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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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,

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

 ************************

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.

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

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.

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

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/

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

 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.

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

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

Fish Catching Travel

Not just for bass anymore. 

I had hoped to hit Coleto yesterday but the front moving in around noon Friday looked kind of ugly, and it turned out to be just that.  In fact, once it started raining it rained for about 4 hours give or take a little and we got around 2″.  That puts us over 10″ ahead already for the year, a big difference from the last 3 years where we were always over 10″ down.

Today we had a shower or two in the morning , and it is starting to clear some right now.  I thought about going some today but the wind is supposed to blow 30 mph, so no fishing today, but I plan on being on the lake first thing in the morning.  And as I look at the window it is clearing but the trees are really shaking.  Hope it gets it out of its system.

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

I got another good report from Aaron up in Austin, he is still catching those bass.

Hey Doug,

Thanks for the salt report.  I’m hoping to get down there in the next couple weeks pending some cooperative weather.  My folks on Coleto are giving me the same reports – full and murky.  I may focus on the gulf if Coleto doesn’t clear up.

I hit the river one more time and had another good day on topwater – 18 fish with a couple over 20”.  Attached is a pic of the day’s best at 21”.  Caught the other fish as I waited for my buddy to paddle over and snap the photo.

I keep in touch if I’m able to get down there later this month.  , forward to some more reports from your home waters.

Aaron

Looks like you are having a good run on topwater.  If I remember correctly it was topwater last time you sent a couple of pictures.  Hopefully I will get back in the groove down here with the weather report straightening out nicely.  I am real interested in how Coleto is fishing right now, not having seen it yet so who knows how that will go.  So keep in touch and thanks for the report.

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

Anybody got a Fayette County report?  I would like to make it back there before we get full summer hot, so if you know anything drop me a line.  And Clyde, how did it go on O

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

About the only other thing repeating is I managed to lose my raincoat.  I got it at Cabela’s by waiting until it was less than $100 and was thrilled when it got that cheap on sale.  The last thing I knew it was in a bag when I headed out to meet Chris to fish Thursday.  Unfortunately it is gone, who knows where.  We just got back from 2 weeks of hard fishing and hardly broke or lost anything.  Dang it.

Unfortunately not much else to tell you today.  I will be on Coleto at daylight in the morning and am really interested in what I will find.  Then Monday it will be the Gulf somewhere, though it will probably not be POC.  After Warriors Weekend they could use a day or two of rest.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

A bait for whatever you fish for!

Korbin fishing away.  This was me, you, all of us who got our first real taste of fishing and never got over it.  Sometimes I still feel like that little boy.

I actually got on the water today.  My buddy Chris wanted to go today so he and his dad and I headed to POC.  There was a chance of rain but it looked good on the way down.  Chris wanted to start in the Lagoon, one of his tried and true holes, so we headed down the barge canal and went in at Army Cut.

The water was up and real off colored but the minute we entered the Lagoon it cleared up.  Our first drift was all the way down until it opens up into the bay.  The wind was blowing right in, but the reef kept it manageable.  Before we left we made about 5 drifts in there and had a couple of trout and one red.  I missed a couple of fish, oh well.  Other than that is was slow.

Chris with the first redfish.

From there we decided to do some wading so we headed to Grass Island in front of the big back lake.  The wind was blowing out of there so we worked that area over pretty good.  We fished in and out, plastics, topwater, and just could not get any bites.  I think the total there was 2 ladyfish.  So off to Big Pocket.

We made a couple of drifts in there, and other than maybe a bite, there was nothing going on, or we were not on them.  But whatever the case, we were just not getting the bites.  We snuck out the back way into the J Hook and when we came out there were lots of birds working near Cavallo, so we made several passes there without success.  So back to the Lagoon.  At least we were getting a few bites in there.  On our first pass we had several trout on, but for some reason they did not make it in the boat.

We noticed the bites came halfway across on the windy side so we made shorter drifts and at least we were getting the bites.  I finally boated a nice redfish on the Redfish Magic, and when we went to take a picture it slipped out of my hand, hit the rail, and back in he went.  So no picture of that guy.

Before we finally quit  Chris caught a short red and I boated a short trout.  For the day it was 3 redfish, and probably 3 or 4 trout made it in the boat.  The water color in and around POC is terribly brown.  The water temp was 76 when we started the day and of course the wind blew pretty hard as the day wore on.  We could have probably done a little better with bank selection, but it sure seemed once we were out of that really clear water in the Lagoon the fishing just stopped.  So a so-so day, but it was good to be home, high winds and off colored water, life is perfect.

They are setting up for Warrior’s Weekend so POC will be a jammed packed mess, but for a great cause.  So unless you are fishing or saluting the Vets, give POC a wide berth, it will be busy.

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

I need to catch up on a few comments so here we go.

Hey dude glad you had a good time in florida. The lake is plum full last time I was there the water was so dirty I did not get one bite! Anyway what do you recommend to throw this time of year?

Thanks Bobby

Good to hear from you and the locator you gave me works great.  Not the best Coleto report I have heard lately.  Normally I would be trying to decided between buzzbait and frog, but if it is too off color slowing down is the first order of business.  But until I see the color, which I hope is tomorrow, I couldn’t make a guess.  And of course we got more rain, with more in the forecast, so look for it to get worse before it gets better.  If the weather holds I will get something up in a day or two, even if it is a strike out.

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

Redfishlaw,
I’ve enjoyed your blog for some time.
Finally subscribed and started following.
When I originally retired from the Army here in Central Texas due to as Lyle Lovett puts it “Texas girls are better” I picked up fishing after the long break from my childhood.
Originally it was pickles on LA, which has broadened into a larger boat and multi-species pursuits mostly on Lake Travis and Buchanan for now. But have also included angling adventures from Curacoa to Latvia. Looking forward to my 1st North Country trip later this year or next to Northwest Ontario.  Really enjoyed your recent adventure to the Sunshine State.
Thanks again,
Jay

Welcome aboard, glad to have you.  We would love to hear from you anytime you want to send a report or pictures.  This site is for you guys, and I love it when you use it.  And we are also starting to think about our trip to Ontario and Lake of the Woods in August.  If you have never done it you will be impressed.  Ontario is one of the great fishing destinations on the planet.  I appreciate you reading this stuff and feel free to contact me anytime.

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

I am slowly getting back in the swing of things.  Tomorrow, unless it gets to ugly, a trip to Coleto is on tap.  I will leave the salt to the Vets this weekend.  There are still some things to be done with the boat, including a new trailer jack, putting the cap on the oil fill, and then finding a place to get the couple of seats recovered.  Oh the joys of boat ownership, just keep tossing out the $$$$.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The best lure company in the world.

I would be hitting the lake some today but our weather remains spotty.  It rained all night and according to the weatherman it may rain up to 6″ before it is over.  While it is keeping me home it is nice as we continue to recover from the drought which settled over this area around 3 years ago.  The rivers are full, the ground is saturated, and it would be nice if it would spread out just a little more.  But no complaints, rather to much than to little.

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

After making the time and effort to take a long trip like our Florida trip it is time to take a look back at a little of the good and the bad.

Moving to a different area was fun, totally different fishing, but we also lost what we learned about the first place when we moved.  When I do it again I will definitely stay in the same place.  You can greatly enhance your chance for success by keeping it to one place.  The Everglades is a big place and 2 weeks is actually only scraping the surface.  Plus the islands give you places to fish no matter what the wind.  We have definitely learned a similar lesson by staying in Canada for 2 weeks instead of one.

Don’t try to do to much.  Concentrate on what you are there for and try not to get distracted.  You can’t learn a new area, and catch everything that swims, so keep your eyes on the prize.  When they say 30 – 50 lb fluro leader  there they are not kidding.  When the big one comes you need to be able to put the brakes on or they are gone in the mangroves.

Ramp access was so nice compared to our dearth of ramps in this area.  And I give Florida a lot of credit for their highway on ramps.  I think many of the Texas ramps were designed by a crackhead.   If I did not like to fish Louisiana so much I would never drive on I10 again.  Their interstate is the worst I have ever driven on.  They probably need to investigate whoever is in charge, shoddy or incompetent.  The highest and lowest priced gas on the trip both came in Texas.

Lots of sea grass is really a good thing.  And the no wake idle zones are also a good thing.  And we saw very few people getting up in really shallow water and messing up the grass.  Ripping up the bottom to get on plane is a bad thing no matter how you shake a stick at it.  And the speed limit in the Everglades was 30 mph in marked channel and 20 mph outside it.  It is not all about us and our fast boats – it is about the sea life that rely on the grass, and I am for any regulation that further protects it.

As I said before if you can not take traffic lots of Florida is not for you.  People zipping right by, dropping anchor in the way of your drift, stopping to watch you catch a fish, it would drive lots of Texas guides to heavier drink, or killin’s, one or the other.  There is not just potlicking going on, there is full scale piling on, it is something.  But if you think it will stay better here in Texas you have another thing coming.  The world is migrating to the water, and we have some good stuff here in Texas.  These are the good old days, enjoy them while you can.

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

And here is a little taste of Arkansas.

A couple of bruiser Arkansas Walleyes.

Clyde picked these up bass fishing at night on Lake Norfork.  He was using a jig and frog and I can just imagine them thumping it as I write this.  Nice job Clyde, those are a couple of nice big walleyes.  Only a couple of months to Canada!

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

I am writing this as the AC guys do their maintenance on the unit, and then depending on the possible storms I will try to get to Coleto.  (Pouring so that is not happening.)  I am sure the water is high so I can not wait to narrow it down, frog or buzzbait, it should be one or the other.

(This is an ad.  If you want fair, and good, AC work call Shannon at Victoria Appliance and AC.  Good dudes and will treat you right.  I have used him for several years now and can not recommend him any more highly.  He is honest.)

As far as the Gulf, storms are forecast for the whole week, so as soon as there is a break in the weather I will head that way.  Thinking about trying to work out a couple of day trip to Baffin, not sure if I can get it done but would like to figure it out.  Florida has some good trout, but Baffin is still the place to catch that lifetime fish, and since I did not get it done last time it left a bad taste in my mouth.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines