Fish Catching Travel

Do not overlook the white Swimming Jig this time of year!

I forgot to post this picture of Pete on Garcitas Creek from the other day.

A Garcitas Creek bass.

Besides this largemouth, they put a few trout in the boat there on Thursday.  They had concocted a name for the slam he caught that day, but in my old age I forgot what they said.  So what would you call a redfish, trout, flounder, and a bass on the same trip?

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And here is Jeff’s report from his weekend of tourney fishing on Coleto.

Doug,

Saturday morning was a very cold launch 38 degrees to start. I decided it best not to freeze my partner, so a short run was in order. We went around the corner from the launch cove heading south to first trees on the left. After about an hour I lost my first fish on a trap. After the sun came out we made that run all the way up the river to the buoy. Fished the creek to the left where I had caught two decent fish Friday and nothing. Headed back down south to next creek on the left which had some isolated trees near creek channel and picked up two quality fish here….. Decided to see if that would work somewhere else, so we headed further South to some isolated trees by a boat stall and picked up a solid 3 pound fish. Moved down again to the creek that goes left rt as the river turns rt….. Nothing but wasted time there…. at least for the small pattern I had put together(fat storm square bill, 5′-6′ depth) had to hit the wood and they would take when it stopped and floated back up. I don’t think I felt one of them hit, just got heavy or they hooked themselves and swam off. Next stop we ran up to some trees across from the creek heading back into the discharge and put number 4 in the boat.  The last 30 minutes we spent on the right hand point leading back to ramp. I mention this because I had one follow a trap back to the boat and as i was picking it up out of the water at the boat it jumped out of the water to try and get it. Was pretty neat had never had that happen before. Ending total 4 fish 9.80

Day 2: Decided to run back to trees across from discharge creek….. Had seemed like a good idea to start as i picked up 3 rt away however this time all near the flooded grass line, and all on a white swim jig, I did have two that came off that might have kept but who knows, my swim jig fish were much smaller all about 14-1/4 – 14-1/2″……. Off the water at noon ending total 3.85 two day total 13.65 good for only 4th place.

1st   was a little over 25lbs

2nd  was around 22

3rd  was around 19

4th was us at 13.65

5th was rt around 5lbs

I believe the first place team spent all of there time down on the south end.

There you have it, the Waller County Bass Club Classic at Coleto Creek 🙂 the most disappointing part of my trip was not being able to get my partner a fish.

Jeff

After our tough day on Coleto I got this comment from one of my most loyal readers.

Doug, glad to hear that you are only human. For the past 3 years I have viewed your blog only to see you and your many catches from all waters. Most of us are not as skilled in catching fish as you are. Many times I see your pictures and read your words of all kinds of fish you caught that day. Skunk is not in your vocabulary but it is in mine and others. We are inspired by your dedication and sharing your exploits with all of us. This past year, I have not caught as many fish as I did in my younger days, but just getting away from the trials and tribulations of mundane daily life while not on the water keeps me sane. I often are picked up by your blogs and they give me hope on my next venture out. Keep us abreast of your travels and both good and bad days… Sorry there are no bad days when one is on the water. Even Redfishlaw has days with little or no fish but you always come up with great stories to keep us glued to our computers waiting for whatever you write about Thank you and We all are with you in every outing you go on. Mac

First off thanks for your kind words, I am not sure I am all that deserving of them but they are appreciated.  As far as how skilled I am there is an old saying – “The more I fish the luckier I get.”  That applies to all of us and nothing beats time on the water.  And it is so true about being on the water, catching fish becomes the primary motivation and we often forget that being out there is to be savored for what it is.  And as far as hope and anticipation, it defines fishing, hope for today, tomorrow, the next cast, the next place, the next bait, hope springs eternal.  After all these years I still wake up hours before I need to if headed to the water, I hope those feelings never fade.  So thanks for making me think about things with a little more perspective than simply basing success on production.  Comment anytime you feel the need to, they are always welcome.

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I know this is off topic but since this is my blog a proud papa gets to toot his daughter’s horn.  If you have read my stuff for a while you know my daughter Carrie and her husband have their Vilakazi Foundation that helps really poor children in the ghettos of South Africa, doing it out of the goodness of their hearts and a sense of duty.  Both have been recognized as young players in Oklahoma City and are active in the community.  Now my daughter has decided to run for school board out of this ongoing sense of duty to children.  As a former teacher and journalist who has written extensively on both state and local public school issues, she is well informed and qualified for the job.  I am proud of her accomplishments and both of them are great folks that this world needs more of.  My only comment – Look out what you wish for!

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A Rant

Theresa Vail, former beauty queen, of the TV show Limitless with Theresa Vail on the Outdoor Channel, is currently charged with crimes involving illegally taking a grizzly and then participating in a cover up with the Alaskan guides.  Outdoor shows have been taken over in many cases by cute girls, rich kids, well connected monied folks, athletes, and others who do not have the long term background in the outdoors or ethical practices.  I do not need to remind you Ted Nugent has been prosecuted in several states for game law violations.  Many of these folks could not catch a fish or kill a bear on their own if they tried.

The Outdoor Channel and the other outdoor networks share the blame, not to mention the suppliers of outdoor equipment.   There is a big difference between making a mistake and then acknowledging and taking your punishment like a stand up person and engaging in an illegal cover up.  That simple act takes it out of oops stuff happens and puts it into intentional criminal action.  That is never the actions of an ethical outdoorsman,  that is the actions of a criminal.  When will the Outdoor Channel and suppliers of outdoor equipment going to stand up and say we will not air shows or sponsor those who have engaged in this type of activity, intentional law breaking?  Her show should be suspended pending the outcome of the legal issues, and if she is convicted it should be canceled.  Hunting and gun ownership is under enough pressure in the country and we do not need this type of exposure.

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So here I sit at home, without a tow vehicle.  I had hoped this thing would go pretty quickly but doubts are beginning to creep in.  After speaking with the insurance company Monday I took it to a body shop and dropped it off to await the adjuster.  Then the body shop calls and asks if I want it back, no adjuster until Thursday.  THURSDAY!  Are you f’n kidding me?  So I complained to the insurance company and was told the body shop could do the estimate.  Ok good, and everyone would get a hold of me.  Now here it is the next day and I have not heard a word.  The damage is quite a bit more extensive than previously thought so I am starting to get worried.  No tow vehicle puts me in a bad way, heck I feel like a heroin addict who can’t get a fix.  The longer this goes the worse I will feel.  So I guess it is time to sit back and try not to stress out to bad.  It will resolve itself when it does.  I guess my thought that it might be taken care of quickly and efficiently was just a dream and I should have known better.

On a good note my buddy Voe is going to do the towing tomorrow.  We are headed to either the creek or the river to put the smack down on some trout and reds.  The weather looks great and tide will be falling first thing and then rising the rest of the day.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Do not overlook the white Swimming Jig this time of year!

Taking the good with the bad.

This is livin’  –  That is all I have to say about that!

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  Talk about a day filled with fun and fish ending on a down note, this sure was it.  The Austin boys were down for their annual December fishing trip and I was invited.  18 guys and 4 boats, they are hard-core fisherman and good sticks, plus they are more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

I was going to fish with Todd and his bunch, so we headed back to Pringle to fish his fresh dead shrimp on popping cork drifting pattern while some of the guys wanted to wade.  They tore the reds and trout up in there a couple of weeks ago and were back for more.  So we got in line with the other 10 -15 boats in there and started drifting.  Now I do not want you to think I have gone over to the dark side, using live bait and listening to good tunes while we fish, but I stayed in the boat for a few drifts to watch them as I threw plastics.

Our first pass we put 4 keepers in the boat, and it basically continued like that for 3 or 4 drifts.  There were areas of off-color water and that seemed to be the sweet spots that were holding fish.  Basically the fresh dead shrimp were out fishing my plastic, but that would actually change later.  It is such a good thing to do if you have folks who are not that proficient fishermen.  We caught lots of trout, rat reds, and flounder during the day.  Then the wading boys called needing a break.  We motored over and picked them up on the Pringle shoreline, and they had a few nice fish to say the least.

John’s personal best – 25″ of speckled trout.

Wearing his Cocoons, John’s nice string for the first wade.

Pete and John were both throwing plastics, and these came on a 4″ white paddle tail on a small jig head.  One thing we noticed today was the better trout and reds were in the knee-deep range on the shoreline near grass and not on any bare sandy areas.  The mixed grass and potholes was the ticket.

The boys taking a lunch break.

At this point I jumped out of the boat and did a little wading.  In keeping with my plan to catch a big trout I stayed with topwater and on that wade had one big blow up which missed by a mile.  Pete and John maybe added another fish or 2, but it was slow during mid day.  Todd headed back out to drift and after the flurry in the morning it slowed considerably as the tide stopped moving.

One thing about these boys, as they only make it down a few times during the year there is no wussing out, they fish from daylight until dark.  So we made a couple of more drifts and the plastic really started coming on and I put a couple of keepers in the boat and it seemed only small trout wanted the shrimp.  So we all met up again and it was decided that we would do a group wade in the area they caught their good reds and trout earlier.  One of the other boats with Ken and his boys joined in and they all cornered them.

It was interesting as Todd took his shrimp and was fishing it while the other 6 or 7 guys were throwing plastics, and they were eating the plastics right next to him.  So he switched and everyone ended up putting a few on the stringer, including another personal best for the group.  The hot bait was a straight tail jerk bait in a grey/clear flake with a Chartreuse tail.  As the sun set the bite was on.  They had a great time as they were fishing close to each other, talking and laughing like we all do when the good fish are biting.

Look closely, the long one is Pete’s personal best, a 26″ trout.

Todd with a couple of 20″ trout that did not raise an eyebrow today.

Pete fills out his redfish limit.

They all lined up on the shoreline on the edge of a pocket and had a great time talking and catching fish.  I on the other hand headed the other way and kept with the topwater, and other than one half-hearted swirl did not get a bite.  I noticed an area with baitfish so I waded over and parked on the edge and finally boated a nice 19″ on plastics.  On some days that would be a good one, today it was just another nice trout.  I do not have a clue how many we caught, or kept, it was not my job to count, but it was a solid day of fishing.  Our boat was just a fish or two from our 5 man limit of reds and trout.  Not sure how the other 3 boats ended up but everybody had fish.

Suffice to say this was a nice string of fish, carrying the cooler to the cleaning table was not a one man job!

It was just getting dark as we exited the cut at Pringle and headed back to Froggie’s to clean fish and put the boat on the trailer.  As we got close there seemed to be some lighted boats in the ICW, and I told Todd to slow down, until then I had forgotten it was the Christmas boat parade.  So was we idle to the cleaning table the party starts.

Todd’s boat has the cool underwater green lights all around with blue LED’s inside so we fit right in.

Talk about surreal!  Here we are, wet, smelly, with a pile of fish.  The dock and fingers of the ramp are crowded with people and we are right in the middle of it butchering fish.  Beads, candy, and Frisbees flying, fireworks going off, decorated boats streaming by, it does not get any weirder than that.  So we got that job done and it was back to their rental, where it kind of went downhill from there.

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        As my lovely wife always says, “It only hurts for a second.”  Or, Pride goeth before the fall.

When we got back a nice gentleman with the group I had not met before was looking for me.  It was pretty dark and he managed to back his truck and boat right into the front of my truck.  Now let me get this out of the way, my new 4Runner, my 3rd one, is my favorite of all the vehicles I have ever owned.  I love that truck.  I mean really.  I guess I was a little to proud of it.  It was dark as we walked to the front and it was ugly, and it turned out even uglier in the daylight.  It makes me cringe just looking at it.  The gentleman who hit me felt at least as bad as I did, and already had all the info ready for me.

Ouch! 

It is driveable as long as you don’t need those pesky turn signals, like the ditch well lighted and not the road, and are not worried if the hood pops open while you are driving down the highway.  And it really is no problem when you are 62 y/o crawling over the passanger seat, console, and shifters to get in the driver’s seat because the driver door will not open.  And opening the hood to see what other damage has been done might be risky, bent and sprung, it may not close again.  And to finish off what I can see the whole front nose piece is cracked.  Dang it!  I promise to not whine about it again, probably.

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On a day where 2 of the guys caught their personal best trout, and a 19″ was no big deal, we began discussing the fishing lately and several theories sprung up on why we are catching bigger trout, and more of them.  The following is what we came up, along with other guys I have spoken with, as some of the reasons.

One: It is the first year of the 5 fish limit and it is working quicker than we could have imagined.  Just looking out at the 20 or so boats we saw in Pringle yesterday you only had to do the math.  3 people to a boat, 15 less trout in the box times 20 boats is 300 hundred trout that one day, in that one place, on a day at POC that can only be described as not that busy.  That does not count all the other boats in the POC area that day and during the year, not to mention what the guide boats will take in a year.  That is a heck of a lot of fish.

Two:  The spring floods.  The first real benefit was the cleansing of the bay.  There seems to be so many more blue crabs, mullet, and bait.  Many of the bigger trout the last couple of months have been in amazing shape, fat and sassy.  Nothing like a smorgasbord everyday to keep the weight on.  And if you remember it was tough the first couple of months this summer as we dealt with higher than normal fresh water in the system, which also left it off-color for months.  The fishing was tough, and then it finally broke and the bite has been on the last couple of months.

Three:  We are just awesome fishermen and getting more “awesomer” by the minute.  Seriously, we have all experienced a significant increase in the number of good trout the last couple of months.  I know I personally have caught more 20″+ trout the last couple of months than I caught the 6 years since moving here, not to mention a 29″ earlier this year.  I wish it was us because we are such amazing sticks, but it probably has a little more to do with theories One and Two.

These reasons seem to be the ones that most guys I have talked to think have affected our fishing lately.  Who knows if they are even anywhere near right, they are only uneducated guesses based on what is flopping in the net.  So if you have a theory, or something to say on this subject, please chime in.  And as usual, if you have anything else to say let us know, we love your comments and reports.

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Since I moved to Arkansas in the mid 70’s I have participated in lots of fishing trips with assorted large groups.  These guys are as good a bunch of guys as you could hope to hang out with, not to mention they are hardcore fishermen.  They eat, fish, and play hard on their occasional trips here, and I am always glad when I am invited.  And it really helps when the fishing is good.

What a week here at fishcatchingtravel.com.  A good day on the Lavaca, a slow day on Coleto, a whack and stack at POC, Cocoons Eyewear coming on board, and my truck gets the new smacked off it.  Who knows what this week will bring, but I know one thing, not having a truck is a real issue.  I know I am spoiled having 2 boats always ready to go, but there are not 2 trucks, and without one I may have to see a psychiatrist by time that gets resolved.  So please keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Do not overlook the white Swimming Jig this time of year!

I need a break from Coleto.  After fishing it really heavy the last 4 years a case of burn out has set in.   It is probably caused by a number of things, which right now really means tough fishing.  And that has one root cause, me.  For some reason it has become tough to figure out, which is my fault.  Basically if you are not catching fish you are not doing something right.  That said, there are just some times tougher than others, and that is a perfect description of the fishing right now.

After whacking the trout  yesterday it was off to the lake with Voe.  The ride was cold heading up lake so we made the whole run and got that out of the way.  We alternated between plastics and Voe threw the buzzbait some until he caught his first one on a senko style plastic Texas rigged.

Voe put the first nice one in the boat.

It was probably an hour or so before he boated his first one.  I meanwhile was not having any luck.  Finally one tried to run away with it next to a tree and with my superior skill managed to mess it up and miss him.  Voe finally caught another one like the one above, again on the 5″ senko.  We fished the channel side, the flat side, brush, logs, rocks,  and just could not get it going.  The water was pretty off-color up lake, unfortunately I had the skiff, so no water temp.  I heard another boat talking and they said it was in the 50’s up lake.

We moved down just a hair and on the way there is a small flat point with bushes sticking way out on a flat so we stopped and fished it,  On my 3rd cast one thumped that all white Strike King Swimming Jig and the tussle was one.

This girl went 5’4″, to bad that was the last of it.

Voe has a scale so we weighed her and she was 5’4″.  She came out of 2 foot of water, and the boat was siting in 4.  Of course it was the last fish I boated today.  We fished several of my favorite places, and a couple I have not fished in a while, and besides losing one on a spinnerbait and missing one on a lizard, it was zip.  After Voe catching his 2 I don’t think he had another bite.  So what is the problem?

First, if we were tourney fishing there would not be a problem.  The 3 we landed were good fish, and only having to boat 2 more we would have stayed up lake and ground it out.  But we weren’t.  If I had to guess there are 3 reasons fishing is so poor right now.  One, no grass, which is a given.  Second, that rain last week when it was cool really slowed it down even further.  And last, I think the continued fluctuation combined with the temp and time of year have put them somewhere, to bad I do not know where that is.  But I will figure it out at some point, or they will just start their pre-spawn move and all will be right with the world.

We called it a day about 2:30 after only boating 3.  Though we did not do all that well it is always nice to fish with Voe.  The lake fishing has just left me somewhat befuddled and not knowing whether to fish it every day until I figure it out, or spend more time at the Gulf.  I guess the Gulf will win out for now.  As I type this I am waiting to hear from the Austin boys as to how their day went and what time I should meet them in the morning.  It will be good to see some of the guys I have not seen this year.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

Initially I was headed to the creek but after thinking about it last night plans changed and it was the Lavaca River.  Last time it was real off-color and though I caught some fish it just wasn’t what I had in mind.  So with a new outlook I hit the ramp at 10:30 and headed down river.

The color was not the best, but compared with last trip it was lots better, getting clearer the farther down you went.  So as soon as I passed the overhead power line down the trolling motor went and the wind basically blew us down river.  That north wind was about 15 mph and cool, but at least it was blowing right down the river.  The first one came over the side about 5 minutes after first cast, and the bite remained fairly good until I quit at 3.

They averaged a little better than last trip.

Initially it was the Chattahoochee paddle tail in an electric chicken color, but after a few fish I changed to the sand eel in a copper and they seemed to like that quite a bit better.  I did have to go to a solid/heavy 1/8th jig head with the speed of the river and wind blowing me down pretty quickly to get the feel I needed to feel some of the softer bites.

They really were liking the sand eel plastic today.

I stayed on the west bank and just went with the wind.  I guess I would describe the bite as erratic.  Some ate it, some you never felt, some ticked the snot out of it, but no matter what the majority of the bites came in 1 – 3 foot of water.  I did notice today that the shallower stretches of bank with bare sand seemed to be the preferred stretches.

Copper  flake with a Chartreuse tail.

It would be hard to estimate the number of trout today, but it was an easy 25 plus, but who knows, it seems like if I do not start off trying to keep track it does not happen.  Suffice to say it was a consistent bite.  The big motor never even started until I hit the other side of the river near the marsh and the opening to the lake.  By that time the water had quit moving, and though they were nipping at it pretty regularly, they were not quite as committed as they had been when I started.

This one had some shoulders.

I was surprised today that besides the one rat and a midget drum, nothing else jumped on.  I may have lost a flounder earlier, but who knows.  It was definitely a trout bite though it is somewhat unusual to not catch a few more of the other fish.  Before I quit I wanted to head up river and check out the color and my favorite bank in the Navidad.

A rat red and little black drum were the size of it besides trout today.

The river was off-color the farther up you went and when you went under the bridge at the mouth of the Navidad you could clearly see the color break.  The Lavaca was quite a bit dirtier than the Navidad.  So I went in there to check my favorite place in that area and like last time could not get a bite.  All in all not a bad day on the water.  For how short I fished it was a pretty easy limit, to bad I did not bring the cooler, they would be frying in the pan right now.

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After telling you about Cocoons coming on board I got this note from Jim.

Thanks for the tip on the cocoons, that will do the trick for me I am sure

I hope you like them as much as I do.  Today it was that really bright sun and having the side plates on there was a big help, not to mention seeing the logs in the river and keeping from getting hung quite so much.  Let us know how you like them and thanks for the comment.

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Jeff, who I will be meeting somewhere on Coleto tomorrow, noticed the deer pictures I have been posting and so he dropped me one his nephew shot.

That is a nice one, I am sure your nephew was proud.

Thanks for the pic and looking forward to seeing you out there on the lake somewhere.

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The Austin boys are back in town already for another run at POC.  I know a couple of them came a day early and were going to fish the creek before the rest of them arrived tonight.  I had already made plans to fish with Voe before I knew they were coming so we will be chasing some bass tomorrow.  Then I will be able to hook up with them on Saturday for a little wading out of POC and an all around good time.

The fishing generally remains good, hopefully we can figure a little more out on those Coleto bass, and who knows, help Jeff out some for his tournament.  The fishing should only get better and lots of guys are having trouble deciding which way to go, do some hunting or do a little fishing.  What a great time of year.  A bass report, followed by a POC report is on the way, so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

Though I have not fished any the last couple of days there is lots to talk about.  First though I would like to welcome Cocoons Eyewear to fishcatchingtravel.com.

Cocoons Eyewear

If you have been reading my stuff you have seen the thousands of pictures where I am usually wearing fitover sunglasses.  The only brand I have ever worn are Cocoons.  I don’t remember when I first bought some, but they have been my standard polarized glasses ever since I saw and bought my first pair.  They have enough sizes to fitover any glasses, with a multitude of lens colors for all conditions.  They have been kind enough to lend support to the blog and I wanted to thank them.

Of course the obvious reason to wear a good pair of polarized Cocoons is to see stuff in the water.  Whether it is a stump on your favorite lake, a tarpon laid up in a pothole, bonefish on a Belize flat, or a big granite shoal just below the surface on Lake of the Woods, good optics let you see it all.  I would not have boated my only permit on the last trip to Belize without them, and I wear them under almost any condition no matter what fish I am chasing.

There is another reason I wear them, eye protection.  Whether it is a huge muskie plug with a 20lber attached, or a 1/4 ounce slip sinker flopping around outside that big bass’ mouth, a layer of protection between your eyes and those potential missiles is worth every penny.  And what is not to like about the lifetime warranty on the frames.  And a word to the wise, register the warranty and save the receipt, they will definitely stand behind them.

A little while ago I actually managed to hit myself in the face with the rod while setting the hook.  It broke the frame, but after a little super glue I was good to go.  My wife was real impressed when I told her I was thinking about putting a piece of tape on them like my 5th grade picture since I forgot to save the receipt.  So register that warranty and keep the receipt, you just might outlive them.

So thanks again to Cocoons Eyewear.  A great product at a great price, what is not to like.  Click on the link to the right and look over their catalog.  You will be surprised at the wide range of eyewear they offer, including clip-ons, which I have a pair, and their new clip on wrap arounds, along with a host of fitover polarized glasses.  You know I don’t plug stuff here that I do not use and believe in, and Cocoons is one of those products that works.

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I got this great report from Aaron A.  He has laid the smack down on them.

Hey Doug,

I’ve loved the recent salt reports.  I’ve had a hard time getting the coast with deer season in full swing but did manage to grab the kayaks for a morning on the water with my wife over Thanksgiving.  The fishing was as you advertised and we had about 50 before lunch (cleaning table pic of the ones we kept attached).  I even caught a black bass in a back creek the cast after catching a trout.  Never had that happen before.

As much as I love fishing, this time of year the focus is deer.  I took a big turkey with the bow for Thanksgiving and spent a good bit of November looking for the big 9 point in the attached photo (taken by landowner on a portion of the property we can’t hunt).  I hunt near Fredericksburg so this is a big deer for a hill country low fence ranch.  I ended up shooting him over a mile away from where this trailcam pic was taken.  Back tines were over 12” and he grossed 146.  He’s the best deer I’ve taken after 27 years of hunting the hill country.

Your Coleto reports haven’t inspired me to give the lake a try but I’ll probably give it a shot during Christmas.  Always feast or famine on Coleto for me as well.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks as always for the reports.

Aaron

Wow on the deer!  That is an awesome buck of a lifetime.  In fact this picture almost looks fake.  All I have to say is you have one good place to hunt as his buddy is no slouch either.

That is a freakin’ monster!

And good job on the trout.  Being able to slip in the rivers and creeks off the Gulf right now in a Kayak is a sure ticket for some fish, the keepers below will do all day long.

A nice solid mess of winter speckled trout.

And as far as the Coleto fishing I will be giving it a go this week so stay tuned, it has to get better.  So as usual I appreciate your great reports and pictures.  Looks like you have made good use of your limited outdoor time.  Thanks again.

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Speaking of deer Shoedog sent me this trail cam photo.  He has really hunted hard this year and this guy has made the camera during shooting hours again, of course when Shoedog took the morning off.

He will forever be known as the Nemesis Buck.

That is really a nice shooter buck.  Shoedog has passed a smaller one or two waiting for this guy.  Who knows, he just might know when to be there or when not to be there.  Hope you get him on the ground.  And good luck in Nebraska.  Shoedog leaves in a day or two for 3 or 4 days of hunting with Terry for those big monster northern bucks.  They did not get a big one on the ground up there yet, so hopefully they can harvest a whooper.

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Yesterday when I blogged about my less than satisfactory Coleto trip I mentioned that the truck parked next to me was my buddy Bobby so I sent a shout out to him to see how he did.

Hey Doug the last time I was at the lake was about 2 weeks ago. Man I did not get one bite. I tried everything I had it was not to be so I just threw in the towel!!!

Guess that was not you.  Ouch!  I know the feeling.  This year Coleto has been a victim of no grass, constantly fluctuating water levels, and poor water color.  The good thing about the lake right now is it can only get better.  So hang in there Bubba, better days are coming.

And speaking of bass we have not heard from our resident bass pro on Fayette and Bastrop.  So Rusty how has it been on the lake?  Might get my blood going for a trip to Fayette, it is usually pretty good right now.

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And as long as we are talking about Coleto, I got this comment from Jeff, whos club has been trying to hold a tourney on Coleto for over a month.

Doug,

Just wanted to touch base with you, our re-scheduled end of year classic is finally upon us. I read your post today about the murky water, is good to hear that the water level is up. We will be coming down early Friday for some pre-fishing. I am thinking I will run my wife way up the river and work down…. With the cooler weather I had planned on targeting the backs of creeks but saw a recent report where water temps are holding between 70-77…

It will be a win for me no matter the case, as you have pointed out I am very lucky that my wife does this with me.

Perhaps one day we will see you out there.

Jeff

The sun will come out tomorrow, sounds like a bad Broadway song, and I will be back on the water.  I think it will be the river or creek for some trout and reds as the lake has continued to confound me this winter.  But we are just a month away from pre-spawn, and as they have done for eons, the fish will answer the call and the fishing will pick up.  And I am still trying to get a couple of days at Baffin to continue my quest for a real trout.  So it is on with the Cocoons and off we go.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

Hope everyone’s holiday weekend went ok.  We finished ours off by hitting IKEA and Bass Pro in Round Rock on Sunday.  It surprised me how many folks were still shopping.  Wine glasses at IKEA and replacement sunglasses from Bass Pro were on the shopping list.  It was my first trip to that Bass Pro, and it was just like all of them.  They are both rapidly turning into department stores that sell hunting and fishing stuff.  I did hear they might be buying Cabela’s but how that would really matter or change things we will have to wait and see.

So yesterday after a leisurely breakfast I headed to Coleto.  There was nobody at the ramp and it was drizzling lightly.  It looks to me like the lake is up a little, and the water color was murky at best.  With rain in the forecast I fished around the lower end.  And it begged the following questions:  How long do you fish without a bite before you quit?  How many different types of lures  should you throw without a bite before it is ok to quit?  I have an answer to both of them, 4 is about right.

Before I mislead you I did have one bite, it was a nice blue cat on a plastic but he came off when I tried to flip him in the boat.  Other than that, not a bite, zero, zip, nada.  I fished a spinnerbait, topwater minnow, crankbait, Swim Jig, and plastics and caught exactly nothing.  Coves, main lake points, channel edges, flats, that about covers it.  It was one of the few times where I really felt like the bass on Coleto were just not having it, and I mean anything.  Finally about 1:30 I could not stand it any more so it was off to the house.

It will be interesting to hear from Bobby.  I believe that was your truck parked next to mine at the ramp.  So how did it go?  Surely you must have done at least a little better than I did.  Drop us a line.

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

Evan got a moment to comment and sent a few pictures along with it.

Well sir, time for me to comment. I’ve been busy with the holidays, new house, hunting season (of course), and a new baby who should be here before St. Nick.  Speaking of baby, she’ll be my 3rd little girl.  I’m blessed for sure.  Going to reward myself with more guns and ammo.  God save the boys because I won’t be.  Ha! My biggest fan (and critic) is glad to be prego during hunting season.  It has really prevented me from going out.  I’ve only been on one hunt this year to be honest.  Its sad really.  Almost depressing so I try not to think about it.  I’ll just keep salivating over your fishing reports and those beautiful people that send you those duck hunting reports from the coast.  My goodness I need a good duck hunt. Your posts from the last couple of weeks really hit the nail on the head.  Its hard for someone like me to love football right now.  The only thing good about the Cowboys is Romo is out.  He’s about a good a QB as the Aggies have.  Which Aggie QB I’m talking about? Whichever one they decide to play this quarter.  Ugh. Aggie football.  Its like we’re back to the ‘ol Slocum Big 12 days.  Bad QB, bad coach, bad football.  Its quite depressing.  So glad for other awesome SEC teams.  Including those nasty pigs.    Go Hogs! Should be going on a Texas meat hunt in a week or so (deer).  I told BabyGirl#3 to hold off until after I get back from that trip.  I need it.  You’re my hero.  When I grow up and get to wake up every morning and go fishing/hunting – well….  I’ll just keep reading for now and work hard to get there.  Thanks for sharing.  Keep the reports coming.

*Attached pics from my weekend goose hunt out of Garwood, TX*  If I’m allowed to advertise: Mike Lanier @ Red Bluff Prairie Hunting Club has a phenomenal setup. We worked hard for these geese but when you limit out – it pays off.  9 man limit both days on Specklebelly, with some snows/ross’ and ducks mixed in.         http://redbluffprairie.com/

Not only are you allowed to blow their horn, I looked at their website and they have a first class operation.  So if you hunt feathered things click on the link and look at what they have to offer.  From the looks of their site, and your pictures, the shooting is always good with them.

 Nobody minds totting that load.

I appreciate you hanging with me and your comments.  Good luck on the meat hunt.  Hope you get home just in time for BabyGirl#3.

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I also heard from Hal.  He was down in POC last week and wondered if I could help him point the way to a few fish, and it looks like it went ok.

Well, I’m back at this desk and computer plugging away at it again wishing I was on the bay fishing. I just wanted to get back with you and say thanks so much for the info.

We fished the flat around Army Hole as you recommended and had a lot of fun. My brother-in-law and nephews waded around the flat using live shrimp and Spanish sardines. They limited out on reds on Friday. We drifted all over the flat with shrimp under a popping cork and picked a mixed bag of reds, trout and flounder.

My brother in law and nephews did wade around dewberry and caught a bunch of black drum. We never made it to South Pass or the opening to Shoalwater.

It was a great time thanks to your willingness to share info and I really appreciate it. It’s just not common that anyone does that anymore. My wife, daughter, sister and nephews had a hoot because of it.

Now that is what I am talking about.  Sounds like you dialed them in pretty good.  It really is consistent with the fishing we have had the last couple of months.  So keep those cards and letters coming, we love hearing about your trips.

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

That catches us up for a little bit.  The weather today, Tuesday, is similar to yesterday, around 50 degrees with intermittent rain/mist.  It is that cold wet weather that cools your bones.  But there is a turn coming, and with it me back on the water.  Time to get the insulated waders out and get ready for some cold weather wading.  Just have to figure out a time to head down to Baffin for a couple of days.  And I really appreciate all your comments and pictures, actually makes my job easier and we all learn something from them.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

I spent the last couple of days in College Station with the Shoedog and his family and got to fish a lake that I can honestly say has been my nemesis.  Somerville has been tough for us, and rarely did we ever catch much more that white bass and the occasional hybrid.  For me the bass were few and far between and it seemed like I did not have a clue on that lake, which obviously I didn’t.  After our conversation with the guy at the cleaning table on Coleto who told us fishing was improving it was time to give it one more chance.

The lake is way up and the water is slightly off-color and there was hardly anyone fishing as we headed out.  Our first stop was the big island by the ramp and it was catfish city.  Shoedog caught one on a jerkbait, not a rare occurence this time of year in Texas, and then I caught one on a plastic.  He also put a small bass in the boat on his jerkbait before we moved.

Jerkbait catfish.

My turn.

From there was headed into a long cove and started fishing from the back out to the mouth.  If I have not ever fished a lake, or haven’t fished one lately, this is the easiest way to get a quick idea on what might be going on.  And not having an idea what might be working we fished jerkbait, spinnerbait, plastics, and a Strike King Swim Jig.  I love the white Swim Jig with a paddle tail trailer this time of year.  They are feeding heavily on shad and it does the job.

Yes there are bass in Somerville.

We would motor almost to the back and then fish out, and it might have taken 2 or 3 before we put it together.  Most of the fish we caught were all the way back in 6 foot of water in the brush.  Now don’t get me wrong, of the 15 or so we caught they were small, but that was not the point.  Somerville has some bass and if this water stays up it may be a banner year.

With the water temp being 62 or so I could not resist the spinnerbait and the ones that ate it smoked it.  But the Swim Jig was the preferred bait.  Once we started really going in the back of those places we found the other key, shad.  If there was a bunch of shad dimpling it was almost a guaranteed bite.  So though we got a late start we put it together and from there it was fairly consistent.  Unfortunately his trolling motor battery was not fully charged and it limited us somewhat, but it made it until dark.

I love hitting a new to me lake.  Not sure what or where to go, and then figuring out a way to catch them is what fishing is all about.  Being able to recognize a pattern fairly quickly and then repeating it in other areas is truly the bassin’ game, and today we did ok.  I really am hopeful that is a sign on a resurgence for Somerville as far as the bass goes.  Though no big fish came over the side, there are fish there and if you live in that area get ready for what should be an awesome spring.

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

The other reason I went up there was to do a little deer hunting, so Thanksgiving morning we were in the stand before daylight.  The place he hunts has lots of deer, and hopes were high.  Finally after noon we called it a day for some Thanksgiving dinner and a little football.  We did not see a deer.  Before we left he checked the game cam and for some reason there had not been a deer there for 2 1/2 days.  Who knows why, but I can state that is my hunting luck.  It has been decades since I shot one, and my luck continues.  I am not asking much, just a simple doe, but it just did not happen.  Thankfully I have some folks who share a little with me, it is backstrap for tonight’s supper.  So while it was not a successful hunting trip, it was nice to spend some time in the woods even if I did not have a rod in my hand.

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As you cross the dam headed to the ramp at Somerville and you can see the spillway below.  There were lots of cars in the lot so I stopped to see what they were catching.

Dumping water out the spillway and here come the white bass.

I talked to a guy who said he was catching nice catfish early, then switching over to white bass.  Several people caught some while I was there, so if you live in the area the fish are there for the taking.

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I got this kind post from Polecat, love the name by the way.

Thanks for the reports. I may not comment much but use your reports religiously to help me find fish when I am unable to make it fishing frequently. It has helped my catching which is still not much lol , but thx for the reports. They are actually helpful. Really appreciated.

It may sound like horse hockey but this really is the reason I do this.  It may not mean much, but if it helps anyone put another fish in the boat it is all worth it.  And I really sympathize, it was not that long ago I could not go fishing whenever I wanted but I am so fortunate that my life has turned out this way.  So when I am tired, or not feeling it, I still go.  We only have so many days on this earth and there are so many fish to catch.  So thanks for your comment, your turn is coming.

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

I also got this interesting comment from Billy.

Shameless self plug.
I sure don’t like hearing about folks having to fish by themselves.

I know this will probably get me kicked to the curb, but I’m already on the outside looking in.

Look out what you wish for.  So check  your email, you never know.

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

Before I wrap this up I do have one off topic comment on football.  As we were watching the Cowboy game Shoedog, who hates the Cowboys, said they need to take Romo out before he gets hurt.  It took exactly 2 plays before it happened.  The Boys are snake bit.  Good thing I have my Hogs, who as I type this are beating the snot out of Missouri.  We may not have won as many games as we should have but it has been a good year.  Just a matter of waiting to see who we will play in a bowl game.  Brings back memories of the beat down we put on Texas last year.  Go Hogs.

Not sure what or where is next but we have a weather change coming and it just might feel a little bit like winter around here.  The fishing has been so good and I do not expect it to change much.  Time to put on those waders on those cloudy cold days and get to throwing that topwater and catch a big one.  Now it is time to take the little woman out for her reward for working while the rest of us enjoyed the holiday.  Hope you and yours had a safe and happy holiday.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

There are 2 places I have not fished yet this fall, Baffin and the Lavaca River, and I got one of them done today.  November is always a solid month on the Lavaca and I was excited as I headed to the river.  There were 6 or 7 trucks at the ramp when I got there. I almost put it  back on the trailer and went to Garcitas, it looked that off-color.  So on with the big boy pants and in the water goes the Carolina Skiff.  Beside catching fish, part of this deal is to report to those of you who care what is happening with the fishing, good or bad.

The water color looked terrible, real dirty, until I took off my amber Polaroids, and then it only looked like crap.  The water was off-color with that murky shade that is not on my favorite list.  But with that many trucks at the ramp obviously the fish are in there somewhere.

First it was the Navidad, which has  my favorite bank on the river.  The water color was real murky and the first place did not even produce a bite.  So I motored up river a ways to see if it cleared any, which it didn’t, and I fished another spot that usually produces some reds and again, no bites.  So definitely time for a move.

The wind was blowing pretty good as I motored down river and stopped just past the power lines to fish the south bank.  That area is usually pretty productive and finally one committed suicide.

The best one for the day.

The water was just a little bit better, but the wind did not help much.  I put 4 in the boat on that stretch, which has some sand and bare bank.  They seemed to like the chicken on a chain color with a chartreuse paddle tail.  All my bites came in 4 foot of water give or take an inch.  Since the bite was not all that hot I flipped sides of the river and fished the big sand flat further on down.  It was only one bite there, but I did put it in the boat.

This is what most of them looked like.

The next place I wanted to check was the mouth of the slew entering the river near the big house down river.  The tide was flowing out, and the water coming out of the slew was at least somewhat clear.  The wind was blowing right in it and there was a color break and I caught 3 there, most like the one above.

I did fish several colors and styles of plastics but the 3″ paddle was the clear choice.  It was difficult to fish due to the high winds, you just had to suck it up.  And though it was howling I did want to check the bank at the mouth of the lake and so I headed down and stopped just short.  I only caught one there, and since it was blowing I headed back up.

You always hope when you set the hook these are a trout.

I think I caught one more after that back up river, and one rat red.  So today could only be described as a wash.  I fished about 5 hours, but just could not get over the water color, my heart was not in it.  But the point is the fish are there, and they can be caught.  If we do not get a whole lot more rain maybe it will clear some, but they may be letting water out of Texana.  This was one of those days where I wish someone would have been with me, to motivate me to fish harder, but really to keep trying different colors and weight.  So don’t write it off if you like to fish it, they can be caught.

A young guy who fishes it some talked to me at the ramp and he said he has been catching them off and on.  His cousin fished it yesterday and had a good day with redfish.  The water color does not deter the reds and with a little effort you can catch them right now.

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Johnny sent us this report from he trip to Fayette this last weekend.

Just about got blown off of Lake Fayette this weekend. It was windy, cold, and miserable for us fishing fools. Was able to catch fish at the discharge, the dam, and by the trees along the creek. Spinner bait, crank baits, and soft plastics did not let me down. It was a challenge, but got it done.

The plant was not running so the water temp was between 66 and 71 degrees. Be back again next year.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for the report.  Sounds like you had to really struggle with the wind, which can be a real hassle on Fayette.  But on the flip side sounds like you caught fish in most places and on several baits, a real Fayette day.  I hope to get up there soon before it gets to dang cold.  So keep those reports coming, we appreciate them.

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I really want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you get to spend some time with the family, and maybe even a little bit in the outdoors.  I will be fishing tomorrow with my brother the Shoedog in College Station, then Thanksgiving day I will be sitting in a blind all day trying to put a nice fat doe in the freezer.

Maybe they will stop by while I am there.

My lovely wife works the holidays as she does most years to let folks with kids have the time off.  She will be off on Friday and we will have our personal Thanksgiving sitting in front of the TV watching those HOGS!  So have a great holiday, I can not thank you all enough for your participation, it keeps me going.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

The best baits on the planet!

I just thought I was going fishing today.

The lovely wife and I had breakfast and then I headed out to the garage to hook up the Skiff and head to the river.  One thing I do before I ever leave the house with the boat is hit the key and make sure it will turn over.  I hit the key, and nothing, and I mean not even a click or any attempt to turn over.  Why?  I do not have a clue.  So on the charger it went and the day of fishing turned into a day of running around and doing things.

What made the whole thing funny is the Mako did not want to start the other day, and the battery needed to come out and be checked.  So instead of hitting the river, I have one boat on the charger because something must have been left on, and the other boat’s starting battery is in the truck to get checked out.  The good news, it was just the connections on the Mako and the battery checked out fine.  So it is going back in that boat, and from the looks of the rate of charge the starting battery on the Skiff is fine.  Still wish I knew why it was empty this morning.

Just one of those moments that can either ruin your day, or you can suck it up and go on.  So I got some things done that were planned for Tuesday and will be headed out first thing in the morning to keep whipping on those trout.

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I got this comment from Jay, and though it was short notice, it applies to all of us for the rest of the winter.

Redfishlaw,
Sorry this is short notice.
Might want to remind your readers.
It’s scheduled to be the first mild freeze of the season here in Central Texas tonight.
It’s the season to remember to lower those motors after fishing to allow water to drain. Might save you some money and prevent damage and lost time on the water due to repairs!
Jay

Thanks for reminding all of us, when you pull out of the water be sure to let the engine down as far as you can so the water can run out.  And one thing to add to that.  If you have not checked or changed your lower unit grease lately it is time to do that.  It is the best way to be sure you do not have water in the lower unit, which not only can ruin your lower unit costing big bucks, but can freeze.  I had a friend who let it slide, and when we got a real cold snap it actually cracked his lower unit housing.  And while you are at it check those bearing buddies to be sure there is no water in there.  We have a lot more winter on the way so be warned.  As an old plumber told me there is only one place water will not get, a frog’s a$$.  Thanks Jay, great tip.  Feel free to comment anytime.

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

I looked at the Academy flyer for Black Friday and they have a Shimano Sonora spinning reel that is normally $49 for $19, which is a real good deal.  There is also a Lew’s combo deal that is usually $150 that is $99.  I do not know anything about the rod, but their reels are sure getting more popular now.  And last, their in-house reel brand, H2O, is on sale at half price, $25.

I have been using them for several years now for saltwater fishing.  Why?  Instead of spending $100’s on upscale reels I buy these cheap ones and use them until they start acting up and then in the trash they go.  The last time I had one of my Shimano’s cleaned and bearings done it was $50, and as much as I fish that had become an every 6 month thing.  The cheap H2Os do just fine, and most last over a year, so I just buy 3 or 4 when they get to $25 and it is working out.

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

My Razorbacks played one heck of an offensive game, to bad the defense did not show up.  And to lose it on a missed field goal was tough.  Congrats to the Aggies, they beat Vandy and only played one quarterback.  I got to watch a little but am not sure how they played over all, but those helmets sure were something.

Sorry about no fishing report, but that will change tomorrow.  I think it will be the Lavaca River.  I have not made it yet but the trout should be stacked in there.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Catch a couple of new baits today!

After a long run of bay fishing it was time to check in on Coleto and the bass fishing.  It also gave me a chance to fish with Voe before he is out of here and back to Vegas.  He finally got the work done on his house and it finally listed and will be showing Monday.  With the amount of work they did on that place I predict a sale in less than a month.  But I digress.

The lake appears to be rising slowly, and the water color varies between somewhat clear to murky the farther up lake you go.  The weather started off with a little cloud cover and light wind, perfect bass fishing weather.  But alas, Coleto is still really inconsistent for me and though we caught a few, 11 to be exact, I still have not found a real pattern.  So we spent the day looking and trying different stuff.

Voe with the first fish of the morning.

We started off with buzzbait in main lake coves.  Voe caught the one above right off the bat, and then in spite of my repeated throws off and on all day it turned out to be the only one on a buzzbait.  That has been kind of frustrating to me as it and spinnnerbait are just not working like falls past.  So we headed way up lake to fish wood with plastics, and though the fish were not tight to the cover, they will still close to it.

A nice 3 1/2 on plastics.

We kept hunting and pecking here and there.  It seemed one of us would get a bite, and then the other one would to.  Though we did not catch a bunch, the ones we did were fat and sassy.  We specifically took a picture of the one below to show you how fat they are.  I would suspect the one below had some eggs.  Hard as it is to believe pre-spawn is right around the corner.

Look at the gut on that thing.

Besides plastics, Voe caught one on a scrounger head with a shellcracker plastic on it and one on a vibrating jig with a craw trailer.  Mine all came on plastics.  It was really interesting how when they hit they would start swimming with it, and I mean fast and far.  We missed several that swam so far it was hard to get the slack out for a good hook set.  We did have a couple of close encounters with what looked to be nice big fish.  Voe had one boil a slow rolled spinnerbait as he took it out of the water, and I had another one boil the heck out of a topwater.  For the day was both caught basically the same amount of fish, and most were ok keepers.

For me though it has been a struggle.  The fishing on Coleto has been tough and I have done a poor job of correcting that.  Insanity has often been described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  That is how I have fished the lake the last month, trying to hit a big bite before a front.  Expecting the fish to do what I want, when I say they should.  Then when they do not I keep doing it over and over.  I will have to think that one over for awhile.  Suffice to say we had an ok day and it is always nice to fish with Voe.

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And while we are talking about fishing, when we went to Coleto to clean fish the other day there were a couple of guys cleaning fish, one guy with a bunch of crappies.  He said he got his in 14 – 23 feet of water on jigs.  They were good crappie, and I have been seeing lots at the lake the last few weeks.  So if you like crappie now is a good time and it will only get better the next month.  Additionally the guy fishes Sommerville as his regular fishing hole and said the bass fishing has been fantastic, not to mention the crappie fishing.  Shoedog and I really suck at that lakes so I guess it is time to give it another go.

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One of the great things about the outdoors is how random stuff can be.  Shoedog has been hard after a good buck this fall, spending some serious time in the blind.  So of course what happens when he fishes with me a couple of days?

   A nice solid buck.

This guy walked in front of the blind once in the morning and then in the afternoon at perfect shooting time.  Funny how stuff like that works.  It will be even funnier to see how it goes for me.  I hope to hunt Thanksgiving day and try to kill a fat doe for the freezer.  It has been about 20 years since I shot a deer, but I sure do like venison and tators smothered in mushroom soup, one of my favorite meals.

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It is Saturday morning and as I write this it is time to get excited about another Arkansas Razorback football game.  Somehow my Hogs have won 4 in a row, with 2 over SEC west opponents, on the road.  And here we are, second in the West behind Alabama after basically whipping LSU’s booty.  It was similar last year with the Hogs getting tougher as time went on, and that sure is the case right now.  But even if it goes our way the rest of the year we will still finish second.  As I tell all the delusional A&M fans, to win the west it still comes down to beating both LSU and Alabama in the same year.  No easy task.

The wind is howling as the cold front rolls in.  We will see the 30’s tonite with our first real front of the year.  My in-laws up in the middle of Iowa are getting a real taste of it as the rest of the Midwest is.  Looks like they got about a foot of snow and it is 19 degrees as I write this.  It sure looks pretty, but you can have the snow.  So what is next I do not know, but I will be back on the trout in a couple of days, depending on the wind.  I appreciate you all reading this stuff, so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines