Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Hard to believe it is still summer.  We finally got a small break in the temperature, at least in the mornings.  Now the weatherman has kept saying possibility of rain, up to 1″ even, and we have gotten 5 sprinkles at the house.  So we are still stuck in the same old same old.

Trail Camera Pictures – Thinking about fall.

I got these trail camera pictures from Terry in Nebraska.  He is a good friend of my brother and we were fortunate to have him here for our first trip to Falcon.  That was a trip I will never forget as I caught my 2 biggest bass in a lifetime of fishing.  A trip to remember.  He sent these to me with the heading: “The Hunt Is On.”  Funny how it does not feel one bit like deer season is anywhere close, but serious hunters have their trail cameras up and they are already scouting.

A nice wide rack slipping through the woods mid-morning.  Notice the temp reading?  How lucky can you get, we have been twice that.

            A good deer with a nice high rack for what looks like a young one.

My brother goes up there annually to hunt deer, and always puts something in the cooler.  There are lots of deer in Nebraska, and some of them are bruisers.  Maybe I will go with him sometime.  The problem with that is the fishing is always so hot then it is hard to drag me out of the boat.

Another couple of “It only hurts for a minute.”

I got this from Faye, one of my regular readers.  Who in the world does not have a “Is the plug in?” story.  And all of us love that first time we mess up with the new boat.  Just remember, a new boat will get baptized at some point, hopefully it is not permanent.

“This post had me laughing hysterically.  Anyone who has fished regularly has had
many mishaps!!  Here’s a couple:  It’s a hot July day about noon in Temple, TX.  We are sitting in the beating sun as the boat dealer goes over our 1st new boat, a 18′ center console, deep V “Sea Pro”. It has all the bells and whistles.  We proudly leave, stop at 7-11 to fill up and get 3 big gulps.  Off to take a spin; try it out  at Lake Belton.  We launch at the long bridge and take off to start the breaking in of the new engine.  After about 20
minutes, we decide to stop and take a swim.  Well we’re swimming around admiring our beauty from the water when Steve says, “what’s that sloshing sound?”  “They put the plug in right?”  Nope, it was in the glove box.  HOLY SHIT!!  We quickly get in and start up, the battery was under water.  Off we go trying to let the water flow out while I’m bailing water out of the battery compartment with that big gulp cup.  So much for going easy during the engine break in period.  We get close to the dock and put the plug in.  We weren’t sure if we could load it.  I ran up and got the truck and we just barely got it on.  Certainly a good
example for Steve’s 10 year old son, Luke.  LOL  We still can’t believe we did that!!
One other in the same wonderful boat.  We were fishing a cove in March at Lake Ouachita.  We were trolling motoring 8 lines for stripers.  One of the rods was brand new.  As Steve went to put it out from the back of the boat, he dropped it.  Uh Oh, not the 1st time.  Well we were making a 2nd troll along the same bank and had a soft bite.  I reel it in, hmm doesn’t feel like a striper.  It’s our rod we just lost and as I’m reaching to get it; I
dropped it.  It’s still in that cove by Shangri La Lodge.  Of course there are many more but the new boat takes the cake.  Thanks for taking the time to post.  Have a great weekend.”

Thanks Faye, I appreciate the story and your occasional comments.  Nice to know there are real live people out there reading my stuff.

I did want to share one other story I heard while I was up fishing the Big Bass Tournament on Fork earlier this year.  While staying at Aaron’s camp assorted fisherman would stop by and of course the story telling would begin.  Three younger guys stopped by, guys who Aaron had fished with in the past and who worked in the same field.  Sorry I do not remember your names, but I love the story.

The one young man was wanting to get into fishing big time.  He had a beautiful Skeeter he bought used that was in like new condition.  Of course off the to the lake he went.  Now I am not exactly sure how the story went but here is the punch line.

The prior owner had put those Slik Stiks on the trailer, and then to make sure it would slide off and on he sprayed the carpet with silicone.  So they unhook the front and start down the ramp, and his “new” boat immediately slides off the trailer.  To bad he was no where near the water.  So here he is with his new pride and joy, sitting on the ramp.  Nothing like the inaugural voyage to be on the concrete with tons of folks watching!  To make matters worse apparently it was fairly busy and some idiot comes over to him and tells him to hurry up and get out of the way so he can get in the water.  What a jerk.

That is the kind of thing that when it happens we should all lend a hand.  Just remember, it could be your turn next.  I am a big believer in what goes around, comes around.  So be nice.

The Blog

One of the biggest things I hear from folks is about having their own blog.  So here it goes again for those of you who are thinking about it.  Host Gator is the company I use to host my blog.  As part of their services they keep your domain registered, and provide lots of services to keep it running.   I use WordPress as my platform, because that was what they had when I started.  I like it.  If you want to keep it simple like I do, WordPress is for you.

As far as the actual design I just chose something simple.  I wanted it easy to read and navigate.  There are tons of cool blogs with fabulous designs out there, but that part of it is completely irrelevant.  After visit one it is not about how cool you look.  People come for whatever it  is you are blogging about.

Expect to make mistakes as you learn.  I knew absolutely nothing about web sites or blogging.  I even managed to lock myself out of my own web site.  You have to spend the time to learn how to make your platform, in my case WordPress, work.  Once you get the hang of it you will be fine.  But remember, it is not about how cool your site looks, unless it is about cool looking things.

So with that in mind let me give you out there who have ever thought about doing something like this a couple of pieces of advice.  You have to write and post on a regular basis.  You can’t willy nilly post here and there and expect people to come back, they want new content no matter what you are writing about.  And when I say new content I mean something they can sink their teeth in to.

They want to learn something.  If you regurgitate the same old stuff about your subject, folks may come once or twice, but they will not come back.  Never forget your purpose.  It is ok to vary from the theme on occasion, but it has to be at least peripherally tied to your purpose.

Get ready to deal with spam, comments that are out of the realm of intelligent, and actual inquiries and questions.  Try to deal with them as quick as you can.  It is hard, but if you want it to be successful it has to be done.  You are not doing the readers a favor by putting your ideas out there, they are doing you a favor by coming to your site and you should not forget it.  So no matter how tired or lazy you are, get your work done.

So there is my quick lesson for you potential bloggers.  As most of you know who read my stuff, my first month, August 2011, I had 69 visits.  This year I have had 64,529 so far and climbing.  It ends up being work, but it is such a joy to hear from folks who like and read your stuff that if you have ever considered it, give it a try.  The worst thing that can happen is you don’t like it.  No harm no foul.

So there you have it for a hot Saturday morning.  I have already cleaned the boat, walked the dog, and written this.  I got a good early start, wouldn’t want to miss the Cowboy game at 3:30.  I still have a couple of things to mess with on the boat, and there is always tackle to straighten up and reels to oil.  Who knows, I just may hit the  water in the morning.  So thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

We have all heard that the more things change the more they remain the same, and it is so true when talking about the bass fishing on Coleto.  It’s the same, only different, as my friend Michael would say.  The last 3 morning trips this week I have caught 7 or 8 bass every morning.  They have been on points near grass, but not the same ones every day.  There is no rhyme or reason as to what time the bites will come.  I have caught them right off the bat, and then later in the morning.  But one thing is constant, worms in watermelon red flake have been the ticket.

So we are talking about basically grinding it out.   I have caught as many as 4 off one point, then today it was 2 off one, 2 off another, and then 3 more here and there.  The one thing that is nice, the average size has been going up.  I am not sure why, I am still catching the same amount, maybe I just have narrowed the bait and the place down.  But either way, there are some bass to be caught in spite of this heat wave.

I started where I caught the big fish 2 days ago, and put the 2 below in the boat.  I did miss another one, but only had 3 bites there.  And like most of the fish have been, they were between 6 and 10 foot deep.

                           My first bite on the Strike King Recon Worm.

A nice fatty!

Since those 2 came on a grassy point leading into a cove, near the deepest water in the area, I moved to another point like it.  A small one came first, then this one.

Caught this one on a do nothing worm in watermelon red.

Since they seemed to be running a little bigger I decided to take some time out and try swimming the Strike King Anaconda.  It is a big fish bait, and with the fish positioned the depth they are I thought it would be a killer.  2 small fish, and an hour and a half later, it was not happening.  Those 2 small ones made me keep after it, but I am not sure they want the bait swimming.

I hopped a few other points when about noon, I had one smack it in about 10 foot of water in front of a small cove on a long deep bank.  I got the hook in her, and for the second time in 2 days the biggest fish came right in the middle of the day.

Another nice one on the do nothing style worm.

Sorry about the funny face, sometimes I wonder what I was thinking.  But this time was different.  When I went to lip her I leaned down and she must have tossed a cup of water on my face.  But ok, I still won that one.

The fish seem to want it hopped up, then letting it fall until it hits bottom.  I am using a Texas Rig, 1/4 ounce slip sinker, and 20 pound mono.  Basically it has boiled down to hopping points, and then tossing the worm into about 3 foot and working it out all the way to the boat.  About half the time they are there when you lift up, or are already swimming with it, and other times they tic it.  It pays to be a line watcher, but not matter what if you feel anything right now, set the hook.  It is one of those times when if you think it is a bite it probably is.  And in the time it may take you to process it, they are gone.

So not a bad run this week.  Conditions are tough, maybe tougher on me than the fish, but at least  I put a few in the boat.  I am happy with the size to, if you only get to catch 8, it is nice when half of them are good ones.

Big Arkansas Hybrid Something

Folks I want you to look at this perch/sunfish/bluegill, whatever.  Look closely, that is a full-sized Zara Spook that Clyde put there to give some context to how big that thing is.  My friend Clyde caught this fish out of 20 foot of water on Lake Norfork in Arkansas while bass fishing.  He says it is some kind of hybrid sunfish.  What ever it is, it is the biggest perch I have seen in my life.

What a fish!

One thing about getting out at daylight, you see lots of deer, hogs, and alligators.  Everyone is out and about before it gets to hot.

The deer have been out big time first thing in the morning.  Like me they are done by noon right now.

So there you have it for today.  This is one of those times when a pattern really is a pattern.  It may be somewhat confusing when they are not on the same ones at the same time doing the same thing, but grind it out.  It could be worse.  I could have a job.   With a little possible break in this heat I hope to get to the Gulf soon, I need a redfish fix.   So thanks for reading my stuff and keep those cards and letters coming.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Just thought all you shark lovers would like these pictures.  My friend Chris is really getting in to it, and his results are getting better with every trip.  In fact, we are planning to fish the Shark-a-thon on North Padre in October and it should be awesome.

Chris and his wife fished Matagorda early this week and here are the results.

A nice 71″ Bull Shark.

His lovely wife with a big ray.

The power a shark has is something to behold.  They usually fight like the devil, but with the right equipment they can be brought to the beach quickly for a quick photo and release.  Remember folks, an awesome creature like that needs to live and fight another day.  Keep one occasionally to eat if you want, but no dead shark photos unless they are headed to the pan.  I found a nice 6 footer floating in Coleto last year, dead, that someone probably caught and wasted.  So CPR and release, your children may want to catch it someday.

It looks like we may finally be getting a little break in the weather, at least it may sink to a high of 94 the rest of the week, with some chance of rain.  I have really been avoiding the Gulf fishing lately.  Being an hour away I just have not been feeling like driving that far, and then not fishing all day.  But it won’t be long, and with fall coming the great trout fishing is ahead of us.  I will take complete advantage of it when it does.

My friend Clyde called from Arkansas wanting to know when we were headed back to Falcon.  Of course my answer was whenever.  He reminded me that we were going to make it an annual trip about the same time, which was late fall.  I know the fishing is not what it used to be, but if memory serves me we caught 5 over 7 last time, and my brother caught 3 that weighed 22lbs on the same bank.  That may not be what it used to be, but I can live with those results anytime!

I guess I will hit Coleto in the morning.  After catching that big girl yesterday, I have a few other places I want to check.  It is driving me crazy to get back to that spot and see if there are more that size there, or was it timing, or going to a bigger worm, or …………   That is what  we fisherman do, make plans, try to figure them out, and mull over everything we did or did not do last trip.  If I had spent that same amount of time thinking about how to get rich as I have about fishing the last 50 years I would probably be rich.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Yesterday’s News

Yesterday was not a great day, but I will take it any day like that in the middle of the summer.  But as the old saying goes, “That is yesterday’s news.”  Now you would think that when the fish were as patterned as they were yesterday, with no change in conditions, that you would have no problem catching them the same as yesterday.  Wrong.

I decided to start on the point where I caught 4, and the biggest one, yesterday.  It was perfect, flat, sun coming up, not a soul in sight.  I worked that whole point for 45 minutes without even a bite.  I stuck with the same do nothing worm I have been using.  One thing I have noticed is fish chasing shad, especially at the lower end, and they were chasing out from the point.  I have not messed with them but I am sure they are catchable.  You just have to stop in the right place.

But back to today.  I fished 2 other places where I have caught a few and did not even have a bite.  Deep or shallow, it was not happening.  Then at 9 am I lost a big one on that worm and I thought that would probably be it for the day as far as a shot at a big one.  It was on a point with deep water nearby, which is what has been working for me.

I kept moving up lake and stopped at a timber point where the channel hits it, and ended up catching 3 fish.  The bass are still just sucking it in, so about half the time you feel a tic, the rest are there when you lift up.  This is one of those times where if you think it is a fish, set the hook, it probably is.  Next I fished on the bridge and caught a couple of more, still throwing the worm.  I did not take any pictures of them, but of those 5 probably 2 measured.

At this point it was about 11:00 but I was having bites everywhere I went, after not having a bite before 9.  Next it was a long channel bank up the river.  It is the deepest water there and has lots of cover on it.  It was time to try a little deep cranking, just to see if I could catch one.  I was throwing a Strike King 5XD when one jumped all over it.

Just wanted to show you the crankbait.  Sorry for the no shirt thing. but it was hot. 

I kept after it but after an hour I gave it up.  I thought when I got the one above it might be something, but it turned out not to be.  But I have caught at least one every time I have thrown it.  So off to another deep point with grass on it.  At this point I had changed to a Strike King 8″ Recon Worm in watermelon red.  When I hit the end of the point there is a cut coming out of the cove in about 12 feet of water.  So I heaved it out to come back along the channel, and as  I crawled it along I felt one thump the snot out of it.

Look at the head on that girl.  If this had been spring I am not sure what she would have weighed. 

It is so nice to be able to fish for bass in the hot summer time and have a reasonable chance of boating a good fish.  It was noon and probably 95 degrees at least.  After that it was one more place with the worm and then to the house.  I missed maybe one more, but the sun finally drove me home.  Next time I will throw that Recon Worm, it was interesting that once I changed to a bigger worm I caught a big fish.  The Recon Worm is ribbed like the old ringworm about half way down, then has the Anaconda like swimming tail.  It is bulky and moves lots of water.  As it is the first time I have tried that worm I will give it a more thorough workout.

I do want to add that I am using the Berkley scent on my baits.  When they are hitting as soft as they are right now, something tasty sure helps them hold on to it longer.  Which is real important if you are not feeling them hit it.

Today confirmed that there are still fish on the points, but it may be more a matter of timing.  They bit right off the bat yesterday, today not a bump before noon.  After that I kept petty much to the pattern, and managed to put 7 in the boat today.  And the one above added a nice bonus to the day.  It may simply be a matter of just point hopping and hoping you get to the right one at the right time.  There are fish to be caught right now on Coleto, it is just a matter of grinding it out.

I did want to give shout out to a reader in Kingwood TX and thank them for their kind comments, it is nice to know you are out there.  In fact, I appreciate all your feedback.  I do this for you, because if I was doing it for myself I would be taking a nap right now.  So keep those cards and letters coming and thanks for reading my stuff.  Who knows?  I just may head back to Coleto tomorrow, maybe catch another big one.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Talk about bad luck, we were on our way home yesterday after a little shopping and there was a big storm, which looked like it was at our house.  To bad, it missed.  Just a few miles south and west of here some folks got 6 inches of rain.  Good for them, I just wanted a little of that at my house.  You could really tell when I got to the lake this morning at daylight as there were puddles everywhere, and it was just a tad cooler than it has been.

Since I have been off my game the last couple of weeks I decided to make a plan and stick with it.  The most important part of that was to take it slow and easy.  So I started with a 6″ plastic worm that has a straight tail, like a big drop shot worm.  My color choice is almost always green with red flake.  Combined with a 1/4 slip sinker and a 5/0 VMC wide gap, that allows for a little slower fall, and is plenty good for out to 20 feet of water.

I started on a flat point covered in grass where I have caught them lately, but it was missing one thing: deep water.  So after no bites I headed up lake and decided it would be points with a flat covered in grass with at least 20 feet of water nearby.  That turned out to be the ticket.

Bite #1.  She was skinny but a good fish anyway.

I ended up catching 4 off that bank, all before 8:30.  One thing that was consistent was that you needed a long sloping point with grass, but it had to have deep water close by.  Most of the bites came from around 10 foot of water.

Another pretty nice one. 

As far as how I was using that worm it was just hopping it up really slow and letting it fall on a fairly slack line.  About half of the fish I caught today ticked it, the other half were just there when I lifted up.  One thing about this morning, as I was throwing it to the edge of the grass and working it out, you had to be very careful when you lifted up.  It was hard to tell sometimes that it was a fish.  So if you are throwing a worm in the grass edge and you lift up and feel resistance, move it very easy, you can often feel them swimming with it, like several did today.  And though I only had that one place with more than one, any sloping point with grass had a fish or two.

The last good one of the day.

It was nice to put some fish in the boat.  It was simply a matter of slowing down, getting a pattern, and then sticking with it.  The whole rig worked well when combined with 20 pound mono, allowing for a really slow fall.  For the morning I caught 9 bass, missed a couple, lost 2, and had a good one break me off.  I quit at 12:00, so not bad for a short day.  And it was a good time to quit as I had my last bite around 11.

There really was no way to tell if that little front and rain helped, or I finally got back in the game.  Either way it is still possible to put a few bass in the boat right now.  Here is the bait I was using.

I wanted you to see not only the worm, but the hook.  The worm is a fatter do nothing style, which helps with the sink rate as does a lighter hook.  Some folks like a stouter hook when fishing in grass, but I almost always use a finer wire hook.  That VMC is sharp and seems to be easier to get it in them, so it is my hook of choice right now.  A lot of folks also like to peg their slip sinker in grass, but I rarely do that.  By leaving it sliding Texas style it allows me to drop the rod and take up my slack before I hit them or they drop it.  At least this is what works for me.

So if you get chance to hit Coleto maybe this will help you put a couple more in the boat.  With the afternoon still a little sketchy I think I will go again in the morning, and keep trying new places that look like what worked today.  And then maybe later this week I will give the Gulf a try if the Southwest wind lays some and we have a good tide day.  No matter what I am ready for this weather to break.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I thought I was heading to Fayette County on Thursday to fish with my friend Bobby but he did not get back from a trip to west Texas,so I decided to have a short morning trip to Coleto before the sun got to hot.

Of course I did not get an early start, not sure how I am managing to do that right now, but it happened.  I had not been in a while so I figured I would just hit some points with worm and see how it shook out.  Well it didn’t.

The first place I tried produced zip.  So I moved up lake to a timbered point and caught a small one right off the bat.  And that would be it for the next 4 hours.  I fished deep, shallow, plastics, crankbaits, buzzbaits, swim jig, and assorted plastics without success.  Some days it just does not pay to get up.

As the day wore on, the temp and humidity shot through the roof, and as a last resort I decided to try deep cranking down near the dam.  I caught another small one on a 6XD in the Tennessee Shad, and that was the size of it.  By then it was 1:00, and neither I nor the fish had any interest.  So giving it up, I put it on the trailer and headed to the house.

So I called it a week as far as fishing goes.  With the temps hitting a 100 degrees everyday it is just to tough to hang in there all day.   I guess Bobby went yesterday and when I talk to him I will see if he faired any better than I did.

I just got a text from Chris and there was a 11’4″ Tiger shark caught at the Packery Channel yesterday.  That is a shark, and actually a fairly dangerous one.  But what a battle that must have been.  I have a picture on my phone and I tried to text it to me, but it does not seem to want to work.  But it is one big shark.

You know it is hard not to get mad at the weatherman like he has some control over what happens.  But Wednesday he was talking the possibility of rain from Saturday thru Tuesday.  Boy was that wrong.  It looks like now we may be lucky to get any, and boy do we need it.

I have noticed one interesting thing, when you can fish whenever you want you might think you would go lots, and when the weather is half ok I do.  But right now in the middle of the summer doldrums that both I, and the fish are in, it is hard to get motivated.  So since there is always tomorrow, it is easy to put it off.  The only problem right now is waiting for the “right’ weather could leave you at the house until September.

After I wrote “It only hurts for a second.” I got this from one of my readers.  When Randy sent this to me it brought back memories from my old stomping grounds, the Ozarks.

“I have been following your reports and articles for a little over a year. It is  a joy to find a reliable report and good humor. I to have made some “smooth  moves”  around the water and in the woods. I was on TableRock in my first big  bass boat. 84 Hydrosport with a 150 merc. Back then I had a spinnerbait box that  would hold between 100 and 125 spinnerbaits. I had been fishing spinners at night and set the box in the middle of the bench seat. I decided to move to another location at daylight and thought the box was heavy enough to stay put. Running wide open down the lake I see the box lift up and away it goes crashing into the Merc and the box and all of its content sink to the bottom.”

Randy I feel your pain.  Funny how when you do something like that the minute it happens you just think to yourself, “That doesn’t surprise me.”  Thanks for sharing.

Surfing the fishing reports it looks like things are picking up on the Gulf this last week.  The reds seem to be making a comeback and there is the occasional big trout being caught.  But there are still plenty of folks who are struggling.  Nothing like summer.

So there you have it for today.  One thing about not catching fish is it is sure easy to write a report.  So after spending a couple of days with the wife it will be back at it.  As the temperature is supposed to be in only the MID 90’s, I need to quit whining and get back to it.  I do know I am headed to Lake Fork in a couple of weeks for some fishing, and maybe a small tournament, so maybe my luck will change.   Hope you are keeping cool and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Those I just can’t believe I did that moments.

We are in the midst of the long hot summer here in south Texas.  With no rain to add to that it is just plain miserable out there.  The wind continues to blow out of the south, at times draining the bays, leaving them muddy and hot.  It has been tough to be out there all day, but that was not going to stop me.  So I set the alarm for 5:15 in anticipation of hitting Coleto Creek for a few bass before it got to ugly.

The next thing I knew I could hear the birds chirping and see a shaft of sunlight sliding around the curtains.  Oh great, I did not get up.  It was already 6:45, when I should have been fishing.  Now at the Gulf that is not a deal breaker, but at the lake during the summer, it is.  By time I would get my stuff together and get there it would be almost 8, way to late to make the trip worth it.  Here I am, not fishing, thinking about what went wrong this morning.  So it got me to thinking about past screw ups.  If you fish a lot you know what I mean.  So since I am not hitting the water today, but will tomorrow for sure, I decided to try and recall some of my best screw ups.  So here we go, I warn you this is not going to be pretty.

1.     After cleaning a bunch of trout and reds at Froggie’s, I always take the cooler and set it by the ramp when I head to the truck to get the trailer.  So I put them by the ramp and head for the truck.  Why?  I can just see some hard nose Warden giving me a ticket for transporting cleaned fish in the boat while I am loading.  Guess that is the attorney in me.  So we loaded up, got back to town, went for the fish, and oh well.  I hope who ever found them sitting there enjoyed them.

2.     When I would come back from Florida after a fishing trip I usually stopped in Jasper Alabama at a motel to break up the trip.  On one particular trip I got up the next morning after a long week and hit the road.  An hour later I remembered the 12 rods I left behind the door in the room.  Nothing like adding an extra 3 hours to a 12 hour drive.  At least they were there.

3.     Many years ago I bought a new spinning rod and reel at Bass Pro.  Back then it was almost a $100, which was a lot of money.  I went to the lake and started fishing under a bridge for bass with a baitcaster.  I made a big cast, hooked that new rig with the rod I was using, and tossed that new spinning rod right in the lake.  I never even made one cast with it.  At least it was in 40 feet of water so it saved me the trouble of trying to fish it out.

4.     One New Years Day in Arkansas I decided to fish.  It was cold and ugly, but with no one else around I would have the lake to myself.  I backed the boat down the ramp and put on the brakes, and the strap broke.  The wind was at my back and the boat was heading out to sea.  So with a water temp of 34 degrees, and an air temp even less, I had no choice but to jump in and catch it.  Nothing like a completely soggy snow suit in freezing weather a hour from the house.  Real smooth move.

5.     Speaking of ramps, one morning I was taking the boat out of the stall to put it on the trailer to fish a tournament on another lake.  I loaded up, put the hook on the nose and pulled out.  To bad I did not engage the winch, and as I pulled forward the boat slid of the trailer and hit the ramp.  Thank goodness it was a corrugated ramp, the skeg caught in a grove, and the boat did not come all the way off.  So now it’s butt is on the ramp with it’s nose in the air.  Luckily I was able to winch it down and then back on the trailer it went.  Even better no one was around to see it!

6.     This one is generic and if I remembered every incident you would be sick of this.  I have lost coats, hats, rods (we had one blow out of a friends boat 2 weeks ago), tackle, cooler lids (just last week), and maybe even a small child or two over the years when they blew out of the boat.  I can not even imagine how much stuff I have lost, but I wish I had it in a pile right now.

7.      On my first trip to Texas, my wife and I headed to Port Aransas.  We had the boat on the back and were loaded for a fun 4 days while I had a break in law school.  We stopped at the first rest stop in Oklahoma and got something out of the back of the 4 Runner.  As we pulled back on to I40 I luckily saw the clothes bag with the good clothes blow off the front of the boat where we set it.  I turned around in one of those emergency vehicle only lanes, it was an emergency wasn’t it, and got back to it just in time to see it get run over by a semi.  If you think about it, that was awesome.

8.     I had a friend visiting and he needed to get a fishing license so we stopped at Wal-Mart.  While he was inside I decided to change a couple of crankbaits on some rods.  He came out and we hit the road.  When we got to the lake I could not find the box, then I realized I had left it on the deck.  So of course it was gone.  Unfortunately as those of you who use crankbaits know, they are not cheap, and there was probably 30 in it.  That one hurt.

9.     Not that long ago my friend and I went to Coleto for a little catfishing.  We did ok and so stopped at the cleaning station to filet them.  When I got home the lid off my livewell was not there.  Now I already lost one before from not putting it down on the well so it stayed, so I was not surprised because I remembered not putting it back on properly.  This one actually has a happy ending.  3 trips later I decided to watch the ditch on the way home, and there it was.  That thing had been sitting on HWY 59 over a week.  That is not the way it usually works out.

10.     This one was not my fault, but I do have to include it.  We were headed to Florida and outside of Tallahassee when I saw the trailer tire blow in the rear view mirror.  So figuring a simple flat I got out to change the tire and discovered the FRAME broke.  Literally the frame on a galvanized trailer snapped in half, and not at a weld.  It also shredded the fender.  Luckily it was between the shackles.  A nice Deputy stopped and helped me tear off the rest of the fender and change the tire so we could at least get off the Interstate.  I took it slow to the next exit and pulled off at a small town and went to a phone booth (remember when they had those?) to look up a welder.  Just then a guy pulled up and said looks like you have trailer trouble, and I showed him.  He pointed the way to a welder less than a mile away.  We headed over there and the guy stopped what he was doing, shored up the frame and welded it, all for $40.  I will always be thankful to those guys.

This is starting to get scary – I should be dead I guess!

11.     That one was ugly, but this next one could have been fatal.  I always put a pin or lock in the trailer tongue when I attach it to the truck, but for some reason I didn’t.  I was coming down a big hill at 65 mph to a big bridge over the White River when it happened.  And by the way the bridge is about 200 feet over the water.  When we got on the bridge the trailer was doing that bouncing thing when all of a sudden the trailer hopped off the hitch.  Now folks I was hauling.  At least I had the safety chains on, and on that trailer when you rolled up the wheel on the trailer jack it stayed down so the hitch did not dig in.  All good, except there is a trailer chasing me down the highway at 65.  In a moment of insight I sped up and pulled that trailer until we got to an incline.  Slamming on the brakes would have been ugly.  I stopped, blocked the trailer, backed up, and hitched it up.  That little episode has me check EVERY time I hitch up.  Someone could have gotten hurt.

12.     While guiding one of my regular customers on the White River I pulled one of the great bone head moves I have ever done on the water.  There you drift with Jon boats sideways as you pull bait.  As we floated along there was a tree sticking out in the river.  As we got close I knew we were not going to hit it, but I decided to stab it a little with the paddle to be sure.  I stabbed at the stump and missed.  Head first into 45 degree water on a 45 degree day.  I literally followed that paddle head first right in to the river.  Real nice!

13.     I just bought a  brand new Ambassador reel and Extreme rod from Bass Pro.  Now I usually lay the rods on the floor of the boat with the tips on the deck.  On the way to the lake I stopped at the gas station a few blocks from the house.  I noticed that the rod was not in the boat and I just knew I did not forget it, but who knows.  So I back tracked and found it less than a block from the house hanging from a tree where it caught on an overhanging limb.  That reel never did work right.

14.     Our Bass Club had the owner of Champion Boats in it and he would give away a new Champ at the end of the year to whoever had the most weight total after a year of monthly tournaments.  It was February with only 2 to go and I was in the lead.  I had borrowed a friends boat to go to Bull Shoals as my trailer needed some work.  The problem was we had an ice storm that night and there was 3 inches of ice with an inch of snow on top to go along with 20 mph winds and 25 degrees.  After a harrowing 30 mile trip to the ramp we made it safe and sound.  Now I had a Jeep pickup with 4 wheel drive that would pull anything.  So as I started to back down the frozen ramp in 4 wheel drive I lost all traction and down we went.  It did not give me time to remember that at the bottom when you get to the water it was not frozen.  Of course I slammed on the brakes and when we hit the edge of the water the truck stopped, the winch rope broke, and the boat went in.  And then the 2 foot rollers coming in swamped the whole back end of the boat, and the steering froze solid with a coating of ice.  Would that stop my partner and me, of course not.  As the sun came up we idled out of the marina, after everyone else had left at 70 mph, and would go straight, and then stop and let the wind blow the nose in the direction we wanted to go.  It finally thawed as I freaked out not being able to haul ass knowing they were catching fish.  Clyde then finally put the hammer down so we could run the 20 miles to my fish, and the shifter broke off in his hand.  Are kidding me?  I ended up catching 2 fish that day, and got to watch my friend Ronnie get the new boat at the banquet.

15.     Speaking of winter time bass tournament fishing, this one was not really my fault.  Again it was below freezing, but the lake had not frozen yet.  About noon we were fishing when my partner said where is that water coming from.  The floor of the boat was covered.  I turned on the bilge pump but it was not keeping up.  It finally dawned on me that the boat was on the trailer and there might have been some water in the bilge and it was probably frozen.  I think what happened was the plug thawed and just popped out.  Of course I had another so we put the boat on plane until there was no water on the deck.  Then I laid on the rear deck and reached over and at 50 mph and put the spare plug in.  Back then the boats were flat transoms and you could reach the hole.  Today’s boats that would be impossible.  Even thinking about that now scares the crap out of me.

16.     I was vertical jigging a brush pile for bass with a spoon in 25 foot of water when it hung up.  Now you can shake them off with some patience and a little skill, but not this time.  So I got straight over it and pulled straight up trying to break the line (mono).  It was winter and cold, I lost my grip, and that rod and reel went straight in the water like a shot.  I guess that mono stretched and it was just like an arrow.  To bad that was one of my guaranteed for life Ambassadors.

17.     The highland lakes of Arkansas have basically been cleared of all timber, and they are deep.  I lived on the lake and guided out of the marina where I did lots of tournament fishing. I knew that thing like the back of hand, I thought.  After a tournament weigh in at midnight we had about a 15 minute ride back to the dock where I lived.  As I motored along, Clyde asked if that was the bank or a shadow.  Well folks it was a long shallow sand point.  I realized it at the last second, pulled back on the throttle, and turned the wheel just in time.  My wake picked us up and flopped us on the bank.  Thank god we did not hit it running like a maniac. We were able to shove it back off without anyone seeing us, as we laughed our guts out.  Young and bulletproof!

18.     When I first started guiding in Arkansas the limit was 10 bass with no length limit.  I was guiding with Tad, the owner of  the lure company that I worked for, and we had 4 guys who worked at the Indianapolis 500.  During the morning we were catching a lot of small ones.  I would take them off and toss them back, I mean folks they were little.  We met for a shore lunch and Tad took me aside and said they were not happy I was throwing them back.  So all morning I was throwing their fish back totally clueless.  Thank god those days are over.  The bass fishing now is better than it has ever been thanks to intelligent management.

19.     We had lots of big stripers in our lake, many 20 lbs plus.  They were basically un-fished for almost 20 years, then they exploded.  I had read about how they could be caught on downriggers so when Tad went to the sports show in Dallas to sell baits I said if you see them buy me a couple.  The first time we used them we caught 4 between 10 and 20 lbs, awesome.  I knew it would work and immediately realized the guiding potential.  The next morning I took another guide friend to show him.  Now they were mounted with wing type nuts to the boat, to bad I did not check them to be sure they were tight enough.  Harold lowered the right one down, and it promptly fell off the boat and sunk in 60 foot of water.  Nothing like watching a $150 sink to the bottom.

20.     I read in the fishing magazines all about the great fishing in the Everglades so I just had to go.  So I drive all the way there without a clue.  There is a small dock where I stayed that I could tie the boat to so I did not have to load and unload every time.  In those days I had no clue about tides.  I fish the first day and when I get back I tie the right side of the boat to a finger.  Of course that night the tide goes way out and when I get to the dock at daylight ready to fish the boat is hanging from the dock.  At least there was some water, but you know how hard it is to untie a rope with a boat hanging off it?  The filet knife solved that but from then on I left a little slack.  But that was a small thing on a great trip.  If you like saltwater I highly recommend putting the Everglades on your bucket list.

21.     And last but not least, while this has nothing to do with fishing it was one of my smoothest moves ever.  I worked at the dock and on holiday weekends we were busy.  The dock was jammed and I went to fill up a boat and there were some really hot chicks in the boat.  So I filled their boat trying not to be to much of a gawker.  I put the cap back on, turned around, and promptly stepped off the dock and into the lake.  The only thing that got hurt was my pride.

So there you have it, the ugly truth.  I guess when you have spent thousands of days on the water over 40 years stuff is going to happen.   This is not all of it, but you get the point.  With old age, and the experiences above, come wisdom.  Now I am not saying that something may not happen tomorrow, but at least I have learned I am not bullet proof.  But those experiences have taught me lots, and each one was a lesson that I took something from.  I would ask one thing though, don’t tell anybody, I have a reputation to protect.  So if you have a thing or two you would like me to share, send them to me, folks love to read this stuff.  As always, thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 Fish Catching Travel

Taking your whipping like a man.

Practice

So here it is, the ugly truth.  I have fished the Nazareth Church tournament a couple of times before and the team has always managed to put a fish on the board and get a couple of bucks.  This time not so much.  We struggled, and when it was all said and done we were not even close.

We practiced Friday and when we went to check on our tailing redfish they were all over the bank tails up.  We put a couple in the boat, and I did catch a good one, so we left them hoping they would act the same the next morning.  We fished the rest of that area and not much happened.  This time of year lures are a much harder way to put some in the boat, and of course I know that, it just is they way I prefer to fish.  And in the past it has worked out.

After a while we left that area we headed to the area by the Coast Guard Station.  The only thing that happened there was we watched a flounder chase Chris’s bait all the way to the boat.  After striking out there we headed over to Green’s Bayou area to see what was up.

As a side note, as we crossed the bay from POC headed to Green’s the Spanish Mackerel were everywhere just tearing the bait up.  We stopped for a minute and caught one, then moved on.  There were so many that you could see them under the boat.  Additionally, when we got back to the weigh in on Saturday a young man at the table had caught a 30lb. Kingfish there that afternoon.  So if you want a little fun just head out to the bay and look for the birds, you will have a ball.

When we got to Green’s the water was falling, so we drifted just looking for some trout and I did put a nice keeper in the boat.

A nice trout, but you would have needed 5 of these to be competitive.

After messing around there we were on the way back to POC and stopped at one of the rigs in the bay and there were lots of trout there.  We caught on plastics and popping cork, though most were over 8 foot deep.  We checked a few other rigs without luck, and the practice day was over.

Tourney Day

According the rules you could start fishing at 5, so we were on the water at 5 and fished the lights in the intercoastal.  There were plenty of short trout and we put 10 or more in the boat, but none measured.  Chris had a good red on a topwater and when he took off he just pulled off.  A sign of things to come.  So at daylight we headed to Big Bayou and the tailing reds.

When we got there we saw a few, but nothing like the day before.  The plan was to throw Gulp on a light jig head to them, and it did work, sort of.  I then got in the act and lost a good one, so at this point we have lost 2 good reds.  To make a long story short, we ended up catching about 10 reds in there during the day, 6 or so on plastics, and 4 or 5 on spinnerbait, with none making the grade.  As an aside, I did put 2 keeper trout in the box, both on the Gulp.  Both came from throwing to tailing reds.  There are not to many days when I catch that many reds and do not have a couple of good ones, but it happened.

So off to Green’s Bayou area to fish the rig for trout.  Again as we were crossing the bay out in front of the Jetty area the Spanish were tearing it up.  Of course we stopped for a minute, caught one, and moved on.  They were coming up in pods all over.  I actually had 2 small Cobia follow my spinnerbait there.  There is a ton of fish there feeding on bait.  If it had not been a tournament day there would have been a killing.

We got to the rig and the trout were there but not as active.  I was able to put 3 more keepers in the boat on plastics.  As they had probably been fished before they were deep.  I used a 1/8 ounce jig head on a smaller paddle tail and let it sink almost to the bottom in 12 foot of water and then hopped it up and they would smack it.  After it slowed down we did a drift in that area under birds, and of course put a few Gafftops in the boat and this one.

A Bonnet Head shark.  The second shark I had on in a couple of days if you count the Blacktip that broke me off.

The water color near the shoreline in most areas was bad.  So we headed back to POC and on the way hit another rig and I put another keeper trout in the boat.  Once back at Big Bayou the tide was all the way out and we went to throwing spinnerbait and put 4 small reds in the boat.  It was just not our day.

So we headed back to the ramp at quitting time, and we get to the madness that is Froggie’s.  To top it all off there was another tournament there having a weigh in at the ramp.  It was crazy crowded there so were headed to a friends private ramp to take out.  It worked a lot better and we were out in 5 minutes.  And to the idiot who flipped Chris off when he was trying to get out of Froggie’s parking lot, and not trying to cut in line in front of you to take out, sad to know that there are dumb nuts like you who jump to conclusions.  So next time you are about to insert you head you know where you might take a minute to think it through.  No wonder there are hassles at the ramp with people like him.

We got to the weigh in and there were lots of fish.  We weighed in our biggest trout and donated the other 5 for the fish fry.  I saw some nice reds as usual, but also some great trout.  Clearly we were not in the same league.  Speaking to some of the guys it was clearly a croaker day.  As I have said in my posts lately, it is live bait time.  I also met Larry who is one of my readers, nice to meet you, and thanks for reading my stuff.  It is always nice when folks introduce themselves and I look forward to meeting any of you who say hi.

We hit the road instead of staying there to eat, and the shrimp at Bubba’s was great.  Good thing as Chris talked to someone later and apparently they ran out of fish at the fish fry before everyone got to eat.  He also heard that the game warden was called as someone might have brought in a redfish with a trimmed tail.  How that came out I do not know, but I know one thing, if you cheat at a church tournament you are going to hell.  How low can you go?

And in that vein, it is the reason 25 years ago I quit fishing any bass tournament that was a partner, and not a draw for boat partner, tournament.  Cheating happened frequently.  As the number of tournaments continues to grow on the coast expect that trend to continue.  In fact, last year there were people actually charged at the Texas Women’s Angler Tournament for potentially cheating.  Additionally, my last trip to Amistad we found a fish basket tied up to a bush way back in an isolated creek that was high and dry when the water fell.  The conclusion was obvious.  Catch some good ones and bag them up the day before.  Sad it continues to happen in the sport I love so much.

Chris asked me at supper if I ever question myself after a tournament if things go so poorly.  Of course I do, but since I fished my first tournament in 1975, when it happens like it did this weekend I am not surprised.  Now do not get me wrong, I was not happy, but been there done that.  As it was his first tournament it was a little harder to swallow.  Nothing like feeling like you have embarrassed yourself in front of the other fisherman.  You just have to remember, you were not the only one who did not put fish in the boat.  But as far as questioning myself, lets look at it.

Things I should have done, and not done.

1.     Stick to the plan.  If you know what works keep doing it.  When you are actually fishing tournament day it is not time to experiment.  You should already have a plan or you should not be out there.  It is the rare occasion when you find something spectacular tournament day and win.  That happens to other guys.   If you are varying from the plan it means you are already toast.

2.     Do not practice where you know they are.  Why waste your time?  All your searching should be done before hand.  Cover lots of water and try to narrow it down.

3.     Do what you do best and live with the results.  So combine the how and where, and then do what you do best.  It is not time to explore new techniques to catch fish.  I know it can be tough to stick with it when it is not working, but if you are good at what you do then stay with it.

4.     Fish live bait.  If that is not on your agenda, be sure you take it like a man when it is live bait time and you fish lures.   And in the middle of the summer doldrums, live bait is the ticket.  So if you want to fish a summer tourney on the bay, buy croakers.

5.     Spend your time with the bait in the water.  Running all over the bay is wasting fishing time.  If your fish are an hour apart, and you know you can catch them, fine.  But if you spend a couple of hours on plane out of a 10 hour tournament you have wasted 20% of your fishing time.  And I have never caught a  fish hauling ass across the water.

Now I am sure there are lots of other things I wish I had done differently or better, but those are the crux of it.  Tournament fishing is not regular fishing.  And as I have only done it very few times on the coast I still have a lot to learn.  I do know that I will probably keep trying a few, but since live bait will never be on my program, I have to be sure to set realistic goals and then live with the results.  But on the other hand, I enjoy the competition of both bass and bay tournaments and taking a butt whipping like we did this weekend will not stop me from fishing a few now and then.

So there you have it.  Not the best weekend I have spent on the water.  But I could have been sweating on some line making car parts or some other thing and wishing I was somewhere else. But I was on the water, and there is no place I would rather be.   Coleto for an evening trip is next, then off to Fayette for the day on Thursday.  So thanks for reading my stuff, I appreciate it.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

You remember the old Sonny and Cher song whose words went “the beat goes on”?  Well here on the Texas Coast the song goes “the heat goes on”.  It is hot.  And yesterday was no different than the last couple of weeks.  Oppressive heat as the day goes on, really low tides, and dirty water says it all, the fishing remains tough.

We pre-fished yesterday for the tournament this weekend, and while it went better than it has, it is still hard to figure out.  When the water at high tide does not even come near covering my 2 favorite oyster bars it is basically winter time low.  And of course when all these conditions are combined you get a slow bite.

Chris and I started on a shallow flat at daylight and when we got there the reds were tailing.  A few singles were here and there and we also saw 2 bunches with tails up, one of my favorite sights on the bay.  We made quick work of the flat and I put a good keeper in the boat, and then we left them.  Now I usually tell you right where they are, but in this case I would have to kill you.  Just kidding, but hopefully at daylight Saturday we will have it to ourselves, and just maybe put a couple of them in the boat.

I caught the first one on plastics pitching it to a couple of tailers.  I think Saturday I will rig a 3″ Gulp New Penny Shrimp on a light 1/16th jig head to pitch to tailers.  If you have tailing redfish there is no better bait than the Gulp for pitching.  Get it close and then just hop it a little and hold on.  No need to remind you not to throw it on them.  Nothing like having a bunch of reds tailing and feeding, making a terrible cast, and watching them go from feeding reds to fleeing reds.

A little while later I put this one in the boat on what else but the Redfish Magic.

I only need 3 of these Saturday. 

We alternated with different baits throughout the day and only put one more red in the boat.  While we were fishing we saw a lot of bait getting worked over so we went over to see what the deal was.  It turned out to be jacks and ladys.  It was cool as they were feeding on small ribbon fish about 6” long, first time I have seen them that small.  Now I really did not want to mess with the ladys, but definitely wanted the jacks.  Chris likes them for shark fishing, and last time we went to buy some bait for sharks they wanted $15 bucks for ones like we caught.  So we messed with them for awhile and put three in the boat.  Kinda made it feel like we just made $45.  They are now resting happily in the freezer with a less than stellar future.

Happy with the red potential we did some trout fishing.  A couple of things happened.  We  caught 6 or 7 small ones. We drifted the open bay around diving gulls when I got a good bite.  I took it easy as I could feel it was a good one and when he came up near the boat it was a blacktip shark.  He took one look at the boat, turned, and the line parted like nothing.  Hard to land a shark on 8lb. line.

We fished deeper channels as we continued to look for trout.  Chris ended up losing a real good one at the boat, I broke one off, lost a couple, and we both caught a couple in one deep spot.  Hopefully they won’t move.  We caught on both plastics and popping cork and there did not seem to be any particular bait that they preferred over another.  Nor was there a preferred color.  With the bite as tough as it is for me right now hopefully we will do a better job of getting them in the boat this weekend.

At least I am starting to find a couple of places with fish.  So the outlook for the weekend is a lot better than it was a week ago.  But clearly right now I need to do a better job of putting them in the boat when the time comes.

We ended up quitting early, not a bad thing as hot as it was, to go look at a potential duck lease Chris is considering.  The place has real potential, and who knows, maybe he might take a friend hunting a time or two.  And it sure would beat that 3 a.m. ride across the bay.

Read This Book

Before I sign off today I want to recommend a book to you.  I found it at the library, and if you are a lover of all things Texas coast it is a must read.  Set in Rockport, it has hurricanes, shrimpers, corrupt politicians, you know, all the things that make the Texas coast so awesome.  It has Ayers Bay, the barge canal, Port A, and many other places we know and love.  I promise you that if you love the water, the coast, and all the cast of characters that make this such a cool place, you will love this book.

Thin Slice of Life by Miles Arceneaux, 2012.

The Last Birthday Comment

And how about this for a birthday present?   I meant to show you this earlier, so here it is.  It is the best present I could have gotten for my 60th birthday from the best kid a guy could ever want.

Next time you need to buy a present for your fisherman or fishergal, get them something that will last forever.  Support CCA.

So now it is time to put on new line, buys a few baits (like I need them), and just generally get ready to hit it hard the next couple of days.  Tomorrow we will search out new places in hopes to expand on what we know.  I used to fish a lot of bass tournaments in my old life, and now fish only a couple of tournaments a year, but I still love the anticipation.  So win, lose, or draw it should be fun weekend.  It’s funny how it is always nice when you win a couple of bucks,  but the bigger victory is in catching them when the pressure is on.  The goal starts off with just not embarrassing yourself.  So wish me luck and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I am trying to find some fish for a tournament this weekend so I decided to hit the Powderhorn.  Of course the wind was blowing 20+, the tide was low, and the water was really off-colored.  But that did not stop me, those conditions have been plaguing this area for several weeks now and I still wanted to go fishing.   Combine that with 100+ heat index, and people flogging the snot out of them, you have conditions made for tough fishing.

How tough?  Capt. Chris Martin who owns Bay Flats Lodge, one of the top destinations with the best guides on the Texas Coast, posted a fishing report on 2Cool the other day, and it says it all.  In fact, it is similar to what I said above.  He actually called some of his customers with reservations and gave them the opportunity to reschedule their trip, which apparently many did.  Now you know it is tough when those boys are having a hard time.  But give him credit, he knows how to treat his customers.  Their reputation is well deserved and if you ever come to this area, and want a top notch place with good guides, they are the real deal.

So with hope in my heart I headed out to catch a few reds.  Then something happened to me that has never happened on the coast, ever.  And here it is.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Nothing, zero, zip, nada, no runs, no hits, no errors.  Not even one single bite in 7 hours.  The only thing close was I did have one big red track a KVD topwater, at daylight, but that was it.  I fished in the back, the front, with plastics, Redfish Magic, Waker, popping cork, the kitchen sink, and…..let’s see, there must have been something else, I guess by time I quit the sun had fried my head or the memory is to traumatizing.  On flats, sand, grass, the bank, the channel…..you get the point.  It flat-out sucked.

So never having that happen to me I was somewhat nonplussed.  (Notice the lack of profanity?)  Not a good portent of things to come for this weekend.  Of course that is not going to stop me.  When I called my friend Chris, my partner for the weekend, he quickly put it all in perspective.  His response, “I worked all day.”  It reminded me how lucky I am.  But it did stretch “The old a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.”  Folks it was close.  But you know what?  It irritated me enough that I will work all that much harder the next few days to find some fish.

So on to another subject.  My lovely wife and I decided to drive to Rockport for some supper Sunday.  Of course that means a trip to Tackle Town and I actually walked out of there with only one bag of plastics.  When you aren’t catching many fish baits sure do last a while.  Next it was off to the Orvis Store, which we had not been to before.  What a nice store.

They have top-notch products, and the gentleman there was really knowledgable.  I was interested in their fly fishing classes.  They have some quick free lessons on Saturday morning at the store.  Just contact the store Friday or Saturday to make sure they have the help.  They also offer an on the water class for $50 which is personally taught.  Since I have a fly rod, which I have not used yet, one of those classes is on my schedule at some point.

They also have a Friday program with starts about 6:15, happy hour at 5:30, with guides and others, on different topics.  They have it every Friday year round.  And the Rockport Fly Fishers also meet there.  So I will make one of the programs and let you know.  For further information, or if you are a fly nut, contact them.

Orvis  361-729-7926.      1723 Cherry St, Rockport, TX 78382

So that is it for now.  Thanks for reading my stuff and stay tuned.  I will be fishing 3 of the next 4 days, it could be something.  What that something is remains to be seen.

Good Luck and Tight Lines