Fish Catching Travel

There is no such thing as to many baits!

We decided to hit Coleto Creek  today and do some bass fishing.  Part of that decision was based on getting home in time to watch the Cubs.  A fan since I was a little boy, I drifted away after years of plain old frustration, especially when the curse reached out and bit us in the rear end in 2003.  Sinking into what can be described as mediocrity at best for years, this is a team full of youngsters and boy are they something.  Shoedog has been following them this year and telling me how good they are.  This afternoon for the first time in the over 100 years of Wrigley Field they clinched a playoff series on their home field.

CUBS WIN!  CUBS WIN!

(We miss you Harry!)

Did that really happen?  End times are near, Hell may be freezing over, Pandora’s Box is open, and who knows what will come next.  World peace?  Lions lying down with lambs?  Lower taxes?  The Crapdashians being kidnapped by aliens and they take that no talent knucklehead ConyeeeeK West with them?  Who knows what is in store, but the Cubs are in the NLCS championship series and only a few games from the World Series.  Who woulda’ thunk it?  But back to the fishing.

We were on the water at daylight and it was dead calm, a sign of things to come.  Of course it was just the opposite of the day before when the winds were to be light on the Gulf and it blew all day.  Today we were begging for some wind to get those fish positioned for spinnerbait fishing, but it did not happen.  So instead of hitting them with the 1 – 2 punch of spinnerbait and senkos, we were left fishing plastic.

The average size for today.

So with no wind our plan to double up on them did not happen.  The goal for the day was to boat 25 bass, and in spite of the conditions we managed to catch 18.  The fish were in a couple of places, on wood and in the last of the grass that is in the water on the deeper banks.  To catch the fish on the wood you had to toss that senko right on it and in it.  And we did lose several in the brush but it was really a fun way to catch them.  The fish on the bank were right on the cover and it was important to toss it tight to cover.

We had a couple bigger than this, but this was the run of the litter.

I was using braid with a 20lb Big Game leader, and a 1/4 slip sinker rigged Texas style.  Shoedog was using a little lighter line.  He lost a couple, and I managed to break my line on one, but at least it was not the rod this time.  One thing that seemed clear was the dead stick style bait was the fish’s preference.  I was using a 5″ ribbed bait, which is nice for hiding the barb but letting you set the hook a little easier.  And with no wind it was easy to get good position on the cover and make a good cast.  It seemed like you got one shot at them and if you missed you were done.  We did take 3 out of one tree, but otherwise it was one here and there all day.

Finally we quit at 3 to see the Cubs win the series.  If you have been a long-suffering fan like me it was almost to much to believe.  So we did not boat our goal, but we made do with the conditions.  You can make all the plans you want when you leave the house, but being flexible and adaptable will put more fish in the boat.  Next it will be back to the Gulf.  It is so good right now and it looks like this weather pattern will hold at least for the week.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

There is no such thing as to many baits!

The Shoedog came down Sunday night and we made a plan to hit Poc at daylight.  Last trip it was topwater until about noon, and I had high hopes.  Then I ran into Frank, the Store Director of the Victoria Academy and he had just fished the Speedy Stop Guide’s Cup and did ok.  Though they did not win, he fished topwater all day and caught fish.  So just like my last trip to Coleto I took a report and added it to the day’s plan, it worked out just fine.

We launched at the crack of dawn and headed for quick stop in Big Bayou to see if the reds were moving.  We tossed topwater, Redfish Magic, and plastics at them, but other than Shoedog losing at 20″+ trout at the boat, he caught a rat red.  So it was time for a move and some serious wading.  The wind was blowing hard enough that the trip across the bay was not pleasant.

I have to take a minute to say -“I hate. the weatherman!”  Either 5 – 10, or 6 – 13, neither was even close.  So we headed over the to the island to fish the flat right past the Army Hole, and thank goodness they were there.  Shoedog headed into the cut and I stayed on the bank.  We both caught fish.

For me it was a topwater day, but not the big fish producer.

I still had the Skitter Walk on from the other day so I kept at it.  Over the next 4 hours I did not kill them, but I caught them.  Of the 17 I caught there, most were on topwater, most in a couple of feet of water.  That topwater was a chrome Skitter Walk, but they chewed the chrome off it.   I never did boat a big red there, though several made a pass at the topwater.  Occasionally I would pick up the paddle tail on a super light jig head and throw it.

I don’t know about you, but this is a big trout.

Before I show you the next cast I want to harp on using the lighter jig heads.  It really does work.  The ones I am currently using I found at Academy on the discontinued board, and they are almost a bigger, but light, 1/16th crappie jig, but the hook is large enough and is a fine wire hook.  You have to adjust for the wind, but with it at your back you can throw it a mile on light line, 8lb test currently, and it seems the bigger fish eat it.  You can fish it aggressively because it sinks so slow, and it really helps in 2 foot of water with grass where many of the fish came to day. And one other cool thing about it, by fishing it fast and aggressively you actually see one once in a while roll over right in front of you and eat if.  Very cool.

 Releasing a couple of this size is a good thing.

These two were in 2 foot of water in a pothole.  The fish were generally scattered but when you got a bite there were a couple of more there.  The wind did complicate things, and several made their escape before I got a hook in them.  Meanwhile Shoedog had worked the drain systematically and was catching them right along.  We both caught a few rat reds and for one reason or another did not hook up with a good red.  Oh yea, I forgot, I let one break my line trying to keep him out of a dock, but that was later.  But back to Shoedog, he figures he caught about 25, I kept count and landed 17 there.

We moved down to the farther drain on the Pringle Shoreline and waded another stretch, and I caught 3 and he caught 1.  Mine were on topwater and so was his.  We were headed further down the island but the wind was blowing on a cut we call Bikini Cut, so it was back to Big Bayou to see if we could catch a bigger red on spinnerbait.  That is when I got my line broke.  I did boat a flounder, and a trout on top, so did Shoedog.  Oh if the wind had not blown, it would have been a real killing

But who is complaining, when they hit topwater all day it is a good thing, and we caught over 50 on the day.  They hit topwater off and on all day.  I managed to CPR a couple of real trout.  So all in all, a good day.  The fishing is still as good as it has been in quite a while.  Today it was potholes in the grass, and of course the water was moving.  It was a high low, then a high tide, so the water never really dropped much.  And that is why we caught them real shallow.  And of course there was bait, a prerequisite.  And once the tide came back in about 5 the bite shut down, or we did.

Tomorrow is still up in the air, but it will involve water and fish.  And like I said before, I love this not getting daylight until after 7.  So we will be up and at them in the morning.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits that catch fish.

Today was one of those I sorta’ caught some today.  Since I had not fished in a while I hit Big Bayou first.  The water temperature was down about 8 degrees since my last trip.  That was not a problem, but the wind was blowing out of the ENE and blowing right down the bay.

It was just cracking daylight when I caught the first trout on topwater on a shallow bank with grass.  Though I missed the first five, hey definitely wanted the Skitterwalk.

A perfect morning for towater.

From this fish, until about 9, the bites were consistent, but most were small trout.  I also caught a couple of rats, and probably missed a dozen bites.  But it was all small trout until I got a real bite.

There was no missing this good one.  A solid over.

Several really nice trout and reds took a pass at it and did not get it.  This one just smashed it, and there was no missing it.  It was quite a tussle getting that fish out of the grass without breaking my line.  This is the biggest one I have caught this fall.  What I did not know was it would be the last fish of the morning on topwater.

The wind was really straight line at about 20, and it just kept on blowing.  I probably stayed with the topwater to long, but plastics were a real hassle to fish, and I could not get a bite on a Redfish Magic.  That was the complete opposite of my last few trips.  The trout and reds are on those shallow banks with the grasss, and if I could have fished the plastic effectively I would have boated several more during the day.  No matter what they slacked off for quite a while, or I was just in the wrong place.  So before I quit I went to the Oil Cut hoping to be able to fish plastics.

Finally boated a nice trout.

I think I only caught 3 or 4 in there, and had one break my line when I set the hook.  So about 3 I called it a day.  It was definitely a morning bite, different from what I thought.  But the tide is right so there is going to be a good bite at sometime as it was real high at daylight and started moving after noon.  One reason I stuck around POC was this guy.

Mitchell’s Cut.  This was one of two that went by.

I actually was headed to get behind Bayucos Island, but there was no way I was getting to far in the skiff, its no speed demon.  Luckily it missed me but it looked pretty ugly for a while.  So a so-so day.  I put 10 in the boat pretty quick and as it blew harder they slacked off.  Only one red was a keeper and maybe 3 of the trout.  It was one of those almost wacked them days.  I still do not have a clue why after at least 3 hours of Redfish Magic fishing not one fish, weird.

Thanks to everyone who sent me a comment, there is a bunch of them.  Tomorrow they will be up, but it is getting late and I am doing something important, watching the football game.  It may not have been the great day I was hoping for, it was ok, but no matter what – I was fishin’.  So keep stopping in, I am going to keep fishing, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

I can’t wait to get back on the water!

I spent yesterday just sitting on my butt as we both had a serious case of jet lag.  We feel a lot better this morning so I plan on getting my fishing stuff back in shape.  After the last Gulf trip Shoedog and I emptied the LTS and washed the boat from top to bottom.  So all the stuff is all over the garage, and my tackle and rods are in a serious state of disarray.   The plan today is get all equipment and tackle back in working order, and then take care of a few mundane chores all homeowners have.  And with the boss starting a 7 day stretch I am free and clear and it is going to be some serious fishing on both fresh and salt, starting tomorrow, and boy am I ready.

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I heard from Dan, and though this reply is late since I actually took a real vacation from FCT and did not post for a couple of weeks, I do have a couple of comments on his post.

Damn! It sounds like you guys are having a blast! I am half tempted to take my bass into the salt just to have a shot at some good fishing. Do you see many bass rigs on the bay and if so do you have any advice on keeping them from rusting up?

Keep up the good fishing. I’m hoping I can get to Coleto by mid October.

Dan in SA

First we did have a real good run the three times I hit the Gulf before we left.  The fishing was as good as we saw all summer, by a mile.  As far as using the bass boat on the salt I did that for the first few years I fished the salt.  I actually towed mine to Florida for several years and learned some important lessons.  The very first time I used mine I had no clue how bad the salt was.  I did not wash the boat and when I hooked up the charger the you could feel the charge just by touching anywhere on the boat.  Most bass boats have lots more electrical connections, switches, etc, and the salt plays hell on them.

Added to the problem is the trailer.  Most bass boats trailers are steel and not galvanized, and if you think about it, you put the boat in the water and then park the trailer.  Even when you get back and wash the boat the trailer actually sits there all day and the salt is doing its thing.  I learned that lesson when I bought a small boat for the Florida trips with a steel trailer and in about 5 years it actually ate that little trailer up from the inside of the frame.  So I guess the answer is, of course you can use it but it will not do it any good.  And last, most of them do not run near as shallow as our flats boats and it takes a lot more care running in the shallow water.  Not that I would know how freakin’ hard it is to push a Champion off a sand bar.  Using it in salt did not stop me, but there is a price to pay.  Thanks for the question and I will be looking forward to hearing how your Coleto trip goes.  And here is a comment that I got from my buddy Bobby that pertains to Coleto.

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It was good to hear from my buddy Bobby who has a permanent case of bass fever.

Hey my friend I am going to coleto Wednesday and Thursday will let you know!!!

Good to hear from you.  Bobby fished with me as I was learning the Strike King Swimming Jig and he has been a faithful user of them ever since.  I can’t wait to hear from him on how his couple of days have gone and will post his report as soon as I get it.  And speaking of the Swimming Jig, the new swim jig that has the articulated hook, the Swinging Swim Jig, is out in some places.  I have not seen them yet so if any of you see them in the stores let me know where so I can pick some up.  I love the whole concept.

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Jim dropped me this comment, and though I have been gone, I have a couple of thoughts on it.

Welcome back! Do you know if the Bull Reds are running in Port O’Connor? I promised a young lady last year I would take her there to catch one for her Facebook page pic. Due to schedules it is difficult to manage thus the only weekend we can meet ic this coming .   Your best guess or hear say evidence will do

Thanks

First, it is October and the reds are starting to gang up for the big fall bite.  One of the places as we all know they start to hang is the big jetties and the passes.  And if you remember I towed some folks in a right before I left who had been out on the island, and the day before one of them had put a 39″ red in the boat in Pass Cavallo.  Here is a post I got from Ed that might add a little to your red search.

Great pics. Looks like y’all had a great time.
Surf is hot with reds and they are also in the lakes against the grass.
Trout are hard to find but takes some work.
Get in the water can’t wait to read your blogs
Thanks Ed

Good to hear from you Ed, and your comment is timely.  If the surf was hot with reds the big bulls should be really ganging up with the 3 year olds who are making their big trip out to the Gulf.  And we sure found better reds on the move our last couple of trips. So sounds like there is a great chance to put a bull in the boat for your lady friend.  Let us know how it goes.

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That is all I have this morning.  The sun is coming up and it is time to get back to real life.  Vacation is always good, but it is always good to be back.  At daylight tomorrow I will be on the Gulf putting the hurt on them.  Thanks for your comments and support.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I can’t wait to get back on the water!

After around 7,000 miles and 20 hours we are finally back from Italy.  It is 4 in the morning and of course since I am turned around and on Italy time I am wide awake.  We left for the airport in Rome at 8 in the morning and got home at 10 the same night.  Coming this way we were chasing the sun and it stayed daylight forever, suffice to say it will take a couple of days to get turned back around.

This is a fishing site, but I will take today to fill you in on some of the trip, then it is back to fishing.  Not having a rod and reel in my hand for a couple of weeks I am itching to get back on the water.

Not really sure how I am going to structure this, but suffice to say Italy was something.  We started off in Rome for a few days, then it was off to Siena, then Monterossa and the 5 towns of the Cinque Terra, and back to Rome for a night to come back.  So this is no travelogue, just a couple of things I liked the most.

Rome

Romulus and Remus.  Lupe the wolf raised them and then Romulus killed Remus and Rome was born.

While Rome was cool, it is like any big city we have been to, New York, Istanbul, or Athens.  We walked our butt off and did a few touristy things, my favorite was the Colosseum.

What a cool place.

The things you see in the floor is the underground area where the animals and gladiators were kept.  It was not accessible except by the underground passage to keep both from escaping.  The interior walls had elevators that were used to raise them to the floor for combat.  While the movie Gladiator was fairly accurate in some respects, the gladiators did not fight the animals, they were actually starved for a few days then released on each other.  Then to finish them off hunters were raised in to kill them.  In one set of games that lasted a 100 days over 5000 animals were killed, including lions, tigers, hippos, and hosts of others.

Then the gladiators were raised to the floor so the over 50,000 spectators could go nuts.  The Emperor decided who lived and died, but due to the cost of feeding and training them there were not that many killed.  It was a great show, and they were performers, so it was a little hacking and whacking and then called it a day.  Basically the games were held whenever the Emperor was needing a little PR.  If memory serves me right this went on for a few hundred years.  And boy do the Italians love their statues, arches, and monuments and there are way to many to even see.

Of course we visited other places but Italy is all about one big thing, eat until you drop.  And we did our share.

We might have consumed a couple of adult beverages while we were there.  I am not a big wine guy but the Chianti was fantastic.

The pasta on the right was my best food choice of the whole trip.  We got lucky and somehow got in without a reservation in one of the new hot spots in Rome.  A small place run by 2 women the food was so good.  The owner waited on us and I said feed me what you would eat.  It was simple hand made pasta in olive oil and garlic, and folks it was not Chef Boy-R-Dee.  Simply one of the best things I have ever eaten.  How in the world they eat 5 courses at most meals is beyond me, but suffice to say the Italians are all about eating.

Siena

Next it was off to Siena, a very cool town in the mountains in the north of Italy in the Tuscany region.  The old city is walled and only taxis and scooters are allowed, otherwise it is a warren of streets, home to the Paloi, a horse race going back around 600 years.  What a cool place.

The view from our hotel, and one of the biggest streets.

It was colder than we thought, so the boss even bought a coat, along with a few other things, shall we say.  And of course it was another eating extravaganza.

A little Chianti, fresh bread, olives, and sheep cheese, on the towns square from the butcher shop.  Totally cool.

The 700 year old church, museum, and crypt.  The pictures do not do it justice.

My favorite restaurant of the trip.  Built in 1100 it was stable and for $30 it was a meal that left us fat and happy.

I really enjoyed Siena.  It was what I expected from the trip but after 3 days it was off to Monterossa and the Five Towns.

Cinque Terra

On the northern coast of Italy it is 5 small towns built right on the coast and is one cool place.  It rained 2 of the 3 days but that did not stop us.  The whole dang place is up hill and we walked and walked.  It is one place I am glad I have seen before I am to old because it is all straight up.

Trolling for anchovies and fixing the nets.

Known for it fishing, they have their anchovies.  But there are tuna, marlin, bottom fish, lobster, prawns, and it was all delicious.  We love anchovies and ate them fried, stuffed, in lemon, in olive oil, and several other ways I don’t remember.

My lovely wife and a German bunker from WWII overlooking the coast.

My favorite building of the trip.  The Oratory of the Dead, a Catholic fraternity , it was dedicated to helping widows and orphans and shipwreck victims.

Walked until we dropped and also took a boat ride down the coast to get to the other towns.

It was all uphill.  Entering the Valley of the Lemons, and they were not kidding, they are the size of softballs.

Recommended by my wife’s boss, it was a straight uphill walk, but one of the better pasta meals I ate on the trip.

So we hike up the hill in Venazzi to get to Billy, and it was worth it.  As we are waiting to order the folks next to us are trying to get a picture so I take one for them and then they take one of us.  Nancy asks where they are from and it is Austin.  When we tell them we are from Victoria one of the gentlemen says I have a buddy who has the ER contract at Detar in Victoria.  Turns out he is good friends with my wife’s boss, small world.  The walls were covered with old fish pictures.  There was everything from marlin, tuna, shark, and short bill spearfish.

Of course I bought the t-shirt.

This house says Italy.  View of one of the Five Towns from the boat.

Of course this is just a taste of the pictures, so there you go.  My impression of Italy, glad I went once, but will probably not return.  It was cool, but kind of a been there done that thing.  Funny how as soon as we started home it was planning for next years big adventure, and it will be a doozy.  It takes lots of planning by Nancy to get these trips right, and Australia will be a real challenge.  As much as I love to fish, she loves to travel.  I am already salivating about a 3 day fishing, snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef.

So there you have it.  I meant so post a thing or two while gone, but by time we were done each day it was to bed and back at it first thing each morning.  There is never enough time.

I will be back on the water by Thursday, but not sure where.  So if you have been out on the water drop me note.  Has the Gulf stayed outrageously good?  How about the bass on Coleto or Fayette?  Time to get back to the business at hand.  Shoedog and I will also be trying to work out a time to hit Texoma for some big stripers.  I appreciate you all sticking with me while I was gone.  Fall is here and our best fishing is coming and so will the reports.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

They are that Redfish Magic up today!

Sometimes I wonder if folks think I might be BSing you all when I talk about how many fish I catch.  The last 2 times I have fished the Gulf I have limited on both reds and trout.  My selfies often do not do the day justice and give you a true picture of how my day went.  Today the Shoedog was in town so we decided to keep fish, and it was an epic day.  And I wanted to show you just how good it is right now.  Take some time off, kiss the wife and say goodbye to the kids, if you can make it down here the bite is on.  And not only for me, check out the comment after I tell you about today.

The tide was perfect, up in the morning with an afternoon fall.  So we started in Army Cut with a full tide throwing topwater and plastic, and in the first couple of hours we put an easy 30 in boat.

The Shoedgog with one of the 5 keepers we left Army Cut with.

From there I said it is time to throw that Redfish Magic and get out limit of reds.  Not only were they eating it up, the trout were on the same banks that had grass.  We caught them on Redfish Magic, plastic, and even a couple on topwater.  But the Redfish Magic was the ticket, and I mean they were eating it.

 They were knocking the crap out of it.

We just kept fishing and they kept eating.  In fact everything was on the chew.  The mullet run is on big time, and it has the fish eating.  We passed on some really big schools of big ass Jacks, to much work when the real fish are biting.

Now that is a Blue Crab.

We caught more trout today on Redfish Magic today than we ever have.  It was crazy.  In one stretch the Shoedog lost 2 real hooters, then had a huge red bam boozle him and ending up breaking 30lb. braid when he got in the grass.   He was a giant and there was no stopping him.  And then I caught something out of one of the docks in Big Bayou that I have not caught in Texas, and he slammed it.

Tripletail are one cool fish.  My first in Texas.

With every thing eating the Redfish Magic we fished plastics very little, and still caught an easy limit of good trout.  I would hate to guess how many trout we could have caught if we had stayed with plastics.  But you know us, spinnerbait, spinnerbait, and more spinnerbait.  One of the best bites in fishing is the thump of a redfish on the spinnerbait.

We even had a flounder get in on the act.

The fish were on the edge of the grass and as the water moved they just kept biting.  This last week, and the 3 trips I have had, have been great.  Fish some reds, catch them, fish some trout, catch them.  It is as good as I have seen it this year, period.

Heck it looks like Shoedog caught them all, but it was about even for the day.  If you could cast you could catch them.

I almost don’t know what else to say about it.  It is just plain hot, and not only did they bite all day, but we left them biting at 3:30 because we could not put another fish in the cooler.

One of those black drum that will not hit a lure.

I still can not help ragging on that guide at POC who told us you can not catch black drum on lures.  It really is a comment on his experience.  We catch them all the time.  And they are good to eat but just almost to much trouble to clean, so it was this one’s lucky day.

To give you an idea, this one got put back, it was an awesome day.

Sorry this one and the next one are fuzzy, but I wanted you to see them.  We caught several trout this big today.  Looks like we got some trout slime on the cameras lens, but heck we ended up sliming the whole boat.

A really good limit of both reds and trout.  It is just as good as I have been telling you this last week.

 I will get the camera lens cleaned so this won’t happen next time.  I am disappointed we did not take any more pictures of the good trout we caught today.  We had some real hooters.  None quite as big as the moose last week, but all I can say is I will take a limit like this any day.  It was so slow for us early this summer, but it is making up for it now.  Today was one of the more consistent days for just catching fish we have had in while.  I really think right now you could start on the Barroom shoreline and not pick up the trolling motor all day, just ride with the wind and tide and put them in the boat.

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And it is not just me.  Here is a comment I got from Steve, one of my regular readers.

Hello Doug
My girlfriend and I had one of the best trips ever last weekend at POC. We caught fish at all of your favorite places. Saturday was fish after fish. We had our limit on reds early then move on to trout, caught a lot but only managed 8 keepers. I had a first for me. While reeling a trout in Big Bayou, he was fighting like a trout does, when out of nowhere the drag screams for ½ a second then nothing. I reeled in only a trout head. Pretty COOL. On Sunday at daylight I have never seen the like of bait fish and skipjack, I mean schools as large as city lots. I know game fish were there but the skipjack were just too many. What do you do when this happens? There was something very very large in the school also. I toss my 1/16th oz. jig with the Down South and found out what it was. One hour later and over a mile kayak ride, it was a 30 something pound jack. I found out real fight was on when I grabbed him by tail and hauled him into my kayak. Hand to hand combat.
We did get some red fishing in that morning as well. Boy did we find them all in one place. My girlfriend landed 2 really nice fish off of one dock, so figured I would try the same dock too. Well that was a good decision on my part. We ended up catching 7 red fish on one dock. The biggest was 29 inches and two 27 inches, all the rest were over 21 inches.
Thanks for all you do for FISHING
Steve
Waco

This is the very reason I keep doing this.  I do not get the don’t tell folks about this place or that as I used to, but it warms my heart to know I might just have helped someone catch fish.  Fishing is about sharing our trips, nothing better than a good story, no matter who tells it.  We had a couple of runs of skip jacks today, and there is just nothing you can do but hope they jump off before they make it to the boat.  I have found as soon as you know it is one when they jump drop the rod and give them lots of slack and hopefully they jump off.  And your jack experience is exactly why today we did not throw at them, they are always fun, the first time.  And we did see some big schools of big ones.  And your shark bite is one of the cool things that happens, I love it.  It is a dog eat dog world in the salt, and every moment may be your last.  So a big thanks for the report, it just confirms what we are finding, The Bite Is On!  Keep in touch.

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So that is enough gushing about the fishing for today.  But I just can’t help it.  As a side note I got an email from the Strike King rep and the new Swinging Swimming Jig is starting to be available in the stores.  His report is they love it, and rarely throw the hook.  How they could improve on a great bait is a testament to the company.  Their baits work, end of story.

Now the bad news.  I am going to miss some of the best fishing of the year on the Gulf.  I am going to have to suffer through Rome, Tuscany, great wine, awesome food, topless chicks at the beach, oh the horror of it all.  But somehow I will muddle through.  So you will be getting posts, but it may not be the usual stuff.  I will be on the coast there for a few days and will hit the harbor and see if there are fishing boats.  I find the fishermen in other countries to be so cool, lots of it is still done the old ways.

So help a buddy out.  Send your reports, and if you want to send some pics drop a comment and I will answer via email and let you know how to get them to me.  The fishing is in full swing so get out there and put the hurt on them.  And last but not least, I can not tell you how much I appreciate all of you who read this drivel.  Over a 150,000 visits to the site and my videos have been seen by over 100,00 folks on utube, I just can not believe it.  Thanks, I mean it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

If you are not throwing the Strike King Redfish Magic you should be!

All I have to say right now about our bay fishing is Go Fishing!  After having a good day at POC late last week I decided to revisit Keller Bay.  One of my go to spots for redfish, the plan was to fish spinnerbait in the morning when the tide was high, then do some trout fishing.  I love it when a plan comes together.

When I got to the ramp the tide was high and real off-color.  So first it was to the pasture to make a quick pass and see if I could get a trout bite.  Well I got a bite, one small one.  Then it was off to the bank at the mouth to throw spinnerbait for reds.  One of my favorite banks the wind was blowing right on it and it was just to off colored.  So it was back to make another quick trout pass, basically to see if I was going to come back on the falling tide and do some wading.  But it only resulted in one small one on popping cork with the Rage Shrimp.  So next was to the back bay to fish grass past all the boat docks

Keeper number 1.

I just kept the boat where I could just reach the grass and slow rolled it out of the grass.  When the water is way up, which it was, you have to throw it right in the grass and just flip it out so it lands right on the edge, and then a nice steady, not fast retrieve.  And today when they hit it they ate it, and I mean thumped it in that classic redfish bite.

This one had some weight to it.

Today was my favorite tide condition, high in the morning then falling in the afternoon.  The best bite the last couple of trips has been in the mid day when it is hot as heck.  I ended up fishing lots of grass, being sure to throw it to any point, cut, or opening.  Today they were eating it and I only missed one.  I am still throwing the blue crab Redfish Magic, and boy do they like it.  Now don’t think it was easy or fast by any means, it wasn’t, but when they wanted it they wanted it.

This was a real hoss and put out one of those classic redfish battles.

It was about noon when I finished off my redfish limit, though I did not keep any, so it was time to find some trout.  Right in front of the park there is a channel, and across from the park is a big oyster bar/flat.  Over the last few years I have found that when the tide is going out those trout line up on the edge of the flat as the water runs out of the back bay.

I immediately started catching trout, but they were just a hair to small.  So after putting 6 or 8 in the boat I decided to head back to the pasture.  That resulted in exactly one more trout.  It was the classic mistake, especially with speckled trout, do not leave fish to find fish.  So back to the channel in front of the park.  Luckily they were still there.

I am still throwing plastics on the lightest jig head I can find.  It takes a little getting used to, especially when the water is over a couple of feet deep.  It requires patience.  But they tend to eat it and hold on due to the light weight of the jig head.

A nice 17″+.  Boy did he taste great about an hour ago.

As I was eating by myself tonite I only wanted one keeper for a nice fish dinner, and as soon as I got back on that bank I caught this one.  I can not tell you how many I caught there, but it was a bunch.  Most were small, but interspersed with them were a few keepers.  I messed with them about an hour and called it day with them still biting pretty good.  It was really a perfect example of doing things in the right order at the right time.  With the tides being like they are the last couple of trips it really is a great example of how our fish move with it.  You can catch a few at daylight, like most times, but the bites is on the water movement.  By time they started to bite it was seriously hot, but it really is irrelevant to the fish.  They could give a rats a$$.  And a quick reminder when looking at the tides, it is all about water movement, not the high or low.  It is putting yourself in the right place when the water starts to move.

It has been limits of both the last couple of trips, and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.  The Shoedog will be here and we are going to really attempt to work them over.  Not really sure where we are going yet, but the tide is perfect and I have a serious case of wanting to wear them out.   I will try to get results posted tomorrow evening, but no matter how it comes out it will be a great day on the water.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Swimming Jig  –  Get you some!

Just resting my back today after twisting it in the throes of a saltwater smack down.  You all know how much I love that Redfish Magic and yesterday was the kind of day that keeps me tossing it.  And adding a bonus big trout on it made the day perfect.  To catch up here are a few comments and questions I wanted to share with you.

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I got this comment from Ed and thought I would share it with you.

I like to fish in POC a lot also.  and want to get more familiar with the names that different people call different areas.  when you say “big bayou” where are you looking at? I usually put in at fishing center too.  I know Barroom Bay/Little Marys/ Dewberry/Blackberry area and Bill Days Reef.

also, I would like to know where you get your Redfish Magic spinners?  I live in Marion, close to Universal City.  and the Academy here doesn’t carry them.  I am going to check the POC rod and gun tackle store when I go back. (hopefully  soon) since you left them biting!! LOL.

One thing that used to puzzle me when I first started fishing this area was the names of places.  I use the names off the Hook-N-Line maps.  I can not stress the importance of map study.  Very little real help was offered to me as I learned the area so most of the places I fish now I found on the map.  So to get to your question Big Bayou is the area of islands between Barroom and Bill Days Reef, which the end of Bill Day’s was where I had my best redfish run yesterday.

As far as the Redfish Magic I get most of mine from Strike King, and in the words of Greg Hackney, thank you Strike King.  Here in Victoria Academy has them, as does Wal-Mart if memory serves me.  Possibly Speedy Stop in POC, but I would not swear to it.  Long before I ever got help from Strike King I used the Redfish Magic.  From high tide in the grass, then throughout the fall, it can be deadly, and for an old spinnerbait fisherman like me it is the perfect redfish bait. I like the 866 Blue crab with a red head and the 860 Electric chicken.  Thanks for your comment and we would love to hear how your next trip to POC works out.

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I have had lots of interesting questions since I started this, but this one from Hank has given me pause.

Why do I miss many bass after their hooked with the swim jigs.
I think their great but I must be doing something wrong to lose
so many bass. Is my trailers too long.

Where to start?  Not knowing what jig, tackle. etc. you use lets just start at the beginning and see if I can address what is happening.  First use a Strike King Swimming Jig and Rage Craw trailer, they are designed to work together.   I have used other companies products but they are just not as productive.  The Swimming Jig is designed to work as advertised, to swim properly.  The weed guard is not as heavy as a football jig or big flippin’ jig, and the hook is a finer wire, making it easier to drive it home.  They come in the regular Swimming Jig and the Hack Attack Heavy Cover, which has a much stouter hook.  So for starters if you are fishing in grass or more open water the regular Swimming Jig’s finer wire hook will definitely increase your hooking percentage.

As far as trailers a trick I learned from my buddy Aaron is to trim the skirt to line up with the hook bend, then be sure to put the trailer all the way up and attach it with the wire keeper.  I know other trailers work, but not as well.  So try going to the Baby Craw or the Rage Chunk, they are 3″ instead of 4″, and that might help some.  It will give you a more compact bait, perfect bite sized.

Last your equipment.  I am not sure what you are using but baitcasting equipment is much better than spinning.  I use a high speed reel on a medium heavy rod with 15 – 20 pound test.  Be sure to point the rod straight at the bait as you reel it.  One problem, a good one to have,  often they track the bait and eat it from behind, giving you just a little slack.  To help with the hook set keep reeling as you set the hook, and set it hard.  I often set it one more time as soon as they are on.  And of course do not give them any slack.

I think if you try some of these techniques your hook up percentage will increase.  So do not give up on the Swimming Jig.   It is a deadly effective bait and works year round.  Spend a little time looking at their catalog to get an idea of the trailers available.  Hope this helps, if you have any more questions give me a shout.  Good Luck.

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2016 Strike King Catalog

While I was checking out the catalog to answer Hank’s question I saw something that really has me excited.  New for 2016 is a Swimming Jig called the Tour Grade Swinging Swimming Jig.  I know I blow their horn a lot on this site, but there is good reason.  If it is possible to improve on a jig as good as the Swimming Jig they may have done it.  It looks mean and I can’t wait to get my hands on some.  From the Redfish Magic, the KVD Jerkbait, to their assorted plastics, the stuff works, plain and simple.  So if you want to know more check out the new 2016 catalog.

 http://www.strikeking.com/pdf/catalog/2016/2016_SK_catalog.pdf

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And speaking of the Swimming Jig I got this report on Coleto from my buddy Bobby.

Hey Doug glad you had a good time in Canada. I went to Coleto  last week.. Caught one fish on a white swim jig and that was the only one.!!!! Guess I am better at undertaking than bass fishing!!! Man the lake is tough right now.

I feel your pain, as my last trip was a little worse than yours, if that is possible.  A couple of things that need to be looked at on Coleto is fishing the hardwood.  Normally this is not a pattern on Coleto but with the lack of grass they are looking for cover somewhere.  The other thing is looking for ledges and creek channels leading into big coves.  They have to be somewhere, and I have a feeling if you find deep fish there may be some serious schools that have not been hassled much all summer.  Obviously plastics are a good choice but do not discount a deeper crankbait like a Strike King 6XD in those open water areas.  That is my theory right now and I am sticking to it.  Thanks for checking in.  And if the rest of you have anything to add let me know, we can all use the help.

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I promised to fill you in on my buddy Jeffish and the crappie he caught the other day.  He was using a light jig head and a small twister tail, both in Chartreuse.  He caught crappie in 2 different places, around wood, and they were in the 12 – 15 foot range.  Also the one person on Coleto more than me is still catching crappie and has been all summer.  His report as far as depth is basically the same, though he is a minnow fisherman.  And his are all coming on isolated wood near deep water, the same place Jeffish caught them.  So if you have a hankering for a delicious crappie dinner they are out there to be caught and the pattern is not that complicated.

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This catches me up for today.  Sore back or not I will be on the water somewhere tomorrow.  As we slide into fall the fishing will really heat up, and with the hunters off the water and in the field, fishing pressure will be as low as it is all year.  I still may get the shotgun out sometime this fall, but as long as the fishing stays like this I will keep flogging them and reporting to you.  And thanks for all the comments, reports, and questions, I read each and every one and share them with you.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

Fish Catching Travel

Redfish Magic  –  Get you some!

There is no better way to get your mojo back than do it all right and today was that day.  The tide was projected to fall during the midday so the plan was to get there shortly after high and go from there.  First it was fish Big Bayou with spinnerbait and toss plastics in a couple of drains, and then some wading.  Except for one bank in Barroom, I did not leave Big Bayou for 5 hours.  I fished almost every inch of it, and once the water started moving the fish started biting.  And to top it off had a couple of cool experiences to boot.

Around noon the good ones started biting.

Since it was to be spinnerbait day I started at the mouth and basically fished all the islands there.  I caught a couple of rats and then caught a nice keeper.  Though I have caught my share of redfish, when you catch one after a while it reminds you how hard they pull.  I was using a 1/8th ounce Strike King Redfish Magic in a croaker color.  Just tossing it to the grass and reeling it out.  It was probably 3 rats and that one when I came to one of my favorite drains.

I caught about a dozen this size.

I am still using the lightest jig head I can find, 1/32 0r a 64th, and the more I do it the more I like it.  Fishing it fast and jerking it erratically and when they wanted it they smacked it.  I saw several today flash it and then eat.  The water was just starting to move but I caught 6 or 7 out of the first drain.  Then I just kept on going, catching a red here and there, some pretty nice.  As I headed down an oyster bar to where it flattened out several fish were hitting and missing the spinnerbait.  That usually means trout.  So the next time it happened I gave it a jerk, let it fall and one just thumped it, turned out to be the heaviest trout I have caught in a while.

2 of the same fish.  CPR and back in she went.

Keeping with my don’t weigh or measure many of them, it was a quick picture and back in she went.  It is nice to be at the point where I appreciate a big one.  It does not matter what it weighs or how long it is, just that it is a good one.  But trust me, this girl had some serious weight.  Which leads to one of the interesting occurrences today.  As she started to swim I let her go and she stopped motionless.  There had been a dolphin following me for quite a while, I assume waiting for some of the small trout I was tossing back.  The dolphin came at the boat and I hit the trolling motor and cut it off, then the trout boiled off.  Cool.

At another drain I put 4 or 5 ok trout in the boat.  All on the Down South in watermelon red on the light jig head.  The one mistake today was the line on my spinning rod was 12lb test, to heavy for that light a jig head in a pretty stiff wind.  But I know this, I am sold on that light jig head.  I get more bites and they tend to eat it.  It just works.

Then as  I got to the tip of the bar I caught a couple of nice reds and one rat one after the other.

They were knocking the snot out of the Strike King Redfish Magic.

During the day there were several cool bites.  2 of the reds hit it before I could even turn the handle, which tells you how shallow they were at full falling tide.  Then one did something you do not see all that much, appear out of nowhere right beside the boat and smoke it right in front of you, a great bite. Those are what I call dream bites, you almost can’t believe your eyes.   But the coolest bite of the day was in Barroom.  A red was following the Redfish Magic and all of a sudden here comes a 5 foot shark fin out at full on trying to catch the redfish.   The redfish veers off and the shark takes a pass at the spinnerbait and then rolls off and heads for the red and the chase is on.  It all happened in seconds.  All I have to say about that is I love it when the fish are that active.  The bite went on from the time I got there until I quit.

Today can best be described as steady.  Cover the miles and one would jump on it regular enough to be fun.  If I had to guess it was probably 10 reds and a good dozen trout.   And what little trout fishing I did I can only imagine how good it can be right now.  Guess I am going to have to see about that.  And only burned a gallon of gas.  But there was one small hitch in my git along.  As I netted one of the better trout I somehow twisted my back and it started  tospasm.  So there I am, fish biting and my back is screaming.  Did that stop me, oh no, I fished on, and it was not a few minutes later I caught that big trout.  It was just that kind of day.

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A RANT

If you read this and are offended it means you were out there today and saw these folks.  Well to bad, shame on you and about everyone else out there who might have seen them.  They had been out on the island in their cabin and when they went to come back this morning the motor would not go in forward, looks like the lower end is shot.  They tried to find a buddy or family to come and get them, but no one could help out.  So they take off with a couple of push poles, and maybe a paddle.  They leave at 11.

I am about to quit around 2:30 after fishing a bank in Barroom and I decide to head back up the channel into Big Bayou for one more place.  I see these folks poling and the motor is tilted up, and they are definitely beat.  He tells me the story, I drop him a rope, and off to The Fishing Center to put it on the trailer.  Folks they poled, paddled, and floated from near the Big Jetties all the way to Barroom.  Think about how far that is, miles and miles.  They tried waving at folks who pretended they didn’t see them, or as soon as they saw the problem they veered as far and fast as possible.

The Skipper, Gilligan, and Mary Ann aboard the minnow.

No body even stopped to ask if they were ok, maybe call someone for them, nothing.  Folks just went on by, for hours, with people waving trying to get a tow.  I know you just got out, I know you are in a hurry, I know it is not your problem, and on and on.  I know you can afford SeaTow, and to bad for the guy who can’t.  I know trying to get to POC from the island is not the best idea ever.  But is this the way you want it?  You don’t care if something comes up and you need help and nobody comes, or they even ignore your plea?  And of course you are never going to break down, that happens to the other guy.  Well it is not ok with me.  I hope someday if I need help someone will stop.  I hope when I wave they will not ignore me.  I hope they help me out.  That is the way it is supposed to work.  Remember what goes around comes around, and if you went by these folks today your turn is surely coming.

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I have a couple of other things to say, along with a couple of comments and one interesting question, but I will get to that tomorrow.  Time to call it a day.  Hope you liked the report, it really was one of those days that keeps us all going back.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines