Fish Catching Travel

Redfish Magic or a Rage Tail Shrimp, Strike King has the bait for you!

The Question:

I am a novice coast fisherman. Usually we wade fish with live shrimp on popping corks.
You always talk about baits you use but being a rook don’t know what they are. Could you please include some pictures of these lures. Thanks

Ok Glen, here you go, saltwater lure fishing 101.  This is not the be all end all list, that would take a book, but hopefully it helps you get a feel for saltwater lure fishing and the terms I use when I write my reports.  There are many other baits and styles of hard and soft baits, jerk baits, crankbaits, in fact you can spend money until you drop and still not buy it all.  Keep it simple and learn to use a small assortment of baits and you will be successful.  If you are experienced this may not be for you, but remember, we all started somewhere.  (The following pictures are lures right out of my tackle bag.)

Plastics

Basically I use the following terms for plastics – Straight Tail, Paddle Tail, Flapper Tail, and Shrimp Tail.  Generic lengths for saltwater plastics are 3″ to 5″.  They come in as many colors as you can imagine, but basically it seems to boil down to the following question:  Are they hitting dark or light colors?  So lets look at a few of each style and talk about the differences.

Paddle Tails

The important point about paddle tails is how easily does it paddle?  When I look at a paddle tail I am looking to see how narrow the tail is where it meets the paddle.  That is the one factor affecting how well it vibrates, narrow = good vibration.  Some thump, some vibrate, it just depends on how they are designed.  A good rule of thumb, the warmer the water the faster the vibration.  And softness is another factor when picking plastics, especially if you fish in the winter.

D.O.A. C.A.L. – Strike King Caffeine Shad – H&H Cocahooe Minnow – Down South

Straight Tails.

When I use the term straight tail it covers a variety of baits that many folks call bass assassin style baits.  The action is basically imparted by the user.

MirrOlure Soft Minnow Split Tail – Strike King Zulu – SaltWater Assassin – Sand Eel

Flapper Tails.

Basically they have big flat beaver type tails.  Of course while they work year round, I prefer them in the winter when the water temperature is down.  They clearly have a different beat and can be highly effective on bigger trout.

Gambler Flapp’n Shad

Shrimp Tails

Like everything we are talking about here, there are tons of variations.  From cheap to the Gulp Shrimp, they all catch fish.  If I am going to fish a popping cork there is only one shrimp tail I use, the Strike King Rage Shrimp.  Not only does it catch fish, it last forever.  It is tough and often the same one stays on my rod for months.  Again, the joys of super glue.

Salt Striker Shrimp Tails  –  Strike King Rage Shrimp

Lead Heads

To get our plastics to the fish, or the bottom, or anywhere else they need to be, plastics are generally used on lead heads.  While there are tons of sizes and colors, there are really only a couple of important factors, hook size and overall weight.  Those factors are then combined with the depth you are fishing, the speed you are fishing, and the size of the plastics.  Color is basically irrelevant, so do not get caught up in that, unpainted is fine with the fish. It is really all about the fall rate when you combine the bait with line size.  Basically plastics should be fished on as light as line as possible, usually 8 – 12 lb test for me.  Remember, the lighter the line the finer the wire hook to make it easier to set the hook.  And the punch line: Super Glue the plastic to the jig head.  You will use less than a third of the plastics you would normally use, I carry it in my wading box.

White – stand up heads – Lead Screw Lock – Strike King Flats Jig Head – 2 on right are Bass Shakey Head Jig Heads

Topwaters

Hoppin’, poppin’, skippin’ and floppin’, there are as many topwaters out there as there are folks making baits.  And while those of us who fish hard have a box or two full, just a few will meet most of our needs for inshore saltwater fishing.  My basic styles I throw are the walk the dog style like the Skitter Walk and the Spook Jr. and the popper style like the Chug Bug or the Skitter Pop.

Zara Spook (top) – Rapala Skitter Walk  (left) – Strike King Sexy Dawg (right)  – Storm Chug Bug (bottom)

                                                        Jerk or Twitch Baits

Like all the baits we have talked about previously, there are tons of different baits, but a few will get the job done.  Hard plastic and soft, basically they are designed to be jerked and then suspend or sink very slowly.  Primarily a colder water bait, they work year round.  And the original Paul Brown Corky, and it’s family of baits, are probably responsible for more really big trout than any other bait on the Texas coast.  I have had great success in Florida on a regular bass minnow jerk bait.  The corky style plug is the bait that probably requires the most skill of the lot.  Practice makes perfect.

Soft

Paul Brown original Corky (top) – Tsunami Fat Boy (bottom)  –  Tsunami corky (right) – MirrOdine soft jerk  bait (left)

Hard

Rapala – MirrOlure twitch bait – Catch 2000

Spinnerbaits

There are several companies that make a saltwater spinnerbait, but as they said in the movie, The Highlander – There can be only one!  And that is the Strike King Redfish Magic.  End of story.  Of course I use many companies baits but when it comes to spinnerbaiting for redfish there is really is only one, and in the words of Forest Gump – “That is all I have to say about that.”

The Redfish Magic  –  there is not reason to show you any other spinnerbait!

Getting Started

Almost every fisherman who ever lived likes baits, the more the merrier.  But not everyone has a budget to accomplish it.  But with a little planning you can cover all the bases and not break the bank.  So if you are wading with a popping cork here is the list of lures that will cover your needs fishing the same depths.  This list is specifically designed for wading depths and about tells it all about what I throw on a daily basis.

Shopping List

4 bags of plastics – Down South watermelon red + Strike King Rage Shrimp white/chartreuse tail +  Saltwater Assassin SW Shad electric chicken + D.O.A. C.A.L. Shad in a dark color

2 packs of jig heads  –  1/16th + 1/8th (Strike King Flats jig head)

2 topwaters – Zara Spook Jr. in bone color + Rapala Skitter Walk Bl/Silver

2 twitch baits – Black Back Silver MirrOdine + Bone or White Tsunami or Paul Brown Corky

2 spinnerbaits – 1/8 + 1/4 Strike King Redfish Magic

This list will do it.  Of course I have tons of baits, more than any sane person could possibly need, but they are not really necessary.  If you have this short list in your pocket when you wade you can cover every set of conditions, no matter the time of year, no matter where you are on the Texas coast.  It is important to note:  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAGIC BAIT!  They are just tools, nothing more.  They have a time and place, it is up to you to figure out the rest.

So I hope this answers your questions.  And the rest of you, if I am spouting off about anything else like I am want to do and you are not sure what the hell I am talking about, let me know.  I love your questions and comments.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.  Now go our there and catch some fish!

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Tough conditions?  Throw the Redfish Magic!

I had an appointment I could not get out of so it was 10 by time I shook loose.  It was cloudy and the forecast was for the wind to switch out of the north, clear up, and blow to 30 mph.  My hope was to get out enough before the wind change to catch a few bass, and it almost worked out.

Gust to 40mph with a Gale Warning on the coast.  That was the forecast at 6 yesterday.  I can sure attest to that, when the wind switched it started blowing hard enough I called it a day before 2.

When I got to the lake it was clearly up and the water color seemed to have clouded up again.  The skiff has the transducer in the hull so I have no clue what the water temp was, but it was cool to the touch.  The wind was still blowing out of the west and it started to rain pretty good as I approached the first bank.  So I struggle to get all the rain gear on, and of course it quits raining.  And worse the sky was starting to clear.

I fished main lake stuff around the dam and in those coves with spinnerbait, which they were not having, and topwater.  It was an easy hour before I had my first bite.

This one fooled me and it went downhill from there.

The first, and only fish I caught, ate a topwater balsa minnow in less than a foot of water in a big cove.  I kept after that for a while without success.  For the last 4 years on Coleto topwater has been the first real indicator of the spring bite beginning.  As  I fished to the end of one of the main lake banks it turned to timber so I tossed the senko around the first tree and one ate it immediately.  I always say it is the little things, and  I watched as a really good fish rolled over and broke my line on a branch.  I forgot that last time I fished I broke a couple off and decided the leader from the braid was weak.  To bad I forgot to change it.

So I retied with a new leader and tossed it back in there and one swam away with it, I set the hook, and about halfway back it comes off.  To make it more perfect the wind really started to blow out of the north, and then it blew harder.  I fished a couple of other places but it was just impossible.  I am just not that mad at them anymore.  When I got to the ramp a guy was having a heck of a time getting his aluminum boat on the trailer.  It took me 2 runs at it to get mine on.  And a as a side note they have fixed the approach to the one ramp with concrete.  It is still roped off, I am sure to cure, but it will be an improvement.  It would not hurt to fix the other side also, the holes are pretty big.

I admit I am trying to hurry spring along with my bait choice.  But in spite of my best efforts the forecast for this weekend, possibly below freezing tonight, will keep things in winter mode.  My only real hope is that it stays clear enough for the vegetation to grow at the lake.  Luckily the water level is getting up in the stuff, and when they start biting it should be really good.

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

My last couple of trips have been a little rough, but the Shoedog had a good trip, without even leaving his house.

Nice one.  Love catching that size on a spinnerbait!

There is a little pond in his backyard that was empty a few years ago, but is full now.  It has bass, catfish, and bluegills in it.  He had trouble catching any bass out of it last year, but that surely changed the other day.

A couple of nice bass out of his small pond.

 So congrats on that first one, really a nice bass.  And I am already thinking about our trip to Bull Shoals and Norfork in Arkansas in April.

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As I write this the wind is blowing about 25 out of the north and it is 45 degrees.  Looks like it will stay this way for about 3 days.  Not sure when the wind will quit, but hopefully it will be soon.  One thing I have been meaning to do is answer this question –

I am a novice coast fisherman. usually we wade fish with live shrimp on popping corks.
You always talk about baits you use but being a rook don’t know what they are. Could you please include some pictures of these lures. Thanks

Tell you what Glen, I am going to get up and go get an example of the lures I use in the salt and put a face to what I talk about.  It is good to be reminded that some folks who read this are rookies, or maybe just getting back in to fishing.  I hope that lots of you come here, it has become the reason I do this, to help anybody catch one more fish.  So here it comes.   And if anyone else has anything to add keep those comments coming.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Tough conditions?  Throw the Redfish Magic!

The Upper Laguna Madre it wasn’t, but it sure was not Keller’s fault.  I had not been to Keller Bay in months and the wind was going to be perfect.  With 5 – 15 out of the North East it would be blowing over the north bank, a good thing in Keller.  So I headed down that bank about halfway back, dropped anchor, and over the side I went.  That turned out to be a big fat zero.  I was throwing the light plastic and a corky and not getting bit, period.  From 1 1/2 out to about 4, they just were not there.

So I moved a couple of hundred yards down the bank and waded that area.  In both places I fished from 2 – 4 foot deep without any success.  The only thing I had resembling a bite was this guy.

Best fight I had the first couple of hours.

It was probably 3 hours worth of wading without success.  One big factor was that low tide was like 8 am and it was 9:30 before I started fishing.  To go along with that the water was not moving though  the wind was blowing just enough to ripple the surface and it was cloudy.  I finally gave up wading and headed to the channel where Keller opens up to the back bay, right in front of the park and ramp.

This time of year there are always some trout in there and they were there today.  There was just one problem……

I know where you can catch 50 of these.

They normally position on the mud bank opposite the park, and when the water is moving it is usually a pretty good bite.  Unfortunately today they were all small, willing, but small.  So after  a couple of passes there it was time for one of my favorite redfish banks at the mouth of Keller.

The tide was still not really moving when I got there so I put the trolling motor on low and went to chucking that Strike King Redfish Magic.  And as it does so regularly it produced a couple of fish.

The Strike King Redfish Magic can save the day.

The couple I caught on that bank smoked the spinnerbait, but it was the only 2 bites I got fishing there.  The tide was really low and the water was just sitting there so I finally called it a day.

On this note I called it a day.

The biggest problem was I did not go until the tide was done moving, and it did not start again before I finally quit.  Not saying moving water is the be all end all, but it sure is important.  It was disappointing simply because this time of year is ususally pretty good in Keller.  And today I did not fish the dock area back into the back bay which might have helped.  That bank usually has some pretty good reds on it at times.

The north bank, the pasture, is a long bank and I should have drifted it until I got a few bites, then hopped over  the side.  But you make your choices and live with the results.  It was just to bad, Keller is a good fishing hole.

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

I got this comment from Steve and it brings up several things worth chatting about.

Doug, I always enjoy your adventures and want to follow in your footsteps one day.  This past weekend my dad came to Austin to visit and off to Port O’Connor we went for a fishing adventure.  Now dad does not get around like he used to so boat fishing is about as adventurous as it gets with him.  I know it is not glamorous like wade fishing with light lines and lighter artificial baits, but we caught over 50 sheepshead with many pushing 5 lbs.  Dad also managed to land a 40″ redfish and he commented afterwards that he thought he was going to have to pass off the pole to someone else several times.  Not bad for an 81 year old.  Thanks for all you do to make fishing our part of the world more fun.  You seem to have a ball doing what you do and that makes it all worthwhile.

First, nice job.  Second, make sure if you follow in my footsteps you don’t step in the same stuff I did.  My best piece of advice, marry well, I sure did.  As far as glamorous, wading like that in the winter is not even a little bit glamorous, it is just a matter of grinding it out.  As far as I am concerned any way you can catch them is good by me.  Why I like fresh water fishing just as much as salt, it is all about catching fish no matter how you do it.  It just so happens this time of year is when the big trout are on the prowl.  So maybe catching a 5lb + on light line is cool, but taking your Dad and catching a bunch of fish, including him having the fight of his life on a big red is awesome.  Our time is short on this earth and sharing a trip like that with your dad is a thing to be treasured.  So thanks for the report, keep them coming.

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

 Not sure what is next, but it definitely will involve catching fish, at least that is the plan.  It feels like I have a fish hangover after last week, it really helps keep up the intensity when you have a legitimate chance of catching a big trout on any cast.  As usual the wind will play a big factor in the next few days and it looks like there is a pretty good cold front.  It is winter you know.  By I will be fishing somewhere.  So keep stopping in and thanks  for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Click on the logo, time to check out the new baits before our spring fishing heats up!

It is funny how when you are retired you still have these moments where you are too busy to fish.  I had a pile of things to do yesterday and today, including finding a new camera to replace the one that got wet.  I am not sure that the other one is completely dead, but so far it has not cooperated.

The trip to the Upper Laguna Madre might not have produced that elusive 30″+ but as far as good fish go it was a great trip.  In fact this comment from Jim describes how we felt while we were doing it.

Sounds like an awesome trip! Nothing like a fish wallowing on the surface, no matter what kind it is.  I felt like I was with you while reading. Also glad you were able to salvage the pictures!!

Fish on!

It was just awesome to set the hook on a good trout and have him come to the surface and wallow and try to jump.  And the fact that you got the feeling like you were with us is exactly the feeling I hope comes with reading my reports.

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

My fall trout fishing has centered around fishing the light jig head with lighter plastics.  As the water temp has dropped, and along with that the trout’s activity level, it has increased the effectiveness of this light line technique.  Fishing in that super clear water of the Laguna let me really observe how the bait fell and what it looked like.  And fishing it on fluorocarbon line without a leader was an important part of provoking that reponse we are looking for, the thump.  There is lots more to do as I refine the combinations that work, and I will be updating you as I go along.  When I caught the last big trout this trip it was under less that stellar conditions, but my amber Cocoons let me see that really small patch of grass a long cast away.  Then to make that perfect cast to place that slow sinking plastic right on the sweet spot was what it took to convince her to eat.   Suffice to say, it works!

I have been throwing the bait on 8lb test with no leader.  The question now is whether that really makes a difference over heavier line.  My initial inclination is that it almost has too.  And I am not using braid, which is definitely a no-no with this technique as it tends to float and not allow the bait to sink naturally.  So far I have had no real problem breaking fish off.  The right rod paired with the correct terminal tackle combine to make this a deadly technique.  And catching trout over 5lbs on light line is a thing of beauty.  So expect more on this subject as this year progresses.  It will be interesting to see how it works in all seasons.

 *********************

I also got this report from Jim the other day and wanted to share it with you.

What a beautiful day to go fishing. Got on Fayette at 9am and fished until 3pm. In the morning it was 41 with a slight breeze out of the west. At about 11:00am the breeze died off and the lake became flat calm. When I left at 3pm it was 63 and still flat calm. Absolutely beautiful!!

The final tally was 15 bass. 3 were 15-15.50″ while the rest were all 13-14″. All fish but one were caught on a CR power worm at the dam. The one was on at TR lizard up against the reeds in a cove on the east side of the lake. (I have some pics but don’t know how to send them to you).

I spent about a total of an hour idling around deep structure checking out the new Lowrance electronics. Awesome technology. I was able to see and make waypoints for a bunch of new spots to be fished in the near future. I was truly amazed at the clarity of the HDS display. I could see rocks and other bottom structure with no problem. I can’t wait to get out there again!

Jim

Ah the joys of new toys.  When I started fishing it was the old flasher technology.  It actually was fairly effective, and with practice it did not take long to differentiate between brush, fish, and bait.  Then I purchased the old X15 by Lowrance, which was a paper graph.  We thought we were something, and it worked great for trolling for stipers.   Now all that is gone by the wayside and this new stuff is literally light years ahead of the old stuff.  But it still is nothing more than another tool, and as we all know having it is still no guarantee of fish in the boat.  So congrats on your day and we will look forward to hearing about your future expeditions.  Keep them coming.

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

And I heard from my buddy Voe who is fishing the desert, sounds funny to say that.

Just got home from fishing Lake Mojave and had a very tough day.  Roger managed to get 2 decent bass early and I only had one shot at a striper.  Around 15 lbs in 35 feet of water on a Strike King 6XD.
Hope Baffin is treating you well.

Thanks, Baffin did treat us well.  And nice striper.  The Strike King 6XD catches fish when you need to get way down there.  I do feel for you fishing those super clear desert lakes.  Those bodies of water, just like the highlands lakes of Arkansas, can be tough to fish.  There is a side benefit, other places seem easy after fishing deep super clear lakes.  So keep those reports coming and see you when you get back.

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

That catches things up for today as far as the blog goes.  Now it will be a concerted effort to get the things done that have to be done today so that I am free to start wailing on them again.  The weather looks perfect tomorrow for fishing as long as the rain is not to hard, but no matter what I will be on the water.  And this warming trend should have our fish biting both fresh and salt, spring is almost here.  And I know some of you are fishing so send me a report.  There may be a few changes coming to the blog, so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Buy more baits, KVD is down to his last million!

I am finally back after 2 1/2 days of hard fishing.  Of course the road was paved with good intentions, I really did hope to post while I was gone, but once I dunked the camera I could only give you the quick update.  It just would not be the same without some pictures.  Once we got home I was able to recover the pictures from the card so here we go, what 2 grown men did all day.

Tuesday

I tend to use the generic term, Baffin Bay, to describe what is actually the Upper Laguna Madre out of the Bird Island Basin boat ramp in the Padre Island National Seashore.  Like the last couple of trips, we get close to Baffin proper, but basically we fished the Upper Laguna on the King Ranch Shoreline.

We specifically chose this period because it was slated to be cloudy and not to windy, and boy did that work out.  The first day we wanted to make long wades and see if we could establish some kind of pattern, and fortunately we were able to figure something out.

The first one, and the last clear sky of the day.

Of course it took us a while to begin to establish some kind of pattern.  I basically stayed with soft plastics on the super light jig head.  Shoedog on the other hand tossed topwater, corky, and soft plastics.  The topwater was not working, the water temp was 56 degrees and it just was not the best option.

           Shoedog gets in on the act.  Notice here comes the weather.  (This is a great example of how fish look depending on the perspective and how they are held.  This fish weighed 4.5 on the boga.)

We made super long wades just trying to get a feel for the area.  You can put what we know about it in your hat so we took it slow and just tried to work out a pattern.  I used to say I am the worst trout fisherman ever, so maybe I am a little better, but while I still suck at corky fishing I am really getting the hang of using the super light jighead on light line.  And a fish the size of this one on light line and a spinning rod is nothing short of fun.

I finally stuck a real one.

My first real good fish of the trip came in about waist deep water in a mix of hard sand, scattered rock, and grass.  That type of bottom is scattered for miles down the King Ranch Shoreline.  We would make a long wade and then move farther down the shoreline towards Baffin, picking one up here and there was we learned more and more.

The trout were just good solid fish.

Shoedog kept after the corky, but had a oops moment when throwing one on his spinning rod and 8lb test, not a good idea as he broke off a big one.  So he started using an old broken back Tsunami, a corky knock off, and established his pattern for the next couple of days.

He kept after the corky bite and ended up getting rewarded for it.

We ended up making 4 big long wades and began to get a feel for the pattern.  The weather was slated to be perfect the next day, cloudy with little wind and we were getting the idea we just might have a clue.  For the day it was 7 trout and 2 reds, which we were happy with considering we are real rookies as far as the Laguna goes.

Day 2 – Thursday

It was perfect today, light winds, clouds, and very little boat traffic.  We headed to the second area where we caught some yesterday and were over the side at daylight.

You could not ask for better big trout weather.

After we anchored the boat I took off one way and Shoedog took off the other.  He had a little trouble getting started, in my case, not so much.  Throwing the watermelon red Down South on a 1/32 ounce jig head turned out to be breakfast for some hungry trout.

Here is the first 5 trout I caught on wade one, some really nice solid fish.  (Why the flash on the camera chooses to work sometimes and not others is a mystery.)

We started catching them and kept at it all day.  The fish are in such good shape down there just like in the POC area.  Fat and sassy, whether it is the 5 fish limit, the floods, or just a natural happening, the fish were solid and heavy.  After a while we just quit taking pictures and kept fishing.  We both lost count, but it was probably over 30 for the day.

I was catching all mine of the plastics, and Shoedog kept with the corky.  He was wanting to get better at it, and persistence is the only way.  It was a slow twitch stop twitch retrieve that got them.  He caught several nice ones and then caught one of those that was a little better than the solid average we were catching.

Get you some of that!  What a trout.

The whole day was full of catching.  Every wade we made, I think it was 5, we  caught fish.  It turned into just another good one, and another.  I wanted to try to improve my poor corky fishing skills and two things ended up happening, first I finally caught a nice trout.  Second, I had something happen which has not happened to me in years, and it was crazy.  You often hear the old “That one tried to rip the rod out of my hands” saying while you are fishing, but it actually happened to me.  As I slowly jerked and paused the corky one literally ripped the rod right out of my hands.  It went in the water like a shot and luckily I was able to grab it and found a redfish on the end of my line.

My last good one from a day filled with nice solid fish.

It was truly a solid day filled with good trout.  Most were in the waist deep water and it was a mouth open, head shaking good time.  For an average it was one of the better days we have had.  I was amazed at how heavy the fish were for how short they were.  None of them have been shorted on the groceries.  So at the end of day 2 we were happy and wondering what the weather change would bring on Friday.

Day 3 – Friday

While there was 5 or 6 trucks at the ramp the first two mornings, there was a wad today.  Someone must have put the open for business sign out as there were boats running everywhere, and several parties fishing the shoreline.  Unfortunately it was sunny and warm, and luckily the wind was still not blowing.  As Shoedog said, “Why does it not blow like this at POC?”

Shoedog started his day off with a bang.

To make a long story short we only managed 5 or 6 today before we quit at 2.  We made 3 wades, working the areas over better as there was tons of boats flying up and down the Laguna.  He stayed with the corky and I with the plastics.

My first fish of the day.

You really get a sense of how clear the Laguna is when the sun is out and the wind is not blowing, it is amazing.  Along with that came tougher fishing, or should I say catching.  While yesterday they were eating it, we probably missed a higher percentage of fish today than the rest of the trip combined.  We made on more stop and I finished my trip off with a nice 5 pound, on the boga, trout.  The sun was out in full force and I tossed to a small isolated patch of grass and she thumped it.

25″ inches and 5 lbs of beautiful speckled trout and like all the others this trip was released to fight again another day.  A great finish to a good trip.

The few fish we caught today were nice ones.  In fact of the 40+ we caught while there only 3 or 4 would have to have been measured, and then only because they looked small compared to the 6 or 7 bigger fish we caught.  And other than the rod ripping incident the only other happening included both of us stepping off in water over the tops of our waders.  Thank goodness it happened on the last day when it ended up being 78 degrees.  And a side note to that was the water warmed up 5 degrees that day so look for the topwater bite to come on strong.

With the drive back to Victoria, and boats and equipment to be cleaned, we called it a trip.  These pictures do not really do it justice to how good it was, and how solid the fish were.  It has been a banner fall in the mid-coast region of the Gulf and it should only get better in the future.  There were many voices of dissent in the Lower Laguna and then the mid-coast region when the state proposed the 5 fish limit but the results are undeniable.  And as I have said repeatedly, I am not the guy to definitively state why the fishing is so good and the fish are in such awesome shape, but whatever, it is working.

This was also a trip were being able to watch the weather and then leave when it was right made the whole thing work.  It you have ever noticed how many of the big trout pictures in the magazines seem to be on cloudy misty days you are right.  I can not over emphasis how active the fish were on Thursday.  And bait was also the key.  There were lots of big mullet jumping most places we caught fish, and no bait meant slow fishing.

Sorry I did not report while gone, but the camera snafu put a stop to that.  So here is the abbreviated version, but you get the picture.  To bad it is just a little to far for a day trip, or I would be back down there expanding my knowledge of the area.  You always here about the rocks and how dangerous it can be.  It is easy to stay out of trouble down there and we have never had even a close call.  First remove your head from your ass, second, once you leave the ICW idle, it is simple as that.  Taking a few extra minutes to idle to a shoreline makes all the difference.

That about covers it.  I am sure I have left some things out, but these are the high points.  The lovely wife went with us and other than a quick couple of suppers she went her way and we went fishing.  We stayed in Port Aransas and also managed to eat some seafood.  It is 30 miles to the ramp at Bird Island Basin but not a bad drive.  It sure is easy to see why so many really big trout come from that area and if I am lucky I will get back at least one more time this spring.  There are some other comments and pictures that need to be posted and I will get to them next.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Buy more baits, KVD is down to his last million!

Sorry I did not post yesterday, but after getting up at 4 and driving down here, then fishing all day, by time we ate I was beat.  And the practical result of that is there are no pictures, yet.  Why?  Because this afternoon, day 2, I dropped the waterproof camera in the bay.  Real smooth.  Now normally this would not be a problem except for two things, it is an Olympus and uses it’s own download cord, which I forgot, and apparently when they say it is waterproof they are making it up.

So the end result is the camera says the card door is open, it isn’t, and since it uses it’s own special card which of course does not fit in any kind of a standard card slot, it will not fit in the laptop.  So not only does it not use a standard cord like the rest of the world it has the card that no one uses.  Whether all our pictures are gone will have to wait until I get home after fishing tomorrow.   It makes me sick to think about it, we had some good ones.

I will actually write a full report tomorrow sometime, but suffice to say we have had a good time.  The average size of the trout is nothing short of awesome.  We have probably boated at least 5 or 6 over 4, and 1 over 6.  The first day it was only 9, 7 trout and 2 reds, but only 1 did not measure, and I mean no problem not measure.  My first one was the biggest of the trips so far.  Today it was around 3o trout,and around 5 right before we quit we did catch 3 that would not measure.  Again, the average size is freakin’ awesome, and who knows. some of those might have measured.   If we had been keeping fish it would have been one of the heaviest 5 fish limits I have ever been a part of.

We are catching most of them about waist deep along the King Ranch shoreline and have found 3 places that have fish.  It is so nice to set the hook and have a real speckled trout on the line.  Head shaken’, mouth open, wallowing good ones.  The fish down here are in such good shape, fat and sassy.  2 baits have been the staple, corky for the Shoedog, and plastics for me.   The water temp is in the 57 – 58 degree range, which probably accounts for why we have caught nothing on topwater.

Tomorrow will be day 3, and we will fish as long as we can based on weather.  So far it has been beyond our wildest hope, cloudy most of the day and almost dead calm.  The wind is supposed to start blowing tomorrow and it will be sunny and warm.  What effect that will have I don’t know. but we will give it the old college try.

Excuse the abbreviated report, but fishing is still the reason for the season, and we are burning the candle at both ends.  If we are lucky I will save the pictures one way or another.   Again I am just sick they may be gone, but as soon as I am home I can really see if they can be saved.  Heck I am already trying to figure out how to get back here before it is over, it is that good.  So thanks for stopping in and a more detailed report with pictures to follow.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

P.S.  My good buddy Jeffish broke his leg yesterday.  Hope you are feeling better, will holler at you tomorrow.

 Fish Catching Travel

Buy more baits, KVD is down to his last million!

With a 3 day trip to the Upper Laguna Madre coming tomorrow I decided to hit the lake Monday.  My buddy Voe was back in town for the week finishing up a few things on his house as they wait for the right offer so he went along.

It was cold, and I mean cold when we got to the ramp Monday.  The wind was blowing out of the north at 10 mph+ and it was blowing cold, about as cold as I care to be out fishing.  We headed up the arm to fish the channel banks in the area of the plant.  I got this report from Billy on Sunday, and it definitely affected how I fished.

Good luck on the Baffin trip. Love that place.
As for Coleto, went again today. Was absolutely shocked at the water temperature. Never saw anything below 58 and it got up to 62 in a couple of spots. Was expecting much cooler temps. Fishing was slow again. Each caught about five or so, all on soft plastics. All fish caught on points and sloping banks. Nothing in the coves.

Thanks for the report, and the last one you sent which was basically the same.  Your reports are exactly what I have found the last month.  I took your reports to heart and did not pick up another bait all day other than the senko.  It was plastic, plastic, and more plastic.  We ended up fishing near the plant for quite a while.  I went 4 for 8 bites there, and I think Voe missed one.

This is basically the size of the ones we did catch.

We ended up fishing way up both arms and a couple of main lake places in between, but the wind was blowing hard and cold out of the north and some places were too rough.  And we found the water temp to be in the range you did, maybe a degree or two lower here and there, but it is fairly consistent over the whole lake.

Up lake we found the same thing, a bite here and there, on the main body of water and not in coves.  Though we had bites off and on during the day, other then one flurry in the mouth of a small cove, it was never more than one or two bites in a place.  Voe did throw a couple of other baits, but as Billy found, and I have found the last month, plastics are still the ticket.  While the ones we did catch were just “ok” we did not catch any real small ones, the sure sign things are about to get hopping in the spring.

Now that will be changing, soon I hope.  The fish we did catch are getting the big belly, and as soon as the water begins the slow warming trend pre-spawn will begin.  I wish I could give you a good guess as to what is to come, but we will just have to wait and see. My biggest hope is the grass and vegetation get a chance to grow back this spring.  That will be predicated on clearer water, and it is slowly clearing a little more each time I am there.

Most bites came somewhere near a point and we had several do the swim away with it thing.  It was one here and there as we fished, but we never did establish a real pattern other than points and plastics.  Before it was over I caught 5 or 6, but did break my line setting the hook on a couple of them.  I do that occasionally and I think I figured out why today.  I was tying mono leader to the braid, and I was using line off another rod to make them.  When I pulled the knot up on one of the connections the line broke.  Looks like the line on the rod is old or brittle, not sure which.  But it does mean that when I get ready for the Laguna today I will be replacing line on lots of rods.

For the day I think we caught 7 or 8 which is just enough to want to go again, and not quite enough to make me want to fight those 32 degree mornings.  As usual was had a good time,but there is fine line to that good time when it is cold and blowing out of the north.  Voe will be heading back to Nevada for a couple of weeks and hopefully when he gets back the fishing should be a lot better on the lake than it is right now.

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Voe has a good buddy our in Nevada who he fishes with fairly regularly.  They fish those desert lakes like Mead and Mojove, which have super clear water.  Most of the lakes out there are way down thanks to a drought and massive water usage, I think he told me Mead is down like over 150 feet.

One thing those lakes out there have is a great stiper population that provides lots of consistent fishing opportunity, and they catch quite a few while they are bass fishing.

Roger with a nice 15lber from their last trip.

A nice 4.5 lb. smallmouth.

Cutting my bass fishing teeth on the highland lakes of North Arkansas I have a pretty good feel for fishing that deep clear water.  It is a world of difference from the fishing in Texas and many other places.  So be sure to send us plenty of pictures when you get back.

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I got this comment from Glen, one of those that reminds me that not everyone knows exactly what I am referring to at times.

I am a novice coast fisherman. Usually we wade fish with live shrimp on popping corks.
You always talk about baits you use but being a rook don’t know what they are. Could you please include some pictures of these lures. Thanks

Thanks for your comment, I need to hear that occasionally to remind me that not everyone who reads this is some died in the wool fishing fanatic with a lifetime of experience who has the basic knowledge of what I am writing about.  So tell you what, as soon as I get done with Baffin this week I will try to sit down and spell it out with pictures as far as baits and basic rigging.  So stay tuned for that one.

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I got this comment from Jim.

Thanks for posting the Fayette report. It is timely indeed as I am heading there Tuesday. I have a new boat and am in a learning curve with the Lowrance electronics. I am going to idle the length of the dam using the new structure scanning to see what I can see and hopefully catch. I’ll get you a report after.

Good luck with Baffin Bay. I look forward to seeing some “big momma” pics.

Being freshly retired I couldn’t wait to start fishing any day of the week Monday through Friday avoiding the weekend crowds and by fishing based upon the best weather days. And I have to say it has been awesome! About the only time now that I will have to deal with adverse weather will be during pay-to-play tournaments where you just about fish no matter what the weather is. When watching weather trends I like to use weather underground as it shows a 10 day forecast for conditions, temperature, precipitation and barometric pressure.

Again, good luck this week and tight lines!

Jim

As you are finding out being retired really helps the fishing success.  Picking your time and days based on weather and traffic will significantly increase your quality time on the water.  And of course nothing like a new boat, heck that is even better than a new wife!  And be sure to really stick with the practice as you get more familiar with your electronics.  They are definitely not just there to just tell us how deep it is.  The first time you really locate some deep fish, and then lay the smack down on them, will make you feel like a pro.  Remember folks, there is no such thing as a bad report.  Your fishing day is what it is, and we can all learn from them no matter how your day goes.  So thanks for the update and let us know how it goes.

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I think that catches us up for the day.  Now work on the list begins.  Getting cameras and video together, we are going to shoot some video the next 3 days.  (Not sure if that will jinx us or not.)   Rod and reels, line, baits, all have to be checked and organized.  All the wading gear checked along with spare waders, boots, clothes, the pile grows.  Then checking air pressure in trailer tires, making sure the flares and all the safety equipment is up to snuff.  One thing we have learned over the years traveling and fishing, you can not take to much stuff with you.  You just never know.

So the Shoedog and I will be out of here really early in the morning to make the 125 mile drive to Bird Island Basin where we will put in every day.  The weather looks as good as we can hope for this time of year, lows in the 50’s and highs rising each day until topping out in the high 60’s by Friday.  The wind is forecast to be in the 10 mph range, but you know how that goes.  And it looks like clouds will be the order for each day, perfect.  I will try to get something up each day while I am gone.  The planning is all done, the preparation complete, nothing left to do but see if we can get it done.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Buy more baits, KVD is down to his last million!

It has turned off cool, clear, and windy, gusting to 25mph, out of the north today. (Saturday)  There are small craft advisories on the bay.  So I made a good decision fishing yesterday even though it did not go as well as I would have liked.  So a little football this weekend and then back at it.

Watching the weather has not gotten me any closer to making a decision on Baffin this coming week.  One thing about traveling is the farther out you have to plan the tougher the weather is to predict.  Take last years Canada trip, the first real cold front of the fall on what is normally the hottest week of the years.  Or the wind pretty much howling its rear end off in South Florida.  It is always a crap shoot.

It is funny how only going a 100 miles is just as tough a decision.  Is this the calmest weather with clouds this week?  Is it going to be perfect early next week?  Is 50% chance of rain mean you have a 50/50 chance or will you be wet 50% of the day?  When it involves overnight travel, you just have to take your chances.  And this time of year it still is a matter of putting on the big boy pants and just doing it.   Great results do not go to the timid.

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Got this timely Fayette report from Steve.

Fished Fayette today. Hit the water at sunup, and fog was so thick you couldn’t see for more than 30 yards until about 10 am. Days like today you’re glad you’ve got the gps on the boat! Took me 20 minutes to navigate to my first spot, which would normally take about 3 minutes. Safety First! Caught 6 in about first 2 hours on shallow diving crank baits. Hit a cold spell till about 11, than picked up another 7 on deep diving crank baits and senkos off the dam. Shut it down about 1, total count 13. Only a couple dinks, though no hogs either- biggest probably about 3 lbs and average about 2 lbs. Water temp about 64, still dropping from 3 weeks ago when it was 67.

Sounds like a normal day on Fayette.  Even when it is not hot it seems to always be consistent, and they sure love that crankbait.  And nice job on the foggy run.  I am not scared in the fog, it is the other guy that scares me.  Put along and nobody gets hurt.   We are now in the heart of what passes here for winter and the water temp is slowly dropping on most of our waters, and of course it usually takes some of the fishing with it. But it won’t be long before we start the slow rise back up, and the good fishing that comes with it.  It was good to hear from you and thanks for the good report.

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I really appreciate your comments and questions.  There is no such thing as a stupid question, and any report is better than no report.  It makes my job so much easier when you participate.  So thanks for all the comments lately, keep the coming.

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I do not mean to rag on duck hunters but as I was fishing Big Bayou the other day it looked like there was some kind of fence on the bank behind me so when I idled over to fish it I checked it out.  Interestingly it was a line of shotgun hulls floating along on the water, there must have been a dozen of them all in a line that looked like the top of a fence from a distance.  And then here comes a Gadwall floating along dead.  Now not sure how the dead duck got there, over the limit maybe?  But I do know how the shells got there, the hunters were to lazy to pick them up.  What does it take, a minute?  Come on folks, this is not your private dump.  Littering is littering on land or sea.

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Well a decision is finally made and it is Baffin and ULM Wednesday thru Friday.  Leaving Wednesday early will give us 3 full days of fishing.  You can over think decisions like this, and in this case it was time to make a choice and put it to bed instead of worrying it like a dog with a bone.  With that decided I will squeeze in a day at Coleto in the morning.  So a busy week is ahead with 4 days of fishing.  I appreciate your support and keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Strike King – So you can kick them in the bass!

I did not decide to fish today until I got up this morning and it was cloudy and foggy.  After checking the weather it was light winds with any real chance of rain later this evening.  So after making the boss some breakfast it was off to POC.

The wind was almost calm and the tide was still going out a little, I was late, but the water was still moving.  The plan was to head across the bay and fish a couple of places on the island shoreline.  First up was the flat near Army Hole.  Idling in to 1 foot deep I dropped the anchor so it was a short wade to the drain.  The tide was moving out and as soon as I got to the drain the fish started to bite.

 The kind of day I was hoping for.

Using the light jig head and a DOA Cal in a shad looking color was the ticket.  I started catching them and for the next hour they bit right along near the mouth of the drain.  A good cast was where you could keep your line tight and let it swing out with the tide.

 Started catching them as soon as I got to the mouth of the drain.

I stayed with it for an hour or so near the mouth of the drain but the it was time to see if I could catch a real one.  So I headed out to the grass and potholes in knee to waist deep water and started tossing topwater and occasionally a Corky.  I was determined to stick with it and not go back to catching them in the drain.

They look awesome in the water when they are doing that mouth open thrash thing.

Moving really slow and alternating my retrieve with the topwater did not produce a bite.  I worked in and out from the bank to waist deep water and did not even have a follow.  And though I covered lots of water there and stayed with the plan hoping for that one bite, it did not happen.

They ones in the cut never did amount to any more than this.

So I pulled up stakes and moved down the shoreline to what we call The Bikini Cut,  which is the drain after you get past Pringle.  Over the  side I went but did not take a plastic, just the topwater and Corky.  I was still looking for that big bite.  Again working in and out, varying the retrieve and even a different topwater did not produce a bite.  So after about an hour there it was time for anther move.  Where next I was not sure, the no bite thing was getting old.

As I idled out of shallow water the oil alarm went off  on the motor.  On the  Optimax when the alarm sounds you basically have about a half hour at wide open.  So being at least a half hour from the ramp it was time to call it a day.  I would have had enough time for one more spot if I had bothered to put the gallon of oil I just bought in the boat from the back of the truck.  Oh well.

After catching a bunch in the drain right off the bat I stayed with the plan trying to get the big bite, and managed to fish over 3 hours without one.  Fishing plastic would have been a little more successful I am sure, but I was trying to stick with the plan.  It is time to catch a big trout and so I did not lose faith.  It is a little interesting I never had a bite on the topwater, it was simply a matter of poor bank selection.  Time to hit Baffin this week coming up and increase my odds.

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Rick and TheMowdy both commented on yesterdays fishing.

That was an excellent report. In fact, it was so good, I went back and read it again. I work a lot and get to fish very little. Sometimes after I read one of your saltwater reports I feel like I just went fishing. Thanks for the great blog and all the work you put into it.   Rick.

Wow! What a day! You had fun fishing . Kresta’s just called and my boat with new trolling motor is ready! Will watch the weather and head out soon.  Enjoyed your post!   TheMowdy.

Thanks guys, it was a fun day.  The fishing is good right now and I am glad you enjoyed the report.  And good luck next time you are out TheMowdy.  Nothing like a new toy on the other toy.  Let us know how you do.

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And I heard from John, one of the guys from the group I refer to as the Austin Boys.

Thanks for the report Doug. I ‘ve noticed that you’ve been throwing 1/32 oz jigs so I decided to look for some around Austin. I can’t find any that would work with saltwater size baits. Everything I see is geared for panfish with small wire hooks. What kind are you using and where are you getting them?
Thanks! Hope to fish with you again soon.

Bagley (the lightest) and War Eagle Shaky Head Jigs.  (Sorry for the glare.)

Here are 2 out of the 3 I am currently using.  The missing one is the Strike King Shaky Head.  Shaky Heads are used by bass fishermen for light line and small plastics.  That style of jig has a hook acceptable for bass and easily handles trout.  Let me say this about jig heads, do not rely on the weight listed on the package, they lie.  It just depends on the mold.  So how to really tell what is light, just look for small, and then look for smaller.  I have found the Bagley at Tackle Town in Rockport and Cabela’s in OKC.  The others from here and there, the War Eagles also came from OKC.  So when you are looking head to the freshwater section.

Now the Bagley is by far the lightest.  If you see the collar on the hook shank, it is a small separate keeper, that will work loose and slide on the hook after a few fish.  So I have started using super glue, not only on the Bagley, but on most other jig heads.  It really adds longevity to the plastics.  And the last thing I want to say about using this light jig head, if your plastic is also small and light it is easier to make long casts with a spinning rod.  And 8lb. fluro mono is all I use to help it sink faster, especially in deeper water.   When I say it falls slow with the Bagley, it falls really, really, slow.

And just for fun here are the four baits I have basically been throwing.

Here are the plastics I have been using the last  couple of months.  The Down South in purple has worked well, and of course I am throwing it in watermelon red.  Next is a Yum Swurm which I just started using, they seem to like it quite a bit.  It is flat and with the light jig head is killer.  Then the only H&H plastic I like, the 3″ Cocahoe Minnow.  The 3″ tail wags pretty aggressively, unlike the 4″ which is a little to stiff for my tastes.  Last is the 3″ DOA Cal in a dark with red flake.  It seems like every day they like one a little more than the other, but today I caught at least a couple on most of them.  Kind of goes back to what I said yesterday, it is the rate of fall more than the color of the plastic.  Hope this answers your question and look forward to fishing with you again.

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I actually am still a little surprised I did not have a good bite today on topwater, I put in the time.  Again, it was probably bank selection so I need to keep trying different places in the bay.  I am watching the weather close and will be fishing Baffin 2 or 3 days this week.  That should significantly improve my odds.  If I can match the today’s weather next week it will give me as good as chance as I will get all year to intentionally catch a big trout.  And the one other place I do not want to miss before winter ends is Shoalwater.  This time of year it always holds trout, it is just a matter of finding the right drift.  And keep those cards and letters coming, we love hearing from you.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

Initially it looked like the Shoeodog was coming but he got wrapped up in something so he did not  make it.  Then they were talking serious fog until 9 this morning so I just slept in and did not hit the road until 9.  It was cloudy with a light north wind and just a little misty on the way to Port O’Connor but it just cleared up as I put the boat in.  And I somehow managed to forget the camera, so sorry no pics today.

I brought all the stuff to wade but had decided it was keep a limit day so it was to my favorite deep bank in Big Bayou.  The thought of a fish fry has been driving me crazy so time to get the guests of honor.   The wind was barely blowing, and it was dead calm on the bank so I was able to throw the 1/32 – 16th jig heads.  I started catching them right away on an interesting looking bait I had not thrown before, and they were eating it.  It looked like an eel and I will show you a picture of one, they like it.

Casting to the grass edge, most were on the first or second hop off the bank, and off and on there would be bait jumping.  Before I went very far I had a limit of 15″ – 18″, and the rest of the day did not catch anything any bigger, though they bit pretty steady the whole 5 hours I fished.  Now nothing like  catching a limit in nothing flat, but that was not the real cool thing for the day.  Now keep in mind that I forgot my camera, and as has happened in the past, I wish I had it.

After about an hour I picked up some help, around 5 dolphins, and as I started catching the trout every few casts they prowled the boat.  No matter where I tossed them the dolphins were on them.  The biggest one would come below one when I was reeling it in and then look at me while I was taking it off.  I foul hooked a mullet in the eye and when he went back in he circled on the surface and the dolphin decided to play catch with it.  It got so bad I decided to go all the way to the other end and fish up there to give the trout a break.

Well after a little bit here they came, and down the bank we went together.  This whole day I was trying spinnerbait, topwater, and a Corky, all without a bite.  But get on a deeper bank and hop a light jig head with a dark plastic and you would get the bites.  It was not near so good in that area so back down I went to fish the good area one more time before I quit, and after about 10 minutes here they came again.  Those damn things swam all the way to one end and then all the way back when I moved.  And they were just hell on the trout and even a small rat red I tossed back.

Now of course I have seen this behavior in lots of different places, but these were homed in on the boat. Before it was over I made 4 moves and they found me every time.  At one point I was thinking murder, they were that aggressive.  They never tried to take a trout I had hooked, but the minute I tossed them in they would smoke them.  Just really an interesting, irritating day.

If I had to guess it was around 20 – 25 trout and one small rat red, and I missed as many as I caught.  I did have something pretty big on for a little while but it pulled off.  If I was guessing it was a big flounder.  There were no bites on the couple of redfish banks I fished so not really sure what was up with that.  But the trout fishing continues to be consistent, and though the ones I caught today were not big by any measure, I am not complaining.

Talk about a dead fish pic.  In this case half were headed to the fry pan!

Since I started using the lightest jig head I can find my daily production has gone up.  It can be tough to fish in the wind, but when you can fish it like today, they will eat it.  Color has been here and there, but electric chicken/chicken on a chain/watermelon red/purple have all been good this fall, with the darker the better right now.  And my point is this, almost all colors have worked, I think it is the fall rate on the light jig head that does it, irrespective of color.  And most of the time I am throwing the light jig on 8lb fluorocarbon which surely helps.

I am still amazed when someone recognizes me at the ramp.  I was taking out at Froggie’s and 4 guys were headed out and hollered at me asking if I was the fishcatchingtravel guy.  They asked about Big Bayou and how I did so I told them right where I caught them.  Hope they caught a few.  And if you see me at the ramp just holler, it lets me know there is folks out there reading this.

Next it is back to the bay for another go at them.  This time it will be out of the boat.  I have a friend who says you can’t catch a big trout out of the boat.  Most of mine have came fishing out of the boat, but it makes a point about how stealthy you need to be to catch really big trout.  I will be sure to take the camera next trip.  Stuff happens.  So keep stopping  in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines