Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

The Shoedog got a hold of me on Sunday wanting to know if I could fish Monday and Tuesday.  So I somehow managed to make time in my busy schedule (not) so Monday morning we were up at 4:30 and at 6:45 anchored off the old Coast Guard station.

My fishing the last couple of weeks has been spotty.  One day I manage some good trout, the next day I have struggled.  And with the Mako still in the shop, our range is somewhat limited, so that played a role in deciding to wade the flat next to the old station.

Shoedog started up shallow, right on the bank, throwing a topwater.  For the first couple of hours he boasted several small trout and reds.  He chose the Top Dog in a bone and was working it fairly fast.  Unfortunately he also lost 3 really nice trout.  His excuse was he still has not mastered the keeping the line tight while he gets the net.  At least that is his story and he is sticking to it.

Meanwhile I headed out to waist deep where I caught them a couple of weeks ago.  I threw the topwater some, but knew if I threw the plastic I would catch more, so next for me was the 4″ chicken on a chain paddle tail.  And just like my last trip there I started catching the snot out of them.  Most were small, and then a few started chasing bait and I tossed the topwater in and caught a nice 20″.  Then a couple of minutes later I put another keeper in the boat on the KVD Sexy Dog topwater in a sexy shad color.

And to add insult to injury I managed to miss 3 really nice trout, one the biggest one I have ever had hit a topwater.  That fish came out of the water and pounded it just like a bass.  So finally it started to sink in, all the big fish were hitting topwater and not plastics.  When they slacked off about noon we moved.

First it was  Bayucos Point.  The tide was up and not moving when we fished the end of the island.  There was some good looking points and shell but we just could not find anything.  Next it was an oyster bar in Big Bayou.  The water was just starting to move out when we got there.  I lost a red, but other than that did not have a bite.  Shoedog added to our “almost whacking them day”  by losing a nice big flounder and catching a couple of rat reds.

For our final stop we headed to the first big drain from Big Bayou into Barroom.  The water was really out now, and sometimes the reds gang up there.  Shoedog stayed shallow and I fished around waist deep, both of us throwing topwater.  And of course I had a real bull red follow the topwater to right in front of me and just do the old boil the size of a wash tub thing and miss the bait.  And then we called it a day.

We probably caught 25 – 30 fish all day, but by time we quit we had a total of 2 keeper trout.   The total count for the “almost whacking them day”  was lots of good fish that did not end up in the boat.  Funny how that works, some days you only get a few bites and end up with a nice sack, Monday was the opposite, we had the bites, they just did not end up in the cooler.

So we had a good time and a couple of things really made the day.  People who steal your spots by seeing you fish are called “Potlickers” by a lot of the guides and others online.  Well the original “Potlickers” are dolphins.  You can be standing in a wad of trout biting like mad, and then here they come, doing their dolphin thing.  And it happened today when the bite was on and here they came.

So anyway, when I caught the 20″ on the KVD a big dolphin swam to within 5 feet of me and stopped while I landed the trout.  And then the stare down began.  I was holding the trout and the dolphin kept easing his head out of the water broadside looking at me with one eye, or probably looking at my nice trout.  Either way he was sideways while he watched me and we were eye-ball to eye-ball.  It was truly awesome and the first real personal interaction I have ever had with one.  So he kept watching, I did not put the trout on the stringer, and after 3 or 4 minutes he finally swam off when he realized that trout was not his dinner.   He was close enough I could have reached out and touched him with the rod.  I am thankful I was there.

Shoedog had his little outdoor moment also.  He was wading along and saw a dead fish so waded over to see exactly what it was.  It turned out to be a really big mullet.  So what’s the big deal?  It had a star fish on it.  Now that is cool.  I have seen them in Florida and Belize, but have never seen one here.  Another gift from the great outdoors.  These are the memories that will live in our mind forever, and like all good things will grow with the re-telling.  We are fisherman you know?

On another note,  while we were wading I saw Faye and Steve go by.  I waved like a freakin’ lunatic later when they were going in, but they did not see me.  So Faye, my apologies, I promise we will get together on one of your trips.  Hope you caught a few fish.

There are no pictures today.  Dead fish are not all that attractive.  And of course going along with our “almost whacking them day”, a picture of 2 dead trout just doesn’t cut it.  So that was our day, catching small fish, losing big fish, and having a big time.  Tomorrow it is back at it again,  We will be up at 4:30 and on the road by 5:30.  At least we have a pretty good idea what we need to be doing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Maybe I Should Have Stayed in the Boat?

I am not sure about the second choice I made this morning, but I do know the first choice was a bad one.  Occasionally I go off half cocked and this morning was one of those times.  The wind was to blow somewhere between 7 and 25 mph out of the SE, and when I got to Keller it was already blowing pretty hard.  I know better than hitting Keller with that wind direction, but here I was.  So no matter, I have fished it in all conditions and it almost always comes through.

So across the bay and to the first place, the SE bank, which was protected from the wind.  I let the boat glide in once I passed the rig, and the anchor was out in 2 foot.  The plan was to fish the bank down to the little high bank with the oyster bar/point on it, for both reds and trout.

So I get one boot on and look over and here comes a school of fish.  So I grab a rod, flip a plastic in and wham, a nice 16″ trout about 20 feet from the boat.  So of course no picture, time to hurry up and get the stuff on and in the water.  It is somewhat calm there so topwater is the starting bait, and other than one hit, nothing was happening on top.

Next up was plastics, and while I caught 3 more, none of them were keepers, or even remotely picture fish.  I ended up working that whole bank from knee deep to over my waist, but not a keeper showed his face.  It took about 2 hours to wade that whole thing properly, so it was back in the boat and around the corner to my favorite redfish banks.

Unfortunately the wind had already muddied that up, and I did not even get a pass.  At this point the wind was really blowing, coloring the water in a lot of places so I thought maybe I could head back in and fish the stretch past the docks.  It is almost impossible for me to fish that stretch and not catch something.

He wasn’t much but I was happy to have him.

The problem of my own making was I waited to long to head back there.  The wind was blowing all the way down the bay and things were mudding fast.  In spite of that I stayed with the spinnerbait a while more when I finally got another bite.

He was the lucky one today, I wasn’t keeping any.

I ended up fishing a mile or so of that bank with a spinnerbait but these were the only 2 fish I put in the net.  The reason I like that bank so much is it has a wide variety of grass, oysters, sand, clay, brush, you name it and there is some of it somewhere.  But today with the water getting more off colored by the minute, and tide flow at a standstill, it was just not going to happen there.  By this time it was noon, over a 100, the wind was blowing, and the fishing was not getting any better so I called it a day.

The total for the morning was only 4 trout, 1 red, and 1 flounder, hardly the results I expected when I headed out the door.  Looking back on it today the first bank I chose was a poor choice, and by time I headed to my favorite redfish banks it was to late.  When combined with the wind direction there were some better choices all the way around.  And it does not help we do not have the flats boat back, once that wind kicks up the skiff is limited in what bays it can cross, and a major move was out of the question yesterday.

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Speaking of the flats boat, initially it was maybe in the 2 week range for repairs, it has now been 3 weeks.  Not complaining as I did think the initial time estimate was just a little optimistic.  I stopped in to check on it Thursday and was told the glass crew said last Friday it was almost done, and would be done in a couple of days, which would be this week.  The lower unit parts are in and the repaired prop is back, all they need is the boat.  So I am not sure where that whole thing stands, but either way we do not have the boat.  As the old song goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”  Hard for me to complain, I’m the knucklehead who was driving.

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On a completely different subject I am finally going to take a fly fishing lesson.  We will be in South Padre near the end of September and I am taking the plunge.  The gentleman and I have traded emails and it should be interesting.  Plus he guided fly fishermen in Florida and since I have fished quite a few places there over the last 25 years there is bound to be some stories told.  I basically know where the reds are, it is just a matter of learning how to get the fly to them.  Plus I have an offer to be polled around some at POC, so I want to be at least marginally competent and practiced when I take him up on that trip.  Like I told the guy, I hope to at least achieve beginner status.  So stay tuned, story to follow.

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The Shoedog is still whipping the bass in his community lake.  Nothing like being able to drive a couple of blocks down the road and put a nice dozen in the boat almost any time.  Looks like he will be down for a couple of days next week, hopefully we will get the boat back.

Another buzzbait bass.  We love that thing.

And Faye, one of my most loyal readers, and her husband Steve will be in POC this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how they do.  I think there are several tournaments down there and it will be busy.  We are all faced with increased traffic on our fishing holes, it is just a matter of doing what you have to do to catch fish and not letting all the traffic get in your head.  So good luck Faye and let me know how it goes.

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Lots of things will play into the next fishing choice, including whether the boat is done, what Shoedog wants to do when he comes, and how much the wind blows this week.  No matter what it is slated to remain brutally hot.  I still want to try some topwater fishing at night when the moon is full.  So stay tuned and keep stopping in.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The original plan was to head to Keller Bay but after seeing the wind report I changed plans and went out of the Indianola Fishing Marina.  It was just cracking daylight when I put in at the ramp and headed down the Powderhorn Ranch Shoreline.

The tide was fairly well up, it was set for high at 8:30, when I jumped over the side in waist deep water.  It was easy to see the tide was higher than last trip, because where I anchored the boat was quite a bit deeper than last trip.  There were clouds in the east that kept the light low until almost 9, and the wind remained calm.  I expected the topwater fishing to be great, and it wasn’t.

First I waded out into water over my waist were I could reach 4 foot, and besides 7 small ones on plastics, I did not catch a trout worth talking about.  I did not have one take a pass at the topwater, it was to late in the tide.  So with the tide that high I headed for the bank and a grassy area looking for some reds on top.  I did catch one about 18″ on top, but it just was not happening on top.  By now the water had gone from not moving to slight out, so it was back in the Powderhorn to catch a red on the falling tide with the new rod.

First red on the new fancy rod, and of course it was throwing a spinnerbait.

I started way in back on the north side which had a little bit of wind on it.  Before the one  abovr made the net I lost a pretty good one.  The only problem was I was a day late and a dollar short.  The water really began falling out, and with the wind blowing on it the water was begining to really color.  Before I left the back end I managed to put one more in the boat.

The Redfish Magic puts them in the boat.

The water fell out to the point I had to pole off the bank, which was unusual since the skiff floats in 6″.  Last it was off to the big cove close to the dock.  As usual I put a rat red in the boat there, but that was it for the day.  It was only about 1:30, but it was hot and the fish were definitely on break.  And when I got back to the ramp the 3 trucks that were in the lot before me this morning were all gone.  Guess it took me a little longer to get the message, they were not biting.

So not a great day by any means, but I did catch 7 trout and 4 reds.  Unfortunately for me, but great for them, none of them made the grade.   So after a pretty good run of nice trout the last couple of trips it was not to be today.  The tide was to far along at daylight, so I missed the good period, but it will be perfect near the end of this week.  And with the moon on the way I am ready to try some night topwater fishing.  Sounds like fun as soon as you get over the thought of a sea monster coming out of the darkness and dragging you off.

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My buddy Chris sent me some pics from the offshore trip he made the other day.  From what he had to say they caught fish everywhere they stopped.  And before it was over caught a nice variety and some good eaters.

Folks that is a big red snapper anywhere in the country.

A nice cobia.  And I am sorry I did not get the boat owner’s name.

A nice king, fun to catch but not that great on the plate as far as I am concerned.

They caught most of the fish on wells and wrecks, all on live bait.  Chris said they had encounters with a really big barracuda, and several cobia and snapper.  So a great day for them and thanks for the pictures.  And it was killing me when I could not make it, and seeing the pictures just made it worse.

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Seeing the tarpon pictures from POC, pics from Chris’s offshore trip, and the good trout we have been catching wading, it is clearly time to go fishing.  No wonder Charlie’s ramp has been packed.  And with several tournaments this weekend it should be a real mad house in POC.  But hard as it is to believe, summer is almost over.  There are kids headed back to school in 2 weeks, we are about 3 weeks away from the last holiday of the summer, and dove season is right around the corner.  Hard to believe how quickly this summer has gone.

For me that is a blessing.  While I am known to pick up a gun occasionally, fishing is my passion, and I am so happy when hunting season rolls around.  It is like someone turned off the fisherman switch on the bay.  There will still be crowds on the weekend, but nothing like summer.  But with the fishing the way it is right now it is easy to understand why everyone is pounding it.  So get out while you can, summer is fading fast.

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Those of you who read my stuff know that last year in the Shark A Thon Chris and I billed a sailfish in the surf.  Looking back on it who can believe that?  I have always wondered was it sick, a catch and release, or just passing by in a foot of water?  We will never know, but it ranks as one of the cooler things that ever happened to me in the outdoors.  That all came back when Chris had a picture of a couple of guys and a swordfish, allegedly caught from the bank while shark fishing recently.  I tried to look it up online but could not find anything other than a discussion about a similar incident last fall.  So if any of you know about this swordfish catch from the bank let me know.

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That is it for now.  It has been catch up on the skiff, there has been some little things needing repair and I hope to finish those today.  Next, it is off to the repair shop to check on the Mako.  It has been 3 weeks and I have left them alone so it is time to go see what the deal is.  I really hope to get it back before the tarpon leave the area.  I have never jumped one in Texas but would sure like to.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry there has not been a report the last few days but the President of Team Nancy wanted to visit Eagle Pass, maybe a little casino play, so Monday we headed out and did not get back until today.  So of course once we got down there I got an offer to fish offshore today.  Dang It!  I would have been all over that one.  I rarely get to fish offshore, and love it when I can.  Heck, I am already cranked up about November and offshore fishing in Costa Rica.

Now if that was not torture enough, my buddy not only offered to let me go with them offshore fishing, he sent me this:

The thought of hand to hand combat with a couple of these girls gets my heart to pumpin’.

A friend of his sent this picture to him.  He was out in his new boat and these tarpon come from the POC area, specifically where he did not say.  According to his text they were “everywhere.”  There is only a couple of weeks window to really have a legitimate shot at a tarpon in our area.  And of course the Mako is still in the shop following the pipe encounter, or I would be after them tomorrow.  I have not bothered the repair shop, but I knew when they said a couple of weeks it meant a couple of months.  Hopefully that is not the case, but no matter what I do not have the flats boat to chase them if it is windy.  I love my Carolina Skiff, it is great for fishing close, but just not the boat for coming back from the jetties when the wind is blowing.

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While you are at it, click on the website below, and look at the opah.  They we caught on the offshore boat, Excel, one of the great head boat fishing adventures in the country.  It is close to a bucket list trip for me, and they report tearing the tuna up.  And once in while they catch something cool, and I think these are cool.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/socal-anglers-score-rare-opah-trifecta/

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I really want to thank the reader from Kingswood TX for his kind words.  Wish you had left your name so I could give you a shout out, but know I appreciated your comment.  I appreciate any of you who contact me, as I have said so many times, let me know what you think.  For this to stay fresh I need to hear from you.

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I will be out first thing in morning.  We have a 8:30 high tide with some good water flow so it will definitely be a out at daylight day.  Of course one of the goals, besides catching the snot out of them, will be to catch a red on that fancy new rod.  Keller Bay is the place, and I promise to post a report tomorrow.  Also, I hope to have few pictures from the boys offshore.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

Fish Catching Travel

One of the things I did not have time to tell you about last night was when I got to Chris’s in the morning he surprised me with a rod he wrapped himself.  It was dark, I was tired, and I could not see or appreciate all the details.  When we got back to his house after fishing I can not tell you how impressed I was.  Chris has started building rods and he has made some nice ones.

He said since I spend so much time spinnerbait fishing for reds he wanted to make me one especially for that.  For mine he chose a blank that weighs a little over 3 ounces!  Are you kidding me?  It is so light in my hands it feels like a toy, or a work of art.  It is 6’6″and has backbone with a fast tip, exactly the rod for spinnerbaiting those reds.

He did make me promise I would fish with it, hell, I wanted to hang it on the wall.  Of course I am scared to death to use it, it is way to awesome to be fished with.  Over the last 40 years I have broken rod after rod in every imaginable way.  So I slapped a new reel on it today and the next time I hit the water it will be catch a red day.  With the trout fishing so good the next  trip will be trout on the rising and full tide, reds on the fall.  So thanks Chris, this is the nicest rod I have ever owned in a lifetime of fishing.

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I got a note from Joe, who feels like me about Texas Parks and Wildlife giving fish fry from the Share A Lunker program to a private land owner in south Texas.  I agree with Joe, even after reading the discussion on the texasfishingforum link he sent me.  It is an interesting discussion and opinions are like rear ends, everyone has one on this matter.  As far as I am concerned no taxpayer money should be used to stock fish unless we can fish there, my argument is that simple.  We paid for it, we should have the benefit.  So if you are interested in how, and why, your tax money was spent hit the link below and read the discussion.  It is well worth your time.  Is this program going to benefit the bass fishermen of Texas in the long run, or is some rich guy going to make tons of money based on your tax dollars?  You decide.  And thanks for your comments Joe.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/10160471/1

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Faye, I was down in the area when you were fishing but we put in at Charlie’s and never got close to POC, though I watched for the lime green machine.  How was the fishing?  Hope you sacked a few.

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Grandpa Shoedog and Nolan are putting a few in the boat while he is visiting.  After the catfish Nolan was getting a little bored but ended up having a great time when Shoedog caught a bunch of fish and Nolan became the head net man.  Take them fishing folks, only good can come of that.

Nolan with another catfish.

He had more fun being the net man.

The Shoedog with a nice buzzbait bass out of his local lake.

Nolan’s visit will be over soon so it is time for the Shoedog to come on down and do some wading.  The trout are fat and willing and time is a wastin’.

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Folks I can not thank you enough.   We just hit over 83,000 visits this year, and are way ahead of last year.  This is not tooting my own horn, it is you who have made this work like it does.  It keeps me writing no matter how tired I am from fishing, and  I strive to make it as good a read as my pea brain will allow.   It keeps growing but I do not want it to stagnate, and without some input from you how can I know what will keep it fresh and growing.  So with that said the reason for this is I want to hear from you. Really.  Tell me what you like, or don’t like.  I am a big boy and can take it.  And in an effort to make it better for you is there anything you would like to see?  But sorry, hot chicks in bikinis holding fish will not be a new section.  So drop me a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Next I think it will be back to Keller Bay.  There are several banks in Keller that have those things that seem to be consistent with catching the better trout right now.  Those are deeper banks that have that break, or have an edge, in 3 – 4 feet of water, just the ticket right now.  And it will give me a chance to use that new rod, though the thought of landing a big red on a beautiful 3 ounce rod is frightening.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

My friend Chris suggested fishing POC today and I was good with that.  The plan was to head to San Antonio Bay and catch some trout.  It turned out to be a good choice.

Our first stop was a shoreline with a drain coming out of it a couple of miles below Panther Reef.  The sun was just coming up, the wind was blowing, and there was bait.  He fished plastics and I threw plastics and topwater, neither of us with any great success.  I caught a hard head, a croaker, and 1 small trout.  He put 1 small trout in the net.  So after that poor start we headed for Panther Reef.

The wind was blowing out of the south and it was rough, but not enough to muddy the water up much.  We anchored above a cut in the reef and started wading.  Right after we started I put this one in the boat.

This ended up being my best trout on a Sea Assassin Chicken on a Chain paddle tail.

As a side note, this is the Wade Right  from Coastal Fishing Gear I told you about in my last post.   Notice a rod on my back, it can’t fall out, and the rod tube next to the fish.  That is what I really like about the belt, it is high enough to keep your reel out of the water while you net or make bait changes.  Same with the small tackle box.  Unless you get serious chest deep, it stays dry too, but if it does get wet there are small drain holes  in the bottom to let water out.  And they have now added a back support model.  Just a great belt.

I was on the down current side, and Chris started on the up wind side.  Not to long after we started there he got a bite, a big bite.  Right before he got completely spooled he thumbed the spool, and the fish broke off.  He wasn’t real sure what it was, but he said it felt like a bull red.  Interesting considering I got spooled a couple of trips ago.  After that I lost a real nice one picking it out of the net after I unhooked it.  I also had a really big fish of some sort on, but he pulled off.  Before we moved I did put another keeper in the boat.

It slowed down some so we moved way out on the reef, anchored out, and back in we went.  I caught a couple of small ones, and actually got fooled.  They were hitting it after it landed and before it hit bottom.  So out came the topwater, and even though it was rough, I gave it a toss.  On about my second cast I had a really nice trout eat it, but it was rough enough that I did not see it.  Right after I felt him he was gone.  So of course I threw it for another hour and didn’t have a bite.

And like my last 3 trips, the fish were in water over waist deep.  Chris kept heading out and when he got to the color change he got in to them.  He was throwing the 6″ Gambler Flappin’ Shad in what looked to be the Electric Chicken.  It did not take him long to come back to the boat, and this is what he had.

The smallest was 18″.

He said he got 4 of them without moving.  The only reason he quit was he had plenty for supper.   So we hopped in the boat and before we left drifted the reef where the clear water met the brown from wind blowing over the reef.  I lost a couple more trout and put one more keeper in the boat.  And before we quit I caught one more small one, and we called it a day.  I can’t remember if Chris caught one on our short drift.

Before I go any further I did want to tell you about a cool happening.  For some reason the Pompano were all over that reef.  How did we know?  They were jumping out of the water, and the boat scared several besides the ones we saw wading.  Now I know squat about them, except they are great to eat, but other than that it was weird.  Maybe they are spawning.  No matter what it was just different.

Headed for the frying pan.

The last few times I have gone it has not been any great shakes as to numbers, and it takes some work to wade them up, but when you find them they are nice and fat.  The one thing that has been consistent is they are coming out of more than waist deep water.  And looking back on it, there was one common factor, there is always “an edge” in 3 – 4 foot of water.  First it was a line of floating grass, then where it went from grass to sand, and today it was where the off colored water met the clear.  And one more interesting thing, whether it was the topwater or plastics, more and more it is looking like big is good as far as lure choice.  You might not catch as many, but they are definitely better fish.  And the darker colors seem to be a little better in the plasitics.

Once we got on the reef it was a good bite.  I didn’t fish all that well, but we had the bites, and Chris got his fish dinner.  It was good to fish with him again and there is a little story I want to tell you, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  It is getting late but I did want to get the report up before some of you head out fishing this weekend.  So stop in tomorrow, I have some more pictures and a couple of things to talk about.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

To be continued———-

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I admit it, I wussed out today.  It was so hot and humid yesterday when I did a little work outside, and the forecast for Monday was a heat advisory and 100 degrees, so I decided to skip the Gulf and hit the lake Monday morning.  It is 30 miles closer, and not near such a hassle when I want to quit early, and today it was on the road to the house by noon.  Nothing like fishing in a blast furnace.

As I am writing this it is set to be 101 again today, with a heat index approaching 110.  That is hot, and can be dangerous.  So I will get a few things done today, then back to the Gulf tomorrow

One thing I wanted to work on  at Coleto was  fishing the frog.  With the grass beginning to mat in some places there is usually a few places that the fish will eat the frog this time of year.   There just has to be some grass somewhere with a bunch of fish on it, but I have not been able to find that one great place.  So the plan was to remedy that.  I started up lake and the second point I fished one just jumped all over it.

I thought it was about to be good.

From that point on I stayed with the frog way to long.  Moving from point to point, stopping at the occasional big patch of grass, only one more took a pass at it.  I finally gave up on it and threw the Strike King Swimming Jig and caught one more, though I only fished it for an hour.  The one above tricked me, and I was just convinced that one of those grass patches would hold a wad of them, but it was not to be.

That is one real difference this year since the water come up, they are either not there, or the frog is not the bait of choice.  And to go along with that they are completely off the buzzbait.  Being a power fisherman finesse is not my strong suit, but there has to be a better way.  Sooner or late I will find it.  So after a 2 fish morning, and with it starting to really heat up, I called it a day.

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I read something on the Falcon Lake Tackle website, and if true, it really disturbs me.  According to the website owner, who has at best a contentious relationship with TPWD, apparently TPWD stocked a private lake with bass.  Now if the story is true as far as I am concerned it is improper at best.  Even the TPWD explanation does not make it one bit better.  There is nothing that justifies it.  It is our tax and license dollars and I would prefer they do not subsidize a private property owner for any reason.  Now if it is open for real folks to fish, no problem,  but do not bet on that one.  You are not invited.  So I want you to click on the link below and read what he has to say.

http://www.tackleandrods.com/lake/flash.htm     (scroll down and read July 21 post)

To go along with that, most state commissioners are appointed by a state’s governor.  And many state commissions are made up of rich folks, often political allies of the state’s governor.  Most of them hunt and fish in places the regular working man can only dream about.  And that might include a lake full of big bass paid for by your tax dollars.  You think?  If my perception is wrong please let me know.

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Fishing can be/is an expensive sport.  It seems that as our boats and equipment become increasingly more high tech it just increases the potential for something to go wrong.  My friend Chris, who broke the axle on his trailer is fixing it, and the trailer will be back in action today.  That is the good news.

The bad news is when he got the boat off the trailer and inspected the bottom he found a bad spot in the hull of his Dargel.  While it is bad news, it is not as bad as it could be if he was running across the bay and the hull came apart.  He thinks it is still solid, so we will see what has to be done.  If it needs repair it will be very interesting to see how Dargel handles this.  I think back to my buddy Aaron’s hull coming apart and how Skeeter built him a brand new hull.  That is how a quality boat company handles something like that.  As long as there is no angler error quality companies stand behind their boats.  So stay tuned on this one.

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I heard from Faye who is going to be down to POC for a couple of days this week.  The fishing should be great, and since I know you all like to fish live bait, I believe I would buy a few croakers and soak them on deep shell.  And if the wind is right, there are some fish being caught in the surf.  So good luck and let me know how it comes out.  I will be out there somewhere, depending on the wind.

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Steve dropped me a note telling me how much he liked my wading harness.  Well Steve, I love it.   The harness is a Wade Right by Coastal Fishing Gear, and it is plain and simple the bomb.  With a rod holder in the front for holding the rod while tying on baits, landing fish, etc., it is as functional a piece of fishing equipment as I have ever owned.  It keeps the rod up and out of the water while you do whatever.  Also there are multiple clipping points, and I love the small tackle box that clips on the belt high up on your chest, no more dunked baits or tackle boxes.  And the rod tube on the back of the belt let you carry a spare rod, and it just won’t fall out.  Having the extra rod saves trips to the boat, and still having a rod tube to set the rod in while you do stuff is great.  Seriously folks, this is a great piece of equipment.  I have written about it in the past, following buying one at the Houston Boat Show.  And after using it I bought my brother one.   And to make it even better the folks who own the company are nice folks.  So check out their website, you can’t go wrong.

http://www.coastalfishinggear.com/osfm_wade_right.php

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 As I finish this it is Tuesday morning and we are forecast to be 101 degrees with a heat index of up to 110.  That is approaching the danger zone for outdoor activity.  So if you are out in it drink water, and lots of it.  I am going to get a few things done today, tomorrow as long as it is not going to hit over 100 it will be back to the Gulf.  The Grimes article in the Victoria Advocate confirms what I found, the fish are deeper, either on deep shell or drops.  Topwaters are accounting for some good fish, the winds have calmed some, and the fish are biting.  As far as where I hit tomorrow, that may be decided as I pull out of the driveway.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Having a good day on the flat above the old Coast Guard Station last trip out of POC made today’s choice easy.  Last time I fished the Powderhorn Ranch shoreline I did not even have a bite, so it was time to remedy that poor showing.  The plan was to stay put and work it out, like I did last time.  I paid the fee at the marina and headed down the shoreline.  I stopped about halfway towards the Ranch dock and idled in to about 2 feet.

When I jumped in it was about 8, the wind was light, and the tide was coming up.  After catching some nice ones on the topwater last time I started with it.  Not even one made a pass at it until I was in waist deep water throwing out.  The first one missed it, but this one got it.

The nicest trout I have caught in a while.

This fish hit it a couple of times so I finally stopped it and she smoked it about 15 feet in front of me.  After that 1 more keeper smashed it, but other than that the topwater bite was over.  By then I had fished from knee-deep to over waist deep, and the only bites were in the 3 – 4 deep water.  Where the flat drops on that shoreline is about 3 foot give or take, and it is where the grass ends, and just like the last trip they were on the edge.  With the sun out, the wind beginning to blow, and topwater not producing any more bites, it was time for plastics.

Again a 1/16 ounce jig head and a 4″Chicken on a Chain paddle tail with the chartreuse tail.  They only way I could catch them was to hop if up off the bottom.

This picture does not do this one justice, she was a fatty.

I put a couple of more in the net, and then with the tide up I headed to the actual shoreline looking for some redfish.  That is actually quite a wade from 4 foot deep to the bank.  There was some bait on the bank, I worked it over good, but never did have a bite from a red on either plastics or topwater.  In fact, I only saw one redfish wading that really shallow water.   So to finish the morning it was back out to the deeper water.

With the tide full high and the fishing slowing down, it was time to head to the deeper edge to throw that plastic at the deepest grass patches I could see.  I probably put another 5 or 6 trout in the net, all on that plastic.  About 1 the wind came up and started blowing right on the shoreline and I called it a day.  While the bite was slow it was consistent.  The final count for the morning was 11 or 12, and of that probably 5 made it, 3 or 4 of them nice ones, so not a bad morning while only burning 1 gallon of gas.

This is the second trip in a row where the plan was to go to an area and move as little as possible, stay in the water, and work the area over until I found them.  It has actually worked, and I have not fished out of the boat the last 4 trips.  In fact the fish were about the same depth and location on the Ranch shoreline as they were the other day at POC.  Today once they quit biting they nosed up in the grass and hopping that plastic through it triggered the occasional strike.  And the fish were a nicer average, and I love releasing good ones.  I can only imagine what the guys who fish croaker are catching, the better fish are in that little deeper water and it would be a killing to fish that same type of place with croaker.

Now that the weather has settled down the bay fishing is getting more consistent, though the reports are still spotty.  It has me wanting to keep at it, and I intend to.  So where to next?  Not sure, but it will be a different place next time.  And I think the plan will stay the same, pick a good likely area and make a stand.

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The Shoedog has not bee able to fish any since we got back from Canada.  He has been on the run and now he has his grandson Nolan at his house in College Station.  And with a pond and a lake on the property I am sure they will catch some fish.  In fact here is Nolan with a nice one.

Good job Nolan!  I am not sure who was prouder, Nolan or Grandpa.

The Shoedog retired this January and now with the grandson here for a week he can fish up a storm.  And Shoedog, there is schooling activity on Fayette early, if you think he can take the ride.  Either way have a good week and then come on down for some trout fishing, I might even have it down by then.

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J & J Bait and Tackle

For a while now I have been meaning to stop at the tackle store on Magnolia Beach.  Going to Indianola without driving down beach drive I do not usually go past it, so I made it a point to stop after I finished fishing.  And I was pleasantly surprised.

Folks it is a really nice store, that has a few groceries, beer, smokes, picnic supplies, along with other stuff.  But what it really has is tackle, good stuff, and frozen and dead bait.  They are also a top shelf Shimano dealer.  Selling not only reels but rods, and even better, they do cleaning and repair of both.  And if they have the parts they say they can often do a one day turn around, which is awesome.  And to top it off, they are open 7 days a week from 6:30 in the morning until 10 pm weekdays, and until 11 on the weekends.

It was nice to meet the owners, they are good folks, so if you get down to Indianola please stop in and say hi.  I know I have some reel cleaning that needs doing so I will give them a try.  Plus it makes for a good excuse to fish the Powderhorn.  Their phone number is 361/552-2724.

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 Not much else to say today, except now is the time.  The bay fishing is good and the weather has been cooperating.  Try to be nice out there, there is room for all of us.  I will now be waiting with bated breath for the weekend reports.  So if you caught some let me know.  I will share or not, I just like to hear how you all are doing, so drop me a line.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

After thinking about it I have to come to a conclusion as to what the big topwater thing was all about yesterday.  First, I thought maybe it was the time of the tide or time of day, but that was not it.  It was that once I started throwing a bigger bait, I started catching keeper fish.  Until I made that switch it was good fishing as far as numbers went, but the size was lacking.  There were so many small trout there that they were getting to the plastics before the bigger ones.  So tossing a topwater the size of a bigger mullet really paid off and separated the wheat from the chaff.

 The KVD Sexy Dog with a reel for reference.

I must admit I had not thrown the 3 hook version yet, though I do throw the smaller 2 hooker quite often.  These baits “walk the dog” easily, notice on the picture above the mouth area is flat and causes a little splash to go along with the side to side action.  And the bait itself is not heavy like some of the other topwaters so it has a livelier action with less work.  There are times when they want that bigger bait, and as the baitfish and mullet grow so does the size of their supper.  Something to think about.

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It is so easy to forget that not everyone who reads this stuff knows exactly what, or where, some of these places are we talk about.  So when Joe sent me a comment asking what is POC it reminded me that POC is not the be all, end all, of saltwater fishing, and not everyone knows what, or where, it is.  Well Joe, POC is Port O’Connor TX and it is on the coast near Seadrift TX, about an hour north of Rockport.  It has access to many bays and is a favorite of lots of saltwater fishermen on the coast.  So thanks for reminding me to not assume everyone knows what I am talking about.  And good luck on your Rockport trip, let us know how you do.

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I also heard from Rick who is coming down to fish Coleto this weekend.  His question was are there any good tackle shops around the lake?  Sorry about that Rick, Victoria has 4 places to buy tackle, none of them close to the lake.  Academy has the biggest selection of freshwater, actually a good selection of freshwater baits, but the Tackle Box on Ben Jordan is the only real “tackle store” in our area.  It is primarily a saltwater shop, but with the works as far as rods and reels, reel repair, waders, and the rest of it.  Victoria All-Sports also has some tackle, and of course Wal-Mart.   Good luck this weekend and let me know how it goes.

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This may be a little off topic but could not pass without comment.  My lovely wife suggested maybe later in the week we drive down to Eagle Pass on the border and see what that casino was like.  Sounded like a good suggestion to me.  I love that area and always enjoy the drive to fish Amistad so it seemed like it was a done deal.  Then as she was off Tuesday we headed to Cabela’s and then Gruene for a little drive.  When we were in the fly shop in Gruene she found this purse, and as she was looking for one, she bought it.  After we left town she said she spent the casino money on the purse.   I had to laugh, I did not know the choice was Eagle Pass or a purse.  Either way the purse won.  And she also said I should be happy, I got off easy.

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I ran into a friend of mine and her dad in Wal-Mart in the fishing department.  His team caught a $500 redfish in the last tourney they fished this summer.  It came from the Powderhorn.  We both like to fish the same area, an area if I had to go catch a redfish as fast as I could,  would be the back end of the Powderhorn.  If you float shallow and have a trolling motor they are there somewhere – all the time.

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One last note on plastics.  I stopped in Academy and bought a couple of bags of plastics and some jig heads.   It is really interesting how the count differs by company.  One of the colors I bought has 10 per bag, the other 8.  Some of the fancier plastics have as few as 5 per bag.  While occasionally some exact bait is the ticket, most of the time the most important aspect of catching fish is fishing where they are.  There are no magic baits, and fancy paint jobs are just that, fancy paint jobs.  Now as far as jig heads go I actually like the Academy brand.  I generally use plain unpainted heads and the hook size on the 1/16 and 1/8 is perfect.  It amazes me how much jig heads cost these days.  Wish I had not sold my lead pot and molds, it would save some serious jack.

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That is it for today, just a couple of things I was to tired to add to the last post.  Next I think it is back to the Gulf.  I want to throw that big topwater some more in a couple of spots that should be perfect for it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I love it when a plan comes together.  The weather looked great, the tide was perfect, and the wind was not blowing.  My last trip to POC did not go as well as I liked, but the more I thought about the flat at the old Coast Guard station it seemed like the place to be.  And I did catch 10 or so last time, but only a couple kept.  So the plan was to stay from the last of the rising through high, and until it started dropping.

I parked the boat not that far from the old ruins and hopped over the side.  For the next hour or so it was good, but none kept.  It was probably around 20, they were really biting on plastics, but the size was not cutting it.  So with some cloud cover I started throwing a small Skitterwalk, and though they were hitting that they were small.  But I did catch a nice Seagull who did not put up that good a fight so he was unhooked no worse for the wear.  So I actually used my head for once and went back to the boat and got the bigger 3 hook KVD topwater in a sexy shad.  At this point the water was just starting to fall.

This is the 2 I did manage to land.

I was in less than waist deep and throwing out into about 4, right in the area where the grass ends and the sand pockets begin.  When the reds showed, or I found them, whichever, they were real active.  2 made the net, a couple got off, and 4 or 5 missed it or chased it.  When I was in them they were chasing it right up to me.  An awesome flurry.  When they slowed I just worked the grass edge, and the trout starting eating that topwater.

The best of the trout.

As the water fell the trout were right on the edge of the grass where the was a current ripping by.  I caught 3 more keepers, and several that were right on the edge.  It also helped that the cloud cover stayed.  With the rip came the floating grass.  It was in a long line and there were baitfish flipping around in it.  So I worked the edge of that and then I got this guy.

This is the biggest Spanish I have caught in a long time.  Reminds me of some of the Florida Spanish.

The bite was off and on, for about 5 hours.  The plan was to work that area over the whole trip.  There just had to be some good fish there, and once I switched to the big topwater it was some good fishin’.  Not to often you get little wind, a light cloud cover, and a perfect tide, but when you do it all comes together.  It is so awesome when they blow up on that topwater, I had not had that good a topwater bite in a while.  I did lose several nice fish, but considering it was topwater it goes with the territory.

Normally I try to avoid the dead fish pictures but my buddy Jeffish’s 96 y/o granddad is here, he loves him some fish, so I took these for him, ergo the dead fish pictures.  I have really tried to keep off the trolling motor and just stick to wading.  So after a couple marginal trips I finally got in to them.  It will be interesting to see if I can duplicate today.  It was probably 2o on plastics and a dozen on topwater, which made for a really great day.  Where next I am not sure, but this has got my saltwater juices flowing.  I have a few other things on my mind, I will get to them tomorrow.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.