FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Figuring out the tides.

(The information contained below has been compiled from multiple websites and postings.  It might make sense, it took me a while to digest it, but I hope it makes some sense to you.  This is the hardest question I have ever attempted to answer, hope it helps.)

What prompted this post was the following comment and question I got from Steve.

Good Morning Doug
OK Let’s talk tides. The more I think I know really becomes the less I know. So if its high tide at POC near the jetties at 7:00 am what time is high tide at Big Bayou, the Amy Hole or let’s say Keller Bay. Is there any way to guess about the lag times? I have noticed that the tide charts for Seadrift are a much as 10 hours behind POC and only a fraction of the water movement that POC has for the same tide. Somebody once told me that Indianola was 4 hours behind POC! I’ve noticed that fishing Big Bayou seems to be about 2 hours or more behind and the water moves on a falling tide in the opposite direction than I think it should. Falling tide flows into the narrow end. If I were to fish around First Chain Inland how would you attempt to know when high tide would happen, if high tide was 7:00am at POC. The wind and the effects on tides are for another day!
Thanks for any Help
Steve
Waco

Your question can be distilled down to one – How do I figure out when and where to be on the bay?  Once I thought about your question I realized I do not have a freakin’ clue how it all works together.  So after a ton of reading here is the best answer I can give you.  It is not rocket science, though it seems to be, but there is also a certain amount of voodoo involved so lets see if this makes sense.

When looking at your average tide chart there are highs and lows.  Basically tides are controlled by the moon, time of year, and a few other factors that are irrelevant for our use.  What is important, highs and lows have absolutely nothing to do with water movement.  They simply tell us highs and lows at a specific place.  In other words the times depicted are simply applicable to that monitoring station wherever it is.

So timing your bank selection based on hoped for water movement presents a real question that can be broken down into two parts.  Distance from the opening, big jetties in the POC area, and actual water movement times.  So lets look at the basics.  Tide times on our bay system are based on how far a location is from the jetties in our case, in other words where water enters the system.  The further you are from these openings the later the incoming and the earlier the outgoing.  Last to move in and first to start moving out.  So remember times have to be adjusted the closer you get to the opening, in our case the big jetties.

So lets look at a couple of examples.  Seadrift is a perfect example, it is a long way from the jetties so the tide is way later on the way in, and the water flow is not near as strong as it would be say at the Old Coast Guard Station.   To check I went to a site (see below) that is used by surfers for the 4th of October.  The high tide was projected at Pass Cavallo on the 4th at 8:27 pm.  Then I went to the Texas Tide Table website and checked POC and guess what?  High tide did not get there until 1:21 am on the 5th!  5 hours later.  That surprised the crap out of me.  So if you think about what your buddy told you it actually seems about right that the high in Indianola would be around 4 hours later than POC.

Try visualizing the bay system as the vessels that carry our blood in the human body.  You have the little skinny vessels (drains) way out  ending on your fingertips and toes that carry stuff in and out.  (the very end of the back bays and marsh as far away from the jetties as possible.)  As the vessels (drains, cuts, channels) merge they get bigger as they carry more water faster and faster.  As the small vessel (small drains and cuts) drain into the bigger vessels (channels like Big Bayou, Mitchell’s Cut, and a few others you might know) more water leaves the bay quicker.  They then join the big vessels leading to and from the heart, (the main flow leading in and out of the jetties) and then out the pass.  If you think about it that is why the tide may just be moving out slowly in the back lakes or marsh and later hauling booty near the jetties.

Sorry that is such a weird example but it leads to the answer to your questions as to when to be where.  The good thing there is a fairly simple answer.  (I hope)  It requires time on the water, and maybe a little record keeping, but there is a basic answer.  The basic answer is this – Once you learn the difference in the times from point to point, that ratio basically never changes.  As I fish I will now be watching several places now to be sure that is correct, but much of the stuff I read say this is the case.  We are not talking about crazy events or outside influences, we are simply talking about basic times.  If there is a 5 hour difference between Pass Cavallo and POC, and 4 hour difference between POC and Indianola, or a 10 hour difference to Seadrift, we can start to think about where and when the highs and lows, and water movement times, will be at a specific area.

If you have a map of the bay you can kind of start visualizing timing the water, it helps.  Start at POC and look all the way to Seadrift, if that is a 10 hour difference you can back track to POC and start making a somewhat educated guess as to where the water will be moving at specific place during that tidal period.  You can at least make a projection that can start as a baseline for learning where the water is moving and when related to the monitoring site.  Make sense?  So something so complicated can be reduced to simple deduction, and once we have ascertained the basic difference from any point in the bay to the monitoring station you use, we can start to really project just where we might want to be.  So once we start really paying attention, something I did not do in the past but will do now, we should be able to make a close projection as to whether we go here or there.

So while you digest that lets talk about the real important information not disclosed in some tide tables.  When you look at the Texas Tide Tables it is simply a numeric representation, high and low.  That tells us nothing about water movement, which is where the money is.  For me the best way to read that is on the graphs some sites use to represent water movement during the tidal period.  If you look at that representation it is usually a line that moves between the high and low tides.  The higher the variation in the line the bigger the tide.  So as you look at that line you are looking for a time with a variation in the line or sharper break up or down.  That is a good indication of the best time during the tide when and the water is moving the most.  That is opposed to a nice even line going up and down, with no sharp breaks, which is my nemesis, a flat tide.  A sharp drop or rise on the line between high and low is the best indicator of when the water is moving and the fish might be biting.  Here is where it seems to get a little more complicated.

Lets consider this example using the POC time.  If it looks like the water is going to haul ass at 9:30 about a third of the way through a tide, shown by a sharp up or down turn in the graph line.  That is when the water is moving and we need to be at our spot.  So a little simple math is in order to again make nothing more than a projection as to when you need to be where the best water movement is during the tide you are fishing.  So you still look at how far you are from POC when fishing, if you are using POC monitoring site times, to try to be somewhere on the best water movement.  So high tide and low tide are only the starting point.   Moving water is the ticket and we want to be there when it does.  So while the water may move at POC at 10am, it may not move until 8pm in Seadrift, or 2pm at Indianola.  So in my simple explanation of a really complicated subject is if you are halfway to Seadrift from POC you may want to be in that area at 3pm.  Experience at several places over time related to times will begin to add up, giving you the beginning of a baseline of when and where you want to be.

It is easy to tell when the tide is moving by simple signs like the way the grass is moving, or maybe the direction of mud from your wading. That is just a  simple way to guess whether the water is going in or out.  So in the perfect world we know we should either head towards the POC, the place we are using for tide times, or away from it.

And from my reading wind really does not play a real factor in high and low tides unless it is blowing a gale, the times are what they are.  The wind plays a more important role in locating fish during periods of slack tide.  If there is no water movement then the wind blowing on a bank can make all the difference.  So while the wind is rarely a real factor in tide times in our case, in the Baffin area which has no opening close, it can definitely be a major factor into your fishing day.  So if it is flat where you are look to the wind to provide the current, or make you guess and move.  Back to the basic rule on the bay, fish are more active with current no matter how it is generated.

To simplify this whole mess.  Be wherever the water is moving – end of story.  It will take some time to determine the where and when based on the tide monitoring station you use.  But once you figure out the basics time difference you can learn to be somewhere almost any day with a realistic expectation that the water will be moving there based on what time it is.

Wow!  As I re-read and edit this it seems so simple, or maybe I am just plain reading the information wrong.  But like all factors in fishing there are exceptions, differences, and gremlins.  But hopefully this helps you start to think about tides in an organized manner, which can put more fish on the stringer.  I know that this is highly simplified, but for most of us we are not interested in needing a fancy calculator to go fishing.  The most important thing is, if you can go fishing, go.  Most of us never have enough time on the water and we are stuck with whatever the tides and weather are.  But there is a way to increase the odds to our favor.   So only time will tell if this is the way to go, I know I am going to keep testing it out.

Thanks for your question.  Just reading all the stuff I did gave me a whole lot more knowledge on how I might maximize my fishing day.  Occasionally I make a big move and it works out perfect, other times not so much.  It is clear to me my moves were often willy-nilly with no real thought and I deserved the results.  No wonder, I was probably going the wrong way!

Now for the rest of you.  Does this make sense or is it full of crap?  Have anything to add to this?  Your feedback can lead me to other resources and opinions that will help expand this post.  After a while I will move this to the How-To page and update it with any new information that comes up.  I am no expert, nor do I claim this is the be all end all answer to using the tide to your benefit.  I would love to hear what any of you have to say, I want this to be the right answer that anyone can use.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Resources:  There is a wealth of information on these sites.

http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/texassites.html

This site has lots of water flow info and other cool stuff.

http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Port-Oconner/tides/latest

The one used by surfers it has ocean tide times for Pass Cavallo and other outside places.

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/stationhome.html?id=8773701

http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/texas

The tide site I used most of the time.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Tomorrow’s fishing will be with Bobby on Coleto.  I guess my primary concern is how much the lake has dropped.  If you follow this I have been pitching to shallow cover up lake for a couple of months and doing so-so.  So with that in mind, from now on when lake fishing there will be a lake level.  I have no idea of the specifics of where we are related to “normal” on Coleto but I know it has come down some.  From now on when fishing the lake there will be a current level and the level last time I was there.  That will give it some context.  The weather does not look real promising, but if we can avoid the lightening it should be ok.

Weather

88/69  Scattered thunderstorm increasing during day.  80% chance of rain  Wind ESE 10 – 15.

Current Lake Level     96.28 msl (0.01)

Solunar Times

• Best Times   3:01A – 5:01A
•                        3:24P – 5:24P
• Good Time   9:13A – 11:13A  (Yep)

I turned on the weather map when I got up at 5:15 and there was the beginning of small storms coming in off the Gulf.  It looked like we would be ok for a while, and we were until we were on the way home.  As far as the water level at the lake, it is still slowly coming down.  The water temp was still 86 – 90 degrees, and as it has been, with the water clear down lake and cloudy up.

Bobby broke his run of bad luck on Coleto today.

Bobby has been having a little trouble getting on the fish so I was hoping we could catch a few and let him get the hang of it.  So we headed up lake and started tossing stick worms around shallow cover.  On the first bank we caught 6 or 7, and it stayed that way until we quit when the trolling motor battery crapped out.

                      It did not take him long to get with the program.

As I have been doing for a couple of months, we were pitching the plastic to shallow cover/wood and they were eating.  One big difference today was he was throwing his weightless on 12lb line, a 1/4 weight and 20lb for me.  Both of us were throwing 5″ stick worms, his a Lake Fork Tackle, mine the Big Bite.  He had me down pretty good and I was wondering if it was the bait or the front end of the boat. More on that in a minute.  But no matter what it had to be tossed tight to cover and most bites came immediately.  In fact, right as we started he was almost over a tree in 6 foot of water, flipped his bait and caught one almost under the trolling motor.

 Trust me, that second fish is going to have a pain in the ass for a while.

We kept with the stick bait until we fished most of our second bank, which was really shallow since the lake has come down.  So after boating probably 12 – 14 we got to a place where I caught a couple on swim jig the other day, and we had a new bite.  He is a big swim jig fan like I am so we both were all about it.  He was throwing a white/white Rage Craw and I was throwing the bluegill/ watermelon Rage Craw, and he got me down about 4 or 5 to zip.  When we moved to the next bank he wanted to sit a minute, so I hoped up front and started catching them.  It was real clear the front end was the place to be today.  With the water receding there are only so many perfect places to pitch.  And the ones that were up ate the fist swim jig they saw, no matter the color.

              Bobby caught a nice 5 fish limit.  Some real solid fish.

The last place we fished was where we started.  I caught a couple on swim jig and lost a big fish.  We were reeling at a moderate speed today and then I had one eat when I jerked it.  Then a couple of casts later I was letting it fall beside the boat, one thumped it, I got a good hood set, but he pulled off right beside the boat.  We did not see him, but the size of the scale on the barb of my swim jig was a big one.  So that was my shot today.  So since they were hitting the jig in front Bobby picked up the stick bait and boated one more before we called it a morning as the trolling motor battery called it a day.  Sorry Bobby, break out another hundred.  It actually worked out because on the way home it rained like crazy for a little bit so we were done anyway.

We learned several things today.  First they are definitely interested in the swim jig.  Both white or natural, it just seemed to be who was in the front of the boat.  But with the water so shallow where we caught them it only makes sense.  The good thing was they were eating it,  a sign of things to come.  Another thing that really has me anticipating the fall fishing, there were bass chasing minnows or fry of some sort.  Coleto is a great winter topwater minnow lake, and things are looking good for some of that this year.   One thing that surprised me was there was a white bass dying on the surface way up lake.  You can tell because they turn black, which you usually see in the spring after the spawn.  Not sure what is up with that, but may do a quick troll in that area next time out, it is where we caught them this spring.  Last, when the fish are in the beginning of a major transition, which the Coleto fish are after a really long hot summer, it is always nice to have 2 people fishing.  Today fishing the stick worm weightless was better and the front of the boat was better for the swim jig, and it looked like color was irrelevant.  Hard to learn that much  by yourself.

So for a half day it was good.  We boated around 20, and it helped his confidence.  We all get in the occasional rut, his had just lasted a while.  But all it takes is boating a few fish to give a guy confidence, and if we had been keeping fish his 5 fish limit was tourney worthy.  Plus we had a good time BS’ing about fishing.  He first got on the swim jig with me 2 years ago and we whacked them pretty good.  Now that he learned a little about pitching he has something a little new in his arsenal.  It was my pleasure to spend the morning fishing with him and share a little knowledge.  Next thing is getting him up to Fayette.  He is a hard core bass guy and one trip there and he will be hooked.

A great week so far, no real big fish lake or bay, but the numbers have been great.  The catching has been consistent, and is an indicator of things to come.  What is next?  Not a clue but it might involve fishing with my buddy Jeffish and his sone Korbin, the 2020 Bassmaster Champ.  Other than that I will be back in the water soon.  Trout and reds eating a topwater is a thing of beauty, and there are several places I want to get to I haven’t.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Looking at the numbers for tomorrow it has potential.   Hopefully when I get there at daylight the water will be running hard.  I have not seen a low tide in the last few trips so tomorrow I will fish until dead low.  And as a side note, Monday the fish bit pretty hard on topwater in the wind, so if my first place or two does not pan out I may give the wind a try again.  The basic plan is to fish the island tomorrow.  With Monday’s results  I am really anticipating a good day on Wednesday.

Weather

91/71  Partly cloudy becoming cloudy in afternoon.  20% chance of rain.  Wind SE 10 – 15 (No wind to speak of.)

Tides

High   1:21 AM     1.3
Low   2:50 PM     0.7

Solunar Times

• Best Times      1:20A – 3:20A
•                           1:43P – 3:43P
• Good Time      7:32A – 9:32A  (Oh yeah.)

Bite After Bite!

It was flat calm when I dropped the boat in water at Froggie’s before daylight.  There were a few trucks in the parking lot and no one off loading.  As I headed down the barge canal the water was not moving, it was slick as glass.  Today it was straight to the area on Pringle shoreline I like to fish.  And I will admit to opening it up a little and flying across the dead slick bay.  It was beautiful out there and I was having one of those “You are a lucky SOB and it is great to be alive”.

It was like glass.

Bite number 1 – 6 steps from the boat.

I want to get the picture thing out of the way.  These are just a small part of what I caught today.  Some days it is just your day, today everything was absolutely perfect.  2 or 3 jumped on the topwater right away as I worked my way to the drain.  And low and behold the water started moving out, and there were rafts of mullet getting worked over.  Sometimes it is as good to be lucky, and my timing was perfect.  I tossed the topwater a few times over the deeper part of the drain without success.

Switching to plastics, I would toss it across, let it hit bottom and then hop it, letting it drift with the tide down the center of the channel, and it would be a bite, and a bite, and more bites.  There is no way to guess how many I caught without moving a single step.

                  Keepers, small ones, and a bunch in between.

As the tide began to really flow the water really started clearing.  I saw lots of small reds, plus a couple of hooters, along with sheepsheads swim by me.  The Cocoons let me see a couple of trout roll over as they ate something.  It was clear.  I stood in that one spot and whacked them.  After a while for something different I threw the twitch bait and caught 4 or 5 on it, still in the same spot.  The only thing that did not cooperate was a flounder.  We probably need the next moon and just a little cooler water to get that going. Finally I left them biting right along, it was time for a little topwater.  As I keep saying, the Wade Right belt lets me carry all the crap I need, and again not having to go back to the boat made a big difference.

                                        Probably a dozen this size.

I keep giving the Chug Bug a chance, and though I caught a couple small ones it was back to the Bagley Knocker B.  Not sure why they went nuts for the Chug Bug a couple of weeks ago, but they are not having it now.  From probably 10 until they quit at 1 it was a steady, not spectacular, bite.  Both trout and reds were scattered on the flat and were willing to have a go at the topwater.  And you have to give redfish credit, when they really want it they want it.  One of these exploded on it in one of those bites that keeps me throwing it.

I just can’t put that topwater down.  If they keep hitting it I keep throwing it.

Everywhere you looked you could see water moving, bait jumping, everything was active.  They kept after the topwater, and while I know I could have put more on the end of the line with plastics, I just love having them blowing up on it.

           The shore line was loaded with some really small reds.

The reason I showed you the little guy was that bank had lots of them on it.  I caught 5 or 6 and missed that many rats.  I could see them with the Cocoons, and when I would see one roll over I would toss the plastic and get a bite.  It was quite the school of what must have been first year rats.

So I moved out to about thigh deep water and would fan cast the area, then move 10 steps and do it again.  The water was dropping and clearing to flat gin clear.  On this particular bank I catch them in the potholes when the water drops, but today they were not related to anything particular.  Some were shallow and some were out in about 3′ of water.  They did want the topwater fairly quickly in a walk the dog retrieve.  Finally about 1 the water quit moving, the bait disappeared, the fish quit, and so did I.

All in all it was a great day of fishing.  If I had just stayed in the drain throwing plastics until the water quit moving it would have been really ugly.  It was one of those days when there is no counting, they just kept coming.  And though I did not stick the big one today, it more than made up for it in the sheer number of bites.  I have not had that many bites in a morning since last spring some time.   And the redfish are getting ready to go nuts.  Some cool nights and it will be on.  And it was good to see the number of small rats, it takes small ones to make big ones.

Again, like Monday, they bit the towater until at least noon.  Today it was a slight ripple and gin clear water, Monday it was blowing, rough, and had some color to it.  My only comment on that, they are biting.  End of story.   If you can get a falling tide in the morning there are plenty of fish to be caught.  So I will be back out there soon, and I do mean soon.  The only thing that did not happen was since they kept biting I never did get back in the boat, or move and try another spot.  But you know the old saying, “Don’t leave fish to find fish.”  So next trip I will try a different place, and I can think of several places that might be loaded.

**********************

When I posted that you all should send me some deer, I know you guys are out there, Austin Aaron came through.  I actually figured I might hear from him as I knew he was a committed hunter.

Hey Doug,

I’ve been following the blog but haven’t had much to report lately.  Looks like you had a great day on Monday.  I spent some time on Mustang Island with the family last month and fished the Wilson’s Cut area for the first time.  With no knowledge of the area I didn’t expect much action but actually had a great morning with three nice reds (including one at 32”) and plenty of small trout.  A bull red can really pull the kayak a long way!  It was fun to fish some new territory.

I can smell the backstraps sizzling in the pan!

I’ve been anxious for bow season to roll around and opening morning didn’t disappoint as I connected with a nice buck I’ve been watching just west of Austin on a small low fence property that’s adjacent to some neighborhoods.  Glad he piled up after 40 yards because the grass is high and full of chiggers!  Gross 138 for those that like scores.

I hope to get down to POC later this week if work permits and will let you know how it goes.

Aaron

Nice buck!  And taking him with a bow only makes it all that much sweeter.  And it is always fun to fish new places, doing that over the years has been an adventure.  I will always look back on my first trip to the Everglades/Ten Thousand Islands.  I towed all the way there, knew no one and nothing, and it was an adventure.  Fishing new places always makes us  better fisherman, and helps keep us out of a rut.  Good to hear from you and will be looking forward to a report if you get down this way.  The fishing is really improving so good luck.  And the rest of you – whether you catch it, shoot it, spear it, we want to see your pictures.

*******************

Killer Deer

And speaking of deer, I read an interesting Washington Post article the other day.  I did not know they kill more Americans than any other animal.  Deer are involved in 1 million accidents that kill 200 people, the average repair claim is $4000.  In Texas we have a 1 in 288 chance of hitting a deer.  So time to thin the herd, when you were hunting you didn’t realize you are actually saving lives.  So whack em’ and sack em’.  Nothing like a little backstrap.  Yummmm.

*******************

I got one of the most interesting question concerning tides from Steve in Waco.  I was going to answer him from my experience in general terms and then I got to reading online, both articles and fisherman comments, and realized there is lots to digest.  Before I was done yesterday I had over 9 pages of notes, with a little more reading to do.  It kind of reminded me of researching the law, I want to give the best answer I can.  Reading what I have so far, I really am learning something.  And I also found a couple of sites that can help make an intelligent choice on where and when to fish.  So Steve, I am not ignoring you, in fact it is just the opposite.  In the next few days I will distill all the information I researched on tides into something we can all learn from.  So thanks for your question, the answer is on the way.  The topic will require it’s own post.

********************

So what a day.  Both days this week on the bay have been good.  It sure makes it worth it to get up early and be in the water at daylight.  And it has been nice to not have to move.  Fish a good bank with cover, grass, a drain, some bait and the  fish are there.  It makes me excited just thinking about the next couple of months.  Big fish time is coming and it will be back to trying to break 30″.  Tomorrow it is off to Coleto with my buddy Bobby.  As good as it has been going maybe a big one is in my future.  Nice to have someone take me occasionally.  Fall fishing is on and I intend to keep after it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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There is nothing bad to say about tomorrow’s forcast.  Light winds along with a good tide and solunar times should combine for a pretty good day of fishing.   So the plan is off early to POC and in the water as close to daylight as I can get.  I haven’t decided where I am fishing today, it will just have to wait until I turn left or right down the barge canal in the morning.

Weather

89/68  Sunshine   Wind ENE 5 – 10  (15mph and never slowed a bit.)  Chance of rain 10%

Tides    

High   4:33 AM     1.2     Low   1:39 PM     0.8

Solunar Times

• Best     12:32A – 2:32A
•              12:54P – 2:54P
• Good     6:43A – 8:43A  (They bit on and off al morning and into the afternoon.)

Making Good Choices

You know how the old folks would always harp on making good choices in life?  Well this morning I did.  On the way to Froggie’s I could tell the wind was blowing, and it was not 5 – 10 by any means.  When I got to the ramp it was blowing right down the pike.  I was headed to the island to wade but when I got in open water it was clear it was blowing right on the island.  So I made a good choice and turned around.

It was blowing steadily right down the whole bay system, and it was fairly rough in open water.  So back to the Barroom Bay shoreline, which had wind on it, but not as bad, and the water was perfect.  That is a great redfish bank when the water is way up in the grass, and the fish did not disappoint.

It was a Knocker B morning.

First up I tossed the Chug Bug with that much wave action, and it did not produce a bite.  So next was the slow sinking twitch bait, and a funny thing happened, the wanted it on top.  I was missing them, but it seemed top was the way to go so I got out the Bagley Knocker B.  From then on it was steady.  I missed a ton, but had lots of bites.

This was a hoss!

This one ate the Knocker B head first.  It always kills me how a redfish can get that thing head first all the way down their throat.

I stayed in a little over knee deep water throwing in to 6″ and out to 4′.  It was rougher than I like it for topwater, and normally do not throw it with that much wind, but they were hitting it.  If I stuck 1 out 5 bites on top that would probably be stretching it.  And though the trout were cooperative, they did not amount to much.  I probably caught a dozen anyway over the morning.  And just maybe 1 or 2 might have touched the line, if I stood on them.  But as usual I was not keeping fish so any trout on the end of the line is a good trout.

The size the trout today.  But they were sure biting.

After not getting any size to the trout I finally put down the topwater and picked up plastics.  The wind was blowing right along and by now there were white caps in Barroom.  The high bank was just enough to keep it to a dull roar on this side of Barroom.   I was throwing the 1/32 head and that VooDoo Shad by Nasty Baits,  (Brown/chartreuse tail.) and they were liking it.  One advantage to the straight tail on the VooDoo Shad is they are biting the paddle of other baits, making short work of a plastic.  And I do like how soft it is.

This one fought like crazy on the light spinning rod and 8lb test.

It was tough fishing that light plastic.  To get them to bite it had to be cast straight across the wind, then almost fished like you were in a big current.  Just sliding it along and I could barely feel them, and they got me way more than I got them.  I kept throwing to shallow and deep and you never knew where the bite would come.  Several were there when I lifted up and were gone before I got a hook in them with that big bow in my line.

A great way to end the morning.

The reds never did move all that shallow, considering how much flooded grass there was.  As the morning topwater bite slowed the water was finally starting to get a little color to it.  Most of the fish were in 2 – 3 feet of water, and the trout were mixed in with the reds.  Keeping on the edge of the clear water, which was about 2 foot, and fishing both towards the bank and out produced strikes.  It was basically one of those keep yourself and a bait in the water, and you would get bit.

Finally I headed back to the boat for a cup of coffee and it was 12:30.  I had been in the water over 5 hours.  So with the wind whipping it up, and another spot a big run away, I called it a morning.  So it was a good choice to change plans midstream.  One of those times when knowing how a particular places will be relative to the tide and wind was the ticket.  No guess as to how many I caught, but it was a really good morning and the reds are really beginning to move.  Fall is coming and it is about to get ugly.

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It was nice to get an improved update on the fishing at Fayette from Rusty, our Fayette fanatic.

Happy to report fishing has improved on Fayette. Fish have started to move out of the deep water back up to the 2-10′ depths. Caught some very nice fatties this past week. Fishing Bastrop next week, so I should have a report for you. I think the extra rain water and cooler nights have helped. Water temps two weeks ago was 95-97 degrees this week it was 85. Love fall fishing!
Tight lines,
Rusty

Amazing what a few cool nights with dropping water temperature will do.  When the Fayette fish are in that depth I can actually catch a couple.  Can’t wait to toss that jerk bait!  So Bobby if you are reading this we need to get there sometime this fall.  Thanks Rusty, will be looking forward to hearing how it goes on Bastrop.

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I hope any of you that are bow hunters got one on the ground this weekend.  We love to get your hunting pictures so if you kill something cool drop me a comment and I will get my email address to you so you can send some pictures.

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I really am getting a case of saltwater fever.  The fishing is so much better than it was, or I am fishing better, but whatever, there is a good bite.  And with our temps moderating and the water temps slowly dropping, the fishing is only going to get better.  I intend to take full advantage of it.  It will be off to the Upper Laguna in 2 weeks, which I am getting pretty excited about.  And having some flexibility as to the specific days, maybe I can hit it just right.  But until then there are some places I want to fish way the hell and gone down the island.  Time to do a month search on the blog and see where I was catching them this time the last couple of years.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Line

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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One of the joys of doing this blog is of course the fishing stuff.  Now you would think that getting free stuff, or big discounts, would be the best thing about it.  In my case that is actually secondary.  I have always loved “the stuff” from the time I was a little tadpole.  Loved the lures, fishing poles, catfish bait, Outdoor Life fishing stories, nets, it did not matter.  I just loved “the stuff”.  So when I got a chance to be one of the first to use and review Coastal Fishing Gear’s Wade Right Tackle Box I was all about it.  Gave me a perfect excuse to mess with the stuff.  But seriously, this thing is flat out cool.

The New Wade Right Tackle Box

I really like the new Wade Right Tackle Box by Coastal Fishing Gear.  It can best be described as cool, just the right size for my wade fishing needs.  And the way it integrates the small boxes is innovative and a great use of space.  It folds like a standard box and comes with a shoulder strap if needed.

Being well made this thing is virtually water proof.  I need to make a comment concerning any claim, by anybody, that anything is waterproof.  A plumber once told me there is only one place in the world water will not go, that is up a frog’s butt.  But with that caveat, the box lid has a rubber gasket and locks the lid down tight as a drum when closed.

                       Top view.                                                   Small boxes pulled out.

Looking at the first picture above you can see the carry handle and what looks like 2 black buckles.  That is exactly what they are.  In a really cool feature, especially for those of us that like wading with a small waterproof box.  In a cool slot there are 2 small boxes that slide in and lock below the bottom of the box.  It is not open into the box itself, reducing chances of water entering the big box, cool idea.  The 2 small boxes are also basically waterproof and snap into the buckle chest high on the Wade Right belt, which I like for keeping it dry.

                           Top open.                                                     Shelves rotated.

When you open the box it looks like above.  The 2 top trays rotate open and you have access to the bottom.  And I like there are no moving parts on the trays to break with use.  The dividers allow you to partitian the bottom and trays into whatever size you need.  In my case, it was 4 sections in 2 different sizes on the bottom and different sizes on the trays, all which fit the stuff I use just right.

If you need more than this there is no hope for you.

Once I had it all organized I had all the jig heads and hooks I could ever need separated by size and weight in the shelf on the right, and a bunch of topwaters on the left.  By dividing the bottom of the box I was able to make 4 compartments.  One bottom compartment has 6 topwaters in it, one has 8 spinnerbaits, one about 6 or 7 new lures still in the box, and the last compartment in the bottom has 9 different bags of plastics in the colors and styles I use.  It could easily hold another 4 or 5 bags if needed.  When combined with the stuff I load in the small boxes the day before a wade, this box holds a lot of stuff.  And while there may be some seasonal changes, it just boils down to what is working at the time, and this box will hold it all.  If I can, which is most of the time, my plastics are glued to the jig head in advance.   That makes it nice as it tends to get me prepared in advance and ready to hit the water without messing around with baits.

One of 2 small boxes and the New Gulp box.    A small box ready for a wade.

If you notice in the small box there are 3 spare hard baits, 2 topwater and 1 twitch bait, along with 8 pre-glued plastics ready to go.  Generally that should be enough to limit out without having to return to the boat.  And with 2 of the small boxes it is possible to make a plastics box and a hard bait box if that is the way you like to carry your stuff.

The smaller blue box is the new Gulp box.  It looks blue because inside is a soft rubber try that you can take out and clean.  In the case of this box it really is waterproof, both ways if you get my drift.  Somehow, some way, Gulp juice always seems to get all over everything.  Not sure how that happens, but it does.  This box has a side set screw that makes it air/water proof when tightened.  Tim has had some Gulp in his box hanging for 2 weeks and it has not leaked yet.

Funny this box should appear on my door step now.  A couple of years ago my buddy Aaron basically rigged up a drop shot rig and used 3″ Gulp New Penny shrimp and knocked the doo doo out of stuff.  Since then I have wanted to use that method in the drains for fall flounder.  It should be killer.  So it will be off to Academy to pick up some Gulp.  Guess I will have no excuse now.

 I was really impressed how much this compact box could hold.  I basically emptied a boat bag and my stuff is way more organized.  And if it can keep stuff fairly dry like advertised, it is perfect.  It integrates with the wading belt and the complete wading system Coastal Fishing Gear is developing.  I may be gushing a little over it, but grab your wading bag and this box and you are ready to go.   It should be available on their site soon along with even more cool new products in the works, I will fill you in as they become available.  And like I said above, if you need more room than this you might need to see somebody about your problem.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It really seems to make a difference in not only where I fish, (Locations and spots.) but more and more how I fish, by just putting down the weather, tides, and solunar times the day before I go.  It seems looking at them together allows me to contemplate the fishing day and just how I might approach it.  (Never forget though, the best time to fish is when you can!)  In this case a light wind will be coming out of the NNE, which is usually good for Kellar Bay.  These tides really give you very little clue due to their flat nature, but looking at the Solunar times tomorrow the best time starts later in the tide and runs until it is full up.  So here is my guess for tomorrow’s trip – no hurry in the morning to Keller Bay, fish my favorite shoreline which will not have any wind, fish until early afternoon, and I should catch some.  So we will see how that projection goes after tomorrow’s fishing.

Weather

84/58  Sunny Skies  Wind 5 – 10 NNE  0% chance of rain

Tides

High   6:42 AM     1.1
Low  12:33 PM     0.9   (Talk about a flat 2 tide day, this is it.)
High   7:29 PM     1.1
Low  11:47 PM     1.0

Solunar Times

• Best times   10:38A – 12:38P (Yep.)
•                       11:00P – 1:00A
• Good time    4:27A – 6:27A

Keller Bay  –  Making Chicken Salad out of Chicken Stuff

It was hard to believe that after the last 3 months it took a jacket this morning on the way to the first stop.  There were probably 6 trucks at the Keller ramp even though it was barely daylight.  The wind was about 10 out of little more north than the forecast NNE.  Tide was up and the water had a little more tinge to it than I like, but you take it like you find it.

I hopped in the water in on the pasture shoreline right before the sun peaked out in the east.  I should have known better after seeing, and feeling, the water temp.  The water temp according to the GPS was 77, 14 degrees cooler than my last trip.  In fact you could feel the difference in 1 foot of water compared to 3 foot, it definitely cooled off.  But I stuck with it, and what jumped on was a sign of things to come.

The biggest thing I caught this morning.

The thing I like about that long high bank is you have water out to almost 6 foot on the edge and there is quite a bit of grass from shallow out to 4 foot.  With the tide up I fished real shallow, then a little deeper with the topwater, and only caught 3, that red and 2 small trout.  Today they wanted no part of the Chug Bug and wanted the Knocker B in a walk the dog pattern.  So it was time to switch to plastics.  I started catching them right away on a plastic I had not used before, and they all looked like this.  (In fact all of them did on everything I used today.)

VooDoo fish.

The trout above made the site it for 2 reasons.  First, I basically caught trout, lots of trout, and they looked just like this.  Second, this was on a plastic that I had not used before.  It is made by a company called Big Nasty Baits, and the one I used was the VooDoo shad in pumpkin/chartreuse, and boy did they like it.  It is a nice soft bait and does have a slot in it if you want to rig it assassin style, but unlike some plastics there is plenty of plastic to hold the jig head on.  I admit I bought them because they were on sale, to bad I didn’t buy a few more bags.  They will definitely make the arsenal.  Check them out, I did and found I like the looks of their original Big Nasty.  It has a small pyramid looking tail which should have a high pitched vibration.  A little something different from most baits.

http://bignastybaits.com/

For about an hour I waded a pretty big area (football field) catching small trout right along, and deep or shallow, that was all I could catch.  So time for another change.  I really am trying to expand my trout horizons.  A bait I promised to get good at is the hard twitch baits.  Never having all that great a luck on them I thought what a good time to try them.  If there is that many here I should be able to keep catching them so a little practice was in order.  By now I was waist deep casting back to 1′ or out to 4′ and there was lots of bait.

This one thumped it.

It turned out to be the right decision.  The trout never did get bigger, but they sure were willing.  First it was a MirrOLure floater that dives just a hair, and next was the slow sinker/suspender.  A quick little twitch with a pause seemed best.  When throwing it to shallow water, fishing it like a worm to keep it out of the grass worked.  Easy lifting and dropping it I could feel some of them peck it.  I did learn that if you twitch and it ain’t there, they got it.  And basically if you thought you might have felt something it was already to late, so set the hook.  There is lots to learn to become proficient, but it is just another technique to add more trout.  Even though I never put myself with the better trout, it was nice to catch a dozen+ and get a little feel and confidence in the hard twitch baits.

So today was not a total bust, unless I had planned a fish fry.  It seems every once in while you have a day like today, catch the snot out of them, but they don’t amount to nothing.  It was an easy 30 this morning, so I got plenty of chance to practice the twitch bait.  At least I feel confident enough to throw the twitch baits, and I will do it more this fall.

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I forgot to tell you all something that happened when I was fishing the lake Monday.  I saw a big gator try to catch a heron feeding in knee deep water.  He just exploded in a huge boil of water and mud, it was that shallow.  He missed and the heron flew off squaking his head off.  That is the 4th time I have seen them try to hit birds.  Just cool when it happens.

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It was nice to take a couple of days off for a little adult fun in one of those gambling dens.  Nice to tune out every once in while.  But it was also great to be back on the water.  Keller is probably not on the list for a while.  As I spend more time trying to improve my trout fishing means less spinnerbaiting for reds, the usual motivator when I fish Keller.  And reading the Falcon Lake Tackle report on a tournament this weekend makes me want to head that way.  They had a first day leader with 21lbs.  Now that is a good string anywhere, but in this case it is a 3 fish tournament.  I will take a 7lb average all day.  Falcon appears to be getting back it’s Mojo.  The boss is about to start another long stretch so I will be hitting the bay pretty hard.  And I have just about finished a post on a new tackle box from Coastal Fishing Gear and will get it up tomorrow.  It is awesome.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Ok weatherman.  For the last 3 days we have had a rainy forecast, but we maybe got a 1/4 inch here at the house.  As I look at the radar storms have been streaming past Victoria and just missing us.  As I prepare this the night before I have decided to take a chance and hit the lake and see if I can get in some fishing even if it rains.  We shall see how it shakes out in the morning.

Weather

84/69  Cloudy with 50% chance rain/thunderstorms  Wind NNE 10 – 15 mph

Tides

High 7:05 am  1.3    Low 9:25 pm

Solunar Times

• Best  Times    7:48A – 9:48A  (They were biting.)
•                          8:13P – 10:13P
• Good TIme    1:35A – 3:35A

I did the official weatherman thing after checking the radar this morning by sticking my head outside.  It was cloudy and warm and there was no thunder off in the distance so it was off to the lake.  Even if it rained it shouldn’t hurt anything, in fact it will help.

The water temp was still 90 degrees near the ramp, and 86 up lake.  The water is still slowly on the decline, it looked to be down over 6″ from last trip.  It is clear at the lower end and milky up lake.

I was hoping the conditions, real cloudy, light winds, and clear water, might get the fish down lake biting.  After fishing several places with topwater, buzzbait, and plastics without a bite it was time to head way up lake.  First stop was the same bank that has been holding them for at least the last month.  I started pitching the watermelon/red stick bait and caught a small one on my first cast.  Then a keeper jumped on.

The ones that bit ate it.

For the next hour or so they bit right along.  As they have been they were tight to cover, you had to pitch right to it.  Today they were ticking it pretty good, so if you felt anything set the hook.  And a couple of them were really in woody stuff and it took a pretty good tussle to get them out.  But usually if you just let them pull to be sure they are on, then slack and let them work out, they will end up in the boat  Both of them did.

A nice chunk.

Mixing in buzzbait and swim jig, only the swim jig produced a bite.  And that one swam right at me and by time my pea brain registered it was off.  Other than that, the bite was steady for about an hour or so pitching the stick bait when disaster struck.  The trolling motor decided that I must have some spare money this month because it shot craps.

It is 7 years old and has done yeoman duty.  That thing has towed that boat thousands of miles from the Everglades to Falcon.  Lately it had been turning on when driving to the lake or back.  The handle was getting all kids of sloppy, so who knows.  There was power to the head, and I could hear it clicking when I turned the handle, so it may just be a switch or one of those other electrical gadgets.  So it is already at the trolling motor Doctor.   Hopefully it won’t need a brain transplant.  We shall see.

So I am actually pretty disappointed the trolling motor quit.  But it was not because some mechanical thing broke, it was because conditions were perfect and the fish were biting like crazy.  I put 6 or 7 in the boat pretty quickly after going up lake.  It is about 5pm as I finish this and it is still perfect for bass fishing.  The weather shows a line of heavy thunderstorms headed this way, and they would have bit like crazy as the front arrived.  It would have been a real killing today and I was prepared to keep after it.  Dang it!

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So there you have it.  B.O.A.T., but hopefully it was just be breaking out a few bucks to get the trolling motor fixed.  And here we are again, liking the 2 boat thing.  Since it is off the Mako that will not prevent using it for wading, and the skiff has a trolling motor if I head to the lake.  I think this is an omen, talk about selling one and this happens.  Oh well, at least I am not out of commission.

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 After our minnow fiasco the other day I got this question from Jim.

As usual Doug THANKS for all the reports. I need the phone number to the store where you purchase your minnows. I know the store I scouted the entire park out in preparation for fishing for Bass and Crappie this fall. I would hate to get there at dark 30 and enjoy the outcome you experienced.

Much Appreciated

We get them at the Damn Store but there is another place in town.  We went there saturday and they were not there but did answer the phone number on the sign.  Looks like you can easily check the night before and make sure of time and whether they have the stuff you need.  Marsha’s Bait Shop is a couple of blocks off business 59 as you head out of town towards Coleto. 361-212-5516.  I would definitely contact her, it is only a couple blocks off 59, but a little tough to find.  The adddress is on her facebook page.  Good to hear from you, I will hold on to your comment, just might stop and check on my way through Seadrift.  Thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marshas-Bait-Shop/408259172614037

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On a personal note I want to send along my best wishes to my mother-in-law.  Joy is recovering from hip surgery number 2 in a month.  Hope you are feeling better and get on your feet soon.  And my brother Kelly is finally getting over his broken leg and is back in action.  Ever notice how stuff comes in bunches?  Hopefully that is it for a while on the family medical front.

That is it for today.  I am going to take a couple of days off, then to the Gulf I go.  The weather is finally going to straighten out and I am itching for some topwater action.  And if any of you have any questions, reports, or comments, send them along.  I always like to hear from you no matter what you have to say.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It is Sunday morning, though I have not been fishing since Friday there are several things I wanted to share with you.  All I have to say is the fishing is improving daily and it is going to be a great fall.  So lets get to it.

Big Black Drum

Besides being irritated that we could not get minnnows yesterday, I got even more irritated when it did not rain at the house the rest of the day.  Then when I get up this morning all that rain that was absolutely going to drown us has not materialized.  Heck I would have taken Jeffish and Korbin today.  Dang weatherman, it is all his fault.  Then I got the following from Jeffish, it looks like things worked out just fine.

What a fish.  A mug only a mother could love!

After our failed crappie trip and chance of rain Korbin was not having it so we headed to Indianola Fishing Marina. Within seconds of arriving Korbin is catching live bait on his perch pole and into the bait bucket. We caught everything from little snappers to dogfish and couldn’t keep bait in the water as the tide began moving out. Then after a pause we caught several sand trout. Found out from a marina employee they would cook what you caught for 5 bucks so fresh caught trout filets with side of fries and hush puppies for supper. Yum! Says Korbin. After some rockin live music by 1 Nation I was asked to jump start a crabber’ s truck and for payment half a dozen live crab. Lights on the peir and here come the black drum. Guy next to me broke one off before he caught a nice one. I broke off two using my superior Wal-Mart pole rigged up with crab before I landed this beast. Nice fight and nice crowd cheering us on at the Marina. Korbin is satisfied but is ready to go fish somewhere again this morning.  And here is a blacktip a guy next to us caught.

I had not heard from Rusty, our Bastrop/Fayette expert, in a while.  I should have known after the whippin’ the Aggies put on my Hogs he would have something to say.

Gig’em Aggies Whoop!!!! Having pork chops tonight in honor of our victory. Arkansas QB is the real deal, NFL stuff. Fayette and Bastrop has been tough fishing. Hope the cooler weather coming changes that
Tight lines
Rusty

First to the game.  For a while I wasn’t sure who was interested in winning.  Both teams coughed it up, but when it came down to brass tacks the Aggies defense in the red zone was strong and may help carry them the rest of the year.  We were down there on the 2 several times, you gave us plenty of chances, but we could not punch it across.  And that was the end of that.  And you are so right about Allen, he is accurate and rarely does something stupid.  But now that we have played the Aggies I can get on board – Beat Bama!

Sorry to hear it is tough on both lakes, but it does not surprise me as Coleto has been spotty also.  I will be heading that way sometime in the near future.  Just waiting on those cool nights to get them active.  So here is hoping the fishing improves.  As usual good to hear from you.

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This summer was so hot it was hard to get motivated with the fishing and the blog.  I think some of that is the knowledge that I can fish whenever I want, for whatever I want, wherever I want.  It makes it so easy to go tomorrow, or write about that another day.  It can be hard to keep motivated with the time and expense needed to keep plugging this thing along.  Then I get the occasional comment like this one from The Mowdy.

I love reading your stuff. Look forward to it every day!

Thanks, and I really do mean it.  I try to make the blog interesting and entertaining, fishing reports aside.   And you can tell from the last couple of weeks that I am excited about the fishing and consequently writing a lot more.  I really appreciate you guys who have stuck with me along this journey.  It is over 5 years now, and there has been over a half a million visits to my site.  But it is still the core of you that have supported me from the beginning.  So my thanks is the best I can do for your loyalty.

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And speaking of keeping motivated it is so cool to be working with Coastal Fishing Gear.  Here is a response from Ken to my Facebook post on the Wade Right.

Nice! I’ve sure enjoyed my set of gear. 😎

That is the very thing I am talking about.  Telling you all about something that works and then getting feedback from you.  In the next week or so I will do a post about their cool new tackle boxes.  The big one is freakin’ awesome and I am playing with it like a little kid at Christmas.  Initially fishing reports were the primary reason I started this, but it has morphed into a general fishing blog.  So having them on board is a great motivator that keeps me writing.  Plus, wading time is here, big fish time is here, and their products will get a work out during this great time to be in the water.  I look forward to posting reviews on their great stuff.

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Ro, one of the Austin Boys, is catching some good fish on Lake Travis.  While I rarely hear anyone extolling the virtues of fishing Travis, Ro has sure changed my perspective on the lake.  Ro is an all around fisherman, a known striper killer, bass fisherman, and the wading beastmaster.  His wading prowess is legendary and the stories are something.  And on a personal note he can fix an eye good as new, and I can not thank him enough.  So when I saw these picture I wanted to share them with you.

Ro’s son Michael with a nice Guadalupe bass.

Ro filled me in on this fish when I commented how it looks like a Kentucky and whether this was “a good one”.

Similar to kentucky spotted but the horizontal lines on the belly define it as guadalupe. This 17 incher was about two pounds. A three pounder is a “trophy” guad, whatever that may mean! Sorta like a “trophy” bluegill!

Made me laugh with that comment!  The term trophy really is relative as far as fish, and fishermen, go.  One man’s trophy is another man’s bait.  Thanks for the information, that was definitely a little one we caught with the grandkids on Travis over the holiday.  One thing Ro is known for is his striper fishing abilities.

Ro with a good one.

The proof is in the pudding as they say.

Thanks, your pictures bring back old memories.  We fished stripers hard at night, especially early spring and late fall on topwater.  Many a night we stayed out till all hours, and when it happened it was usually something spectacular.  Half asleep, then Kaboom!, one would eat that spook 5 feet from the end of your rod tip.  And the stringer picture reminds me why they were such an easy fish to guide for, if there is such a thing.  Get your customers the string above, or maybe have one break 20lbs, and the day was a success.  It was nice because the stripers they caught were often the biggest fish my customer ever landed.  And last, I am definitely going to be on Travis late winter/early spring and get me some of that.  Of course the Boss is all over that, rent a house on the lake with a boat dock and I am fishing, and she is shopping Austin.  Everybody wins.  Hope to see you down at POC this winter.

*********************

One of these days I will get some of the old striper pictures out and scan them in the computer and share them with you.  The mid 70’s into the 80’s were the golden age of striper fishing on Lake Norfork.  Whether trolling, live baiting, topwater fishing, or winter vertical jigging we absolutely killed them.  It was easy to catch a 50lb stringer with the occasional 100lb+ in the mix.  Fish 10 – 20lbs were common, and everybody was catching them.  Those were the days.

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Ok weather guy, this is your last chance.  Looking at tomorrow we have a 60% chance of rain.  Yesterday we had an 80% of rain, so I slept in and there has not been a drop here at the house.  And then I look first thing this morning and the forecast has morphed into only a 20% chance, what happened?  So I guess I will get my lazy butt up and do the best review of the weather possible – Stick my head out the door and see what is up.  No Rain? Go Fishing.  That will be as accurate as the forecasts have been the last week.  But they sure did not have any trouble correctly forecasting the heat.  So what will the day hold?  Only tomorrow will tell.  Hope you all had a good weekend.  Keep those comments and reports coming.  And keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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The First Day of Fall!  Thank God!

THE POC SURF

The Mad Trout Fisherman is at it again.

Poc surf at 6:30 am and I was already sweating as we ran out pass cavo. The gulf was flat today, too flat for my liking if there is such a thing. Bite started off good in the first gut and as the sun started to show they moved to the second. A convoy of boats blew by about 8:00 am, must of been ten boats. By 9 am we had our ten trout and 2 sharks .

With a livewell full of croaker what to do? Tried a few more spots in the surf but only one rat red. So we headed for some coolness in waist deepwater by cityslicker shoreline. No luck so we hit bayoucus shoreline, no reds there just more trout.

So we hammered down to fishpond and broke out the plastics. Nope, more trout. So I dont know if the reds won, or the sun. We had a healty box of trout 1-24″ 2-23″ 2-22″ and some 19-20″ ers and 2 blacktips so we called it a day.

We saw some tarpon and lots of jacks blowing up the mullet. Didn’t bring the big rods or I would be really hurt. Tides were back to normal after being extra high for two months. Stay blessed , chad

Nice mess.  If you had some bait left it must have been one of those get a bite, catch a fish days.  Sounds like a rough day when you move and those pesky trout won’t leave you alone.  I in spite of my best interest would have taken a shot at the tarpon, of course with my trout stuff.  That would have resulted in a battle like some I have had with big tarpon in the past, most lasting less than a minute.  Reminds me of my first bite on a Zara Spook in the Everglades.  I saw the tarpon coming out of the mangroves in a big hurry.  He smashed that Spook 5 feet from my rod tip, jumped and looked me right in the eye, then under the boat.  One more jump on the other side of the boat and he was gone  Looking that fish dead in the eye is still one the most exciting strikes I have ever had.  But no matter what, it is always exciting to see them, they are one magnificent fish.  I feel your pain with the sweating thing, it was rough out there and it ran me off after 3 hours the other day.

And I want to make one more comment, the average size of our trout is definitely increasing.  I was a big proponent of the 5 fish limit for purely selfish reasons.  I eat my share but since most of my fishing is done for pleasure, and since I have caught a couple fish over the last 60 years, I wanted bigger trout and I think the rule is working.  And while I might occasionally rail against the TPWD, they are also get credit where credit is due.  As usual, love the reports.   Drop us a note anytime.

(If the pictures are not oriented properly let me know. Thanks)

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Ken and his wife Cindy have been at POC this week enjoying the water.  Ken is part of the loose bunch I call the Austin Boys.  Now I am not sure they are enjoying this week’s temperature, but they have caught a few fish and love their time down at POC.  Dedicated participants, they are looking forward to the beach clean up this Saturday.

                      A great sunrise.            Cindy starts the beach cleanup early.

Ken (notice the Wade Right) with a couple of nice reds.  Happy Birthday!

A Sea Robin, one crazy fish, and a nice slam headed for the fry pan.  Funny how the only other Sea Robin I have seen at POC was caught by one of the Austin Boys.

Our forecast for the coming days is a slight cool down with a pretty good chance for rain beginning tomorrow lasting through the weekend.  Hopefully it will hold off until later in the day Friday.  My plan is to join them at daylight and get a guided trip.  I love it when the Austin Boys come, I get to hitch a free ride.

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And I was glad to hear from my buddy Bobby.  He has a case of the fishing Jones, but is alive no matter how his comment reads!

Here I am stuck at the Morgue and you are out fishing and catching!!! Your killing me smalls….But I always find time to read the reports…

Not sure whether to be depressed, or impressed, when folks in the morgue are reading my stuff.  I was just thinking about our talked about fishing trip to Fayette County yesterday.  It is getting time.  So the ball is in your court.  Get a day and lets go, but don’t bring any of your work with you, they are not all that great conversationalists.  A trip to Fayette is always quick way to get right with the fish Gods.

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If it was any more possible to be in a hurry for fall to get here I don’t know how.  This stretch of weather has been the hottest of the summer, and our summer was hot.  I have been almost obsessed with visions of schools of redfish streaming out of the back lakes and cruising the shorelines, or feeling a big trout thump a plastic on the Lower Laguna.  Wading on nice cool days, big fish smoking a slowly worked topwater, and huge flocks of Redheads filling the sky on the Texas coast, I can see it now.  What is not to like about that?

To me it does not matter, fresh or salt, late fall into early spring is my favorite fishing time of the year.  More big trout and big bass are caught over those approximate 4 months than the rest of the year combined.  And for those of us who are hard core fishermen, we appreciate it when all our hard core hunting brothers leave the water and hit the field.  One of my favorite trips ever was to Falcon Lake opening week of deer season.  It felt like we had a giant lake all to ourselves.   But no matter what your outdoor pursuit is, do it safely and introduce a kid to your sport.  The future of hunting and fishing depends on it.

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B.O.A.T.

Every time I think about simplifying my life by selling the 2cnd boat I get all nervous.  Heart palpatations, sweats, tremors, it makes me real nervous to even think about it, much less do it.  Having 2 boats saved me several times when something broke, or one was in the shop for annual maintenance, and plans were already made.  So as I head out to buy a new trolling motor battery for the Skiff I got to thinking about the old saying  – “Boat means Break Out Another Thousand.”

In my case, other than a few big breakdowns over the decades I have owned boats, it really is more a break out another $100.  Batteries, running lights, gallons of oil, replacing life jackets, the occasional prop, new bunks, trailer tires, and on and on.  Minus the prop I have been fortunate enough to get to buy everything mentioned above in the last couple of months.  Owning 2 boats, and keeping them both in a condition where you can get in either on a moments notice and head out, takes effort not to mention the $$$.  So today I may sell one, or maybe tomorrow, or maybe never.  Plus, nothing makes my lovely wife happier than having a driveway full of boats, drying wading gear, the smelly fish cooler, along with a host of other important fishing stuff.  To bad I don’t have a junk car up on blocks.  Perfect.

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First I want to thank the guys at Coastal Fishing Gear for letting me work with them.  I will have the pleasure of testing a couple of new products next week, and I am excited about that.  And they have been kind enough to extend a 15% off promotion to any readers who do an online order.  If you have been thinking about a new wading belt now is the time, you won’t be sorry.

I am bored today and seriously wishin’ I was fishin’.  After having to go buy a dryer on Monday I am now sitting around Thursday waiting for delivery.  This is one time I miss the pickup truck because I would have picked it up the other day and be on the water today.  Funny how life continues to intrude on the important stuff like fishing.  I now wonder how I ever got everything done when I was working.

Finally the real deadly heat is coming to an end and I am looking forward to POC in the morning, of course weather dependent.  We have a 50% chance of rain or thunderstorms so it will be hard to guess how it will be in the morning.  And again depending on the weather this weekend I hope to take Jeffish and his son Korbin somewhere to catch something.  Then according to the weather service the highs for next week are going to be in the low 80’s.  So fall really wasn’t that far off and that is the kind of weather that keeps a guy fishing all day.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines