FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

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A big hand squishing the Michelin Man.

The usual Monday morning trip to Coleto was just about exactly like it has been as far as numbers and size.  The lake is dropping like a rock (A trend I hope slows down.) and the water is clear as a bell on the lower end.  The upper end is clear enough, but fishing out of the skiff today not sure on the water temp other than hot!

Weather

96/76  (Heat index 104)  Partly cloudy with a 60% chance of a thunderstorm.  Wind  SE  10 – 25 mph.

Lake Level

16 days ago  96.15 msl.  Today  95.77 msl.   (It continues to drop.)

******************The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle!   Look for it this winter.

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I was fishing by daylight way up river and today there were more bites than usual, but the hookups were tough on plastics.  Another day of them eating the plastic off the hook when I tried to stick them, should have used more patience but it is hard when they are swimming with it.  They were on wood and I was just pitching to visible cover and getting a bite here or there.  Before the morning was over 10, give or take a couple, hit the stick worm, a beaver style plastic, and a smaller worm, all watermelon red.   And most of the bites were shallow.

The best of the morning, and what the rest of them looked like.

I ended up fishing from one end of the lake to the other before I quit, and most areas produced a bite or two.  And it was nice that I also caught one on a crankbait, a Bang O Lure, and buzzbait.  No real pattern to it on those baits, though they are still schooling in some of the coves.  They are tough to catch as they are not in big bunches, but I did get the one on a crankbait out of a school.  And of course my nemesis made an appearance.

He smacked it and actually jumped.

Catching catfish while bass fishing has become a regular thing on Coleto.  I do not know what to think of that.  Is there such a thing as to many catfish?  Might be.  The lake continues to be in transition, and I am withholding my judgement on the fishing until we actually get into “real” fall.

But not a bad morning, lots of bites and I caught on 6 different baits.  Of course that does beg the question:  What is the “right’ bait?  I will hopefully answer that as we have rain coming, we so need it, and with that improved fishing.  Tomorrow is some Honey Do things with the Boss off, then it will be another lake day and a bay day before the week is out.  But realistically I am in a semi holding pattern waiting for that first norther to blow in and signal fall.

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But the crappie on Coleto are still biting like mad for those chasing them.  I saw Mr. Crappie and stopped and asked how it was going.  His response: 50!  Now he has been fishing them weekly for as long as the lake has been in existence, but the fact remains they have been biting all year and some are real slabs.  So if you like a fresh crappie fry get some minnows, tight line them on deep trees, there were lots at this level, and catch em’ up.

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Football Chat

It was a big football weekend and being both a college and pro fan I enjoyed every minute of it.  First up was the Army/Michigan game, and it was a dandy.  Losing in overtime, Army has nothing to be ashamed of.  I personally like they way they play, smash mouth so stop us or we eat up the clock.  They fought till the end but it was not to be.  But one great football game.

I was excited to watch A&M/Syracuse, to bad it was awful.  Not sure how the Aggies got ranked so high but they looked out of joint, untimely penalties, and Mond looked pedestrian at best.  Historically A&M is 2 – 14 versus teams ranked #1 and they were clearly outclassed.  They definitely have some work to do.

Next was the Nebraska/Colorado game and it was another dandy.  Colorado was down 17 in the second half and it ended up in OT at 31 all.  Colorado showed some real heart winning in OT.  And congratulations to their new head coach, what a win.

On the other hand Arkansas sucks, plain and simple.  And the switching with 2 quarterbacks is a recipe for disaster.  When was the last time a team doing that worked.  There was a little defense but an unispiring offense.  I project 2 – 9 if they are lucky.  Texas on the other hand looked ok against LSU, who made significant strides in their offense thanks to a new offensive coordinator.  Their prospects look good.  Texas is not out of it but they have some work to do.

And last – “How about those Cowboys!”  Dak has taken a lot of criticism but Sunday he was really solid with 400 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no INTs.  Even Zeke got in on the act.  All the usual Cowboy drama aside, it looks like they are going to be a real handful.  Jerry Jones said in an interview last year that we would not believe the size of the check he would write for another Super Bowl.  And he has done/is doing just that.  They have all the tools on both defense and offense to get it done.  The rest of the league better watch out, they are loaded and the time is now.  I really like football, can you tell?

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Are You Kidding Me!

I went to Ground Zero shortly after 9/11.  It was still smoldering and folks were walking around with pictures of loved ones.  It was a moving trip, and as a former medic and an American it touched my deeply.  So freakin’ sad.  And now the Taliban have been invited to the US this week!  Not sure how our longest war will end, but they supported Bin Laden and let him launch the attack from there.  And our brave men and women have given their lives fighting them.  There is no scenario where any Taliban should ever set one foot on American soil, and if they do a double tap is appropriate.  They are still killing us.  Sorry to get off topic but sometimes I just can not help myself.

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Still waiting on the Mako so I can get it fixed for good and get it back on the water.  Funny how you get used to, and rely on, the electronics.  GPS, downs can, temp, all common these days, so fishing without it takes me back a decade or two.  But at least with the skiff I am still mobile and there is one upside, it had not been used like it should so the next couple of weeks will fix that.  And I appreciate hearing from any of you, good, bad, or indifferent, I love all your comments.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines