FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

I wish you and yours a great Christmas.  It has been a long year for most of us but there is hope on the horizon.  With the new year right around the corner there is no way for many of us to go but up.  So many lost, plenty others in a tough state, a little holiday cheer will lift spirits and we can look ahead with hope, keep the faith.  Merry Christmas!

Coleto Creek   10/23/2020.

Weather

60/78.  (Dropping to 39 Wednesdays night.)  Cloudy then chance of showers increasing in the afternoon with a 60% chance.  Wind  SW 10 15 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.38 msl.   Monday  93.39 msl.

Solunar Times

Major   6:50 am to 8:50 am.  Minor  1:05 pm to 2:05 pm.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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To bad there is nothing for comparison, this is a big one!

The full body shot.  Look at the size of his tail!

This time of year the gators are out in mass.  Cool nights then a warm day, they love those sunny banks where I am sure it is really warm.  The real big ones, which this is, are not that scared or annoyed by the boat.  Most just slam back in the lake, but not the real ones, they just keep an eye on you.  What cool creatures.

The weather forecast was perfect.  Looking back on past Decembers fishing has always been pretty good.  Bang O Lure, which they refuse to touch; swim jig, which one or two will eat; and spinnerbait, more on that in a minute.

It was cloudy, warm, and dead calm as I dropped in at daylight.  I had made a specific plan and stuck to it.  What a plan, by 10:30 I had not put a fish in the boat, and am not even sure if I had a bite.  So to just catch a fish I headed up lake to see if the whites were biting, and of course they were. But after 2 passes, and a bunch of fish, I could not stand it.  There had to be a way to catch a bass.  And a pattern that has followed me this month reared its head again in a new way.

This is my sad face – More white bass though they are getting bigger.

Starting with a spinnerbait on a flat bank up lake with wind on it low and behold one jumped on.  Small, but welcome.  Could it be here come the boys to begin pre-spawn? Ended up catching 6 smalls, now the day is looking up.  They were chasing it buzzed and not missing it.  When they are like that towards a spinnerbait it usually means game on.

This is my happy face – spinnerbait.

But then the current rule that the fish made up this December, catch one a particular bait and you will not catch another.  This time from that point on, and I mean a couple of hours, only one more small jumped on.  I went to different banks, a couple of coves, up lake and down, and the one small came in the back end of one cove along with another white bass.

I really think today was a perfect example why fishing can be so interesting.  Absolutely the best conditions, then a little flurry, then a complete and total stop.  The more I fish the less I know.  Though it has been slow I really thought the conditions would improve the bite, which it did, sort of.  And then the day finished perfectly.  As I was taking out the only other boat out came up.  His plates said Iowa, where I grew up, so we chatted.

I figured we had met before and we had.  For years he has come for the winter with his camper and boat.  As were talking about the sad state of affairs, he said he did not have a bite.  In fact, he ended up fishing where I left.  His comment:  “It has gone from the best bass lake in Texas to the worst.”  That is so sad, but I am not ready to throw in the towel yet, spring is on the way.

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Good News

Here it is almost a year now that the pandemic has been messing with our lives but just maybe the end is in sight.  The Boss looked like this at work 8 months ago, and nothing has changed.   But she is finally getting the vaccine and if we are lucky she just might make it through without catching it.  And I may be in the next round and will line right up.  We want to seriously travel somewhere and it just might be required at some point.

A salute to all the health care folks from housekeeping to brain surgery.  Your courage and skill saved lives.  It has been tough on providers nationwide, even here in Victoria we are experiencing another spike.  So tell a provider thanks, they deserve it.

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And speaking of medical professionals, we met Kyle while at the store picking up some holiday life saving medicine, or some mood improving libations.  His significant other Amber has gotten into fishing, so we are looking at a date in the near future for a little bay action.  (Plus I can use a little of that easy trout fishing right now.) And apparently she really likes to bass fish, so as soon as that straightens up some it will be a day on Coleto.  It will be fun to take a newbie with the fever, it can be epic when that happens.

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This is not taking sides so don’t get your political panties in a wad.  I just got a text from a Republican fundraiser trying to get my $$$ and this may be the dumbest things I have ever gotten.  “The Democrats are trying to cancel Christmas.”  If you are the candidate paying this pinhead for coming up with that hire someone else.  Try coming up with something not quite so far up the stupid scale.  Please election, time for you to crawl back under your rock for a couple of years.

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This is the first Christmas in I do not remember when that the Boss is not working.  While this will end my years of fishing on Christmas day there is plenty of fishing on the horizon.  Amistad, Kyle and Amber, and making reservations right now for Lake Travis.  Have a safe and happy holiday.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Great Deal From Four Horseman Tackle

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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