FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
“SAVE OUR WATERS”
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt
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Strange week this one was. First the motor issue, then a couple of days of literally howling winds. One day a trip to Katy to pick up a couple of combos, another to Corpus to pick up the Boss’s waders. She now has her own fly rod and waders, and with all the Sims shirts and coats she has she will by styling like a fly fisherwoman.
So while some of the week involved fishing stuff, the plan is to have next week really involve some fishing. Today would have been great, they got the forecast so wrong, and if the lake was open it would have been a killing. (I just can not fathom with what we saw today that the lake is not opening. What’s the freakin’ diff!) But we were in Corpus then Rockport and man was it busy. Folks were shopping, eating, and we saw tons of them fishing on the road out to the island.
And a last word on today, if you ever get to Rockport as you come in to on 35 there is that big gas station on the right, immediately look to your left and you will see a little green food truck directly across the street. He is a Cuban, and he makes Cubans, and they are great. We got indoctrinated into Cuban food in South Florida and his Cuban is a real Cuban. And we love Cuban coffee so that was a bonus. He also has a daily special which he gave me sample while I waited on the sandwich and it was delicious. So if you get by there stop in and get you one, you won’t be disappointed. (Not sure what that has to do with fishing.)
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The new Knockin Tail is now available in Victoria! Stop in the Waterloo Pro Shop at 703 N. Main and pick up a couple of bags and a new rod all in one stop.
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First up is picture from Jess Rotherham owner of Texas Crappie Fishing Service LLC. Folks he catches crappie, and I mean boat loads. And looks like he catches the occasional bass.
A Lake Travis Hoss! Nice job.
Just kidding about the bass, if it swims he catches it. And watching him the last couple of years I always like seeing the bonus big catfish his customers catch along with some real slabs. For over 16 years he has fished the Austin area lakes for a lack of a better description. And he is definitely family friendly. So if you want an enjoyable day, and a sack full of tasty crappie filets, keep him in mind. And to top it off he and his customers own several lake records.
Check out Facebook for his latest reports:
https://www.facebook.com/Texas-Crappie-Fishing-Service-LLC-1687596168182257/
Or on his website:
www.texascrappiefishingservice.com/
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And as usual it is good to get a report from Rusty,
Good morning Doug!
Fishing reports: Fished Bastrop Lake 5/7/20. Started early and using the swim jig boated 15 or so by 8 am. Black/ blue was the best color. Then switched over to smokin shad fluke on a short Carolina rig to catch another 8. All the fish were 1-2 lbs with one fish maybe around 4 lbs. Wind finally ran us off the lake by 11 am
Fished Fayette Lake yesterday, first think I noticed was not as many boats. Started at daylight on a point with the black/knocking Tail trailer swim jig and caught several good fish in the next hour! My cousin was fishing the same jig with a different trailer and I was catching 3 fish to his one. He finally had to ask if I would share a Knocking Tail with him to put on his swim jig. He immediately started catching as many as me. That rattle does make a difference!! Fishing is very good at Fayette right now if the weather is good. Tight lines, Rusty
PS: As a Victoria Memorial High School alumni (1970), I’m very excited about the bass fishing club. Count me in!
Great report. The Knockin Tail as a trailer, or by itself, is simply a no brainer. As you have fished it more than some, as I have, you learn real quick how well it does work. It does not have a downside no matter how you use it. Numbers on Bastrop and better fish on Fayette, seems to be the rule right now. I meanwhile am patiently waiting on the Coleto opening. Until then the salt is calling if this ongoing wind will lay down some.
Did not know you were a Victoria graduate but love your offer “to count you in” though the club will be at Saint Josephs. As the boys work on the project I will keep everyone updated. If they get it going it will be a popular club, it has become one of the ways to not only pursue a pro career, but there are scholarship opportunities with college teams and it sure beats choir. (No offense to you choir folks. When you can not sing or dance you hate choir.) Wish it had been around in my day. So the rest of you, if you can lend a hand one way or other as this moves along let me know. I will keep yammering on about it.
And as far as less folks out, looks like some folks will finally be headed back to work. On that note I have noticed the last few trips that there were lots of kids fishing with their folks at POC, fishing was as good a social distancing thing as anything. When we were fishing for trout at a lake in Colorado we even heard a kid tell his mom he got his homework done before they came to the lake, and they were from Utah. There has been a lot more folks spending time outside in many different ways, that is one of the few good things that have come out of this mess. Keep it up folks, it beats the tv by a mile.
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To go along with starting the club I have a little story. I prefer to shop at local tackle stores though with the Bass Pro points I spend them there after they add up. They had a fabulous deal on a Lew’s Inshore Mach Combo – $79 for a $169 combo, $90 off. I even looked it up on Lew’s to be sure it, and the price, was right and it was, great deal. Without boring you the sale flyer not only mislabeled the combo, they put the wrong skew number so you could not look it up. As I knew it would sell out fast the Boss and I spent 2 hours finally getting a store pickup in Katy. Suffice to say Bass Pro often can not find their ass with both hands and feet and today was no different. It long ago abandoned being a tackle store in favor of being a department store. But thanks to James in the Katy store that saved me a couple, man are they nice. And now the real reason for that little story.
When I got them home there was an attachment on the rod and inside was what Lew’s does in support of high school bass fishing. I had no idea. What an interesting time to have that on the rod. They have resources for fund raising, getting new members, and tackle help. So I sent that along to the boys and it should be very helpful. There will be some work putting it all together but from what I know of the folks behind this it will happen. I would have been a member in the day and know there are boys out there who just need a little hand to get involved. My dad did not have a boat, only rich kids had one in those days, a Zebco was all I could afford, and all I could do was dream. What a gift the club could be for some young man.
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And on the tackle store front sad to report that Angler’s Arsenal in Victoria will be closing. Really unfortunate that their timing was all wrong and totally out of their control. Having owned a tackle store it is a tough business. In my day it was just Bass Pro and that was about the size of it other than smaller stores like mine. Now the mom and pop store has to compete with Dick’s, Academy, Cabela’s, and on and on. And that also makes it tough on local manufacturers who want to enter the market but the economy of scale is to overwhelming for most start ups to handle an Academy. A perfect example is the rods I bought above, there is no way in hell a regular store could sell it for that little. But good luck to them whatever is next, nice folks and I wish them the best.
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I can not help it but there is something about big strings of dead trout and reds on the deck, especially when it is the same folks multiple days in a row, that seems not right. I know there is no home possession limit in Texas and keeping them day after day is legal, but it always gives me pause hoping that all of them get eaten and none are wasted. It may have more to do with my long practiced catch and release bass fishing, not that we do not eat the occasional bass. Over the years the big stringers of bass pictures went by the wayside with bass fishermen. That has not happened in the saltwater world.
But hey, it is legal and as long as the law is followed, it is not right to criticize the individual. On issues like this not only would it take a change of some sort in the law, it requires a change in angler attitudes, and that is not happening anytime soon. Adding to my ambivalent feelings, for some reason I do not mind the stringer over the shoulder pic. Nor do I mind the big pile of crappie pic, that is what it is supposed to be. Guess the pile of dead fish strung out on the deck seems like simply bragging, the over the shoulder wading pic outdoor action, if any of that makes sense. But either way, if it is legal have at it.
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On our drive to Corpus, out on the island, then over to Rockport, it was a full house in the fishing department. Waders, shoreline, boat, kayak, there were literally folks fishing everywhere. It has not been like that since last year and it was nice to see. It seemed like a holiday weekend there were that many folks fishing. So I will let folks get it out of their system tomorrow then off to fish with the new rods. And I have to admit I put braid on them. It has not been on any rod at my house for the last several years but there was a spool of 20lb and one of 15b so guess I will give it a go. Since the bite on the Knockin Tail is not usually subtle it will feel like they are pounding it. Monday here I come. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
