FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Weather

78/93. Partly sunny and humid with a 25% chance of rain.   Wind WSW 5 – 10mph.

Lake Level

Today 98.28 msl.   10 days ago  98.37 msl.

Bite Times

Major  8:41 am to 10:41 am.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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This was a short trip, exactly what needed to happen so I could be responsible the rest of the day.  Since the Boss only likes them fresh time to put a few on ice.

There is the meat!  This is as close to a dead fish picture you will see here.

When I got to the ramp at 8:00 the water was down a couple of inches, the color was just a little bit better, and the water temp was 89 degrees.  The wind was barely blowing with patchy clouds and you could tell rain is coming at some point today.

First up was the main lake bank in sight of the ramp where they have been, and amazingly enough not a bite.  So kept going, heading to where the catfish have been on the edge of a big flat on the main lake.  It took a little bit, but one finally jumped on the Shad Rap, which by far has been the bait of choice.  Then another, and also missed a couple.  So I headed back to the ramp trolling and caught a couple of bass and another small catfish.  A good one did manage to pull off, but at that point 3 were on ice so time to go mow the lawn.

Today most of the shad were in the 10′ range give or take, and just because there was bait did not mean a bite was coming.  But if you saw good hooks below them that would get you bit. When it only takes an hour to catch supper who knows what the day would have brought.  In fact, it took longer to put in and take out as it did to catch them.  Consistently catching catfish like this is just plain interesting.  Over the years I have caught lots of them but only the last 2 summers on Coleto has it been possible to actually target them trolling.  It would be no surprise if taking a walleye spinner rig and slow bottom bouncing with a crawler in that area would smoke them.  Every day there is a way to catch fish, you just have to figure it out and not be a species snob.

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You can not miss it.

We spent the weekend in Shreveport and had a good time.  It had been over 25 years since we visited and the city has not changed all the much, other than there are more casinos.  But that was not the highlight of the weekend.  (If you go be sure to eat at the Blind Tiger downtown, you will not be disappointed.)  Those of you who read this know when out of town I generally search out tackle stores just to see what is up in that area.  This time it was a home run.

Looking online there was a place called “The Crappie Shop” which is also “Gray Wolf Fly Shop”.  What fisherman could resist that?  So we headed over there and what a good time.  The owner was there and greeted us warmly and said come on in.  What a cool store.  If you are a fly tier this is the store for you.  A complete selection of anything you might need, including rods, reels, and waders to name a little.  Much of his products come from a company, Wapsi, that still exists in Mtn Home Arkansas. Tad’s Fishin’ Machine Lure company where I worked got our jig material there.  But of all things the Boss worked there many moons ago as did her mom, so they knew some of the same folks.   Small world.

The owner Wm. Howard Malpass was a hoot and the fishing stories flowed.  He has fished around the world and does casting and tying classes.  And he is very knowledgeable on the fishing industry.  One of his regulars was there, Scotty, a former fighter pilot who had fished some of the areas we have.  Of all the stores I have visited around the country this is by far my favorite.  We will be going back, the Boss is wanting more lessons and I just might start tying a fly or two.  Seriously, if you are ever in Shreveport stop in and say hi.  Plus if you ever need a bag of fuzzy hair off a ring tailed thing-a-ma-bob from the Himalayan mountains give him a call, he just might have a bag, or know where to get it.  Check out his website, a interesting guy doing it right.

GRAY WOLF FLY SHOP, LLC

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Like most kids who were teenagers in the 60’s I have been going to concerts for 55 years now and have been fortunate enough to see some of the great ones.  But I would be remiss if not giving Green Day their due after seeing them again Thursday night.  No band, and I mean not one I have seen, can literally get 30,000 people up on their feet singing and dancing from the moment it starts until the moment they quit.  So when I hear musicians and other wanna b’s critiquing them my question:  When was the last time 30,000 folks paid you a $100 each and then danced for you?

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If there is one good side effect to Covid, it is folks are getting outdoors in record numbers.  If there is one bad side affect to Covid, it is folks are getting outdoors in record numbers.  We have seen it in the national parks, Yellowstone is swamped like never before, and that same thing is happening where I fished the Snake River in Wyoming.  There is record numbers of folks fishing, and of course with that comes not only tighter regulations but pissed off guides.  As in most places in the words of my old friend Carmine:  There are so many guides they need to wear badges so they do not guide each other.  Now it means you paid your bucks, and maybe took the Coast Guard test, then bought a boat.

And of course, as is happening on the Snake, guides feel that they are most entitled to the water, including over some other guides.  So they are fighting with the county, each other, and anyone else that sticks their nose in it.  (And of course the county, like all government, is spending $20k to administer the use, and taking in $80k, transferring the bulk of it to county general fund.  I wish many government entities and other public interest groups would remember who paid, and continues to pay, for most of the recovery of wildlife.)  We all need to remember the water belongs to ALL of us, guides should thank each and every taxpayer for the right to earn money on the public’s resource.  (I have always said guides should pay a whole lot more when I was guiding which should be put to the resource, this is not a new position.)

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Having caught thousands of white bass over 25 years in Arkansas, but until I moved to this part of the world did I ever heard of folks using this contraption.  For those of you who are not familiar either this is called a thumper, and this one can be had with a remote.  Apparently it works to draw white bass to the boat when deep jigging.  Other folks just use a rubber mallet to pound on the floor of the boat.  It is a big wide world of fishing out there and you just never know.

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As you know I look at boats for sale in Texas constantly.  And the most important thing to me if you are going to buy a used boat and motor is not the number of hours, but the number of service trips.  Many online sales say only 350 hours as an example.  If this is the cases the next question, how many times has it been serviced.  As mine approaches 1000 hours it has been serviced every 100 hours, or yearly, whichever happens first.  And if they have serviced it as they should have they will know the number of hours, and if they do not they should have no problem with you speaking with their service provider.  That should come with every service.  I just saw an used X3 that they want $155K  for (That in and of itself is nuts.) and they should be able to tell you any and everything. So when you are looking if they can not tell you those answers be wary.

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The weather dude said we could see up to 3″ of rain in the next couple of days, and we do not need it.  But by the same token clouds will keep it from being so dang hot, when it starts getting over a 100 heat index I start wishing for the AC.  But I will be fishing some this week, where will be dictated by the weather.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines