Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Every once in a while your mind starts working and things come together.  Amazingly it was on Friday the 13th.  Initially I was headed to the Gulf to fish a small creek I have been wanting to try, and I will get there next week, but the Boss was not feeling well so I stayed around until she went to work.  By then the forecast was for rain with possible thunder storms so I decided to wuss out and head to Coleto in case it got ugly.

If you read my stuff you know that my last trip to the lake was in the middle of our last big cold front and I did not do so well, as in not a stinking bite.  Today it looked like it might be a repeat.  I headed up lake and from about 10:45 until 1:30 I had one bite on topwater, and nothing on crankbait, jig, and spinnerbait.  I was starting to get a little worried when I had a moment of insight, and down lake I went.

That moment of insight was the fact that the water up lake has cooled a ton, so the logical thing to do was head back down and start fishing below the hot water discharge.  Now that was a good idea.

Now we are getting somewhere.

Looking back on old posts helped me make the right choice.  On Coleto as we enter the early, and I mean early, pre-spawn they get on topwater.  For me it has been the Bagley Bang-O-Lure and the Rapala balsa minnows.  Now I have nothing against the hard topwater minnows, they work, but there  is something about the subtle flash and wiggle of a balsa bait that tiggers them.

Normally I work it in twitches, then pull it under which makes them roll on it and eat it.  Today was not that day.  It took me a couple of fish to finally figure out that is not they way they wanted it.  They wanted it right on top, twitched right along with no stops.  As soon as I started using it that way the bite was on.

The bite was on.

The fish are definitely on the points and insides of the big coves.  In fact I caught this one in the very back end of big cove.

Topwater time.

It was one of those days when you caught one, you would catch another, often on back to back casts.  They were obviously all male, and other than one a little bigger than these that pulled off, they were mostly the same size.  Fishing those deeper points down lake, where there is deep clear water, led to some really cool bites as they came up and sucked it under.

The last one before I quit.

I ended up catching around 15 before I quit at 4:30, and they were still biting.  There are several points to take away from today.  First, we are not that far from the fish beginning to move shallow, and today was proof of that.  Second, they are feeding on shad, and if there were some dimpling I usually got a bite.  Third, they are staged on the points of some of the spawning coves just waiting to get after it.  Last, while I was using that bait erratically on top, I was moving it slow, if that makes sense.  The whole day hinged on making that first good decision by seeking out stable clear water, and then by recognizing how they wanted the bait presented.  So even though no real big fish came over the side, for me it was the joy of knowing how close we are.  The great lake fishing is just right around the corner.

Random Thoughts

I know most of you are southern boys, but if you like big fish check out a couple of muskies that may have broken the world record 2 days apart.  Catching a big muskie is right up there in my memory as one of my coolest fishing moments.  Seeing these big fish just gets me all excited about my return trip to Lake of the Woods in Canada this year.  So check it out.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/

Capt. Perry Rankin, who also works at the Tackle Box the only real fishing store in Victoria, guides on the coast.  He guides both wade fishermen and Kayakers.  I wanted to let all of you Kayakers in the area know that if you want him to transport you to some great fishing off the beaten path, he is the man for the job.  So put it in your memory bank.

So there you have it for today.  Next it is duck hunting Monday with some Barge Canal fishing.  Tuesday or Wednesday it is off to try some trolling on the Lavaca River.  I have caught trout trolling before, and with my friend Jeff laid up following a motorcycle crash, it is the perfect way to catch a few without having to cast.  Then one of those days I will be headed to that creek that has been on my list for a while.  And last, it will be a 2 day trip to Baffin when the wife is out of town.  It is shaping up to be a great week.  So join me and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Hello all.  It looks like I will not be hitting the water until Friday, but I do have some fishing news that may help you if you are planning on hitting the Gulf anytime soon.

One of the nice things about writing a blog, and knowing lots of fishermen, is that I get some inside information.  As you know my general policy is to tell you exactly where I am catching them.  But when others tell me it is not that simple.  So while I can not tell you exactly where, I want folks to keep telling me about their trips, at least I can relay some information that may help you with your search.

It comes down to 2 places right now, deep, and a big back lakes.  One of the reports I got this week was of over a 100 trout and reds in one place, and they all came from 12 feet deep.  They were caught on plastics and gulp.  With this ongoing second front you can expect those fish to remain right where they are, protected.  The other day I was telling you about the guys out east who catch the big trout in the inter-coastal, so if you get out, think deep.  Think about places that drain big bays and open water that have the type of deep water access that would allow those fish to drop into that protected and stable water.  And when you try those type of areas, fish slow.  Getting baits down to that depth is not our usual method on the coast, but if you find them it will be awesome.

The other area holding fish right now is back lakes and bays.  Some of them are stacked with trout and reds.  So what are you looking for?  Soft bottom and scattered shell.  There are lots of places like that on the coast and now is the perfect time to drift those areas.  It allows you to cover lots of water, without making lots of noise, and it is nice to not have to wade those soft bottom places.  If you have not tried the drift sock, now is the time to add that to your arsenal.  Even if the wind is blowing hard, it will allow you to slow down your drift and turn what would be a rough day into a successful day.  Just set up your drifts to cover the area systematically, and once you find them it will be game on.

If you are headed to the coast get out your map and look it over real good, it should not be that hard to find places like I talked about above.  It is on my list later this week and I will get the report to you as soon as I can.  So it is off to finish the Christmas shopping, and a little R & R in Austin.  As soon as that little chore is over it will be back to the fishing.    And if you have any reports, or want to share a comment or suggestion, please let me know.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Living in Arkansas for many years you had no choice, either fish when the weather is bad, or not fish.  Since moving to Texas that has not been a problem, usually.  But this winter we have had 2 big cold fronts, and the weather has been tough.  And here we go again, it came in on Thursday and looks like it will last until late this week.  In fact it will be colder tomorrow.

So the point to all this?  With a case of the house bound there was a chance that there might be a little fishing today.  But this morning was dripping and about 50 degrees and not looking that promising.  I was vacillating about going when I let myself be goaded into going.  My wife reminded me that I have fished in a lot worse weather than this.  The implication was that I was wussing out.  So of course I had to man up and take the challenge, and against my better judgment, it was off to Coleto.

Of course it starts raining  steadily on the way to the lake, and with a brisk north wind conditions just couldn’t be better.  But with all the stuff I was warm and dry so in the water and off I went.  To bad it was my first trip to Coleto without a bite.  Now it has been slow at times, everybody hits those days, but today topped them all.  I fished jerkbait, crankbait, slow rolled a spinnerbait, and fished a jig.

For 3 1/2 hours I flogged it in a steady rain.  Deep, shallow, points, grass, rocks, fast, slow, who knows I might have even fished some ducks.  No matter what I did I could not get a bite.  Actually I stayed about an hour after there was absolutely no doubt that there were no fish coming in the boat.  I finally wrote it off as a bad choice and headed for the warm house.

With tomorrow turning colder, and with rain not leaving the forecast, it will be a matter of waiting for it to break.  Of course that will not stop me in a couple of days, I will probably fish a day or two before I should, but there is only so long one can sit in the house.

Terry Roth, Mr. Outdoors in Nebraska, sent me a couple of pictures from his trail cam and I thought you might like to see them.  Stuff is on the move in Nebraska.

Nebraska Bobcat – boy are they cool critters.

And this is not the best quality but Terry got this high racked buck on his game cam.  Cool set of horns huh?

Cool non-typical.  Would be a monster if both sides were equal, but a great buck anyway.

The next couple of days I will be working on a couple of changes for the website.  The change will allow you to see all the videos in one place.  Some are great, some are so so, but they are all the real deal.  It is interesting how I have not got a big bass on film other than the one Shoedog caught at Falcon.  And maybe I can arrange the fishing reports somehow so that they can  be accessed in order.  Looking back at some of the older posts has helped at times.  At least it gives you a place to start.

So thanks for stopping in.  I appreciate all of you who read my stuff, and I will try to get more stuff out this week.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Can you say deju vu all over again?  The weather could not have been any more like 2 weeks ago, even if it tried.  Crazy stuff we are having around South Texas right now.

Todd and Ken drove down to fish the Lavaca River for the day and I met them at the ramp about 8 in the morning.  It was warm, in fact so warm that the mosquitoes were out and you did not even need a jacket.  It was cloudy without a breath of wind.  Now you would think that the fishing might be pretty good with the front around the corner, but that did not turn out to be the case.

We started on the right side of the river, and after fishing a long stretch and putting 1 in the boat, we decided to cross to the other side and fish the pipe area.  Right before we moved I did lose a real good trout on a topwater, my fault, and that was the last bite on topwater.  Once we started fishing on the shallow sandy side we did get lots of hits, but they just were not committing.  Though we caught 5 or 6 there, they were small.  We were getting the same amount of bites on plastics, popping cork, and Corkies, they just did not amount to much.

Around 11 we only had 2 keepers in the boat when Ken said look at that.  We turned around and here it came down the river.  You could hear and see it as the wind went from 0 to 20 mph and the temperature dropped 20 degress in about 1 minute.  It was crazy and in all my years fishing I have only seen a couple of fronts that quick and intense.  Wow.

At that point everyone was headed to the ramp, calling it a day.  We on the other hand headed back so Todd could get his rainsuit and a little more clothes.  The wind was really blowing so we slid into the Navidad, hoping to put a few more in the boat.

At least in the river the wind as livable, but the fishing never did get going.  We would catch one here or there, but never did hit that one good bunch.  Our biggest trout came on a Mirro-Dine, and in fact I caught 4 or 5 on it.  That is a shallow running, slow sinking, twitch bait that I have fished a little.  Last time my friend Clyde was here on the Lavaca he caught some on it, so I decided to give it a try.

Todd’s first fish on the Mirro-Dine.  It was a $7 fish, as he lost the bait about 5 minutes later.

It sinks slowly, but has great flash and wobble when twitched.  If you give it a try, and you should as it is a cool bait, keep in mind to not over work it.  Short twitches, then stopping, then twitch.  Use it erratically and keep you line as tight as you can.  It sinks slower than a Corky, but it is the same principle.   In fact, not only did it put a couple of keeper trout in the box, it also accounted for the only redfish we boxed.

Once the front was there they just were not aggressive, and for the day we had 5 keeper trout and one red.  We did call it a little early as Todd and Ken were headed to POC to meet a bunch, 13 I think, of guys for a weekend of fishing.  I can not wait to hear how they did this weekend.  I feel their pain, nothing like scheduling a fishing trip and then having the weather go to crap.  For me it has been Florida, Falcon, North Dakota, Amistad, POC, and lots of places in between.  It becomes a matter of sucking it up, going home, or drinking, though for me it is always sucking it up.  Sometimes you have to play the hand you are dealt, our fishing time is precious so you do what you can.

So what is next for our fishing?  I have no guess, sort of.  According to the weather fool, oops I meant man, we are looking at high 40’s to low 50’s with some rain all week.  That is going to really lower all our water temperatures be it lake or bay.  That is not always a bad thing.  It tends to bunch the trout on bay areas with a mixture of mud and shell, and if you find them, you really find them.  On the lake it also has the same effect on the bass, bunching them up on deeper channel banks and points as they stage for pre-spawn.  That also gives you a chance to find them and have them hold for a while.

So as I sit here watching football, and waiting for Monday so I can do some fishing, all is not lost.  In fact winter brings some of the best fishing of the year for those of us who brave the cold.  The fish get bunched, you can find a parking spot at Froggies on the weekend, and you rarely find anyone fishing where you want to.

Keep stopping in, lets see if I can translate the thoughts above into fish in the boat.  One thing I want to do is see if I can emulate a couple of guys I read about in South Carolina that catch lots of trout, and I mean 8 – 10lbs, the kind that most of us dream about.  Their pattern is simple, toss a Corky out and let it sink to the bottom and then bounce it back.  They do it in the dead of winter where?  The intercoastal.  They have found over the years when they have the kind of winter we are having right now those big fish live on that drop, and I mean water 10 foot deep.  Makes a lot of sense, and our barge canal can be a great place to get out of the wind.

I wish the last couple of reports had been better, but it is what it is.  Of course that is not going to keep me in the house, weather or not.  Monday I will be out there trying to keep those necessary things in mind that can make winter fishing so awesome, and not repeat those things that don’t work.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Since the Gulf is on tap tomorrow it was off to Coleto this morning.  It was warm with a South wind at 10 -15 mph as I headed lake.  As there was a pretty good chop a spinnerbait was up first, but after and hour without a bite it was time for a change.

One bait that is so consistent in the fall is a crankbait, with a Strike King Square Bill being my bait of choice.  The 2.5 runs 3 – 5 deep depending on line size and speed, which makes it a great bait for submerged grass that does not come to the surface.  With the spinnerbait not working in the grass flats the next choice was deeper channel areas.  I caught a small one, then the one below.

                      A Strike King Square Bill is a good choice for fall.

With a wider wobble the bass seem to prefer it in the fall when they are not super active.  So on Coleto it is a matter of keeping it right over the tops of sunken grass, and then when the bait hits grass, give it a little rip.  One, it often cleans the grass off, but more importantly, it triggers the strike.  It is a matter of feeling the bait in the grass and then finding the happy medium where you cast it out, and when it reaches the running depth, you are hitting grass.  It takes some feel, but is worth the effort.  We all get frustrated when our bait continually catches grass.  But remember, grass it your friend.  It provides the cover that makes the fishing what it is.  So if you have not tried the Square Bill pick one up and give it a go.  While I throw the whacky color above a lot, you can not go wrong with one in the Sexy Shad.  It catches bass anywhere.

I kept with the crankbait for a while longer, and probably caught 4 or so on it, when passing a point with grass on it and no wind I tossed out the Bang-O-Lure topwater minnow.  One hopped on it the first cast, then one of the third.

       The Bagley Bang-O-Lure was definitely the bait of choice today.

So though I was catching a couple on crankbait I started looking for calm water to throw the topwater.  With a pretty good breeze out of the South there were not a lot of calm water out there, but where there was, I would catch a couple.  In fact I caught a couple out of 3 different coves.  They were small males, but a couple of better fish rolled underneath it.  It just got my pre-spawn clock running.  From about 10:30 until I quit at 2:00 they bit fairly consistently anywhere there was calm water.

You may have read it here before, but lets take a little time and talk about topwater minnows.  Lots of folks make topwater minnows, but I have been fishing them for over 30 years and one thing is clear, balsa minnow baits are better.  The Bagley Bang-O-Lure and the Rapala both have the foil sides, critical to the flash, which is key to using them in clear water.

Over the years I have learned Bass will hit it just sitting there on top, but that is not how most of them hit it, especially the better ones.  The old “let it sit until the rings go away” thing does work, at times, but it is only a small part of the time.  To use it, twitch it a time or two on top, letting it set just a second, then pull it under while you twitch it 3 or 4 times in small jerks, it will go down about a foot or two.  The balsa, with the foil, flashes and flutters, and that is when lots of them eat it.  As you learn this technique you will be surprised at how many fish are below it,  And if you see one roll on it, toss it right back in there and jerk it real erratically and faster right through that same area and you can often get that fish to bite.  And good polaroids are a must.

This was a quick primer for a bait that will really come in to it’s own in the next month.  And it really gives you a tell as to where the fish are as far as the spawn goes.  So keep it on your line and give it a chance when the wind is not blowing.  First will come the small males, and right after that the big girls.  And by tossing it some from early spring on, the time will come and the big fish will just be there.  I love that pattern and just can’t wait for next month.

So for the day it was 12 – 15, not bad for this time of year.  But tomorrow it is off to the Lavaca River with Todd and Ken from Austin.  With what looks like a real big time cold front coming somewhere between 9 and noon we will just have to wait and see how the day goes.  So thanks for stopping in and reading my stuff.  This is my favorite time of year to fish, and as long as the weather is halfway reasonable I will be out there.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

No I did not fall off the face of the earth.  I was lucky enough to spend the long weekend with my daughter, her husband, and our grandbaby Mia.  We were in New Orleans and had a great time.  The French Market, the aquarium, good food, and just the hustle and bustle of the big city.  A good time was had by all.

I do have one thing to say about the weekend – we like going to New Orleans as long as there is not something big going on.  Well this weekend we did not realize how busy and crazy it would be with the Bayou Classic football game.  All I have to say about that is, we will not return there on that weekend again.  We stayed downtown, and it was a little to crazy for our taste.  So be forewarned if you think about going there over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tomorrow it is back to fishing.  It looks like the weather will be great for a couple of more days before we have another big winter storm.  From the looks of things it will be just like the one we had last week.  So for the next couple of days it will be hard at it to take advantage of the good weather.  And to get to fish with tmart, and a friend of his from the Bass Fishing Forum out of Austin, will be a treat on Thursday.  We should boat a bunch of trout.  As far as tomorrows plan I have not made my mind up yet, but no matter what it will be on the water.  Not fishing for a week is causing me some distress, so I will scratch that itch tomorrow.

Hopefully any of you that were able to fish had a good weekend.  Not having time to read all the website reports has left me without any new reports.  Guess I will catch up as soon as I finish writing this.  But we sure had the weather for it and I hope you all got out and caught a few.

Spam

Surely all of you who use the computer gets lots of spam, I know I sure do, often as many as 50 a day.  Sometimes it really p’s me off, and sometimes it just cracks me up.  One thing that I would like to know for sure, Nigel Abo, Hassan Abib, Dr. Oslo, and the rest of you idiots, what are you thinking?  Do you really expect me to send you money, accept the $4 Quadzillion dollars I won in that lottery I did not enter, or contact you concerning the inheritance that some Somali pirate left me?  You are a bunch of slugs and that is all have to say about that.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

One thing that did give me pause this weekend is the news that my daughter Carrie, who teaches Journalism to high school students, has occasionally been using my blog in her class.  I just wonder, is it to show them how not to do things?  Who knows, it might even be an example of how my undergrad degree in Journalism did not take.  Scary.

Thanks for sitting through this non-fishing related stuff.  Hard to relate any fishing news without a rod in your hands.  But the waders are coming out, and it is off to the Gulf for the next few months trying to put a big trout in the boat.  So thanks for reading my stuff, even if it is off topic, I appreciate all of you.  So it will be back on the topic tomorrow, fishing.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

This weather has been terrible.  The wind started blowing last Friday out of the North at over 30 mph, and has not let up since.  The sky finally cleared down here, then a 34 degree night, but the wind is still blowing out of the North at over 20 mph.  I am sick of it.  This may be the longest stretch of cold with high wind since I have been in Texas.

But the good new is it looks like it is about to straighten up.  And with it, the fishing should really crank back up.  But there is a fishing report – I went to Coleto for a couple of hours today, and it was not fun.

I could not take being in the house for 6 straight days, so in spite of the wind and cold I headed to the lake.  Jerk bait was the bait of  choice, and I actually managed to catch a nice bass on the second bank I fished.  Then I violated my rule – take a picture of the first one, it may be the last.  And it was.  Not another bite, though I tried crankbait, jerk bait, and jig.

The wind was blowing from every direction, and very few banks were easily fished.  The water color was terrible, an obvious result of the 20 -30 mph North wind for the last 6 days.  And to make matters worse, the lake looks like it has fallen a couple of more inches, not helping things.  So after 4 hours it was boat on the trailer and back to the house.   But things should really improve as it warms the next 5 days.  Hopefully all of you who wanted to get out to the Gulf or lake will be able to catch some fish this weekend.

Thanksgiving

Here is my list of things I am thankful for this year.  It has been a good year.

I am so thankful I am married to Nancy.  She is the best wife in the world, and it has been a great 25 years.  I am a lucky guy.

I am thankful my daughter is well, Mia is well, and her husband Leigh is well.

I am thankful Leigh is a good dad to Mia, and a good husband to my daughter.

I am thankful for my grandbaby Mia, and am so looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.  She likes me just because.

I am thankful my parents and bothers and sisters are all doing well.  And even though I have a brother in the hospital post surgery, it looks like he will be fine.

I am thankful for everyday I spend on the water and outdoors.  Gobbling turkeys, deer feeding, pigs running, ducks flying, trout slurping a topwater – what is more beautiful than that?

I am thankful that people actually read this, who wouda thunk it?

I hope you get to spend time with your family, whoever they may be.  And if you do, remember to tell them what you are thankful for.  Our time on this earth is short, make sure you don’t leave those things you should say unsaid.

I can not wait for the weather to stabilize.  The fishing will really get going, and looking back at past reports we really whacked some trout last year around this time.  So off to the Gulf as soon as I spend some time with family.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel.

The most interesting man in the world.

I got this from my brother in Arkansas today.  Thought you all would like it.

Or – But when I do, I always soak my worm in Dos Equis.

Fishing

The reports coming from the coast have just been off the chain the last couple of weeks, and getting better all the time.  While this front will obviously have some effect, it should continue to roll.  Drifting back lakes, wading, fishing the jetties, it is all good right now.  So it did not surprise me when my buddy Chris sent me this picture.

A nice string of trout.

Chris was duck hunting on Matagorda out of POC when he caught these fish on plastics while wading off the island.  He reports the duck hunting was slow, but obviously the trout fishing is hot.  He also went hunting Friday morning, and of course getting out before daylight it was nice and warm when he set up.  He said by time he quit it was a little cool in a shirt with the rain and cold wind.  Love it when that happens.

Seeing the pelicans in the picture Chris sent me reminded me I took this picture at Froggie’s the other day while we cleaned fish.

Cleaning fish at Froggie’s we see these guys all the time and take them for granted when they come for a free meal.  It is cool to see them fighting over the guts.  And when the dolpin gets pissed off at the pelicans for getting to them first he will chase them off.  No big deal for us, we see it all the time.  We forget that others would love to see such a thing.  Sometimes we need to stop and watch, it is all a part of the great outdoors.

Coleto  11/21/13.

With the big cold front coming the next day I wanted to get in one more day of buzzbait fishing before it was over until spring.  Now I know that I was sounding like a broken record when I kept writing about it, but when there are good fish blowing up on it, it is hard to put it down.

It has been a month of fish like this – and boy was it fun while it lasted.

Though I caught lots of big fish on it the last month, the really big ones have slowly but surely got off it.  So it is time for a change.  Topwater, spinnerbait, and crankbait, will really come in to their own now as the water cools off.  But the fish are still on the deep edges of the grass beds, it is going to be a matter of finding what they want.  And if we have a cold winter, do not forget the jerk bait, it can be killer this time of year.

I love it when these tough guys attack stuff bigger than they are.

I showed you this not so much for how little he was, but to show you that I am starting to throw the topwater minnow.  From now until May one will be tied on a rod.  Looking back at old posts it has really been a bait of choice.  Hard as it is to believe, pre-spawn is right around the corner, and it will be my go to bait along with a Strike King Swim Jig.

And speaking of late winter, and early spring, fishing, here is something to watch for.  On Coleto, and many other lakes I fish, when it is cold and you get a warm sunny day with wind, look for the calmest sunny bank you can find.  If you see the shad flipping, the fish will be there.  And when they are, there are usually lots of them.  So put that in your things to watch for as the winter progresses to spring, it works.

I get lots of comments on my blog, and I read them all.  So if you want to comment please do, it shows me there is someone out there actually reading this stuff.  I got a nice comment from Rocky the other day who fishes Coleto a lot.  His bait of choice is a weightless fluke on a #4 worm hook.  That is a bait I have talked about in the past as a good choice year round on Coleto.  So thanks Rocky and if you see the Carolina Skiff on the water stop and say hi.

The only redeeming quality about this weather is the great football on today.  My Razorbacks look to end their losing streak, A+M get a chance to show us all they are the real deal when they go to Death Valley to take on the scary LSU Tigers, and Baylor could clinch the Big 12 title today when they go to Stillwater to play the OK State Cowboys.  A great day for some College football, and who knows, maybe a couple of cold ones and a nap.

That is it for a cold winter day.  When they say if you don’t like the weather in Texas just wait 5 minutes.  Boy is that the truth.  Nothing like having to turn off the AC and turn on the heat the same day.  With the forecast looking sketchy for the next few days it will be a wait and see thing as to when I hit the water next.  But as usual it will probably be a day to early, but I can only stay off the water so long.  So thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

A resort owner was sitting at his desk signing in all the folks arriving for a week of fishing.  He looked up and there was Fred.  Fred was a long term customer who had been coming there for years.  The resort owner asked Fred what are you doing here, you are a week early.  Fred replied that he had been coming there for years and kept getting told he should have been here last week.  So here he was.

That story, or joke, got me thinking about all of those rules and superstitions that we have all heard over the years.  Those rules apply to all of us, whether we believe them or not.

Fishin’ Rules – Or – I hate it when that happens!

1.  You should have been here last week.  Having taken many trips over the years I have seen it in action.  The weather was perfect, then the wind blows for the whole week.  It was nice and cool, now it is a 100 and there is not a breath of wind.  They were on the beds big time last week, but the cold front pushed them off.  Some times you can not win for losing.

2.  Never catch one on the first cast.  Amazing how this superstition got started.  You would think nothing would be better than that.  First Cast?  It usually means one of two things – You are either going to whack them, or you are doomed.  There never seems to be an in between.

3.  Never catch one on the first cast when you change baits.  This one drives me nuts.  Like Rule 2, it also seems to never have an in between.  Sometimes it really is the best thing since sliced bread, and they keep eating that bait all day.  But usually, you never catch another fish on it and end up spend the next couple of hours throwing it without another bite.

4.  Line breaks when it wants.  This one is simple.  Why do you break off one of the biggest fish you have had on in a long time, and then get snagged and pull up a 10 foot long tree trunk?  Or get snagged and pull the boat halfway to the bank trying to break it off?  I never have got that one.

5.  Other stuff breaks when it wants.  Like last week, the boat is running fine, and then when your buddy gets here, or you tow for days to get to that destination you have been dreaming about, and the boat won’t start.  I have had mechanical malfunctions in the Everglades, POC, Sanibel Island, and lots of places in between.

6.  When you are catching the snot out of them never take someone you really want to catch fish.  I hate this one.  The fishing is great and you pump them up with visions of big fish jumping in the boat.  Then it sucks.

7.  Tournaments – See Rule 6.  You have practiced and have them penned up.  Every cast one is flopping on the floor.  And then they disappear into thin air.

8.  Batteries decide when to give up the ghost.  It was working fine.  You head out on one of those days you know you will be fishing until dark.  At noon you don’t have enough trolling motor left to spin the prop, and of course the wind is blowing and the fish are jumping in the boat.

9.  Where’s the net?  Of course this applies to lots of things.  Where’s the net, my rain suit, the electric knife, and a host of other things that are always in the boat.  Until you need them.

10.  You decide to keep a few fish.  You struggle all day to keep a few for a fish fry, and that is what you catch all day, a few.  And you get to the cleaning table and there is a couple of guys that can not even lift their cooler out of the boat, and they were fishing where you just left.

11.  Catchus Interuptiss.  Whether at the bay, or on the lake, this rule applies.  There is not a soul around and you are working the perfect place.  You start your wade, or start down the bank with the trolling motor, and here comes the only other moron on the water and he cuts you off.

12.  Tossing a rod and reel in the lake.  This one is simple, if you are going to do that it will be the one you just bought.  And when it really applies is when you have not even used it yet.

13.  Family will mess up your best laid plans.  The fishing is great and you have the weekend off and are all primed to go.  Then you hear the dreaded words – your niece’s piano recital, your second cousin’s, twice removed, Tupperware party, and a host of other really import things you just can’t miss.  They have a lot of dam gall.

14.  The ramp is a dangerous place.  This one is likely to catch us all.  Why the one time in years you leave the plug out and almost sink the boat is everyone and their brother at the ramp.  And does there have to be 5 people waiting to unload the one time you forget to unhook the bow eye, your motor roars in reverse, and you stay on the trailer.

And last but not least…………….

15.  There is always a bigger story.  You catch the biggest fish of your life, and when you start to tell the story at the dock or tackle shop, there is always that guy who one ups you no matter what you say.  Does that guy just hang around to make everyone’s life miserable?

So there you have it.  I am sure this list is not the be all, end all.  There are other rules that I am sure I have missed, but these are the ones that follow me around.  There is a never a dull moment on the water, we can only hope that they all do not conspire at once to make our fishing life totally miserable.  But no matter what we plod on, casting and reeling, hope in out heart, our wallet empty.  Just remember, it is nothing but a thing.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Even though I just fished 4 days the weather looked great, so off the Coleto I went.  It was not an early start, around 11:30 with a 5 pm quit time, but the fishing remains consistent.

One of the things I did not mention about the last time we fished was Shoedog started throwing a Chatterbait, and he caught some on it.  Now none of us in the boat is experienced with that particular bait, but he did catch 4 or 5 on it.  The fish clearly wanted it reeled off the grass, or by an isolated patch, and then dropped.  They were hitting it as it fell, and he missed as many as he caught.  But it is a bait that is working on Coleto right now, so if you like to fish it, or have one, give it a try next time you are there.

So my intention was to fish it some and see if it would work.  With my whole experience being catching one fish on it I really wanted to see if I could figure it out.  So looking through my spinnerbait box for one it just wasn’t there.  Then I remembered that Clyde had used mine last time.  It appears that four flushing, bait rustling, sidewinder took it back with him to Arkansas.  There was a black one in there, so I added a Rage Craw, and I actually caught one.

Alternating between the buzzbait and Chatterbait the fish were still eating that buzzbait.  Now we fished the snot out of it last Sunday, and until the clouds and wind came were not very successful.  Today they were back on the buzzbait.

The first one on the buzzbait.

So of course from then on it was buzzbait.  If they want it, give it to them.  For the next 3 hours they hit it consistently.  And I can not emphasize enough, grass, grass, and more grass.  They are still better on the points with big grass patches, and if the conditions are right like they were today, they really move into those big grass flats.  One word about that, stay way out on the edge for the best success.  Try to keep the boat where you can just see occasional grass and throw to the heavy grass.  If you do that you will find them somewhere.

A little more like it.

For the afternoon it was 10 in the boat, 4 missed, and 2 lost in the grass.  That is nice consistent fishing.  The pictures above represent the size of the majority of them, nothing big today, but you can catch a real solid limit right now.

But things will begin to change as we settled into a more winter pattern.  They will quit that buzzbait soon, especially with a couple of more fronts combined with the falling lake level.  Spinnerbait and topwater will really start coming into their own, with rattle baits and crankbaits beginning to work.  The Strike King Square Bill should be a great choice now, and I will be fishing it some as the winter progresses.

So there you have a quick Coleto report.  Looking at our weather it looks like the Gulf will be a real option over the next few days.  I am ready to do some serious wading.  It is big trout time and since I have not really caught that many I hope to rectify that.  I appreciate you reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines