FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt

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The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Is 10:00 am Friday as I prepare this for later.  2cnd day post cold front with a mile high bluebird sky, a brisk north wind, and the temp is struggling to reach 50 degree  The 50 mark is my sign to put on the big boy pants and head to the lake.  Hardly what could be called great fishing conditions.  But after sitting around the last couple of days time to go fishing.  Our forecast will finally improve a little in the next couple of days, but it is just about March – In like a lion and out like a lamb.  No guesses on what this afternoon will produce but you don’t know unless you go.

Weather

58/37.   Intervals of clouds and sun with a 2% chance of rain.  Wind NNE 10 – 20 mph.

Lake Level

Today 94.34 msl.  Monday 94.35 msl.  (Hanging in there.  We need some rain!)

Bite Times

Major  11:17 am to 1:17 am.  

Sunning on a cold windy day.

A quick word on gators.  Right past this one was the biggest I have ever seen by a mile.  It was a flat monster.  I went for the good camera and he took off in a huge boil.  This time of year they like banks out of the wind with the sun on it.  Just like the…………..

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 Get the new Knockin’ Tail, it catches fish!  

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The more I fish the more I realize how little we really know.

Pulling up the ramp at 11:30 it was 49 degrees and the north wind was blowing a good 20mph right in the cove.  It was white capping and basically colder than crap.  Mile high sky, I almost did not take it off the trailer.  It was not looking like a good day to fish.  But I reminded myself of the rule, about fishing and much of life, put on your big boy pants and suck it up.  Turned out I am really happy I did.

Look very closely – those are teeth marks.  But when you catch almost 50 on this one lure it should look like that.

With the wind pounding on much of the Coleto arm I headed up the plant arm where there would be a few more relatively calm places.  It took a while to get a bite on the swim jig but when I started reeling it fast to make another cast one chased it to the boat.   So I stuck with it and over the next couple of hours managed to catch one here and there.

The 2 best for the day.

It was definitely slow, and much of the lake is now 59 – 60, which is another big drop.  But I soldiered on.  There was lots of tail pullers and nippers and several also jumped off.  You can always tell when they are not that interested, they pull the claws off.  Typical post cold front fishing.  The wind finally started to slack just a little but I was still not getting the numbers.  But that was about to change.

There is a reason I am showing these 4.

Around 3:00 time to head to the coves around the lower end and try out a pattern that has worked for me on these very kind of days.  I picked a cove with the wind blowing down the main lake bank with a point that protected the inside of the point and the cove which was calm with the sun beating on it.  At this point I made another really good choice, time for the Knockin’ Tail.  And the ones above were part of 8 or 9 off the first point.  When it happened it was one of those bite after bite things, on maybe 15 casts in a row. They wanted it slow rolled across the point and were just getting on.  Then I started twitching it some and a couple hit a little more aggressively.  And a side note, points were the best today, not surprising with the water temp drop.

I am not going to tell you that your Knockin’ Tail will catch 50 fish, but that thing is still on the end of my rod and it keeps on catching them.  And it really says something about using super glue.  With some plastics that can result in the tail getting pulled off, but that has not happened to this one yet.  When they were hitting it on the first point it was just like catching those whites the other day.  Lots of bites and those 2 places accounted for 20 fish on that same bait alone.  And the bait is still together.  You can put all I know about swim bait fishing for bass in a thimble but it is definitely different from using the same bait on trout.

This is how all of them have been eating it.  And the crappie are still biting.

From there just fished the coves on the lower end and kept getting bites.  And when you would get one, it was usually 2 or 3.  If there was a little indention in the bank with the sun on it, or a flat secondary point, you got a bite, end of story.  I just adjusted the speed in those flat places to keep it off the bottom.  The 3/16th jig head is perfect when they are this shallow and a 1/8th would probably be fine right now.  Lots of the fish this afternoon were smaller, but that is not surprising.  But considering the conditions catching 25 plus in a short trip is a sign of just how good it is right now.  And now I am so looking forward to Monday.  A couple of warming days, then clouds and warm without the ugly wind – get ready, there is about to be a killing.

I had no confidence when I left the ramp.  There wasn’t even another boat and trailer at the ramp.  But the results speak to just how good the lake is right now.  Cold front be damned, we are shallow and biting.  An it was another lesson in not getting a mind set before the first cast.  I stuck with it, and ended up choosing the right bait, then the right place.  The Knockin’ Tail was the perfect for tough conditions, and I am still amazed how good it works and how long it lasts.  Can’t wait for Arkansas to add smallmouth and walleye to the mix.

So have a great weekend, it is going to be nice.  And keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines