FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It is the usual Saturday fall morning.  Watching fishing and just waiting on football, and there is some really good games today.  Unfortunately the Hogs have Auburn, and the way we are playing it should be a massacre unless somehow the boys step up.  But after the last couple of weeks I hold no hope.  When your team literally stands there and lets a guy run 90 yards for no good reason you have some problems.

A&M has Bama today, and while I am no real fan of the Aggies, anyone who beats the Crimson Tide has my vote.  And the TCU vs. Texas game should be a barn burner.  TCU is one powerful football team and Texas is on the rise.  So let the games begin.

********************A new bait is coming!

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Nothing Astounding Today – Just a Bored Fisherman

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And to our resident Fayette/Bastrop expert Rusty, get back on your feet soon and back in that boat.  He had a knee done and will have a rod in his hand soon.  As I am learning, getting older is not for the faint of heart.  So here is to your quick recovery.

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It was a cool morning to be outdoors.

I wanted to thank Jerry for sending me this after I commented on wishing I had left the edge of the boat out.  So he edited it and it is cool.  I should carry my “real” camera with me all the time but I am always afraid of getting it wet.  And as far as the edit, most folks don’t know my undergrad degree is in photo journalism.  Just goes to show, I use a $100 digital camera and don’t bother to edit my pictures.  If it had been taken with a real camera and a great lens it would be one of those you could hang upside down and folks would barely notice.  Guess it really is all about the fishing with me.  Thanks again.

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With new electronics on the way I thought I would de-rig the 2 on the LTS to get ready for the new ones that will arrive on Monday.  It took a little longer than I suspected, and boy it was hot and humid out there.  Glad I got that done in advance, it will save an hour and half.  The power/transducer wire on the front locator had completely dry rotted and as soon as I took it off it completely shredded.  To bad as that one still worked, and I have another one but a different model (It is a basic GPS/locator that has basic mapping and no card slot.) where the same thing happened, so there are 2 locators in the pile that work but need cables.  And the Humminbird on the console, which has been turning off and on, is shot, but the coastal card is still ok.  But it is not a micro SD so unless someone has the bigger slot, the new ones all have the micro slot, a good $125 card is worthless.  The thing that was nice about that card is it had both the coast and Coleto on it.  So if you have a Humminbird that can use that card holler at me.

And while I was at it I fixed a trailer light wiring on the skiff and just generally did a tightening of assorted nots and bolts on both boats.  Having 2 is great when one is down, but the ongoing cost, and hassle, occasionally prompts me to sell the skiff and be a one boat guy.  Then I come to my senses.  The skiff will be 20 years old next year and it has served me well all over the country and I just can not part with it.  It is sure is nice to have a boat that can take a licking and keep on ticking.

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The redfish bite is on.  There are tons of online posts all over the coast with some really great catches, and I plan to join the crowd as soon as the rigging is done Monday.  And Dez, one of the Austin Boys was at POC this weekend and put the absolute hurt on them fishing the jetties and pass.  But I do want to comment on the fishing pictures that are posted, many of them from guide services.

I basically quit posting the old dead fish cooler pics a while ago.  Why I often show me holding 5 or 6 on the site.  And since I CPR 99.9% of the fish I catch it lets you know a general idea of how the day went.  When I see the fish on the front of the boat picture it is just that, a pile of dead fish.  It would be nicer to see more bent rod pics, maybe the over the shoulder stringer picture, something with some action.  And while I know piles of fish are the life blood of guides, the same thing can be achieved without the pile of dead fish.  But hey, each to his own.

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And an update on the Lew’s reels I bought last year.  I love them and they have held up better than any I have owned in a while.  Of course since they only get used in fresh water that is to be expected.  As soon as the current reels on the saltwater stuff craps out, and they will, I will transfer a couple to the salt rods.  That will be the true test.  But all I can say is they are worth every penny and have held up to hard use way better than the Shimano’s I used to use.

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I am very concerned with our waters.  They are the life blood of our sport and without clean water no fishing, and in the end, no life.  One affect of the hurricane in North Carolina is a huge overflow from a coal plants retention ponds into a major river.  It contains mercury among lots of other ugly things, and it will be while before the true affect on the river is known.  What irritated me is no state or local agencies are on the scene, though there are private entities taking samples and tracking the flow.  But what really pissed me off is the coal company is blocking people from using a public road to a popular public ramp.  Since when does the coal company have the right to stop anyone from using a public road?  Maybe when they have something to hide?  They are not law enforcement and have no right to do that, end of story.

And the Formosa plant in our area just got fined $20k for environmental violations.  $20k?  I am sure a world wide company like Formosa is going to be deterred with that “massive” fine.  Hey we need oil and gas, we need jobs,  but when our water is at stake time to take a little sterner action.  Heck there is 100’s of square mile of a floating garbage dump  in the Pacific.  Companies need to do what they need to do, but it is our water.  And if you are not happy with my opinion on that just head down Port Lavaca bay and eat some of the fish near the plants.

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And speaking of water, day 2 this week on Coleto did surprise me some.  I expected them to move shallow but so far they are not so inclined.  But with some cooler nights in our future it is coming.  And with more rain in the forecast the lake may have another little rise.  Falcon Lake is living proof what affect cover has on fry survival.  So if we are lucky the lake will come up a little more and stabilize over the winter.  Which will also make the fishing much more consistent when it does.

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I just got an offer to fish Fayette in a few weeks with a couple of the Austin Boys and so it went on my calendar immediately.  They have fished it quite a bit in the past and hopefully I will learn a new technique or two.  Fayette may, no is, one of my favorite bass lakes I have ever fished.  50 fish days happen there, and when they are all in the 3lb and up category there is nothing not to like.  So see you then boys.

Part 1 is on the video page.  It was a beatdown.

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The Hogs sucked, A&M did as well as could be expected, and Texas is getting scarier and scarier and may be on a roll.  Today the Cowboys take on the Seahawks and a win should be in the cards.  I am patiently waiting for tomorrow to get the new electronics mounted.  The last year has been a B.O.A.T. x alot on the LTS.  New trailer, upholstery, trolling motor, and now electronics.  That about taps out my allowance.  Nice to have Team Nancy as a sponsor.  Not only a great wife she “gets” this fishing thing.  I am about to take advantage of all our fall fishing has to offer!  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines