FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

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This girl absolutely smashed the big topwater.  This picture does not do her justice, a whooper. 

Today was interesting for several reasons.  All the signs were there for a good bite.  The water is really clearing over the whole lake and there is plenty of stuff still in the water.  The temp has gone up to the high 70’s and the wind was not to bad.   Before I forget to tell you but today most of the fish had not spawned.  There is a possibility that they are going to and the fishing should remain fairly good.

**********The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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Weather

73/85.  Overcast.  Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.  (Today has fish written all over it.)

Lake Level

Today 97.77.   Monday 97.96.    (The fall continues.)

Bite Times

Major 8:08 am to 10:08 am.  Minor 1:58 pm to 2:58 pm.

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It was basically dark when I started on the bank up lake with a daily shad spawn.  It is shallow and covered with stuff, so spinnerbait was bait of choice, and the bite was on.  5 jumped on, maybe 2 measured and several just plan missed.  As shallow as it was if I wanted to catch a big fish it was time for a move and calmer water.  I decided to take my own advice and give the spook style topwater a go.

I said in my last post topwaters should be on and I got a few great bites today.

Then I made a good choice and for the rest of day it was consistent.  The big one above came out of 3 feet of water with stumps.  She hit halfway back, and it was a monster flush.  Once I figured that out the rest of the day was fishing coves and if the wind was blowing the spinnerbait was the choice.  If it was calm the topwater was up.  I ended up having 4 big bites on it and boated 2.

And at least 10 came on spinnerbait today.

It comes down to covering the miles.  The topwater can be a real hassle with the cover and it takes a good cast right to the edge to get a bite.  The spinnerbait is a better choice in the green grass.  And I did comment the other day that what was not happening was the bite of a big fish halfway back and this morning it happened.

Why this little guy?  It is a Kentucky bass which is not that comment on Coleto and just wanted to tell you a little about them.

I caught the one above on the topwater,  Kentucky’s are not prevalent on the lake buy any means but I have caught a dozen or more the last couple of years.  This one was way down lake, so who knows they may be expanding their range.  Having caught hundreds in Arkansas I recognize them immediately but the ragged lateral line, the smaller mouth, and until they start getting up above a couple of pounds they tend to be slimmer.  But the absolute way to tell, open their mouth and feel their tongue, they have a patch like sandpaper that largemouth do not have.  On this particular one you could easily see it.  So if you are not sure just check the tongue.

A weird day in some respects.  A white bass on spinnerbait and a couple of gar on the topwater.

Part of the weird today was another white bass on spinnerbait and a couple of gar on the topwater.  There were only a place or two where I did not catch at least one.  And boy were the snakes out.  I did make on stupid thing, not retying.  Another really good fish jumped a spinnerbait right on a little grassy point, jumped and broke off.  Stupid since earlier I thought I should retie and when I reeled my line in it was at the knot.  As much cover as I am wallowing through it should be done repeatedly.  Another lesson learned so after writing this will retie everything.

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Blast From the Past 

This is my dad (Center) and his 2 brothers with one cool car.

No one is quite sure when this was taken but my guess is before he went off to colllege and ROTC.  This was probably taken at the farm.  My grandparents had 80 acres of prime farmland in Northern Illinois.  They milked cows by hand, did much of the work with giant Belgian draft horses and raised most of their own food in a huge garden.

I have great memories of grandpa milking the cows by hand and then putting the milk cans in the horse trough to keep them cold.  In the winter he would hitch those huge horses up with bells on a sleigh and we would head a few miles to the cheese factory.  The dude would come out in a big, tall white chefs style hat and then the empty cans would be filled with whey, the left over by product which was feed to the hogs.  And on that small piece of land he sent the majority of the kids to college.

Those days are long gone, and while the overall change is for the better that way of life was simpler.  We listened to football and fights on the radio.  And he never missed Gun Smoke, Lawrence Welk, and Art Linkletter.  It was bed by 9:00 and that old man was up way before daylight to head to the back pasture and bring in the cows.  He left the farm maybe a couple of times after getting back from WW1 and never wore his teeth.  I can honestly say I never understood a thing he said.  Hard work was a way of life and I am glad I got to live a little piece of that.

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Today was encouraging.  I am looking forward to next week and just maybe the bite is on the up stroke.  With bascially a week to fish until I hit the road will try to get out as much as I can.  But I am so ready to head back to the mountains and our new adventure.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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Best Buy Sucks

I bought a computer there 2 days ago.  Then get an email from the Geek Squad saying thanks for buying a $400 dollar maintenance plan.  Sure, on a $350 computer.  Suspected a scam but the retired attorney in me came out so I called the numbers provided and was connected to some foreign piece of shit.  I said you are on tape and tell me you are Geek Squad and of course he immediately hung up.

So trying to help Best Buy I called the number for customer service on their website and offered to send the email and was told by an English as a second language phone worker (Same accent as the scammer) there is no way to send it and no way other than talking to her, totally clueless, and no one else to speak with.  Be aware you might be scammed in their name from information that could have come from them in some manner and they could care less.  I told no one I bought a computer, the bank told no one, so ……  Obviously, they have been breached or how could the scammer know I made a purchase there?  That is what I get for trying to be helpful.  And of course no more shopping at Best Buy.

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WTF?

I just watched the foreign minister of Iran basically threaten us while at the UN.  UN or not why is that POS allowed on US soil.  The middle east continues to bring nothing but trouble to the US.  More and more I believe after this episode between Iran/Hamas/Palestine and Israel we need to quit trying to fix any part of it.  They are all religious zealots who have caused nothing but trouble and we might all be better off if we just let them kill each other.  They deserve each other.

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