Fish Catching Travel

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Fish Catching Travel

The reports of the last couple of days have generated a few comments and I wanted to share some of them with you.

Ken, one of the Austin bunch, sent me this comment on his recent trip to the salt and one to freshwater…..

Nice report Doug! J 

Cindy and I got onto a few trout in Lavaca river at the end of December – 15 fish, 4 keeps, nice day trip. Water temp that day started at 52 degrees after two really cold days and warmed to 58 by 3PM. They wanted small baits with chartreuse tails worked really slow on the bottom. 

Yesterday we fished for crappie with Jess Rotherman on the Colorado arm of lake LBJ – tough bite but we got 17 keeper crappie and a white bass – also caught a few goo, a LMB and a blue cat. Is that an LBJ slam? J 

Later, Ken

A slam is what you make it, and crappie fishing you never know what you might catch.  My best is a 20lb. striper on 4lb line.  And sounds like your last river trip was the way most of the river reports are right now.  Just got a report of someone with a couple of days on Garcitis and the best he did was 3 keepers one day.  So good to hear from you and keep those comments coming.

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I got this from Jim, who struggled some this weekend.

Nice report on the trout, I am going to have to find that Bayou; Yes?  Seadrift 17JAN: The parking lot in was packed with empty trailers.  Not sure what the ratio of duck hunters were to fishermen.   I hit San Antonio Bay and the Barge Canal towards BP on the 18th, Saturday.  So, a little background; the game warden recently told the launch owners there in Seadrift that we fishermen could not throw the cleaned carcass of fish in the water at the cleaning station.  Additionally, we could not toss them in a container box for local crabbers to use either; so into the nearby dumpster they go.  I looked in the dumpster after striking out on the fishing Saturday.  It was about 3:30 and not to my surprise I counted 7 trout and 1 small Red; that’s It!  (EYE, Twas was a hard day for any fisherman Mate).  I believe the oyster boats have that water so messed up right now that the fish have moved on and when you combine the super low water there well good enough to satisfy my hurt.  Certainly it was not my  lack of skill; Ya Think?

I am sure it had nothing to do with your fishing prowess, must have been the conditions.  In fact, we talked to the guy at the ramp at Charlie’s and he said they were seeing very few trout.  And I was surprised first time I cleaned fish at Seadrift that you could not throw them in the water.  Not sure what the rational is, but I suspect it is lack of water movement and the occasional super low tide leaving a pile of heads and tails at the ramp.  So thanks for commenting and reading my stuff.

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And Keith had a similar problem……

I read your blog at least every 2 days.  This morning I read your post for 1/19 and it disturbed me because my girl and I fished roughly some of the same spots you did.  We started off in the cut going to bill days reef the one with the houses  along each side, fished mainly the left side down past where the duck hunters were yesterday morning.  I was throwing down south plastics and also a top water.  NOTHING.
next the coast guard flat I waded she fished live shrimp.  NOTHING next off to a cut on the left way down past the oil cut I believe it is called wittakers cut on the left heading towards big pocket, again waded (nasty mud hard wade) then to Grass Island the funny thing is I am 45 years old and fish POC quite often and am an avid artificial guys.  Right at the mouth of the inlet into grass island I had a first in my life experience yesterday.   I CAUGHT AN 18 INCH MULLET HOOKED SQUARE IN THE MOUTH ON THE DOWN SOUTH.  Go figure my only fish of the day.  Then we had to go pick up our decoys south of the army cut and get back to froggies and head home to Canyon Lake.  Glad you did great, enjoy reading your stuff, just miffed me this morning knowing we fished the same water and all we got was a mullet.  I wish I had my phone with me to take a picture of the mullet with the down south in it’s mouth, to far of a walk back to the boat.  Oh well maybe next weekend will be better.  I live for the days the water looked like it did yesterday not all that common in POC.
Again thanks for doing what you do and writing as you do it is very enjoyable toread and although I have never met you feel like if I ran into you at Froggies I could talk to you like a friend.  Keep it up, thanks.
Keith

Anytime you see me at the dock, or anywhere else for that matter, say Hi, it puts a face to folks I only know via the site.  And as far as your day, I feel your pain.   It really does suck when you have it tough and then someone else whacks them.  It is interesting that other than the one place we limited, in 2 days we caught a total of 5 keeper trout.  It is tough right now, it is just that simple.  The mullet thing is cool, have not had that happen, yet.  So thanks for your kind words, I appreciate them.

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And of course I heard from my favorite salty dog………..

Great report! Keep hitting the salt, after all thats what the poll sez. LOL

I hear you Rick, the tribe has spoken and I may be slow but I am not stupid.  Expect the number of salt reports to go up this year.  (But I did slip off to the lake and that report is coming soon.)

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Voe dropped me this comment, and he must have been reading my mind.  I lost your email and was wanting it so I could take you with me to the the salt some time………

Hey Doug,

Sounds like a good time for sure.  I’ll be heading out to the Powderhorn area tomorrow as suggested last week.  Probably put in at FM1258, might even venture out into the Ranch shoreline.  Maybe we’ll even pass by each other for a quick chat.

Good Luck Voe

Hope you caught some and am looking forward to hearing your report.  The Powderhorn can be great and it is well worth your time to explore and learn.  And I have caught some of my biggest redfish there.

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Matt I am not sure how I can help you much with this one……….

Saw you backing in the driveway while I was cooking supper.  I’ll say I might me a little jealous you were fishing while I was working.

There is always quitting your job, selling the house, buying a mobile home, leaving everyone behind, and moving to POC to start guiding.  I did that when I was 20, a lot easier to do then than later with family and adult responsibilities.  Plus, there are so many guides in POC that they have to wear badges so they don’t guide each other.

And not wanting to rag on guides, been there done that, but I did have an interesting conversation with a “guide” on the water 2 days ago who was looking for drum for a guide trip the next day.  He gave me some guff because I said we have been catching drum on the Down South.  In fact his comment was “On lures?  Come on brother.”  2 things to say about that.  1.  I think the Shoedog boated around 200lbs of drum on plastics the very next day.  2.  You are a guide and have not caught a drum on plastics?  Done a lot of fishing on the bay have you?  I hope for your customers sake you had a good day.

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And our buddy Clyde put in his 2 cents worth on drones……….

Amen on banning drones!

I am right there with you hommie.

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And one last thing about Monday.  It was just last time that the Shoedog was here that we left a trail of money as we zipped across the bay.  Well Monday we had to make a quick U-turn and pick up a $20 that blew out of his pocket.  I guess that boy has more money than he knows what to do with.  But I don’t have any room to talk, I lost a box with 5 or 6 topwaters on the lake somewhere today.

That about catches up on a few things that have been ignored while we were fishing.  It is so good to hear from all of you, your comments are always appreciated.  Unfortunately the weather is going to deteriorate the next few days, but if it includes the rain that were are supposed to get it will be great.  We are over 20″ down the last 2 years and anything is better than nothing.  And I have another fishing report I will get posted soon.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

                                                 Home of the Redfish Magic.

Flats fish love them!

Fish Catching Travel

It was up early, then a foggy drive to Charlie’s.  We got there about 8 when it was just starting to clear.  The original plan was to fish Shoalwater, then down to Panther Reef, and then a drift or two on the island side.  Well we actually got all that done.  But along the way the Shoedog had what can only be termed as an epic day.

This was the lucky halo that followed the Shoedog around today.

We started out drifting in Shoalwater trying to sack a few trout.  The morning fishing was slow, and while we caught about 20, only 2 were keepers.  Then a big fog moved in around 10 staying until about noon, which did not help the fishing.  The fish we did catch were off the end of the first point on the left in about 2 foot of water.  We would catch a few, then one here and there, about half were in the 14 to 15 range.  Most were along the edges of grass patches, and a drift parallel to the grass got the most strikes.  And then it started ……………….

Number 1.  8lb line and a green Yum Houdini Shad.

The fog was lifting when the Shoedog reared back on one and it was an epic struggle.  He played it perfect and I slid her in the net after about 15 minutes.  He fought that fish perfect and it was a cool fight on that light lines.  Then around noon we left Shoalwater and went all the way to Panther Reef.  It was so calm today the ride was a breeze.  We idled in from about 5 foot to the edge of the reef, and here we go again……………

Number 2.  Look at the size of this thing.

Now you would think that 2 this size on trout gear without breaking them off would be enough.  But no.  After catching the one above he was letting his line out without a bait on it to get the kinks out from the long fight when some swim by.  So of course he picks up my spare spinning rod that had a Down South tied on and ……..

Number 3.  This one came on the Down South paddle tail in the Magic Grass color.  We think this was his biggest.

So in a matter of 15 minutes he backed to back these 2, no small feat on light tackle.  After fishing the reef with no trout bites we headed down the island and stopped in front of a couple of back lakes, drifting and throwing plastics, but we just did not get the bites.  I mean any bites.  It was about 3 so we headed back to hit Shoalwater on the way in and drift where we caught them this morning.  And of course……………………

Number 4.  An epic day for light tackle fishing.  It was flat ridiculous. 

You have to hand it to Shoedog.  These were all really big fish, 3 on 8lb. test and one on 10lb.  The fights were long and pretty epic struggles, and after he caught the  first one there was no doubt we were going to land all of them no matter what.  They are such a powerful fish but it is simply a matter of taking it easy and following with the boat.  And they were stamped out of the same mold, big.

And green was clearly the color.  The first 2 he caught he caught on the Yum, and then he picked up my rod which had a Magic Grass (green with a Chartreuse tail) Down South and catches his next one.  They were clearly roaming the flats today in big bunches and we saw quite a few today.  If you are a fly fisherman and want to catch a big fish, the black drum are out there right now.

And though we only kept 3 trout, between the morning and the afternoon drifts in Shoalwater, we caught an easy 40 plus, they just didn’t make the grade.  But it was fun and mixing in the big blacks made it an awesome fishing trip.  It may be a day or two before the Shoedog tops today, but it sure won’t stop him from trying.

It has been a great couple of days and it was nice to get back in to the swing of things.  Of course the weather wasn’t helping but today was the weather that I dream of in January in South Texas.  It is a great time to catch a big fish, and we sure got that done today.  And this no wind thing has been wonderful.  We never did make a wade, so that is next on my Gulf agenda.

The fishing reports I have seen or heard are not that great.  And with the way our trout fishing has gone the last couple of days I can see how it happens.  If you are on them you are in business, if you are not in quite the right spot the fishing is tough.  They are not just scattered around right now.  It also seems that if you catch the good ones they are easy keepers, if not, they all run small.

I have some interesting comments and reports from other folks that I will get posted tomorrow, but right now I am calling it a day.  But I will get to them on as soon as I am done fishing tomorrow.  Shoedog is going to stay another day, so it will be up early and on the water first thing.  Hopefully our day will be as close to epic as today was.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Home of the Redfish Magic.

Fish Catching Travel

The Shoedog finally shook loose from his remodel job and plans were made to hit the Gulf.  We got to the ramp about 8 and there was only a few trucks in the lot so we in the water in nothing flat.  After waiting a couple of days to fish I was chomping at the bit.

The water temp was 53 degrees at the ramp, the sun was shining, and low and behold it was dead calm.  The drain I have fished the last couple of trips in Big Bayou has been holding some nice trout so that was the first stop on the agenda.  I was throwing the Down South plastic in the Chicken of the C Southern Shad and Shoedog was throwing a Yumm plastic that was similar.

The tide was falling pretty quickly when we got to the bayou.  We headed down the last channel bank at the end of the bayou and right off the bat caught 3 rat reds.  When we got to the end of the island we found the trout in a small drain where it emptied into the deeper water and the catching began.

We started off with a double.

In the blink of an eye we caught a limit.  They were 1-3 foot deep and as we worked the bait out of the cut, and then let it fall on the drop, they would eat it.  It wasn’t one of those they were making the line jump thing, they were just there when you lifted up.

They love the Down South Lures plastic.

Check them out here.  Ask your local tackle store.

We ended up catching 12 in an area about the size of my living room and they were a little better than average.  As soon as we had the limit in the box it was time for a move.  Like the comment the other day, I felt like the dog who caught the car, now what?

Heck we just got here.

We headed up to the Oil Cut and did the usual trolling motor and tossing it to the bank thing.  I don’t think we had a bite anywhere near the entrance.  The best area turned out to be the last big arm on the right.  Redfish was the target at this point, Shoedog threw the Strike King Redfish Magic and I stayed with the plastic.

Redfish are one tough fish.

These pictures do not do justice to how broken this guy was.

We fished a good bunch of the Oil Cut and probably caught 6 or 7 reds.  I caught one in the there that just touched 20, so he went back.  Then I caught the one above, who was bent right in the middle.  Shoedog caught one on the Redfish Magic.

The only one that fell for a spinnerbait today.

I think we caught maybe one or two small trout, and I put a small flounder in the boat.  The whole time we were in there it was a fairly slack tide, and though we caught fish, it was one here and one there.  Late in the afternoon the tide started to move so we stopped at the old coast Guard ruin and drifted that flat, which was a complete bust.  On the way back to Big Bayou we stopped and fished a couple of drains in Mitchell’s Cut.

We probably caught 3 or 4 trout in front of those so we kept on going.  To finish our day we went back to make a pass on the place we limited.  To make a long story short we put a few more reds in the boat, another flounder, and worked our way through another 20 trout, though they were more scattered and were actively feeding.  You could feel them thumping it much better in the afternoon.  We left them biting and headed back to Froggie’s to clean fish.

For the day it was probably 30 or so trout, a dozen reds, and a couple of flounder.  Neither the reds or the flounder made the grade, but we were happy to catch them.  The weather was fantastic, the bite was steady though nor spectacular, and a good time was had by all.  I managed to break one red off in a dock and Shoedog broke off what was a good trout.  Not bad considering we both were throwing 8lb. test most of the time.

Tomorrow the weather looks even better so it will be back to the Gulf first thing in the morning.  Now where exactly I have no clue.  It will be get up, load up, and make a decision at the end of the driveway.  We may do a little wading tomorrow, good way to make sure neither of our waders are leaking before we hit Baffin.  So keep stopping in, there is lots more fishing to come this week.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Thanks to these fine sponsors.

Fish Catching Travel

Today is a getting my stuff together day in anticipation of a stretch of serious fishing.  The boss starts a weeks rotation, and then she is on the big bird and gone to visit her family.  For me that means I have about 10 days with no responsibilities.  And with the weather shaping up, the Shoedog shaking loose a couple of days, it will be one of those periods where I make up for all those days I didn’t fish in the last couple of weeks.  Plus, spring is just peaking its head up and it is time to let the real fishing begin.

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Joe dropped me line concerning using drones and brought up a few uses I don’t have a real problem with.

And you didnt go fishing in Austin??? Whats wrong with you ???

Drone concern, I’m thinking it would be a good tool if you can fly a line to an area like a spillway for some catfish that is roped off, or over a break wall. Release the line be in business. I’ve been thinking of a remote boat to do the same thing.

But on the other hand too many flying around could cause a problem. It goes down and your screwed. Its almost the same as people using cameras and feeders to get deer and hogs. But using a drone to find places to fish or hidden coves could be of use.

So I’m 50/50 on the drone issue.

I don’t have a problem when folks use the radio controlled boats to get baits to a tailrace, so that is a good point.  The same with using one to fly over and area adjacent to big water to look for out of the way places you might otherwise miss.  But for me it comes down to the slippery slope, one use is ok and another isn’t?  Thanks for the comment Joe, how about the rest of you, any opinion?

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While we in South Texas are getting ready for pre-spawn bass and warming flats with big trout, folks up north are still in the midst of winter.  For outdoorsman who live in the north country it just means you have to get at those fish another way.

Went ice fishing at Davis Creek Saturday and had a great day. We caught 66 Croppie 11 to 14 inches and 10 white bass. Also one 15 pound catfish that was a pretty good tug. We caught a lot of the Croppie’s on teardrops and wax worms and jigging raps. Anywhere from 15 feet to 25 feet. Most of the lake was covered with 12 inches of ice. Davis Creek is one of the most dangerous lakes to ice fish because of underwater springs. But the weather has been so cold for 10 days that it had a good ice on it. I’ll send you a couple of pictures of the fish we caught.

Shoedog’s good buddy Terry Roth from Nebraska sent me this comment along with a picture of the results.

 Can you say fish fry!

Nice bunch of fish, looks like you guys had a great day.  The only thing I have to add is you need to get done here some time and let us put you on some redfish.  Once you go red you never go back.  Thanks for the story, always good to hear from you.

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 With family visits, the holidays, and his ongoing construction project, the Shoedog has not gotten any fishing in the last month but he finally slid out yesterday and sent this along.

“Back on the water- Finally!

Between rotten weather and remodeling projects at home I have not been on the water in weeks- so sunshine, 60 degrees and it was time to get out there.

I finally decided to hit Lake Somerville as it is close by and full of water. Hadn’t been there in a while- last couple trips were disappointing, but, hey- it has fish and I have had some good trips in the past. I put in at the state park ramp down by the damn and marina. Got on the water about 1 pm and it was a beautiful afternoon. No wind- unusual for Somerville for sure.

I headed out past the island just outside the marina cove where a couple boats were anchored crappie fishing and went to an area between the island and the shore that we have caught some in the past. I started out in 12-15 feet throwing my #10 gold  Rapala Husky Jerk- fished it for a good hour with no bites. Moved back around the other side of the island and started working back around it to see if I could catch some. I switched to a larger #12 husky Jerk in silver- probably backwards of what most people would do- smaller and slower in cold water. But I was jerking and twitching slower than my usual speed.

Half way around the island I finally got a bite- had some wight to it and one of those funny pulls that you can’t tell what it is at first- felt like a big catfish or a drum but it turned out to be a real nice bass- around 5 pounds I guess- that I hooked in the back as he hit at the bait. Still a nice fish- it had that pure Florida strain look to it- compact, short tail and SOLID!

Anyway, I let him go and was talking with a couple gents anchored off a bit crappie fishing and my next cast I caught a nice channel cat- right up on the bank- let it go and on the next cast I caught another nice catfish! 3 casts- 3 fish- after an hour and a half of nothing- that’s fishing for you!

I finished out the area and left to go and see if I could find some white bass and hybrids, so I headed across the lake to a reef area with some deeper water near that has produced in the past. I trolled a Strike King Redeye Shad for a bit with no luck. I went out in 25-26 feet where I was marking quite a few baitfish and some larger fish as well to try some jigging. Gave that a while and nothing.

So I tried trolling a deeper bait- an old Storm Deep Thunderstick Jr. that has produced a lot of fish for me over the years, but again- nada.  I went back over to the area where I caught fish earlier to finish out until dark but had no luck.

So- all 3 bites in 3 casts- otherwise not a bite all afternoon. I guess that’s why we call it fishing and not catching! But it felt good to be on the water- tomorrow it is painting time inside our new building- oh boy! But looking forward to Monday and Tuesday on the water with fishcatchingtravel.com.  Stop in and see what happens.”

I think I have fished Somerville with him 4 or 5 times, and other than white bass and hybrids, have not had any real success catching bass there.   But when the whites are biting there 50 fish days are not that uncommon.  And nice jerk bait bass, seems like those in that class really like that jerk bait.  And lastly, when you start catching catfish on lures in the spring the good fishing is right around the corner.  Last spring a bunch of them fell victim to the Strike King Swim Jig on Coleto.

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Today is the day, the first warm day in a while, and I intend to use it by emptying everything out of the boat and washing it all.  It is always interesting to see what you will find when you do empty the boat.  And it is the only way to get the compartments clean.  I remember when we bought the boat the ad said it had watertight compartments.  Of course in a boat such a thing does not exist.  In the words of an old plumber – “The only place a water will not get is up a frog’s butt.”

Then it will be take all the tackle and rods and reels to the tackle room for a good going over.  It kind of feels like preparing for a long trip, making sure everything is working and in order.  In a way that is exactly what it is, spring is here and we are about to get after it.  And of course it won’t get done once we get to fishing. First it is the Shoedog for a couple of days, then I think I might make a Baffin trip later in the week.

This $1.80 gas is a thing of beauty.  I know it might have some adverse affects on the economy. but it is nothing but a positive thing for fishcatchingtravel.com.  Gas is by far the biggest expense in fishing, and when you fish by yourself a lot it ain’t cheap.  So for the foreseeable future we will take advantage of it.  At least that is as good an excuse as I can come up with to fish more.

So now I am headed out the door.  As a side affect of power washing stuff I am going to set up a real wash station in the carport, something I have been planning on doing for a while now.  It will be so nice to pull the boat under and be able to flush the engine, powerwash the hull, and clean fish, all without messing with moving hoses.  So next time you stop by there will be a report, with many more to follow.  I really do feel like I am preparing for a long trip, because I am, it is called spring.  And if you fished this weekend hope you whacked them,  cause I will clean up behind you this week.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

  Home of the Redfish Magic.

                        Trout Love Em!      

Fish Catching Travel

The weather is within hours of breaking.  It is still cloudy this morning but the sun is supposed to come out and our warming trend will begin.  And from the looks of it we will be back to seasonal norms with highs in the 60’s becoming the norm.  The great thing about that is I know what is coming.

As soon as we have a week or more of sun, and then the clouds and rain move in, and it stays warm at the same time, it will be game on.  Looking back over the years some of my biggest bass came on that day, the perfect storm.  So I will sit back and wait and watch, and lets see when it happens in a week or two if I can predict when it will happen.

Until then it is time to do some serious trout fishing.  They also are happy when the temps increase and spring finally gets here.  With the big trout trip coming up in a 3 weeks it is time to hit the bay and do some wading.  Both to check the leak and to practice my corky fishing.

A few years ago I bought a rod at Academy that was cheap because it was part of a combo where the reel was stolen.  It became my favorite trout rod for a couple of years.  I had the guides fixed a couple of times and then I finally broke it.  Well I found another one the other day and boy am I happy.  While I am no corky master, that rod was the best one I found for corky fishing.  So time to hit the bay.

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I heard from Mac on an issue I had not even thought about.  So read his comment and then let me know what you think.  I already know where I stand.

Doug–For many years I have combined fishing and hunting together in stalking our elusive redfish.   There is nothing more rewarding than roaming a crystal clear flat, scanning the skinny water  for fish.

I hope to continue to fish this way but now a new culprit is about to show up on our Texas flats.  It is hard enough to pursue fish with crowds ever increasing on our waters.

Florida now has discovered the Drones, equipped with cameras,  in locating schools of redfish, and then just cruising in on the schools.   They are used also offshore in locating ling, sailfish and other varieties of fish.   Drones  could maneuver around  without disturbing the fish, thus making them easy pickings.

I am sure we are going to  get this method migrating to Texas.  Louisiana  now is seeing them.

What is happening to fishing nowdays?   I do not want to have to compete with  drones in catching fish.

I do not run the fish and wildlife dept or make the laws, and a lot of people have already criticized my views, but I am just voicing my concerns before every boat around is equipped with these to use, above the water.

As a member of CCA and other conservation groups , I just wonder what they and others think.  You are always not afraid to express your opinions and maybe  I could get your view on this .   Whatever is your opinion goes right with me.  Others say drones will not hinder any fishing.    If I am on a cast and blast trip, I may make mistake a drone for a bull sprig and load some  #6 shot  at it.

Whoops–not really, for the owner may come back with another one and use it to drop a bomb on my boat with me in it.

Drones are here-can we live with them on the  shallow water?   Mac

I have an opinion all right – Ban It!  I have seen a lot of changes  since I first started guiding in 1974.  From the old cigar style bass boat with a 50 and a flasher, to the paper graph, the Black Max motor, high speed reels, new lines, and on and on.  Being in the Ozarks I was there during the bass boat revolution along with amazing tackle and equipment changes.  My tourney partner was the plant supervisor at Ranger Boats, my good buddy in our Bass Club was the owner of Champion Boats.  Heck, our mayor owned Bass Cat boats.

I don’t mean to digress, but here is the point, change has come and gone, and keeps on coming.  And as fishing has become more technical there has always been the fear that it would hurt the fishing.  Fishing in many ways, and in many places, is better now than it has ever been.  We can range further, see more, fish lighter and stronger, all things that individually could have hurt the fishing.  Thanks to conservation attitudes, and well thought out limits, we have lots of fish.  But all that aside, it is not the fish that have been hurt by change, it is the fishing.  I think we are making the same point here.

The hurt I am talking about is in our fishing experience.  More folks, more distractions, more money, more maintenance, more noise, and on and on.  The outdoors is shrinking and with it the quality of the experience.  I could not be any more against using drones to find fish than if they were dropping bombs on redfish.  Is this what you as a fisherman have to resort to so you can catch a redfish?  Is your fishing knowledge and prowess so limited that you can not find a redfish?  Are we finally reducing fishing to a video game?   For the love of God, searching for, then finding, and finally catching fish is what makes fishing what it is.  So we are now going to take the searching and finding out of the equation?  I am not saying we need to go back to row boats and Dacron line, but come on.

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After I wrote about cleaning the black drum with the new Bubba Blade I heard from Charles one of the guys who reads my stuff from Austin.

Hey Doug, this is Charles from Austin. I am a friend of Todd’s, but have never met you myself. Hopefully I will get to POC with Todd and the group in the near future. In any case, I enjoy your blog.

I thought you might be interested in how people are cleaning black drum. I actually got chewed out by a guide for cutting through the ribs, which didn’t make me happy, but in the end this method works and saves time and energy. Below is a video link. Try it next time. It works. It also works on bigger reds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbnGw73LFnU

Thanks for the link and good to hear from you.  I just love the Austin guys, and the guys I have met and fished with are some good dudes, a couple of them can actually fish, just kidding.  Actually this is close to the way I have cleaned them in the past when using a smaller Rapala filet knife, going around the ribs.  After using the Bubba Blade I am not sure it is any better going through the ribs.  Now why a guide chewed you out for doing that I can not fathom, as far as I was concerned when I guided they were your fish to clean how ever you want, but since I cleaned each and every one I am not sure what his point was.  Now if it was for puncturing the stomach cavity, ok.  I know a real chef cringes when they see the abdomen opened and contents leaking on the filet.   Thanks for the comment and stop in any time.

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When I lived in Arkansas I did some guiding, and lots of fishing, on the White and North Fork for rainbow and brown trout.  This is a trout!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/15/28-pound-rainbow-trout-caught-in-northern-idaho-would-have-been-record-breaker/

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Sorry this report is a day late, and a little shorter than I planned, but I was hijacked by the boss and made to endure a couple of days in Austin.  Tough you know, some shopping, music, good food, I barely survived.  So I want to get his posted and tomorrow I have a couple of reports and comments to get done.  And after doing some work on the boat it is going to be one long stretch of fishing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

 Good Luck and Tight Lines

  Check out their full line of crappie jigs.

Grab a few bags today, they work!      

Fish Catching Travel

This weather still leaves something to be desired, but it is possible to put fish in the boat.  This is one of those put on your big boy pants stretches when if you want to go you just have to make up your mind and go.  It may not be all that pretty, but once you are out there it seems to work out just fine.  Of course I had a little help getting motivated today when Aaron got back in town and wanted to catch a few crappie.

So it was off to Coleto.  When we got there it was apparent the lake has come up a little, which is great considering the ramp was going to be a real issue soon.  The lake being up was the good news, the north wind at 15 – 20 mph and 41 degree air temperature was the bad news.  It was cold.

We headed over to the channel in front of the spillway, and while there was lots of shad and what appeared to be gamefish, we did not get a bite.  So it was time to hit the discharge and see what might be there.  When I talked to the worker at the ramp the other day he said they were going to let some water in the lake, and while it was not the answer, it would stabilize the water level for a little.  When we got to the discharge the water was flowing out of one gate and it was around 64 degrees, at least 10 degrees higher than the main body of the lake.

Aaron wanted some fish for his New Years fish fry, and these look like perfect candidates.

We eased up to the float line where you can’t go any further and started throwing small tube jigs, 2 to a line on 1/16th ounce jig heads, with some crappie bites.  Now I have not used those bites before, but they clearly helped.  They were chartreuse and we just tipped the jigs with them.

Over the next 4 hours we caught fish off and on.  A couple of crappies, then a small tilapia, then a couple of white bass, then some largemouth, and then a lull.  Then it would happen again, so while it was not fast by any means we did put some in the boat.  I would guess about a quarter of the fish were keepers, though none of the bass were even close.  A couple of the crappie were really nice slabs, a few just measured.

We kept having trouble losing fish, which we finally figured out were some nice tilapia.  What was happening there were so many in the outflow that we were snagging them.  But the hooks on the small crappie jigs we were using were not big enough to hold them, no matter how well you fought them.

Aaron with the biggest tilapia of the afternoon.

We actually caught several tilapia in the mouth, including the one above, and some even hit the jig like a crappie.  It is about 15 foot in the channel in front of the cable, and we were throwing it out and letting it sink a count of 10 – 15 and then working it across current.  And that is when we would snag those bigger tilapia.  So if you want to fill your boat with tilapia they are there, and lots of them.  A cast net and you could be in business.  I am sure there are some other ways to catch them, chumming with corn, or maybe fishing with the crappie bites on a small treble hook.  There is a way for anyone that wants to figure it out.

Not a bad trip.  I think we kept around 18 assorted whites, crappies, and tilapia.  It was not pleasant by any means as it never got above 45 degrees, but it is funny how catching fish sure seems to make it a little more bearable.  Fileting them at the cleaning table was definitely cold.  So while it can be rough when it is this cold, there are fish to be caught for those brave enough to get out on the water.

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I knew I would hear from some Aggie after the post the other day, and here is Evan’s comment:

Gig’Em Aggies!  And long live the SEC.  Like many Aggies have said from the Big “12″ days:  I only cheer for two teams, (1) Texas A&M, and (2) whoever is playing t.u.

Dangit man.  You make it look so awesome to be fishing even in this cold weather!  Nicely done sir.  I’m gonna wait til it warms up tho.

Plus – if its cold, I’m chasing ducks and geese.

Have a great one!  And keep writing.

Evan

Thanks for the compliment.  Winter fishing fishing is awesome, simply because there are always a couple of days every winter that really shine.  Location, location, and location, is the watch-word of winter fishing.  With their metabolism slowed it seems like once you find them, along with what and how they want it, they are so catchable when they finally do decide to bite that it is a thing of beauty.

And as far as ducks and geese go, I am just not as mad at them as some folks, at least not like I am at those fish.  One last thing, as long as the Razorbacks finish first we would love it if the Aggies finished second.  I appreciate you keeping in touch.

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According to this morning’s weather the warm-up is on the way, starting tomorrow.  It sure would be nice this last cloudy day if we could add a little more rain.  But that aside, the fishing is about to get going.  It looks like we will be having a 7 day warming trend, through the weekend and into next week.  Who knows, I may even fish the weekend.  I patched a leak in my waders and this warm front would be a good time to check that out.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

  Baits for all your fishing needs.

If it swims in salt, it will eat a Down South!      

Fish Catching Travel

I spent the weekend watching sports, both live and on TV, and I finally got back on the water today.  Over the weekend we got around 2″ rain, even more north of here, and it was a cold rain.  So when I headed to POC I was a little worried about what I might find as far as water-color and temperature.  One thing, it sure wasn’t crowded.

When I put in the air temp was 45 degrees, the water temp was 49 degrees ( It stayed there all day.), and the wind was blowing about 15 out of the north/east.  So wanting to get right with the program I headed to a deep channel bank in Big Bayou and started tossing the Down South.  I had gone about 25 yards when I got to a dock  and of course the reds were there.

I caught this guy 8 times on one bank.  Well maybe it was 8 of his brothers and sisters.

I actually took this guys picture because he was the 4th on four straight casts.  And I do want to say one thing about cold weather and redfish.  If there are docks there are redfish that can be caught.  Before I left that bank I caught 8, missed several, and had a couple break me off in the dock.  With the wind blowing, and the tide dropping, you had to put that Down South right next to the dock, then hop it once, and set the hook.

So that would seem a good thing, even if they did not measure, but I was looking for supper.  This bank is one of my winter to go to banks, rarely do I fish it in the winter and not catch some trout, but today they were not having it.  I fished that one bank in Big Bayou and then headed to the Oil Cut.  Though the wind was blowing in there some, it was fairly sheltered.  It took about an hour before I finally boated a keeper red.

This one is not going to have a very good day, more on that later.

I fished about half of the Oil Cut just going down the bank and tossing the Down South to the bank and hopping it out.  It was another half hour before I finally caught a trout.  Not a bad one, around 15 I tossed it back, figuring it was about to happen.  Then another one came over the side, and it just made 15 so back in it went, but that was the last trout I saw all day.

On the last bank I fished in the Oil Cut, most of the way back in, I got a nice bite and finished off the supper plan for the evening.

I have caught more blacks on the Down South since I started using it than I ever have.

Now normally I don’t get that excited about catching a keeper black drum, but they are good to eat, just a hassle to clean.  So I was thrilled when this one committed suicide because I got the Bubba Blade for Christmas and I was looking forward to using it on something as hard as a black drum.  I am happy to report it went through both black and redfish ribs just fine.

This was even way more betta than it looks!

Before I called it a day about 3:00 I stopped back on the first bank figuring the trout had to bite there sometime,  but it was only redfish.  I ended up catching another 5 redfish and had a fairly big one break me off in the dock.  Breaking the occasional one off on light line is the price you pay, but I really feel it is important right now.  8lb line, 1/16th jig head, all contribute to slower fall, which I think helps with inactive fish.

For the day it was 14 redfish, 1 black drum, and 2 trout.  Not fabulous, but under these conditions ok by me.  I really was surprised by the complete lack of trout bites.  But it is not to hard to believe that the extreme temperature drop and cold rain just put the hurt on the trout.  The redfish, being the pigs they are, went ahead and cooperated.   Not sure what the weather has in store but Aaron is back in town so crappy or not we will be fishing somewhere.

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

With the fairly big rains locally it had me thinking about the area rivers.  A big influx of fresh water that is in the 40’s can not help fishing in the least.  Then when I got home I had this comment from Steve.  Folks, there is something to be learned here.

My 2 cents worth on river fishing or maybe NO cents: My girl friend and I went down from Waco on New Year’s weekend and fished Friday, and Saturday. Friday fishing was a grin; we caught about 15 trout of which 5 were really nice keepers on gulp and down south. I kind of knew the fish were there, but the bite was slow. Went back Saturday with a new plan, live shrimp. We absolutely had an epic day catching well over 60 fish together, but only managing 4 keeper trout and a 30 inch red fish. I think the fish are still there in good numbers but don’t feed as often. The live shrimp actually created a feeding frenzy of sorts. We fished the same spot about 3 hours then ran out of live bait, so back to gulp and down south and didn’t catch another fish. They would bite at it but no takers. I think we brought the fish to us with live bait. You keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
Thanks Steve

Lots to think about with Steve’s comment.  The big difference in live bait and lures.  I think that has a double component, fishing pressure and they feed less due to lower water temperature and salinity that comes with rain.  And the fact you felt some nibbles on lures had started happening to us.  Our last couple of trips we could feel them pecking at it so we started hopping it up off the bottom then reeling it 5 times really fast and stopping it to get them to hit it.  I think that could also be indicative of fishing pressure.

But you know what the bigger point is folks?  Flexibility.  Steven thought about what was happening, trusted his instincts, and made a change.  Nice job.  There are so many days when live bait will easily out fish lures, but Steve’s success on day one and two mirror my limited experience.  Less fish on lures, but the average is always better.  Either way good job and we all appreciate your comments.  Keep them coming.

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Saturday I was lucky enough to hit College Station and see Kentucky play A&M.  The Shoedog is a pretty big fan and makes lots of games, so when he got tickets I was happy.  Love em or hate em, I do, you have to be impressed with what Kentucky does, and has done, for years.  Some of my favorite sport memories are watching the Hogs under Nolan Richardson in our national championship era.  College basketball is just plain fun.

The Aggies take the court.

Suffice to say it turned into a titanic struggle.  Kentucky played poorly and the Aggies played with heart and determination.  Now being a Razorback I would not give you a plug nickel for hay wagon loaded with Aggies, but as they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Soooooo close!

The game was close and could have gone either way, but the Aggies still have to learn how to win, Kentucky knows how and they did not panic.  But maybe this is a sign of things to come for A&M.  My only real comment after the game is come on Aggies fans, you can do better than that!  The number 1 team in the country, undefeated Kentucky coming to your house, and there are empty seats.  The boys can’t do it without you.

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

It was good to have a fishing rod back in my hands.  Conditions were not the best, but one thing about winter, if you can find them, you can catch them.  And here it comes, the inevitable warming trend, and the full scale bite.  It is right around the corner.  It may seem funny that I am all about this weather, but some of the best days of the year will happen in the next couple of months, and I intend to be there when it happens.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Scratch your fishing itch.  Baits for all your fishing needs.

The perfect paddle tail for the Texas coast.        

Fish Catching Travel

Wow.  This is seriously some jacked up weather.  Cold and drizzling, this is a true feet by the fire day, and tomorrow looks even worse.  In fac,t it will not straighten up until at least early next week.  I actually fished a few hours yesterday on Coleto and we will get to that shortly.

The first thing I want to get to is according to the newspaper 3 boaters were recued from San Antonio Bay by the Coast Guard yesterday.  Apparently they were grounded and it was late at night before they were rescued.  Other than a mild case of hypothermia, thankfully everyone is ok.

It is so important that if you are going to fish this time of year that you prepare as best you can.  The first rule, take, or put on, way more clothes than you need.  You can always take it off if you want, but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it.  And remember hypothermia can occur at 50 degrees, so stay warm.

Second, as we settle into winter proper here on the coast we will be having some low tides, and I mean occasionally the bottom falls out.  So use caution, you might have been able to run over that last summer, but not today.  It only takes a second to idle into an area from deep water.  It is not a problem to get off the bottom if you hit it idling, it is almost impossible to get off if you hit it at 50 mph.  And guess what?  You might be in that little place with terrible cell phone coverage.  So be sure to let folks know where you are going and when you might get back.  Just saying.

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I let me heart override my brain when the wind died around noon Thursday.  I could not take it any more so I loaded the boat and headed to Coleto for a short afternoon trip.  What a great idea – after 4 hours without so much as a good bite I called it a day.  It sure did not help matters that the high for the day was when I started and the temp dropped all day.

But the day was not a total waste.  I was fishing a main lake bank in sight of the dam when a kayak came by and of all things it was Voe, who is fairly new to the area.  I met him a while ago, and later turned him on to a place where he could catch some trout from his kayak.  I told him I hoped he was doing better than I was, his response was, doubtful.  He had not had a bite, where I think I might have had one.  I fished Swimming Jig, jerk bait, topwater, spinnerbait, and crankbait.  The only thing that remotely felt like a bite was on the Swimming Jig, and that was the size of it.

Later we chatted at the ramp and he said when he put in that morning the water temp was in the high 40’s at the ramp.  That is a 20 degree drop from where it was a month ago.  I never saw anything above 55, though I did not fish the outflow cove.  The fishing will stay slow for a while with this big decline in air and water temp.  But that really is not the point of this little story, the point is whether we are going to be able to launch there in the near future.

If you go to Coleto take a look at the ramp before you back in.  There is the sign telling you that the end of the ramp is 22 feet from there.  And you can see where the concrete breaks down at a sharper angle, and that is approximately 15 feet from the end of the ramp.  So I decided to measure from the hitch to the axle on my boat trailer and it is 21 feet.  So when I backed in I gave it plenty of room and had no problem launching, though I pushed the boat off by hand.

The real problem may be the cove itself.  There is about 4 foot of water right at ramps end, and then it goes to 1 foot and stays there until past the marker buoy.  It is definitely trim up and easy through there.  If it gets any lower it could get impassible, especially for the bigger boats.  I know they paid some guy to dredge some of that area out, but it just doesn’t help that much with it this low.  So be careful.  They need another ramp.

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A couple of posts ago I mentioned how the river had slacked off some and I wasn’t sure why, or what, the reason might be.  Well I heard from Larry, who in the vernacular of bass fisherman is a “good stick”.  Here is what he had to say about the river and it basically outlines what I feel happens.

Doug, Just a few thoughts on fishing the river and why the bite may have slowed. I have not fished the river in several years, but things that, in my opinion, may cause the changes in action. Temperature, pressure (barometric and people), tide movement, and salinity level. When you started catching this year, if memory is correct, we had had a few frontal passages and it triggered the fish to move into the deeper protection of the river. After a few weeks of these little fronts, we went through a warming spell and it seems like that is when things started slowing up a little? I think the fish will follow the bait supply. So…if the bay temps warm up and the bait migrate out, the trout will follow. I feel there are a lot of fish still in there, just some of them may have moved out for awhile. This cold snap we are having now should improve everything. But, you will have to use a slower presentation on lure and maybe use some type of scent on the bait. With all this opinion stuff….I believe that right now, the biggest factor on the slowing bite is the amount of rain that area has received? They had a lot more than we did here in Victoria. I know the Lake is not full, but I have heard that they have been releasing a little more water into the river also? That would cause the fish to stay deeper where the saltier water is?? When I did fish the river, i always caught more on a moving tide….just like fishing the bay. I feel I am a lot like you in my approach to fishing. When I have completed a trip that may not have produced, I try to analyze what may have caused the poorer results and think of things I could have done differently. Regardless of the catch though, it is always good to be out enjoying God’s beautiful scenery!

This is for your reading and thinking about. Just a bunch of rambling thoughts mostly on a slow cold day at the office. Thank you again for your commitment to this site!

Thanks for the comment, I always like hearing from you.  Your description of the start of the bite this fall was right on.  Big early cold front, then back into the 80’s, and as it warmed the river fishing slowed.  I also believe that the bait, and or the fish, seek the warmer water and if it warmed enough in the bay it may have pulled them back out.  And to take that thought a little further, if that happens, and the river cools enough and the temperature in the bay approaches the river, the small water temperature disparity will not prompt those trout to return.

And of course the bait is a real important factor in all this, but basically the same temperature factors affect both fish and bait similarily.  And though I believe water temperature is the overriding influence, salinity levels are almost as important.   And on the Lavaca you have both Lake Texana and the Navidad River influencing how much fresh water comes in the river.  And I am sure when we get some rain, as some over there have, not only does it lower salinity but it also lowers water temp.  Today’s rain at 37 degrees will have a serious affect on the river.

So what does all this mean?  I think it will be a good test, not sure how scientific, but with this expected rain and cold temperatures for a few days it should tell us something.  The bay should cool significantly so after it has a week to settle down it will be interesting to see if the trout are gone for good or back in force.  Good to hear from you Larry, your comments are always appreciated.

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

The poll asking you where you fish is moving right along, and the answers have been about what I thought.  A little over a third of you fish both fresh and saltwater.  About 17% of you are primarily freshwater fishermen, and over 45% of you are primarily saltwater fisherman.  So what do I make of these numbers?  Most of you are saltwater fishermen and if I want to serve you interesting stuff I need to fish more saltwater.  I guess I have become spoiled and if the weather is even a little marginal I might not go to the salt, so I will try to do better this year.  And it will be off to a good start when we fish with the guide for a couple of days on Baffin in February.  Who isn’t up for a shot at a big winter Baffin trout?  So we will keep watching the numbers and see if they change any.  If you have not voted slide down a couple of posts from here and put in your vote.

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

So here I am trapped in doors with no real prospect of hitting the water anytime soon.  The one thing that does work out is I will be at Shoedog’s tomorrow for the Kentucky/A&M basketball game on the campus of A&M.  I have seen Kentucky a time or two back in Arkansas, and as usual they are loaded.  So if we are lucky A&M will get their back up and defend their home turf.  Otherwise it could be a whippin’.  And Sunday it is Cowboys/Packers in what looks to be 20 degree weather.   It could be an old fashion slobberknocker as good old JR would say.   I appreciate you hanging with me, this weather will clear up soon enough and it will be back to business as usual here at fishcatchingtravel.com, fishing.  And this is the perfect time to send me a comment or story, we all love to hear from you.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

You know, it must be hell to be the weatherman.  Sometimes you get it wrong, sometimes you get it right, sometimes it is your fault, it just seems to be one of those can’t win for losing jobs.  Well our weatherman was sorta right, then again he was completely right.

I did not go this morning after getting the mileage up on the truck so I could tow a boat.  Our guy said at 9:30 this morning it was going to start blowing and by afternoon be blowing 30 mph out of the north with the temp dropping from the 50’s into the low 40’s.  So with that forecast I slept in, to bad because I could have fished for a few hours before it got here.  It did not get here until 1:30, but I will give him one thing, it is howling out there right now and the temp is dropping fast.  Winter actually made it to South Texas.

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

I know I am not the only one who is having a fishing seizure, I heard from Jimmy B. (Sounds like he should live in Vegas.) who is feeling the same way.

I agree with your 01-06-15 post. Man, I want to go fishing. I’ve been reading your posts for about three months now and really enjoy them. I even tried fishing in the Lavaca River since I started following the blog and that says a lot after fishing in POC for 40+ years.  Keep the post coming and I will keep reading.

Jimmy B.

I am honored to have you reading this drivel.  It is a big coast out there and we can all learn from each other, hope you caught a few when you fished the river.  So thanks for commenting and keep in touch.

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

(Click on the link above and visit their site, you don’t have anything better to do right now or you wouldn’t be here!)

You know I have been all over the Down South plastics for the last couple of months, and with good reason, they work.  I have heard directly from some of my fishing buddies and those that have tried them have had good results.   I also got this comment from Jim yesterday.

Congratulations on your new Truck!  I read every post and it leaves me looking forward to the next one.  When you first mentioned the downsouth I was able to pick up a package or two.  I went down to BP where most anything was working as the water temp was nice and cozy for those cold Trout.  It took about 25 min to get there from the Seadrift launch.  It took 25 min to rig up and catch the 5 limit.  Heck I kind of felt like that dog that chased the car and caught it; now what?  I will be using the DownSouth in other places to check performance, thanks for sharing.  Drive safely!

Keep using them as the year goes on, I sure will be, and let us know how well they work as the coast goes through various phases.  And your comment about the dog catching the truck really applied to me and the river this fall.  I almost got to feeling guilty about knocking the crap out of them on the Watermelon Red Down South.  So thanks for the comment and keep reading my stuff.  Oh yea, the truck is awesome, thanks!

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

And then I heard from Billy again after his trouble posting a comment the other day.

“chuckling”, well, at your persistence, I guess I will continue to give this a try. First off, I will try to clarify my last comment. The reason I said what I did was, I had left another comment on the same ‘New Years Day’ post, but it didn’t make it through for whatever reason. I understand you get lots of comments and some of them may fall through the crack. Heck, maybe I’m doing something incorrectly…….
Either way, keep up the good work. Oh, btw, more salt please…….lol.

LOL!  I hear that from folks, in fact more in the last year than ever.  I may be dense but my head is not completely filled with concrete.  So guess what?  Time for a survey.  Actually I have been meaning to do this for a while because I really am interested in where the heck you all fish.

 Seriously folks, I am so interested in the results.  If I want to serve my readers it is time to find out what you want to read.  It really does matter to me, so come on folks, vote.  And I would love to hear from you as to what you want to read.   I constantly try to get you to comment, it is the only way I know what you are thinking.  So lets hear it, if we are stuck in the house a couple of days there is no better time to tell me what you want to read.  I want this to be a community effort and I need your help to keep it going.

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

After taking the Carolina Skiff out to the mechanic for a tune up, and probably a prop shaft, I decided to head over to Coleto Creek.  I needed to get a new sticker on the windshield so I wouldn’t have to mess with it later, and I wanted to check out the ramp.

I am glad I did.  They have a sign at the gate letting us all know that the lake has now dropped over 5 feet and the end of the ramp is about 15 feet from the water’s edge.  So I got my sticker and headed down there to see and yep, the lake has come down just a little more.  While I was there one of the guys came down to put the same sign up and we had a chance to chat, and I am glad we did.

If you have a pontoon, a barge, or some other big boat, forget it.  The ramp is not deep or long enough.  There are still folks putting in with bass boats, so it is not panic time yet, but it is close.  They do have a sign up at 22 feet from the end of the ramp, and it is 15 feet from the break in the concrete where the ramp angles down.  So if you have any concerns be sure you know how far it is from your hitch to the end of your trailer, might keep you from having one of those brain fart moments and backing in to far.  So it is still fishable, but use caution.

While we were chatting he also said the Tilapia have been good, read “netting”, and if we get a real cold front, which is sure looks like we are, expect to also see some Hybrids at the warm water discharge.  I knew they were stocked in Coleto quite a while ago, but have never seen or caught one.  He told me last time this happened, a really cold stretch, the Hybrids showed up there.  And he implied they are big, which they must be as they were stocked years ago and can not reproduce, so keep that in mind next time you are out there, it might be worth a stop.

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

Yea, I know, this is supposed to be a place you can come and get a fishing report, and as far as that goes I am not doing all that great a job.  And looking at the forecast, which is for colder every day until it finally bottoms out Sunday with a high of 39 degrees and rain, it is not real fishing weather.  So help me out here, send me some stuff to chat and write about.  Looks like the fishing will be a little slim the next couple of days.

There is one bright spot, at least for me the college basketball fan, as I will be headed to Shoedog’s in College Station to watch A&M play Kentucky.  Like I said, good for me, not to sure how it will work out for the Aggies.  I was lucky enough to see Indiana somewhere around 40 years ago when they were undefeated and won the NCAA.  Kentucky is possibly that good this year.

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

I was just outside and it is pretty rough.  It has dropped over 10 degrees in a few hours and the wind is blowing at 20+ mph, a real nice evening.  So as far as fishing, no promises.  The day was yesterday, but since it did not happen who knows.  I do know when we crossed the causeway out to Padre it was dead flat slick and I knew I was in the wrong place.  If you have anything on your mind let me know.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Manufacturers of the Redfish Magic.

If it swims in salt, it will eat a Down South!      

Fish Catching Travel

The new 4Runner comes in on Saturday and I can pick it up Monday afternoon, so all is well.  We head over to the dealership Monday afternoon and by time all the paperwork, test drive, etc., etc. is all done it is almost 7.  So there should be no problem correct?  Instead of sitting in this chair typing I should be on my way to the Gulf with the boat.   But while we are going over the  break-in procedure I hear the following: “No towing until the truck has 500 miles on it.”  Huh?  Rats!

So to remedy that particular requirement it will be off on a 250 mile road trip today.  I think it will be Corpus, (Check out how far Roy’s Bait and Tackle have come with the remodel.)  then over to Port Aransas, and that should get the 500 miles on it as there was 250 miles on it by time it made it’s way to Victoria.

While I have intentionally taken a few days off this is starting to get ridiculous.  I have not had a rod in my hand in 8 days and I am starting to get jerky.  Unfortunately it looks like we have a real cold front coming soon, so we will just see what tomorrow holds.  Of course today the winds are forecast to be light and variable (Arggggg) and tomorrow 15 – 25 out of the north,  (Of course) as the cold front blows through here.  As they say, if it wasn’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have no luck at all.

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I did hear from Aaron, and I am starting to hear the same kind of reports from other folks concerning the river trout fishing.

Doug,

It’s been too long since I dropped you a line.  The holidays were busy with family and hunting but I did get a couple hours on Coleto and down on the river looking for trout.  Action in the river was slow.  I managed a dozen trout and few reds but it was hard to find fish with any size.  Seems the baitfish in the river have been pretty depleted from all those trout earlier in the month making it a little less attractive to cold and hungry trout.  Coleto was the exact opposite.  Ended up with about 40 up to 19” in a few hours.  Makes me wonder why I bothered driving down to the bay when they were ready for action right out the back door on Coleto.

I still want to take you up on a trip on the lake sometime when I’m down in Victoria and there are fewer family and deer processing obligations.  Thanks for another year of fishing updates and great tips!  I’ll keep in touch and hope to be back down your direction in February to make a big batch of smoked venison sausage.

Aaron

Thanks for the note Aaron, and the offer is open as far as Coleto goes, so maybe next time you are down we can hook up.  And I feel your pain, there are some days when I just don’t want to put out the big effort so Coleto is my fall back position.  And the great fishing there is right around the corner.

Now as far as the river fishing, looking back on the last couple of years it consistently drops off after Christmas and I really do not have a clue why.  Any of you out there have a clue, a theory, or just a guess?  Why when the river is so loaded with trout, and winter sets in solid, does the fishing decline?  That just does not make sense to me.  Is it the bait gets worked over, the fishing pressure, water temp, what is it?  So lets hear it folks, what is the deal?

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I heard from Billy and I am a little confused by his comment.

Well Mr. RFL, I think I shall stop replying on your post’s. I enjoy reading them, but it seems like every time I try do so, they don’t seem to go through.  Oh well, carry on.

Billy I am not sure what is not going through, but keep on trying.  I get around a hundred comments a day and try to read them all.  So keep those comments coming, I appreciate all of them.

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I heard from my buddy Clyde twice last week.

Happy New Year Dougie Fresh ; Awesome writing man!

Thanks, I am a regular Hemingway, at least I have been drunk on Duval Street.  Then he sent me a note wanting a bag of Down South Lures to use in Arkansas.  I am not sure what the plan is but I will get them on the way.  See what cool way to use them he can find.  And by the way, hope to see you in April for some Arkansas smallmouth fishing!

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I am still thrashing around the plan for Florida.  It may seem a little premature to be stressing over a trip the last week of April and first week of May, but there are reservations to be made, and then a plan to implement.  I am really leaning towards the Goodland area, which is not that far from lots of places including the Keys, the Everglades, and Pine Island Sound, which keeps us from being locked into one area, giving us some flexibility as to wind and weather.   And the boss has a cousin living in Everglades City and it is nice to have a little local help.  While I have fished all of that over the years it has been a few since we made that trip, and with every area that has good fishing, change is the norm.  So keep tuned for that.

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That is it for today.  Since I have not made it out in over a week if some of you have let me know.  We love a report, good or bad.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.  Who knows?  I might even hit the water at some point!  And I will try not to drop a wad at Roy’s today.

Good Luck and Tight Lines