FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

Stop by and see them at the Houston Fishing Show  March 6 – 10th.

The front blew through here this morning (Thursday) and it was 43 degrees when I was out at 9:00 with a pretty cold wind.  Tomorrow looks better, and the low is going to be 7 degrees color here in Victoria than on the coast.  With it being Friday there will be the usual influx of weekend warriors so I will be getting at lot earlier start than yesterday, plus no fog.  I spent the morning checking reels, some new line, and just making sure I have it together for tomorrow.  The plan, fish some bigger stuff and try to catch a big one, but if I get into another bite like yesterday it may be hard to help myself.  We shall see.

Weather

53/64.  Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance stray shower.  Wind  ENE 10 – 15 mph.

Tides

Low    8:31 AM    -0.4
High   8:29 PM     0.3

Solunar Times

6:37 am to 8:37 am.  Day classed as poor.

*******************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal. 

********************

It was a little foggy and drizzled in places on the way to POC.  As I cruised by the Powderhorn Ranch I saw a couple of the Sambar deer were right next to the fence and had there noses stuck out, which was weird, until I looked across the road and there were a couple more looking at them.  Funny.  Wonder how they taste.

It was about 7:30 when I got on the water.  The wind was blowing a good 15 mph almost straight out of the north.  This is when I made a bad decision.  I went back where I caught them Wednesday and the first thing I noticed, besides the wind was blowing directly on it, the temp had dropped from 67 to 61 degrees.  The tide was low, and it was gin clear, a recipe for failure.  After an hour with 1 bite time for a move, they clearly had!

From there I waded a cut in front of a lake on Falwell Island.  The minute I got out of the boat 3 little ones jumped on, and then nothing.  Next was another cut, and not a touch.  So time for old reliable, the Barroom Bay shoreline.  The wind was no problem, but that water had cooled 4 degrees.  From shallow, to deep, not a bite.  The drop off on the POC side goes from 2 – 5 foot and when they are slow the drop usually holds them, usually.  Not a touch  So now I am not to happy, considering Wednesday.   Time for Big Bayou and a total change of tactics.

This is what they all looked like, no great shakes.  But nice keepers headed to the frying pan!

When it is off, and cold, or conditions suck there is a deep bank there that they like and I fish it from the boat.  And since nothing was working all that well it was time for the light line, small DOA Cal on the 1/32 ounce jig head, a great choice when things are tough.  I stopped on the point and first cast thump, caught one.  Then another, and another, and for an hour they were smoking it.  But all that activity lured in a dolphin and her baby.  But until then they were smacking it.  They were right on the drop, toss it in to a foot, hop it up, and let if fall over the edge and thump.  Love it when they are eating like that.  The tide was finally moving and I went from Zero to Hero in nothing flat.  Meanwhile momma schooled her baby, it was a really little one, in the fine art of following the boat.  While at times they can be a hassle, it is still cool.  So after catching a wad the trout had enough of the dolphins, and me, so I called it a day.  (On the way back to Victoria the boat train was headed to POC for the weekend.  Let the spring fishing begin!)

That is why I love fishing.  By keeping after it and realizing they were gone from the flats, and not interested in big baits, the day turned around.  When the bite was on it was good, you could see the line jump, and they were hard to miss.  But after throwing back a couple of dozen the dolphins got in on the act and it was over.  I kept our supper, and released the rest.  Nothing over 17″, but plenty of keepers so I put 3 in the box for supper, perfect.  The Boss likes em’ fresh, we rarely freeze them.

Our weather is nuts.  Cloudy and cool again with a north wind, the weather dude said it is possible our Sunday may be as cold as it has been all year!  We are definitely stuck in a crummy weather pattern.  And while it may warm some as the week progresses, rain and clouds continue in the forecast.  The fishing will continue to be good on the bay, the lake is another story, so we shall see how the lake shakes out.  I look forward to the Houston Fishing Show mid week, which I will combine with a meeting with the Sony rep at the Houston Camera show to teach me some on the new camera.  While I am sure my kid could make it do all it can do, an old guy like me needs a little help.  (And you don’t get a book anymore, see my new locators, it is all on line.)

The Boss on the other hand has had a stretch of ER hell. everybody is getting in on the sick train.  So time for a little R&R to help her keep her sanity.  I will be back on the water soon, though Monday has a high in the mid 40’s with a north wind to 30mph.  But hope springs eternal.  So keep stopping in and thanks for ready my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines