FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

I considered a trip to the creek but with the wind forecasted for tomorrow I changed my mind and will go later this week.  But it was not just the wind speed, but the possible affect it will have on the lake.  As it continues to heat up, and today will help, there just might be a pretty good spinnerbait bite with winds like it is forecast to be.  So being the glutton for punishment like I am it will be up and gone in the morning,

Weather

Today 95.54 msl.   Monday 95.58 msl.  (The slow steady drop continues and it won’t be long before the piers will be out of the water.)

Bite Time

 Major 4:41 pm.    Minor 11:14 am.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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The Did Not Go As Planned

Things just did not go as planned so I will keep the story short.  It goes like this:  2 bites and 1 over the side.  When I got to the ramp it was dead calm as forecast, but with the wind going to blow it seemed logical to start where I caught them on jerkbait Monday.  It looked perfect when I got to the bank and for the next 1 1/2 hours, I could not get them to touch the jerkbait, not even sure anyone even looked at it.   At that point the wind was starting to howl, and it never let up until I called no mas and headed to the house around 2:00.

When I first started the blog I always took a picture of the first one in case it was the last one.  Well there you go.  1/4 oz swim jig with a Knockin Tail trailer.

The plan at the point was drive all the way up lake and check water temp and hit a couple of spots before returning to the main lake area and spinnerbaiting the high wind.  The water temp was up from 44 to 52 way up lake so I made a white bass pass without success, and then did some fishing.  Looks like the white bass run will be while I am in Colorado dang it.  Then crankbait did not even get so much as a touch then out came the swim jig before heading back down.

I missed the first one, then stuck the little one above.  From that point on it was an absolute bust.  With the wind really howling out came the spinnerbait and for the next 2 hours it was zip.  Fishing super windy banks, points, high banks, I could not buy a bite.  It has been a while since I struck out like this.  Now I could have stayed and tried to wait them out, I am sure they bit somewhere or sometime later in the afternoon but I had important business.  First up was the Hogs bowl game, followed by the basketball game.  So I put it on the trailer and called it a butt whipping.

It happens to the best of us, it is just one of those inexplicable happenings.  One thing I have learned watching MLF is how easy it is to miss a pattern, while others are smoking them, that is what makes fishing what it is.  You never know.

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Now This Is Interesting

I have a friend who has what is probably the best indicator of bass mood, one in a tank at the house.  When discussing our current weather and bite, or lack of, he did an experiment, feed him.  Not that evening or into the next day did he eat anything.  He was basically not moving.  So lets think about the conditions when trying to figure out the really spotty lake bite this week.  First up we have a real cold front stunner, then it is immediately followed by mile high sky, high pressure, and several days of wind out of the north.  Even in a tank at the house he was still feeling it, and obviously so where his cousins.  At least that is my theory and I am sticking to it.

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 I really like this comment from Anonymous.

What a great year and a great recap! Thanks for sharing you knowledge and experiences with us. I read all of your blogs and never get tired of them. You are blessed to be able to do all you do, but dang you sure do work to make it happen.

Thanks for the kind words but your last sentence says it all.  It really is work at times, but as I often say how bad do you want it?  I have been hard at this fishing thing since I impulsively moved to Arkansas without a clue, bought a bait store in 1974 and then started guiding.  From that point on it has been all about the fishing no matter where I lived or what I was doing.  But behind that is the work to keep boats and tackle up to snuff, the cold mornings where you want to just stay in the sack, the $100 at the gas pump, and then getting home from a long day on the salt and cleaning the works.  And then pictures and posting.  But in the end this is a labor of love.  Thanks for reading.

And this from a reader who shall remain nameless.

Enjoy reading your blog. I see you often see you in the warmer months on the Coleto branch of the lake while I’m fishing for crappie. I run to Garcitas Creek and the Seadrift in the winter and like to see your reports. Please keep writing as there are few blogs to read that interest me…..

Again my thanks all.

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Rusty sent me a note that the day use/ramp fee on Fayette County is going to $4 a day for seniors and $7 a day for the rest of you suckers.  I know these places have upkeep and assorted costs but like all things fishing it seems to keep going up.  Our sport has gotten so expensive that I worry it will affect the number of young folks getting involved.  If it does some parts of the fishing future could be in jeopardy from the “anti” crowd.   And with coal slated to be a thing of the past the price of entry to power plants lakes will only keep going up.  In the long run just like my fishing license it is still a good deal.

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TPWD has reopened the areas closed following our freeze.  I have not heard any fish kill reports so we may have slid by.  On the lake I saw a couple of dead tilapia though is sure did not get cold enough to kill them.  But is sure would not hurt the lake any to have less of them.

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We are in the throes of preparations to take over the new house buy I will give it another go in the morning.  I may not be a lot of things but I am not a quitter and can take my whipping like a man.  You can count the number of times I have had that kind of day on Coleto on one hand.  But tomorrows forecast looks good so I will be out there taking it on the nose again, not.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines