red plastic.  It has boiled down to pitching any wood, using the swim jig on straight stretches, and throwing the buzzbait when ever the mood strikes me.

The best on a buzzbait today.  Came out of a patch of shade in a foot of water.

The best wood continues to be that with branches or tangles.  Not that there is not the occasional fish on a stump, but if there is a tangle you can usually get a bite with a good cast.  Even some of that in a foot of water has a fish on it.  And anything that “looks good” deserves at least a couple of casts, and I caught 4 or 5 after the first cast on several pieces of structure today.

This is the kind that has been biting this week.

And be prepared for the swim off.  Some knock it pretty good, but just as many start swimming with it.  It definitely is not a good time to get in a feeling contest with them, you will usually lose, plus they have it anyway.  I missed at least a half a dozen today by not just setting the hook the minute I felt anything, kind of like a defensive back taking a peak into the backfield, you will get burned.  And one thing I learned from Aaron, try to give it as many shakes as you can close to cover, very few of them hit more than a hop or two outside the cover.  And be sure to have your plastic straight and as streamlined as possible so you can work it over the wood.  If you hook point is not buried you will be getting hung up with a good pitch.  Better to be hung on a fish.

I have been using 20lb. Big Game.  It is fairly tough stiff and does not fray or nick like fluorocarbon, and I break less fish off with it. And then there is no need to use the same leader with braid.  Plus it is a cheap option that allows for continued line changes.  In fact today I brought a couple to the boat with the stick they were wrapped around.  And as far as feel, when you are only pitching it 10 feet or less from the boat you should be able to discern a bite and the fish sure do not care.  And I am not using some heavy rod, just a MH 6 1/2 foot, it is all in the pitch.

It has been a good week when you throw in the last 7 days, lots of trout and bass.  When the fishing is this good it is hard to decided what is next.  The big question – What will happen on the lake if we get the amount of rain we are supposed to?  Over the decades I have seen the fish respond several ways on a lake, they seem to either come up with the raise, or hold right where they were when it came up.  Additionally if we get a gully washer then the bay will also feel the effects, or it may turn out to be a whole lot of nothing.

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 Mike, who I believe is with tacklejak, sent along this comment.

This is epic! Being a fishing info fanatic, I can relate. I’m going to save this and send to a few of my friends.

Thanks, not sure it deserves all that but I appreciate you sharing my blog with your buddies.  I don’t advertise or promote like is should but actually that is what I am most proud of.  The blog started with a few folks and has spread slowly but surely, much of it after being shared with friends.  And since this comment was on a How To article it is the best compliment.  Sharing information makes us all better fishermen.  Thanks for commenting.

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I love my boat.  It may not be the best crossing the bay in 25mph winds, but it is a great bass boat, bay boat, and an easy tow.  Today I put on a new trolling motor and I am continually amazed at the absolutely shitty way this boat was rigged.  Seriously, some of it was stupid, ie: a splice in the bilge, the console was not nailed down, the wrong breaker on the trolling motor, and the list went on and on. (Note: They did fix most of it.)  So beware if you buy a boat from Katy Bass Pro.  So when I go to put on the trolling motor I have to remove the rod tubes, bad design, and then find only 3 of 6 bolts had a nut and washer on them.  Now do not get me wrong, mounting the trolling motor was the biggest hassle I have had ever, which is saying a lot as I could fill a boat with old motors.  So I have it mounted properly and can not wait to give it a go.  The old one would just start running, never a good thing.

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KVD is the best bass fisherman who ever lived.  $6.5 million in earnings, 4 Bassmaster Championships, 25 tour wins, over 100 tour top 10’s, and now the 2018 Major League  championship, for a 3rd time.  What stands out to me most is how he can do what needs to be done.  Is it a catch as many as you can?  Ok.  Or is it a 5 fish biggest limit?  Ok.  And all against the best in the world.  Every once in a while we see an athlete come along who is dominate, and in a sport as tough as professional bass fishing it may be a while before another “KVD” comes along.

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I confess to watching some of the World Cup.  Actually a couple of the games have been exciting.  What makes it stand out is those of us who watch sports have “home” teams.  In the World Cup the whole country gets behind one team, and folks go ape snot nuts.  At some point guess I will read the rules.

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And how about those Hogs beating the pants of Texas.  Sorry Longhorns.  They are loaded both offensively and pitching and they are playing well.  Go Hogs.

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This morning it is off to the store to buy more stuff, and I should get the trolling motor finished up today.  Now it will just be a matter of waiting for the rain that we have been promised.  They moved the big rain back a couple of days and so I will be watching closely and get out as soon as I can.  And this weekend it will be Rockport with Aaron for some trout, and if his pattern and place holds there is a smack down coming.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines