Fish Catching Travel

After a fairly long absence from any saltwater fishing I was finally able to get to POC with the Shoedog.  The forecast was for light winds and low tide first thing, and that was accurate.  What was surprising was how low the tide was, and when you combined that with no wind and no water movement, the fishing started off really slow.

Since it had been awhile we decided to hit our favorite trout bank in Big Bayou.  Before we finally left the Bayou area at noon, we had only put 2 reds and one trout in the boat, all small.  So with the water still not running we headed to the Oil Cut.  It turned out to be a good choice.

Shoedog’s first keeper trout, and it was a hoss.

I couldn’t decide which picture was better, so here is the same fish.

The Oil Cut was pretty off color, but it had the one thing we had not seen the other places we fished, bait.  Mullet and lots of them.  Shoedog was throwing a pink Tsunami jerk minnow, and as far as the better bites, it was the color.  I was throwing a sexy shad colored paddle tail, and though I caught some trout and a couple of reds, I could not put a keeper to the boat.  There was one thing I didn’t have trouble getting to the boat. black drum.

The first one, then another, and then I lost a third one.

It was cool as I saw several of the drum roll over and eat it, always awesome.  And boy do they pull good.  I started catching them when I changed from a lighter jig head to a 1/4 and fished it with a Berkley 4″ purple Grass Pig, which has a paddle tail.  I was able to fish more aggressively, but even with that bait I still lost another keeper trout.  We were just sliding down the bank with the wind and throwing the bait almost on the bank.  As the afternoon went on they started to whack the snot out of it, most of them on the first pull or two.

I wondered when I left the house if it wasn’t going to be like that, dead in the morning, then biting better as the tide came back.  It turned out to be the case.  You could have definitely waited until noon, and then just hit the bite.  Before it was over Shoedog put 3 nice trout in the box, I contributed nothing.  We caught maybe a dozen, with both of us losing a couple of nice fish.  Redfish were a little harder to come by, and though we caught 5 or 6 of them, none made the dinner invitation.

So it turned out to be a fairly good day.  We caught fish, and as usual, learned something.  It really was a day to sleep in, take your time, and then hit it.  Our timing was right, and it went from pretty slow to biting right along.  If we had put what we should have in the boat it would have been pretty impressive for average trout size.

Now we are looking at the weather, and seeing it with winds to 30 mph tomorrow.  So where we will fish tomorrow is highly up in the air.  Guess it will be up early, check the wind, and go from there.  Hopefully it will be back to the Oil Cut, there are some nice trout in there.  Bait was clearly the key, and when we were catching them the bait was very active.

Check in tomorrow, lets see what happens, there should be a report from somewhere.  And good luck to Jonathon, the young man I fished with from Corpus, he is in Louisiana the next 3 days fishing a College Tournament Trail bass tournament.  Maybe he can whack a couple of good ones.  And Jeffish sent me a copy of the work he did on some business cards for fishcatchingtravel.com.  They look great, hell, it almost feels like this is a business.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I am finally back on track after a little hiatus this weekend.  My lovely wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary in Houston the last few days, and a good time was had by all.  Also she knocked off 16 hours of continuing education she needs for her profession, and I got to hit a couple of tackle stores.

For the last couple of years I have wanted to see what the Fishing Tackle Unlimited’s salesman sample sale is all about, and I finally made it this year.  I got there about noon, and though there was a line to check out, the madness was about over.  There was still lots of stuff, some at great prices, with other stuff not nearly as cheap as it could have been.  Other than one shirt, I picked up some baits, lure parts, and a few odds and ends.  It was not nearly the sale I thought it might be, but I still saved some money.

The only thing I could not find either there, or Bass Pro, was the right size clevises to make all the spinnerbaits we will need for Canada.  Last time we went the pike and muskies chewed up the dozen I took, so this time I am making a pile of them, and they can chew all they want.

I was real interested in finding out how the tournament on Coleto went this weekend.  I guess Colby and his dad won, no surprise, they are good fishermen and know the lake like the back of their hand.  Apparently a couple of fishermen got into a fight and before it was over the police had to be called.  That is all I know about that, but I can assure you that there was some unsportsmanlike conduct somewhere.  Come on dudes.

Tomorrow is going to be a quick afternoon trip to hopefully shoot a few Tilapia and then go and sack a few catfish.  We caught them last year at this time, so the plan is to have a fresh fried catfish dinner tomorrow night.

Ok folks, I know there has not been any real saltwater reports in a while, but that is about to change.  The weather is finally coming around and with Shoedog coming tomorrow night it will be a Wednesday and Thursday saltwater extravaganza.  The wind report looks good, and with low tide in the mornings, then warming and rising water in the afternoon, it has the potential to be a real topwater kinda trip.  So stay tuned.

Not much else to say except thanks folks.  fishcatchingtravel.com had it’s biggest month yet.  I appreciate each and every one of you that stop in.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I do not know about you, but I am flat sick of this 30mph wind.  Yesterday it blew over 30 at times, and seemed to get stronger as the day wore on.  So with the forecast for just a little less, I was up before daylight and off to Coleto.

It was already blowing pretty hard  when I got to the lake, and it continued until I quit around noon.  Today it was just hitting places as I moved up lake.  I fished banks from near the dam to all the way up lake.  It was hard to find any calm water, and most of the time it was howling right down whatever bank I was wanting to fish.

While topwater had been working pretty well, today it turned out to be Swim Jig and spinnerbait.   Of the first 8 I caught, 6 were on topwater, but they were just not measuring.  The only fish I had that measured came on spinnerbait.  Find a windy point and buzz that spinnerbait past it, that is the ticket with the high winds we are experiencing right now.

When you could get them to hit it, they were smoking it.

As the morning wore on I started throwing the Swim Jig, and actually had some really good bites.  The kind of bite where they were really jumping on it.

A good keeper on the Strike King Swim Jig.

For the rest of the morning I alternated between the spinnerbait and Swim jig.  The Swim Jig put the most fish in the boat.  It was simply a matter of throwing it to the bank and reeling it at a moderate speed and they were jumping it.

This size was eating the Swim Jig today.

So whenever the wind got to high I would pick up the spinnerbait and buzz it right below the surface at  a pretty quick pace, and when one decided to eat it, they would smoke it.

The best of the day.  Ate a buzzed spinnerbait halfway back to the boat.

Actually not a bad morning for a short day and a howling wind.  I would have stayed a little while longer, but since I forgot my phone I did not know what time it was when I quit.  The fish bit better as the morning dragged on, the usual for Coleto.  They were on shallow grass in 1 -3 feet of water.  Topwater in calm water = lots of small bass.  Swim Jig in moderate chop = best bite and most fish.  Spinnerbait when it was real windy = biggest fish.  One of those days when you had to pick up the right bait at the right time.

With the biggest (I think) tournament of the year this weekend on Coleto, what I caught today got me thinking it should be interesting.  My biggest 5 were probably about 12.5 lbs give or take a little.  I lost the biggest one, or my weight might have touched 15.  It should take more than that.  The wind is surely going to lay down soon, opening more of the deep water bite.  No matter what there is no way there will not be a few really big fish brought to the scale, so lets see who can add the big kicker.

Arkansas

This may not be the best picture in the world, but it is the thought that counts.  Here is my old buddy John with a couple of stripers caught the other night.  Norfork Lake has lots of nice stripers, and over the years we caught the snot out of them in the 10 – 20lb range, so these 2 are not a good representation.  What matters is they are biting, and I will be there in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the pictures, and nice to know the water temp was 51 degrees on the main lake.  It is tough not to get excited when it is only 2 weeks away, we should whack them.

April Fools

It was nice to know that a few of you actually thought for a second I might be calling it quits.  No way that is going to happen.  I love to hear myself talk, and what better place than this.  I get to to do all the talking, and can interrupt myself all I want.  It was nice to know that at least some of you are actually paying attention.

Great Videos

I am sure some of you have seen these videos.  There are several of both on youtube, and they are hilarious.  I just got to thinking about watching them again since there have been a couple of wrapped bass boats on Coleto this week.   So take a look at them, they crack me up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dbkP_hVJeI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzwF72B2F2w

And last but hardly least…..

Tomorrow is our 25th wedding anniversary.  Nancy is a great wife, and anything I am, or have, is because of her.  She is my buddy, wife, partner, and all around girlfriend.  To have someone who is kind enough to let me be me, and not kill me, is an honor.  And I am honored to have her for my wife.  When we hooked up all those years ago she came into this fishing thing with eyes wide open.  I never made any bones about it, the fishing came first.  And for her to let me pursue my passion without complaint makes her one of a kind.  So Nancy, thanks.  You rock, and if I don’t tell you enough here it is one more time – Love you.

Next Week

The reports coming from the Gulf are rapidly improving.  With the high tides the last few days the reports are coming fast and furious.  Topwater is really starting to take off with a warming bay, and some reports have the water approaching 70 degrees.  So wind or not, Shoedog and I will be spending several days trying to get our spring trout fling on early next week.

Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry there has not been a new report the last few days, but it wasn’t intentional.  When I started this blog almost 2 years ago it was with no other purpose than to record my fishing trips.  It really was written for myself as a kind of journal, and it surprised me when some of you decided to read along.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that over 100,000 people would stop in and read fishcatchingtravel.com.

With that traffic came a certain responsibility I put on myself, to get out there and catch fish, and then record it here for you folks to read.  The blog slowly grew from a labor of love into a job, one that doesn’t pay worth a crap.  So now with the cost of running the blog, not to mention the cost of fishing, going up all the time, it is time to make a decision one way or the other about the future of fishcatchingtravel.com.

After weighing everything involved I have decided to close the blog.  As to what will happen to it after I close it is another thing.  But for me the fun is over, and when it starts turning fun into work, it is time to get another hobby.  So thanks one and all for reading my stuff.  Or maybe this is a bunch of crap and it is the kind of thing you hear on April Fools Day. So April Fools!

Actually I have been sick for the last 4 days.  I made it all last year without getting the flu, and had it made this year until Saturday.  Unfortunately I have been laying in the recliner 4 days and whining about not being able to fish.  Of course, I have not heard anything from the boss of Team Nancy about my failure to get a flu shot.   By tomorrow I should be upright and taking nourishment and should be fishing somewhere for something.   In the meantime I have received several bits of information from readers that I want to pass on.

Keller Bay

Keller Bay is one of my favorite places to catch redfish.  Some of the best videos I have made came from Keller Bay reds.  And now to have Dave  from the Keller Bay RV Resort sending us reports on Keller is a treat.  Here is his latest:

Keller Bay update:

Nothing like a fresh report straight from the horse’s mouth.  Live finger mullet are really the ticket this time of year and Dave’s report is sure proof of that.  So thanks Dave, we appreciate your report, keep them  coming.

Texana

Steve sent me a note last week on his first crappie trip to Texana.  Well folks you do not need a better report on where and how to catch some crappies.  He followed that up with this report from the other day.

Chris sent me the following question:

“Looking to get a good hand held GPS unit to use when not out in my boat to mark way points, then load into my HDS7 at a later time.  Would like enough screen size to use as a stand alone at times…do you have any recommendations?”

I am flattered that you think I might be some help in that area, but that is way above my electronics pay grade.  I must confess that as far as my ability to use all the great gadgets we have now it comes down to one thing, does it get me home.  So I was not ignoring your question, I am just no help in that department.  But thanks for reading my stuff, guess I am not as smart as I look, which is scary.

Larry Dahlberg’s “Hunt for Big Fish” is my favorite fishing show.  He is on the cutting edge of cool fishing travel, not to mention techniques for catching huge specimens of whatever he is fishing for.  He says there are 4 stages of fishing:

1.  I just want to catch one.

2.  I just want to catch a limit.

3.  I just want to catch the biggest one of them there is.

4.  I just want to catch them the way I want to catch them.

I so agree with him.  Fishing is supposed to be fun, and when you can catch what you want, the way you want, when you want, life is good.  That is what keeps me fishing.

Jeffish got a chance to get back out on Coleto this weekend to try for some more Tilapia with his bow.  Of course the weekend traffic was heavy, but he did manage to shoot 3.  The Tilapia should be up for awhile, so if you ever wanted to shoot a few, now is the time.  I only wonder if it is easier at night?

So after 4 days basically down and out it is time to get off the couch and get to doing something.  The last healthy breath I took the other day I was going through a bunch of stuff in the boat, and that project is about half done, so out the door I go.  Plus I need to get the gear together as it will be on the water somewhere tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping in and reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I had something to do this morning, so it was noon when I hit the water.  I really did not think I would get to fish today, but boy am I glad it worked out.  It would have bee a great day to be on the Gulf, and I can only think the great trout topwater bite is right around the corner.  So I will try to get some things done and maybe take a run at it on Sunday.

I can only describe the bass fishing as great.  For a 6 hour trip I put more bass in the boat than I can remember in a long time.  Only a couple were good ones, and lots were  small, but at least 15 – 20 of the ones over the side measured.  And what made it extra special, is they hit basically anything you threw at them.

Up lake was on tap first, and so I went above the bridge and around the bend and started with a topwater.  Catching them right along, I mixed in a spinnerbait whenever there was a little chop.  And though it did end up putting 5 or 6 in the boat, topwater was definitely working.  With only 1 big Bang-O-Lure left it was only a matter of time before it bit the dust.  I stuck a nice one and she took me in a bush, and not only ended up getting away, but broke the bill of my last bait.

Take a good look at this Bang-O-Lure, today’s teaching moment.

So I have lost my good bait, out comes one I bought on clearance that has been in the box a while.  I toss it out there, and it no way works as good as the foil wrapped silver Bang-O-Lure. I twitch it and it is heavy and slow, but still floats.  So cussing it I try another cast, and dang if I don’t catch one.  Then another, and another, and for about 2 hours I am catching one every couple of minutes.  Just tossing it to the grass edges and sweeping it about a foot forward and under about 6 inches, then letting it float up.  The fish came from right on the bank to right beside the boat, you just could not give up on it.  It was just a matter of sweeping it under and letting it float up.  It was nice to use that bright Chartreuse bait, you could see it move sideways when they hit it under the surface. I listened to the fish, and boy was it a good bite, and while plenty measured, I was wanting to catch some better fish.

The mighty Strike King Swimming Jig.

For the rest of the afternoon it was a steady to fast retrieve with the Swim Jig, in bl/bl with a green Rage Craw, and the size of the fish improved.  I wish I could tell you how many fell for it, at least a dozen, but it was right in the middle of the day, around shallow grass.  As far as numbers go, the time is now.  It will be interesting to see who boats the kicker fish in the big tournament next weekend.  But no matter what there should be a ton of limits.

Nothing special, just a good keeper.

Around 6 I was hot, way overdressed, and ready to hit the road.  So on the way back I hit a main lake bank near the dam with grass on it and managed to catch 2 more, with the kicker for the day.

A good way to finish the day.

It is fun to occasionally have to work your way thru lots of little ones.  I was fairly sure a real big one would appear, but it just did not happen.  If I had stayed to dark that chance would have improved greatly.  Generally it did not matter where, as long as it was shallow and had grass.  It is a real easy pattern right now, so if you want to catch a bass or two give Coleto a try.  So no great big bunch of big girls, but it sure was fun.

As a side note there are some pretty nice crappie being caught near the bridge.  There have been folks fishing the 3 middle piers and they all seem to have fish on them.  Add to that the Tilapia sqawning and the catfish starting to bite, the lake can only be described as really good right now, no matter what you like to catch.

Oil

Shoedog and I were actually fishing at Grand Isle in Louisiana when the oil came ashore during the big spill and they closed the area to fishing.  It was ugly, dirty, and stuck to the boat immediately.  We walked the beach the evening before it closed and it was disgusting.  Now I am not one of those stop the drilling kind a guy, we rely on oil and drilling whether on land or sea, but the spill was an ugly deal.  While it took way to long to contain it, they have learned a lot.

So I was not happy to hear the oil from the Houston Ship Channel had made it all the way down to our area, and was coming ashore on Matagorda Island.  And from what the news says, it was trying to make it’s way in the jetties.  Of course the Coasties, along with other mitigation crews, are on it, and it should not be a real disaster.  But it is hard to not be worried.

I guess my bigger concern is how it got out of the Houston channel, and made it’s way all the way down here.  Since it was characterized as a “medium” spill, it made me wonder how it got all the way down here.  My only thought on the matter is that we need to be able to respond faster and contain any spill better.  And I do believe that the companies involved should bear all the costs of mitigation and not the taxpayers.

Texas A&M Corpus Ducks Unlimited Banquet

It was a real pleasure to get to fish with Jonathon Voilte on Coleto last month.  A college student, and aspiring tournament fisherman, he was a good guy to spend the day with.  He is a committed duck hunter besides the fishing.  They are having their banquet on April 3 at the Bluff’s Landing in Corpus this coming weekend.  I appreciate the invite, but somehow I feel I might get in trouble if I attend instead of spending the weekend with my wife on our 25th anniversary.  Dang her anyway.  So hope you all have a great time, and if you are in the Corpus area attend.  The price is right and it is for a good cause – more ducks.

http://www.ducks.org/texas/events/33551/texas-am-university-corpus-christi-dinner

Trolling Motors

Back in the early 70’s my first trolling motor was a Motor Guide.  Back then they were know for rattling and banging due to their mounting system.  I switched to Minn Kota a few years after that and have used them ever since.  But after buying their 3X, which is discontinued for obvious reasons, I decided to give Motor Guide another try on the skiff.

Way back I told you I would let you know what I thought of it compared to the Minn Kota on the other boat.  Let me put it plain and simple – It may be the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned.  It still rattles and shakes as you use it compared to the Minn Kota.  They say it has 55lbs of thrust, but there is no way it was as powerful as the last 55lb thrust Minn Kota I had on the boat.

When the reverse quit working, and we had to open it up on the water, we found that when they put in the 2 back screws that hold the cover on they managed to break the plastic the screws go into, something you would never find until you took it apart.  And of course that meant the handle was lose in the head.  And once we opened it there is a magnet on the handle which controls forward and reverse, and it is f’n glued on to the handle.  Of course it fell off.  Then the clip that holds the handle in position came lose, and the handle slips and slides in the head making it hard to control forward and reverse.  And the final straw, the handle fell off and in the lake when I hit a big wave.  Are you kidding me!  So there is my .02 worth.  If you are thinking of buying a new trolling motor think twice about a Motor Guide, you just may get a piece of crap like I was unlucky enough to get.

It is out to the garage to work on the Carolina Skiff.  It is a great thing to have 2 boats, especially with the Mako in the shop for it’s annual checkup.  But as all of you know boats take time and money to keep in good operating condition.  So every once in a while you just have to take the time to go over things from stem to stern and fix all of those little things that have been neglected.  And I have to deal with the trolling motor handle thing.  I know one thing for sure, I will not buy a new handle, so it will be one of those hillbilly engineering things.  It will simply be a matter of using it until I finally toss it in the trash.  No reason to toss good money after bad.

There are a few other reader comments I will add to the next post.  I love getting stuff from you folks.  While I might not get to all of them as fast as I should, I try.  So keep them coming and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

It is a done deal, at least until it is reviewed in 5 years due to the “Sunset” provision, the bag limit on speckled trout will be reduced to a 5 fish daily from an area near Sargent TX to the Mexican border.  Additionally the flounder regs were changed to extend the reduced  bag limit into the first 2 weeks of December.  The new limits will take effect September 1, 2014.

There are additional changes for both freshwater and salt that bear reviewing depending on where you live and fish.  So stop in at the following link for the results of today’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20140327b

I for one am happy, and I think that before it is over most fisherman will approve of the changes.  The commission is convinced that we will have more and bigger trout, and I am all for that.  So now that it is a done deal it is time to let the regulations work.  If we do not see the results that were expected the sunset provision will guarantee a review of the results.  So off we go, but no matter what it sure will easier to “limit”.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Tuesday

After getting a couple of things done on Tuesday the sky looked like it would clear and the sun was peeking out.  My buddy Jeffish and I had chatted about hitting the lake to see if the Tilapia were bedding, and maybe shooting a couple with the bow.  The last few times I fished the lake I was seeing them, so the time looked right.  And then right on schedule he sent me a text and we headed to the lake to see if they were on the beds, and they were.

The wind was up, and the water in some areas had a little color to it, making it a little harder to see them in the first couple of coves we checked.  But while it was tough to get on them, there were spawning Tilapia in the back end of every place we checked.  Jeffish was doing the shooting and I was keeping us in position.  He missed a few before he finally got one stuck.

A nice big one.

The one above came out of a shallow flat cove with  very little grass in it.  There were beds everywhere, and about half of them had a fish in it.  Jeffish’s shooting left a little something to be desired, but he hadn’t shot his bow in a couple of years.  I actually shot a few times, and I was even worse.  We had lots of chances, and as soon as this weather settles down it will be back at them.  They really taste great, a well full of this size and you have some tasty fillets.

On thing I did learn from Aaron a couple of years ago when he whacked a few was as you ease in the grass and see one, just wait and watch where he went under cover, there is a chance he will stick his head back out.  They seem to be easier to kill in the grass than in the bare banks with lots of beds.  6 of 1 and a 1/2 dozen of the other.  Hopefully we will get a day to really give it a go.  So for all you bow fishermen, the time is now and it will be over soon, so head to the lake.

We did fish 2 banks, and put 4 in the boat, nothing worth showing you.  Mine came on spinnerbait, Jeffish’s on the Strike King Swim Jig.  We called it day having learned what we wanted to know.

Wednesday

Today’s forecast was for rain, the kind of day you have heard me preach about on Coleto.  When you get a warm day, with drizzle in the spring, it is time to whack them.  So with that plan in mind I hit the lake about 10.  One thing that is nice right now is that it is light until well past 7, so there is no big hurry.  I was excited when I got to the lake, though the wind was blowing pretty hard.

I started with a spinnerbait on a deeper windy main lake bank, and got a couple quick buzzing a spinnerbait.

The first one of the short trip.  Several this size smacked that spinnerbait.

I put 5 in the boat real quick, but none were the size I was looking for.  When I have preached about spring days like these, it is all about catching them on topwater.  So I rode the first bank until it hit the mouth of a big cove that was somewhat protected from the wind, and out came the Bang-O-Lure.

As soon as I started throwing it, I started catching fish.  After catching several I got the bite that confirms what Coleto can do when conditions are right.

Love those cloudy warm days with a light rain.  Just add a Bang-O-Lure and you are in business.

Fishing the topwater minnow is not complicated, but it does require a couple of things to put the better fish in the boat.  A little wind is ok, and do not be afraid to throw it in a little chop.  And when you twitch it on top it is very important to let the fish tell you how they want it.  So when you use it try to be systematic, start out fast twitching it back to the boat, and the slow down a little at a time.  They may want it stopped and sitting, they may want it moved right along, so vary your retrieve and remember how they are wanting it.

The real key to catching the bigger fish is not giving up on it.  When the water is clear like it is right now, those better fish will come out of water deeper than you might think.  The one above came out of 10 foot of water.  While I can not tell you whether they are following it, or just coming up and blasting it, work it most of the way to the boat.

Another thing that will put a few extra fish in the boat you might think are gone is erratic jerking.  If you one boils it, or misses it without getting bit by the hook. just start jerking it fast under the water as erratically as you can.  You will be surprised at how many you will catch that you would otherwise think were gone.  Plus it is really cool to see them roll up and grab it.  2 or 3 ended up in the boat today just that way.  A little interesting note, we have had real success in Florida on nice speckled trout fishing topwater minnows that way.  Why it is not that effective here in Texas I do not know.

Around 12:30 it started raining pretty good, which is ok with me, but then things changed.  I heard the first thunder, then about 5 minutes later I heard more.  So I headed close to the ramp, and it thundered again, louder and closer.  So up with the trolling motor and off to the ramp.  Hoping it would pass I sat there about 5 minutes before it did it again, so on the trailer it went.  So I actually fished about 2 hours, putting an easy dozen plus in the boat.  They were biting everywhere I tried on my short trip, and I sure hated to quit, but lightning and thunder is nothing to take a chance with.  There are times when discretion is the better part of valor.  Live to fish another day, it does not always happen to the “other guy.”

The fishing is good right now.  It is one of those times when you can fish almost any bait you like, or are good at.  We still have fish going to the beds, on the beds, and done.  They can be caught deep, shallow, and somewhere in between.  There are beds all over the whole lake and it was nice to see one full of fry yesterday.  The future of Coleto is bright.

Random Thoughts

Shoedog

The Shoedog has a really small pond in the back yard, and folks I mean really small.  It was almost completely dry 2 years ago before they got out of their drought.  He sent me this while I was finishing this post.

A good one out of a small place.

His comment: “On a swim jig in the backyard baby!”  You may get tired of me harping on the Strike King Swimming Jig, but folks it works and is a consistent fish catcher in our arsenal.  Thanks for the picture Shoedog.

Trout

Speaking of the future of fishing, tomorrow is a big day for the Gulf.  The TPWD commissioners meet tomorrow to decide whether the majority of the coast will go to the 5 fish limit.  As you know I favor the proposed limit simply because it should result in bigger trout, which is ok by me.  CCA sent an email today alerting members that the decision will be made tomorrow.  CCA is in favor of the new limit and are urging folks to vote.  I have been telling you about your chance to put in your .02 worth.  The time has come, so stay tuned and we will all find out tomorrow.

Falcon Lake

I got this note from Rusty who is a long time bass fisherman and he makes a good point that I failed to consider.

“I can tell you from my 25+ years bass fishing in Mexican lakes, that tilapia gill nets DO catch bass. I have watched many bass being taken out of the nets. Some outfitters have actually paid the Mexican fishing coop’s not to fish certain lakes in order for the bass to thrive. I do not know if it applies to Falcon or not, but nets do not help the bass fisherman. However, keep in mind that during Falcon’s boom years, these nets were still being used on the Mexican side (which in the past, had the better fishing). I personally believe its a gar problem. Just my thoughts, I like Fayette and Coleta Creek anyway.”

Thanks Rusty, you make a great point.  Like I tell you folks all the time, send me your comments and thoughts, it makes for a good discussion on the issues that affect our sport.

Think you had a bad day?

I got this note from a regular reader who keeps in touch.  You all know the saying “stuff happens”?  Well sometimes stuff happens in bunches.  I thought I had a bad trip on Falcon, but this puts it in perspective.  The names have been deleted to protect both the innocent and the guilty.

“WTF – Holy Sheesta – Trying to LOL

Well, we excitedly dashed off to POC Thursday morning early instead of the following Sunday due to weather forecasts.  Arrived in time to get the boat rinsed, in the water; cruise out for a little late afternoon fishing.  Not a bite but not a real serious attempt.  We hit the water Friday morning about 9 am.  I will say now that we traveled nowhere that we haven’t traveled a hundred times.  We decided to go out past the old coast guard station towards the breakers/sand bar.  Birds and bait everywhere but nada.  The tide was really LOW.  Pulled up to leave, both of us NOT paying attention and we drifted up onto the sand bar with the wind blowing us further on it.  Well, poor “?????-O” spent an hour getting us off.  My 100#’s isn’t much help.  From there, we decided to head to Pringle to some drifting.  Well, that’s where Holy Sheesta happened!!   We know that to get past the Cross reef area, the engine needs to be up and on plane.   We’ve gone that way hundreds of times.  We pride ourselves on not exploring into areas that might get us into trouble. BUT NOT THIS TIME!!  Stuck big time.  We were about 100 yards from water that we might have been able to get out.  Well, our boat is paid for and we had had many long discussions about cancelling the boat insurance.  ????? won that discussion and I feel really bad for him!!  This man has taken me everywhere to fish many wonderful places in our 15 years and I’m old enough to never say” I told you so”. Well, $730.00 later we were pulled out.  We went back to the condo to shower and just sit numbly for hours.  Saturday was a new day and we hit Big Bayou, Mitchell’s, Saluria @ Old Coast Guard area and several more areas..  We tried a variety of lures and had a few bites.  We caught numerous Sheepshead at the coast guard station.  In fact, I caught the , biggest one I’ve ever seen.  Most bites came from Popping Cork with live shrimp.  Sunday dawned rainy and north winds and we packed up and went home.   We now have insurance again…………..  My husband is always my favorite fishing partner!”,

Yikes, I hate it when that happens.  It reminds us all to keep the insurance up, get your Sea Tow or Tow Boat USA, and that it can happen to the best of us.  Thanks for sharing, it is all fun and games until something like this happens.  Better luck next trip.

There you have it for today.  Our weather is going to be a little sketchy tomorrow, but who knows, maybe I can get out for a little while anyway.  After a windy month the weather should settle down, letting me get in some serious Gulf time.  I know I keep saying that, the timing has just not done me any favors.  I hope to remedy that in the very near future.  And please keep those comments coming so I can share them with everyone.  Keep stopping in, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

WTF – OMG -LOL !

Well what more can be said.  What The Frick – Oh My God – Laugh Out Loud.  I have had some rough trips, and I mean some stinkers, but our trip to Falcon Lake was the WORST TRIP EVER!  The reports had been very spotty, in the words of one website “some folks are struggling.”  In fact the guides are reporting 7 – 10 fish a day. I wish to God that it was simply a matter of struggling.  So sorry I did not post any reports, but when you read the following you will see, there was nothing to report.  The only thing after this trip was to laugh or cry, so I choose to laugh.

We got down there Wednesday about 8:30 and were fishing by 9.  We headed down lake from Beacon’s Lodge and stopped at the first big cove below the Velano and Jeff put the first fish in the boat in the back end on a spinnerbait.  What reports I read, spinnerbait shallow was the ticket for the few being caught, so we stuck with it.

The next cove we hit I had one over 4 on and instead of lipping or netting him, I tried to flip him in the boat, and off he came.  No big deal right?  There would surely be more to come, NOT!  Now folks neither I or Shoedog claim to be KVD, far from it, but we have caught our share of bass from Canada to South Texas.  We have caught them in cold weather, hot weather, creeks, power plant lakes, you name a bait and we have caught some on it.  But it was not to be.

To get to the point, Shoedog had 1 bite on Wednesday, 2 bites on Thursday, and no bites on Friday.  I had 1 bite on Wednesday, 5 bites on Thursday, and no bites on Friday.  Slow would not even describe it.  The water level was good, we fished places we have caught them before, and before it was over we deep cranked (no bites), flipped (no bites), plastics (no bites), deep (no bites), shallow rock (no bites), and everything else you can think of (no bites).  The only bites we got were in shallow water, around 2 feet, and they were on spinnerbaits.

So Wednesday ended with the one fish in the boat.  We were not worried yet, there had to be a way to pull it out.  So Thursday with hope in our heart we headed out.  I missed one slow rolling a spinnerbait in the back end of a cove around 10 in the morning, and that was the size of it until Shoedog caught one about 6:30 that evening.  That was his second bite,  around 18 hours of fishing later.  Then I buzzed one off the bank way back in shallow water and one of those Falcon giants smoked it, and I broke my line setting the hook.  Ouch!  Shoedog missed another one, then I hooked one around 3 and before we could get to him he tangled in a thorn bush and was gone.  I missed another one, and the day was over.  So Shoedog caught his second, I still had not boated a fish.

I can not believe I am posting this one.  But it beat anything I caught, and it least it proves we were fishing.

Friday we gave it another go, and we did not even have a bite, not even one.  We fished until 1:30 and called it a day.  Folks I did not boat a fish in 3 days.  Are you kidding me?  Talk about getting put in your place, I am humbled.  I might feel different if I had not fished Falcon 6 times and caught lots of bass over 7, some 8’s, and one over 9.  Last trip Shoedog put 3 in the boat in one place that weighed over 23lbs.  So what is the deal?

I think it is several things.  The owner of Falcon Lake Tackle attributes it to the huge number of monster gar in the lake, and he is convinced that they are eating everything in sight.  I would like to add a couple of other factors.  As Shoedog put it, the bass have been subjected to the biggest high tech assault by the best bass fisherman in the world over the last 8 years or so.  The pressure has been nothing short of super intense.  Add to that the number of bass that have been taken out of the lake, and it has to be a factor.  And before all you hardcore bass fisherman get your panties in a wad with the we don’t keep them, do not underestimate the huge number of fish that have been taken out of that lake.  On one of our trips a big group was staying at the same motel we were, and they had tons of fish, including big ones, all headed to a fish fry.  And that happened every day and if you do not think so you are kidding yourself.

Also with the wild fluctuations in water level the spawn has not provided the high recruitment necessary to keep the numbers up.  There are just no little ones around, in fact in our experience there weren’t many fish, period.  And finally, the Mexican netters.  I refuse to believe that they do not catch a sizeable number of bass.  The netters were all over the lake, and we hooked old nets on the US side like we have every trip.  So say what you will, until there is a real way to gauge their impact it would be hard to convince me that it is not a factor.

So was our experience different from other folks, not the guy who was staying at Beacon’s.  He was with a bunch of guys who have fished it for years, have a camp there, and had been fishing for 4 days.  He boated 1 fish in 4 days, 1!  They never boated over 3 any day they were there.  They were so sick of it they were heading to Amistad to try to save their trip.  They had decided they will not be back.  To bad the reports from Amistad are the same.

Is it over?  Experience has shown us over the years lakes tend to have the big boom, then a decline, until they seem to stabilize.  Is this Falcon’s path, or is there something more troubling going on?  I do not have a clue. but something is wrong with Falcon.  The lake that made the dreams of hundreds of bass fisherman come true is suffering.  The question remains, is this an anomaly and the fish will start showing up again, or is it over?  Only time will tell.

Would I go back?  Not anytime soon.  Would I tell folks to go, not on your life.  If I had plans and could cancel, I would do it.  And if I was one of those fisherman driving hundreds of miles chasing a dream I would try another lake.  It is sad.  A huge lake like that with tons of cover and places for bass to hide and thrive is declining at a rapid pace.  According to the owner of Falcon Lake Tackle TPWD does not appear to give a damn.  To bad.  I am not sure what the answer is, but it is sad to see such a fabulous fish factory produce such a poor result.  For the folks at Zapata who make a living off Falcon, good luck, you are going to need it.  The Days of Wine and Roses appears to be over.

Random Thoughts

On a much better note I heard from one of my regular readers, Steve Deckard, who has been fishing a bunch of different places.  He hit Texana and had a good day of crappie fishing.

“I fished Texana for the 1st time today. Finished with a limit. all fish came from less than 2′, some as shallow as 10″. Used a 10′ pole, red/chart solid body tube type jig, dabbling around wood. I was there a little late for the spawn, most of the fish were males, the females were spawned out or almost so. Lots of bumps and short strikes, finally had to pinch off about 1/2 of the tail to get hook ups.”

Thanks for the report Steve, sounds like a good day.  We have lots of water in our area, and each has it’s own character and it pays to make use of them all.  So if you want to catch a few crappie, better get there fast!  I love to post reader’s reports, so send them to me, we all like to hear how others are doing.  Thanks again.

Another reader I hear from regularly is Faye.  She and her husband are fishing POC this weekend, and if I was not at Falcon I would have tried to meet them.  All I have to say Faye is good luck, I wish I had been at POC the last few days and can not wait to hear how your trip went.

Joe Gest sent me a note, cursing the Coots on Fayette, I feel your pain Joe.  He was headed to Coleto this week while I was at Falcon, to bad I was not fishing with you on Coleto as it sure would have been better.  Drop me a line and let me know how it went.  And yes Coleto is not nearly as crowded as Fayette.  One thing about Coleto, the way it lays it fishes a lot bigger than Fayette.  So thanks for reading my stuff.

And Jeremy, I really appreciate your offer to take me poling on your skiff for reds with a fly rod.  It is on my bucket list and I have saved  your contact information and will definitely be taking you up on it as soon as our spring winds die down.  My casting is still at the level of below basic, but I will practice more so when you put me on them I might not clutch to bad.  It is kind of you to offer and we will get that done.

And on that note, I try to keep up with all of you as best as I can.  To get this article written and respond to you all I had to sort through over 400 comments from just the last 6 days alone.  I do get behind, but I promise I read them all.  So please keep commenting, it show me that you are out there somewhere reading these ramblings.  I am so thankful for each and every one of you.

If the winds are liveable this week it will be off to the Gulf for a couple of days.  The flats boat is headed in for it’s annual check so it is the skiff for a couple of weeks, which limits my ability of cover miles of open bay.  Luckily we have lots of great places like Keller where you can find a place to fish on some of those high wind days.  Then it is off to Arkansas to my old stomping grounds for a week of hardcore fishing.  It has been 10 years since I fished Bull Shoals and Norfork, and I am really looking forward to getting there in the middle of April.  Hard to believe it is only 3 weeks away.  Visions of big smallmouth, bass, trout, and maybe even a striper or two, are already dancing in my head.  Looks like I will finally have to give that Alabama Rig a serious go.  It should be awesome.  And it definitely will be a better trip than Falcon.

Thanks for stopping in and reading my stuff.  The site has grown thanks to you.  If you get a chance share it with someone else, we love new readers.  We try to tell it like it is the best we can, no matter how the fishing is.  Who knows, you might even learn a little something, I know I have.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

There has not been much fishing this week on my part here at fishcatchingtravel.com, but there has been some traveling.  My lovely wife and I headed to Oklahoma City for a long weekend to visit the daughter, her husband, and little Mia.  My granddaughter Mia is 4 and growing like a weed.  It was a good time, though one day was a big cold front with a 35 mph north wind.  Mia is excited about her visit here with us at the end of June.  She wants to go in the boat, do some fishing, and see the “crocodiles.”  I am sure we will get all those things done.  So sorry for the late report, but the weather is awesome and the reports will be flowing like water from now on.  Bring on spring!

Conroe

You might remember I fished a couple of weeks ago with Jonathon, a student from Corpus Cristi who has been fishing some of the College Bass Fishing Tournaments.  He is from the Conroe area and was able to get out a day on Conroe when he was home for Spring Break.

Folks I have fished Conroe in the past, and it can be a really tough lake.  It was not easy to figure out on my only trip there, at least Jonathon’s trip last week was a little better.   Here is his short report.

“I was able to get a day on the water at lake Conroe Tuesday. I caught 7 total all about 1-2 pounds except for one which was just over 3 pounds. They were picky though the only bait they would hit was a slow moving squarebill. I tried a rattle trap, spinner bait, jig, and texas rig. But all fishing came off the squarebill. “

A nice one.  Happy to have this one when conditions are tough.

Another one on a tough day.

Jonathon is an aspiring tourney angler, and he has the heart.  Some experience, and a little more time, and he should do all right.  Plus he is a great guy to spend the day in the boat with.

Coleto

While I have not been able to fish this week I did have a friend who was able to get out yesterday.  To avoid the stigma of having a terrible day exposed (or maybe that he is a klutz?) for all to see, he shall remain nameless.  Here it is verbatim:

“4 crappie, 2 keepers all in 10 minutes out of 8 hours.  No bass.  Also managed to toss an ultralight combo  in the lake and rip out my pants.  Almost forgot.  Until I tried to walk this morning.  Also dropped the anchor on my foot.”

Nobody ever said fishing was easy as you can see from the 2 reports above.  But in spite of all that we keep on going.  And speaking of going, Shoedog and I are headed to Lake Falcon in the morning, we should be fishing down there by 9.  We will fish Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  3 days is about the minimum you need on Falcon to figure a little something out.  And what a great lake when you do.

The reports from Falcon are still sketchy, and it depends on what you read.  That may be why I like the Falcon Lake Tackle reports.  He does not sugar coat things, telling it like it is.  The overall catch numbers are down, as are the weights at the tournaments.  The good thing about his reports is you have a place to start.    While we have never caught big numbers of fish there, we have caught some real good ones.   In fact last trip Shoedog caught 3 in one place that weighed over 23 lbs, a good string anywhere.   No matter how many reports  you read, any success you have on Falcon is all up to you.  As I say, just listen to the fish, they are a lot more reliable than listening to fishermen.

So there you have it.  We will be hitting them hard, and what will be will be.  No matter what we will be fishing on one of the best big bass lakes in the world.  Who could ask for more.  They have wi-fi, and I will at least try to get a short report and couple of pics up everyday.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

After a week of the little things getting in the road of a full day of fishing, today was no different.  The dog had to be somewhere at 5 pm, really?  The dog?  That is how my week has gone, to many things scheduled poorly is to blame.  But I did manage to hit Coleto today, and it went ok, if I had not had to quit.

The water temp at the ramp was in the 62 degree range, so I stopped at the main point that splits the arms and immediately put one in the boat on the Swim Jig.  With almost no wind, and still really cool when I started at 10, it seemed the best choice.  From then on I moved up lake stopping here and there, and catching one here and there.

This was as good as I could do, until later.

The water temperature kept climbing to a high of 69 in a place near the outflow, and 63 way up the lake.  Even with a 36 degree night the water temp up lake was back up 7 or 8 degrees from a week ago.

Throughout the day I also tossed spinnerbait, crankbait, and topwater.  They produced exactly nothing.  So I slowed down and hit one big grass flat and caught 4 tossing the Swim Jig into holes in the grass and shaking it a little.  There were definitely small fish on the flats.  As I moved up lake it was about 2 when they started to bite.  The sun was shining and the wind was barely blowing and the fish bit as it warmed.

The fish are still around grass, which is nothing new, and it was just swimming the jig in and around clumps of grass.  I caught a couple  and then screwed up and broke one off.  It was definitely a good fish.  Then I had this one tighten up and swim with it.

Another Coleto Big Girl.

Of the dozen or so I caught, only a couple of them smacked that jig.  It is still a matter of watching your line and feeling it swim along.  When ever something changes, set the hook, it is probably a fish.  The one above just tight lined it, and then jumped a couple of times for good measure.  There is no better time than now to catch a really big fish.

There were lots of beds visible here and there, though I did not see any Tilapia today.  With the warm days coming the fishing should really improve.  Saturday looks awesome.  Looking back at some of the best days I have had on the lake it was a soft steady drizzle/rain, with a warm day, that have by far been the best.  And the bait of choice was the minnow bait.  The fish are shallow, and will be moving there en-mass, so if you ever wanted to catch a nice bass this week coming up should be fantastic.

Not really sure what is next, the weather will definitely dictate whether it is the Gulf or not.  The water on the bay should be really warming as these nice days go on.  The afternoon bite, depending on the tide, could be really good.  And Falcon is still calling me, even though according to what I have read the fishing has been tough.  That is ok down there, it seems if you can just figure them out a little you can put a big fish in the boat.  One more thing coming is Tilapia bow hunting.  They are just beginning to be out and about, and the next real warm stretch should have them all over the banks.

So no matter what you do this weekend, be careful, lots of folks on the water.  Hope you catch a bunch and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines