FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
“SAVE OUR WATERS”
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt
Brought to you by
The Best Wading System on the planet.
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The wildlife was moving with the big front.
Lake Level
Today 94.81 msl. Week Ago 94.92 msl. (The lake is shrinking and at this rate the ramp will become an issue so be sure to not back in to far.)
Solunar Times
Major 11:34 am to 1:34 pm. (So much for that projection.)
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The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon. Now I am really excited.
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The conditions looked absolutely killer. Cloudy and fairly calm right before a huge front was set to blow in around 4:00, it had real potential. Not sure what better bass fishing weather you could want! When I woke up I was feeling the last 3 days at POC. My back, my shoulders, my arms, all sore from 3 hard days at it. (Hell getting old!) But it looked great outside so I loaded up and hit the lake around 8:30. No way I was not going to take advantage of this.
The water level at the ramp clearly was down, the water temp was 71, and it was completely calm. (The temp was a low of 65 up lake, the rest in the 74 range.) Expectations were high, and that was the last good moment of the morning. Starting up lake it was buzzbait first, and I might as well have been tossing a dirty sock, nothing. So time for the Bang O Lure, I just received my new ones. And for some strange reason they wanted no part of it, a really rare occurrence this time of year on the lake. Unfortunately with my superior skill I managed to break the bill off a brand new one. Good thing I bought 5.
At this point I am puzzled big time so I tossed the Pit Boss to cover, and other than 8 or 10 smalls all morning, not a good one came over the side. Why there is no pictures? When I say smalls I mean smalls! It did have a similarity to the trout bite the other day, no conviction. Of 15+ bites I only felt 1, and several others that might have been fish let go immediately. From that point on I am completely puzzled. Big front coming, great conditions, it just must be me. So now it is hitting my “good” spots, and even those failed to produce except for the plastic. But I soldiered on, mixing the buzzbait, Bang O Lure, and even the Controlled Descent Jerk Shad, with the Pit Boss, and no matter how much I wished and hoped, they would not chase anything.
Finally at 2:00 a light drizzle started but the fishing had not improved so I called it a day. The timing turned out to be perfect as it started raining on the way to the house. Then around an hour after I got home here it comes, and it was as advertised. 40mph plus, it dropped 30 degrees, really cold rain, it had it all. As I write this they are saying an inch of snow is possible. (Didn’t happen.) It seemed like fall/winter would never get here but after 2 big fronts this week it is official, welcome to winter. (As I am headed to Colorado in a few days this is a little climate acclimation.)
It is funny but today’s results are one of the reasons I love the sport. You just never know. Some of the best days I ever had you would have thought there was no reason to float the boat, today should have been perfect. And instead of dissuading me it just drives me to try to figure it out. “Real’ fishermen take it in stride, days like today come with the territory. Getting pissed does not help. If you looked up the definition of optimist fishermen would be listed. So we keep casting and reeling, hope springs eternal.
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There were a couple of cool outdoor experiences today. With the front on the way the really big gators were out. Funny, but that is common on Coleto with a big weather change. The really old ones have been alive for decades and they know the drill. And as a side note I set up to take a picture of a whopper on the bank when he exploded in a massive swirl. 2 casts later right where he was I caught a small one. That is the second time that has happened, in the past it was 2 on buzzbait, 1 on each side of a big gator. Obviously they are not afraid.
Then as the front came closer the ducks were really flying and I saw several large bunches. Of course deer were out and about, I saw the eagle, and at one point there was a hog squealing somewhere. Not sure what was happening but someone was getting his butt kicked. All made for a great day to be on the water.
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Water quality is the staff of life for fish, and consequently fishermen. The threats are real, and as I have ranted before our paid state employees from multiple departments leave something to be desired. Take the case of Skull Creek, which flows into the Colorado and then Matagorda Bay. It is running “black” with a stench that will make you sick. It is a mess and what irks me is that something should have been done immediately. Not sure where the system broke down, but it did. (Follow the money?) At least the Attorney Generals Office has filed suit. I will try to keep up and fill you in if I find the results. No matter what the creek was still suffering and there is no excuse for that. So read the following and see what you think. We have to stay informed and vigilant.
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I was hoping to get a day on the river with the flyrod before heading to Colorado, we will just have to wait and see how this weather plays out, and when I decide to leave. It may be soon as the weather is really nice where we will ultimately be headed after the Boss joins me. Just letting it play out, but no matter what some trout fishing is right around the corner. As I have proven to be quite deficient in the flyfishing department hopefully I can redeem myself this go round.
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And You Have an iPhone Why?
And in the “what were you thinking department” the Coast Guard had to rescue 2 kayakers from an island in the middle of Copano Bay on Tuesday. What were they thinking? The wind was blowing 29 mph and it was 45 degrees with 1 – 3 foot seas and nasty. Now I don’t get completely off the hook for bad weather choices, I have made a few, but there really is no reason for that in this day and age. The weather was ugly enough I would have hesitated to take the boat out, much less a kayak. So be sure to check the weather, that is what that fancy iPhone is for. And be sure someone knows where you are going and when you plan on coming back. Fishing in the winter can be awesome, and life threatening.
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Florida has proposed some serious changes to the speckled trout rules as off and on freezes and serious water quality issues have reduced populations. As usual the guides are leading the charge against the changes, often without a real scientific basis for their objection. (I get that, it is just fear for their livelyhood.) Florida has separate zones, and in some areas they are talking a 15 – 19″ 3 fish limit with one over the slot per boat. Additionally they are proposing not allowing the guide or crew to keep their limit, a practice that has gone by the wayside in most states years ago. When I started guiding it was 10 bass with no length limit, and guess what – we had lots of small bass. Over the decades I have seen the same fight in other places and in the long run the world did not end. In fact, in most cases it only got better. Take our coast and the initial opposition to the 5 fish limit not that long ago. Folks were screaming the sky is falling! In spite of the changes folks kept coming, there are more guides working the coast than ever, and our fish are bigger as a rule. (Plus nothing liked the reduced pressure of getting your customers 5 instead of 10.) And one rule that surprised me is that they still take speckled trout commercially and they want to reduce it to 50. That one is a no brainer – stop it. Change is tough but in the long run anything that preserves the fish is all right by me.
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TPWD Game Warden Notes
The internet strikes again. Another pea brain posted a picture of an illegally taken teal online. The wardens then looked her up, and though she had a license she did not have the required hunter education. Before it was over both her and her husband ended up getting tickets for illegally taking ducks. Remember look before you hit post, they are watching.
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And one last comment – Arkansas Football. They just fired the coach, who’s contract has a $10.1 million buyout. They are currently paying the last coach an $11 million dollar buyout. So here we are, owing $21 million, we have no coach, and recruiting starts in a couple of weeks. I just said to the Boss – the clock is ticking. Well no it is not. When you are already dead the clock is irrelevant. They need a complete change of staff and culture from top to bottom to try to break the cycle. Then hire a new coach and set a “real” plan, 5 years give or take, and then see what he can do. Whatever, or whoever, has had input on the coaching decision at Arkansas is not getting the job done. (I am being nice here.)
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The weather is marginal so not sure when I will fish again before Colorado. Finally made a decision on where and how, so the packing starts tomorrow. I am going out early as the weather is awesome there the next week and if it all goes as planned it will be knee deep in some stream somewhere. Then later Estes Park and a guided trout trip with the Boss. So let the fishing begin. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
