FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Get them at the Waterloo Rod store in Victoria.

This would be my last time on the water in Texas.  My heart and mind is on Colorado, bugling elk. trout eating a hopper, and the Rockies.  Plus I am freaking tired of our heat.  I will break soon but I can get do it by heading to the mountains.  But I was out at daylight and before it was over I was kicking my own ass.

Weather

74/98.  Hot with plenty of sun; caution advised if outside for extended periods of time with no chance of rain.  Wind  NE  6 – 18 mph.

Lake Level

Today   96.78 msl.    Monday   96.84 msl.

Bite Times

Major   10:15 am   to   12:15 pm.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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Fish or not there is no better way to start the day!

As you can see it was just cracking daylight on the first cast.  The plan today was to not fish my areas that I know are holding fish but to fish some new places and see what happened.  On my third cast this one jumped on.  Little did I know only 3 more smalls would come over the side before I called it a day.

It was stunning when this one smoked it.

From this point on it was hunt and peck.  The swim jig and frog were a complete disappointment, as apparently was my bank selection.  But I soldiered on and the only bites I could get were smalls on the buzzbait.  It was frustrating and surprising that some of the places had no fish.  With a mile high sky and no wind, it was not surprising that the bite as slow.  So with it getting hot it was time for one more spot.

I decided to switch up completely and tie on the 5″ Pearl Knockin Tail on a 1/4oz swim bait hook.  It wallows through the trash just fine and actually produced a bite which I missed.  Then disaster struck.  A shad flipped in a slot in the trash and I made the perfect cast and a big one smoked it, and I mean a hoss.  Set the hook and she was on.  As I was fighting her my phone rang, which I rarely answer but with the Boss headed to work about then I stuck my head up my rear and walked back to the console while the fish was carrying on.  It was a spam call, and she jumped off.  What an idiot.  Could I do anything anymore stupid?

There was a time in my life many decades ago that I used to get mad when I lost a real one.  For the first time in a long time, I did get mad but at myself.  After struggling all morning that was just plain ignorant.  Anytime you throw a 5″ Knockin Tail you have a chance to catch a big fish, and I have caught my share this year since it came out.  So on that note I called it a morning at 11:00.  Guess my mind was not on my business so time to head home and start with the serious packing.

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A charter boat captain had a huge Blue Fin tuna confiscated from his boat for fishing in state waters where he was not licensed.  I have a suggestion – if you are a captain and intentionally break the law your license should be at a minimum suspended or completely permanently revoked depending on the level of offense.  Time to start cleaning up these scofflaws who are stealing our recourses.  And the same should apply to commercial fishermen.   You know better – you lose.

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And speaking of this type of behavior a Louisiana commercial fishing boat had over 900.000 (Yes 900K!) menhaden in their net and when they were not able to get the weight on board, they just cut the net and left the whole thing floating on the ocean.  You know how I continually rag on game and fish departments who seem to side with commercial interests?  Well, this is a perfect example.

 One fisheries manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries pointed out that just 2% of the menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico are harvested each year and that such an event is “insignificant.”

OMG!  Ok dude, what in the world does the % of harvest have a thing to do with this behavior?  So a commercial boat in state waters can wantonly waste 900.000 fish, then leave the net and rotting fish floating and the event is “insignificant”?  Good thing I am not his Boss, he would be job hunting the next day.  The problem with ghost nets is real, and if you or I wasted a bass or trout and were caught what would happen to us?  His response should be that we categorically reject this behavior and waste of wildlife and will get to the bottom of it and take appropriate action whatever that might be.  Maybe there is nothing they can do but a serious response is required at a minimum.  So another commercial interest gets a break from a fish and game department.  I just do not get it.

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But on the opposite extreme is Wyoming, which does it right.  2 different hunters were accused of hunting elk out of season, including one knucklehead who just chopped the heads off of 2 and left them to rot.  Both had their hunting and fishing rights taken away for 5 years, one was fined $2000, the other $10,000.  Time to make game and fish violaions painful like this.  Long term suspension of the priviledge to hunt and fish is a tool that should be used and improved on.

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I definitely did not have my mind on my business this morning.  I feel just like a kid as 2 weeks in the mountains loom.  With that said the packing piles begin.  Planning and executing these trips is the fun part, and it only gets better in the doing.  It will now be Alaska, the Everglades, Colorado, and now back to Colorado in the last few months.  I was speaking with someone and when they learned I had driven over 6,000 miles already their response:  To much driving for me.  As I have repeatedly said about lots of things – How bad do you want it?  We all make our choices and this is my choice.  There is a great big world out there, and it is farther than 20 miles from home.  So stay tuned, it is going to be fun.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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Off Topic.  It Is About to Get Interesting

It is about to get ugly on the legal front.  Nothing worse than real indisputable facts, they are not “alternative facts”.  (How have we gotten to the point of alternative facts?  A fact is a fact.)  It is going to get uglier if that is possible, but for a legal lurker like me it sure is entertaining.  And on the comment by one of the attorneys:  But, but, but…… the other guys.  That is not a defense, in fact it borders on stupid.  Guess I missed “the other guys do it defense” in law school.  And since taking the 5th over 400 times can be used against you in a civil trial as evidence unlike a criminal trial that could leave a mark.  Wonder if that possibility was even discussed?  Hope the hourly rate is not too high, but you get what you pay for.  So, get out the popcorn it is going to be something.

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