Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

Things are slowly picking up.  We went to Lake of the Woods today, fishing out of the ramp at Vic an Dot’s.  We fished the Whitefish Bay area.  Just a side comment – Since the new guy took over the resort the ramp fee has gone from $5 to $10 and now 3rd year he has gone to $15 bucks.  Don’t get me wrong it is the only access for quite a while but it is definitely a screw the Americans deal.  But that aside we are loving the woods.

It was colder than all get our but we were fishing by 8:30.  Clyde and John headed back in the bay and we went to an area where we have always caught muskie.  The plan was to meet at noon so we headed out to try to boat a muskie.  The water temp had continued to drop and the wind was blowing out of the North at about 15 and it was cloudy.  We fished until noon without a bite.  So we went and met them.

Clyde with an over, the limit is 29″ and under.

They had caught a few bass and this pike, which they caught trolling.  So Shoedog and I got out the deep diving baits, which are 8″ long and started trolling in around 20′ of water and catching pike.  While not our fish of choice it was nice to put a few in the boat.  I really did not expect good fishing with the weather, clear, cool, with a cold north wind following a massive cold front, is never that good no matter where you fish.

Shoedog with an over.

We put 6 in the boat, half over the 29″ legal limit to end up in the fry pan and it was real apparent that they were starting to bite.  We probably made the wrong decision and so went back to chasing muskie.  They are still just flat off their feed.  We did not have a bite the last 3 hours and finally called it a day at 7:00.  It is interesting how each year brings new challenges and experiences.  Last year we saw muskies following our baits constantly, this year none with this front.  That is about to change in the next few days.

I finally caught one.

Clyde and John did not end up catching any more fish and they got back at 7:30.  It was better today and when the sun came out at noon, and with the wind starting to slack in the evening, it only means better fishing to come.  Our friend Jim from Iowa showed up and he brought his boat.  So it looks like tomorrow will be a morning of Lake Trout fishing and then Shoedog and I will be back to serious muskie fishing in the afternoon.  The warming should have them on the serious feed.  I know, the eternal optimist.

Our supper was back strap and beans, a real guys supper.

The gang eating supper.

It is 10:30 and I need to go to bed.  As the resident alarm clock I need to be up early making coffee and hearding cats.  So we will be out in all 3 boats looking in the 85 to 125 foot range for the Lake Trout. It is interesting to see them so deep and drop a spoon way down there and catch them.  They are one of the finest eating fish in the lake.  Then it will be a fish fry.  Should be fun.  But for me it is still the great muskie hunt.  As I go to publish this it is 5 am and they are all sleeping.  The moon is almost full and it is dead calm and will reach the 70’s today, with 80’s to come the next 4 days at least.  Yahoo.  Things are looking up.  Sometime in the next few days we will be doing some night fishing and night trolling.  I am determined to break my personal best.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

I think the weathermen all go to the same school.  As this front blew in Saturday it was supposed to be gone late Sunday.  Here it is Monday night and it rained on us most of the day and it was cold.  I mean 30 mph north wind and finger freezing cold.  So see below, this is what 4 fairly good fishermen did all day.

These are usually a nuisance. 

Due to the weather being just plain ugly we decided to hit Stevens Bay on Lake of the Woods for some walleye fishing and maybe some pike.  Usually you can catch some walleye even in cold weather, at least that was the plan.  Before we quit walleye fishing about 1:30 Clyde had caught a perch and a really small sauger and Shoedog caught a perch.  By then I was sick of it, so it was time to catch some pike’

On Lake of the Woods the one Clyde is holding above are just plain a hassle.  They hit everything in sight and can be a pain in the ass to get away from.  Well that was not to be.  I have been in some cold fronts that have killed the fishing, but this may be the toughest bite I have ever experienced.  Now the ugly truth no matter how much it hurts, I have not had a real bite in 2 1/2 days.  We casted, trolled, cussed and discussed and could not fine a pattern.  The temps is dropping on the lake and they are just not having it.  When you can not even catch a pike of any size on Lake of the Woods it sucks.

The only good thing today was seeing the usual eagles and we also saw some otters, which are cool critters.  We fished coves, deep points, grass, channels, the whole time the wind was howling.  In fact when we got back Clyde told Paul from the resort we went were you told us today  and his response was: “The Cabin.”  That is how bad it was.

So with the bad stuff out of the way the forecast is looking up.  Do not get me wrong, this front is going to help fishing.  (At least  I keep telling myself that.)  The wind is going from 30+ to 7 mph tomorrow.  The clouds will be gone by 3 and for the rest of the week the wind will be light out of the south with alternating  clouds and sun.  The muskie bite on Crow will really get going with some of the best fishing of the year.  And of course Lake of the Woods one of the best fishing holes in the world will turn on.  Those pike and muskies have been off their feed and when they turn back on, and they will, it is going to be ugly.

Last nights Gulf snapper.

Not much else to say about today.  I can not remember the last time, if ever, have I fished 3 days without catching a fish.  I will definitely take care of that tomorrow.  We will stay on Lake of the Woods for the next few days giving the muskies on Crow a chance to shake off this front.  I know this isn’t the best report but it goes with the territory, it is why we stay 2 weeks.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

This is not a post about fishing, the day 3 fishing has yet to begin, and it will be a late start.  It is 5am and I am up making coffee and listening to the weather, and I don’t mean on the TV.  It is supposed to be clearing and out of here this morning, but nooooo.  It is currently blowing 40 and still raining.  It is still quiet here in our cabin overlooking the lake, except all 3 of these reprobates are snoring like it is some kind of contest and the screen door is slamming back and forth.  I guess they do not hear me moving around because of the dull roar.  I mean those guys can really snore!

We had a great time eating Gulf snapper with Paul and Chris last night.  It was nice to cook them supper, just a small payback in the grand scheme of things for their hospitality.  They are such good hosts.  Of course fishing and hunting was the main topic of conversation.  Paul is really helpful marking maps and directing folks to fish.  One of the things they offer is deer hunting, and how deer are hunted here is so different from anything we experience.  Talk of bear and wolves, bucks that field dress at over 200, heavy racks in the 140’s, and moose.  It was enough to make me take up hunting again.  And the ice fishing here is fantastic, that is on my bucket list sometime.  Of course none of the conversation involved any amount of exaggeration.

We are the only folks to speak of here right now, but they have a group of 24 arriving Thursday.  According to them they are quite the fishermen.  As part of the package Paul and his son clean fish.  Now one might think they would do it for free but that is not the case and I can sure see why.  With a 10 crappie limit, not to mention their daily 2 walleye, and pike if they want them, you can only imagine what that pile of fish looks like.  They all limit and it fills 3 coolers everyday!  As I have been the main fish cleaner of this bunch over the years it must be nice to come back to camp, hand over the cooler, pop a beer and watch, sounds like heaven to me.  If you ever wanted to do a trip like this with a group of guys (Girls can come to if they can stand the smell of fishermen who do not shower enough) this is the place.

Man o’ man you should see our porch.  All of us have taken to using those big plastic bins to transport tackle.  This year is an even more impressive sight.  A quick count shows 34 rods and 43 reels, and that is conservative.  There is enough line spools to stretch to China.  we are talking everything from 4lb mono to 80lb braid.  And lures, wow.  Between us we probably have 150, and that is just the new in the package stuff.  We all brought the usual stuff for any fish that swims in these waters, but with the muskie hunt of course it involves new stuff.  It is not like buying crappie jigs.  Most of the baits are $25, and I hate to tell you what the rods and reels cost.  I have decided that we really do have tackle magnets in our heads.  You know, when you walk down the aisle at any tackle store anywhere in the world and stuff jumps off the shelf and sticks to our head and just won’t come off.  What really makes the porch so impressive is the fact that we all kept it to a dull roar when packing.  Crazy.

To give you a little information on the 3 guys with me let me tell you about them.  Clyde had been our buddy for almost 50 years.  One of the really good guys around.  When I move to Arkansas in 74′ he came along and we ran our little tackle and convenance store.  I paid him $40 a week and all the grub he could eat.  He moved in with us in our little trailer and we ran the store.  Open 12 hours a day, we split the day and one would fish for 6 hours and the other would work, and then we would fish all night.  It was truly fishing fever and times I will never forget.  And in the words of my buddy Tad, who I worked with at the lure company later.  Clyde could tear up and anvil, and you just loved him all the more.

After a couple of years we sold the store and I met John.  He owned the biggest marina on Lake Norfork.  His partner sold his share to John and I ended up living in the house at the dock overlooking the lake.  At the time there were 2 ferries that ran 24 hours to get folks across the lake.  Sitting on the porch on a clear Arkansas night watching the stars as the ferries chugged back and forth is one of my great memories.  For the next 10 years I worked with him at the dock everyday.  Part of the deal was I guided whenever I needed to, which in the spring and fall was a ton.  We went through several tornados hitting the dock, a 28 foot raise in 24 hours, the usual hanger arounders at the dock, hot chicks in bikinis in the summer, it was all good.  We built docks, took care of folks, and my morning always started with us drinking coffee and trying to get our motors running.  I will never forget going to rescue some folks with a broke down boat and getting a pontoon smashed on my head as a tornado tossed me around like a rag doll.  The only thing that saved me as I was trapped under the overturned boat was I had 2 orange life jackets, one under each arm that kept me from drowning.  As John rushed out to save us he pulled up and just got all over my case for not having a life jacket on, which I had just take off.  He was just as happy to see me alive as I was to be alive.  A good man, he is just as cool as the other side of the pillow.

And my brother Jeff, the mighty Shoedog.  Fishing together our whole lives of course as brothers at times I could not stand him when we were teenagers.  We worked through that  of course, I could be a real horses rear end and take the blame.  He spent over 30 years chasing the bucks and fishing when he could.  He would make the drive to Arkansas and we would fish till we dropped and off he would go.  His business kept him busy but now his hard work has paid off and he was able to retire early and we are chasing fish wherever it leads.  Belize, Canada, Florida and everywhere in between.  A good traveling partner we will keep it up till we die.  We did not have much money in the old days, but we figured it out and always found a way to catch some fish.

Now that I have waxed poetic about these bozos, lets get to the part that kills me.  It is like f’n herding cats.  One of the great things about Canada is the different species to fish, and the huge amount of water in which to chase them.  So the conversation daily goes like this:  Where do you want to go?  I don’t know.  I don’t care.  It is up to you.  How about here?  How about Lake of the Woods?  What do you want to catch today?  I don’t care.  How about walleyes.  How about muskie?  What time do you want to leave?  I don’t care.  How about early?  Want to make lunch and be gone all day?  I don’t care.  How about fishing here at Crow and coming in for lunch and a break?  I don’t care.  Around and around it goes until we arrive at some conclusion.  Don’t get the wrong impression, I am just as guilty of being part of the problem and not the solution.  And of course once we are getting set to go there is always:  Did you get the worms?  I forgot my rainsuit.  I have to run up the hill and go to the bathroom.  Where is the net?  As we all get older we are like a bunch of old women, no offense to old women.  What do you want to eat tonight.  I don’t care.  I don’t know.  And you know what?  I would not trade it for the world.  As my lovely wife says, who I thank everyday for letting me spend my money and beer and fishing then waste the rest, these are the times of our lives.

Shoedog just pulled up the radar and it is till coming.  It will be a late start today but the wind is supposed to die this afternoon.  The rain is just part of the deal here and we are prepared for that.  So here I am, the wind is howling outside, the boys are starting to move around and in a couple of hours we will figure something out, we always do.  If someone will just make a decision!

So it is all good, in fact better than good.  We are armed and dangerous.  I appreciate you coming along with us and I will keep banging out this drivel.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.  Something fantastic is about the happen, hope nobody gets hurt!

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

It is flat out ugly out there, the wind is blowing 40mph and the temp dropped like a rock around 3 and it ran us off the lake at 4:30.  Clyde and John got here about 11, got their rods and reels in order and off we went.  Shoedog and I finally quit without so much as a bite this afternoon.  The minute we got to the resort here they come.  None of us had so much as a bite.  When I say it is a major cold front I mean it is tough.  The only redeeming quality is this is it and there is no more rain and it will be raising to the 80’s by weeks end.

I have not had a muskie bite in 2 days.  Of course fishing for muskies is a different proposition.  If you are not willing to pay your dues and endure slow fishing at times it is not for you.  On the other hand if you want to catch a cool fish, and have a great battle, this is the fish.  All I have to say is good thing I brought the Shoedog.

What a fight!

This fish just smoked that gold color double bladed Cowgirl about 10 feet from the bank and then charged towards the boat and deep water.  He caught up with her and she came to the boat and proceeded to go ape snot crazy.  Luckily we got her in the net, a quick picture and off she swam.  It is fish like this that make the drive and effort worth it.  He had 3 bites this morning, one just didn’t hook up and one slack lined him to the point he could not get a good hook set.

Here is what we have learned so far.  They are not following the bait like they are want to do.  I do not know if I have ever fished Crow and not had a follow to the boat.  They seem to be located near deep water points, which considering the weather is not a surprise.  The problem with that was this afternoon was the wind is blowing so hard the main lake is unfishable.  Additionally the temp drop has made them vacate the shallower coves and banks.  That will rectify itself as the week warms.  Nor is it a case of being in the front of the boat, I have run the trolling motor also, it looks like the color is the deal  I even got a bait from Paul, the owner, which is hot pink which has been the hot color, and it got not even a sniff.

So we are back early and I am about to cook red snapper for the boys and Paul and Chris, the owners of Muskie Bay.  I can not emphasis enough what good folks they are.  The place is great and they are just as accommodating as any place I have ever stayed.  No wonder they have folks who have been coming here for years.

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This is totally off topic but I wanted to share this with you.  We are on a hawg hunt but this is freakin’ ridiculous.

Now that is a hog!

This hog was killed on Lower Mission Valley Road by a friend of one of the secretaries my wife works with.  You hear about big hogs killed in the Victoria area and the story often grows with the telling.  There is no stretch here, this is a monster.  Not sure who the gentleman is but congratulations.

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So after stuffing our faces and shooting the breeze we will check the weather and make a plan.  Tomorrow it will straighten up enough to figure something out.  So we will be in our boats at daylight and off for the day.  Lunches packed, coffee made, and a ton of water and of we go.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

We were up at 4 for a 100 mile drive to the border crossing.  It was by far the fastest we have made it through customs.  Then a quick stop at the store for eggs and milk because no eggs or poultry can be brought across the border and we were on our way for the 70 mile drive to Muskie Bay.

We met Paul at the resort and caught up on stuff and got a little advice.  The weather started to deteriorate about the time we got on the water at 11.  The wind started picking up and of course it rained.  It would not be Canada if it did not rain at least half the time we are here.  We started throwing the book at them and Shoedog got on the board.

Here is what we came for, a nice 40″ musky.

It was real apparent they were off their feed.  We had no follows, which is real unusual for Crow Lake.  This lake is full of musky and if you ever wanted to cross musky off your list this is the place.  Shoedog had this one stop a big inline double bladed spinner called a Cowgirl.  It is a big bait and this girl smoked it.

We threw some hard baits, inline spinners, jerkbait, and buzzbait, and other than a couple of smallmouth (not complaining) we had no other bites from musky.  But it is early yet and the reason we come for 2 weeks.  It can only get better.

Paul told us that the fish have been slow with the last couple of cold fronts but after it starts to warm back up it has been really good.  Tonight will be big rain until daylight, then the wind will pick up to 30 -40 tomorrow afternoon, so we will have to see how it goes.  No matter what we will be out at daylight and give it a serious go until we get blown off the lake.

Our buddies from Arkansas will be here tomorrow late morning so we will head back in to meet them.  Monday things quiet down a good bit, and then it starts to warm up every day and it should be awesome.  The plan will be 3 days on Crow then a couple on Lake of the Woods.  We talked to a kid today and they fished over there and wacked the walleyes and at least one day of that is on the schedule.  Which ever lake is the hottest will be the one we really concentrate on.

It is 9 and we are tired so it is off to bed and then up at 5 to catch the sunrise, if there is one, at 6:15.  Our hopes are high and it is good to be back here at Muskie Bay,  Good folks, good times, what is better than that.  I will try to post everyday for the next 13 days, so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

Well 1518 miles later here we are at 4:00 in the Lakeshor Motor Inn in Virginia MN.  We knocked off 15 hours yesterday and had an easy 7 today.  We did the long one yesterday on purpose so we could get here and rest a little.  From here it is 99 miles to the border so we will be up at 4 am to beat the traffic at the crossing, stop and pick up the last of the groceries, and actually be fishing before noon.  Shows you what fishing nuts we are, we want to get in 14 full days of fishing on a 2 week trip.  Plus the getting up will be easy, I will probably dream of big muskies all night.

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I heard from one of my long time readers who I had not heard from in a while.  Here is Faye’s fishing report and a note about Manny Perez she found on Barry Stokers fishing site.

It’s been a wild summer in the Corrado household!!

We did make it down for a couple of quick trips in March & April.  They weren’t anything to write home about!  I had a breathing flare up the end of May and it required a lovely hospital stay.  With a lot of promises made to my doctor, he approved me to go on my anniversary fishing trip the end of June.  It was chocolate milk water everywhere during the time we were there.  Again, not much to write home about except I was alive and fishing again.

We spent last Thurs & Friday in POC.  It was a GREAT trip!!  Each morning we were on the water waiting for sun up.  We caught both days.  On Friday we were anchored up in 8 foot of water just off the old coast guard station.  It didn’t matter what we threw ( top water, plastic paddle tail – elec. chic, live shrimp, dead shrimp, or live croaker), the specs hit it.  They were all 14″-15″ (kept one 18″).  We lost count and left them biting.  We also, trolled up the Saluria bank and Steve caught a nice spec.

I must brag on my husband.  He brought the boat home in June and did a ton of maintenance and repair work.  He saved the old wallet about $2000!!  He also has taken excellent care of me!!

Your blog has been my fishing fix this summer.  Thanks!!

I look forward to your Canada adventures and wish you all safe travels, tight lines and good weather!!

Tragedy struck the Redfish Cup Elite Series tournament organization last weekend with the passing of Elite angler Manny Perez of Punta Gorda, Florida.  On Saturday, fellow tournament anglers on their way back to weigh-in found him floating face down in Galveston Bay about a mile from his empty boat.  Efforts to resuscitate him failed.  Perez was one of the most well known and beloved anglers on the professional redfish trail, and had qualified for the final day top 10 fish-off.  Speculation is that he may have suffered a seizure, but autopsy results are pending.  Fellow anglers found he had over 24 pounds of redfish in his livewell, which would have been one of the heaviest bags in the event.  The other nine anglers on the final day made a decision not to weigh their fish and all were released.  The anglers were quoted as saying if Manny could not weigh his fish, then nobody would weigh their fish.  The anglers then gathered on the weigh-in stage, held hands and prayed for Perez’s family and for themselves during this difficult time.  While tragic in every way, the response by these anglers represents the spirit of friendship and camaraderie that binds even the most competitive anglers, and their actions speak loudly.  God bless the family and friends of Manny Perez.

If you watch fishing like I do you know who Manny Perez was. A great loss to the Redfish Trail, the anglers response to his passing is a testament to his life and character.  So many times I say it is all about the fishing, but we all know that is not true.  It is about friends and family sharing the outdoors.  The best to his family.

Funny how you wacked them on the old Coast Guard Station.  I actually use the search feature on the front page of the site to find and review the same months the last few years to see where I caught fish, and guess what?  The Coast Guard was the place to be.  Whatever puts them there this time of year it seems to hold lots of fish.  And your experiences early summer are what most of us experienced.  The fishing was tough but has really taken off now.  So congrats on catching a bunch of fish.  It is hard to move even if the keepers are a little slow when you are catching the snot out of them.  And glad you are feeling better, hard to keep a good girl down!

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I have heard from several folks recently and wanted to relay a few quick notes.   Thanks for the note Randy and I will be looking forward to your report on your weekend at Coleto.  I really like hearing from other folks on how it goes there.  I often get caught in a rut and it is nice to get a fresh perspective on things.   And good to hear back from you Roy, sorry the Fayette was tough, it can be, but will be looking forward to a report on your next try.  For a change the reports of schooling bass on Bastrop have been really good.  Nice to have so much water available close.  And last, it was good to meet you at Cabela’s Darryl.  As soon as it settles down this fall, hopefully we can hook up and do some bass fishing.  It will be later, after I get back from Canada it is home for a week or so and then off to Italy for a couple of weeks so I will holler at you when it is back to normal.

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Of course we are starting the trip off with a cold front, and this is on of the few times I welcome it.  With highs in the low 50’s Monday and Tuesday it will get those big girls putting on the feed bag.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

Last day of fishing before I finally head to Canada.  It was dead calm when I hit the lake this morning at daylight with a little cloud cover.  The first thing I noticed is the lake is continuing to drop, over a good 2 feet from it’s high.  The water has really cleared thought there is a slight off color to the water.  The other observation was that our deep grass just has not grown this summer and while I know squat about it, I assume it is not going to happen.

Of course I started with a buzzbait as the sun had not come up yet.  I only had 3 bites on it before the sun really came out.  Unfortunately I missed one and put 2 in the boat, one was ok.

Just sucked it under without a splash.

One thing right now they will not chase a buzzbait.  So if you throw it you need to make sure you run it real tight to cover.  And to go along with that it is no explosion, they are barely sucking it under.  After another bank or two I finally put it down and went to pitching to cover.

To catch them pitching right now with the water falling you have to have deep water with cover close.  And if you can combine that with a point you are in business.

Just started swimming with it as soon as it hit the water.

I am still pitching the 6″ watermelon lizard on 20lb test with a 5/0 hook and a 3/16th slip sinker on 20lb test.  The best places seem to be that tall grass on deeper banks.  It is very important to pitch it in holes and slots as tight to the grass as you can.  This combination falls real slow and if you feel half the bites you are lucky.  Line watching is critical and if it moves set the hook, getting into a feeling contest will make them drop it.

The last good one for the morning.

Before I called it a day at 11 I put 8 or 9 in the boat, with the above 3 the best of the lot.  Since I am so close to the cover, and only hopping it 2 or 3 times before picking it up and pitching again, the bites are close.  Today a couple of the small ones flew over the boat on the hook set, and I smacked myself with a big bream.  Pitching is something new for me this summer and it sure is fun.  Stick a good one in cover and it is hand to hand combat.

So not a bad for a short trip.  A nice morning, the big alligators were cruising everywhere and lots of deer were out feeding.  Though catching is the reason we go, the other part of the outdoors makes it a great day.

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After that it was time to hit the clerks office for trailer tags and TPWD office for boat tags.  While I was there I asked if there was a game warden around as I had a question.  A warden from Calhoun County was there, sorry I forgot to get his name, and he answered a question I have had floating around in my head for awhile.  If you pull up to Froggie’s and filet your fish, and then put the cooler in the boat and then go and put it on the trailer are you breaking the law?

His answer was no.  He explained that the purpose of the law of course is to keep folks from cleaning fish while fishing, the assumption is they may have undersized or restricted fish.  Makes sense.  I was glad to get the answer as the rule says no transporting fileted fish by boat.  I really appreciate how nice everyone was at the office.  Good to know there are folks working for us that are nice and really do care about their jobs and us.  So a big thanks to them for being so nice.

And a final note:  Be advised that they specifically mentioned the regulation on flares.  So if you fish inshore waters  be sure you have the required flares.  And if you have some check to be sure they are out of date, mine were.

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This will be it until probably Sunday, but we will fish Saturday and if we catch some I will at least get the pictures up.  So come along with us, if you can’t be there at least you can see what is going on.  I do not think I have been this excited about a trip, and I mean ever.  New line on 11 reels, steel leaders made, equipment gathered, it is basically all done.  Keep stopping and thanks for reading my stuff.  Wish us luck.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

The boss and I have been cruising around East Texas and Louisiana the last 5 days, spending some time together before I head out to Canada.  We had a great time but now it is time to really start getting my stuff together for the big trip.

Shoedog has spent the last few days getting his lake boat ready for the long haul to Canada.  Replacing a trolling motor, new battery, new spare, the usual required for an extended trip.  But he is ready, and I will be after Monday.  From there it will be off on Thursday for the 2 day drive.

Lots of folks find it hard to  believe we make that long haul, but for us it just part of the whole thing.  By doing that we have our own boat, plenty of good eats, and enough tackle to open a tackle store.  With so many fishing situations it takes lots of stuff.  We fish light line walleye, crappie, assorted techniques for smallmouth, pike fishing, and of course our main quarry this trip, muskie.  We will be trolling, casting, both day and night.  It would be so much easier to fly, but there is no way we could get everything we need on a plane.  Heck we fill a truck and boat with stuff.  So the countdown really begins.

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Here is a couple of pics from our offshore trip.  Chris sent these to me the other day..

Terry said our bad luck stemmed from my “banana” colored yellow shirt.  That may have been somewhat true, I did eat a banana on the way to POC.

Zipping along pushed by a couple of 225 Honda 4 strokes.  That World Cat was an awesome ride.

Not sure if this was going or coming but we saw it both ways.

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The other day I posted that the bass were schooling good on Bastrop and I got another first person report.  I met a tackle rep at Cabela’s the other day and he said it had been awesome.  So if you get a chance to head that way do it, the average size is pretty good and there is not many times of the year we get that type of bass fishing.  As it is an early bite be on the water at daylight.

I also got a really good report on Fayette from Randy, one of my readers.  As usual this time of year when you find them there can be a pretty good school of them.  In fact they caught a mess, then went to the truck to cool off and headed back out and worked the area again, and once they found them it was game back on.  So our area fishing is heating up and looks like we may get a small break from the heat.

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That clears up a few odds and ends.  Tomorrow morning it will be a quick trip to Coleto to put a few bass in the boat.  The secondary reason is to drain a spare 6 gallon tank on the Skiff to add to our never ending pile headed to Canada.  We always take a spare tank with us to Canada as Lake of the Woods is a monster.  65,000 mile of shoreline and 15,000 islands, you can get way out there and we never want gas to be an issue.  Plus after I fish in the morning it will be time to go through all the tackle and rods in the boat and finalize what will head to Canada.  And of course every reel will get new line, all part of the prep.  So stop in tomorrow for my last report before we take off.  Once we start fishing next Saturday there will be reports and pictures everyday.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Baits for all your fishing needs.

No one can say we did not give it the old college try.  My buddy Chris called on Sunday and he was going offshore with a friend and I was invited along.  So we headed out to POC at 4:45 to grab some ice and meet Terry at his place for an early start.

First we netted some live bait to put a few red snappers in the boat, but the plan was some serious offshore trolling.  Our destination was 50 miles out and it was forecast to have moderate seas offshore, and it was as nice as you could hope for offshore at this time of year.

On the way we hit a couple of shrimp boats without success and one rip that had a few, very few weeds.  Terry told us that last year the weeds were terrible and trolling was often almost impossible.  The first couple of stops did not even result in a bite of any sort.  So it was then off to an area with some rocks hoping to tempt a mahi mahi or a wahoo, unfortunately we only had a couple of  half-hearted bites so we moved on.

They did let me catch a couple of red snappers on Texas waters for my trip to Canada.  Those boys will be more than happy to eat some broiled Texas snapper smothered in a mushroom sauce.

As we headed to another spot we stopped at a couple of more shrimp boats.  Right away we started catching bonita, in fact we could not keep them off our trolling lures.  We were just getting ready to move when Chris was reeling in a trolling bait and a mahi smacked it but unfortunately missing it.

As we were catching fish there was a big offshore boat at another one and the captain was using binoculars and watched us catching the bonita.  As we set back up and started trolling around the boat this knucklehead pulled right up to the boat we were circling and basically cut us off.  There were only 5 other shrimp boats in the area but this horses ass came right over and got between us and the boat.  Clearly a case of I have a bad offshore boat and I am all that.  This was one of the worst I have ever experienced in Texas.  The whole Gulf, no other boats around, lots of other shrimp boats, and this jerk blocks us.  I just don’t get it.

We did have a couple of exciting moments that unfortunately did not work out.  We had a real nice mahi all around us and he flat out refused live bait.  Normally put it in front of mahi and you are hooked up, but this one was just taunting us.  Then all of a sudden a ling materializes around the boat.  After us tossing the book at him he finally ate Chris’s bait but we failed to hook up.  And that was the last of our day.

I think we could have caught a few of the things we were after but just could not keep those stinking bonita off our lures.  Even though it turned out to be a tough day on the Gulf it was a good time.  I really enjoyed offshore and would like to shout out a thanks to Terry for letting me latch on to their trip.  God it was hot, in fact it hit 103 degrees in Victoria, and unfortunately that pattern will continue.  But other than a little rough on the way out and back in, it was seriously fishable.  Some days it is not to be and this was one of those.

The federal snapper regulations are pure crap.  You can catch all the snapper you want in Texas waters, with tons more in federal waters.  Many folks who fish offshore regularly are finding with the glut of snappers they are occupying space that many other species use.  There is a proposal to let the Gulf states manage the snapper seasons, and it is sorely needed.  From what I have read offshore regulations have been dominated by commercial interests.  Hopefully that will be resolved in the future.

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I got another text from the Masked Flounder Assassin and as you have seen from his other pictures he and his crew have been sticking flounder all summer long.

 Perfect Floundering Night

They are running really good size this year.

The average is running good and they seem to be plentiful for giggers.  These guyve been wading and getting their limits every time out.  So if you like fresh flounder filets this next moon in a couple of weeks would be a good time to get them.  Thanks for the pictures Flounder Boy, keep them coming.

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Things I Do Not Understand

I know this is not a political blog but I can not fail to comment on the “deal” cut by the Obama administration and Iran, and here are my complaints.  First, the country is controlled by Islamic terrorists, and they finance many terrorists groups and operations worldwide.  Second, they took over our embassy and held our folks hostage for over a year and are currently holding 4 US citizens.  Third, they can not be trusted, in the name of Islam they are murderers, plain and simple.  And last, 24 day notice for inspections?  Are you kidding me!  Give me 24 days notice and I can cover up anything.  I am sick and tired of us giving an inch to these animals.

 Sorry for the rant.  I try to hold me tongue but this is wrong.  So from now on it will be back to the task at hand.  Not sure what or where is next on the fishing agenda but the Canada countdown has really begun.  Next Wednesday it will be off to College Station for the final packing of the junk and on our way.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Fish fear them!

My buddy Voe is in the throes of a complete home remodel inside and out.  His significant other got transferred back to Las Vegas where they are from and he had just begun this big project.  So with tons to do he has not been able to fish for a couple of weeks and he was finally able to sneak out for a morning of bass fishing.

On Tuesday I had no trouble catching them on buzzbait, and as the fish will do they decided that they were not going to cooperate this morning.  We started on a main lake point where I have caught them consistently and other than a few half-hearted boils they were not wanting it.  So Voe picked up a Skitterwalk and put a couple of keeper size in the boat in the boat on his topwater.

They smoked that thing.

Unfortunately the next 4 or 5 places we fished we did not get a bite.  So I decided to head way up lake.  Like I have said lately I just have not found a good place up lake, but they are there so we switched to pitching and finally caught a few.  The size up lake is definitely not matching down lake, possibly because the water is not near as clear, or maybe I just have not figured them out.

The first bank only produced a couple of small ones so it was over to the channel side and I did manage to boat a few.  Like a fool I tried to lift the best one of the day in the boat and he broke the 20lb.   That was not a testament to how big he was, more to my failure to check my line after flipping lots of brush.  As I always tell folks, it is the little things that often make the difference between a so so day and a great day.

My best for the morning.

We spent the morning pitching catching one here or there, but really never did find that big one or the big concentration.  It was probably 8 – 10 for the morning, which goes with our summer weather.   The water temperature was in the 90’s in most places and the water level is still falling.  And watching the front locator on the trolling motor there is just no new grass growing deep.  Maybe we will not have any this year, but I will keep watching.  I am sure the big fish are generally deep and as soon as the wind calms down just a little it will be time to explore deeper structure with big crankbaits and Carolina rigs.  Neither are my specialty by a long shot, but something I would like to get better at.

 It was the usual nice trip, Voe is good to fish with and when he finally finishes the job from hell he will be off to Las Vegas.  For me I hope it is the Gulf on Monday.  The fishing the other day sure got my blood running and after last trips mess ups on my part I would like to redeem myself.

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Now I know this is a fishing website but I wanted to share some picture I got from my buddy Todd.  We met through website soon after I started it and have had some great trips fishing the coast together.  He is in Italy right now and sent me these to wet my whistle.

Looks like an awesome country.

Looks like he and his wife are having a great time.  The boss and I will actually be there in a couple of months and will appreciate hearing more about his trip and how to get around.  And Todd is a great cook and here is a couple of pictures he sent me.  They are probably eating themselves blue, but isn’t that what Italy is all about?

 Tonight we went to this steak house here where they have two seatings and its all communal tables. We sat with a lovely group of Brits and Polish. They serve Florentine steak which is t-bone grilled on local wood for 7 minutes per side. They use a local breed of cow that is naturally lean so will only cook it rare. Pretty cool experience. Seasoned only with sea salt.

This is gnocchi with duck ragu.

That all looks fabulous.  Sure is better than the mac and cheese I will be having tonight.  So have a great trip and hope to see you when you get back.  And one of the great things about travel is all the folks you meet on the road.  It is a big world out there and my wife has dragged me kicking and screaming to many places that I would have never seen if she wasn’t such a dedicated traveler.  And there has been some side benefits like sailfish, tarpon. mahi, permit, to name a few.  Good thing beaches, beautiful places, and fish go hand in hand.

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The oppressive heat continues with the forecast staying just like it is.  High humidity and the wind coming up everyday.  Even the folks up Arkansas report they are in the 100’s.  Sooner or later this will break, but at least I will be in Canada the last couple of weeks of August and we should have some cool temperatures.  One thing about Canada, you have to pack for any condition, you never know.

That is it for the day.  I appreciate you staying with me.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines