Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

I thought today I might be on the water, but other plans are getting in the way.  Of course I never turn down a chance to head to Roy’s Bait and Tackle in Corpus Cristi.  I have been in tackle stores in lots of places near and far, but Roy’s is definitely my favorite.  Their inventory puts even Bass Pro and Cabela’s to shame.

So with the wife needing a break from continuous study for her recertification boards, we are off to Corpus for a little fun in the sun.  A little tackle shopping, seafood eating, and maybe even a little Rock and Roll music tonite, should provide her with the break she needs, and who knows I might even score some good deals at Roy’s.  I urge you if you have never been there and are ever in the Corpus area, stop, it is a store for the hard core fisherman.

Lots of kind comments have come in this week and I did want to share a couple with you.  Faye is one of my regular readers who keeps in contact.  She was reassured when I did not catch squat on Monday, it happens to us all Faye.  But then not so happy when I whacked them on Wednesday.  She and her husband have a busy business and won’t make it down here in the near future.  Don’t worry Faye, I will be happy to catch them for you.

I also heard from Sean in Austin who fishes from a Kayak.  He said he likes the posts on the Powderhorn.  It is one of the really good areas for Kayaks if there is not to much wind, and I am glad he gets something out of my reports.  The Powderhorn is a cool place, and it still gets little fishing pressure compared to places like POC.  And if I had to catch a red, I would throw the Redfish Magic there.  So good luck Sean, let me know how this weekend goes.

Robert from Austin also sent me a nice note.  He has fished the coast since the 70’s and has offered to share his knowledge of the Aransas Pass area with me.  Thanks Robert, you are in the research file, and when I get down that way I will definitely give you a buzz and let you put me on them.

I also received a note from JT who I just met last week.  He managed to put a couple of rats in the boat in the Powderhorn on the Redfish Magic.  That bait can really be addictive.  It put 5 or 6 in the boat for me on Wednesday.  I plan on fishing some with JT in the very near future.  You meet the nicest folks when you share your love of fishing.

Lastly, my brother the Shoedog finally retired.  He has been out of town visiting the daughter and grandson, but is back and I expect there to be some serious fishing this week.  The weather appears to be settling down.  Both the bay and the freshwater reports are improving dramatically.  It is about to be my favorite fishing time of the year, the all out bite, and this week coming up should be a good one.

So with all that said, it is off for a little R & R before a week of serious fishing.  Keep those cards and letters coming, I love to hear from you.  Who knows, I may even sneak out a couple of hours Sunday morning.   Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

As you regulars know my trip to Keller on Monday got blown out.  In fact not only no fish, not even a bite.  Today was not that day.  So let us just get this out of the way, and then we can really talk about the day.

First and last on a Corky.

Fish Number #2.

The bite is on!

They were not huge, but they were willing.

Electric Chicken on a 1/8oz jig head with 10lb. test.

I am sure you get the point.  This went on for 3 hours on the same bank until I finally went to chase some reds.

No giant, but boy they were biting too.

Can you say Redfish Magic?

Heck let’s just try that electric chicken, and it worked too.

This was turning into fun.

I caught 5 like this out of one cut.  Like the trout pictures, I quit taking redfish pictures, but you get the point.

Now that we have that little bit of housekeeping out of the way, lets talk about what happened.  First, this is just a small sample of the fish I caught this afternoon.  I finally quit taking pictures, you get the point, it was good, real good.

The original plan was to do some wading with a Corky, but of course I had to stop at my favorite winter trout bank in Big Bayou first.  Who knew that 3 hours later I would finally leave it because I was sick of catching trout in the same place.

The tide was hauling out when I got to the Bayou.  Though I caught one on a Corky, it was just running to fast as Barroom emptied into Big Bayou via a cut at the end of an island, it was screaming.  So I switched to an electric chicken paddle tail on a 1/8 oz jig head and it was game on.  The fish were right at the mouth of the cut and strung out all down the island below the cut.

There were a couple of factors that made for the perfect storm today.  The tide was hauling, the bank had some protection from the wind, and was 3 degrees warmer than the surrounding water due to the sun shining directly on it.  Last, the bank has a little mud shelf that sticks out about 8 feet from the bank before it drops into 4 foot of water, and it had lots of baitfish.

As you can see from the pictures I took, they were not big fish, but there were lots of them.  It has been a while since I caught so many trout I can not even guess how many it was.  The one thing that was important, you had to cast a little up current, then hop it with the current naturally.  Many of the fish were in the first or second hop, and it was almost hop it a couple of times and then set the hook.

I finally just got tired of catching them there.  I saw a guy watching me so I told him to come and get some, I was heading to catch a few redfish.  And guess what?  The first redfish in the pictures above came on my second cast with the Redfish Magic.

The water was so low that you had to stay way off any shoreline, and blind cast over the huge shallow flats, but they were there.  So just going with the wind and tide I would throw it as far as I could and steady reel it.  I caught 5 or 6 pretty quickly, and then had a stretch where I was fishing a warm shallow bank adjacent to a huge oyster bar when I missed a couple.

Now that is a rarity on the Redfish Magic, so I said why not, and picked up the electric chicken and re-fished the bank.  And the rat reds were all over it, and I ended up catching 8 or 10.  At this point I am just having a good time.  After striking out Monday, this was heaven.  It seemed like the fish were biting wherever I was fishing.  That is what makes winter fishing what it is, when it is good, it is fabulous, but when it sucks, it sucks.  I started catching fish about 10:30, and they were still biting when I quit at 4.

So what was reinforced today was that steady north winds make low tide.  That when combined with a falling tide, it really hauls.  That when it has been cold trout seek some deeper relief, and when that protection has a shallow flat that is protected from the wind and has the sun shining on it, they will show at some point.  And like today, if you see baitfish flipping the surface, fish the crap out of it, they are there somewhere.

And presentation was important.  Though I caught them throwing anywhere near the bank, it was a sure thing when I tossed it up current and hopped it with the current.  It just plain wore them out.

So while I did not smack a big one today, I easily caught a limit of trout and reds.  It was just plain good.  With our warming temperatures, and good forecast for the coming week, the fishing should really improve.  Just keep in mind north wind, tides emptying from bays and back lakes, and sunny banks out of the wind.  If you can put those 3 factors together right now you will catch fish.  I sure did.

So there you have it, there is not much more to be said about today.  It was one of those days that keeps us all fishing.  The prefect set of conditions, the right bait and color, and figuring it out before the bite was over.  All came together for me today, and it more than made up for Monday’s fiasco.  What next?  I have not decided, but I am off to somewhere different on the Gulf.  I do know one thing, I will be looking to replicate today’s pattern. So keep stopping in, I appreciate all of you.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Well my 4 different places in 4 trips did not start out as I planned.  In fact it was probably the worst decision I have made as far as fishing goes in a long while.

The weatherman said that the wind was going to blow out of the NW at 25 – 36 mph but when I got up it was not blowing that hard.  So off I went to Keller hoping to get in a few hours before it started.  When I got to Keller the tide was out, and I do mean low, but the wind was not that bad.  So I headed across the bay to fish the bank coming in to Keller on the right.

That is one of my favorite redfish banks on the Gulf.  When I got there the water was almost completely off that bank, so I made one pass with a Redfish Magic without a bite.  Then I made a short drift on the bank by the old platform, again without a bite.  At this point the wind started, and I mean it was humping right along, right down the middle of the bay.

By time I got back to Olivia there were 3 foot plus rollers, and it was ugly.  I usually don’t get to wet in my Mako, but this time it was not the case.  The angle was perfect for getting soaked, and getting your teeth knocked loose.  I made one drift from the ramp at Olivia across the small cove, and even that was worthless.  So I called it a day.  There are not to many days when it is totally unfishable, but today was one.  So for the day it was an hour there, less than an hour of fishing without a bite, an hour back, and about $20 worth of gas.  Oh well.

One thing about writing about fishing, is you have to write about both the good and the bad.  I love it when I get to show you great pics, and even brag a little.  But with that comes the responsibility of also sharing with you the failures.  This trip was a total failure.  But days like today come with the territory.  And all they do is just increase my resolve to get it right next time.

Blogging

Probably the most asked question I get here is about the actual blog.  How do I handle spam?  How hard is it to have a blog?  And what platform do I use, among other questions.  So for those of you who ask here is the ugly truth.

I often do not have a clue what I am doing.  I use HostGator which I found online.  As part of their service that is where my domain name is registered.  They offer a platform with multiple templates, and I use WordPress.  It is the simplest one around, and there are lots of resources to help you get started.  Additionally, HostGator offers many online forums to help when you get stuck.  They provide me with detailed information on the actual statistics of who is coming, from where, how long they stay, among many others.  That service is invaluable, letting you know how it is going.

As far as plug-ins, filters, anti-spam – I do not have a clue.  I am not a webmaster, in fact I am a neophyte.  It has been a matter of trial and error.  I have made lots of mistakes, often stumbling around to keep things up and going.  I wish I could answer all the technical questions I get, but sorry, I can’t.

The only real word of advice I would give folks who think they want to blog is this  –  You have to keep posting.  While the technical end of things can be a hassle, that is not where the work is.  The work is in keeping it fresh as possible, posting regularly, and not letting up.  In my case that means posting no matter how tired or busy you are.  Keeping in touch with other sites that share the same interests and people is critically important.  You can not take a little time off from blogging, you must write.  And if you get a legitimate question or inquiry, respond.  Between questions, comments, and spam, I get around 40 a day, you just have to deal with it.

So if you are one of the folks who ask me questions, or are thinking about blogging, I suggest using a service like HostGator.  They do not pay me to say this.  But the resources they have are good enough to help simpletons like you and me.  No need to pay some one to fix things, with a little effort your answer is always there.  And if that is to daunting, hire someone to help you set it up, and then you can take it from there.

I wish I had some great story to tell today, but it just did not happen.  So with the truck in the shop, it is time to do a little work on the boats.  The only thing worse than 1 boat is 2 boats.  The little things that are required to keep things up to snuff, and make sure you get home every trip, never end.  There are 2 old sayings that all of us who own boats know, and they are so true.  First – BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand.  Second – A boat is a hole in the water in to which you throw money.  They are both so true.  They nickel and dime you to death, and if you are very lucky, nothing really expensive breaks.  So out to the shop I go, it may not be fishing, but it is part of it.  So keep stopping in, there is no way the next report will not be better than today’s.  Tomorrow I will be on the Gulf somewhere.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Another beautiful morning.  Being a Yankee, which I guess is everyone not from Texas, the wild weather swings in Arkansas were not nearly so pronounced.  Tuesday morning it, and I, were freezing, today it is a balmy 70+.  All the better to be outdoors.

A great morning to be alive.

So this morning before daylight I headed to John’s to hunt the pond.  With Jeffish doing the photography, there ended up being 8 of us.  So a little before shooting light we headed to the pond.  Of course somewhere around 25 ducks get up and fly off.  As we got closer they came back, or it was another bunch, and they flared and hit the road.  So we laid out on the pond bank and waited for shooting time.

Nice when it is 50 degrees and not raining.  May not be ideal duck weather, but it is great weather to be laying on the ground at daylight.

And then 3 minutes before shooting time another 4 or 5 hit the pond.  Finally time was right, and here they came.  The biggest bunch that came in was 5, and they all ended up dead.  We had several more come and then they started getting hinkey.  And after the sun was full up, and we had shot a few, they started passing and not landing.

John and a couple of other guys headed off to another pond on the property to jump shoot it, and we could hear plenty of shooting, but other than a couple of high flyers, our morning was done.  They picked up a couple of more, we never fired another shot.  The nice thing about today’s hunt was everyone shot a few.  With the sun full up, and the ducks wherever they went, we called it a morning.

The whole gang with some good eating.

The morning was definitely a success.  Good hunting, great companions, and awesome weather made for a great day.  I have hunted with these folks a time or two and it is always fun.  So with the duck season winding down it is time to start concentrate on the spring fishing.

Saw a nice 10+ bass out of Coleto on 2CoolFishing today.  It, with a few others adding to 33lbs, were caught deep, which is definitely where the big fish are right now if my results prove anything.  But it won’t be long.  And if you get the urge, remember the ramp will be closed this week.  I think it will re-open on Saturday, but I would sure check with them before I went.

The week ahead looks good.  A little front comes in tonight, then windy Monday, but from then on it looks very stable and toasty in the afternoon.  I have not been to Keller in a while, nor Shoalwater or Matagorda Bay.  So that looks like the temporary plan, barring any unforeseen better offers.  So stay tuned.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I have not posted the last couple of days but I have been outdoors.  Our weather is great, the fishing is still consistent, and there is some waterfowling to be done.  Before I get to Coleto, let me tell you about the great goose hunt.

My buddy Jeffish, his mom’s boyfriend John, Joseph, Russell, a young lady who’s name I can’t spell, and I all met first thing this morning to do a little goose hunting.  We were hunting a picked corn field where the geese had been feeding for the last several days.  So we set out a spread of about 60 decoys, then hunkered down and waited for the geese.

What a beautiful morning.

John lets us know the plan.

Joseph and Russell.

Me calling it a morning.

The day before the geese were really on the move, and there were tons of them landing and feeding in the field where we set up.  It did not take long and here came a big bunch.  Then another, and another, but they were flying high and not having the  decoys.  So we moved out about 150 yards closer to where they were flying, and finally managed to get a couple of shots in.  Even then, with John closer to the decoys and calling, we could not coax a couple to break off from the big groups.

How many did we see, lots, but they just were not buying into the decoys.   We had geese around us for several hours, and it was an awesome visual and auditory show.  For me, who has never hunted them before, it was really cool.  I see how people get hooked on it.  Who knows, I may be lucky enough to get to go again this year.

I can guarantee you I did not hit anything, but we did knock one down for sure, and maybe a second one.  Now you would think that with 6 people, and one dog, that there was no way a goose could elude us in a cut corn field, but think again.  I bet we spent an hour looking, they were just gone.  Who knows, maybe they hit the ground running.  But I can guarantee you we did our best to recover them but it was not to be.

After we called it a morning in the goose field it was off to a small pond on John’s family farm.  We snuck over the pond bank and out came a pair of Wood Ducks.  Now I am not sure who killed them, but it was not me.  I did not even fire a shot.  I am still uncertain as to the true effective range, so I kept the gun down.  When we recovered them it was amazing how stunning the drake was.

Wood Duck Drake.  We shot the female also, a great matched pair.

Look at the colors on this Wood Duck.

To bad for him he tastes so good.

After that we called it a day and headed to John’s where Linda had stopped by Mumford’s and picked up some barbecue, and with a few tators and beans, we were in business with a great lunch.  Even though I did not kill a goose, it was awesome to see those big flocks all around us.  And we also saw lots of Sandhill Cranes, but none of us had a permit, though in the area we were hunting they were legal.

But all is not lost, first thing in the morning I am lucky enough to get to hunt with them again.  John has a pond that is one limit producing pond.  Last year when I hunted with him  we killed a 4 man limit in nothing flat, which was a good thing as it was cold and raining.  So it will be up way to early with renewed hope.  And I do have some video of the geese and will try to get it, with tomorrow’s ducks, on as soon as possible.

And thanks to my buddy Jeffish for taking the photos and video today.  He is an accomplished photographer, artist, and web designer.  So if you ever want a real cool custom website give him a call, you will be impressed.  Stop by his website, he does some awesome stuff.

http://www.vgrfx.com/index.html

Coleto Creek     1/10/14

After whacking some pretty nice bass on Fayette Tuesday, I was hoping to fish it again after a day in College Station for the ball game.  I really did expect my Hogs to whip the Aggies, but it was a good old fashion butt kicking.  Of course I took some ribbing.  And yes Rusty, your Aggies gave us a good Gigging.  You’ll see, just wait till next year.  But I digress.  So on the way home Thursday it was pouring when I passed Fayette, so I drove on by and headed to the house.

I had an appointment to have the truck looked at Friday first thing, and as soon as that was over it was off to Coleto.  It was raining lightly, and never really did stop except for rare moments, the rest of the day.  Due to the rain I never took any pictures, but all you have to do is scroll down and there they are in the last couple of Coleto reports, the fishing is so stable right now.  I just threw the BangOlure the 6 hours I was out and ended up catching 17, with about 5 nice ones.

It is so hard to watch that thing every minute, and of course the one time I took my eye off it, a hoss smoked it, and then pulled off.  To bad, it was the biggest fish I have had on there this year, and the scale on my treble was no little one.  But a good sign.  The fish are starting to move, and with this week’s promised weather, they should really be getting after it.  And a little plus, with the ramp closed Monday – Friday, they should get a little break.

The pattern for me is still the same, points, and secondary points in big coves, basically what I would fish early spring on almost any bass lake in the country.  And while I am throwing the topwater exclusively right now, it is not the only way to catch fish.  I spoke with a guy who fished most of the day and he figured they caught 15 – 20, but they caught them on everything and did not establish a real pattern.  Our good fishing is right around the corner and if we get  the promised warming trend, look out, it will be game on.

This week coming up my lovely wife will be studying for her recert boards, and I have been informed that she wants me out of the house during the day.  With that in mind I am thinking of doing one of those 4 or 5 different places in that many days thing.  I did it before and it turned out to be really fun, and a good way  to test your fishing ability.  And with Coleto out of commission it will be a real salty week.  So stop in tomorrow for the duck report, and then get ready for the saltwater extravaganza this week. Plus, how many guys are lucky enough to be banned from the house and be told to go fishing every day? Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

With a new graph to put on the boat, along with some other maintenance, I headed for College Station to do the work at my brother Jeff’s (alias Shoedog) house.  He was going to meet me at Fayette, fish Tuesday afternoon, then head to his house to do the work on the boat Wednesday.  As a side benefit I am going to be able to see my beloved Razorbacks spank the Aggies Wednesday night.  And then when on my way home Thursday, hit Fayette again.  And after today’s fishing I guarantee I will be on Fayette first thing Thursday morning, rain or shine.

When we met at the lake it must have been all of 32 degrees with the wind was blowing a good 15 mph out of the east.  Real pleasant.  Before the day was over it might have hit 38 degrees, if we were lucky.  It was the kind of day where gloves were the order of the day.  It reminded me of all those winter days in Arkansas, it was either fish or stay home.  Not the kind of weather Texas is known for.

Like I said here yesterday, Fayette is one of my favorite bass lakes I have ever fished, it rarely treats me wrong.  In fact, I can not think of one time where I have not had a good trip.  So with real cold front conditions, in other words flat out ugly, we started fishing about 1:00.

Besides the fact that Fayette is a slot lake with lots of fish, it is a power plant lake.  With that in mind you have to approach it from a little different perspective.  Put aside the fact that you are freezing your ass off and fish it just like it is sunny and balmy.  Now don’t get me wrong, a long hard cold front obviously affects the fishing, but get over it, it affects you more than the fish on power plant lakes.  It is still early pre-spawn and the fish are starting to stage.  So where do you look?  Secondary points in spawning coves, and channel bends leading into the backs.  And guess what?  They were there.

Like I said yesterday, whether I am on Bull Shoals, Coleto, or any other lake during early pre-spawn, jerk bait and jigs are a good way to start your search.  As we headed down the first bank, about halfway back in a cove, Shoedog missed one on a football jig.  Then I missed one on a Strike King chrome/blue KVD Jerkbait.  So we fished down the bank a little further, and then turned around.  One thing to remember this time of year is that they are usually bunched up, and right now with the cold temperatures we are having, they have not yet spread out.

So we eased back through that area and I put 3 in the boat including this fattie.

I can not get enough of early spring jerk baiting.

Jeff had no other bites on the jig so he switched to to a Rogue Suspending Jerk Bait and we started to narrow them down. Now before I tell you the depth, make a guess?  Have you done it? Except for a strike or two off the bank, our bites came in 3 foot of water or less!  I am talking about in the throes of a massive front, freezing cold wind 20 mph out of the east, and super clear water.  I often say listen to the fish, and we did.  So after getting a few more bites we settled in to keeping the boat in 6 foot of water and throwing into 2 foot.

Shoedog gets in on the act with that ugly Rogue.

Now it was not fast by any means, but we got bites.  Other than one or two, it was almost impossible to actually feel the bite itself. We would jerk it real easy, then let it set, then repeating, and they were just there.  We missed several as you could not really feel them hit it.  So to fix that problem, when you jerk it, pull it more than jerk it, and in that instant you will feel a slight weight, and that is a fish.  Jerk it to hard and they were gone.

He was starting to catch up to me.

But I finished him off with this girl.  That jerk bait is in her mouth! 

I fished all afternoon with the chrome/blue Strike King and Shoedog fished that brown/striped thing that has been so successful on Fayette.  Of course the day would not be complete without at least one fiasco.

Now that is an interesting way to bring one in.

That is one ugly Rogue, and the Duck Commander wanna be ain’t that pretty either.

Shoedog had a bite and when he set the hook his line broke, in the reel.  I had a moment of clarity, cast across where I thought his line was, and hooked it.  And Shoedog, with his superior skill, boated this one after an epic struggle.

So what did we learn today?  The early pre-spawn bite is on. Often with a power plant lake you just have to ignore the weather above and think about what the fish are doing below. They may feel the pressure change, but you just do not get the wild water temperature fluctuations you get in a non-power plant lake, so fish accordingly.  And if you get a bite, re-fish the area.  We never had a single bite anywhere, if you got a bite, the fish were there.

When it was all said and done we put 12 in the boat for the 4 hours we fished, 6 each.  It was just my day to catch the little bigger ones.  It was clearly a success considering the conditions.  With Shoedog in the first week of his retirement, there will be many more days like this to come.  All I can say is those fish better watch out.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I hope that yesterday’s post got you to thinking.  The decisions that are made by our Parks and Wildlife Department have far reaching and potentially long term consequences.  So if you have an opinion, express it.  Those of us that love hunting and fishing need to be proactive in our sport.

I received this comment from Mac, a reader who I have traded a few emails and I wanted to share it with you.

“After reading your sharing of the past year, I thought I might share of my outdoor 2013 experience.

  Large trout are rare in these days. Last February I ran into 6 large trout sunning themselves in 2 foot water in Pringle Lake.  In my haste to throw a mirrorlure past them, it landed in the middle of the 6 fish.  Spooked, they disappeared quickly in the clear water.    No fish, but to see 6- 30 inch sow trout will always stay in my mind.

In March I fished in Northern Ireland for brook trout.   My wife, who is a nurse, from there, knows a fisherman and he took me to some pristine water.  We traversed by a salmon stream located right by the Bushmills distillery.  It was loaded with fish but our host said salmon were not that good of a fish.  We found a small brook-only 2 foot wide- and caught brookies which later became our dinner with pints of Guiness .

In May I took some fellows here in Bastrop down to fish Powderhorn Lake, one of my favorites, because of its remoteness.   The wind came up and blew 30 mph. It became like fishing in chocolate milk.  No fish, but we saw all types of wildlife ie : deer, wild hogs, coyote, 2 bobcats, alligators,  jackrabbits wild turkeys and finally a bald eagle sitting in the burned area on the south west end of the lake.   We stopped at the marina and had a hamburger.   We saw it is for sale and all of us thought  ” lets buy it and start living a more simple and peaceful life.   One friend says he still interested in buying it.  If he did, I told him I would move there.  It probably will not happen , for  we our always reluctant to make a change when we are 60 plus.

In June ,  while fishing the gulf, I witnessed several sailfish attacking baitfish.  The baitfish were actually in a ball located on top of the water-easy prey.   Others have seen this phenomenon, but is very rare.  Lucky me!!!

August found me wading the back lakes in St Charles Bay.  One day the temp was 100 degree plus and no redfish were being seen.  While walking past a remote duck blind, I happened to notice a large oversized red lurking on the underside of the blind.   He was so content to stay in the shade, he would not strike a lure in the sun.  Even though I walked right up to the blind, he still stayed in his spot.  I then thought–This fish is so hot and also smart that I left him there.  Returning to the same spot in October, I think the same fish was still there.  He was so majestic, I just could not throw a bait to him.  After this colder than normal winter, I hope he is there this spring for he has become a fixture in my life

September has always been my favorite time if year.   I saw large schools of reds in our bays, witnessed 50 tarpon around the Port A jetties, only to hook   one  and see 5 or 6 jumps and lose the fish.  I caught a 5 lb snook in the bayleaf  flats of Redfish bay. One sight I will always cherish: While walking early along the gulf beach in Port A,  The water became turbulent with large schools of Redfish. Soon all types of birds attacked from above.   Nature put on a show for me and I reflect on this incident often.

Now that winter is here, fishing  the flats has slowed and the fireplace sometimes calls me before the water does.  I have time to reflect over the past year and count my blessings as you do.  Today the wind is howling out of the north and the temp is 37 degrees here in Bastrop.   I am going out on the porch and get another log for the fire.  A  hot soup, some homemade bread and again a pint or two will make my day  I go back and read your past clips and return to the water as though I was fishing right there with you.  Please keep your gift of writing and photographing for all of us.  Thank You  , Mac.”

I appreciate his comments and am happy to share them with you. Nothing like a winter day, some comfort food, and maybe a pint or two.  Reliving the experiences of the year before remind us how wonderful and precious every day spent outdoors is.  I read every comment and email that comes here, and will strive in the future to share more of them with you.

On another note, I got a text from my friend Clyde saying he and his wife want to go to Panama with my wife and I tuna fishing.  I think that is a great idea.  The spring of 2015 should be perfect.  Nothing like the anticipation and planning that go into a trip like that.  Gives us all something to work for.  And who knows, maybe a big cuberra and a roosterfish to boot.  Sounds like a plan.

This morning I am off to Fayette County, it will be interesting to see how the fishing is following this cold front.  Since I am able to fish it 2 days, I will get a good chance to figure it out.  Fayette is one of my favorite bass lakes in the early spring.  Jerk bait and jig will be the choice of the day until the fish prove it otherwise.  So stop in soon, hopefully we will have a good couple of days with some pictures.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

No subject could be any touchier to Texas coastal fisherman than the speckled trout regs.  And this year Texas Parks and Wildlife has them back on the table.  So a quick review of their website can give you the basic groundwork that the Department will be working from as it reviews, and potentially changes, the speckled trout possession limit.

For a quick overview the coast is broken down into 3 systems, the Upper (Sabine Lake to Cedar Lake), the Middle  (East Matagorda to Aranasas Bay), and the Lower Coast  (Corpus Christi to Upper Laguna Madre).  And since the seperate 5 fish regulations were implemented in 2007, the Lower Laguna Madre is managed separately.

Now according to the TPWD website since the 2002 change to a 15″ minimum, 10 fish with one over 25″ limit, trout sampling has shown the population to be stable to slightly advancing.   And recreational landings have increased, though with a drop in the Lower Laguna Madre in 2012-13.  Additionally, the various sampling methods have shown that recruitment of speckled trout has remained stable with 2012 consistent.

TPWD using gill nets, seines, and other sampling methods, conclude that speckled trout are not overfished.  They also state that the population of speckled trout is sustainable at the current landing levels.  They propose that a reduction in landings, ie: a lover limit, would result in an increase in older and larger fish.

One area of the regulations that is also going to be considered is a sunset provision.  Sunset provisions are built into a law or regulation to have it expire after a specific date.  TPWD’s opinion is that for the full benefit of any change in the regulations to be measured there must be at least 1 generation.  They state that typically such regulations result in a positive impact.  Of course, once a regulation is changed and includes a a Sunset provision, it would  be harder to revert to the prior regulation.

If I have misstated their conclusions in anyway I apologies, but that is my reading of their posting.  As an attorney, it I were going to summarize, that would be my conclusion of their short posting.  So lets try to put it in terms we can all understand.

Since the regulations were changed in 2002, the Texas coast has more trout, they are finding more trout in samplings, and we are catching more trout.  And if we keep catching them like we have been the trout populations can withstand the fishing pressure.   While there were some variations in individual bay systems, ie: the LLM in 2012 – 2013, things seem to be ok.

So what is the reason for putting trout regulations back on the table?  From their short posting it seems their conclusion is that if our catch is reduced, we will have more older and larger trout.  That seems simple enough.

One thing that puzzles me is they are considering the Sunset Provision.  It would seem that this is an unnecessary consideration.  Maybe it is the old carrot and stick thing, go along with us, and if it does not work out we can always go back.  Though even TPWD state that it would be hard to return to the old regs.  I do not understand why that portion of the proposal is even on the table.  Trout regulations can be reviewed when ever they feel it is necessary, so what possible purpose could that serve other than a smoke and mirrors thing?  My opinion is why bother?

So after all that, where do I come down on this?  First as an old attorney I am puzzled why the regs are even on the table.  Nothing I see, other than their conclusion we will have more and bigger trout, would justify any change.  What their motivation is only they know.

So if the proposal it is to have more older and larger trout what could possibly be wrong with that?  That is where we get to the sticking point.  Having put in almost 20 years guiding in Arkansas as a young man I  can see it from the other side.  In those days, before bass fisherman changed their perspective, it was simply a matter of catching and fileting.  My paycheck relied on that.  As the regulations changed, and the bass fishermen with it, there are now more and bigger bass than ever.  I know that last time the trout regulations came up there was stiff opposition from the guides, and I understand that.  But their argument seems to be reduced to the fact that many of their customers are on a meat haul, nothing more, nothing less.  And if that is what their customers want, then it is easy to see how it would hurt their business.

But looking at it from the other side of the argument, who would not want to catch bigger trout?  If the TPWD conclusion is correct, that is what we will get.  In my case, from a simply selfish perspective, I am down with that.  I rarely keep trout, I fish for fun, and if my day would include catching more 20″ trout I am all over that one.  When I fish Louisiana, they have a 25 per day, 12″ limit, it seems you get enough for fish sticks.  That is not my idea of a quality outing.  I vote for bigger trout.  Of course my conclusion relies on the conclusions of TPWD being correct.

And one final word on any regulatory change involving managing trout based on zones or as TWPD defines it, systems.  Fishing for years in Florida I have seen that approach work, and the trout fishing is now better there than it has ever been.  I personally do not mind that approach but from the attorney side of me, I do not like it.  What if you put in in one zone, fish in another, and then take out in the first zone?  Try explaining that to your local game warden at the ramp.  Keeping it simple takes the guess work out of it for the everyone.  But on the flip side, regional management is used in all areas of hunting and fishing, with bass, doves, ducks, and deer being perfect examples.  Zone management does work.

So there you have it.  More bigger fish, less take home, or keep things the way they are.  It all comes down to your personal feelings.  Are we to trust the TWPD motivations in this matter?  I think we should, we pay them to make that call.  Of course all game and fish departments have made wrong calls in the past, some purely motivated by political considerations.  Hopefully the biologists and game management people we put our trust in are making their calls based on what is best for the resource.

But guess what, politics is always part of the equation.  And who is the “politics”?  You are.  No matter where you stand, if you do not put in your .02 worth, then you have no gripe.  There are several avenues to do that, and while one requires more effort, another will take a second.  You can email your comments and concerns directly to the TPWD.  That email is SWFishComments@tpwd.texas.gov.  No matter where you stand, let them know, it only works if we all participate.

The other way to be heard requires a little more work, but from a purely entertainment perspective, is the way to go.  There will be public meetings held around the state, and if you want to get in your opinion, and see some real theater, go.  Politics is never far from any decision made by a state regulatory agency, so bodies count.  And with the emotions on all side of this issue it should be something to see.

January 7th,  Port Lavaca, Bauer Community Center,  the 8th,  Rockport,  Aransas County Court Room,  Corpus Christi,  Del Mar College and San Antonio,  Lion’s Field Citizen’s Center, then on the 9th, Port Isabel, Port Isabel Community Center,  Port Arthur,  Port Arthur Public Library, and Dickinson at the Dickinson Marine Lab.

In case I have made an error on the meetings or the proposals, go to this link and read the stuff.  There is no such thing as to much information when your government is involved.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20131218a

We all have a duty to participate.  The wildlife in whatever form belongs to us.  We paid for it, and we pay the salaries of those people who are charged with protecting and managing it.  Let your voice be heard, sleep on your rights and responsibilities, and you won’t have any before you know it.  We can not all be correct on this issue, but if you participate you have a right to criticize the outcome, no matter which side of the argument you take.  Vote with your voice.  While I only occasionally post other’s comments on the site, let me know where you come down on this issue.  I will be happy to post any comments I get.

Today the weather is cold and blusterly in South Texas.  Tomorrow morning it looks like a hard freeze over much of the state.  So while it will be a late start in the morning, it is supposed to warm up and I will be fishing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

The sounds of gunfire were echoing across the bay.  Airboats roaring, more boats than I would have guessed, and as low a tide as I have seen in a coon’s age.  Just another day in the paradise we call Port O’connor.

It had been a while since I fished out of POC so I figured why not?  With the cold front still lingering, and a brisk north wind, of course it seemed like a good idea to go to the Gulf.  I slept in, stopped by the store for a new starting battery, and finally made it to the bay about 11.  There was actually more folks down there than I would have thought with the weather, but it was Friday.

I immediately discerned that the tide was going to be way low.  No great feat considering I had not seen the water that low at the ramp since last winter.  With only half a day it was off to Big Bayou to catch a few redfish.  When I got there the tide was hauling out, and any water left on the bank was the color of some kind of yuppie frapi drink.

I sucked it up and starting throwing plastics and caught a rat, and I do mean rat, on the second bank.  With the water color I changed to spinnerbait and managed to put this one in the boat.

He was kind enough to knock the snot out of it.

I know at times it may seem I go on and on about the Strike King Redfish Magic, but I make no apology.  It catches redfish.  It seems no matter what the weather, the tide, the time of year, if you need to catch a redfish the Redfish Magic is the way to go.  No disrespect to Strike King, but it is an idiot bait.  If you can cast and reel, you can catch redfish anywhere they are.  I know, it has put hundreds of redfish in the boat, not to mention trout and flounder, for me over the last 10 years, and it never fails me.

Basically I fished all the usual places in Big Bayou and ended up catching 6, 2 like the one above and 4 rats.  While I rarely have one come unbuttoned, I did lose a big one, which sucked considering how tough it was.  You hate losing them anytime, but it hurts a little more when it is tough.

One thing that did surprise me, on my favorite trout bank that never fails to produce, did fail to produce.  In fact, the bank had been so consistent that I even re-fished it before quitting, and got the same result.  So with the wind I decided to make a quick run to the Oil Cut, which was out of the wind, to fish a couple of mud banks with the sun on them.  That turned out to be a complete waste of time as it did not produce a bite anywhere on anything.

So for the afternoon it was just the 6 reds.  Now do not get me wrong, if that is the result when the fishing is tough, I will take it any day.  The tide was so low that there were huge expanses of flats and reefs completely out of the water, something I have not seen since last winter.  I did talk to a couple of guys at one of the cabins who had been there since Wednesday.  They were primarily duck hunting and told me that limits of redheads were the order of the day, with few other ducks.  They also had the lights set up at the camp and had not caught a trout the whole time they they were there.

Just for your information I stopped at The Fishing Center and when I went in they were doing some remodeling.  Randy introduced himself and said he had just bought the place with his partner Randy, and they were just starting to do some fixing up.  He was personable and I am sure they will make the place a success.  The new owners are Randy Hudson and Randy Spencer, or as I will call them from now on, Randy squared.  Many years ago I owned a small tackle store in Arkansas and I know how hard it can be as a small business owner in a small town.  So stop in, introduce yourself, and help them get off to a great start.  New blood can only help the area.

There you have it for today.  It was nice to get back to POC, no matter how busy, and no matter how slow the fishing was, I still love the place.  A world of different fishing opportunities lie out of this small fishing village.  To some of the long time fisherman it must seem like the end of an area as it gets busier and busier.  But the fishing is still good, and with a little effort and gas you can still find a place to fish.  The fishing world keeps evolving, and with it comes new challenges.  So we just have to suck it up and find a way to catch fish.  When you think about it, that is the heart fishing.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

It was overcast with light winds when I launched the boat at Coleto Creek.  There was a possibility of light rain in the afternoon, which it never did.  It was actually a fairly warm day considering, and I was anticipating a good topwater bite.  That good bite never materialized, sort of.

The first stop was a cove where last trip I took 6 out of it and missed several more.  The first fish hit just inside of the point leading into it, and I never had another bite until getting to the inside of the other point coming out.  I was still twitching that balsa minnow on top, so I figured maybe they just were not in there as well as last time.

So next it was a cove farther up lake where I had even better luck last time, and that went even worse, not a bite.  At this point my brain began to analyze what was wrong.  First I moved up lake to cove 2.  Second, the two fish I caught were right on the points leading in.  Why?  We had some really cold weather the 2 days before, and it cooled those places off.  Duh.

So I headed back down lake to those deeper banks by the dam and ramp and things started to look up.  The fish had definitely pulled out of the coves and on to the points and main lake banks leading into the coves.  The good thing was they still wanted it twitched right along the tops fairly quickly, short jerks and twitches.

Around 3 or 4 came over the side like this one.

From about 10 until I quit at  4 it was fairly consistent.  Generally when you would catch one you would catch another.  Like it always is with that topwater this time of year, some would hit it on top, others would grab it when it went under.  Polaroids are a must.  It is amazing how many fish you would see flash it.  When that happens close to the boat jerk it under and keep jerking erratically, they will often hit it.  And I did have one pretty good fish, maybe 6, under it that did not commit.

This was a good average for the day.

I did give the Strike King Swim Jig a try, but had not takers.  I still believe if you like to fish a white assassin you can catch fish right now.  It is a shad bite, and like I have said before, if you are seeing shad dimpling, there are some fish close.  Remember when you use that topwater that is what the fish like, that little splash and plop you can make that sounds like a shad flipping.

There were also some Tilapia shallow around grass downlake, always a sign spring is right around the corner.  So I kept after it, concentrating on points and deeper banks with little cover on them.  I am just not finding the big bunches in the grass.

So for the day it ended up better than I thought, I caught 22.  Half were like the ones above, the rest small, and some were really small.  That is to be expected right now as Coleto is in pre-pre-spawn.  We need some warm weather to really get them moving.  That looks like it is not going to be coming any time soon.  Saturday will be nice but then we have another cold front coming next week, to go along with tonite’s below freezing weather.   It won’t be long.

If you do fish Coleto be advised that the ramp is going to be closed for 3 or 4 days.  I think it will be sometime around the middle of the month.  If I get back out there I will get the exact dates, sorry I forgot.  So if you are headed that way you might give them a call to be sure of when that is so you don’t drive out there and not be able to get in the water.  When I get there next time I will stop and ask exactly what they are doing.  I can tell you one thing, if we do not get some rain, and they do not extend and deepen the ramp, none of us are going to be fishing Coleto soon.

Tomorrow it is off to the Gulf.  I have not made up my mind where I am going, but I am going.  It is supposed to be sunny with light winds, so I figure if I let it warm some before I hit the road I just might be able to catch some trout.   So with 2013 behind me, it is time to get serious.  Looking back on last January and February I had some really good redfish days, so hopefully I will put some in the boat.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines