Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Initially the plan was for some fishing yesterday but I got a call from a friend who needed some help.  First it was to fill in a hole, which we knocked off fairly quick.  Next up was to do a little motor work on his 75hp Mariner.  That took quite a while, but after getting the new stator installed the motor fired right up.  It really is nice to have something like that happen when doing motor work.  So as soon as he gets the motor synchronized he will be back in action.

So with yesterday a wash it was off to Coleto for a short morning trip to put a few fish in the boat before the big weekend.  With clouds and high wind, nothing new around here, it was definitely a spinnerbait and buzzbait day.  And the fish did not disappoint.

This girl smoked a Strike King Burner Spinnerbait.  Nothing like a big fish stopping a high speed bait!

I alternated between the Strike King Burner when there was lots of wind on a bank, and the Lunker Lure buzzbait when it was more of a ripple.  The fish above came out of a log, the rest were coming out of isolated patches of grass.  I did catch one on a big grass flat, but the better places are still near deeper water with grass.

Sorry about the no shirt thing, it was warm out there.  Notice the grass on the bait, you have to move them out of it as soon as they smash it.

Today the better fish were just smashing that buzzbait.  This is not a light line technique, I am using 20lb mono.  You need to move them out of the grass pretty fast or they bury up.  As far as speed goes, I am reeling it about 3/4 speed with a 7 to 1 reel.  You can definitely reel it to fast, just keep it moving nice and steady.  And remember to point the rod right at them, your hooking percentage will go up on the buzzbait.

She was long with a big head.  Look at her tail, not sure she was all that good at catching stuff, except the buzzbait.

And to further refine where they are located, while I have caught them from the upper end to the dam area, it really boils down to main lake banks, with good water nearby.  Grass is absolutely the ticket, but one thing I have noticed is that the better places have had more isolated patches.  Pay close attention to the way the patches lay, and try to run the bait right by any point or irregular feature, then just hold on.

Another nice one, she hit it within eye sight of the ramp at 3 pm with jet ski’s and speed boats running everywhere.

One thing  that has been consistent the last few weeks is that some of the best fishing is right in the middle of the day.  Even today with lots of boat traffic as the day wore on the fish continued to bite.  So if you get a chance to go, just concentrate on those main lake banks and watch for that grass.  I easily put 15 in the boat today, and several more where like the ones above.  It was a good day of fishing by any standard.

The water temp was only 80 degrees, which is why so many fish are still shallow.  While Coleto has shallow fish all year long, they do migrate deep once our summer gets here, it just has not made it yet.  Same for Fayette.  As long as we have these relatively mild days and cool nights the  shallow fishing should stay good for at least a while longer.

Something to check on your trailer.

I usually write something about boat trailers this time of year.  Nothing can ruin a weekend faster than trailer trouble beside the road.  And occasionally I take my own advice and look mine over from front to back making sure all is well.  I learned something today and just wanted to pass it on to you.  Not only could this have been a hassle, it could have been a disaster.

Look at this closely, then if you have a swing away tongue go look at your trailer.

After I backed the boat in the garage and was cranking it off the hitch I heard something hit the floor.  It was the nut off the bolt in the swing away tongue.  The nut had sheared off the bottom of the bolt that holds the tongue on.  Why?  Who knows.  That it happened in front of me so I could catch it before something more serious happened was a stroke of luck.  And while the bolt was still holding the tongue, who knows how long it would have done so.  This is down right scary to think about.  So if your trailer has that feature be sure to check it out.  There is no way I would have seen this just looking at the trailer as the the bolt would have looked fine even with the nut sheared off.  So just be sure your bolt is intact by looking underneath.

The Holiday Weekend

Every year after this weekend the fishing boards are loaded with folks complaining about other folks behavior on the water.  So be careful this weekend.  Lots of folks who do not use their boats that often, or who are relatively inexperienced, or have had one to many, are out on the water.  Lines will be long at the ramps, folks will be running this way and that, so be careful.  This is one time when it pays to be the bigger man.  Yield to folks, give people space, do not get pissed at the ramp.  A little civility on the water will go a long way, for other folks and for your blood pressure.  And they make life jackets for a reason – just sayin’.

Line

I admit that braid lines are giving me fits.  Only recently have I spent any time fishing them, and while there are a few things I like, there are some things that drive me nuts.  Why will a braid knot slip completely apart but it will tangle on the rod tip and not let go?  Why does it have to slip inside a split ring?  Why when I get a backlash is it the mother of all backlashes?  Why does it seem that it is actually easier to throw lures off?  Since lots of folks love braid it must be me.   Trilene Big Game has been my line of choice for years.  I change line frequently and keep spools of 6 – 20lb, and a couple heavier, for all conditions.  So I guess I will stick with the old tried and true, maybe this old dog ain’t havin’ that new trick.

Next

Chris got in touch with me wondering if I wanted to scratch the redfish itch.  Of course the answer was yes.  His boat has been in the shop with some motor troubles, and after over a month it is back in the garage.  So Tuesday it will be some back lake somewhere.  Hopefully the wind will finally lay some, but who knows.  No matter what we will be out there somewhere.  As far as the next couple of days I hope you have a good weekend, I intend to spend some time working on the blog.  Whether you are fishing, spending time with family, or just hanging out, I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Shoedog called Monday and said we should meet at Fayette County on Tuesday.  In spite of the high winds, it was forecast to possibly blow 35 that night, we decided to meet at the 7 the next morning.

When I got to the ramp there was only one trailer, and the wind was howling at 25 out of the SE.  Most of the lake was covered in white caps and there were few places to hide.  But hide we did.  And while it was rough and a hassle, catching fish sure did take the edge off.

Shoedog with the first of several this size today.

First let me say we love that lake.  It is one of the best jerk bait lakes on the face of the earth. So with that as the bait of choice for starters, we started fishing fairly shallow.  How shallow?  We tried to keep the boat in around 6 foot of water.  Now that would seem somewhat shallow for this time of year on a power plant lake, but the conditions dictate where you start, and we paid attention to them.

First, the water temp was reading around 78 or 79, not that warm for this time of year.   Second, there was a major shad hatch going on.  I mean there was shad everywhere, and they were shallow.  And third, the lake has really come up since our last trip.  With relatively cool water, a nice raise and baitfish everywhere, shallow was the obvious choice.  So going with the listen to the fish plan we started throwing jerk bait, using it moderately fast in a jerk/jerk/pause/jerk/pause/jerk/jerk/pause/jerk/pause cadence.  Some of them knocked the snot out of it, some were just there when you went to move it.

Fayette is just full of this size.

Shoedog primarily threw a Rapala Husky Jerk in an orange color, I alternated between a Smithwick Rogue Jr and a KVD.  They all caught fish, but the Rogue was my primary bait as the KVD ran just a little to deep in that shallow water.  But the real key for us on Fayette today, and every other day, is grass.  If you can find that nice green grass in that 5 foot range you have fish, period.  And over the years we have found that paying attention to what comes back on your hooks is the key to glory.  I know that lake has a pretty serious deep bite, but for me until I can not catch fish to beat the band shallow, I will stay shallow.  It never lets us down.

There was an interesting distinction today.  While the fish were shallow, they were not on shallow banks.  There had to be some deeper water close, big flats were not the place.  And we did not catch any in the back of any of the coves.  They tended to be on the long banks leading into the coves, but with the ability to fish the whole lake severally restricted by the high winds, that was often the only places we could fish.

Another nice bass out of the 34 we put in the boat.

A few boat came and went during the day, but the wind was tough and lots of folks called it quits after a while.  But though it was a struggle, we kept after it and we caught fish on almost every bank we were able to fish.  While the Shoedog stayed with his jerkbait most of the day, we did throw square bills some, and did have a few cranking.  I tossed a swim jig some, but it did not work, no surprise with the shad hatch going on.  Many of our bites came in 3 foot of water, the are the shad were really flipping.  It pays to give them what they want, where they want it, and with that many shad it was definitely a minnow bait day.  When we quit at 3:45 we had put 34 in the boat, not a bad day by any standard.

One thing that has taken me a little while to get used to, is how rude some fisherman are on Fayette.  You would think that with hardly anyone on the lake you would not have some knucklehead cut you off.  But on Fayette that seems to be the way folks fish, whether there is lots of traffic, or very little.  So you just have to suck it up and do what you need to do to catch fish and ignore idiots like those 3 fools in the white center console.

Another thing I saw yesterday that I find really interesting is the explosion of Power Poles on bass boats.  Now we have one on the flats boat, and it does come in handy at times, but it never occurred to me to put one on a freshwater boat.  And unlike saltwater boats, bass boats are putting on 2.  I am sure you are really planted with 2 in the water, and maybe when you are fishing bedding fish on Okeechobee it works great.  But overall the Power Pole folks must be dancing around the campfire naked with lampshades on their heads over this trend.

Tomorrow it is off to the Gulf somewhere and the wind will dictate where.  The forecast is still for winds up to 25 mph plus with potentially higher gusts.  While this pattern we are currently in has mild temperatures, the wind is still blowing with no change expected in the forecast for the near future.

Our Canada trip is right around the corner.  With a little over 2 weeks until we go I am starting to make piles.  2 weeks of hardcore fishing for multiple species requires lots of planning and a variety of rods and reels and lures.  We will be taking spare everything having anything to do with boats, tackle, clothes, you name it.  You can never have to much stuff, and boy do we have the stuff.

So there you have it for today.  One or two more days on the water before I leave it to the rest of the world for the holiday.  The president of Team Nancy will be out of town, so I will take a few days to do some of those things that stay on that list of things we all are fixin’ to do, and just never seem to get around to doing.  Thanks for stopping in and reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Originally the plan was to accompany the President of Team Nancy to Austin to a medical conference.  A little R&R, a trip to Cabela’s, some good food, all the things you do when you are out of town.  Then our dog sitter had a fire at her house and with no place to leave the pooch I elected to stay home.

So with no real plan fishing was on the menu.  Now normally I do not fish the weekends, I leave that to the folks that have a job.  But with the Gulf crowded with the Wounded Warrior’s I figured a quick morning trip to Coleto was in order.  Hit it at daylight and as soon as there are more jet skis than boats head to the house.  I was amazed when I got to the lake, it was dead calm.  Since I have been catching most of the better fish downlake of course I decided to head uplake.  The rational behind that decision was the lake obviously came up with that last rain and I wanted to take a look.

First buzzbait bass.

The water temp was a consistent 80 degrees all the way up.  The further up I went the more color to the water.  Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes not.  This morning it was not a good thing.  Over the first couple of hours I caught one on a spinnerbait, and had 5 or 6 blow up on the buzzbait, they just were not eating it.  I also threw a swim jig some, and that produced exactly no bites.  So after messing around up lake it was time to get serious about catching a couple so I headed back down to the main lake area.

Just a nice average size.

It was probably around 10 when I got back down near the dam, and of course started catching fish right away.  The wind finally came up, and that may have actually had more to do with the fish starting to bite than the location.  From then, until I quit at noon, when the jet skis finally started buzzing around like flies, I ended up putting 8 or 9 more in the boat.  While none were big, one thing about that buzzbait right now, when you catch one it is usually a keeper.

Of course grass was the ticket.  The fish are  still positioned around the grass, especially near points and deeper banks.  Fishing that buzzbait at a moderate speed, when they decide to come for it there is no doubt.  And remember to keep that rod pointed right at the bait, it really helps to hook them.  Over the last few years I have learned that Coleto is not always a “first thing in the morning” lake.  And that is a good thing.  Keep working at it and sooner or later, usually, they bite.

So far a short morning trip it wasn’t to bad.  There were lots of folks at the lake, summer is here.  As far as the water we finally got a little rise out of the deal.  The lake is still down, we will have to wait and see how the fish really react to the new water.  Over the years I have seen one of two things generally happen with a rise, they either go with it or they stay put.  Only the next few days will let us know how they will finally react to the rise.

And by the way, do any of you know whether there will be a Thursday night pot tournament on Coleto this year?  If you know drop a comment, I would love to fish them.  When I was eat up with tournament fishing 30 years ago it was a hard at it game.  Now I just like to fish with folks and see what comes of it.

 The wildlife was on the move today.

While the fishing is not always the hottest on Coleto first thing in the morning, the wildlife viewing is usually awesome.  Today it was turkeys running the bank and gobbling, alligators looking for breakfast, pigs grunting and rooting, and deer everywhere.  And it was the deer that provided the real excitement for the morning.

Uplake there is a big pasture where I see the deer all the time.  As I was easing down the bank I saw a small, and I mean little, fawn come out of the grass and go to his mother who was feeding under a big tree.  The fawn got his breakfast, and then like all kids went out to play.  That little guy was running  and jumping and tearing around that field.  Mom was not to happy and had her tail up, trying to keep track of that little guy.  He finally took off and mama took off after him.  One of those days when I wish I had the big camera.

This coming week will include another trip or two to the Gulf.  Depending on the wind I hope to make Keller.  With a few days of stable weather the water should clear some and the trout have to start biting.  Also the Shoedog wants to fish somewhere we haven’t fished, maybe Bastrop, we will just have to see.  So keep stopping in.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

You got to love this weather.  From blowing 25mph+ one day to dead calm the next, you never know.  But once I saw the weather report for Thursday POC was the plan for the day. My last few trips to the POC area have made one thing abundantly clear, the trout are just not in their usual spring haunts, at least not for me.  The areas that were holding lots of nice fish last year have just not produced.  And today was no different.

When I got to Froggie’s the color of the water in the barge canal reminded me of the Skunk River in Iowa, nice and dirty.  Barge traffic was heavy and there was lots of floating grass.  When I got to Big Bayou it was not much better.  An hour later, with not even a bite, it was time to head for the Oil Cut area and see if the water was any clearer.  It took about 5 minutes before I put my first trout in the boat

17″ of supper!

The wind was light out of the south and blowing out of the Oil Cut.  When I got there around noon the fish were biting.  While I threw several different plastics, and dark plumb with a chartreuse paddle tail in the 3″ was the bait of choice.  The wind was blowing out of the cut perfect to take me down the bank.  The trout were on the second or third hop of the bait off the bank. After my first drift, where I caught 5 or 6, I headed back in to drift again when I saw a coyote in the edge of the water.

The tide was down and there was a crab trap sitting in about 6 inches of water.  That coyote was trying to get what ever was in the trap.  I stopped the boat, and since I had the small camera, I was only able to get the picture below.  And then the battery went dead ending the picture taking for the day.

This guy was booking after I stopped to watch him try to rob a crab trap.

To bad I didn’t have the big camera because when I first noticed him he had his nose stuck in the trap.  He was just not having it when the boat stopped, and back on the island he went.

My second drift fishing the bank resulted in about the same number of trout.  Of the dozen or so I caught in there, probably 5 were keepers.  I kept 2 for supper and released the rest.  Both of the kept were 17″, and I did not catch any bigger.  Most looked to be border line.  And though I tried several colors, it was that dark paddle tail, maybe due to the off colored water.  And I did toss the topwater some, though nothing took a pass at it.  We need the water to clear and warm just a little.   And incidentally, the water temp was only 69 degrees when I got to the ramp.  A far cry from where it normally is this time of year.

There were a few reds on both sides of the cut, but only a small one managed to hook up.  Several others took a pass at the Redfish Magic without getting hooked up.  And with my superior skill I did manage to lose a really big flounder when I got in to much of a hurry.  It really sucks when they only have their teeth in the plastic, and finally think to open their mouth and off they come.

On my way in I stopped at 2 of my go-to places for trout, and did not have a bite.  This has been the weirdest spring in the 5 years I have lived here.  But change is coming, it is warm again today, and the forecast looks great.  And when I was putting the boat on the trailer I saw a 2 guys with the a couple of the biggest King Fish I have seen down here.  Not sure where they came from, but there are Spanish at the jetties, so looks like things are heating up.

Guiding

The 70’s and 80’s when I was guiding were some of the best times of my life.  I am not sure I was mature enough to really understand, but looking back on it now, it was a cool time.  What got me to thinking about that was a young guy I know was telling me a friend of his, who I know, was thinking about taking up guiding.  This young guy is a really good fisherman, and catches fish in both fresh and salt, a good thing.  So what is the advice to this young guy?

Do it.  There will never be a better time.  It has no 401K, no dental or medical, no paid vacation, in fact, it has absolutely no benefits other than spending your days in the outdoors.  So now is the time, before kids, wife, house payments, and all that comes with maturity, to start.   And being competant at both salt and fresh will greatly increase your potential to make money.

But there is one real important factor to consider, there is a big difference in being a good fisherman and being a good guide.  While not mutually exclusive, they work together hand in hand, you need to be good at the fishing to be a good guide.  But guiding is providing a service, it just happens to be the service is fish, but it is still a service industry.  You get great fishermen, terrible fishermen, and people who need to go back to the dock to the bathroom 2 minutes after you drive 10 miles to start fishing.  People will say things like a customer, who I just detested, told me after leaving with filets from 83 fish – “I will be back when the fishing is better.”   And of course there is always the power head coming apart, the new props, broken rods, and on and on.  Believe me the job is work.

But for a young man there is never a better time.  And with hard work it really is possible to make a living, but it takes years of work to get there.  But when you pick them up in the morning, start catching at the first place, then the next, then they catch the biggest fish of their life, it is all good.  You only live once so go for the gusto.

Tonight it is off to Coleto to hopefully shoot a couple of Tilapia.  Not only are they great table fare, they are awesome cut bait for jugs.  Jeffish has been wanting to run a few jugs, so we will get bait one way or the other to set a few jugs for big cats.  It is always fun to head out first thing in the morning to see what you have caught.  And with our last experiment using cut Tilapia for bait being so successful, there should be some nice big catfish waiting for us in the morning.

Next it is back to the Gulf.  I have really been wanting to hit Keller Bay, and with some calm weather the water should clear and heat up.  Keller is still one of my favorite redfish areas on the coast and I am needing a redfish fix.  And if the wind is not to bad I may just put in at Indianola and motor over hitting a couple of the rigs out in the bay on the way.  They should be holding trout right now.  So keep stopping in, the assault on the saltwater is beginning.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The Weather

I was hoping to hit the Gulf somewhere the last couple of days but things have conspired against me.  Monday the dog needed to be at the Vet’s at 8 a.m. for some surgery, so I dropped her off and spent the day waiting to hear from the Vet.  When I did late in the afternoon they decided to keep her overnight.

So here I sit on Tuesday, wondering when I will pick her up.  But even that turns out to be irrelevant as it has been raining and blowing all night.  Now that is a thing of beauty.  According to the weatherman we got almost 2″ last night along, and we needed it so bad.  The forecast is for rain thru sometime tomorrow.  With Coleto down 4 feet, it is a God send.

The effect on the Gulf fishing may be somewhat different than the lake.  We are projected to be as low as 51 degrees the next several nights, which is almost unbelievable in South Texas this time of year.  Not the usual May weather that warms the bays dramatically.  So while the weather will keep me off the water until tomorrow, as we are almost 7 ” down this year already I will happily sacrifice a day on the water for another day of rain .

CCA Banquet

It appeared a good time was had by all at the Mid-Coast CCA Banquet.  Good barbecue, good drinks, and a ton of fisherman, all contributed to a fun evening.  There were a bunch of items available via silent auction and raffle.  Of course the highlight of the show was the auction.  Now there is no other outdoor group that has put their money where their mouth is more than CCA.  Their funding of projects, and their conservation goals, are above and beyond any group, and fishermen have directly benefited with  better fishing.  And the support shown at the banquet was a direct results of those good works.

It was amazing to see what folks paid for things during the auction.  $7,000 for a cooler with no clue what it contained.  Over 2 grand for a beer dispenser.  Thousands of dollars for a ride with a guide at the Speedy Stop Guides Cup.  It was something.  I have no clue what was raised, but you have to give the local CCA Chapter credit, they know how to throw a bash.

Fishing Reports

I guess the folks I do talk fishing with are not good fishermen, and that includes me.  I have read various vague reports online but as far as our area, the Gulf fishing reports have been poor.  One local fisherman with places in POC says it has been the slowest spring he has seen.  And with another cool front here, it may keep the fishing at status quo.  But when it does cut loose, look out.

Canada

We are headed to Muskie Bay Resort on Crow Lake in less than a month.  In the Nestor Falls area, it is just a short hop to Lake of the Woods. The folks at Muskie Bay are great, and the fishing is something everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.  And what can I say about Lake of the Woods?  Over 15,000 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline make it one of the greatest fishing holes on the face of the earth.

Our last trip was 2 years ago, and we were lucky enough to catch big walleyes, muskie, and lake trout.   This year we will be staying 2 weeks, which will give us time to explore some of the smaller lessor fished lakes.  There are 4 us going and we are taking our own boats, so we plan to explore some new waters, it should be something.

Along with that comes the preparation.  It is something when you finally get your list going.  The list is mandatory and becomes a month long project that is continually revised and gone over.  Being gone for 17 or 18 days, and needing to take everything, requires a lot of planning.  This long a trip is one of those if you do not have it you will end up buying it.  And in Canada that can be an expensive proposition.

Also, before travel out of the US you have to do your research.  What is required to get in and out of the country?  What are the fishing rules?  Good preparation makes for a much better trip.  And you won’t accidentally become a smuggler.  In fact I know a couple of bozos who through no fault of their own besides ignorance, smuggled those deadly potato’s into Canada. It would suck to end up in jail on a potato smuggling caper.  So do your research before you go, you just might learn something.

It has been tough with the way the fishing has worked out.  But it will turn around in the next couple of days.  The boat is hooked on the truck and I am just chomping at the bit to hit the water.  So keep stopping in, hopefully this fishing dry spell is coming to an end.  And thanks to all of you for hanging in there and reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Matagorda

While the wife and I were out of town the Austin boys headed to Matagorda for a weekend of fishing.  A real serious fishing bunch, they hit it hard.  I dropped Todd a line on Wednesday when I did not see a report anywhere online.  Apparently their experience mirrored what I have been hearing, and seeing with my own eyes, it is just plain tough.

“You didn’t miss much. Fishing was very slow both days. We fished East Matty the first day and caught a few drifting reefs. We waded some beautiful spots on the South shoreline but not a bite. We made our way over to the house about mid day and then anchored in the river just outside the diversion cut. We managed a couple nice reds in there including a 27″er.

                                       Todd with a nice redfish.

We went over into the West bay and one boat bass fished the shoreline like you like to do and had a few blow ups on top water late in the day and managed one keeper. My boat drifted through the cut in fast current and I decided to throw a paddle tail out and hooked up with a keeper right away. We did it again and got another keeper.

So once again a lackluster trip as far as catching is concerned but still really nice to be down there and that south shoreline of West bay is really nice. “

Sounds like the boys had a tough trip, but that happens as you expand your range.  You have to take the first step in new areas, and it gets easier and easier after that first trip.  And while the fishing could have been better, I am sure the eats and good times helped ease the pain, they are a good bunch of guys to fish with.

As a side note Todd will be spending some time this summer out West, near some good trout fishing, so he actually took a fly casting lesson.   That is smart, and he will be real glad he did when he has some time to trout fish.   And he also managed to catch a nice bass on his fly rod.  Good job, nothing like another hobby to our outdoor obsession.

Todd’s first fish on a fly rod.

Coleto Creek   5/9/14.

With a sketchy weather report, and the CCA banquet tonight, a quick morning trip to Coleto was on tap.  What can I say…no big change.  Before I quit around 2 I put well over 20 in the boat.  Today most of them were ok fish, just no big ones.

Lots of these hitting that spinnerbait on Coleto.  I’ll spare you any more pictures, they all look the same.

They are still near grass with some wind on it, hitting the Strike King Burner spinnerbait when the bank has lots of wind, the buzzbait when there is a little less wind.   While a couple fell for a chartreuse buzzbait, white is still the color of choice in either bait.   I did have one on buzzbait that would have made the almost big category, but he nosed down in the grass and pulled off before I could get to him.

And again, I caught them from in sight of the ramp to the upper end.  I almost hate to say it, but I am getting a little bored with this pattern, it has stayed stable for weeks now.  I am sure you all are getting a little tired of this same old record also.   I am not complaining, Coleto is a great place to fish right now, and with the rough winds and cold fronts we have had it has saved many a fishing day when the Gulf would have been to much hassle.

Just hanging out waiting for something to chow down on.

It has been wildlife extravaganza at the lake.  The deer are everywhere, turkey, alligators,  and lots of other stuff moving around, the unstable weather has everything moving.  And it definitely has the bass up and feeding.  So while I am ready for a change, there have been very few boats on the lake and the fishing has been good.

You would think with only 3 or 4 boats on the lake someone would not cut me off, but it happened today.  I still marvel at how rude some folks can be.  I guess when your head is up your a$$ it makes it hard to see other folks.  Oh well, you can’t change them so you live with it.  Easier than getting an ulcer.

CCA Banquet

Tonight is the Mid Coast CCA banquet.  As usual we have a table and enjoy the eats and seeing all the fisherman and the goodies.  If I am correct last year they raised over $300,000 at the banquet.  Some stuff went ridiculously high, others within reason.   Actually watching the auction is the highlight of the evening and I am always amazed what a few drinks will do.  I am sure there is a little buyer remorse to go along with the headache when some folks wake up in the morning.  But it is for a good cause and all in good fun.

It finally looks like the weather is going to straighten up, and with it I am ready to assault the coast.  When the fishing does break loose, it should really be hot.  The trout are looking to spawn, and when the water finally does heat up, they should come shallow in mass.  Hope springs eternal in fisherman, and I really, really, really am ready for some salt success.  Time to scratch that itch.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Faye & Steve’s POC report.

Sorry there as not been any new reports but I took a few days off from fishing, and doing any work on the blog.  So if you have not heard from me today is catch up.  It was nice to take a few days off, but I was not all that far from water, like a block.  The one constant between last week and this week is our wind is still blowing.  In fact, yesterday we had gusts to 36.  It is forecast to keep blowing like that for the next few days, and today is no exception.

While I did not hit any water for about a week, I do know a couple of folks who did.  I heard from Faye, who is one of my loyal readers.  She and her husband keep busy with their business and when they get the chance they love to fish the POC area.  If you read my stuff you know their last trip went a little different than they might have hoped, but they got a little revenge this time.

Faye with a nice trout.

She tells it better than I can so here is her report:

Fish Catching Travel

General Information

Nestled in the north central region of the Ozarks Mountains is an area known as the Twin Lakes.  Surrounding Mtn. Home Arkansas is some of the finest freshwater fishing in North America.  Not only know for the fabulous bass fishing of Lake Norfork and Bull Shoals, where else can you fish for world record brown trout, stream smallmouth, beautiful walleye, and big stripers, all within 3o miles of each other?

An Ozark Mountain Smallmouth.

Impounded in the 50’s, Bull Shoals and Norfork have had the ups and downs all reservoirs go through in their maturation.  As part of that growth the fishing is now as good as it has ever been.  Being highland lakes, water is released from depths of 200 feet from both dams, Bull Shoals into the White River, Norfork into the North Fork of the White River.  These cool water discharges make for some of the finest trout fishing in America.

Both lakes are big, clear, highland reservoirs.  Norfork, depending on water level, has around 400 miles of shoreline and covers approximately 22,000 surface acres.  Bull Shoals is one massive lake, depending on the water level it has around 750 miles of shoreline covering 0ver 50,000 surface acres.  Though big lakes, unlike many other huge lakes in this country, they snake their way through the mountains, and with so many ramps available there are very few days you can not find a place to fish or ski due to the wind.

The water in both lakes is as clear as any in the country.  And adding to the beauty is the fact that being Corps of Engineers Lakes there are basically no houses on the actual shoreline and when you are fishing either lakes it is like fishing in the woods, because you are.  Another advantage of these Corp of Engineer Lakes is that there are good ramps, and lots of them, giving you access to any area of either lake you wish to fish.  There is a small day use fee, $3 at this writing, making it relatively cheap to launch.

There are also plenty of boat docks on both lakes.  From full service, to only open at odd times, most offer gas, fishing licenses, and supplies.  Should you plan on going, be sure to check out any dock you plan on using as their hours and services vary.  On Bull Shoals I highly recommend Lakeview Cove Marina for their good service and friendly attitude.  As you know I rarely specifically do not recommend a business but watch out on “Bull Shoals” for a marina with the worst attitude and service.  I would not recommend them for any reason when I lived there 20 years ago, and would not recommend them to you today.  Enough said about that.  And when you visit should you want to leave your boat in the water they all have overnight dockage.

The Fishing

Lake Norfork Stripers – Ah the good old days.

Lets get to the good stuff, the fishing.  It would be impossible to tell you all you need to know in this article, but the highlights should be sufficient to get your fishing juices flowing.  To simplify matters lets take Bull Shoals first.  If you would like to catch a nice smallmouth and a good walleye in the same day this is the place.  The walleye explosion the last few years has folks chasing walleyes seriously these days.  The new Missouri record striper of over 50lbs came from Bull Shoals last year, add that to great white bass fishing, crappie, largemouth, Kentucky, catfish, and you have a fish factory.  It’s crystal clear water can be daunting at times, but the fishing is fine.

Bull Shoals walleye headed to the frying pan.

Norfork has all the same fish as Bull Shoals but has become on of the better striper fishing lakes in Arkansas.  Night fishing, as well as daytime trolling or live bait fishing, account for big stripers and hybrids, and boating a 20lber is one of the great freshwater accomplishments.  And with plenty of bass, white bass, crappie, and other things to keep you busy, Norfork is a great destination.  In fact you can take out of one lake, and be putting in the other in 30 minutes, sweet.

Lake Norfork Largemouth.

The Rivers 

Here is what I feel is the punch line to the Twin Lakes Area, the rivers.  Both the White and the North Fork are covered up with trout.  From plentiful stockers, to huge browns and rainbows, there is trout fishing for any particular method or skill level.  Soak a worm from the bank, take a float trip , lures or bait, fly fishing, all are successful.  The rivers have changed a lot since I guided on them in the mid 70’s, but the fishing is as good today as it ever was.  Back in those days it was a rare sight to see a fly fisherman, but since “they discovered” the river, fly fishing is a common practice.  But you do not have to be a purist to catch trout, in fact you and the family can camp below Bull Shoals Dam in one of the most beautiful campgrounds in America and catch them from the bank.  They are always willing and it is a great way to introduce a child to fishing.

A morning wade on the White River.

A little over an hour away is the Buffalo National River, one of the first nationally protected rivers in America.  In the mountains, it is a great float with good smallmouth fishing.  There are several choices for a float, and with lots of drop off services, you just show up and go.  Canyons, rapids, the woods, a float on the Buffalo has it all.  A float on the Buffalo River is also great family fun, not to mention the fine fishing.

Another river option is Crooed Creek.  A small stream, it also has great smallmouth fishing in a cool setting .  With a restrictive smallmouth limit, the fishing is fine and there are plenty of services to set you up with a float trip.  Light line, small baits, big smallmouth, what more could a guy want.

Accommodations

From high dollar resorts to riverside camping, the area has it all.  One of the cool things about the Ozarks is that the old family style lakeside resort still exists.  Nothing fancy in many cases, you are out in the woods, and they usually have a dock for the boat.  And with the clear water in both lakes, the skiing, swimming, and scuba diving is fun for the whole family.

For camping nothing beats the Bull Shoals State Park below Bull Shoals Dam.  It is a great place to camp, and though I used to live close to there, we still loved to spend a few days there. And on a hot summer day when they open the dam to generate electricity it cools off the park.  You can catch trout by walking a few feet to the river, and if you want to trailer the boat for some lake fishing there is a ramp on Bull Shoals Lake right up the road.  It is a great place for the family, with all the fishing and floating you could ever want just down the road no matter what your preference.  Additionally there are multiple campgrounds run by the Corp of Engineers on both lakes with great facilities.

When I first moved to Mtn. Home you could not even get anything to eat after 7 at night.  It was a small town with a two lane highway that closed up after dark, and after the summer season, things slowed down even more dramatically.  Now Mtn. Home is a bustling community with a college, a good hospital, the obligatory Wal Mart, along with a host of other amenities to serve visitors.  So if the small resort or camping is not your thing there are motels in town for those who prefer that route.

Conclusion

From a little know destination outside of the Midwest, the Twin Lakes area has become a worldwide destination, and rightly so.  There are few places in America where you have the beauty of the mountians combined with great lake fishing and world class trout fishing.  Where you can float a wild protected national river in the daytime, and catch stripers that night.  Where you can wake up, roll out of the tent, and catch fresh trout for your riverside supper.

If you have never visited the Twin Lake area you need to put it on your bucket list.  A fishing paradise, it is one of the great vacation spots for the whole family.

A good marina on Bull Shoals Lake          http://lakeviewcovemarina.com/

Corps of Engineers info/lakes/camping        http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Home.aspx

Mtn. Home Chamber                         http://www.enjoymountainhome.com/

 Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel      

The weather was still slated to be cool with the wind out of the north, it did not disappoint.  As Shoedog had called off his fishing trip with friends we decided to hit Coleto before he headed back to College Station.  And just a random comment here:  It is just plain crazy, 98 degrees when we fished Monday, and a cool 50 barely hitting 70 here today.  What the heck is up with this weather?

And though there was a cold front, we had clouds and a nice breeze, making spinnerbait our bait of choice.  We had such a good day yesterday that we were looking to get off to a fast start.  We did.  In fact, before we even left sight of the ramp and campground we put exactly a dozen in the boat in just over an hour.

A good representative of today’s fish.

We fished from the very upper end to around the dam.  The best banks were windy with grass and a little deeper water nearby.  Off course any point with a swing had at least one.  We ended up switching today, Shoedog fished buzzbait and I threw the spinnerbait.

On occasion instead of the big bladed spinnerbait I usually throw I like to throw the Strike King Burner.  It is a double willow and when combined with it’s head design, it comes to the top easily.  It is hard to describe the subtle difference between buzzing a spinnerbait on top and burning one in right below the surface.  Sounds the same huh?  The difference is buzzing leaves a big wake while running it along with a 5.3 -1 reel and burning is just high speed running the spinnerbait right below the surface with a 7 -1.  While buzzing is a good technique much of the time, for burning to work the fish have to be on the feed, like post-spawn, and the weather has to cooperate.

 You know you have a bite when a bass this size stops a high speed spinnerbait in it’s tracks.

For the morning it turned out to be an easy 30.  Both the spinnerbait and buzzbait worked equally.  And as they both attract in different ways it is a great time to throw both baits.  There are only few times you can run a spinnerbait as fast as I was today.  And it is a thing of beauty when they bite, as they just stop it.  And it was way cool to have a few smack it right at the boat.

The lake is still down, and for whatever reason the grass has not really started to grow like in years past.  We will just have to see how it shapes up.  It was clear how important the grass was to the current pattern.  Combine the wind with grass and there were fish, grass without wind and you could still catch one, but wind no grass – no bass.  If all that makes sense.

Funny how often a good bite coincides with wildlife movement.  To bad I did not have the big camera with us today.  We saw tons of  deer, turkey, pigs and God know’s what else.  Stuff was moving around just like the bass.

At least they weren’t there for us.

When we got back the house it was a little work on the boat.  Amazing how often stuff needs attention.  And that attention in both cases involved switches and connections.  Salt and corrosion are a constant issue on the Gulf, and when something quits working that is where you need to start.  We almost got it all resolved, pick up a new switch and all will be right with the world.

Yesterday got me thinking about how to use the trolling motor most effectively.  A trolling motor is not just a gadget to get you down the bank.  It is part of your presentation, a critical part.  Fishing high speed baits requires you to cover lots of water, but still maintain good position.  Right now perfect is staying in around 8 foot of water and fishing grass edges.  And to give both fishermen a good chance to catch fish it required spacing your baits in a pattern overlapping each other.  By doing that we were able to catch around 50 the last 2 half days on Coleto.  That is good fishing by any standard.  So keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish when you are fishing, and use your trolling motor accordingly.

The Captain of Team Nancy starts a week off tomorrow and we should be near some water or beach somewhere.  I have not seen any beach reports on trout, but may get a chance soon.  The boys from Austin are at Matagorda this weekend, and I can not wait to get their report.  Besides the big time I know they will have I hope they catch some fish.   And Faye and her husband are down this weekend to flog them at POC, so I can not wait to get her report.  To a few other of you folks I am trying to catch up on my emails.  As the site has grown so have the emails, it has grown to at least 75 a day.  I try to get to them all, and I read every comment I get.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

POC

Every once in a while you will hear someone say to quit your bitchin’ and man up, heck I say it myself.  Generally in my case it is whether it is to windy to fish the Gulf so I just wuss out and fish Coleto.  Today the Shoedog was here and the plan was to head to POC and do some scouting so Shoedog could take a couple of friends fishing tomorrow.  We thought we would have the flats boat back from the shop, but it was not done, so off to POC with the Carolina Skiff.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Carolina Skiff has served me well from the Everglades to the Arkansas River.  It is a great little boat, but when the wind is blowing it can be a pain.  Today was just that.  When we got to POC the wind was blowing like crazy, shifting more to the north as we fished.  To help matters a big front was sitting right on top of us, and around 11 it actually started thundering and lightning, which ended our day, thank God.

From Froggie’s all the way to the Oil Cut the water was a beautiful shade of brown, if you like dirt with that water.  And even in the Oil Cut the wind made it next to impossible to fish like we do, easing down the bank throwing plastics and spinnerbaits.  We put exactly 3 fish in the boat from 7:45 until 11 when we headed to the ramp.  1 red and 2 trout, of which none measured.  About the time we were going to quit, it was just to much hassle, Bob called and the boat was done.  So we headed to town, dropped off the skiff and picked up the other boat.

Coleto

After putting all the “stuff” back in the boat it was off to Coleto.  One thing about this time of year, with the warm water temperature, almost 80 at the lake, a good breeze means good spinnerbait fishing.

Shoedog started things off with a nice one on spinnerbait.  We were making sure the ones we are making and taking to Canada ran right, and they did.

We started way up lake, Shoedog with a spinnerbait and me with a buzzbait.  We both stayed with those the rest of the day.  The spinnerbait he was buzzing right along, I was reeling the buzzbait at a moderate retrieve.  The pattern simply was wind – a good breeze pounding on the bank, and there were fish.  And within the wind, most of the fish came near points, mouth of pockets, anything that would normally hold fish, had fish as long as there was wind.

I finally started helping with the buzzbait.

It seemed like the spinnerbait was the better bait, but before it was over I think it was a tie.  Once on a good windy bank, they would hit one of the other.  Most that hit the buzzbait assaulted it and there was no missing them.  They seemed to come closer to the bank, while the spinnerbait fish came a little farther off.  Probably due to how fast he was whipping that thing in.

Spinnerbait or buzzbait, either way when one decided to eat they were smashing it.

We ended up catching over 20 this afternoon.  It was a really solid bite, and we put several like these in the boat.  It may not have won a tourney, but our top 5 were solid.  We caught them way up, in sight of the dam, and right on the main lake, as long as it had wind.  And while it helped if the bank had good wind, the good bites were on deeper banks.  It seemed the real flat banks were not nearly as good as the deeper ones.  And that will hold true if the lake keeps dropping.

The biggest for the afternoon.

Not having fished Coleto in a couple of weeks I was surprised how far down it has come.  It was in a little holding pattern, but now that we are not getting the rain it could get ugly later.  Getting in and out could be an adventure real soon.

So while the day started off tough, we would have quit down at POC no matter what, it made a nice comeback.  Being able to come back and hit Coleto, and catch a nice bunch, made it sweet.  So we did not suck it up and man up in the wind at POC, no big deal, there will be other days.  Plus I am not one of those folks who subscribe to the adage that suffering makes you stronger.  Far as I am concerned, suffering breeds suffering, and nothing more.  So keep stopping in, with the flats boat back the Gulf is still in my near future.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines