FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors
Inc.
After a week waiting for the weather to straighten up some I was on the water at 9:00. It was cloudy and the wind was still blowing that steady 15+ out of the north and it would continue all day until I finally called no mas at 3:00.
Weather
34/57. A few clouds from time to time. High 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph with a 6% chance of rain.
Lake Level
Today 96.49 msl. Exactly 1 Month Ago 95.59 msl. (Up almost a foot!)
Bite Time
Major. 3:19 pm.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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The water has definitely come up a good bit at the lake, and it bodes well for next week. It has worked its way back into some of the shoreline cover but it definitely has some color. The water temp at the ramp was 57 degrees and there was not a truck at the ramp, and after fishing I know why. First up headed all the way up lake to see how conditions were, and they were ugly.
Way up lake it the water was 47 degrees and the color was almost muddy. I definitely stayed to long but wanted to see if there was a way to catch them, but if there was I sure did not figure it out. I hoped the white bass might be biting but no such luck. So while I did not get a bite with the forecast the next few days it should really get going. They will hit the banks in mass soon and I look forward to Monday.
Here is exactly what all 5 of them looked like.
So here is what worked – 4″ Honeydew Knockin Tail was the only thing I could get a bite on. They all came down lake in the clearer water on points. It seemed like pull up on a deeper point and catch or miss one, then nothing. This pattern held the whole time I fished but nothing else produced even the hint of a bite.
So here is what did not work – A Rig, jerk bait, swim jig, crankbait, and the kitchen sink. In reality none of that is really surprising considering the conditions the last week or so. I covered lots of water from way up lake to the plant arm, basically fishing all the “sure” spots and just could not get it going.
But there is a silver lining that sets us up for a big bite. With the weather gettting back in the 70’s this week expect them to come to the bank in mass over the next week or so. It is pre-spawn and nothing short of a massive flood will stop that from happening. So it was good to be back in the boat and starting Monday it will be full on fishing. Today will be cleaning the boat, getting equipment and tackle organized for both fresh and salt. Let the fishing begin, who knows might even start catching them.
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This from Randy after I bitched about what crap the 2 KastKing reels I bought were and how they ignored my complaints.
Doug Coppernoll the fish that broke their “Katfish rod” was a sunfish. They have horrible customer service. After calling and emailing daily for over a month I was finally told to send the rod back with $20. They would inspect it for damage and if it was a manufacturer default I could buy another one for half price. Soooo generous of them especially when they said it had a warranty on the website. At that point I would have over $100 in a cheaply made rod. NEVER again. Their “Rover” round reels sound like they have sand in them. The drag is all over the place. The tension knobs are just there for decoration. The spool free spins no matter how tight or loose the knobs were. It’s hard to find anything positive about this company.🤷
(It was a small bluegill.)
Well there you have it, seems like customer service really is conditional on their whims. Suffice to say that Kast King is off the table as far as I am concerned. Buy at your own risk. Thanks for letting us know.
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Got a call from my buddy Aaron who is headed to OH Ivey Thursday, so hope the roads are a little better by then. But it will be interesting to see how they do. Of course, the plan is to catch a really big fish, which that lake has as it continues to produce ShareLunkers and other fish in the 12+ range. I don’t care who you are anything substantially over 10 is a lifetime accomplishment. They have hired a guide day 1 which should give them a baseline, since Aaron is the real deal if anyone can get it done in 3 days it is Aaron. The best overall fisherman I have ever shared a boat with.
It has been so interesting to watch as lakes in Texas rise and fall over the years. Last decades hot spot is this years afterthought. Falcon (Where I caught my 3 pb’s in 24 hours.) during its heyday had hundreds of trucks at the ramp, now you have it to yourself during the week. Amistad the same. Fork has held up to the pressure as well as any bass lake when you consider how close it is to DFW. Now it is OH Ivey so we shall see how it holds up to the pressure but at this point it continues to produce world class largemouth bass.
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And this nice comment from Lee, a long-time reader.
Love reading your “new” reports of life in Colorado and hoping the Boss can join you soon. Looking forward to you chasing mountain streams and lakes and hoping for better fishing weather when you make it back to Texas. You’ve definitely got me thinking about life after the rat race. Congrats on the Colorado house!
Of course the minute I get back here the weather goes to crap. But I am rested up and looking at the weather report for next week it will be fishing till I drop. And as far as life after the rat race the day does come for all of us, from that point on what do you want out of life? In our case it was access to public lands and wildlife, and the fishing of course. The Boss is going to stick it out as long as she can until she retires. At this point it looks like South Fork will be my home for the majority of the time especially as the fishing gets started out there. Both of us will go back and forth until the day comes we hit the road for good. Appreciate your support, thanks.
And on that note, I am looking for a 16 – 17-foot v hull aluminum. A 25 hp give or take is about right as most of the lakes are smaller with no wake. With many of the Colorado lakes off gravel roads time to reduce weight and simplify the fishing. So if any of you hear or see such an animal let me know, will look at anything in that category but it must have titles. Not interested in messing around with that.
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I know I said it before but I really feel like the lake bite is about to take off. And definitely want to get in some salt before I head back to my Happy Place. So keeps stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
