Fish Catching Travel

Time to throw the Swimming Jig!

Weather

Friday   10 % Precip. / 0 in  

Clear  74/53   Wind NNE to SSE  5 -15 

Best Times  6:20A – 8:20A    6:46P – 8:46P

Good             12:06A – 2:06A

Just wanted to ask what app do you use to get tide info?

The Lake is getting more and more consistent.

My initial plan was the bay but after cleaning up the flats boat I decided to change boats so I got out the skiff, and of course all the trailer lights were not working.  So I took it easy this morning, knowing the bite on the lake was fairly good there was no hurry.  When I say there are times when you should be doing something specific now is one of those on Coleto.  I love throwing the Swim Jig and they will bite that thing right now on the lake.

The first couple were on the bluegill color Swim Jig.

The water has fallen maybe and inch or two and as a consequence a good thing has happened, the lake is really starting to clear.  How clear, I got to watch at least a half dozen come out of shallow, and I mean shallow, cover and eat the Swim Jig, it was thing of beauty.  With it super sunny and clear the 1/4oz white Swim Jig with a 3 1/2 inch pearl swim bait for a trailer almost glowed and I could see it quite a bit of the time.  Today it really helped to have mirror Cocoons, it was awesome to see them roll up and smoke that Swim Bait.

You can just see the jig barely sticking out of their mouths, they were eating it.

I started with the all white and did not have a bite for the first half of a big spawning cove above the bridge, so I tossed the bluegill with a watermelon red KVD craw and caught one on my first cast.  A couple of more came over the side pretty quick, and I got to see the first one roll up out of a shallow log and eat it.

Love that Swim Jig.

Then it was a flat main lake bank, and for some reason I picked up the white one again and it started.  Basically during the good fishing time above a good dozen jumped it in a couple of places.  They were all shallow around isolated cover on flat places.  In one spot where I caught 6 the boat was sitting in 3 foot of water and the fish were shallower than that in the middle of the afternoon.  One broke me off, and I deserved it.  Throwing it on 12lb line you can only catch so many in shallow cover without a retie, and so when it happened I had it coming.

They were choking on that thing.

A moderate speed retrieve with erratic handle turns making it dart forward and then stop provoked the best hits.  And if you put it perfect on the right bush it was a certain bite.  I missed several, and lost 3 or 4, and for the amount of time I spent fishing it was a good bite.  While no real big girls gave it up, there was plenty of bites and the size was good enough to keep it interesting.  And having a nice one roll up out of nowhere right next to the boat was a bonus.

And even added one on a spinnerbait.

So for an old bass fisherman it was a really fun day.  Swim Jigs are a real tool in the spring, and while not the easiest bait to fish, it is one of the most consistent.  Patience is the key, you have to keep cranking it, vary the retrieve and color, then remember what the hell you were doing when you caught that one, and you are in business.  I guess the thing I like about it the most is how subtle a bait it really is, and knowing when it got to that cover and I ripped the handle one was going to roll on it.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

Don’t think that is the end all on Coleto.  Today if you are good at fishing the bass assassin type baits in a real erratic pattern it would have been deadly.  And the other which I will throw next time out is the bubble gum trick worm.  I fish it on 10lb line with a weedless hook.  For the next month that will catch fish, especially in areas with a little deeper cover, so if you have never tried it now is the time.  And the topwater early and late should really come in to its own.

I hope whatever fish or fishing turns you on is in your near future.  Looks like the weather is going to hold and the fishing both fresh and salt is only going to get better.  So if you want to add to the confusion let us know.  And I am interested in knowing if anyone has caught any crappie on Texana yet?  There are a few other comments and pictures I want to share with you but thought I would get this post up before I call it a night.  So there will be more in the next day or two.  Not sure what is next, but a bent rod is at the top of the list.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

Wednesday Mar. 2

o% precip  Partly cloudy.  76 degrees  Winds ESE 10 -20 mph.

Tides    Low 5:45 am  -0.3           High 5:39 pm  0.3

I really do try to fish both fresh and salt about the same over all so I can at least give you some idea what is going on in either place.  It was so good at the bay last month that it would be nice to see if they were still biting like that. So today I decided I needed to get back to POC and run my old route.  And that is exactly what I did – Big Bayou, Mitchell’s Cut, and the Oil Cut.   My plan was based on the wind forecast, 10 -20 mph, a chance it would not be to bad.

The minute I pulled up to Froggie’s at 7:30 I knew it was gonna suck.   First, there wer only 2 trucks and trailers in the lot.  When I pulled up to the ramp the wind was flat out howling over 20 right down the barge canal.  I mean it was humpin’ and with the tide coming back it was something.  I should have just left it on the trailer, but no, I thought I would give it a go, I was already here.  So in the water it went.  The tide was really low and the water was ugly, but it just did not get through to my pea drain – Conditions Suck.

About half of Big Bayou was the color of a nice mocha, great for drinking but not trout water by any means.  And the wind was howling right down the channel so it was make a cast and hop it once, and you were already by.  If I was a bait fisherman maybe anchoring with live bait was the option today, but trying to fish out of the boat with lures was tough.

Can I get some cream with that coffee?

I did miss 2 in there, but with the huge bow in my line it was just impossible to feel them in time to set the hook.  From there it was Mitchell’s Cut, which had some protection from the wind.  I fished the whole east side without so much as a bite.  Real unusual for that stretch, so it was off to the Oil Cut.

I finally caught a rat on a spinnerbait, but that was it.  I saw another one make a pass at it, but did not hook up.  Whether it was plastics or Redfish Magic they were not having it.   While days like this are few and far between, it was just to windy, so I called it a day after about 3 hours.  There was just no where to get out of it.  When I got back to the ramp there were still only 3 trucks and trailers at the ramp, and when I pulled out that left 2.

Here is what a grown man did all day.

Lately I have been thinking about making a new policy, if the wind is projected to top 20mph just don’t go to the Gulf.  Today that would have been fine, because 20 was the least it blew, and all from the wrong direction for POC.  But many days it is projected to hit something like that and it isn’t to tough, but today it was worse than that, it ran me off.  One thing that is becoming so obvious is how bad the tide was today, coming up all day.  It is the exact opposite of what I am looking for, falling all day.

So I really did not add anything to the book of fishing knowledge today.  It was a waste of time and money, and even worse, I did not get my string stretched.  But as it always seems to do, it just makes me more determined to get it right next time.  There is no specific plan for today, the wind is expected to hit up to 35 mph according to the news last night, which they now say will be up to 15 mph.  It must suck to be the weatherman.  I hate that this is all there is to the report, but it is what it is.  And it always seems that the occasional day or two like this is necessary to remind you they are fish and sometimes they are just not having it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

Weather Report

Mon 20 % Precip. / 0 in

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Solunar Times

Best Times:
3:08A – 5:08A
3:30P – 5:30P
Good Times:
9:19A – 11:19A

Tide Times

M   29      Low   3:32 AM    -0.2
29     High   5:57 PM     0.2

I spent Saturday afternoon hanging out at the lake with my buddy Jeffish and his son Korbin.  Korbin is fishin’ crazy and when I said he will be the Bass Master Champion in 2030 I was not kidding.

Freakin’ Awesome!

Hanging with the Pro.

Korbin is living proof if you give them a chance to really enjoy the outdoors they will.  Camping, fishing, or just hanging out, there is nothing better than sharing the outdoors with good friends.  And nothing is cooler than Korbin on the nose of the boat, running the trolling motor, and getting ready to cast.  I think I was 21 before that happened to me, and look how I turned out.  Thanks for the pics Dad.

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

The Boss was off today so to be home early enough I decided to fish Coleto.  The weather report looked good, and since I was going to quit early it was good the minor period was a couple of hours in the morning.   When I got to the ramp it was cloudy, almost misty, and calm.

First it was a big cove I have not fished this year, and I caught one on topwater almost immediately.  The rest of the way out did not result in any more bites so I eased over to a really flat point and picked up the Swim Jig.  And of course a good one jumped all over it.

My second bite.

It has become real apparent the last month that topwater, spinnerbait, plastics will all catch fish, and I have spent some serious time fishing all of them.  But looking back on it if I had stuck with the Swim Jig I would have caught a lot more good fish.  The better fish are still few and far between, but the majority of the good ones are on the jig.

Business is picking up.

Today it was just like it has been, I caught at least one fish everywhere I fished.  That included mainlake points, coves, long flat banks, scattered bushes, all would produce a fish, but positively identifying one place that is better than another is almost impossible.  So for me there has been no real pattern, just fish places you would in the spring and be ready for the occasional bite.

A better average than the last few trips.

Before I quit at 1:30 it was around 13 or 14 over the side.  One on a topwater, 2 on spinnerbait, and the rest on the Swim Jig.  Today I switched to a 1/4 ounce Tour Grade white Swimming Jig and put a fat 3 1/2″ white swimbait on the back.  I fished it at a moderate speed, occasionally hopping it up, cranking it fast and then stopping, or twitching it, again they do not seem to have a preference.  And if you feel anything set the hook, about half swam right toward me when they ate it.  The moral of the story, just keep it in the water.

That was was one solid fish!

The water temperature was from 65 to 69 depending on where you were.  The fish did actually bite best during the minor period, but I did catch one on the first place, the last place, and most places in between.  The wind did come up to 15+ and most of the fish came on places with at least some wind on it.  I wish I could be more definitive on the pattern, but if you want the bigger fish the Swim Jig is the way to go.

There were folks cleaning crappie when I took out, and a guy I spoke with at the ramp was catching them and whites up lake.  The bass fishing is still somewhat inconsistent, but sticking with it usually will produce a few good fish, as today proved.  It seems that the fish and the fishing have not really caught up to the water temperature.  When you fish the highland lakes like I used to where the water temp drops into the 30’s, even freezing at times, the fish become increasingly more active from 55 degrees up, peaking at the spawn around 65 degrees.  That just has not been the case this year on Coleto.  So it is a learning spring for me.

Tomorrow it is off to the Gulf.  The winds are supposed to stay less than 10, so the day has potential.  I think I may do the old route, Big Bayou, the Oil Cut, and Barroom Bay, which I have not done in while.  But it pays to stay flexible, so the wading stuff will be in the boat.

And thanks to those of you who commented on advertising.  I really have kept it simple here, and at time it seems I should ramp it up a notch, but it has worked just fine the way it is until now, so I will keep mulling that issue over.  But no matter what we sure appreciate your continued comments and participation, it makes this a much better site.  As soon as I get done laying the smack down on some trout and reds tomorrow I will get the report out.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

(The Shoedog has been on a road trip which included stopping in Arkansas, my old stomping grounds.  He and out buddy Clyde fished Norfork Lake yesterday, where I tournament fished and guided for over 20 years.  He was there to find a place to stay that could accommodate a number of folks and was hoping to fish a day or two.  Well here is report #1 and it looks like we might be moving our trip up a week or two.)

Norfork Lake Arkansas – Day 1

Clyde and I got on the water about 8:30 today. We left out of Buzzards Roost boat dock on Lake Norfork. We went back almost into the back of that arm of the lake as Clyde had been catching some there in the days before the last cold front. It had been in the upper 30’s the night before and we were looking at high skies with a warming trend.

I started with the smaller 3 hook Smithwick suspending Rogue and Clyde started with a pearl grub. I caught a nice largemouth right off the bat and we then had an unusual thing happen. A kayaker that we had passed on the way back in the creek decided he would paddle down the bank and cut right between us and the bank. We had given him a very wide berth and had gone past a small cove and left at least 300 yards before we went to the bank, but for some reason, as soon as we stopped and started fishing, he felt some need to paddle right past us as we were fishing. Go figure!

A nice Norfork largemouth.  They love that jerk bait this time of year in North Arkansas.

Anyway- I caught another small bass and we crossed to the opposite bank and I caught another nice 14.5 inch bass. There were knocking the snot out of the Rogue and were pretty shallow for this early in the season and with the recent cold front.

We came on a dock and Clyde caught 2 beauty Norfolk crappies as I caught the dock, the dock cables and everything but fish. So in the first hour we had 3 bass and 2 nice crappies, not a bad start.

The nice solid crappie Norfork is known for.

We were expecting to catch some white bass back there, but nothing doing. Clyde had been catching them and some nice stripers as well, but in the morning we had no takers.

I caught a few more almost keeper bass and by noon I think we had 6 bass and 2 crappies. Then Clyde caught a nice Kentucky on the same size Rogue, but the 2 hook model, so we had 3 species and a nice first half of the day. We hit the same dock again and I caught a real nice crappie.

Now those are real crappies.

Then we headed out of the back of the creek a bit. We hit a little deeper banks in Fall Creek and I caught 3 or 4 more bass. Then we headed out into Panther Creek.

We hit a dock and I caught another fat crappie and then we decided to throw the Alabama/umbrella rigs and see if the warmer water temps had the whites and stripers up and at it. When we first got out the water temp was 46 and into had creeped up to 51-52 at this point.

I had limited practice with the umbrella rig, but as redfishlaw can attest, Clyde has been singing it’s praise for years. Well, I can say I am a believer now! On the first bank, on my 2nd or 3rd cast a nice 16 inch bass tried to jerk the rod out of my hand!
Then down at the end of that bank Clyde caught a nice Brownie on the rig also.

Shoedog catches his first Alabama Rig bass.

We decided to head back into the back of Buzzards Roost to see if the whites and stripers had come up and maybe catch a few more crappie. Somebody was on the crappie dock, so we went done the bank with umbrella rigs and we caught some bass, I added 2 more keepers to the well.

We crossed over again and I caught more bass on the rogue. Then we headed out to an area where he had caught some fish last week. Both throwing the umbrella rig.  Clyde caught a nice white and then I caught one as well. I think I caught a nice largemouth and we were having a good time. Light was fading and a nice breeze came up as we neared a deep bank where he had hammered the stripers a few days before.

Those big Arkansas whites love that Bama’ rig.

Clyde rears back on a big fish and had a tussle with a sweet 10-12 pound striped bass. It was cool. We had orders to bring some filets back to Texas for the CEO of Team Nancy, so that was taken care of. Next I had a nice striper of my own on, about half the size of the first one, but a nice one nonetheless. Another white bass or two and we called it. Fish to clean and a long day of fishing done.

Striper madness!

In total, I think we had 6 species- white bass, largemouth and Kentucky bass, crappie, smallmouth and stripers. We had to work, but for 16 bass, 4 nice crappies and 2 nice stripers and all the rest thrown in, it was a great day on the water.

Tomorrow we will head to the Big Bull, Bull Shoals Lake. We will have some wind an afternoon clouds, so who knows what will happen? Check back for details.

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

Now that is what I am talking about right there.  It really brings back the memories, and makes me itchin’ to hitch up the boat and head that way.  The only thing they did not add to the stringer was a walleye.  That is what makes the fishing up there so fun and interesting, you never know what may be next.  And if you have never visited or fished the North Arkansas area you are missing out.  Norfork Lake, Bull Shoals, The White and North Fork rivers, Crooked Creek and the Buffalo National River, truly the great outdoors and worth a trip anytime of the year.

Thanks for the report and we will be looking for one on the Bull Shoals day.  It can be sooooo good this time of year, especially in the 45 – 65 degree water temperature.  Time to set our dates and get a plan.  My casting arm is itching just reading your report.  The rest of you keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

If you want to know a little more about the area read the Twin Lakes article in the travel section of the blog.

Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

Sorry you salt heads but things conspired against me and I never made the salt this week.  But do not despair, I will make up for it this week.  But until then it was the lake again after I got up Friday morning not feeling quite up to snuff.  Finally about 9 I decided to give it a go.

On arrival at the ramp the wind was blowing 10+ straight out of the north right in the ramp cove.  The water temperature had dropped at least 5 degrees or more all over the lake since I was there on Tuesday.  There was quite a crowd at the ramp as an out of town bass club was just getting there for their Saturday tourney.

As I got ready to launch the guy in the boat in front of me came over to chat.  He had never fished Coleto and wanted to know if I could help, right down my alley.  So I showed him what I am using, the Strike King Swimming Jig and a Rage Craw trailer and said follow me.  He tailed me up lake and on the way I stopped so he could mark those coves he needs to be fishing.

That one will do on a tough day.

I started on the south bank up river and he started on the north bank.  When we talked at the ramp I thought he had a swim jig, but when we got together a while later I had put 8 in the boat including a nice catfish, he struck out.  So I solved that by giving him a Swim Jig and he promptly caught one.  That was the last I saw of him that day but hopefully I showed him enough to have a respectable weekend.

The Strike King Swim Jig was the ticket today, though most were small.

Fishing was a little slower than earlier in the week, it was still one here and one there.  Before the day was over I put 14 or 15 in the boat but it was clearly tougher than it was.

A sure sign spring has sprung on Coleto.

Whether it was the back end of coves or points leading in to them, the fish were still in the same type areas, just not biting with the same purpose they were.  Though the Swim Jig was definitely their preferred bait for the day, the only fairly ok fish came on the spinnerbait out of very isolated bushes.  I did lose one good fish running the Swim Jig by a bush, but as far as  better bites they were on spinnerbait, there just was not enough of them.

I did catch 2 on the Strike King Bleeding Bait spinnerbait today.

As it was getting late in the afternoon I started on a point leading into a really small pocket/cove off the main lake.  As I got to the point headed in a tourney boat I had seen at the ramp was idling towards the pocket, definitely going to cut me off.  What prompts someone to blatantly cut someone off like that?  This cove was small, definitely not a 2 boat place, and they were a perfect example of what has given bass fisherman a bad name over the years.  It was the old I take precedent because my boat payment is bigger than yours.

But then Karma, God, or the what goes around comes around thing, reached out and did something awesome – They drove up on a submerged tree and got stuck.  It was a thing of beauty.  There was no way they did not see me, or could not tell where I was headed, and they were determined to screw me.  So boys, I hope the rest of your weekend goes just like that.  You are the jerks who are the stereotype that hurts all of us.

Headed to the fry pan.  This guy thumped the snot out of the Swim jig.

So in spite of water temps in the mid 60’s the fish are still somewhat shaky.  I kept alternating quite a bit with the spinnerbait and some with the topwater, but in spite of water temps that would indicate they should be eating it up, it is still slow by spring standards.  I am sure there are some on the beds, but it is still not the wholesale spring bite.  The bite is just good enough to keep it interesting but not the all out spring madness.  It looks like the next moon will be the real spawning run so hang on, it is coming.

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

 I got this comment, and believe me it is something I have thought about doing quite a bit over the years.  But it boils down to more work.  (Insert whining here.)

Really enjoy the reports. Since you are so thorough about everything you do have you ever equated your trips to the solunar tables? It would be interesting and informative to see a report start with>>>>>> I went fishing on Monday and the solunar tables were showing major feeding from XX to XX and I caught fish from XX-XX. For us working stiffs only being able to fish on weekends it would be great info for someone to actually verify the tables really work.

Thanks
John in Austin

Well John from Austin, thanks a lot for making me feel guilty.  Over the years I have noticed one thing as far as the solunar tables are concerned:  Just because it is a major period does not mean you will catch squat, but many of my memorable catches come during the major period.  So I guess it is time to add that to the days reports.  I think a basic weather report, tide times, and solunar times.  Actually folks who do religiously keep a log always document that stuff.  So lets see how long I can keep it up.  And thanks for reading this drivel.

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

I really, really, really want and need your comments.  I have never really solicited advertisers and would like to hear from you.  The layout of this blog is simple and easy, for me to work and I hope for you to read.  There are several ways for me to get ads on the site but am interested in your take on what I am seeing on so many sites now.  Do the ads usually covering websites bother you?  Do you just ignore them?  How about non-fishing related ads I see on so many sites now.  So before I change anything, or even make a change at all, I want to hear from you.

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

The Shoedog is up in Arkansas making some plans for our trip and getting in some fishing, hopefully a fresh report will be coming in the next day or two.  And as busy as the lake and bay have been I know some of you are fishing this weekend so drop me a quick report.  You can put as much or as little in your report, we just like hearing how other folks are doing.

And on a couple of house keeping matters, I often get a question on how to receive alerts or notice of a new post.  To do that just look to the right on the home page and sign up for email alerts, the best way to get notice.  That came up when I met a reader at Academy the other day.  I really do appreciate folks coming up and talking fishing when they recognize me.  I learn something from meeting you all so feel free to holler at me.

I on the other hand have friends camping at the lake so I will head out there for a little bit.  They are wanting to catch a few white bass so I just might hop in one of the two boats and supervise the whole operation.  My next real fishing should be the bay.  It all depends on the rain we have coming early in the week.  We are going to have some warming after these cool nights, and I may actually stay down at POC a night and get in a couple of consecutive days of fishing.   And last but not least we are about to hit 500,000 visit.  That seems almost impossible.  I can not thank you enough for making this what it is.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Swimming Jig kinda day!  Man I love spring!

A Real Spring Bite

Today the fish started acting like spring.  Like I told you last week this day was coming, warm, calm, and misting, just what the doctor ordered.  It was drizzling lightly when I got to the lake and it was like someone turned on the switch, time to bite!  There are not that many days when you can call your shot, but this one was a no brainer.

The first picture is my first cast.  Often catching one on the first cast is bad luck, today it was an indication of things to come.  The water temp was over 65 everywhere, in fact it hit 70 in a couple of places later in the day and the bite was on.  I caught fish in the first place, the last places, and everywhere in between.

The topwater bite was on.

I started with  a topwater Rapala and they were smoking it along the edge of cover in coves.  Just twitching it along, they were rolling up and eating it.  To make a long story short, it was a real spring bite on a day that I could see on the weather report last week was going to be the day, and the fish did not disappoint.

                 But they would hit a spinnerbait too.

It stayed cloudy most of the morning and the fish bit like it was spring.  I took pictures for a while then stopped and concentrated on catching fish.  A little wind, throw the spinnerbait, good cover, alternate between the Strike King Swim Jig and the topwater.

And then the Swim Jig turned on.  They averaged better on the jig.

One thing that became apparent pretty quickly, the bluegill colored Swim Jig with a watermelon Rage Craw trailer was the ticket.  A simple slow retrieve with occasional hops was the ticket, and it was definitely a set the hook if you feel anything bite.  And if you bumped something as you reeled it along it was hang on time.

            The afternoon fishing was almost as good.

The only thing that did not happen was a really big fish, which surprised me.  It did not help matters that it cleared off and got sunny, but even then the fish did not stop biting.  I try to let you all know where I caught them, today it was classic spring fishing, flat spawning coves, flat main lake banks with cover,  the back of creeks, everywhere they should be I caught fish.  The lake though still has areas up lake that have some crappy color, I am not sure where it came from, and it looks like the lake is falling ever so slow.  And while the better places were a little clearer, I did catch fish everywhere I tried.

Finally stuck a good one!  My best limit was on the Swim Jig.

I know I said last post that I thought the fish had not really reacted to the quick warming trend, well they did today.  It really was a classic spring fishing day on Coleto.  Most of the fish I caught were females with big bellies looking for a place to get with the spawn.  A good sign of things to come, I saw a couple of beds and a few tilapia swimming around, always a good thing on Coleto.  The topwater caught lots of fish, most on the smaller side, the spinnerbait a few, but the better fish came on the Swim Jig.

As you can see from the pictures it was hot and heavy with the smaller fish in the morning and the better ones came as the day progressed.  I have no guess how many I caught, but I fished from 7 – 4 and there were very few periods where they were not biting.   Which brings us to this comment I got from Andrew.

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

Great article! Got a tournament there soon. Any advice would help considering I’ve never fished it! In particular areas to fish. Thanks for posting.

Andrew

If you have a tourney coming soon it should be good.  If you have never fished Coleto before the best piece of advice I can give you is do not get enamored with the timber.  It will really be a classic spring pattern and there should be lots of fish on the beds.   And as far as baits, it should be fish what you like and are good at.  Keep reading as I will be fishing it at least one day a week.  I appreciate your commenting.

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I got several of these comments, almost spammed, but I did want to post this for you folks who might be interested in fishing tournaments with vets for a good cause.

The ArmyBassAnglers & the Coalition are not content with just fishing the toughest team tournaments in Texas. More importantly, they use their ability to fish in national team tournaments and the support of some nationally acknowledged sponsors to increase the awareness and generate help for some very note worthy charitable causes and events. More details at http://armybassanglers.com.

So thanks to all of you who sent me this link.  We appreciate your service and I am happy to have you guys aboard.

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Our Arkansas trip is right around the corner and I got a fresh report from my buddy Clyde. The water is warmer than normal right now on Norfork and coming up on Bull Shoals.  They are catching whites and stripers and he sent me this one he caught on a umbrella rig.

Now that will stretch your string!

And they are also getting them at night.

The Shoedog is actually up there right now scouting out our place to stay.  When we go, probably April 1, he will staying a month, I will at least be fishing a week.  We are really looking forward to this trip fishing with old buddies.  It is just a month away and it should be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

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And last I got this comment from my buddy Bobby after I had a little round of losing them on the Swim Jig.

Doug, I had the same problem losing fish!! So I had a thought I put a small treble hook as a stinger hook. I will see how it works next Thursday!!!

I had no problem with losing them today, I think it had more to do with their willingness to eat the other day than any operator error.  I really do think they have been somewhat confused this winter but they seem to be settling into a good spring bite.  So if you try it let us know and we will be looking forward to your report.

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As I write this the front that brought us rain with a lightning and thunder last night is blowing off clear.  With that comes what it projected to be a good 25 – 35 mph winds, gusting to over 40 mph today.  In fact, the weatherman said there will be gale force winds on the coast today, which is why I am sitting at the house.  What will come next I am not sure but it looks like Thursday should be great for the bay and I will be headed to POC.  Tomorrow is up in the air, but hopefully it will be fishing somewhere depending on the wind.  And to any of you with something to say, lets hear it.  Will all love your comments and reports.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Voe put the smack down on this one the second place we fished.

It was still cool and the fog had just cleared and we were anticipating really getting after them.  After the first couple of places we left them and returned to the big cove we caught them in 2 days before.  We specifically waited until later in the morning so we could be there mid day for the big bite.  It was about 2 minutes after we got there that I caught my first small one.

My first one.

Then a small disaster ensued.  I always say it is the little things, and today was a perfect example.  One thing I intended to do, and didn’t, was retie as soon as we hit the water.  After catching a nice bag the other day I should have done it, but did not.  The next bite I broke my line setting the hook.  A minute later the fish jumped trying to throw the Swim jig and it was not much.  Simply a mistake on my part.  We kept working the cove and I had another bite and this one made the boat.

Things were looking up.

By this time we have been fishing about 3 hours and put only 3 in the boat.  I kept swimming that Strike King Swimming Jig in bluegill with a watermelon red trailer and finally managed to catch another one.  But it was slow, a real disappointment considering what I though would happen.

And it was all down hill from here.

Then disaster reared its ugly head again.  As I slowly reeled along one starting swimming away with it, and was behind a stump when I set the hook.  It was definitely a big one, and it wrapped the line on the stump and broke it right off.  So now I am 3 in the boat and 2 broken lines, both basically my fault.

Voe on the other hand did his usual work with other baits and while he missed a couple it was just not happening.  To make matter worse the wind, which had been blowing 20 decided it was time to ramp up and see if it could make 30mph gusts.  So with the water temp way in the high 60’s all over the lake we fished a couple of windy banks with spinnerbait, with no success.

So we started hitting my usual spring places hopping over quite a bit of the lake and they just were not biting.  We finally quit at 4 after about a 3 hour stretch without a bite.  Voe had one and I caught about 5 and that was the size of it.  I really am puzzled.  Conditions are right but there seems to be something off.  My only guess is that this warm stretch has actually happened so fast that the fish have not really reacted to it yet.  And one thing I am not seeing is the tilapia yet.  So it may seem like spring but the fish sure are not having it.  I wish I could be a little more definitive about what is happening, but right now opinions and rear ends, I have both but I am not sure my opinion is worth anything.   But that is what makes fishing what it is.

On a lighter note I often check the trash can at the cleaning table and there is one thing I know for sure on Coleto, the crappie are getting after it.  There were a ton in the can and they were big ones.  So if you like fresh crappie filets sizzling in the pan now is the time.

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Jim dropped me a note asking about one of my favorite subjects, the Strike King Swim Jig.

I’ve been meaning to ask but keep forgetting. Regarding the Strike King swim jigs you use:
1) which model do you prefer? The KVD swim jig, the KVD Heavy Cover swim jig or the Hack Attack Heavy Cover swim jig?
2) is there a particular weight that you notice that seems to preform better than the others?
3) do you add a trailer? If so do you prefer a craw worm type or paddle tail type bait.
4) and lastly, do you ever fish them by themselves without a trailer?

Thanks in advance for your time and opinions.

Jim

Great questions and in my case the answers are pretty easy.

1.  I primarily use the Tour Grade in a bluegill or blue/black, and of course white.  I fish it on 12 or 15lb line most places I fish and it is easier to sink the finer wire hook on the Tour Grade with lighter line.
2. As our fish spend most of their lives shallow due to grass I like the 1/4 ounce.  And I think that using it shallow you can reel it fast enough with the Rage Craw to get great action.  The few occasions I use it deeper than the 5 foot or so range then I use the 3/8 to get it deeper and still reel it fairly fast.
3. I generally use the Rage Craw trailer, though use the Lobster and the small Rage Craw on occasion.  On the white, I use a swim bait or paddle tail like the Caffinne Shad in white.  Do note though that in really cool water I alternate with the KVD Chunk which is not as aggressive a paddler as the Rage Craw.
4. Always, always, always.
5. I am headed out here in a little bit and hope to fish the new 3/8 Strike King Swinging Swim Jig today.  We are expecting to face high winds today and it will allow me to keep better contact with the heavier jig.  I had some trouble losing fish the other day and the word is the new Swimging Jig keeps them hooked up.  Report to follow.

Thanks for the questions, and basically I try to keep it simple.  In the winter or if I see shad jumping or spawning in the spring, then out comes the white, but basically I like any of bluegill type colors.  Last year when the bluegills got on the beds I caught several big bass shallow in the summer that were up there eating them.  It really is not rocket science, if the fish are shallow it is Swim Jig time.  Like all bait choices, it still comes down to location, location, location.  It is funny how fishermen feel about fishing different baits.  The Shoedog finds it somewhat boring, I find it really subtle and natural, and love the anticipation.  It catches fish, and at times big fish.  And I really can assure you I have thrown multiple other brands and the Strike King is clearly hands down the best of the bunch.

And Jim followed it up with this comment on the current Fayette conditions.

Great report! I have been fishing Fayette every Tuesday for a couple weeks now and agree with you. It’s going to be on the next full moon! Been catching “smaller” bass shallow and bigger fish in deeper (10-15ft) water leading into eastern coves. Water temps have been in the mid 60’s. Can’t wait for the top water bite to kick in.

Am heading up to Toledo Bend Friday for a Fishers of Men tournament Saturday. Weather is warming and has stabilized so there should be some big stringers caught. Hope one of them is mine!

Have a good one.

Jim

First good luck on Toledo this weekend.  5 of the right casts there and 30lbs will be flopping in the floor of the boat.  It will take a big sack, hope you get yours.  The water temp and conditions on both Coleto and Fayette are similar and my observation this year is our pre-spawn period may be a little shorter this year due to the cool water temps and then this couple of week warming trend that may put many of them on the beds this next week.  So folks if you can go, go, the time is now.

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On the trout front the rivers are not quite done yet.

Fished the Lavaca last saturday. Tides real low, kind of a grind on the fish. they were staged on the drop off from 3-6 feet in the river, never found any reds. Ended up with 5 keepers and a bunch of throwbacks. fun day none the less, where to go this weekend, hmmmmmm!!

Thanks Remmy.  That is a report anyone can use to put a few trout in the boat.  With a pretty good report from Garcitas and now yours from the Lavaca there is still a chance to put a few in the boat in either place.  But the end is near so if you like fishing either for trout better hit the water quick, full on spring is here.  Thanks again and comment anytime the mood strikes you.  And the rest of you, a simple report on your fishing can help other folks and we all need a little help on occasion.

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That about catches us up for today.  It really was a disappointing day on the water yesterday.  I am not sure what is going on at the lake right now, but like so many years in the past, it is different than the expectations.  But I will get it figured out, and there will be a day coming soon when it will be crazy good.  So it will be  a weather watch to see what is next at fishcatchingtraverl.com.  No matter what it is fishing time.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Line

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Swimming Jig kinda day!  Man I love spring!

After a veritable smack down on the reds at the Gulf last week it was time to get on the big bass band wagon.  The water is warming, the weather is unbelievable, and I can feel a big one calling my name.   This is my favorite time of year, fishing is good and getting better everywhere, and it can be tough just deciding where to go.

But my buddy Voe was back in town and up for some bass fishing so Coleto it was.  We got there about 7:30 and it was beautiful, warm, sunny, and dead calm.  I immediately caught one on my first cast, and the curse took hold.  If you catch one on your first cast you need to catch another pretty quick or fishing can suck, and it did, sort of, until after 2:00 in the afternoon.

We fished spawning coves, main lake, flat banks uplake, wood, pretty much all pre-spawn areas we could think of and it was slow.  There was the occasional small one, but it just was not as good as it seemed like it should be.

After catching one on my first cast it was quite a while before I caught another.  Voe was getting bit occasionally, but nothing to write home about.

This was it for the first few hours.

Though  I occasionally threw a spinnerbait or plastics, it was the Strike King Swim Jig in a bluegill color with a watermelon red Rage Craw that finally did the damage.  It was a funny morning.  I think we caught around 10 until the late afternoon, and I lost a couple, but it sure seemed slow.   We finally went in a big cove up lake and found them about halfway back on the channel areas.  Though I lost a couple more they started eating it.

Things improved pretty fast late afternoon.

The second one up there was a fatty, around the 5 lb. plus class.  They wanted the jig swimming fairly steady and not with a lot of action.  By the same token I caught a couple when the jig hit something and they bit.  Voe kept trying different baits, buzzbait, blade bait, crankbait, wacky worm, but none really got them going.  Much of the time we kept the boat sitting in 6 or 7 feet of water.  The fish did not seem to be positioned any place or distance from the bank, and some came the first crank and some halfway back.  They just came when they did.

The last couple of nice ones.

We fished the area twice and had bites and fish on the Swim Jig both passes.  It would have been a great tournament place.  Just reel it along close to the bottom and be ready.  I was clearly out of practice with the jig, but by time afternoon came around I was catching them right along.   The water temperature was as high as 68 degrees in some of those places today.  Initially we caught nothing in the back ends, or we caught one, and I mean one small one, most places we tried.  But none were the size we were looking for.  The fish are going to hit the beds with this full moon.  The water is warm and they should move to the banks with a vengeance.

I would guess it was about 15 today, which was ok.  The late afternoon bite saved the day.   One thing that did not help was no wind, it was almost dead flat everywhere.  And the water color up lake is poor, and while we got several bites up there, clearer water helped the bite.   I am so looking forward to the next couple of cloudy days, it has real potential if the water temp stays like it is.  The lake has fallen some and that could have a big effect on things if it continues.  But over all the fishing is ok and it is just a matter of when it really ramps up.  I think I will head that way one more time this week, probably tomorrow.

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Johnny got a chance to fish Amistad and it looks like it went about like the reports I have read elsewhere.

Fishing at Amistad was slow. Went up the Devils river and caught a few on crank baits and swim jig. My best luck was using the drop shot with Watermelon Red Fluke. Caught our biggest fish at a stream coming out of some rocks in the Devils river. Fished around Black Brush.

Amistad is one of my favorite lakes just for the sheer beauty.  We fished it quite a few times several years ago and caught some big fish.  Out last trip a couple of years ago was ok, the Shoedog did catch one big one, but the fishing has declined noticeably the last several years.  Hopefully it will cycle back around soon.  It is such a cool lake.  At lest Coleto is coming on.  Thanks for the report, better luck next time.

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Then next week I will be looking for a light wind day and may try the flyrod for some reds.  They were definitely in my short range off and on for days, and as long as it is just a riffle on the surface they are pretty easy to see.  In fact, standing in the right place would lend itself to plenty of shots.  But who knows?  And the topwater fishing should really be coming on as this weather rapidly warms the water.  Like the lake, get a good cloudy day and it should be game on. How long those reds will  stay ganged up before they spread out is beyond me.  What prompts them to spread out I do not know but if you know the answer let us know.

That will do it for today.  Another trip to the dentist is messing up my day, but tomorrow it will be back at it.  And if you have anything to say drop us a note, we always love to hear from you.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Time to throw that Strike King Swimming Jig!  Man I love spring!

First we have to start with important stuff, Korbin, the Bass Master Champion in 2030.  He and his dad have been on a quest for him to catch species of fish he has never caught before, and he added several this weekend.  It will be fun to follow his fishing adventures.  And they also report catching about 20 white bass on Coleto in the upper arm on shad colored crankbaits.  They are still up there to be caught, but won’t be for long.

#1.  The mighty sheepshead!

#2.  A white bass headed to the grease.

#3.  CPR on his first largemouth.

Look at his face in these pictures.  What could be better?  A dad and his son spending time together.  Fishing is an activity that really can be shared with your children and in Korbin’s case he is consumed with it.  I so see myself as I was the same age when the bug bit me, and look how I turned out.  So take your kids fishing and we are excited to follow Korbin’s quest.  I will try to put him on a redfish in the near future.  So way to go Dude!

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My buddy Bobby got out a day on Coleto and reports a pretty fair day.

Man it was a good day. The strike king swim jig was the answer. White with the rage craw trailer. Found the fish in the back of coves.

Jim dropped me this comment after my rant the other day.

I just read your post and can relate about the feelings you were/are experiencing. Over the years I have had many knock down drag out discussions with one of my wife’s uncles about over limits. He used to brag about all the Reds, trout, flounder, bass, white bass he and his buddies would catch and it was always over possession and daily bag limits. I would listen to his stories and get so upset that I couldn’t say something about what he was doing was wrong and it was people like him that causes fishing license fees to increase. He always came back with “well nobody was around so”. And every time he said that I thought what character and integrity! Idiot!!! I have to laugh now because whenever there is a family get together he avoids me like the plague which is fine with me. All I can say is what comes around goes around.

I appreciate your comment and your experience is actually a good teaching moment for all of us.  I tend to rant at times, maybe excessively, but fishing and hunting can best be described as a privilege and not a right, no matter how we like to think.  And every little opening we give the anti’s will be taken.  And your ragging on him worked.  Not only did it work out for you personally, it made him think, hopefully not only about what he says, but what he was doing.  So thanks for the comment.

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Doug:

Still reading, just haven’t found the time to comment lately. Now that hunting season is over I will try and find the time to say more. Ha! Man do I appreciate the
venting! That problem you wrote about is the reason we don’t have the fishing community we ought to. Idiots abuse it. Not only do they abuse the shared information, but they tout about it and break the law. Unfortunately all the people out to stop fishing/hunting don’t look at the majority of ethical sportsman. They use these morons as ammunition to further their cause. It makes you sick. It pisses me off. May the hull of their boats and the props of their engines find the sharpest edge of an oyster reef!

Wow! I love hearing about POC! My buddy and I are planning a trip (kayak bay fishing) sometime in May. Its the soonest we can get out there. Hopefully the fishing holds up until then! Its been too long since I’ve been chasing reds/trout. (I blame all the hunting!)

Whenever we get down there we gotta meet up for some food/beer! Maybe I’ll hit you up for some hot fishing spots so I can keep a LEGAL limit of reds! LOL

Have a great week and catch all the big ones!

Evan

Good to hear from you.  It is so important for sportsmen to remember that a moments indiscretion, much less blatant stupid behavior, paints us all and anything anti’s can use to attack our sports does not help.  I guess what really did PO’ me was that is exactly what it was, a misuse of information.  No wonder some folks don’t share fishing information and techniques with folks.  Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice shame on me. Please let me know when you will be down, if I can help point the way I sure will.  And I rarely refuse a cold one with a fisherman.  My stories are so much better after a couple!

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Steve sent this report a couple of days ago and it makes me want to hitch up in the morning and head that way.

Fished Fayette yesterday. Planned on being on the lake at sunup but a blown tire on the truck doing 65 on I-10 put a bit of a delay in the schedule. Nothing like changing a tire on the shoulder of the freeway with semi’s blowing past! (Called AAA but they couldn’t get there until 7:30 and we couldn’t wait that long).

Fished the bays, trees, points, and dam. We ended up with 17 total fish, with 9 coming from bays in about 6-8 ft of water, 5 on deep diving crank baits in 12-15 ft of water, and 3 on a Carolina rig also deep. Fish were healthy, fat, and good size except for maybe 2 dinks, and included a 6.10 on a deep dive crank bait and a 4.11 on a wacky worm. Water temp still cooling – was about 60 when we got on the lake, and 70 by the time we got off at about 2.

All in all, not a bad day, even considering the early morning tire problem!
Keep up the good work, love to read your stuff.

A great day considering the start, and nice numbers for an early quit.  I really, really, like to fish Fayette.  It is a consistent fishery and you all ways have a shot at a good one, what we call a Fayette Fatty.  So thanks for the report, keep them coming.

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Bold Prediction for the Month.

You heard it here first.  I just looked at the 10 day forecast and if it holds true there is a day coming in a little over a week that my past experiences on Coleto have shown it to be one of the best fishing days of the year.  It is getting right, daytime warming into the 80’s and then a front with cloud cover.  Front day it drops into the 60’s for highs, but as long as it isn’t a norther type front it should be awesome.  We should see occasional fish making beds and moving up.  Like I always say there are times when you need to be doing a specific thing based on weather and time of year, and we are about to hit one of those times.  Big bass are in my future and they are coming in 7 or 8 days from now.

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It is so great to hear from all of you, keep those reports and comments coming.  The fishing is hot in both fresh and saltwater and it is time to get out there as much as you can.  My plans are up in the air but include catching a couple of big bass and I intend to hit the bay and take the fly rod.  I have had it a while and got it with the intention of catching redfish.  Well the way they were acting last week it is time.  In fact both Pete and John of the Austin Boys fish with the buggy whip and commented on how easy it would have been to catch one.  I can not thank all of you, whether readers or fishing buddies, it takes all of us to keep this blog going.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines