FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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A Small Job Turns Big

You would think by now that I would have a clue about how some jobs go.  Before it was over it took parts of 2 days to take 2 locators off and mount 2 new ones, including a couple of trips to the store.

The Drangonfly Pro7 and Pro5 got here Monday afternoon late and I got started by putting the smaller one on the front deck with the transducer on the trolling motor.  The transducers on both are bigger than I have had before but I had the factory bracket and it fit fine.  That whole operation took that day and the next morning I was at it at 8:00 and spent the day doing it.

Of course none of the previous 2 different brands of locators had the same mounting holes which required all new.  Stringing the transducer with the cable running under the floor requires a rope to pull it through, which is permanently in the bilge.  On pulling it through it pulled a connection apart on the bilge pump which I found out later.

After getting both on it was out to the lake to check the transducers out and to finalize the functions, etc.  It took a little to figure it out, the view and functions are different than the other brands.  So with things set it was back to the house to finish the transducer mount.  When I hit the bilge switch nothing happened.  Going to the bilge I found the connection, which was 6 years old, had separated.  Instead of just rejoining the connection it was time for a total wiring replacement.

So off to the parts store for all new wiring, connectors, and switch.  By now it is 4:00 and it is freakin’ hot.  I put the switch on, over tighten it, and it comes apartt.  Nice.  So back to the store and get another.  All the wiring is almost inaccessible in the LTS and it takes a contortionist to get it done.  At that point I called it a day.

So today (Tuesday) it was finishing it all up good as new and off to the lake at noon to check it all out again.  Storms all around, it was hot and still.  The GPS and sonar work great.  This is the first time I can read the depth to 30′, all there is in Coleto, while running 30 mph.  Love that.  I did manage to fish for 45 minutes, 2 bites, before I heard thunder and saw some lightning in the distance.  Which was not unexpected but I hoped it would pour on the boat, it was dirty from putting on the locators, and it did, all the way home.

Doing stuff like that is always a small hassle and this time it was a little tougher.  But replacing the wiring in the bilge was the most work but was actually a good thing.  There may be a thing or two I would fish without, a bilge pump is definitely not one of them.  Will update you on the how they new GPS/locators work as it goes along.

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

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I Did Catch My biggest Ever

The weather looked ok for the lake, but there was going to be a north wind.  At daylight it was blowing pretty good straight out of the north so I headed up the plant arm and started on a long channel bank.  Since it had been so slow shallow I started with a 5XD in a shad color and spent and hour banging rock, wood, and anything else down to 12′ without a bite.  That did surprise me as the shallow bite has been so slow.  After over an hour without a bite off it went.

From then on I fished lots of places I have not fished in a while and it was same old, same old.  One here and there, today all on swim jig.  They were not interested in spinnerbait or buzzbait but they did not get that big a go.  The ones that did bite were right on the edge of green stuff, but they just did not make the grade.  So up the main lake I went.

All 6 looked just like this.  At least it was not 4 like the last 2 trips.  I can not buy a big bite.

One did cooperate out of wood on the worm, but again small.  So time to make another change.  With the water color the way it is up lake it was time to try a red shad 2.5 square bill.  It was around 11:30 and it was just clearing when one slammed it after a couple of minutes.  It only took a second to figure out it was a catfish, it has been one good year for catfish on lures.  Then a case of head up butt stuck.

Wait for it!

I reached down and grabbed the crankbait.  Held it up for a quick pic, he flopped, and we were joined.  He was thrashing like mad.  It drove the big treble into my middle finger and then he thrashed some more before getting him corralled.  Of course the other treble was buried in his lips so we had a pretty good struggle getting him unhooked.  So I tossed him back, cut the line, and looked it over.

What a mess, it was buried.  I tried the hook out method but with one hand just could not get it done.  Of course the wire cutters I usually have in the boat are in the cabinet after using them wiring the locators, so no way to get the bait off the hook.  Those big Strike King Squarebill split rings are stout.  The only thing was to head back to the ramp, put it on the trailer, and head to see a friend.  I did call the Boss who was working in the ER, but they sounded like a bunch of vultures wanting to jerk it out at my expense, (Just Kidding!) so I went to see my buddy Chris.  He cut the bait off, and used the loop method, and it popped out with little pain.  If there had been someone with me we probably could have got it out, but by myself it was a one legged guy at an ass kicking contest.

Stupid!

The moral of the story, I know better than that.  Picking a fish up by the crankbait is just asking for trouble, especially a nice catfish.  I started fishing at 5 y/o, and have been at it for 60 years and never been hooked.  It is a good reminder that it can happen in an instant.

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Lately there has been lots of disturbing water issues in certain places in the country.  The red tide went nuts on the west coast of Florida this summer, which has led the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to implement new rules.  From way north of Tampa Bay to was south of Fort Myers, until May 10, 2019, snook and redfish are catch and release only.  Red tide has always been around but the bloom this year, and an ugly algae bloom last summer, were epic.  Why it was so large this year is still an open question, though the release of phosphates into the area waters is the likely culprit.  No matter what they need to figure it out.  The snook and reds will be fine, it will just take a while.  This time.  

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So there you have 3 eventful days.  It did not go perfect by any means but when you do it right it takes a little longer.  As far as getting hooked, 2 things, one I probably had it coming if you look at the odds.  Second, and the worst part, it felt like the fish were just starting to bite.  Stuff happens.   Beginning to get a feel for operation of the new stuff, and so far I like it.  The map is interesting and it will take visits to other bodies of water to see how they are presented.  Tomorrow if it does not rain, we have an 80% chance, I might get back on the water.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines