FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

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The Best Wading System on the Planet.

It is noon Wednesday and it is weather watching time.  It looks like from the online reports and our weather dude tomorrow will not be the stinking gale we have been having for the last 2 months.  Then the phone rings and it is Aaron, his first words, what time are we leaving?  So time to head out to the boat and switch tackle out and head to the bay at daylight.  Not real great planning but oh well, better take advantage of this window and then go from there.  Whether it is boat fishing or wading remains to be seen.

Yesterday was a hoot.  A great example of making chicken salad out of chicken stuff.  Trolling gets a bad rap and I am not sure why.  Fishermen are such snobs in some cases, my way and my fish are the best.  Ok, but I am not interested in being a one trick pony.  And if it puts fish in the boat what is the big deal?  Anytime I can catch 20+ fish I am a happy camper, and when 10 are catfish it made it special.  And on a side note it has been blowing 25mph today, boy this is getting old.

Weather

79/85.  Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of a stray shower.  Wind 10 – 15 SE.

Tides

High   6:52 AM     0.6                                                                                                                      Low   9:30 AM     0.4
High  11:58 AM     0.6
Low   9:57 PM     0.2  (They are crap today but oh well.)

Solunar Times

Best  8:04 am to 10:04 am.  (Only relevant period.)

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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We dropped the boat at Froggie’s around 7:00 and headed to Big Bayou.  I decided to just boat fish and cover some miles to see if I could learn something.  It has been so long I did not have a clue.  The water was a little more off color than I like, and 81 degrees, when we got there.  We did have a close call when I flipped a plastic to grass edge and one thumped it hard.  I wrassled a big founder to boat side and it got off.  Not sure I set the hook, but they do that sometimes.  So with no other bites it was off to the Oil Cut.

We went in the last arm, and like there usually are, the trout were there.  The only problem, they were small, and I mean as small as they come.  We caught a bunch on plastics and there was not a keeper among them, not even close.  But they were in the back of that arm so we went down to the first arm to give it a go.

The second one was important.

We caught a few in there including the second one above.  What made him important was when I boat flipped him he puked up enough small shrimp to make ceviche.  They were little guys and it was full of them.  So the light came on and we threw some small popping cork and fake cheap plastic shrimp.  And while it never did amount to anything size wise we caught a few rats, and I mean small ones, a couple of small trout, and several croakers who were really active.  So with only one real nice one we headed out.

Hey, it is a fish!

We were using the fake shrimp around 30″ below the crappie bobber, and more I use it that way the more I like it.  Pops easy, make a good little “baitfish” flip, and the best thing, it does not have near the drag as a regular popping cork.  Which means they hold it longer and it is easier to set the hook.  Think I will work on that a little more this summer.  Thanks Glen.  From the Oil Cut we went out to the island and fished the back channel leading into Pringle.

The tide was coming up and there was floating grass everywhere making it somewhat of a hassle.  We did managed to boat a couple more small trout and a red or two, nothing to big.  All our bites in there came on paddle tail twitched on or close to bottom.

A drain red.     Aaron with a 19″, the only really good one today.

It was after noon and with the water clearing we headed back to Big Bayou to hit my favorite trout bank on the bay again.  We caught a few smalls and then Aaron boated a nice 19″ on plastic.  Shortly after that I lost another in that class, and that was it for the day.  I have not mentioned the specific plastic, it was the first time I used it so there will be more on that to come.

So give the day a B.  We caught at least 20 here and there, nothing great but bites.  But hey, we were fishing.  The only thing I might have done different was fish all those places in a different order.  Not sure how much it tells me about wading possibilities, but I will figure that one out next week.  I am ready catch a few real ones and the lake is just not getting it.  But of course I will not give up on that completely.  And it was so nice to be on the bay and not get pounded going and coming.  There were lots of folks out early but as the day wore on folks called it a day except a few folks boating with the family.  And of course a day with Aaron is always a hoot he is a great all around fisherman.

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There have been several gator reports coming from the bay.  Big Pocket and several other likely places have had sightings.  All that fresh water brings them in and it has been a couple of years since they seemed that common.  Just something to be aware of.

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I haven’t done crazy boat ads in a while but one today gave me a good laugh.  “Five adult Two children USCG approved life jackets and one throw cussing“.  Says it all about owning boats.

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This is totally off topic but have you ever watched the end of the day bell ringing at the New York Stock Exchange?  It drives me nuts.  You have a bunch of rich folks standing up there clapping like a bunch of monkeys when the market drops like a rock.  That should tell you something, they are more than happy with your money because no matter win, lose or draw, it makes no difference to their bank account.

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As a retired attorney I am constantly suspect of the government and believe they have so over reached in many areas.  But it might be time to mandate life jackets and kill switch anytime the big motor is running.  Now before you get your panties in a wad I want to make the following comment.  As a paramedic I saw lots of dead folks in car accidents, but I never cut a dead person out of a seatbelt.  Think about it.

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Looks like we might get some rain, which we need.  That might sound crazy to some of the folks around us but it has been missing us fairly regularly, we are 5″ down for the year.  But it will be out of here in a couple of days and it will be back on the water for me.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines