Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – home of the Redfish Magic.

This is actually a little bonus coverage.  I had a big list to get done today and lo and behold I got it all done.  If I had been that productive my whole life I would be rich.  So once it was all done it was time to slip out for a little afternoon trip to Coleto.

As I am going to give it a serious go there on Friday there was one thing I wanted to know before then – What was the water color way up lake?  When I backed it in about 3 the water was getting to be a clear off-color, which may sound funny but you can see your bait, something new and different.  Almost a tannic look to it.

They like that white Swimming Jig.

For the first 2 hours I threw the book at them without success.  I was way up lake, and though the water is really starting to clear, nary a bite.  I even flipped a little without success.  Finally the one above jumped the Swimming Jig right on the edge of the bushes.    It was the middle of the day, so slow fishing was not unexpected.  Re-fishing that area with a frog produced 3 bites but no hooks ups.

With a 6 quit time I headed down lake and fished one short bank before the ramp and had one smoke a buzzbait.

Love catching them on the buzzbait.

So for a less than 3 hour trip the burning questions were answered – Can you catch them on a buzzbait?  And – Is it clear enough up lake to make it worth it?  The answer to both questions is yes.  If I were guessing we may have a pretty good run as the lake clears and the weather stabilizes.  There are shallow fish, and lots of ways to catch them.  And there are lots of dead shad all over the lake, not to mention big schools everywhere.  The future looks bright with all the cover and bait, the keys to glory.

It sets Friday up to be a pretty good day to fish.  But today (Thursday) I am fishing the Powderhorn area.  Should have a report up pretty quickly.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – home of the Redfish Magic.

Our flooding may be done, but you can still see the effects of all that water and wind we have had the last 2 weeks.  When I got to Froggie’s at daylight the water in the barge canal was off-colored,  but the wind was not blowing and it was not raining.  Yahoo!

The original plan was to wade but I got sidetracked and never did make it in the water.  Of course I could not drive past Big Bayou on the way to the old Coast Guard ruins.  It was dead calm so I decided to toss the small KVD topwater in a bone color.  It was a bank or two before I had my first bite, and it was a 17” trout.  (Note; 2 keepers went in the cooler for supper so no dead trout pictures.)  I ended up having 6 blow ups in the Bayou, all on the shallow grass side, at the end of the small islands.

The tide was really high when I got there, and was to top out around noon, so it stayed high all day.  Of the 6 hits I caught 4 and 3 measured, and it was number 3’s lucky day, I had my 2 for supper.  (Which I just ate and were fabulous.)  I did have something happen that may have happened before, I just did not know it.  As  I worked the topwater out of the grass a nice big red jumped all over and I missed him when I jerked.  The plug hopped in the air and landed and one of those trout smashed it.  Cool.  I did not throw anything else in there and left for the Oil Cut.

Rounding the bend in the Saluria there was a sight not often seen, millions upon millions of what I think were good size Menhaden on the surface for probably a half mile.  It was something, they were thick.  If you are heading offshore or to the jetties you need to stop there, one throw of the cast net and you probably would have hard time lifting it back in the boat.  But I digress.

I could not get them to bite a topwater as the sun was full up and it was almost dead calm.  So time to catch a redfish.

A nice 24′ red on the Strike King Redfish Magic.

The first cast with a brand new Redfish Magic resulted in a great bite, and my line broke where the mono joined the braid.  So out came a new one and off I went.  It was real important to throw it right into the grass as the water was so high.  The guy above came on one crank off the grass.  Before I decided to trout fish I caught a rat, and missed a couple of trout I saw roll on the spinnerbait.

I then threw some plastics with absolutely no success.  With the water a little off-colored even there it was time for the popping cork and Rage Shrimp.  I was using a light brown with a Chartreuse tail about 18″ below the cork.  Though I caught 5 or 6 in there none measured.  So it was time to head to the Coast Guard ruins and wade.  Of course when I cam around the corner there was a couple of croaker fisherman wading right where I wanted to fish.  So I headed way up the bank a did a drift the whole length of it and totally struck out.  Plastics, popping cork, and topwater could not coax a bite.  So to finish out the day it was back to the Bayou.  It was about 2 when I got there and the water was way up in the grass.  I had a couple of flounder smack it and not stay stuck, then I boated this 16″.

The Redfish Magic catches flounder too.

The only purpose of going back there was to see if the redfish were moving, and they weren’t.  But fishing about half of it I had several flounder bites, you can always tell on the Redfish Magic when one whacks it real sharp and does not stay on.  But the more important point, the water was full up and getting ready to start moving out.  When that happens the flounder move up against the grass on those muddier banks where there is a drop.  If a person wanted to fish the 3″ Gulp New Penny on a popping cork in front of the grass right on the falling high full moon tides they could probably sack a few.

The last bite of the day.

So for the day not so bad considering.  3 reds  (2 keeper sized), 9 or 10 trout (4 keeper sized), and 1 keeper flounder.  If I had boated everything I should have it would have been a little better than that.  Just looking at the water it will be a few days before it really settles down.  Even the Coast Guard flat was not what I would call super clear.  And Barroom and Big Bayou are definitely off-colored.  Not having lived here for these set of condition I have no clue how soon it will clear up, but it looked better by time I quit than it did when I started.

It was good to get back on the salt.  I really do love how a redfish hits a Redfish Magic.  It is probably my favorite lure off all time, and if you throw it they will eat, it is just a matter of covering the water.  And the keeper size seem to love it, almost as much as I love catching them.

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 When  I saw Nick and his dad the other day his Dad was planning on fishing the Powderhorn yesterday and they said they would send a report, and he did.

Hey Doug, I was going to let you know that my dad and sister went to Powderhorn today and the fish wanted live bait and live bait only. The mouth of Powderhorn was brackish looking and when they started going into Powderhorn near that big sandbar by Hurricane Cut, they said it was a peanut butter color. My sister ended up catching two keeper trout on shrimp. There were pods of bait out front along the ranch shoreline and quite a few redfish tailing there as well.

Thanks for the report.  I figured the Powderhorn was off-color and it sounds like it really was.  Who knows how long before that clears up.  While all the freshwater may screw the trout up a little the reds sure do not mind.  And funny they fished the ranch shoreline, that is actually where I am thinking about fishing next.  So stay tuned for that.  And tell your Dad thanks for the report, it might save someone from driving to fish the Powderhorn and then having it to off-color to catch fish.

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One thing about the last few days calm winds is the offshore boats were out at POC.  When I put the boat on the trailer the guys were cleaning a couple of boxes of nice big red snapper and had a couple of cobia mixed in.  With the wind expected to blow 5 – 10 again tomorrow conditions should be good.  So if you have an offshore boat, or know someone who does, get it while the getting is good.

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I think the rest of the week will be split this way.  Tomorrow will be the Powderhorn Ranch Shoreline, at least depending on the wind.  I never did get in the water yesterday, and that is a good wading bank where I have caught them this time of year.  Then Friday it will be Coleto, it will be interesting to see the water color by then.  I have wanted to fish the Wednesday night tourney but I need to get on a few fish before I do that.  And hopefully the bay will really begin to settle down.  And I want to fish Baffin a day, but with sunrise at 6:22 it requires one early get up time.  Maybe we will get that done as soon as Shoedog gets his house painted.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – plain and simple they work.

I wanted to sit down and take care of a couple of comments today before the fishing gets real serious around here.

Rick sent me a question about night fishing for trout and I wanted to further explain what I was wanting to do.

Just curious about your trout night fishing that you mentioned. Were you going to go wading, chunking lures or setting up some lights, or what.

When we fished with Kevin Cochran, one of the most respected big trout guides in the Baffin area a couple of months ago, I was a little surprised that we were starting an hour before daylight.  Now I am sure part of that was to beat the crowd, which we did.  But the more important point was that big fish bite best in low light conditions, which is almost any big fish of any variety on any water.

We were throwing topwaters and corkie style baits, and though we did not catch a big one while it was still dark, we did catch fish.  So with our water warming, and more traffic on the bay, I want to get out during the full moons we will be having this summer and throw topwater.  I have caught a few nice big rainbow and brown trout at night on topwater in the White River, so it will be interesting to see if my results will be the same on the bay.

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Kevin dropped me line concerning the Powderhorn and bigger boats.  (I have edited this one a little to protect the innocent.)

Hey Doug,

Anywho, I’ve come back to your blogs because I have really been trying hard to pattern the fish as best I can and these blogs are a tremendous help.  What I wanted to ask you though was that a friend recently traded in his haynie for a 24 foot El Pescador.  I wanted to ask you if that was too much boat to navigate Powderhorn?  I know that lake can be sneaky on you if you are unfamiliar.  I’m also trying to get him to get a trolling motor on it somehow so we can fish big bayou effectively as you do.  Kinda hard to fish all the drains if you have to swim across them HA!  Thanks for your time.

First, your comment that my blog helps you catch even another fish is why I keep doing it.  It really warms my heart to know that this thing is actually helping real folks catch fish.

Second, the Powderhorn can be tougher to navigate than lots of other places in the bay.  Those of you who read my stuff know that I hit a pole of some sort and did some damage to the boat.  As far as a bigger boat like the El Pescador, I see folks with larger boats in there all the time.  Entering the Powderhorn is not to bad as it has a line of posts that line the huge oyster bar on the right as you enter the Powderhorn.  Those posts mark the channel and keeping them on your right entering, and on your left exiting, takes you to good water.

It is important to remember that on your left entering is a big sand bar with grass, which hold fish at times and does get real shallow at low tide.  It extends almost all the way to where the posts end on your right.  Once you get past that, basically to that old working point that sticks out.  In the Powderhorn most of the dead center is 3 -4 foot deep.  The area I hit the post is over halfway back in the middle where I think there is an old railroad track.  There is an obstruction that has multiple flags on it, and that is where you need  extra careful.

Basically I have found that running in the center, and then idling to get to the shorelines is the only way to go.  Both sides can be really, really, shallow, and once the tide begins to fall it can get dicey.  All that aside it is one of the really good redfish places around.  I have not had a report in awhile from there, but with the influx of fresh water who knows how it will fish, at least until things settle down.  My best advice, study a good map, stay close to the posts entering and leaving, and take your time, the fish will still be there.  Idling as you learn somewhere is never a bad thing.  Hope this helps some.

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My old buddy Bobby sent me this request.

Dude I need you to show me how to use a jerkbait!! And which one to get.. Gonna try to go to Coleto on Wednesday what should I throw??

Thanks Bobby

First it is a jerkbait, and a jerk like you should instinctively know how to use it.  Just kidding!  Of course I would suggest the KVD jerkbait, either the 2 or 3 hook works fine.  They might be a little more expensive, but they get the job done.  Others we use are the Rapala Husky Jerk and the Smithwick Rogue Jr.  As far as color, we have had success on lots of different ones, but silver with a black back is the standby.

As far as jerking, the Shoedog has been using it in a quick jerk/jerk – then pause, then jerk – pause, then repeat.  We are not moving the bait more than a foot or so, it is more of a twitch.  You want that bait to stay in their face.  Of course the speed is totally dictated by water temperature, the colder the slower.  But the real important thing is to remember exactly how you jerked it when you catch one.  Once you get the pattern down it is usually game on.  And probably the most important thing I have learned from fishing it for 30 years, it is a clear water bait, period.  That flash will call them from a long way in clear water.  In fact, during really early spring on the highland lakes of Arkansas once the water temp got to 40 we would throw it super slow, and we could often see fish on the locater in 20 foot of water come up and eat it at boatside.

How long have I been using it?  Back in the 70’s we were catching fish on Bull Shoals and Norfork lake on a 3 hook topwater Rebel Minnow.  We had some high water one year and a guy who was a good fisherman, Buddy Meadors (Who I am sure has passed now.)  decided he wanted to make the bait sink really slow in front of the buck brush.  So he got some solder wire, and working it in his bathtub, found out how much solder it took to suspend the bait in front of the bushes.  He came back to the dock the first time he tried it with a big bunch of fish, and it was game on for all of us.  Now I do not know if he started it, but jerkbaits did not exist then, and we were all doing it ourselves until the companies started making them.

That is why it is so successful on Fayette, and it does have its moments on Coleto, especially post spawn before the grass is way up.  We have also had great luck on Amistad with a jerkbait as it is a deep clear lake much like Arkansas.  And who could forget the Shoedog catching 3 bass that weighed over 23lbs off one bank on Falcon with the Husky Jerk.  So I guess it all boils down to us setting a day this fall and you coming with me to Fayette, who knows, we might even catch a few.

As far as Coleto if I were fishing it Wednesday I would slow roll a white spinnerbait, throw a buzzbait fairly slow, and fish a white bass assassin weedless.  And I have still been catching a few on swim jig.  The fish are in that shallow stuff, you just have to take it slow and work an area over.  Lately what little I have fished there the green grass has been the best, and they have still not vacated the coves.  With the big shad spawn, lots of cover and dark water color, there is no reason for them to back way off.  Good Luck and let me know how it goes.

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It is funny how many people I have run into at Roy’s Bait and tackle in Corpus that read my stuff.  I bumped into Nick and his dad there yesterday and they were giving me a hard time about Down South Lures not coming through for some reason.  But folks I still use them and recommend them, they work.  So I showed them which color I like (watermelon red) and also hooked them up with my favorite Redfish Magic.  (a croaker color with a blue tail – RMG18-866)

His dad told me a great story, the kind that keeps me writing.  While fishing the Lavaca River I told folks to throw the bait TO the bank and then hop it up and lot it fall down the drop.  Apparently one of my readers took it literally.  On his first cast he tossed it ON the bank, then hopped it in the water and one ate it.  Awesome!   It makes me laugh as I write this.  It was good to see you guys and shoot the bull.

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In one of the coastal fishing magazines the writer was talking about telling folks about a place, and how he had been fishing it without any competition.  Then the word got out and folks were all over it.  So he recommended thinking about it before you spread the word.  I get the occasional comment like that when I mention certain places that some folks would prefer that remain nameless.  I understand that, but times have changed.  Most of what I have learned about the areas I fish came from map study.  I can not emphasis enough how important that is.  With great maps and GPS the whole coast is no secret.

The secret is figuring out how to get the job done in spite of the traffic.  Todays boats and motors, combined with the electronics, have left no place unturned.  You and I are not the first ones to fish there, and we won’t be the last.  People who share information should not be criticized for sharing any more than folks who keep their secrets.  It is personal choice, this is America, right?

The first time I came across that was in the 80’s when I was guiding and tournament fishing full time when I lived and worked at a boat dock.  There was a couple of old guys who drank coffee and hung out at the dock all day who rarely caught fish.  So as I was cleaning a massive stringer of big crappies they sauntered over and asked where I caught them.  So I told them go down 2 coves on the right where you will see 3 trees down.  Off the end of the middle one is a bunch of big crappies.  So they hopped in their boat and out they went.  An hour later they were back real happy with a few nice ones.  And one of them said to me we thought you were lying.  How did fishing and fishermen get this way?  I made them happy, and guess what, there are probably lots of nice crappies in that same place 30 years later.  So no matter how you play it, it sure is nice to help folks catch a few fish.

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That’s enough old stories for today, but I am a fisherman and we all like to tell stories.  The wife had a couple of days off so we spent the weekend on South Padre.  I fished for about an hour on the beach but did not catch a fish.  But we had a great time and she got a break before a long stretch in the ER.  Now what that means to me is she starts a 2 week stretch, so I am free to act like a guy.  Which means tomorrow it is off to the Gulf.  The wind is supposed to be 10mph, no rain, almost like living in a parallel universe compared to what we have been having.

So today was all about getting my stuff together, getting the truck serviced, and finishing a few other things so I can fish, and I mean fish.  Tomorrow I will be waste deep in the bay.  From there who knows, but it will involve water, water, and more water.  And I appreciate hearing from each and every one of you, keep those comments coming.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – buy some, Shaw needs the money.

Yesterday sure left a good taste in my mouth.  We really did catch a bunch of fish, and anytime I can spend the day throwing jerkbait and swim jig is a good day on the water.

Today I went and washed the truck, and of course here comes a big rainstorm that dumped on us again.  We so do not need it, and the forecast is for more, maybe a lot more.  So say a little prayer for all those folks on the edge of getting flooded out more, or again.  We will weather it fairly well, if we get no more rain.  But all it will take is the forecasted 3 – 5 inches to turn it into another disaster.

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I got a few comments I wanted to share with you.  I heard from Rick, one of my regular readers.

Congrats on your retirement. Now you can Fish, Catch and Travel full time! LOL.

Thanks, I live for this stuff.  I may have a period or two where I fall off the wagon as far as as writing, but when I hear from folks it renews my determination to keep it up. We have lots of things coming including Canada for some night trolling for monster muskies, another couple of days at Baffin, and I hope to get in some striper fishing soon.  And for God’s sake we have to get in the summer weather pattern soon, I so want to get back to the Gulf.  And the night topwater fishing for trout is something I really want to do.  Thanks for chiming in.

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Joe dropped me this comment on the Fayette trip.

I got some questions for ya !!! SO you are saying Fayette is clear? On your silver bait how far down can you see it? Have they gotten alot of rain also? Was the lake up to the bottom of the reeds that surround the lake? You are my eyes and knowledge of the eastern lake and I DO THANK YOU !!! Because driving 1.5 hours from San Antonio to find it low and dingy really sucks because fishing reports are not updated or true.

Yes I am saying Fayette is amazingly clear.  Though we have gotten lots of rain, Fayette is a little different from other lakes in that there is no real river or huge creeks feeding it so it is probably the clearest lake around.  There was some slightly stained water for Fayette, but even there you could see your jerkbait coming up near the boat, probably at least a foot and half down.  Surprisingly it is basically as clear as usual.  Now I not sure what may come with another ton of rain, but it is just dandy right now.

It is as high as I have seen it and is way in the reeds.  Last time I saw it close to that high we caught some nice fish flippin the reeds, which I am sure would work some right now.  And as far as my fishing reports, I try to keep the bullshit to minimum, at least as much as any fisherman can.  I am with you about driving somewhere based on a report and it isn’t even close.  I will say that may be why there was so many folks fishing, or it may be just because the fishing was so good.

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And last I heard from my fishing buddy Voe.

Wow, that is a nice average size bass to catch.  Must have been a very fun catching day.   I really enjoyed following you and your brother on your Florida trip when you could find a place to post.  Getting your beautiful snook was delightful and made me very happy for you.  Putting in that much time, distance and money it surely is nice to get what you go for, cause we all know it doesn’t happen that often.  I didn’t comment while you were on your trip cause I figured you probably had lots of comments to filter through and I didn’t have fishing reports so I didn’t want to take up any of your time.  It was almost like I was there with you guys!!!!!!!!!
Glad to hear that you got the fish finder mounted and just have an easy light socket problem to fix and all will be well.
Good Luck and Tight Lines to you as well.
Voe

You are so right about the average size.  Slot lakes have their place in the bass fishing world.  It is nice to just catch fish, and slot lakes are usually the place for that.  I do not know how TPWD decides which lakes to slot, but only in my wildest dreams could Coleto be one.  It would be just plain scary to fish!  And it was nice to put my biggest snook in the boat, and Shoedog is already to go back.  Keep your calendar open for Monday or Tuesday, we will hit the water somewhere.  I will holler when I get back from out of town.

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That’s about the size of it today.  It is off to Academy to replace the front running light on the flats boat, and then it will finally be up to snuff.  As I have said before, keeping 2 boats running is double the fun.  But heck it is only money, I could be wasting it like saving for my retirement or my kids inheritance.  So with that bit of wisdom I am calling it a day.  We are headed to the beach for the weekend, somewhere way south of here where there is no real forecast for rain.  If the wind will keep to a dull roar I will get in some beach fishing.  Nothing like topwater trout in the surf.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – the only baits we needed to have a great day! 

Sometimes you hit a run of bad luck as a fisherman, don’t make the right choices, lose the big ones,  get rained out, all can lead to a little fisherman depression.  There is a cure!  It is going to a slot lake, do what has worked for you in the past, and then just hold on.  We flat wore them out today, or maybe it was the other way around.  Fayette is one fun lake to fish.

The forecast was for a 20% chance of rain, so this spring being what its been, you know it poured.  It started to look ugly north of Schulenburg, and it got worse from there as I drove to the lake.  By time we both got to the ramp at 6:45 it was raining like crazy with lots of big lightning and thunder.  We ended up staying in the trucks and it was 45 minutes before we were able to launch.

We have had some big days in the past on jerk bait, and I knew we were in business when I caught one on the first cast with the KVD Jerkbait.  Now that can be a good thing or a bad thing, but in this case it was a sign of things to come.

The first of 10 or more in the boat on the Strike King white Swimming Jig with a Caffeine Shad paddle tail trailer.

It really did turn into a Strike King kinda day.  The punch line is we tried to stay in the 6 – 7 foot deep and throw the KVD Jerkbait.  For me it was the 3 hook version in silver with a light blue back.  Shoedog was using the 2 hook one, and it did not seem to matter.  We started jerking the bait the minute it hit the water in a steady but not fast jerk – jerk/jerk, always letting it pause.  The key was the grass which was in 2 -4 foot of water.  It seemed to be perfect to start out over the shallow grass and go down to the outside edge where they would often whack it.

We put at least a dozen in the boat on the first bank, and from the first place, until around 11:30, we put an easy 40 in the boat and quit trying to count.  I finally could not resist using the Swimming Jig.  I would let it sink to the bottom and then slowly reel it trying to hit the grass then giving it a hop and letting it fall, they would just be on.  I felt very few bites, they were just there.  And as far as size goes, it was the better bait for the good fish.  But if you wanted to catch fish, which we did every place we fished, it was that KVD Jerkbait.

It was this size all day long.

Some of them would be there when you went to pull it, and a few tried to jerk the rod out of our hands.  And it was best if you worked it all the way to the boat as we were rarely over 9 foot deep and we caught several close to the boat.

What we lovingly refer to as a “Fayette Fatty”.

As far as specifically where, they were not as good on the points, but midway in the coves had fish.  Rarely did we not catch 2-3-4-5 in a stretch, and we even re-fished a couple of spots and caught fish by turning around and re-fishing, or by coming back later.   That lake is such a joy to fish, and like the times in the past when we have whacked them, there has been a good shad spawn.

No rhyme or reason to which ones we took pictures of but you get the point.

I threw a 2.5 some, but did not have a bite.  That was probably because it was the red one I was to lazy to change with the jerkbait bite the way it was.  Shoedog threw a 1.5 late as we were getting ready to quit, and had one knock the crap out of it.

That squarebill will catch anything.

The only other tilapia I have seen on a hard bait, and I mean a bite as opposed to foul hooking, I caught on Coleto last fall, and it was on a squarebill.  And what happened next?  Of course.

One of the hardest bites I had all day.

Right after that I even caught a gar, definitely a sign to quit.  As we got to the ramp Shoedog caught the last bass.

The last bass of the day on a 1.5 Squarebill.

It would be hard to figure out how many we caught, but it was basically nonstop from 7:30 until we quit at 2:30.  Our hands and backs were starting to feel jerking that thing.  We have only been fishing Fayette about 4 years, but one thing we have been able to do is catch fish there under lots of conditions.  It is amazing how often the fish are super shallow, and the jerkbait always seems to work.  One thing we have not done the last few trips is jerk that shallow running balsa Rapala in silver and black.   With all the shad it would have done its part today, and if you throw it on 8bl test and a spinning rod it could be ugly.  Another thing, for you swimbait fishermen that should work like a charm right now with the fish positioned like they are.

It is so nice when you call it a day because you have caught all you need, or want, to catch.  Who knows how long that pattern will hold, but it should be a while.  Especially with the air temp not smoking hot and the rain keeping the water temperature down.  So if you want to catch a bunch of fish get a KVD Jerkbait in a silver with a blue or black back and go to jerking.  We did see folks catching on plastics at a pretty good clip, but for us that is not the same as having one smack a jerkbait.

One thing you do have to do on Fayette is just get used to people cutting you off and bass boats ripping around like they are in the Bassmaster Classic.  Since we fish out of Shoedog’s lake boat I think we get cut off a little more than if we had a Skeeter.  But the key to Fayette is just fish, no matter what the traffic, because once you figure it out you are in business.  We fished behind folks all day and it was not a problem.

All I can say is boy am I glad we went.  After fighting the off-colored water on Coleto it was nice to fish some clear water.  Actually it was surprisingly clear.  Not sure what is next, but the forecast is for 5 days of rain.  Those of you not here in Texas trust me, it is only a big rain or two in lots of places for it to become a bigger disaster than it already is.  So best wishes to those of you who have lost loved ones or homes.  We are thinking of you.  The rest of you keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – baits for walleye, crappie, redfish, trout, and all your  fishing needs! 

We had a pretty good storm go through here last night and ended up getting about 3/4 inch of rain, not near as bad as some areas.  And when I got up it was still cloudy with the wind out of the southeast around 15.  The water of course has not gone down, but they are letting water out and keeping it stable.  There were some areas that were not as cloudy as others, but it is still off-colored no matter where you go.

I started on a main lake bank where I have caught them off and on the last month.   I ended up fishing that crankbait I have been catching them on, spinnerbait, swim jig, and frog without a fish over the side.  In fact from about 9 until 1 I did not have a bite.  So it was time to go shallower.  There is a huge shad hatch and if there are a bunch around there are some fish.

There were a couple of spots of rain but none were to hard.  And some far off thunder never did amount to anything.  By noon it really cleared off and the wind picked up.  Fishing windy banks did nothing for me today.

Finally I put on a buzzbait and went to really shallow flat with isolated grass and after a couple of half hearted bites I finally put one in the boat.

Believe me I was glad to finally catch one.

From 1 until I quit at 4 I stayed in the grass and probably ended up having about 10 bites but only boated 4.  A couple of the misses were my fault, but as a rule they were just real hesitant.  The water cleared a little as the day went on, we do not need any more rain.  As soon as the water clears up the buzzbait fishing is going to be awesome.   I ended up in flat cove up lake and halfway back in shallow water when I had the bite that made the day.

This one knocked the living crap out of it.  One of those explosions where you know you are hooked up.

I am not really sure what the deal was today.  No fish on anything I have been catching on.  What bites I got were in the middle of the day, in calm water, protected from the wind, with cover that allows you to reach the bank, or close.  And when you were in a cove with shad you could see them everywhere.  Pay real close attention when they flip in cover, there might be a good one close.

Some really good fishing will be happening if the lake stays stable and clears some.  One thing that should have gotten thrown and didn’t was the bass assassin weedless.  Just be tackled up to get them out of the stuff.  And swimming a big worm could be killer right now.  But all that will have to wait for another day.

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As some of you know Bull Shoals and Norfork are my old stomping grounds.  Striper fishing is something I really got into over a 10 year period.   It was kind of an easy guide trip, it usually only took one 15 lber each to make most folks real happy.  Bull Shoals used to have striper stockings, not sure if they do now but I don’t think so, and rainbow trout, which is great striper food.  Over the years some of those who knows how old stripers show up.  The old state record was 61 but the new one now is a 65 pound monster taken on the upper end of Bull Shoals and is a Missouri state record.  If you want to see a real monster check this out, what a fish.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/rockaway-beach-angler-catches-recordsetting-striped-bass/21048998_33220152

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Tomorrow it is off to fish Fayette County with Shoedog.  Part of that is loading all his tackle, rods and reels, coolers, and suitcases from the Florida trip.  We will hit the water at daylight hoping for a good day.  We always fish it in the spring, we just haven’t made it as often as the last few years.   But when it is good it is very very good, usually just a matter of figuring them out, which we usually manage to do there.   Probably shouldn’t have said that, but hope springs eternal.  And with the weather straightening up I may actually make it to the Gulf.  One thing I want to get done this next full moon is some night fishing for trout.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

  Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company – baits for walleye, crappie, redfish, trout, and all your  fishing needs! 

Happy Birthday Jack!

A great big happy birthday to my father-in-law Jack Mellinger up in Sumner Iowa.  I think he is 92 today, but heck, when you get that far along who is counting.   Hope you had a good day.  And thanks to you and Joy for raising such a wonderful daughter.  I always say you get what you raise, and you guys did a bang up job.  Any woman that could put up with me for 26 years must be a saint.

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Do Not Cross Flooded Roadways

I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday.  The weather was sketchy in our part of the state, but others had it way worse.  I send my condolences to all who lost family and friends and wish you the best.  Our area is about to feel the effects of the flooding as it works it way here.  The Guadalupe is up here, but the crest will not come until Wednesday at around 40 feet.  Lets all hope it does not hurt any more people.  We do not need any more rain.

The borderline weather kept me home, though I usually leave the Holidays to everyone else.  No need to add to the confusion.  So I spent the last couple of afternoons working on all those things that you can always find to do on a boat.  I mounted the locator on the front, thanks VOE, and was able to determine it was not an electrical issue but an issue with the front light socket.  Hopefully it will be a quick fix with a new fixture.   Other than that one thing both boats are ready to fish, and so am I!

The wind is howling right now, what is new.  It blew so hard our electric went out for a while.  It has been tough to decided when or if to go.

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I apologize for taking a little time off from the blog, but I just needed a little break.  But that said, it is time to step it back up.  One thing I have slacked off on is making videos, well that got taken care of.  2 new batteries for the GoPro will put me back in business.  I enjoyed doing them and for some reason I just did not make any in a while, but it is time to change that,

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As I write this I am watching the weather, hoping to get a day with no rain.  The Shoedog checked and I think he told me in College Station  they have had 49 days where it rained this year.

This just in from the Shoedog:

71 days now of rain- maybe 72 – right now it is raining like hell again!

We did not have that many days of rain in the last 2 or 3 years combined.  The weatherman is showing all the flooding and it is widespread.  The good news, only a 20 – 30% chance this week, but of course it will be breezy, which is the weatherman’s euphemism for blowing like hell.  So tomorrow I will get up and go from there.   If any of you who read my stuff made it to the Gulf this weekend let me know how it went.  There is no way all this fresh water is not affecting the Gulf.  Yes we needed a good flushing for the bays, but this is getting ridiculous.  Thanks for sticking with me, keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Squarebills that catch fish! 

I have been as nice as I can be.  I have put the best light on it, talked about the benefits, and even lied about how I feel about it.  Well no more -QUIT FREAKIN’ RAINING!  We give, we have had enough.  Now our forecast is for 5 more days with totals up to 5 more inches.  Talk about ruining the holiday weekend.  The Guadalupe is out of its banks and as high as I have seen it since I have lived in Victoria.  We have mowed our grass more already this year than all last.   As I write this it is pouring, I left the lake at the perfect time when the thunder and lightning started, by time I got home it was a full-scale washout.

Coves that have had lots of water coming in combined with the wind blowing in them are pretty trashy.

After I fished Monday the lovely wife called from work wanting to do something Tuesday and Wednesday.  She basically only has 2 days off on a three-week stretch so I got online and of all things the Eagles were having a concert in Austin Tuesday night called The History of the Eagles.   I got tickets, we got a room, and boy am I glad we did.  What a show.  One of the great bands of all time it was amazing as they played hit after hit.  They sang songs from their first one to their last, acoustic and electric, and of course nothing like the crazy man Joe Walsh.

So after getting home Wednesday and watching the weather report it was looking pretty sketchy.  There was no way I was heading to the Gulf, and that turned out to be a good choice.  So about 9 this morning it was not to bad so it was off to Coleto for a what I hoped would be at least a couple of hours before it came.  And that was it, 2 hours.

There really is nothing much new to report.  I talked to several people the last couple of trips and spinnerbaits and flukes in the green grass are still the ticket for most folks.  And one common theme is when you catch one you usually catch a couple.  And that was the way it was what little I fished today.

The best one of the 4 or 5 I caught this morning.

As they say he choked on it!

I was only able to fish a couple of places before the thunder started in the distance.  It is almost getting depressing.  S0 unfortunately I have nothing new to add, other than I am getting disgusted with the weather.  I had hoped to be trout fishing but the smallest chance of rain in the next 5 days is 60 – 90%.  This year if we have had a chance of rain, it has rained.

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I am officially retiring this week.  You know you are old when you are filing for your pension and your SSI.  And the old advice to wait as long as possible to file for SSI could be the mistake of your life.  Our hard working elected federal officials are looking at cuts, and those of you who are a few years younger are about to be really screwed.  And before you died in the wool dumbocrats or repubtards start blaming each other, quit it.  This mess has been brewing for decades and both parties are at fault.  Both parties have had periods where they were exclusively in control over the years and could have dealt with it, but failed.  They have all squandered our money but we keep returning them to office.  As the old saying goes you get what you pay for, and we are paying Ferrari prices and getting Dollar Store value.  I have repeatedly called for serious term limits with no pension benefits and I continue to hear the argument that it would be worse.  My only answer to that is – How?

The Arkansas Supreme Court was kind enough to let me quit.  I am still somewhat puzzled over that one, but at least I can quit paying them yearly.  The Texas license is still in place, inactive status, and the only courtroom I have any intention on entering would be if I were summoned for jury duty or maybe to pay a speeding ticket driving my wife’s Lexus.

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Whether you are lucky enough to get out and enjoy the outdoors this holiday weekend, or make some alternate plans, have a safe and fun weekend.  Be the bigger guy on the water or the highway.  Take time to enjoy family and friends.  We only get one run at this and it is over before you know it.  So be cool and have a great weekend.

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I know a lot of you come here hoping for a little saltwater information, and it isn’t happening.  Well trust me, I am with you.  The month of May is slipping away, and it is one of my favorite topwater times of the year on the Gulf.  As soon as the weather settles I promise to make it up to you.  Heck, I want to make it up to me.  We have to break out of this weather pattern soon or the Apocalypse is here, one or the other.

What, or when, is next I do not have a clue.  I just looked at the 5 day forecast and it does  not look promising.  Glad I live in a one story house, the forecast makes me want to jump out a window.  But it would look pretty stupid with my feet still in the window and my head on the ground, trying to look nonchalant.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

                       Fish Catching Travel

Squarebills that catch fish! 

I could not resist giving the lake one more try.  The hope was to find a couple of additional places with fish, and while I did find one, they are still a little spotty.  The good thing about today was while I caught a few more they ran a little bit better.  And if you catch one you will catch another.  So think about re-fishing with something different right now.

They were knocking the snot out of it first thing this morning.

I started on the main lake bank where I had my best luck yesterday.  It has the scattered green grass on it, and the fish were right on the edge.  While there was not as many bites as yesterday, when they wanted that crankbait they smacked it.

After a couple on  crankbait it was time to re-fish with the Strike King Swim Jig and I put another 3 or 4 in the boat.

You can really work them over right now.

From there I went to another main lake bank, it also has that green grass on it.  Basically I kept the boat in 5 or so feet of water and threw the 2.5 into the edge of the grass and then reeled it out with a moderate stop and go retrieve trying to tip grass or bang the bottom.  Several fish today just knocked the crap out of it but did not hook up.  And while I boated several nice fish I did lose a big one later in the morning.

She was pretty beat up.  Handle with care.

And like yesterday it seemed like one would bite here and there, but clearly if you catch more than 1 fish they are there.  I found 2 spots like that now, so if you catch a couple you know you are in the right place.  I had no luck slow rolling a spinnerbait or using a buzzbait.  But it won’t be long.  The water was a touch clearer this morning and you could see the 2.5 further down.  And one important note – if you catch one at boatside, and I caught 2, you are reeling a touch to fast.  So always look as your bait comes up to the boat, you might learn something.

Still getting used to a different camera, but this was the best fish of the day.

They really slacked off as the sun finally came out and the wind calmed some.  So about 12:30 I called it a day.  Probably about 16 – 18 came over the side today, a dozen on the KVD 2.5 and 6 or so re-fishing with the Swim Jig.  Initially I was planning on the Gulf but I could not resist trying to get a little better pattern on the lake.  The fish are shallow, and should be for a while.  With the water clearing if we can avoid more rain there is some really good fishing coming

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Clyde sent me this picture of a yellow bass he caught on his trip to Okoboji in Iowa.  Not only have I never caught one, I have never seen one.

An Okoboji yellow bass.

That is one yellow bass.  Looks like a white bass/hybrid cross in yellow.  Do we have any of these in Texas?  Are they good to eat?  One interesting looking fish.

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We really need it to quit raining.  Funny to say that after the last 3 years, but we are almost 11″ to the good and the creeks and rivers are muddy and full.  It will take a while for things to stabilize, which should clear both the lake, and places like the Powderhorn, Keller Bay, and anywhere else that has water running in to it.  It is a great time to catch a big trout on topwater, and we have a week or so before summer breaks out.  So next will be a couple of days of trout fishing.  Not really sure where yet, but looking forward to some serious wading.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Squarebills that catch fish! 

I finally made it to Coleto Creek today.  It has been way over 3 weeks and a ton of rain since I was there so I really had no preconceived notion on what I would find.  But based on my buddy Bobby’s question yesterday I did have a plan of attack.

When dealing with off colored water, and Coleto is off colored to outright muddy up lake, there area couple of things you can do to increase your chances of catching fish.   The most obvious, slow down, give the fish a chance to catch the bait.  Next, use color and vibration to help them find the bait.  I did both and had a fairly successful morning considering.

I started on the main lake close to the ramp and the plan was one point to the next with buzzbait, then if no success fish the KVD 2.5 Squarebill.

Strike King KVD 2.5 in Red Sexy Shad.  HCKVDS2.5-649.

So I fished a point to point with a buzzbait and had no bites so out came the 2.5.  I chose the Red Sexy Shad  based on experience.  When you have a clear water lake and it muddies up red is always a good color.  And the contrast on this bait between the red and gold is a good color with our brown water right now.  Good wobble, big rattles, it is a great bait for these conditions.

So as I rounded a flat point in 6 foot of water I had my first bite.

My second or third cast with the squarebill.

The bank turned into a flatter shallow main lake bank so it was perfect for the squarebill.  I was reeling it a moderate speed, stopping and pausing every so often.  And when they wanted it there was no problem, they smacked it.

This one seriously pounded it.

They were positioned on the edge of sparse grass out to about 2 feet and then isolated patches.  I think I put 4 in the boat on the first pass, so in the interest of seeing if they wanted anything else out came the Strike King Swimming Jig.  I just flat love fishing it, and with our water level it should work all year.

Spawned out and hungry.

They hit that with the same abandon as they did the squarebill, they just weren’t quite as big, though that is due to it was pass number 2.  I had one hit right at the boat and when I set the hook it flew over my head and off.  This was a good bite.

1/4 ounce Swimming Jig and a Rage Craw trailer, a great combination for shallow cover.

After I fished the bank twice I decided to more on and see what else I could find.  From there is was mostly main lake stuff and it was 3 or 4 more before I got rained out.

Not a bad morning considering how little I knew before I left the ramp.

While I mainly stuck with that squarebill, I did continue to toss the buzzbait on some really shallow grass, no luck, also tossing the frog a little, again with no luck.  I do think the frog will have his time here as soon as the rain lets up and the water clears some.   The other thing that will probably work right now is slow rolling a spinnerbait, preferably with Colorado blades for heavy thump, just tipping structure and triggering those fish.  That will have to wait for another day.  Another bait to consider is a bladed jig like the Rage Blade or the Z man, they should be able to find it.  And boy has there been a shad spawn with small shad everywhere, another thing to consider with bait selection.  A little clearing and white should come on big time, especially in the Swim Jig.

It got dirtier and dirtier the further up lake you went.  After rounding the big bend the mud was moving right along.  They obviously have a gate or two open as the creek is out of its banks, and the water is right to the top of the piers at the ramp.  If they were not letting water out there would be no ramp.  The fishing declined the further up the lake I went.  But it was hard to get a real feel because at around 10 you could hear thunder in the distance and I started heading towards the ramp.   It started to rain some, and then about 10:45 it started to pour and blow.  This weather is driving me nuts.  So after a 4 hour trip it was time to quit, and boy did I get wet on the way in.  It was 10 or 11 for the morning, which I called a success as I am no dirty water fisherman by any standard.

I have not decided on where Monday morning, it will be really weather dependant,  but I will be wetting a line somewhere.  I am finally feeling a little more back in the groove and putting a few fish in the boat today did not hurt my feelings none.

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Last post I asked if anyone was fishing Fayette and Rusty answered.  One thing you can take away from his report is what I try to tell folks all the time – Do what you are good at.  There are lots of ways to catch fish on our lakes right now, so don’t go crazy with this bait or that, just fish what and how you like.

 Fayette has been fishing has been good.  Swim jigs,  senko’s,  lizards, and chatterbaits have all been working.  Just been dropping in on the lake in between storms for a few hours at a time.  LCRA did drop the lake about a foot, I guesss to make room for all the rain. Tilapia and needle nose gar are spawning,  Last trip, I must have seen 25 water snakes swimming around,  maybe they were in mating season.
Tight lines, Rusty

Thanks Rusty, the weather has played havoc on us this last month.  Heck today it rained cats and dogs and ran me off the lake.  If you see a Smokercraft aluminum boat on Fayette it is me and the Shoedog.  We are going to try to fish it in the next week or so.

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Jay dropped me a note after I posted about losing my raincoat.

Redfishlaw,
I was recently in the market for a new suit.
Picked up a Frabill F3 on Amazon cheaper than anywhere else.
Recently fished an all day deluge on Tawakoni, not a drop felt!
Jay

Funny you should mention that suit, I looked at one a while ago and it seemed like a good suit.  They make lots of good fishing products and looks like the suit is one of them.   Definitely a good endorsement, thanks.

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Clyde dropped me this note and picture from his trip to Lake Okoboji.   Situated in northern Iowa near the Minnesota border it is actually a chain of lakes along with several other lakes.  Funny he would be there right now, I just read an online article listing the top 11 fishing destinations and Okoboji was one of them.

Last night at Fillenwarth Lodge;built 1920; great people (out from behind the desk every time we walked in);

crystal clear developed glacier lake; caught huge bluegills;few crappies;tons of yellow Bass; some largemouth on trick worm;smallmouth on spinner bait; couldn’t figure the walleye out;green moss on rocks limited you presentation options; everyone very courteous on the water; best movement of the trip was monster pike clearing the water on his first pass at a yellow bass she was reeling in. Then missing two more times;nice mini vacation in very historical area ; one of the bait shops owners was written about by Doug Stange in this months InFisherman ;very cool;

brought enough bluegills home to eat and did some serious relaxing! Makes me really appreciate the whole fishing lifestyle that I love like all your readers Doug!

I checked out their website and it looks like a cool place.  And what I read about the fishing sounds like a good place to fish and relax.  Glad to know you and Maria are fine.  Seeing those big gills makes me think of a post ice fishing fish fry.  It won’t be long now, Ontario here we come.  See you soon.

http://www.fillenwarthbeach.com/

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 Terry, our buddy in Nebraska who send us reports off and on, sent this to Shoedog and me, and boy is this a nice bunch of fish.  It has fish fry written all over it!

A buddy of mine, Rick Roby and his side kick Jeff Comiture (?) took the week off to fish this week, as you can see had pretty good success. Master angler Crappie and walleye in a hour. Crappie over 15″

and walleye over 28″.

They had a fantastic day on Thursday as you can see by the pile of fish at the cleaning station. Weather hampered the efforts most of the week, 25 plus mph winds. But when it settled, the bite was on. Most of the crappie were 13″ to 15″.

Shoe dog and I fished this lake a couple of times back in the day. Kirwin-Reservoir in north central Kansas. This lake has the potential to produce 17″ to 18″ crappie. Only if I had time! Maybe after the first of the month. Eric Church this Wednesday and my God sons graduation this Memorial Day weekend in SE Iowa. Then I might be able to wet a line. Next pictures are going to have me in them, hopefully. Thanks for the posts! At least you give me some what of a FF. ( fishing fix). Keep up the good work. 

Not only is that a really nice mess of soon to be filets, look at the size of some of those crappies.  Those are flat good ones.  So nice job guys, you boys know how to catch them and we feel your pain dealing with the wind.  And thanks for the report Terry, it won’t be long until you are back on the water.  So keep in touch and I can’t wait to see your next set of pictures.

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Nice to hear the folks in the Midwest are catching them.  One thing I am really lax on is fishing for panfish.  You would think someone who cut his teeth on them would fish them a little more often.  Plus they are great to eat!  Nothing any better than crispy bluegill filets, yummmm.   Thanks for the reports and comments guys, we love to share them with everyone.  Keep those cards and letters coming.   It will be off to the water somewhere in the morning, so keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines