Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

My fishing on Tuesday was totally dictated by the weather.  The forecast was for warm and fairly calm on Thursday and Friday, so that was reserved for the Gulf.  In fact the Shoedog may be down so it will be hard after it.  Wednesday has a 90% chance of rain so there would probably be no fishing.  Tuesday the wind was supposed to blow 15 – 20 out of the north, definitely not a bay day, and stay in the 50’s, so a short trip to Coleto was in order.

I knew I made the right choice as the lake was white capping when I got there.  I am going to make this report short and sweet, the fishing just sucks there right now.  It has gotten to the point that I am getting a complex.  Today I fished half old faithful places, and half I haven’t fished in a while.  I threw crankbait, plastic, topwater, spinnerbait, jerkbait, and I can not remember all what else, but it was the whole box at them.

As my old bud Tad used to say:  This is all a grown man did all day.

First it was the area around the plant.  The first fish came on a crankbait, then after while of no fish, another came on plastics, and from there it went downhill.  If anything has been surprising it is how few bites have come on jerkbait.  With no grass it has opened up many new areas where it was impossible to throw.  In most lakes in the last of winter/early early pre-spawn, a jerkbait is the ticket.  Points leading into spawning coves, steep channel banks in leading into the back end of creeks and rivers, big flat secondary points with cover, rocks or brush in big coves, all are classic patterns to fish early spring.  No matter how hard I try to put them there and eating a jerkbait, they are not having it.  After 4 hours I put it on the trailer and headed to the house.

The punch line is that there are fish to be caught, but it is just a little early.  Fishing those cold, blue bird sky, north wind days, is not the ticket.  A good warm rain and nights staying in the 50’s will get them going and all will be right with the world.  So for the time being the lake will be put on the back burner and the big trout hunt begins.

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My wife, my friends, my family, they all give me a hard time about my flip phone.  It is I Phone this, and I Phone that, with a whole lot of Facebook thrown in.  Well I have not succumbed to the I Phone thing and for 3 or 4 years have had the same Samsung flip phone.  I can not remember the specifics but it is built hardy for people like me.

So yesterday when I got out to hop on the boat and drive it off the trailer somehow my phone must have popped out of the pocket on the sweatshirt, fell in the lake right on the ramp, all without me hearing or feeling anything.  I park the truck and realize as I start the boat I do not have the cellphone.  The truck, the route, the boat, nothing.  So the conclusion is I left it at home, so off fishing I go.

Later that day Shoedog calls the number and Ron, camping at the park answers it and says he found it laying on the ramp in 2 foot of water as he launched his boat.  Who know how long it was there.  But the punch line is this:  Your fancy I Phone would not have survived a soaking in 2 foot of water.  I love that phone and it is just right for a train wreck waiting to happen like me.  Thanks Ron and the office at Coleto for getting my phone back to me.

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I got this Coleto comment from Billy, and it actually goes to what I have kept hitting in hopes they would finally start the move.

Missed you by one day on Coleto. A buddy of mine fishes it pretty regularly and he and I went Sunday. Started at about 10 and fished to a little past dark. It was a slow grind. We each caught about six or so fish. Except for three of them, they were all on brush hogs. He did catch three of them in pretty short order after the sun went down in the back end of a cove on a topwater frog bait.

That is exactly what I have been finding, you can catch on about any bait, but plastics are still the ticket.  The fishing remains tough, but it is time to hit the back ends of coves and creeks and watching for the big warm up.  It is coming sooner or later, I am just trying to hurry spring along at the lake.  Thanks for your fishing reports, we will be sharing a boat soon.

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Belize

I actually happened upon this post while searching about fishing behind the Lazy Lizard, since two of my friends also found tarpon there a few years ago.

I was wondering if you could tell me more about those tarpon.  Do you think they’d be there in the winter (around now?).

Michael it is funny you asks this today.  The Boss was just looking at Belize airfares this morning, and it is right around $300 round trip direct to Belize City.  Then a $100 for your round trip air to Caye Caulker and you are in business.  As  far as whether the tarpon are still there I would imagine they are.  I think the majority of that size, <30 lbs or so, are resident fish.  Now how they may react this time of year is a guess on my part.

We stay at Sea Dreams when we are there, and hope to return some time, and I would email them and ask if the tarpon still come in to the pass behind the Lazy Lizard at night this time of year.  So if you find out any more let us know.  And the rest of you, if you have never been there before now is the time, the airfare is half of what we paid the last couple of times.  And check out Sea Dream in the article in the travel section, great place and great folks, and if you have never hired a guide there is no better deal anywhere.  Good place to cross both a permit and bonefish off your list, and maybe stick a tarpon in the split.  So thanks for asking Michael, and if you go we will all be looking forward to a cool story.

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I just straightened out the saltwater stuff, got my wading gear in order, changed over a few things in the boat, all the necessary things to hit the salt.  If things work out like I think they will the boat will be hooked up for the next week without interruption.  Watching the weather, wind, and tides is the order of business.  So not much left to do but go.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

  Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

After several days of really crap weather it finally cleared so I hitched up the boat and headed to the lake for the first fishing trip of the year.  It was around 45 degrees with little north wind and not a cloud in the sky.  When I backed the trailer in it was obvious the lake has stabilized some and is finally clearing just a little.  The water temp was around 59 down lake, to a low of 57 way up either arm.

The first couple of places were main lake points with fairly deep water close by.  The topwater minnow got a good workout but never did raise a fish.   I also threw the KVD jerkbait without a bite.  Normally this is the month for the topwater minnow, but I finally picked up the 5″ watermelon red senko style plastic.

Bite Number 1.

The first fish came on a deep point right where he was supposed to be, but there were no buddies with him.  I kept fishing the main lake points and after an hour another good one jumped it.  Today, as they have been doing this fall, they would just start swimming away with it.

The watermelon red senko style bait has been consistent this fall.

During this period I threw a white Swim Jig, the KVD  jerkbait, and spinnerbait on and off, but just could not buy a bite.  I tried the back ends of a couple of pockets just to see if there were any small ones there yet, and only managed to catch one small one on the jerkbait.  So I pulled up and ran all the way up lake.

As you head towards the bridge past the out flow cove the water temp got as high as 61 but then started dropping to a low of 57 way up.  And the water up there is significantly more off color as you go up.  Once up there I stuck with the plastics and finally had a good bite.

The only bite up lake, but this was a good one.

It was nice to put at least one pretty good fish over the side today.  I am not complaining about size today, other than one small one they were all nice keepers.  So after fishing way up I decided to head farther back down and fish a calm sunny bank with no wind.  I stuck with the spinnerbait and finally put one in the boat.

Even caught one on a spinnerbait.

This one came off a flat point with a little brush on it and was on a lay down.  She smashed it buzzed on top.  For the rest of the afternoon I had one more bite, and it was on the plastic.  I can not emphasis enough, if you feel anything set the hook, how some of them get it in their mouth and swim with it before I feel anything is amazing.  I tried a few other places on the way to the ramp, mostly throwing the spinnerbait, but did not have another bite.

So for a 5 hour trip, the first of 2016, I can live with the results.  While bites were few and far between, when I got one it was a good fish.  I am definitely trying to hurry the bite along by fishing spinnerbait, but the water temp is sure not a problem right now.  I am surprised that the topwater minnow is not producing yet, but give it a couple of warm days with clouds and mist, it will happen.  My guess is when they really start biting this spring on Coleto it will be something.

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I got this comment from TheMowdy and wanted to share it with you.

I am a new follower of your blog! It was recommended by a friend. I am enjoying your writings! I am looking forward to hearing about the 4 wheeling trip in the mountains of New Mexico!  I also fish Port O’Connor. I fished the Ineos docks on the 29th but did not do much. I don’t believe the fish had acclimated from the warm weather the week before. I hope to make a return trip up the barge canal soon.

Funny you say that because I have several thoughts on the barge canal and docks, and creeks and rivers off the Gulf, places that traditionally have a good winter trout run.  This year it stayed a lot warmer a lot longer, and when it was combined with several pretty significant rainfalls putting lots of fresh water in those places, consequently the fishing has not been as good as it has been the last couple of years.  I really think it slowed the fishing down, so we will see what happens if we have an extended cold snap.  But with another round of rain coming this may be as good as it gets this year in those deep water winter spots.

And I am really looking forward to some cruising in the mountains in a couple of weeks.  So thanks for the comment and let us know how it goes if you get a chance to head back up there.  It will probably be the river the next couple of days for me so will report that as soon as I go.  And my thanks to whoever shared the blog with you, it has grown by word of mouth and I appreciate it when anyone shares it with someone else.

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RL sent me this kind comment.

Your site is an addiction to those of us who can’t make it out as often as we would like. Thank You for choosing to take the time to post! Hope the new year Blesses you with Good Health, Better Fishing & a 30 plus inch trout!! Happy New Year!!!
RL

Thanks, your comment is the kind that keeps me writing.  It is you all taking the time to read this that makes it what it is, and I thank you.  And the 30″ trout hunt will be starting in earnest shortly.

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So off we go this year.  The weather will be sketchy off and on the next couple of months, but with proper timing some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught in the next few weeks.  Those periods of really warm cloudy days with light mist can be killers when everything comes together at the same time.  I will be watching the weather closer the next couple months than the rest of the year combined.

Not sure where next but with a 90% chance of rain tomorrow it will be Wednesday before I get a chance to go again.  If the wind stays down like it has been it will be the Gulf, there are a few places I still have not fished this winter that I want to.  And we love your comments so keep them coming.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

                      Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

Here we go for 2016.  We had hoped to be in the mountains of New Mexico today, but due to Goliath, one of the biggest storms of the decade, we are home.  After having a Christmas with the family in College Station, then a quick one day with the grandkids in Oklahoma City, we planned on being in New Mexico on Tuesday.  We were hoping to be 4 wheeling, maybe some snowmobiling, and maybe even a little adult entertainment with a few games of chance.

When we got to OKC Monday night it was already sleeting and lightly snowing, and by Tuesday morning it was glare ice and blowing over 40 mph, real nice.  We hoped to still be able to limp out of town but the Ruidoso area was completely snowed in with some drifts to 8 foot tall.  Roswell was completely snowed in.  So all the roads from the border of Texas were closed, and even a long stretch of I 40 was closed in both states.  We hung out another day but the roads were still closed in New Mexico so we re-scheduled the trip and came home.

It has been awhile since we were in real winter, and while it was interesting, a steady diet of it is not in my future plans.  On the other hand, the chance to 4 wheel the mountains out there with new snow sure sounded good, so we will be returning in a few weeks to try it again.  I hope to see an elk and a few mule deer on the next trip.  They are both cool animals.

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Nothing Could Be Finer!

Korbin and his first trout.  Congratulations!

My buddy Jeffish and his son Korbin, the 2020 Bass Master Champion, did their first trip on the creek together the other day and it went ok.

Yep Korbin caught his first trout. And caught 5 total. I caught 5 and one red and two bass! Using an ultralight pole. Seemed to help feel em bite. Crow next door went and caught about the same. No real keepers.

I believe they were trolling, but no matter what you caught some fish and Korbin managed another first.  Oh to be young again and each and every first fish is a thing of beauty.  The boy not only has the want to, he is getting the hang of it and he will always have the life long love of fishing.  So congrats to both of you and hopefully we will get it done Sunday before he is back to school.

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This year we already have a few trips planned, starting in a week or two.  What has become the annual trip to Baffin will happen shortly.  I will be watching for the perfect storm, warmer cloudy weather with little wind.  If the weather looks to remain stable for a couple of days we will head that way.  Time to put in 3 days effort trying to boat a real trout.

Next it will be 4 days of fishing in Arkansas sometime around the end of March.  Last time we went it was white bass, blacks, smallmouth, Kentucky’s, crappie, walleye, and even a couple of carp.  We hit it just right on Bull Shoals and had some really good fishing.  Being the old stomping grounds we know the drill, and if we can combine that with 55 degree water temp, it will be another great trip.

And then not that long after it will be back to Canada for 2 weeks.  Last year we tried it at the end of summer, and got caught by a big front which toughened it some.  So this year it will be back to the end of May.  Not saying we can’t get caught by the weather some, but it is spring time fishing then and we just can’t fish for muskies intentionally.  This is a big boy fish until you puke trip.  10 -12 hours a day no matter the weather, hands torn to shreds, back aching, what is not to like and it makes me excited just thinking about getting back there.

There will be other trips interspersed with these, they just have not been thought up yet.  There may not be that big fishing trip this year as we have just started to make our Australia plans and do the research this week.  It looks like we will be going in April of 2017 and that trip will include at least 3 days fishing on the Great Barrier Reef and another day in New Zealand.  A trip like that takes extensive planning and saving, but will be the trip of a lifetime.

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I am not making any particular New Year’s resolutions, but I do have a few thoughts on what I hope happens around here this year.

1.  Catch a fish on a Alabama rig.  I have never really had any success throwing one but maybe this spring fishing in Arkansas it will happen.

2.  Catch a 30″ trout on purpose.  Easier said than done, but it sure is fun trying.

3.  Take a little time to work more on the business side of this operation.  It takes time and money to fish this hard and any help I can get is appreciated.

4.  Write a few more how to articles.  It might seem simple to me and others of you, but we all can learn something new.

5.  Get back to making videos.  The actual process of shooting them is no big deal, just put the camera on your head and push play.  The work is later getting it ready to go.

6.  Pay a little more attention to potential game and fish regulations and possible changes.  TPWD solicits comments on many potential changes and if you do not share your opinion you have no gripe if it does not go that way.

7.  Try not to get so hung up on things that work and try new stuff.  Folks have a tendency to try different baits when it is tough, but the best time to try new stuff is when they are biting.  You never know what you might learn and expanding your repertoire is always a good thing.  And my experience this year on Coleto proves what happens when you are caught in a rut and doing the same old thing that always works, except this fall with the changed conditions.

8.  Do a better job of keeping in touch with folks.  Should be simple enough.  I have met a lot of good folks through the blog and I do not want to forget the the very reason I am here.

9.  Continue to regularly encourage all of you to send reports, thoughts, complaints, and whatever else is on your mind.  Your participation makes this a much better site.

This list is filled with good intentions, but is also do-able with just a little thought and effort.  But most important this year is to enjoy the outdoors, make new friends (not that the old ones are not good ones), and catch fish.  What more could a guy want.

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I have had several comments that I needed to catch up on, and the first is from my buddy Bobby.

Happy new year my friend hope we can fish together in the coming year…

Same to you, and looking forward to fishing with you on Coleto again.

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And it was good to hear from Dustin.

 I enjoy reading your Coleto reports, I am hoping to be on the water new years weekend so if you see a white red fin feel free to stop and say hello good luck and tight lines in 2016.

Thanks for reading the blog.  If I am out there this weekend will watch for you.  Let us know how it goes, looks like it might be a little wet.

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And I really appreciate this comment from Ed.

I really enjoy all your “stuff”. Especially the bay fishing, since I live in Marion and get to go to our place in Poc about 2 times a month.  It really helps me on what to throw and exploring new areas. Wishing joy and happiness to you and your family and all that read your stuff. Merry Christmas!!

Ed Soto

And your comment defines the reason I continue to do this even when I begin to get lazy.  When I hear from folks that some of the stuff I write really does help them catch fish it makes it worth it.  Sharing information helps all of us become better fisherman.   I had a great Christmas, thanks, and keep exploring that area, there are a ton of little places that hold fish all the time and it does not require having to run 20 miles.  Thanks again.

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I got this from Billy who I actually will be fishing with sometime here in the near future.

Hit the water for a bit Christmas afternoon. Didn’t catch a whole lot. Ended up with two reds(24″ and 22″) and a trout(19″). Lost two other decent trout. All caught on top waters. The ones that ended up getting hooked were knocking the fire out of it. All in all, had about 20 blow ups.

Sounds like a good trip for a short afternoon.  And I am all about the blow ups.  Topwater works year round, it is just a matter of finding out how they want it.  And I guess when we hit the water together you can put me on them!

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 Here is a comment from Jim that warmed my heart.

I wanted to let you know that I have followed your blog for well over a year and look forward with anticipation for every posting as I love reading about your travels, ramblings and especially the fishing reports. I am an avid fisherman that lives in Cypress. I love to bass fish as well as inshore saltwater fish. I would have to call Fayette my home lake but love fishing Coletto Creek when ever I can get down there. I have recently retired (Nov 30) and plan on fishing as much as possible. Maybe we can meet up sometime in the new year and shake hands. I wish you a happy new year and continued solid catches.

Jim

First, congratulations on the retirement.  I always heard about those guys who retire and then get bored and die, but that is not the case when you have the fishing disease.  Funny how when you finally retire there will still seem to never be enough time.  And liking to fish both fresh and salt is my idea of a good time.  You will find that being able to pick your days and places gives a whole new perspective on the fishing.  So enjoy your retirement, and fish every day like it is your last.  Next time you are headed down this way to Coleto drop me a comment, maybe we can meet at the lake.

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As I sit here typing and watching football it is 47 degrees, there are small craft warnings with winds north at 20 mph, and it is lightly raining.  Normally after a week off  I would be fishing, but I am not quite that mad at them right now.  So college football is the plan for the next couple of days and it should break by then, I hope.

Next up will be totally weather dependent, with Baffin being at the top of the list.  As soon as it stabilizes with little wind I am gone.  In these parts, a trip to the Lavaca River before that pattern is over and of course the obligatory Coleto trip to see if I can get out of that rut I have been in.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Happy New Year to you and yours, and may you all have a great year!

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

2015  fishcatchingtravel.com

It has been another great year here at fishcatchingtravel.com.  Fishing has been all over the map, from slow for our first week in Canada, to hot all over the bay this fall.  We also had good trips to Florida and Baffin this year.  While the number of big bass out of Coleto was off, the sheer number of nice trout this fall has been fantastic.  Limits have been the norm and 30+ plus fish a day not uncommon.  What a fall.

And it was great to welcome a new company on board, Cocoons Eyewear, my sunglass of choice for years  (Notice what is around my neck in the pictures below.).  A great product at a great price, they give those of us who wear glasses a way to see all those things we need to see under all conditions.  And Strike King stayed with us this year so a big thanks to them.  I love their lures and if you pay attention to the pictures below you will see the results of using the best lures on the planet.

January

The fishing was good on the Gulf and the lake.  I got a new 4Runner, and Shoedog had an epic day catching 4 giant Black Drum on light tackle.  That was the day after a “guide” at POC said you could not catch Black Drum on lures.

The trout fishing was good this month.

1 of 4 giant Black Drum Shoedog landed on his trout rod on a truly epic day.

The Strike King Swim Jig fishing was hot on Coleto.

February

The lake remained consistent in February.  We hired a guide to learn a little more about the Baffin area and Shoedog managed to catch the big fish for the day and half trip.  The few other trips to the bay were not that productive.

Coleto remained good.

Shoedog whacked a personal best on the King Ranch Shoreline.

March

What can you say about March.  We caught them on the bay, and Coleto was really good.  I managed to catch my heaviest bass in a long time.  Love that spring time fishing.

The lake was red hot.

The Strike King Swimming Jig was killing them on Coleto.

Look at the size of this momma!  I told you the Strike King Swimming Jig is the bomb.  The biggest bass I caught this year.

The trout fishing was consistent.

The topwater fishing with the KVD Sexy Dawg was great.

April

The bite at the lake continued to be hot.  The bay was a little slower but there are always fish to be caught.  And we towed the boat to the Everglades and had a great time.

The spring Coleto bite raged on.

The bay fishing was tougher with muddy water conditions.

My personal best snook in the Everglades.

The Shoedog was laying the smack down on the Everglades reds.

May

We finished up with our Florida trip and I was lucky enough to catch a nice Cobia on my trout rod.  And after we got back it was bass fishing the rest of the month, and the size was tailing off as the fish wrapped up the spawn on both Coleto and Fayette.

 That Rage Shrimp on a popping cork will catch anything.

Shoedog put 5 nice shook in the boat the last day of our Florida trip.

And bass fishing on Coleto with the Strike King Square Bill was the ticket.

And the fishing on Fayette with Strike King Square Bills and Swimming Jigs was up to the usual standard.

June

Both the lake and the bay felt the effects of the spring floods as we had more rain in the last couple of months than all last year.  The freshwater had a negative effect on the bay fishing this month.  But we did catch fish at POC, Keller, and the Powderhorn.  The bass fishing remained good in the flooded grass on Coleto.

The Powderhorn and the Redfish Magic produced for me.

And they were eating the KVD Sexy Dawg topwater on Coleto.

July

The fishing on the bay picked up this month.  The bass fishing remained ok, with small fish being the rule.  They moved into the shallow grass and stayed there until the water came back down.  And the lovely wife and I did a trip to Terlingua to do some 4 wheeling.

Mu buddy Chris and I had a good day at POC.  And the big shark going nuts around us sure added to the excitement.

A Terlingua resident.

The top of the mountain.

The pitching bite in the grass on Coleto remained consistent.

August

I did a little bass fishing early in the month, and it was still pitching in the grass.  Then it was our annual Canada trip.  We got hosed by the monster cold front the first week, then it straightened out and we caught lots of fish.

I did get to offshore fish this month.

 Shoedog with a real nice muskie.

We had a good lake trout bite.

I finally managed to catch a muskie, the first of 2 I caught that day.

September

The fishing in Canada really picked up our last week.  Once we got home it was a trip to Fayette and then several to the bay.  It was when I really began to see that something had really improved our trout fishing to the good.

Our buddy Clyde with the monster smallmouth of the trip.

I managed a couple of nice smallies on the Strike King Buzzbait.

Shoedog with a nice smallie.

They love that KVD jerkbait on Fayette.

The beginning of what would be, and continues to be, the best bay fishing in years.  This was a real big girl, 29″.

Tripletail are one cool fish.  My first in Texas.

October

The bay fishing from POC, Powerhorn, and Cedar Bayou remained as good as it has been in a long time.  And a few lake trips I squeezed in were ok, but it has started to slow down on Coleto.

POC and the KVD topwater.

The good trout fishing continued.

Chris with a nice 25″ red on our annual trip to Cedar Bayou.  We had a good day all around.

November

What to say about November?  The bay and river fishing was off the charts.  Good solid trout seem to be everywhere.  Coleto was as slow as it has ever been for me.  But I guess we can’t have it all.

These 2 came back to back.  One of the best days of trout fishing in my life.

The Austin boys were here a couple of times and it was a major killin’.

And Shoedog was down and we put the smack down on them.

And Garcitas heated up and we limited there.

And the Lavaca River while off-color had its share of trout.

December

Cocoons Eyewear came on board this month.  I have worn them since I first saw them years ago at a Bass Pro and look forward to trying the different colors.  And the trout fishing remained hot on the bay and the rivers.

My pleasure to have them onboard.

There are no words left to describe how good the trout fishing has been this fall.

John , one of the Austin boys with his personal best.

Then Pete got in on the act with his personal best.

A Fayette fattie on the KVD jerkbait.

Again this year we had well over 100,000 visits, and have had almost 450,000 in the 3 1/2 years we have been blogging.  It will not be long before we top 500,000.  And from hearing from many of you I know you are hard core fishermen.  We have done this without any service that inflates the numbers, or gets folks from God knows where, and without advertizing.  And not counting views on the blog, our videos have been viewed over 100,000 times.

And we have tried to stay true to our purpose, helping you find and catch more fish.  It is really an honor that you make the choice to come here and read these ramblings.  And we look forward to your comments and reports which are a valuable addition to the blog.  So keep them coming, it inspires me to keep writing when I know you are out there.

There are many things I hope to accomplish this year with the blog.  A few more how to articles, maybe add a rod and reel sponsor, and of course some fishing trips, with Baffin topping the list in the next couple of weeks.

I wish you and your family nothing but the best for the new year.  So keep stopping in and I can not thank you enough for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits money can buy!

Merry Christmas

I just want say to each and every one of you I hope you have a wonderfully Merry Christmas.  Your support means the world to me and may you and your family have a great Christmas.  Never forget the reason for the season, the best to you and yours.

My buddy Bobby got the jump on this post:

Merry Christmas  Doug to you and Nancy and family Have a safe trip if going out of town. this has been a bad year for accidents trust me I know first hand..

Bobby

Thanks and to you and your wife Merry Christmas.

Are you sure this is Christmas Eve?

Mosquitos on Christmas eve.  Are you kidding me!

Nothing says Christmas like fishing in Texas and getting mosquito bit.  It has been amazingly warm in this part of the world and nothing coming will change that much.

So with the Boss working I managed to get my good buddy Jeffish to hit the creek with me for a Christmas Eve fishing trip.  An additional reason was he will be having his son next week, and wanting to do a little camping and fishing, we worked on the boat getting it ready and after a couple of hours it was off to Garcitas Creek.

The water has cleared some since I was there a week ago, and since this was not only a boat check, but a get ready to fish a few days, we ran most of the way to the bay checking banks out.  Right now the fish are still near the shallow points and flats, it is just a matter of hitting the right one.  Today Alex, Jeffish’s helper was with us, and he was telling me how he lived in Galveston and really did not have that much luck, hopefully we could change that.

Oh my God, I caught one.

We were throwing a brown looking paddle tail with a chartreuse tail and while it was not fast, we caught fish here and there as we worked our way back to the launch.  Most of them came out of 2 – 3 feet of water on a hop and drop retrieve.  If I had to guess we caught around 25 or 30 in about 4 hours, of which we kept 4.  Alex got off to a hot start, but before it was over we all caught about the same amount of fish.  The best of the bunch was a nice one Jeffish caught that was a hair under 20″.

Jeffish with a good one.

In addition to catching some fish we got the bugs worked out of his boat and he is ready to go.  His son, Corbin the future Bass Master Champion 2021, is a fishing nut and will be ripping the lips off them a couple of days this week.   There is nothing better than time on the water with your children.  Make it part of their life and it will stick forever.

It is Christmas Eve as I type this and I am so thankful for lots of stuff.  I hope you are too.  We are off to spend a little time with the family, it is not all about the fishing.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Have a Merry Christmas, Really!  Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits money can buy!

After catching so many trout the last 3 trips my hands are still torn up so it was time for an easy day at Coleto.  Coleto has basically kicked my Kartrashian the last few trips and things did not change today.

I took it easy this morning and did not get to the lake until a little after 9.  Since I had a shad crankbait tied on from my trip to Fayette I decided to start with that.  The first main lake bank I fished did not give up even a bite.  So I headed to a big flat point that stuck way out into a large flat.

As I worked down the edge when it got to 6 foot the first one ate it.  It was not one of those tricky bites, he slammed it.  About 2 or 3 casts later another one did the same thing.

Only 4 today, and they all looked like this, or smaller.

I was using a medium retrieve on 12lb test with the bait running about 6 foot deep when I got the only bites on the crankbait for the day.  From there it was another main lake bank ending in a long point, with no bites.  Same with the next spot.  So it was time for a change.

Normally this time of year on Coleto a balsa minnow bait worked on top is killer, so that was next.  After 2 or 3 spots and only 1 flashing at it, I put that down.  I decided to run up lake and hit a couple of points way up.  The water temp near the dam is 65, up lake is 63, so no big change.  But the water color is still that murky green, not my favorite by any means.

First it was buzzbait over a really shallow point with brush where I have been catching a few, but nothing.  Then it was the senko style bait around wood, and other than one about 10″, I could not even get a bite.  I also threw a Strike King 2.5 in a red in the off-color water, and could not raise a bite.  So after an hour of that it was back down lake.

This was actually the most fun I had today.

During this trip I threw the plastics, 2 different crankbaits, a topwater, and a buzzbait.  It is clear that I do not have a clue what is going on.  So it was points until I quit, and I did manage to catch one more and miss one, all on the watermelon red senko style bait.  Finally at 3 I gave up, or out.

This last stretch is by far the toughest fishing I have experienced on Coleto.  So many different factors are influencing the fishing.  Today the lake was clearly up quite a bit, after falling and rising, and falling, and coloring up, and never really clearing, in addition to no grass.  It is time to make some adjustment, I just need to think about it more.  They have to be somewhere.  But no matter what pre-spawn will be starting in January and the fishing is bound to get better.

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After 3 weeks it looks like I will finally be getting my truck back tomorrow.  The rental was a Ford F150, not a bad truck, but a 4Runner it is not.  So with any luck the fix will be ok and that will be the end of it.

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I got a few Strike King Swinging Swim Jigs today and I can not wait to put them in the water.  It has a needlepoint hook that swings free off the back of the swimming head.  It has been redesigned for a better swimming action.  It has Perfect Skirt that enhances the body shape.  As soon as I get a chance to fish with them I will give you a report.  They look mean.

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It was hard to tell where this comment came from, but I believe it is from Robert.

Meanwhile Captain Black has been hold up in 40 mile winds inside Baffin but still managing to catch decent numbers of solid keeper trout on small paddle tails fishing sand and grass.

I assume this comment follows the post on us fighting the high winds and tough tides on Saturday.  Captain Black is the guide I read about who first got me started using the 1/32 ounce jig head.  I have heard from several folks who have fished with him and he comes highly recommended if you want to give the Baffin area a try.  And the 1/32 jig head has contributed lots of big trout for me this year wading.  So my thanks to him.

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And last I got this comment from Jordan.

This is a highly informative post, thank you very much. I will be making the trip from Georgia ASAP now to paddleboard and kayak fly fish. Any places I should go to specifically for fly fishing on SUP or yaks? thanks

When ever you are coming this way drop me another comment and I will try to hook you up.  There are lots of good places for both of that style of fishing in our area.

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If all is ok with the truck I should be able to fish at least one more day before Christmas.  The family will be in College Station this weekend and we will be joining them for a couple of days.  The fishing on the lake remains spotty for me, but the Gulf just keeps on producing.  I will check the weather and tides and hope to get in one more day of wading this week.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

The Best Baits on the Planet!

After our trip to Garcitas on Friday it was POC on Saturday.  It was cold and clear when we got to the ramp at Froggie’s.  There were a few trailers in the lot but it was not that crowded.  We headed across the bay out of Army Cut pulling up on the shoreline close to Army Hole and started a wade.

The punch line was the wind was blowing about 15 mph straight out of the north right on the bank.  It was flat cold.  We fished about an hour and not a bite was had so it was time for a move.  I looked at the water temp and it was 57 degrees on the island.  We were hoping the other side of the bay would be better but the wind was howling right down the bay.  When we got back in the barge canal we decided to try a bank in there, and the water temp was almost 61 degrees, a big difference.  We fished about an hour without a bite and then it was time for Big Bayou.  At this point Shoedog suggested putting it back on the trailer and heading off to the creek, but we were already committed.  It was time to put on the big boy pants and get to work in spite of the wind and second day of the front.

First in Big Bayou it was spinnerbait for reds, but that was not successful in the least.  So we hit our favorite deep water bank to get after the trout, and we did.

The old dead fish picture.  Guests of honor at the fish fry for the Arkansas folks.

The wind was blowing right down the Bayou and we drifted really fast as the tide was ripping with the wind.  We struggled to keep the boat in position and work the bait properly with the boat hauling ass.  And to add to the confusion you had a big bow in the line making it hard to feel them, and with them 3 foot deep, it was tough.  When the tide and wind are combining like that it is very important when fishing a bank to make a cast straight into the bank and then let the bait sweep with the tide.  It is very much like river fishing.  When you get the drift right they will smack it, have it falling unnaturally does not provoke near the strikes.  Today I used a 1/8th ounce Strike King flats jig head with dark plastics.   One thing I wanted to let you know,  since I started gluing the plastics to the jig head using super glue the number of fish I catch on a piece of plastic has risen dramatically.

Over the next three hours or so we would motor up above them, whip by, catching a couple here and a couple there.  Some were easy no measure, with lots of 14″.  I did manage to catch a good redfish (left side of the picture) and Shoedog added a rat and a short flounder.  I would guess about 1 out of 4 measured and we kept 8, so we caught about 30 before it was over.  While dark plastics were the ticket, the Shoedog caught 5 or 6 on a Corky, which was amazing considering how hard the wind was blowing and how fast the boat was moving.  But today we put on our big boy pants when it would have been easy to put it on the trailer and hit the road.  We quit about 3, it was work fighting the ripping tide and wind, but the results were worth it.

So considering the poor start and the conditions, we were happy with the results.  One of the local saltwater mags had a headline on the front cover about how the mid-coast fishing was booming.  I have been telling you all that something has happened to the good in the bay, and it was evident several months ago.  The fishing is good right now and the fish are a little bigger.   I have said in the past I am not the best trout fisherman in the world, and when limits are the norm, and multiple catches of 30 – 40 fish a day not uncommon, you know it is good.

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I have really been wanting to try Strike King’s new Swinging Swim Jig.  It has been designed with the hook swinging behind the head, increasing the swimming motion by the trailer, and making it a lot harder for the fish to throw the hook.  I have hears good things about it and some are finally on the way.  As the Swim Jig has become a staple in my arsenal it will be interesting to see how well it catches fish.  A big thanks to Strike King and Terry.

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My buddy Jeffish sent me this picture of Linda, his mom.  This is his mom’s first deer, it may even have been her first hunt.

Congratulations, great buck.

That is one high rack, and ridiculous tine length.  Great first buck, it may take a while before you beat that.  Congratulations again!

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Our fishing both fresh and salt remains good, other than Coleto’s little hiccup, this has been the best fishing of the year.  And with the number of folks foundering on the bay it must be pretty good right now.  Other than a few things I need to attend to my schedule remains open, so it will probably be Coleto in the morning, though it sucks to have to pay to get in because my truck is still in the shop.  And if I am lucky I might get my truck back this week, which would be nice as we are still thinking about the mountains after Christmas.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

I will be waist deep in the bay throwing the KVD Sexy Dawg topwater in the morning.

Shoedog wanted to fish both the bay and the river so we took a guess at which one we wanted to be on Saturday, and we figured POC so the creek it was.  It was cold this morning with a fairly light but steady cold north wind.  So we made a long run to get it over with to the lower end and started throwing plastics.

From about 8 until 4 we caught trout.  Sometimes it was pretty slow, but we just kept baits in the water fishing down the bank.  It took Shoedog a little while to get the hang of it, and I lost several keepers, before we really started catching them.

This was a good red.

Unlike yesterday when the flat points were the best, today they wanted a little deeper water close by.  I alternated between a straight tail in blue and Chartreuse and a sand eel in copper.  Shoedog was throwing darker colors as that was what they wanted, but they were not that particular as to which dark color it was.  They wanted it hopped up pretty aggressively and then you had to be a line watcher.   I have always said that trout are easy to catch, but can be a bugger to hook.

My best trout of the day.

We only had 5 keepers at 3, not the fishes fault, when we moved back up river some.  We went around this point and let the wind move us along and the better ones started biting.  Not only did we fill our limit in nothing flat, they were a nice average.  Most of them were in the 3 – 5 foot range as the water and air warmed.  When I checked the water temp around 3 it was 59 degrees.  The sun was shining like crazy, but the wind kept it cool all day.

But my day did not go perfect by any means.  We drifted this bank and when it got to shallow we decided to head back up and work the bank again.   Apparently I left my Yeti cup on the back deck and we took off and that was the last I saw of it.  We hoped it would float but it was full of coffee so I am sure it sunk like a rock.

For the day it was an easy 30+ trout each.  Besides 1 nice red and 1 rat, the Shoedog lost a keeper flounder when he violated the rule, always net flounder, always.  Those dang things will hang on until the end if you slide them in.  To much messing around and they are gone.  And we had to wade through a bunch of small trout until late in the day.  But if it means I have to catch a bunch of fish to boat a limit I am the man for the job.  And the folks from Arkansas here for Christmas will get a fresh fish fry.

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It was good to hear from Rusty, the resident Fayette regular.  He has been known to whack them there and Bastrop, and his reports are appreciated.

Fished Fayette today,  caught 15 or so nice fatties.   Water temp was 63 when we started at 10:00 am but climbed to 66 by 4:00 pm.   We fished on the east side of the lake which is the coldest this time of year.  All caught on Carolina rigged power worms. Also threw swim jig, flukes ,and chatter baits with no success.  3-8′ depth.   Beautiful day on the water.

As Mr. Rogers would say, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”  And the depth is about where we caught ours.  Thanks for the report, looks like you had a great day.

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Tomorrow it will be up real early to head to POC and try to beat the crowd.  It will be colder than heck and that should keep the early crowd down.  Not sure what the plan is, but if it is a little warmer and cloudy some wading is on the menu.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

I will be waist deep in the bay throwing the KVD Sexy Dawg topwater in the morning.

Voe got to fish with me one more time before he heads to Vegas so we decided to trout fish.  The original plan was to fish Lavaca but I decided to check out Garcitas on the way, and that turned out to be a great decision.

It looked a little more off-color than it was last week, obviously it got a big run off.  The water was a lot fresher than it has been.  And while we were off loading a guy came over and he had just been at the ramp on Lavaca and it was running high and dirty.  That rain we got last weekend must have added a bunch to Texana so apparently they were dumping the lake.

Our first stop was not that far down the creek and other than a couple of hinky bites, we did not boat a trout.  We kept easing down creek trying here and there without much success.  The water-color did improve as we worked our way down.

Lots and lots of these today.

When we finally got down near La Salle the fish started biting.  From there it was the same pattern I use on any river or creek, just head down the bank keeping the bait in the water.  I was throwing a purple plastic on a 1/8th ounce head and catching them right along.  None were particularly large, most were not keepers, but as we were able to work through a ton of them we would have easily limited had we been keeping fish.

It was an easy 50+ today but no real jumbos.

The real punch line from fishing these type of waters is look for the flats.  They are often hard to see by just looking at the bank.  One advantage of just fishing down the bank is they would show up on the locator, and when you got to one, the fish were there.  We caught them on the first drop to out next to the boat.  The best runs were when the boat was in 6 – 8 foot of water, a cast from the bank.  We were just Texas 2 Step hopping it up and then letting it fall.  Green pumpkin, flake, Chartreuse tail, seemed to be the best color.  Some were smacking it, some just on when you lifted up.  So if you felt anything it was time to set the hook.

Only one flounder and a small rat red today.

Once we got down to a little saltier water the fishing was consistent.  So on the way back up we stopped here and there, and there were fish there, just nothing like down creek.  But unlike the way down, the spots we stopped on the way back up had 1 or 2 that were willing.  As the day warmed so did the fishing.  It will not take long for the fresh water to work its way out, and the fishing up river will keep improving every day.  I am still puzzled why we are not catching any real reds to speak of, but again, it may just be luck of the draw.

I really like it when the fishing is this way.  Nothing like catching them pretty much one after the other.  There were some spots that did not have them, but by just keeping going down the bank you would be back in them in nothing flat.  So if you take anything from today’s fishing, watch the locator for those flats and points that stick out into the river, they really like them.  We were not keeping fish today so it was just a fun trip, and it turned out to be exactly that, thanks to making a good choice.

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Hey all you bass fisherman out there, somebody knows the answer to this.

Can you ask all your readers if they are generating water on these three lakes, Walter E. Long , Bastrop and Fayatte. Usually spawn kicks off in jan/feb on those lakes because water is a lot warmer when they generate. Last time i was at Walter Long the water was cold as heck and the plant was quiet. Thanks. Joe

I never did check the water temp on Fayette the other day for some reason but it was not warm on the main lake.  The lake was high and the plant was operating so if any of you know whether they are releasing any water drop me a note.  Thanks.

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Here are a few deer cam pictures the Shoedog sent.

Looks like a good shooter.  She is not all that impressed.

 I really do suck at deer hunting.  But they sure are fun to look at, food on the hoof.

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Tomorrow the Shoedog and I will be getting after it for a couple of more days.  Not a clue where, the bay somewhere.  It will be interesting to see how this little cold front affects them.  But no matter, we will be waist deep flailing away the next couple of days.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Number 1 lure company in the world.

If you are a bass fisherman I picked this up in the Sporting section of the Victoria Craig’s List.  There is a phone number to contact if you need more information on the ad.

OPEN BASS TOURNAMENT AT COLETO CREEK SUNDAY 12/20/15 6:45AM TILL 2:00PM $50 / TEAM BIG BASS INCLUDED 2 TEAM MEMBERS MAX 5 FISH LIMIT PAY AT RAMP

It will be interesting to see what it takes to get the job done.  Any of you that fish drop me a line and let us know how it went.  As tough a time as I have had there lately I am not sure if I can be much help right now.

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I will admit that one of the cool things about having a blog is the occasional side benefit, which in this case is Cocoons coming on board.  They were kind enough to send me a few things and until I read the material inside the box, kind of like reading directions, I was unaware how many different lenses there were for different applications.  So it will be interesting to see how they differ on the water.  And of course the booklet also included information on the neoprene strap, which floats.  If I had one of those last month my favorite blue mirror pair would not be at the bottom of the bay after a big black drum caught the strap and flipped them in the water.  You would think after losing 2 pair in the water I would have got the message.  It won’t happen again.

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The 4Runner saga drags on.  Last week it looked like it would be done Thursday so I stopped by the shop and they are waiting on a couple of parts.  One of the clips holding the fender in place is wrong, and after hanging the fender the hood is going to have to be replaced, so that should be there in a day or two.  Now they are talking about Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.  I really miss having my truck and while the rental is ok, it is not the same.

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I know this is a fishing blog, but most of us like a little hunting too.  When the Shoedog was hunting in Nebraska his buddy Terry shot this nice tom.

A nice Nebraska fall gobbler.

Talk about a beautiful bird.  Terry is a good fisherman and hunter, and I will keep on working on him to get down here and try a little salt.  It is cool when I get the occasional chance to put a freshwater guy on his first redfish.  They may not be hooked for life, but they are at least lipped.

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And last I got this comment and question from Johnny.

It is disgusting the way people waste the fauna they hunt. If they’re not going to eat it, leave it alone for the rest of us to enjoy. Nothing more beautiful than God’s creatures roaming free!

We braved the wind and rain this weekend at Coleto Lake. The guys caught fish. I only caught one keeper…a little over 5 lbs in 4′-5′ on crank bait…and a cold! Will give it another try this weekend. Hope to do better.

Will be heading to Falcon next month. Any suggestions?

Wishing you and your readers a very Merry Christmas! Be safe.

As usually thanks for the comments.  Coleto remains a little tough, though that is my favorite tournament to fish, kind of equals it up and gives anyone a chance to win.  So if you fish on Saturday remember that the tournament will be going on.  Heck if you have not ever fished one this would be a good one to try.  And as far as Falcon, for fishing reports I always use Falcon Lake Tackle’s website.  He constantly posts and since he sells the majority of the  baits used down there it is probably the best resource for Falcon.

http://www.tackleandrods.com/lake/flash.htm

According to his reports the last few months the fishing for big girls has been tough, but it is picking up right now with a little better report the other day.  So put him in your favorites and keep reading it until you go, it will give you a good place to start.

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As I write this it is in the low 40’s and I am about to pick up Voe and head to the river.  Then the Shoedog arrives tonight for a couple of days of fishing, so the reports will be coming.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines