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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

*********************** 

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

********************  

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.

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

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.

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

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

Fish Catching Travel

They were eating the KVD jerkbait today.

First I hope you all had a great weekend because we sure did.  Friday night it was Christmas dinner with my wife’s employer and her work compatriots, and then it was Austin for Fishmas.  I really want to thank Todd and his wife for their hospitality and good eats.  We got to see a few old friends and make a couple of new ones.  And the music was fantastic as Pete flat wailed on his mandolin.  I am sorry I forgot  (It is hell getting old.) his buddy’s name who was singing and playing the guitar, but to both of you,  it was great.  Thanks to all.

My buddy Voe is just finishing his complete remodel on the house and lots of folks have been coming by and I expect it will be sold soon.  And with that he will pack the last couple of things and join his significant other in Las Vegas.  One of the places I have talked about with him was Fayette County, and before he hits the road I was hoping we could fish it, and today was the day.

It was just cracking daylight when we got to the ramp.  The air temp was 43 degrees, the wind was around 10 out of the south, and it was apparent the lake is up.  So in the water we went, starting not that far from the ramp.  Those of you who read this stuff know the Shoedog and I throw the snot out of the jerkbait there year round, and so I started with the KVD 3 hook.  It was not long before I got the first one.

A good start.

As always I tried to keep the boat in about 6 – 7 foot of water and keep the jerkbait coming over the top of sunken grass.  And the retrieve was jerk/pause/jerk-jerk/pause and they were whacking it pretty good.

What we lovingly call a Fayette Fatty!  And they love that KVD Jerkbait.

They bit fairly consistently in the morning, and if I had to guess we put about 15 in the boat before noon.  I stayed with the jerkbait until they slowed down, Voe pretty much emptied his box, but as usual jerkbait and crankbait was the ticket.

A couple more good jerkbait fish.  Love the average size on Fayette.

Today grass was not a sure thing like it usually is on Fayette.  We seemed to catch one or two here and there, but really did not establish a real locational pattern.  Coves, points, channels, all seemed to have one here and there.

The few I caught on the shad color crankbait choked the crap out of it.

It really slowed down later in the afternoon and we finally found a couple of places that had a few fish.  I was throwing the crankbait and the ones that took the plunge were smacking it.

Good solid fish, Fayette fish are just plain fat from nose to tail.

They moved into small coves/notches in the bigger covers that were warming with the sun and had little wind on them.  By late afternoon the wind was blowing pretty good and the windy banks just did not produce any fish.

Around 4 we called it a day.  If I had to guess we boated over 20, maybe a couple more, most on jerkbait.  I really had the advantage over Voe as I knew to stay with the old tried and true, it has been our go to bait since Shoedog and I first fished there and if you keep throwing it sooner or later one, or 20, will eat it.   I really like Fayette for its consistency.  It is not always fabulous, like today where we had to work for them, but it is rare we do not catch  fish.  When you can say that about any body of water you have a good fishing hole.

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

I got this comment the other day, and it is the reason I do this stuff.

Thanks for the timely report on the Lavaca river. I usually plan my coastal fishing trips around the full or new moon. I had planned a trip on 12/11 to hit Seadrift but the wind forecast had us making other plans. I have been wanting to hit the Lavaca River for a few years now and it was now the back up plan. It was perfect timing that you went Wednesday and loaded a fresh report.
We left Austin at 4:00 and hit the river about 7:15. All I knew was to start down past the power lines. It wasn’t too windy early as we drift the shore line. One thing we were not expecting was how many times we would get snagged on the flood debris. Lost a few jig heads. Wind was pushing us along pretty fast by the afternoon but we would catch one or two on each drift. All in all we had a decent day for it being our first time on the river. Very cool place to fish. We finished the day with 20 trout up to 19″, 5 reds , 3 black drum and 2 flounder. We both had a trout/red/ flounder/ drum slam so it was a good day. Kept a few fish for a meal.

Thanks for the blog.

John M

First thanks for the report.  I really appreciate hearing from folks who actually read this stuff and then make it work.  It was nice to read you kept a few for a meal and released the rest.  The Lavaca is like a lot of other spots, cool and something different to fish.  It is nice to hear from someone who enjoyed it for what it was, and did not engage in a meat haul.  Don’t get me wrong, if it is legal then I do not have a problem with it.  But the river is a cool place that everyone should try.  It is a different fishing experience that only happens a few months of the year and it should be respected for what it is.  Thanks again and feel free to drop us a report on any of your trips.

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

While I was watching football Sunday I just caught a portion of an ad for a Ford pickup which had some kind of back up trailer assist.  Looked like that thing would back a boat without any problem.  I have to do a little more research to see what that is all about.  I know one thing, a truck that can back up the boat by itself will do away with the need for a wife.  Just kidding

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

Shoedog is back from his hunting trip and will be headed this way soon for some saltwater fishing.  With some of our family making the trip to College Station for Christmas a fish fry is sure to happen.  We will probably fish the river and then wade the coast.  Again let me say I love getting your reports and comments.  It keeps me writing and we all can learn something.  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.

Voe was able to fish with me again so today we decided to hit Coleto.  Now I have been on a real love/hate kick with the lake the last couple of weeks, and today turned out to be no different.

It looks like the lake is coming up slowly but surely and it has definitely cleared some.  The only problem was the wind was blowing at least 20 mph out of the south, and it picked up as the morning wore on.  So with the wind blowing we started on a main lake bank by the dam and let the wind take us.  I was throwing a spinnerbait and Voe started with a buzzbait.

The first bite of the morning.

We rode the wind, dipping in and out of pockets and coves.  The first fish came on a buzzbait off a weed patch in a about a foot of water in a cove.  His second one came just a little bit later, also out of shallow water.  I on the other hand did not have a bite, which is the story of my bass fishing life lately.

The second and last one on the buzzbait.

After that we started bank hopping as we moved up lake, with absolutely no success.  When we finally rounded the big corner up lake the wind was howling right up the lake.  It was blowing to hard to have the kind of boat control necessary to fish properly, so we headed back down lake.  We stopped and fished a main lake bank with the wind pounding on it, and again no bites.

At this point we were fishing where we could, and not where I wanted.  Finally about noon we started getting bites after moving up near the intake.  And then a funny thing happened.  Voe has a watch that is a fishing watch which  actually lets you know when the prime periods are taking place.  It was showing 4 fish and flashing, and dang if the fish did not begin to bite.  (Good thing he brought the watch, he left his tackle bag at the house when I picked him up this morning.)

I finally got in on the action.

Over the next couple of hours we boated 8 – 10 fish, all on plastics.  Voe did miss one on a topwater, but there really wasn’t anywhere that was calm enough to work it properly.  I continued to throw spinnerbait, swim jig, and buzzbait without success.  But when I tossed the 5″ watermelon red senko style plastic I caught fish.

It has really puzzled me how on days like today, warm with wind and clouds, the fishing has just not been all that great.  Today was perfect weather for bites on moving baits, but they just are not interested.  I do think that if it had not blown quite so hard we would have actually caught quite a few today, but it was just to much of a hassle.  But by the same token we put a dozen or more in the boat, which is progress compared to the last couple of trips.  And we had a good time, so what is there to complain about.

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

When I posted the picture of Pete on Garcitas with the bass I could not remember what they called that slam but here is a note from Pete to clear it up.

Hey Doug – We dubbed it the “Garcitas Slam” when you get a trout, redfish and bass. I suppose you could include flounder, but we didn’t catch any that day.
Cheers, Pete

Thanks for the reminder.  Had a good time fishing with you guys and anytime you are down let me know.  And see you this weekend.

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

This weekend starts the holiday cheer for us.  First up is my lovely wife’s work party and dinner tonight, followed by Fishmas in Austin tomorrow.  It will be a busy weekend, but at least all the Christmas shopping is done and packages headed to the mail tomorrow.

The Shoedog is still in Nebraska trying to put that big one on the ground.  He has seen a few, and missed one shot, but he soldiers on.  The weather is going to take an ugly turn for the worse so he should be back in Texas pretty soon.

There will be some serious fishing next week.  First it will be Fayette on Monday depending on the wind, then back to the bay.  I will be looking for a warm cloudy day to spend some time wading and trying to catch that big trout.  The trout fishing has been nothing short of spectacular this fall, and there is no reason to suspect that it will slow down.  One of the real benefits of living in Victoria is good bass fishing right down the road and some of the best shallow water saltwater fishing in the country close.   Some days it is just tough to decide where to go, but that is a dilemma I can live with.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits money can buy!

 Voe and I decided that a trip to the Lavaca River was a good plan so we met about 8 and headed to the river.  It was warm even first thing, and though it was fogged in, as soon as we actually started casting the fog lifted.  By time we quit it was shirt sleeve weather.

The water was quite a bit clearer than my last trip, and there was a light wind maybe 5 mph out of the south.  We started down river past the power lines and from the first cast until we quit it was steady.

The first of an easy 50 today.

The better areas seemed to be where there were little flats and the boat was sitting in about 5 feet of water and a good cast just reached the bank.  Many of the fish were there on the first lift, most less than half way back to the boat.  I was throwing a plastic paddle tail on a 1/16th jig head and many of them were knocking the snot out of it.  Occasionally you would feel one hit it, swing and miss, and there would be another one on when you lifted it up again.  Others would grab it and be 5 feet from where you felt them.

Most were in this category, would have made an easy limit if keeping them.

Most of the morning we just kept easing down the bank, and I don’t think I even started the big motor for a couple of hours.  We would catch one here and there then hit a little pocket of them and maybe put 5 or 6 in the boat one after the other.  Color sure did not seem to matter today.   Voe did put a couple in the boat on a popping cork with a DOA shrimp, but bottom bouncing plastics on the jig head was the preferred method.

This was my third trip there this winter and the fishing has been getting better and better as the water clears.  I have been a little surprised that there has not been any keeper redfish, but I think that just is luck of the draw.  We caught several rats today, but none made the grade.

Just look at how fat this guy is, looks like a bonefish.

Later in the day I made a run up to the Navidad to my favorite bank, and other than one miss by both of us, it was a big fat zero.  The water is quite a bit more off-color from the bridges up, which may have something to do with the results.  In fact, as we were taking out we talked with a gentleman who just came down river and he only had one keeper, which is a pretty good indicator of how the fishing is up river.  I asked if he was coming back and so I put him right on the fish for tomorrow.  I love doing that and hope he whacks them.

The day would not be complete without the obligatory black drum.

So before we quit we headed back down river and caught another dozen or 20.  It was just like that today.  We easily boated 50 and would have had easy limits if we were keeping them.  None were particularly big fish, just a good run of trout with some solid keepers in the mix.  One of those days where the fishing remained steady and consistent all day.

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

 A got this rant from Hal concerning a couple of rants by me.

I totally concur with your rant. Rich kids, athletes, etc are all that we see on outdoor shows now.  If they’d zoom out on half the hunts, we’d see how canned the hunt is. Even if it’s not canned, they are filmed in prime/exclusive locations that you and I can’t afford to go to.

The fishing shows have become advertisements with a bit of fishing. I understand that America is all about retail and squeezing more money out of folks, but I get tired and disinterested in watching those shows. Your blog, on the other hand, is more informative, helpful and entertaining. Keep it up because we enjoy it.

One of your other rants some time ago related to whole ducks left on the ground at one of the ramps in POC. I saw some at Thanksgiving in POC as well. Hunting is not a video game. When you shoot an animal, eat it. If you don’t care to do that, quit hunting because animal rights activist will use such idiots against those of us who love the hunt and the harvest.  It’s our duty and obligation to call out such idiots and report them when we see it.

Oops. I better stop now before I fall off my soapbox.

Thanks again and take care!

Hal