FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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A morning worth getting up for.

Get a Flue Shot.

So being the responsible patient I am when I was at Walgreens a couple of weeks ago the lady at the counter asked if I had mine.  No, so I headed to the back and got my yearly flu shot.  In fact it was some kind of “super” shot because I am an old man.  So this Tuesday in the middle of the night I wake up sick.  Here I am 2 days later (Thursday) still sick with what?  Could it be the flu?  The Boss has diagnosed me with a “virus”, which I suspect is medical speak for the flu.  Or maybe, who knows, just suck it up big boy.  Her sympathy knows no bounds!  (Just kidding.)   The real problem is I am a big baby when I am sick because I can’t go fishing, even if I didn’t want to.  But in this case I really did miss out on some fishing.  Terry sent me a text that he was in Rockport with the air boat and did I want to fish Thursday.  Here I sit typing this, sick, when I could be flying around some back lake.  Definitely the wrong end of this deal.

*******************Redfish candy!

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So I will be fishing the lake in the morning as I am not sure I will be up to a big wading extravaganza.  Plus, with 3 days coming on the upper Laguna next week I will be getting in plenty of saltwater fishing.  I really do expect the lake to be a little better, it sure can not get much slower, but as the lake stabilizes the fishing will improve.  Maybe tomorrow is the day, we shall see in the morning.

Weather

77/56.   Clouds and sunshine with a 10% chance of rain.  Wind  NNW 5 – 10 mph.

Lake Level

Today  98.15 msl.    Monday  98.03 msl.   (Still on the rise.)

Solunar Times

Best   11:56 am to 1:56 pm.  Good  6:10 am to 8:10 am.

It was absolutely beautiful for an hour this morning.

I woke up really early, probably due to being sick and sleeping all day the first day and a couple of hours the second.  So not feeling to bad it was load the boat and off to Coleto.

Today the forecast was for light winds and sun after a while, and it was right on.  It was almost dead calm all the way until I quit at 2:00.  The water color is still ugly and it was 70 degrees at the ramp, and early on 67 – 68 in the coves.  The water looks like it has stabilized finally and it looks great.  An important observation as the day went along, the back ends of some of the smaller covers are somewhat clear and were in the high 70’s as the sun came out and warmed the water.  And it was possible to get a bite or two in most of them, but not all.

The best of the day.  All were caught on the Controlled Descent Pearl Silver Jerk Shad.

The more I thought about it the last couple of days the more the Jerk Shad seemed logical.  No wind, warming water, and my bites, however few they have been in past trips, all came in grass.  So until I quit it was throwing it in the cover and walking it out in a walk the dog pattern.  Missing the first 3 I went up a rod size, and while the hookup ratio obviously improved, the 2 best of the day managed to pull off.  And there was a reason.  When they hit they immediately headed straight out and I just did not catch up enough to get a good hook set.

I ended up caching 7, most small, and every single one of them was either right on the bank, or in a green bush/grass clump close to the bank.  They would not chase, not even a little bit.  They were tight to cover and the bites all came in the first few jerks, and not a one off the bank.  Not sure if it is a water color thing, or it was just so still and sunny that they were nose into the cover.  One thing that didn’t work on a couple who missed it big time and would not hit again, was pitching a creature bait as a follow up.  Every bite was a “right now” thing, pause or think about it they were gone and  I easily missed as many as I boated today.  The fishing is getting better a little bit at a time, and as soon as the lake stabilizes it can only get better from this point on.

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And Rick dropped this comment the other day.

Glad you are back in the saddle. Hope you had an enjoyable break from the blog. You probably needed it. Now get your ass in gear and let get back to fishcatchingtravel!!!
(just rattling your cage). Your blog is really appreciated especially for the workaholics like me who dont get to go very much. Thanks!

And I figured the best way to get back to it was to book a motel for a few days on North Padre next week and do my best to put the hurt on them.  I always preach about going at least 3 days, better chance to not get completely screwed with the weather, and to figure enough out to have a successful trip.  And with this cold front it just might increase my chances of catching a good one, which in my world is anything 27″+.  It is comments like this that keep me fishing and blogging because  I appreciate what it is/was like to be dreaming about fishing the weekend.  But once you retire you are living the weekend.  Thanks for being a loyal reader.   Always good to know someone is paying attention.

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And congrats to the guy who caught the new state record 246lb tarpon.  What a beast anywhere on this planet.  Best of all, they kept time out of the water to a minimum, and it was a successful CPR.  Along that same line the DNR reported netting 3 tarpon in a survey net in one of the bays, I believe around Rockport.  The tarpon have been slowly returning to Texas and there are enough around to actually fish for them, a real addition to the options on the bay.  If you have never caught one a tarpon should be on your bucket list.  I think, unless you have caught tons of them, nothing is ever more exciting than the first one, and maybe the next one.  The power is amazing.  And speaking of big fish, Falcon Lake Tackle reported a guide and his party catching a 38lb sack, one over 8, and released 25 over 4lbs.  While Falcon is a lot tougher than it used to be you can still have the best day of your fishing life there.  Fall is here and there is no better time to catch a big one.

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Fishing Line

Over the last 40 years fishing line has changed dramatically.  From braids, co-polymers, fluorocarbon, the choice is endless.  But time for a confession.  After trying them all, liking some, hating others, a full circle has been achieved.  It is back to nothing but Berkley Trilene Big Game.

Believe me I have given them all a good go.  I hated wind knots with braid, and doing the leader thing.  While I never had a problem with the additional knot it was hassle if the leader broke wading.  For my tastes fluoro is just is to brittle, and chaffing is a real issue when you are pitching or fishing heavy cover.  And the copolymers seemed to break to easy in the lower test lines, which I try to fish as low as the conditions allow.  In fact, looking in the tackle room I have a dozen or more different spools with line on them  that I have quit using.  All the above have a place, and if they work for you, good.

I settled on the Big Game for a couple of reasons that work for me.  First, using it for years I know everything I need to know about the particular characteristics, sink rate, stretch, strength, and how it handles in all weather.  Next, it is nice to be able to buy it in the 1,000 yard spools, depending on line size, so that I can replace it regularly, which is a habit of mine. I just replaced it on 6 freshwater rods 2 days ago and will do the salt rods next.  And keeping it in 8,10,12, 15, and 20lb test clear covers all the usual fresh and saltwater fishing.  By keeping rods with the above weights you always have a line weight for a specific lure or technique.  And it is nice to have a couple of spools in the boat just in case.

So there you have it.  This is what works for me and it actually simplifies things some.  Of course there are exceptions, tarpon fishing or flipping in super heavy cover, but for the everyday fishing Big Game does just fine.  Yes I might occasionally use line just a hair lighter than I should, but lighter line gets more bites.  And often it is not the line but the angler that is the problem.  Drag to tight?  Not checked line lately?  All play a part no matter what line you use.  So use what you have the confidence in – confidence is the name of game in fishing.

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I was just really starting to get them patterned a little better when I called it a day.  Probably should have rested one more day but hey, I’ll rest when I am dead.  It was just to nice to be in the house and the lake was a great option if I needed to quit early, which I did.  But as you can see from the pictures it was nothing short of stunning this morning.  Another day where the numbers were not the best, but the experience was a 10.  Every day with a rod in my hand is a good day, and now the countdown to the Upper Laguna begins.  The only fishing job I have this weekend is putting the skiff bunks on, so it has to be in the water, a good excuse for a short wade trip to Keller Bay.  I appreciate all of you and love the feedback.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines