I have been fishing the Gulf for the last several months waiting for the temps to cool, the water to cool off, and the rains to come. While I like catching trout and reds, bass still hold a special place in my heart. So with some clouds in the sky, and a little wind, I decided to travel to Coleto Creek Reservoir and catch some bass.
I got to the ramp about 3:45 and there was 2 trucks in the parking lot. The lake is down, like all lakes in Texas, way down. After launching I idled out of the no wake zone, it was only about 1 – 2 foot deep near the ramp, but not a real problem so off I went.
My first stop was a deep point with a channel swinging over against it. I threw a 7″ Zoom purple metal flake worm with a flapping tail. My third cast one start to swim off with it towards me. I reeled up, set the hook, and here comes a fish well over 6 out of the water right at the boat and he came unbuttoned. As my friend Tad used to say, “With your superior skill you managed to &*%$@# it up!” Clearly I didn’t get enough slack out before I set the hook. So is this a good sign or a bad sign? An hour later, and 1 small fish, it was time to change tactics.
I grabbed my go-to bait on power plant lakes, a Rapala Shad Rap in the standard black back silver side, and took off down the bank. I had been worm fishing points and swings with little success. Several small ones came over the side reeling that Shad Rap pretty quick, but it was no tournament winning pattern. While the shallower banks with grass on them had fish, it was not the ones I was looking for. So a move was in order.
I headed up the main arm where the power plant is located and went to a long deep bank. It has grass, a few pockets, and points leading into deep water. It was time to switch. The water was off color and the wind was pounding on the bank. I switched to a Rapala vibrating bait and it was game on.
Here it is – the exact bait. Even I can catch em’ when they are eating it like this!
For about the next couple hours I just eased along the banks, ripping the shad along the edge of the grass and catching them. When I got to a wind blown point, of which there are 4 or 5 on that bank, I would run it a little deeper. Most of the fish I caught were keepers. I did manage a couple on worm, casting it after working the point with the Rapala, but they were small and it was hard with the wind.
Why is this next picture here? This is the great picture that almost was. Was trying to get the camera out and keep the other one which was a little bigger than this one on the hook. It has been awhile since I caught 2 at once.
The “old” you should have seen the one that got away!
I caught one every so often for the next hour or so. Then I caught one who grabbed it right on the surface when the bait was caught in some grass and I ripped it out. So I may be slow, but I am not stupid, so lets try something shallow – how about a buzz bait? So out comes the Lunker Lure. One word on buzz baits. I have used the original Lunker Lure for years, it runs straight both fast and slow, the blade seems to last as long as the rest of them, and it has the perfect pitch plop-plop-plop. So even though it was a little windier on that bank than I like for buzz bait I gave it a shot.
Here is the second one that size.
A few casts later and a good one blasted it and I missed him. Then I caught a good one, and then another, and then a couple more. The combination of wind, bait, and grass covered points was the ticket. I actually went over the same area again and they kept co-operating. I should have taken a few more pictures – NOT! They were biting and I was catching, so no more pics. It was not fast and furious, just nice and steady.
So what did I learn about Coleto yesterday? There seemed to be a few fish on the shallower banks with grass, but most of them were small. By far the better places were the deeper banks with wind blowing right on them. If you could find grass off the point with a good drop you were in business. I also wanted to show you the exact baits I caught on, and if you notice chartreuse was the color, not sure if it was the only color, but it was the one that worked for me.
I am no pro on Coleto by any stretch, but it is one of the most consistent lakes I have ever fished. There are usually multiple patterns so you can fish whatever method you like, or are good at. If you have never fished Coleto Creek, it is a great lake. It has a variety of structure and fishes a lot bigger than it is.
So there was my afternoon. I am trying to bring you simple, fresh, and accurate fishing reports. So many times you see reports that say things like, and this is my personal favorite, the old “mid bay reefs on plastics.” At least they are kind enough to narrow it down to the ocean while showing you massive stingers of fish that someone paid big bucks to catch! Share information with each other, it helps us all catch more fish. Good Luck!
