FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
The Wade Right Fishing Belt
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It would seem counter intuitive it was a struggle when I caught around 20 today, but catching them was not the struggle, but putting the better fish in the boat was the struggle. Several factors played into that, but using a net would have resolved some of that.
Weather
87/66. Partly sunny and humid with a 40% chance of a shower. Wind N 10 – 20 mph. (You never can tell how they will react to the first “cool” front with north winds this time of year, but I am really hopeful.)
Lake Level
Thursday 95.37 msl. Today 95.29 msl. (At this rate really starting to worry there may be a ramp issue.)
Solunar Periods
Major 8:03 am to 10:03 am. Minor 3:09 pm to 4:09 pm.
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The Knockin Tail Lure with a built in tail rattle! Look for it this winter.
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The wind was blowing out of the north when I put in at the lake and it felt so good! There were no other trailers at the ramp and I basically had the lake to myself. (More on that later.) The water temp was 84 at the ramp, 88 in front of the discharge cove, and basically 86 over most of the rest of the lake. The water color has deteriorated some and is somewhat off color in some places. First up was a main lake bank with wind and stumps.
Second cast and one later on spinnerbait.
The fish were there but were all small. But I will give them credit, the 3 that I hooked up on that pass were jumping it. So after that pass I headed up lake. The wind was blowing right along out of the north at a pretty good clip so I stayed with the spinner bait for a while but the only other ones were small, so time to change things up.
A swim jig fish and another on the watermelon red Pit Boss.
With fish shallow I wanted to try the Controlled Descent Pearl Jerk Shad over brush. And that is where the trouble started, but it wasn’t a lack of bites or any fault of the bait. The wind was blowing hard enough that it was tough to keep the bow out of my line, so when they ate I had trouble getting a good hook set. That led to losing several that either pulled off or came off when I tried to hand land them.
For the rest of the day until I quit at 2:30 I alternated between a spinnerbait, Bang O Lure, Pit Boss, Pearl Jerk Shad, and the swim jig, and they all caught fish. And boy did I do a good job of messing up on the better fish. A poor hook set, shaking off when I tried to hand land the ones that were to big to boat flip, and a good one even broke me off on a spinnerbait. Basically all operator error for one reason or another.
One thing that is consistent, wood, end of story. Work the bait of your choice by a good piece of cover and there is usually one there. Whether way up either arm, or the main lake, cover is the ticket. And every bank had one or more on it all morning, and I decided I would stop when I fished 2 banks without a bite, and that did not happen until 2:00.
So a funny day, but a good day. No matter which bait they all accounted for at least 3 or 4, and the clear winner is still the plastics. At least for the bigger fish. But if I had managed to land all the better ones it would have been an ok limit. And I really think the Controlled Descent Jerk Shad fishing will be pretty good with less wind, but of course the wind helps the fishing so there is a fine line. But when it is all said and done the numbers are there and this cold front can only help, and with a bigger one coming Friday it should be game on for the bigger fish. They are talking low in the 50’s and high in the 70’s – Bring it on!
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Those of you who read this regularly know I look at boats for sale almost daily. From brand new to wrecks, there is a world of them for sale, and if I had any advice for those of you looking for a used boat it would be the following.
With so many high dollar fairly new boats available there are 2 questions that must be asked, and if the owner does not know the answers, Be Afraid. First – How many hours? There is no way to guess no matter what they say. Motors can run hundreds of hours trouble free, but only if the proper maintenance is done on a regular basis. Second – What is the compression on each and every cylinder? They need to be within just a couple of pounds of each other.
So why are these 2 questions so important? If the owner has maintained the engine as he should those are easy answers. No real marine mechanic service would do the work and not include that in the report of work done, and if yours does not have them include it. So if the owner can not provide you with that information, or be willing to let you contact the service for the information, run away. It means the maintenance has not been done no matter what they tell you.
As an example if I was selling my boat my mechanic would be happy to talk to you and confirm the work was done as it should be. And I can provide a pile of copies. With the price of used boats actually on the rise due to the cost of a new one, the answer to these questions is critical. Think about it – Would you rather have a used boat with a little higher hours that is confirmed with regular service, or one that looks great and has not seen a mechanic in a couple of years no matter how little the owners says he used it? Buyer beware.
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And as long was we are talking boats I am not impressed with the increasing size of engines on flats/bass boats. The real horsepower race started in the 80’s (I think.) when BASS lifted it’s 150 horsepower limit in response to the manufactures whining and the race was on. Now I see the clip of the boat doing over 110 mph, and that is just plain nuts. It is an area in fishing that is not “fishing.” The old joke “I never caught a fish doing 70mph” is so true. The boat does not make the angler, that is pure nonsense, and if you are in that big of a hurry you need to evaluate your fishing priorities. We all love our boats and if that is what turns you on good for you. But anytime you want to haul ass and then match you fishing prowess vs. a Larry Dahlberg and his jon boat have a go at it. A boat is a fishing platform, not a fashion statement.
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When I reported GBRA raising the ramp/day use fee on Coleto to $17 a day my buddy Rusty made the following pertinent comment. At Fayette the senior ramp fee is $2. Now I admit that is extremely low but it brings up the following points. Fishing during the week as I usually do many of the folks fishing Coleto are retired and on a fixed income. Additionally many of those folks are retired vets who proudly served this country. In fact, whether working or not, $17 a day is a lot, and for the retired can be prohibitive. That is just not right on lots of levels. I also heard rumblings that some clubs may be thinking of writing Coleto off their list. I always rant on the increasing cost of fishing keeping younger fishermen from entering our sport, and this is a perfect example.
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When I got to the ramp today a couple of interesting things happened. As I idled to the dock the game warden was sitting there in his truck watching me. I had my life jacket and kill switch on, like always, and when he saw me take it off he headed on his way. So you are warned, they are looking for compliance with the new kill switch law, apparently that was all he was interested in checking. And by me being in compliance it saved that get out the license and registration thing.
Then one of the GBRA workers pulled up and we shot the shit. I commented on the ramp fee and how there should be a break for seniors. I told him I was not saying it for me, though I would take it, but for all those folks who can not afford that much for a day trip. And today other than a few campers there was only one trailer at the ramp. If the plan is to run folks off it appears to be working. He told me that when the raise took effect GBRA actually told the office to get out the complaint forms, so they obviously know it is coming. I am going to send along my two cents worth and if it affects you, do the same. Maybe it will help, but if no one does anything it will not change.
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That is it for today. It will be back on the water soon, not sure where. Spoke with Todd and have set a date for a long POC weekend with the Austin Boys in less than a month. Always a good time. (Really I was just checking when they are coming so I can be hundreds of miles from the horrible front that seems to follow those guys every fall.) And I am trying to get the gumption to take off real early one morning for the Upper Laguna after the coming cold front. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
