FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
I will be heading out first thing in the morning to give the Lake Travis white bass a go. The few times I have been there to catch them was a success and I see no reason why it should not be a fun day. After dealing with our high winds the last couple of days it will be good to be back on the water, plus stop in and see my buddy David. And how knows, might even give the bass a quick go later in the day.
Weather
56/82. Pleasant with plenty of sunshine with no chance of rain. Wind N 5 – 16 mph.
Lake Level
WATER LEVEL. 659.93. Feet MSL. Level is 21.07 feet. below full pool of 681.00. (Which means nothing to me. The white bass will just not be as far up the river.)
Solunar Times
Major 10:38 am to 12:38 pm.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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You just never know, and today was one of those days. I put in at Pace Bend and headed up the Perdenales on Lake Travis to do some white bass trolling. I have missed the run on Coleto, and it looks like I missed it on Travis. The water temp at the mouth was 66 and got all the way to 69 near the bridge. With the temp it was apparent right away it was probably to late for the good white bass run, and I was right, but what happened next was sure a surprise.
It was crappie madness.
Trolling crankbaits that ran in the 5 – 10 foot range at 2.5 mph got bit quick, and it would continue for quite a while. But the surprise, crappie. The flatter sides with brush in the 15 foot range was the ticket. I did catch a couple of white bass and small large mouth, but the consistent bite was crappie.
The spawn is on in the Pedernales!
I started about halfway up the creek and trolled all the way until I hit 10 foot left and turned around and trolled out. Of course the bite diminished as the afternoon heated up, and I am not complaining, the wind died. It was probably a tie between shad color baits and that same 6th Sense chartreuse crankbait, which runs about 7 foot deep.
The original quarry, but I just did not get there in time.
It was interesting to watch the locator, if I went by an underwater tree it would generally trigger a bite. It would definitely be successful to just troll along and find and tree then stop and fish, And my guess is when it really warmed up they probably went to the beds on the flatter banks. Several smaller ones jumped on, and if I was interested in a fish fry it would have been easy pickings. But with white bass the plan I left the crappie rods at the house. The day was a sucess and if you live there get out quick as the bite is on.
And always remember to drain and dry as best you can. Travis is a Zebra Mussel cesspool, and while in the end they will spread we need to do all we can to not be part of the problem.
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An interesting question from Joe.
Who sells the knocking tail lures the Victoria area? Thanks Joe
You can get them at Waterloo Rods in Victoria, Jecos in POC, the Point in Palacios, and Tackle Town in Rockport to name a few. Of course they do not all carry the full line and should you want something else you can always order them online. Good luck hope you like using them!
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TPWD
Check out this years new fishing regulations, including a change in the red drum harvest on Coleto. (Like there is some left in there, I sure have not caught one.)
And for those of you that hunt here is the new regs. There are a ton of changes coming.
Last the state continues to crank out big ass bass. There have been 22 ShareLunkers caught this spring. The state will not be transporting any more to the hatchery but will come to the site and take measurements if you happen to catch the fish of a lifetime. And an interesting point, one caught on Lake Daniels weighed 15.66, which is only 39 on the all-time list. That is a heck of a list.
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Ok this is getting insane! I just saw a USED Haney for sale, for $103K. That is more than my first 2 houses. It reminds me of the morning having coffee with other attorneys and the Judge when I asked my friend who is a big time divorce attorney how in the world folks can afford those big houses. His response – As soon as the divorce happens they can’t. I am sure it is a great boat but I wonder how many fish the boat caught?
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Bull Shoals
The beatdown in North Arkansas continues. I think my buddy Clyde sends these to me just to harass me, but these are sure some good ones.
A nice largemouth, 19″ smallmouth, and a 24″ walleye. Who would not be happy with these?
The Twin Lakes area of North Arkansas has fishing galore. And when it is spring Bull Shoals produces some great fish with these a prime example. Makes the 12 hour drive worth it. Thanks for the pictures Greb.
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Ok weatherman, it is now officially April and it is up to you to take the 30mph+ winds out of the forecast. It is time for me to get off my butt and get back to the salt and that will do it. The reports I have seen are all over the place. Some struggling to catch 3 keeper trout in the new slot, others still knocking them stupid, it is always so. Not sure when I will be back on the water but keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
