FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors
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Beaver Lake before the crowd showed up.
I rarely fish on the weekends much less a holiday weekend but I was up at 6:00 and gone. I figured that was early enough and it was. Definitely a later crowd here. And it was one of those days when you are glad you went fishing. It was almost dead calm, water temp was 62 which is up a degree, and the air temp was 39 degrees at the lake. (Interesting it 79 degrees when I quit, up 40.)
That was a nice one on the hoochie and dodger.
As I learn I figured they would be shallower first thing so went with a minnow bait with a 1/2 dropper and a dodger. The other rod went with a bigger hoochie with the same set up. By time I got settled and made the first pass to the dam, a 10 minute trip at slow idle, 8 had jumped on, but were all stockers. From then on things improved as far as size goes and they bit until calling it a day at 2:30.
A kokanee salmon. They are squirmy!
Though they say there are kokanee in the lake this is only the second one I have caught but I am learning. Have tried multiple techniques and baits but I am beginning to think it may more be a matter of location. The fish are where you would think, points and humps but with over 70 foot of water the salmon may be in the deepest water. The trout on the other hand can be caught best trolling the drop off along the bank. But either way the bite was on and before it was over it was an easy 40+. In fact the deeper hoochie bite was so good I ran shallower baits on the other rod so I did not catch to many.
Bang O Lure doing it’s thing.
I have been trolling a little bigger minnow bait hoping to entice a bigger trout. But big or small they love the minnow bait and you could probably catch fish all day just flatlining them. The weather stayed fantastic and the bite was so much better than last time when it was cloudy. Still trying to figure all that out. And the lead core line has a learning curve but I am starting to like it. Sure makes it easy to put the bait right back where they want it. Today it seemed around 15 -18 feet was the ticket. One thing is very consistent on the trout, see them on the locator, make sure you bait is near them then take a 90 degree turn and that generally produces a bite. Trolling is not just dragging a bait around, there is lots to learn.
The hoochie was the bait of choice today.
Kayaking is a big deal here. During the day there was probably 15 – 20 off and on and it provided some comic relief. One bit the dust early, and I mean they were struggling, but thank goodness she was close to the bank and her friend helped her get to shore and empty the yak. It was cold and she sat on the bank awhile then a long paddle back to the ramp. And in the touron way (look it up) she did not have a life jacket on. Talk about asking for it.
Then when heading to the ramp another guy face planted and had a real struggle getting back in the yak. But he had a life jacket, and it was obvious he knew what he was doing. So other than a cool dunking no big deal.
The ramp can be interesting no matter what day it is. First most of the ramps are not the best by a long shot. Second these are not hardcore folks. Watching folks loading and unloading can be interesting and unlike Froogie’s where 20 boats unload in 10 minutes here you just have to be patient. But like I told the guy the other day who apologized for taking so long: I got nowhere to be. And in 2 months it will be a different story.
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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.
For all your wading needs.
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Rehab
Unlike Amy Winehouse who said she did not need rehab then overdosed and kicked the bucket I admit I have a problem. It was time to take stock, just how many freakin’ fishing rods does one guy need? Now it was never high dollar rods with me, just never felt high priced stuff was really necessary. But I never passed up an opportunity to pick up sale rods. So I sat down and looked at it realistically, and the winner is 19. Now that covers fresh/salt, trolling, casting and spinning along with a couple of push buttons for folks who are not fishermen. Many can do cross over duty. The fly rods are another matter.
It was time for a fishing rod reckoning, we fishermen are such suckers.
The 19 hole total was exactly how many I have out here and the 5 (Just kidding but 5 is the limit.) or so still in Texas for bass fishing. They will be coming back when I am done fishing there this fall. As a part of my rehab is the rule, there are the 19 spaces, end of story. Adding one means subtracting one. I am sure I will suffer some apprehension when the need for another pops up, it happens with us addicts. It may be the first time in a long time that I actually have a clue what I have.
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This guy’s rack is headed to serious monster status. Not sure how wide this is but can’t wait to see him this fall in full rut. And trust me this guy is a hoss.
The mule deer are really starting to move around. There are several bucks who cross the backyard feeding every morning and this guy just showed up a couple of days ago. This photo does not due him real justice, but he is a huge bodied guy with a rack that is headed to epic. And since he has eye guards starting, not a sure thing with mule deer, he has a chance to add scoring to what is going to be one great rack. It is going to be a great fall watching them grow. Still have not seen a fawn this year but they will be showing up soon. As I have said many times, I will never take it for granted when I look out my back door and see just what nature has to offer.
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It is really busy in South Fork right now. The fire department had a fund raiser fish fry, and it sold out way before it was over. It was busy as hundreds and hundreds of folks from all over showed up and the food was great. Plus, we love our first responders.
In line at the back of the fire house headed around the front with a couple of zillion supporters.
This is not your normal small-town department. They are big time in search and rescue handling all kinds of mountain mishaps. Not only do the fight town fires they go lots of places in this country fighting forest fires. They are the real deal and it sure is nice to have them here.
The fishing on the river remains seriously good and the guides and fly shops are killing it. When the season is as short as it is here, they have to get it while the getting is good, along with the rest of the businesses. Glad it is so busy.
My neighbor had his daughter and son-in-law here along with lots of family. The son-in-law is a 9-year NFL vet and is with the Eagles right now. He is just about to get his boot off after tearing his Achillies, he tore the other side a couple of years ago. He will be on injured reserve most likely all year as he rehabs. While the Eagle thing is cool the neighbor showed me a picture of his tackle room. Way more rods than me and we will be fishing together in the future. 6’5″ and 315 should fit in the little Lund just fine!
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The Boss will be here next week and it will be nice for her to get to spend a little time in the house Nancy built. I will be getting her yak out and aired up along with an equipment check so she can hit the water first thing. And we will definitely be doing some hiking, I love it here but it is not the same without her. But until then it will be back on the lake Monday as I have a plan to see if I can catch some salmon. And on the way to get the truck there were lots of grasshoppers so the fly rod will get a little work out. Plus I will be 71y/o next week. Must be all that clean living. Last all you folks on the Texas coast, especially on the coastal band be careful and I will be hoping for the best when it comes ashore. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
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So, you Back the Blue?
On my way to the lake the other morning I had a close encounter of the Texas kind. I am doing exactly the limit when a jacked up big white pickup roars up behind me and tailgates the crap out of me. The first chance he gets he flies around me, and he has Texas plates. The real issue is not where he is from but his Back the Blue bumper sticker. I shake my head as it dawns on me, he is a hypocrite in the worst way.
The very first step to backing the blue is not breaking the law. It is that simple. After being around hundreds of criminals this was their attitude, I ain’t breaking the law, it is only a little bit, or it is no big deal. Well guess what folks, speeding is against the law, the limit is not a suggestion for you to decide in your infinite wisdom what is ok. Before you put the bumper sticker on, wave your flags and spout off about your support for law enforcement, think about this. Our officers deserve our support, they sure have better things to do than chase speeders who “support” them. Be a part of the solution and not the problem.
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You Gotta Love America
I rant about a lot of things but generally it is because I care. But in the following I could give a rat’s rear end for the dude, but I am concerned this is the level of intelligence spreading in this country. A guy in NC decided that to show off he would place a big firework on his head and light it. It blew his stupid head up and he died right there. There are no words for this. Good grief!
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