Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Yesterday I posted about the island and the general stuff that makes it fun, and that you might want to know if you ever think about going there.  Today it is all about the fishing.  And what a place to fish, beautiful water, a great guide, and some of the most sought after fish on the planet.

When we arrived I brought the wind with me, and that turned out to have a big affect on the fishing.  We were set up to fish with Ken Coc of Chasin Tail Charters.  Ken is one of the best guides on the island and with Haywood they have won one of the biggest fly fishing tournament in Belize.

Ken normally fishes fly fishermen, stating it is about 90% of his business.  The rest is folks like us, who normally end up spinfishing with live bait.  Of course we added some topwater to the mix, which is something he is not all that familiar with.  When Ken would pick us up in the morning he would have crabs for the permit in the livewell and he would net some sardines on the way.  The crabs are for the permit, the sardines for the tarpon and all the rest.

 Ken at work.  Folks his ability to spot fish was just unreal.

How I could ever get everything I want to tell you in one post is tough.  We caught bonefish, tarpon, permit, and snook, not to mention the other assorted small stuff off the dock.  You can fish day and night if you want, and we did.  So to make it simpler lets talk about the bonefish first and work our way from there.

Bonefish

There are about 5 miles of flats on the island you can wade.  There are docks on a lot of it, and every once in while you would not stand a chance.  We caught them on 1/8th jigs and shrimp on a freeline.  Light spinning rods with 8 – 10 fluorocarbon was perfect.

                Shoedog fights a bonefish off the dock waiting for Ken.

And he lands him.

 I get another at night on free lined shrimp.

 Shoedog with another nice bone.  They really like that yellow jig.

 Clyde gets him close.

Clyde’s first bonefish.  This one filled out his grand slam – a tarpon, bonefish, snook, and permit.  It does not get any sweeter than that!

Folks this was not all the bones we caught, but it gives you a good idea.  We did not hire the guide for them, and caught them on our own.  The wind was so heavy on the front side of the island that it was to tough to see them.  I managed to catch 3 on the first morning on the outside because I knew where they hung out.  Lucky for us the backside by Sea Dream’s dock was fairly calm.  It was just matter of sighting them and making a good cast.  If you have never caught one put it on your list.

Jeff and Clyde fish day one with Ken.

They were more than ready when Ken picked them up in the morning.  The trips are a straight 8 to 4, with a short lunch.  As both of them had not caught any of these fish before they were up for what ever came their way.  When I met them at the dock when they got back I asked how it went and got an interesting answer.  They did not catch any of the big 4, and they had no one to blame but themselves.

One thing we all learned real quick, the fish are hard to see.  When combined with the high winds it was almost impossible for rookies like us.  And to compound matters, this is a precision casting technique.  Think of a pie and place the fish in the center of it.  Now make a cast, and it has to land in front of him, without spooking him, in about a quarter of the pie.  To long, to short, behind them, none of that will cut it.

They both wanted to catch a barracuda, and here is Shoedog’s on a topwater.

They both had shots at tarpon and permit, but did not get it done.  The cast has to be so right.  They understood when the day was over that it was their fault.  Shoedog even had a giant snook come out of the mangroves and boil a topwater 4 times without getting hooked.  As he has caught them with me before he knew it was the biggest one he had ever had a shot at.  When the guide puts you on them his part is done, it is up to you.  They did throw some topwater and caught some fish including barracuda and snapper.  Just a quick snapper comment.  It is amazing how many really nice snapper we caught.  They were shallow and we caught them on topwaters, which was awesome, and some on live bait.  And most of them were nice size.

So though they were disappointed in the their first day, they put the blame on themselves.  Ken gave them shots.  It is a real learning curve, both seeing the fish, and making a perfect cast.  The old saying close only counts in hand grenades is so true.

Clyde and I with Ken on day 2 of guided fishing.

I was all pumped up for my first day and Clyde and I would fish together today.  After Ken picked us up we stopped at a tarpon spot.  The wind was blowing right on it, but Ken spotted some right away.  Both Clyde and I made multiple casts trying to get it in front of them.  Clyde had one eat it, though he did not feel it, and when Ken yelled jerk, Clyde did, and came back without his leader.  How that tarpon broke it off I will never know.

Then I made what I thought was the perfect cast to 3 of them, led them just right, had a bite, and came back with a half a sardine.  A barracuda bit it off before the tarpon could get to it.  So we were 0 fer at the first spot.  And it was our fault.

Next it was on to a permit spot.  And it was game on.  It was a large point with grass and sand potholes and finally Ken spotted them.  Clyde finally made the perfect cast with his crab and was hooked up.  The battle was on and I immediately found out why they are so pursued.  A permit may be the hardest fighting fish alive.

The moment when every dollar, the preparation, and the travel are worth it!

Clyde kept saying you can not imagine the power of this fish.  He was using 10lb line on a spinning rod and it tore him up.  Now I have caught everything from minnows to marlin, but I had no idea how tough they were, but I would soon find out.

Ken got us back in position to make another run at them.  I finally saw a flash like a dinner plate and made a cast.  It landed about 5 foot to the right and Ken yelled reel it in and cast it on that grass point near a sandy pothole.  That was exactly where I saw that fish and I casted about 2 feet short.  Ken said don’t move it, he sees it, here he comes, and though I did not see all that, I saw my crab disappear.  I reeled him on, set the hook and it was game on.

 I am holding on for dear life.

Now I had this fish on a heavy casting rod with 20lb. Big Game line and a 40lb. fluorocarbon leader.  I assumed I could handle it fairly easy.  No way.  I have never battled a fish that size on that heavy of stuff and not beat him pretty easy.  There is no way I can describe their power.  Big forked tail and a large body let him make long blistering runs and then bulldog with his body.  He almost spooled me and then the unthinkable happened, he got me in a tree.

Fishing is a game of skill and luck.  But sometimes you just get up on the right side of the bed, and today I did.  He was smoking off line towards the bank which had a few trees on it when I felt that awful feeling, the line was dragging on something, and he was hung up.  Clyde spotted him in a tree right on the surface about 50 yards away, and he was hung up.  I immediately took the pressure off and we motored to him.  As we got closer I could feel him pulling line out again, but it was rubbing.  Ken put the boat on the tree and they both began to untangle it.  The whole time I could fell him running out.  That fish had managed to wrap 3 times around the tree branches, and thank God they were able to unwrap it, and he was free and running like a freight train.  The fight was back on and I got a gift I never should have gotten.

Here he comes.  My patience and their help led to this moment.

A dream realized!

I only had 2 goals for this trip.  First was to turn my best fishing buddies on to something they had never done before, and second, to catch a permit.  Having caught tarpon and bones before a permit was my only personal goal for this trip.  And it happened.  I will never forget how hard they fight, it is beyond description.  And to save it like we did will be a memory I will take with me to my grave.  It makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it.  So thanks Ken and Clyde, we did it together.  No one panicked, everyone did their part, and I had my dream fish.  The only problem is I am crossing fish off my bucket list faster than I can add a new one.  Tough life huh?

Now that was not all that happened on our day together.  And I have more to post not only about that day, but my second day with Ken when I fished with my brother Shoedog.  This trip was so wonderful, full of first times, big battles, and good friends.

So stop in tomorrow.  I am working on a couple of other videos for tomorrow, including Shoedog’s epic cobia battle on light line, so there is lots more to come.  Thanks for reading my stuff.  Just putting in down on paper gives me goose bumps and I am so happy I can share it with you.

Check out the link below.

Ocean Academy Fly Fishing Class  –  please watch this video, Haywood and Heidi, owners of Sea Dreams are doing great things on the island:          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ovPPv8tvRk

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

I am back, and what a really great time we had.  To be with your 2 best fishing buddies in one of the coolest places on the planet was a real joy.  As one’s life passes by there are some things we all want to do, and you just have to make it happen.  Of course it was about the fishing, but it is the overall experience that makes the memories.  Eating at Wish Willy’s, walking the streets, having a cold one at the Lazy Lizard, a permit kicking your butt, and just sitting by the ocean and letting it all sink in makes those memories.  So we will be back, in fact Shoedog wants to go back in July when there is a flat our guide Ken fishes that has hundreds of big tarpon cruising in shallow water.  Makes me want to pack and head out right now.

Just walking the island is a thing of beauty.  The sea and the fish are a way of life here.  Whether it is lobster, conch, fishing for the restaurants, or providing the services for us tourists, it is all about the water and the island life.

Making lobster traps for the June season.  A good time to go there with the big lobster fest.

How about a fresh coconut?

Fishing around one of the many docks.

Can you say the tropics?

How about this for your street?

Shoedog helps with a sunken boat.  I hate it when that happens.

There is so much to tell, I have several videos to make so it will take a couple of days of posting to get it all in so keep stopping by.  So lets cover the basics today.  Caye Caulker is a small island about 20 miles off the mainland out of Belize City.  With about 2,500 residents, no cars, and some of the more interesting people from all over the world, it is an experience.  Caye Caulker is a lessor know island that is not as well known as some of the other fishing islands in Belize.  But the price is right for those of us that want to do it ourselves.

You get there on a short 10 minute hop on Tropic Air from the airport.  That round trip runs about $160 and is worth every penny.  Not only are you fishing right after lunch, but the flight over the area is awesome, it just looks fishy.  You can also take the numerous ferry boats for like $20, and I am glad I did it once, it is a trip.

The view as you leave Belize International on Tropic Air.

There are dozens and dozens of small islands in the area, and they all look fishy.

By time you land from the 10 minute flight you are in a fishing frenzy.

We stayed where I stayed before, Sea Dreams Hotel.  Haywood and and his wife, transplants from Austin, own it and it is a great place with great help.  Anna runs the show and is a wonderful person and will bend over to help you do whatever you need to get down.  It is clean and in a perfect place for immediate access to some nice bonefishing a block from your room.  Your room comes with a breakfast every morning, and there is always a few cold beers and pop in the fridge.  If you ever think of going, they are the place.  And I want to say something else about staying on Caye Caulker at Sea Dreams and using Ken as your guide, the price is right.

When I initially decided to go to Belize I searched the Internet for all the options.  There is nothing wrong with those well known places, some which are all inclusive with fishing and food.  But I found out one important thing.  If you are willing to work a little harder you can save a lot of money.  I spent less than half of what those fancy fishing places cost, and guess what, my air fare was included.  It is just a matter of how you go about planning your trip.

Shoedog all dressed up with somewhere to go.

Haywood is the real deal as a fly fisherman, and the guide you will read more about, Ken, is a real pro.  The small fly shop, Anglers Abroad that is there has flies and a really small amount of other tackle, and Haywood will help you with whatever he can.  But a word to the wise, if you want to be sure you have it, take it.  And I mean hooks, line, sinkers, rods, reels, lures, flies and anything else you can think of.  There is no Academy or Wal Mart, or any place else to get stuff, and what there is is expensive.  Everything but the fun comes by boat and with the tax imposed by the government things are high.  And the selection is minimal.  But who cares, why let a little thing like that mess up a grand time.  So be prepared.

As I am getting all the preliminary stuff out of the road lets talk about guides.  Sea Dreams will set you up.  But remember there are very few guides on the island, and you must make reservations early and make a deposit.  Tell them you want Ken, he is the man.  I will put links at the end of this post so you can see the things I am talking about.

The dock at Sea Dreams.  Shoedog casts to cruising bonefish.

One of the things I like about the places it there are fish right there.  Bonefish cruise the area by the docks and can be caught on jigs and shrimp.  We also caught lots of small other stuff, unidentifiable but fun to catch. The bones are spooky there, but we caught them.  At night we caught tarpon, snappers, and assorted other things.  It was simply a matter of catching sardines on a Sabiki rig in the split and then free lining them either off the dock or at the split.

Clyde does battle with another fish off the dock.  You just never know what you will catch.  They were lots of fun and fought with a passion.

This trip the wind was blowing, I guess I brought it from Texas, and it was to tough to fish the split.  And while the wind blew on the front side of the island and you could not see the bonefish, I was till able to catch some.  For jigs it was simple, 1/8 hair jigs from Anglers Ammo.  You can order them off their website and in the mail they come.  Tan or yellow were by far the best, and we used 8 – 10 fluorocarbon line on long light spinning rods, just be sure you have well over 100 yards of line.  Those things haul ass!

Before I get to the matter of more serious fishing, I have several videos to make, lets finish the rest of the island.  Of course one of the main goals on the trip was to eat as much seafood as possible, and we did.  The most expensive meal we ate, including a couple of beers was about $60 for the three of us.  Almost everywhere you eat is good, but one place for me stands out, Wish Willy.

You can not leave the island without eating here.

Wish Willy is 2 blocks from Sea Dreams.  It is a bar and grill, a home, a hangout, and a few other things.  Maurice, who lived in the US for a while and is back on Caye Caulker, is a dread lock wearing , food cooking trip.  I have found that eating there is best done by letting him pick the meal, and you provide the fish.  How about a couple of snappers?

Mmm Mmm Good!  Snapper stew followed by grilled snapper.  Shoedog eats his cubera snapper.  Napkins?  You don’t need no stinkin napkins.

Jeff caught a couple of snappers we dropped them off, came back at 6:30 and feasted.  Now folks, when you eat there do not expect full service, matching plates and silverware, or any of the other stuff you expect in the US.  Relax, enjoy, and get tastes and flavors fit for a king.  A meal at Wish Willy is a must.  So pick a place and order something you have never had before.

The boys digesting more seafood.  Follow it up with a Cuban coffee and life is good.

So now I hope you have a feel for the place.  It is a walking, eating, drinking extravaganza.  Laid back, you have to get with the island speed and get your Belize on.  If you dive, swim, fish, sail, or anything else on the water, this is the place.

Now on to the reason for the season.  We went to catch tarpon, bonefish, permit, and maybe a snook.  For the best part we got it done.  So now I have to sit down and make some videos and sort through a hundred pictures, but I will get it done.  So keep stopping in as it may take 2 more days to get it done.  And a big thanks to Sea Dreams, Anna, Haywood and his family, and our guide Ken.  It was all it was supposed to be.

Thanks for reading my stuff.  So stop in and take a look at their websites, they will appreciate it.  Come back tomorrow as the serious fishing begins!

Ken is the man!      http://www.chasintail.bz/

Sea Dreams/Anglers Abroad            http://www.anglersabroad.com/accommodations.html

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

What a trip we are having.  Fishing with your best fishing buddies in a place as beautiful as this is as good as it gets.  I have lots of fish and stories to download, but I am just giving you the highlights.

Last night Clyde caught a tarpon, our first this trip.  We have jumped 4 or 5 and missed multiple shots so no complaint.

Clyde’s first ever tarpon.  Cool Battle.

We are drifting live sardines off a sand channel right on Sea Dream’s dock.  2 nights ago Clyde jumped 2 tarpon and had 2 other big fish all come off.  2 nights ago it was slow, but last night Jeff lost one on a topwater and then Clyde stuck this one.  He jumped a bunch and Clyde did great a great job bowing to the fish.  Then the tarpon let Clyde lead him all the way around the dock, and then he went nuts again, got under the dock and around a pole.  Clyde got him undone and had his tarpon.  He has now boated a tarpon, permit, and snook.  He needs to get a bone for his slam.  It may not have been in one day, but slam it is.

Yesterday when Jeff and I went with the guide the wind was blowing to beat the band.  It was tough and other than a couple of shots at tarpon we did not hook up on it was tough.  When Ken could not see any fish, you know it was tough.  We headed to a small creek mouth in an island and threw some topwater.  You can catch lots of different fish on top here.  Then  Jeff hollers look at the cobia on the back of the ray.  Ken went nuts, got a live sardine on the line, and I messed it up.  He was on and headed out but he pulled off when I set the hook.  Do not use the bass set on circles, it does not work.  It turned out to be the best thing that happened for Jeff.

Then Ken did what a great guide does, he watched that cobia as we baited up and headed after him.  Both Jeff and I tossed at him over a quarter mile from where I lost him.  Ken has some sharp eyes.  I went behind, bad redfishlaw, and Jeff went in front and long.  Ken said reel it in and when Jeff did that 20lb. plus cobia smoked it.  For the next hour Jeff fought that thing like a champ.  Ken finally got a shot at tailing it and he slipped away, then Jeff pulled him close . . . and the 10lb. line finally gave it up.  Stuff happens.

That was one big cobia on 10lb. line.

I actually got the fight and break off on tape and will be able to post it when I get home.  It was the kind of battle that you come here for.  Fishing here is not easy, but when it happens it is all worth it.

So after the big loss we headed back to the creek mouth and Jeff and his Skitterwalk got after it.  He has thrown that thing in multiple countries and for multiple things and it never really fails him, of course he throws the crap out of it.  So he tossed it past a mangrove point and like a rocket one comes and I mean annihilates it.

When a big caberra snapper like this one hits a topwater bait it is a thing of beauty.

Big teeth and the attitude to go with it, these things fight hard.  Jeff did a great job of keeping him out of the mangroves.  Right now he is on his way to Wish Willie’s and will be the guest of honor at supper.  Life here is good, so consequently I am signing off and headed out.  Where?  Don’t know, maybe a little bonefishing, some shopping, a cold one, who knows.  This place is awesome.

There is so much more to come with pics and videos and I can not wait to get home and do it right.  Keep stopping in, I will add some more soon.  But here is what it is all about.  3 old guys having a big time.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Getting It Done The Hard Way

I thought when I got on the plane that I was leaving Texas behind.  Well I left, but of course the wind came with me.  It has blown every day, and right now it is 5:45 a.m. and I am writing this so I can at least show you a few pictures.  I always intend to post some when I am gone, and of course it is easier said than done.  All that aside, I managed to cross one of my bucket list.

Over time I have crossed of the muskie, tarpon, bonefish, and yesterday I put a permit in the boat.  Clyde and I spent the day with Ken, our guide.  The first stop was for tarpon, and Clyde and I really managed to mess that one up.  With the wind it is really hard to see the fish.  And once Ken spots them you have an instant to toss the bait, and it better be right.

When Clyde and Jeff went with him the first day they had problems getting it just right.  The cast has to be dead accurate, and you have a second to get it right. Once these fish see you it is over.  So we both tossed the sardine everywhere but on the fish.  So after messing up a few tarpon we moved on.  We ended up on a big point with mixed bottom and Ken spotted some permit.  To do it right you have to toss it in front of them, tighten your line and wait for the bite.  Clyde got it right.

        One of the most beautiful fish in the world, and one of the toughest.

When you are making 50 -70 foot casts, in high wind, to one of the world’s premier game fish who is afraid of his own shadow it takes precise casting and bait and line management.  And when it all comes together it is a thing of beauty.  For about 30 minutes Clyde fought this thing.  Long searing runs, then bulldog determination as they turn sideways and put the heavy muscle to you.  And after a titanic struggle, we had one in the boat.  I have some video and will get it posted when I get back, but I am in a hurry to get going so the vids will have to wait.

Next I saw one turn sideways about 60 feet away and Ken said throw so I did.  I missed the area by about 10 feet with the cast so he told me to reel in fast.  I did allowed for  windage on that cast, dropping the crab about 3 foot from where I wanted it.  Then all of a sudden my crab disappeared, and it was on.  Folks, I have caught marlin, amberjacks, bull reds and a host of other big fish, but nothing compares to a permit.

                                                      A dream realized!

Fish fight, but these permit are beyond anything I have ever caught.  The wide body and sickle tail allow them to make long blistering runs, and then turn sideways and use that wide body to bulldog you.  This one almost spooled a casting reel with 200 yards of 20lb test.  He got in a mangrove tree in the water and we had to untangle the line and let him work out.  After all that he was still ready to go and I never would have thought that it would take over 20 minutes to land one on pretty heavy stuff, but they fight like no bodies business.

With the wind tough like it is I have still managed to put 5 bonefish on the rod.  They are so fun, and on light line and light spinning rods are load of fun.  Here is one Jeff caught off the dock waiting for the guide the first day.

                                Clyde holding one of Jeff’s first bones.

So here we are, heading to breakfast and then Jeff and I are meeting Ken for another day on the water.  It will take me a lot more time than this to tell you everything, and as soon as I get back I will get to the whole story.  And I have lots of other pics to share so I will keep it coming.  But right now it is time to get after it.  This will be my second day with Ken and I am as excited as  I was yesterday.  It ain’t easy, but it is awesome.  So keep stopping by and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

When the captain of Team Nancy said what did I want for Christmas last year the answer was easy, to return to Belize.  Specifically to return to Sea Dreams on Caye Caulker.  Once that decision was made it did not take much to get my brother, Shoedog and one of my oldest friends, Clyde to come along.  My last trip I put 6 or 7 bones and Tarpon in the boat, most of them less than a block away from the resort.  What a place, a quick walk and you are in them.

Jeff and I made it without a problem, Clyde on the other hand was delayed for almost 3 hours and missed his connection with us.  It turned out they were waiting for some soldiers, so he had no complaint.  He handled it well, made the next connection to Belize City and then the last puddle jumper of the day to the island.

The island is great.  No cars, most of what we want is within a 5 minute walk.  The people are great and the food is wonderful.  We caught some supper, and then headed out to catch some fish.  We used a Sabiki rig to catch sardines and our intention was to drift the pass, which is right down the street and where I whacked most of my tarpon last time.  We were freelining them, but the wind was just to tough.  Oh well, tonite we will get them.  Before we quit we headed to their dock, which has a big population of wary bones and a few tarpon that migrate by at night.  Jeff ended up catching our first bone, and broke off a heavy weight.  Clyde and I both missed a tarpon and with that we called it a night.

I spoke with the guys who fished with Ken that day, our guide, and they caught 4 permit and had lots of shots.  The caught one well over 20lbs, what a beautiful fish.  When added to the 11lb. bonefish he caught earlier in the week you have one successful trip.  So the boys were excited when we all got up.  After a great breakfast which they make every morning, they were off to the dock to meet Ken.  While they were standing there Jeff caught his second bonefish.   So they loaded up and off they went.  I am really hoping at least one of them does something spectacular, and am looking forward to the pictures.

Clyde, Jeff, and Captain Ken.  Filled with anticipation.

Since the guide only takes 2, we are alternating, so I headed for the flat a half a block away, and they were there.  We are throwing a small 1/8th jig with a flats head.  They are made by Angler’s Ammo, and they work like a charm.  Add some 8 or 10 fluorocarbon and you are in business.

Here comes my first bonefish of the trip.  They are really fun to catch.

As soon as I got in the water a school swam right by me.  It was really windy and hard to see so I led them about 20 feet where I thought they were going, and he jumped it.  They fight so good, and when a good one runs it is a trip.  I continued to throw the jig and then caught another blind casting to an area I got them last year.

There number 2 gets a quick release.

Before I gave it up for the morning I got one more.  They are not big, though we are seeing some real honkers.  But boy are they fun.  For a Texas boy catching a bone is just something we don’t get to do, and I am thankful for every bite I get, no matter what the size.  It is just part of the whole experience and I can not wait to catch a tarpon tonight.

And here comes number three for the morning.

After I downloaded these pictures I went back out for an hour, but the tide was smoking with the wind making it really hard.  And the conditions hurt me when I lost the 2 I had on.  One was a real hooter and I did everything. right to keep him away from docks and poles, but guess I just did not get the hook set, same with the other one  But not to worry, we have only just begun to fish.

So keep stopping in.  I intend to post at least daily, and sometimes twice depending on how the guide fishing and the night fishing is.  What a place, and what an island.  If you ever get a chance Sea Dreams on Caye Caulker is worth the trip.  And to my lovely wife, wish you were here.  You know these boys, somebody has to take care of them!  Till later today.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry there has not been a post this week.  We took a couple of days off and went out of town, and the only fishing was 3 hours before the last big front on Coleto.  Nothing came of that, though I caught 8, it was slow, the fish were small, and it just did not peak my interest enough to post.  In fact, sometimes I guess I just need to take a little break.  But then a couple of things happen that remind me why I keep posting.

Yesterday I went to Keller to catch a few reds and see if the trout fishing was as good as I had it in POC last week.  Well I am not sure if the fishing is as good there, but the trout catching left a little something to be desired.  But as usual, the reds came through.

The tide was low when I got there about 7:30, and the water was fairly clear.  Of course the wind was blowing out of the NE right down the bay from the back end out.  I started on the bank past the docks with a spinnerbait.  It was a good thing I took the skiff as it was really shallow.  The water was completely out of the grass on the bank I like to fish.  I let the wind push me down the bank and ended up catching 3 on the first pass.

Here is the first one.  I usually take a picture of the first one in case there is not another.

Of the first 4 the one above was the only one that would have made it if I was keeping fish.  I did notice one thing on that first pass, they were on little oyster patches.  It was a matter of throwing to black spots and reeling it by and holding on.  Today it was the Redfish Magic in the electric chicken.  After I got to the end of that bank I stopped at the oyster reef at the mouth of the back bay across from the ramp, and put one more in the boat and missed another one.

Then it was off to trout fish.  My favorite trout bank is in the big bay on the north/east bank on the pasture past the last house.  I started on the sand point and let the wind blow me down the bank, which was not a problem, cause it was blowing.  The only thing that made it bearable was it was coming over the bank and the trolling motor kept me in position.  Though you had to fight  the wind, I ended up drifting that bank almost all the way to the very back end.

I threw plastics, topwater, and popping cork.  Topwater produced nothing, it was a little to windy with a cold edge to the morning.  Popping cork for some reason did squat, which surprised me.  The 5 trout I did catch all came on paddle tails, a couple on a grey with silver flake, and the others on electric chicken.  About 3 foot of water was the best, but when you only catch 5 it is hard to know if that was the depth.  One thing that was funny is I only missed one.  Why I had no more bites drifting that long bank I do not know.  I did catch one out of a slick, and one out of an area the gulls were diving, but that was the size of it.

Not a bad one, and of the 5 I put in the boat 4 were like this.  I really like how healthy they look this year.

Now I could have stayed on that bank and kept drifting down it and probably filled a limit, but it was just to slow for me, ADD you know.  About this time the tide started to move a little, and while it was no real monster by any means, the water did start to come up a little.  With that it was time to head back in the back bay and throw some more spinnerbait.  I figured they would be moving up with the tide.

I started on the grassy bank past the docks and let the wind blow me down the bank.  It was interesting how the water finally made the edge of the grass, but the fish did not.  They were still on the small isolated oyster patches off the bank.  That bank has small shell patches scattered on it, and most of the bites I had came off it.  On the next pass I ended up catching 7 more redfish to finish off the day.  As the tide did not amount to much, you had to keep the bait moving.  I was often in about a foot of water and could not reach the bank.  The nice thing about that is you could see some of them smoke it.

The best one of the day.

A nice representative of the size for the day.

I finished out the day catching 5 trout and 11 redfish.  It was one of those days where I could have waited until the tide was moving to go fishing.  Then the reds would have been biting when I got there, and I think I could have had some better luck on the trout later in the evening.  It cleared off and started to get warm about the time I quit.  But all in all a good day.

Now as to why when I get a little tired of keeping this thing up, something will happen that re-invigorates me.  As I slid down the bank in the back bay I met a nice gentleman who was netting mullet.  He has been catching some really big redfish back in the bay on the mullet, and with the clouds of mullet I am not surprised,  We had a nice chat and then he asked me if I was that guy.  I confessed and then he said a nice thing to me, keep the stories coming.  When something like that happens I am so appreciative.   And kind Sir, just so you know, I put 7 more redfish in the boat right after I spoke with you.

Also this week I got a really kind note from one of my readers.  He and his wife are new to the POC area as weekend residents.   He thanked me for the posts and turning him on to some potentially new areas.  There is nothing nicer than compliments on my writing.  I do it because I love to fish, and I want to share not only the stories, but also some real information.  Hopefully some of that real practical information might help someone put another fish in the boat.  So thanks to both these folks,  I am humbled.

So now it is time  –  Belize is right around the corner.  The spare bedroom floor is covered in rods, reels, and tackle.  The fishing clothes are laid out, and tomorrow the final pack job takes place.  I am excited and apprehensive.  I have had a couple of Belize dreams in the last week, and the thought of putting a couple of tarpon in the boat is really starting to get me excited.  And taking my brother and best friend, neither who have been on a trip like this, is making me a little apprehensive.  I so want them to both catch a tarpon and a bonefish, and who knows, we may even knock off a permit.  This has been a long wait for my Christmas present, but  what a present it is.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  It looks like I will top the 46,000 visits I had last year by the end of June this year.  Not bad for a blog that started of with 60 some visitors the first month we were here.  So keep on stopping in, and I will just have to keep fishing.  Sounds like a plan.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

If you read yesterday’s post you know I was excited about going today.  A nice warm day, high tide, little wind, and the day did not disappoint.  I have read some really good reports on nice size trout lately, and I was looking forward to getting down to POC.  All I have to say about today, is I hope this is a sign of things to come.

I had big plans to fish Big Bayou first and then head over to the Pringle area, but that did not happen.  The fishing was so good I never left the bayou all day.  I caught lots of reds, and some good ones, and some really nice trout.  I started on a deep bank near the last island and was throwing a MirrOLure paddle tail in the electric chicken on  1/8th ounce Strike King jig head.  I missed one that felt really heavy, and then this happened.

This picture does not do her justice.  She was over 29″ and heavy as a son of a gun!

Here is the only other picture I took, I wanted to get her back ASAP.  It is tough to get a big girl in the picture when you are by yourself.

I never felt her hit, in fact almost all the good trout I caught today were just there when I lifted up, you only had an instant to set the hook.  I took 2 quick pictures then let her rest until she got her wind back and swam out of my hand.  I love watching a big fish swim away no worse for the wear after some CPR.  I continued to work  all the deeper banks in the bayou and they were here or there.  But when you caught one, you usually caught another.  I also managed to catch some on the shallow side, it seemed the trout were up and biting.  And while this was the biggest, there were several good fish coming before I quit at 4.

     It caught about 10 like this today and it was really nice to release them.

I hit Mitchell’s Cut and they are in there also.  In fact, the hottest place I found was near the point going into the cut.  Most of the fish came from 3 – 6 feet deep using a Texas Two Step double hop and drop.  It seemed they wanted it hopped off the bottom, so on those deeper banks you had to be sure to let it fall down the drop.  I did notice that the smaller ones whacked it, but the good ones like the one above were just there.  Unfortunately I managed to mess up another pretty big fish.  I am not sure why she came off, but she was in the same class as the big one.  It was nice to catch a bunch of trout and it looks like it may be one of those years, only time will tell.

Here are the unlucky four that made the plate tonite, and boy were they good!  That is my 19″ board, look how fat they were.

Once I caught a bunch of trout it was time for some spinnerbaiting.  I am still throwing the Strike King Redfish Magic in the croaker.  I am convinced that the blue tail on the grub which mimics the lit up tail of a redfish turns them on.  Since I started throwing that color the last month they have just tore it up.  And today was no different.

It was simply a matter of fishing grass lines and shell banks.  Then a steady crank and hold on.  I put at least 6 in the boat and would have had a nice limit if I was keeping them.

They were smacking that thing!

I did have one break my line today.  It was a riot.  I reeled it out from under a dock and he knocked the crap out of it.  I set the hook, and the reel fell off the rod.  He came at me, the reel hit the deck, and I grabbed it trying to get it back on the rod.  While this was going on the breeze blew me into the dock, and when I finally got things together he was under the dock, out the other side, and I promptly broke him off.  Nice to be having the kind of day where something like that is nothing but a thing, and I was out there laughing my butt off.  As my old friend Tad would say, “With your superior skill you managed to screw it up.”

I did catch one small flounder today.  I was hoping to catch a keeper to round out a nice slam, but there is no sense looking a gift horse in the mouth.  The only thing that I wish was that I fished a few other areas, it would be nice to know if they were that active all over.  But no matter what the reports of some really good  strings of trout are true.  After not really catching to many the last couple of months, this was a welcome change.

I did throw a topwater some without any bites, and when I tried a couple of other colors in the plastics they were not having it.  It could be me, when you have confidence in something it is funny how you catch fish on it.

So what a day.  I am tired, hot, and a little sunburned, but I just may have to get up tomorrow and give it another go.  When the getting is good it is time to get them.  If I do I will hit somewhere else and see if the bite is the same there.  But either way it was deep banks or shell banks.  And if you could combine both, there were good fish on them.  This was the best day I have had in a while.  When you can put a limit of trout and reds in the boat and still quit at 4 the fishing is good.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  The countdown to Belize has begun.  I even dreamed about it last night.  I am not to excited.  So keep stopping in and I will try to keep the reports coming.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry there has not been a post for a couple of days, but my lovely wife just finished a long stretch of work and was in some serious need of some R & R.  So we went to the art festival in Corpus for a couple of days.  We had some fun and frolic but it is back to work for her and for me.  If you can call what I do work.

The weather report is the kind I dream about for fishing the Gulf.  It is going to really warm up tomorrow, there is supposed to be little wind, and the tide will be high first thing and then start falling.  Sets up a set of perfect conditions for catching some trout early and then the redfish when it falls out of the drains and grass.  So it will be up early and gone tomorrow for a long day at POC.  I hope to get a shot or two at reds on the fly rod tomorrow, only time will tell.  But with a couple of days of stable weather I intend to get after it.

Coleto Creek  5/2/13.

I did get a chance to get out last week the day the big front blew through.  It was supposed to hit about noon, and it came at 11.  The wind picked up to gale force and it started to rain, and the day was over.  I really thought they were going to bite, but it was slower than I would have guessed.  I did manage to put about 10 in boat, but it was slow.

This is the only one worth a hoot Thursday morning.

The one above was the best of the lot.  All my bites came on the main lake or a point.  The coves are beginning to play out as the spawn ends.  Over the next month the bigger fish will be resting offshore and slower baits like worms and football jigs will start to be the bait of choice.  Of course if we get a couple of days of stable weather with clouds, you can still catch them on buzzbaits and topwater.

It has been a good spring on Coleto, and while I did not catch as many big fish as I did last year, the numbers were good.  The swim jig produced steady catches and should remain a good choice for the rest of this month.  But with summer on the way it is time to fish the Gulf, and I am so ready.

Arkansas

Arkansas’s good fishing is right now.  My friend Clyde has been sending me a few pictures now and then and I wanted to share a couple of them with you.  The Ozarks lakes, Bull Shoals and Norfork both have a good population of big white crappie, and when they are biting in that clear deep water it is a thing of beauty.

Now those are some nice Arkansas Crappies.

And sometime in the 60’s I believe Arkansas started stocking walleye in those lakes.  Over the time I was there, the late 70’s through the 90’s we caught them here or there fishing for other stuff.  No one really targeted those fish, but they were there.  In the early 2000’s there was an explosion of fish, and a professional walleye tournament was won with a better than 5 pound average.  Since then fishermen have targeted them with a good bit of success and it is a viable consistent fishery.

A great Arkansas walleye.

One thing about the highland lakes of the Ozarks, there is a variety of fishing.  Solid largemouth and smallmouth, good crappie, some serious striper fishing, rainbow and brown trout fishing on the White River, floating the Buffalo River for smallmouth, it is all there and more.  If you ever wanted to take a fishing vacation, the Ozarks is a fine choice.  There are still small nice resorts on the lakes and rivers with docks and there are plenty of good ramps.  While I love the salt, if I had to go back to just freshwater fishing it would be back to Arkansas in a minute.

I have been slowly getting things laid out for Belize.  I am sure I will be packed a week before, but it is hard to not get excited.  And having my brother and Clyde along for their first real out of the country fishing trip will be a blast.  But until then, Gulf here I come.  So thanks for reading my stuff and stop by soon for a couple of new reports.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Making chicken salad out of ……. you know.

My friend Aaron, who is working in the Houston area right now, has wanted to fish Lake Texana for a while, so we made a date for this morning and met at the Mustang Wilderness ramp at daylight.  If you read about my last and only Lake Texana fishing trip you know I struck out.  If I had not caught a big blue cat on my second cast, I wouldn’t have even had a bite.

So with that thought in my head we started out throwing jigs around wood and hyacinth, with absolutely no luck.  I mean nada.  The day was turning out beautiful and Aaron finally could not take it.  He said he hated to waste the day, so at 9:30 we decided to take out and hit the Gulf.  We both brought some saltwater stuff, maybe that was a sign, who knows.  So we came up with a plan, let’s fish Palacios.

Now other than a short drive through there one day, the only thing I knew about Palacios was where it was, sorta of.  I really can’t even say I had a clue where to fish, or even where a ramp was, and since Aaron knew even less it was a wonderful plan.  We drove into town and there was a public boat ramp on the bay, so in the water we went.

When we left Texana the wind was not blowing, but of course it was blowing pretty cood right on the ramp from across the bay.  And with the skiff, and not the bay boat, we knew we would get a little wet, and we did.  So we headed straight across the bay to what I now know is Coon Island, which was out of the wind and we started on Oliver Point.  We ended up fishing the whole side all the way back to Pilkington Bayou.  And the fishing turned out to be pretty good.

My first Texas Pompano.

I started with a Hackberry Hustler, and Aaron threw a topwater and plastic some, as we headed down the bank.  I missed a light tap, and then a few casts later I felt one, set the hook and foul hooked a pompano.  Other than one jumping in the boat a couple of years ago that is the extent of my pompano experience.  But I heard they were good to eat, and they are.

We kept heading down the bank and hit a area of rip rap, and of course the Redfish Magic caught the first red.  Before we quit at 3:30 we easily put 12 – 14 in the boat.  They all came on the spinnerbait.

Aaron with the first of many reds he caught today.

I continued throw plastics and Aaron alternated with a topwater, but spinnerbait was the ticket.  We simply stayed a long cast off the bank and used the trolling motor to go down the bank.  We caught one here and there until we headed up the little creek in the back of Coon Island Bay.  The important thing was the tide was up and getting higher, and the reds were definitely moving.  Aaron had never really fished spinnerbait for reds in the middle of the day successfully but it really does not have anything to do with the time, it is simply a matter of the tides.  When the water is up and moving, and there is grass and shell, you have the perfect combination, and that whole shoreline has stretches of it.

Once we were in that small creek we probably put 6 or so in the boat, some were big, some small.  He caught a 15 spotter among others, and whether big or small, they were trying to jerk the rod out of our hands, it was an awesome bite.  As we kept heading down the bank on the main  bay, we would catch them off small oyster patches you could see by the bank.  There are also a couple of docks on that bank, and we caught a couple of fish off each one.

Another red on the Redfish Magic.  Take a look how far up the drain we were, about as far as that spinnerbait is down that reds throat.

As we got further down towards Pilkington there are some reefs in about 3 foot of water which had a few trout on them.  And while I caught 3 or 4 on plastics, they were all small.  But we put in a half hearted effort on the trout as the reds were biting to good.  One of the reefs had a popping cork on it, Aaron casted over it and it had a nice trout on it. In fact the only good trout other than that one of the day came off one of the docks on a Redfish Magic.  It was just one of those interesting trips.

The best of the few trout we managed.  Throwing the craoker color Redfish Magic had been the ticket the last couple of trips.

By about 3:00 we had worked that whole shoreline till we got to Pilkington Bayou.  The tide had quit running, and we never caught a redfish in there.  We did catch a couple close to the Bayou, but none inside it.  We took a little ride way back in the creek to just have a look, and then called it a day.

The last good red I caught.  We caught 4  or 5 this size.

So what started off as a bad bass fishing day turned into a really good day on the Gulf.  We joked all day that we were lost, or at least had no clue about the area, and managed to have a pretty good day.  Sometimes it is time to make a move, and we are lucky enough in south Texas to have somewhere else to go.  And one thing about the Gulf, there always seems to be a way to catch fish, you just have to figure it out.

We are looking forward to making a return trip, and a little map study sure won’t hurt things.  The view from the I phone is just not the same as having a good map and doing a little preparation before you go.  But sometimes it is just nice to go somewhere new and just play it by ear.  This time it worked.

The weather is supposed to go in the dumpster tomorrow.  What an interesting spring, it seems we have had a lot of cold fronts, and if it does make it down to the high 40’s tomorrow it will be a little something new for this guy.  I thought it was supposed to be hotter than the devil here in May.  But guess what?  No matter what I will be heading to the lake for a quick trip in the morning.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Though I have a new post for the lake I will get to that when I tell you about today.  Since I had not been to the Gulf lately due to the wind, it looked promising, so I headed to the Powderhorn for some spinnerbait fishing.  The plan was to find them shallow back in the little back lake on the south side of the Powderhorn.  According to a guy I talked to on the water, it is called the Mailbox.

The wind was forecast at 10 – 15 out of the ESE but it seemed to be straight out of the east and was blowing at least that hard right down the Powderhorn.  When I got to the back lake it was pretty off colored, which I should have figured out with the rain we had last night.  So down went the trolling motor and as soon as I entered the lake, the bank on the left had a little pocket that was dead calm, and there were mullet everywhere.  I promptly caught this one .  As I have often said, the way a redfish hits a Redfish Magic is a thing of beauty.

This guy was a couple of inches over.

I was throwing the Redfish Magic in the croaker color.  The tail looks like a lit up redfish tail, and it was simply a matter of throwing to the grass and cranking it out.  One more small one came over the side there, then I just kept working the whole pocket.  I caught another small one in the back end, and another small one by the duck blind.  Before I headed out I re-fished where I caught the first couple, and this one jumped on.

This one knocked the snot out of it.  Notice the blue tail on that Redfish Magic, looks just like the tail of lit up redfish.

I then fished the bank on the south side of the Powderhorn from the shallow lakes on the left heading all the way back to the back lake .  I missed a couple which felt like flounder.  After having plenty of bites it is easy to tell when it is a flounder.  They grab it, but as you know they have a tendency to pull off.  If you get one on the spinnerbait just keep a nice steady retrieve and they just might stay on.  But I was sure they were flounder bites, and it turned out they were.  Nothing like fresh fried flounder.  To bad I know absolutely nothing about catching flounder.  I do know when the tide is high, and until it really begins to drop, the flounder love those grass edges with a little deeper water close.

16″ of delicious, and he was the guest of honor at supper right before I wrote this.

By now the wind had a head of steam and it was pretty choppy.  I stopped at a stake on that bank that marks an oyster bar and caught a 14″ trout off the end of it.  It was on a 1/8th ounce jig head with a electric chicken colored paddle tail.  That was the last trout I would see, in fact I am not sure I had another bite from a trout.  Later I did one drift, but the wind was just blowing that skiff  to quickly, and by then I had absolutely no confidence as far as the trout went.

I finished up the day catching another red which was exactly 20″, good thing that flounder was on ice or that red would have been toast, or maybe on toast.  So for the afternoon I caught 6 reds, 1 trout and 1 flounder.  It could have been a lot better, but I was happy with the reds, and it could have always been worse.  The tide was high and it just did not seem the water was moving.  The bites were just one here and one there.  But no matter what, there are always reds to be caught in the Powderhorn.  Today I could not fish the north side leading to the pocket before the bridge.  That is one of my favorite redfish banks in the Powderhorn.  But whether it is the Powderhorn, POC, Keller Bay, or any other bay on the coast, find some grass near the bank and a little deep water, and you can find the reds.  Today I was hoping the water would start falling out of the grass, but the it just did not happen.

I met a guy at the ramp told me a friend of his had 18 trout yesterday, but only 2 this morning.  Of course with the wind the way it was, fishing the open lake was not practical, and I saw few people fishing.  I did talk with a guy on the water who had been there 3 or 4 days and had only boated one 19″ red and no trout.  As usual it is just a matter of who you talk to.

Coleto   4/26/13.

Friday I had to do a little bunk work on the trailer, and since I did not want to trailer to far until it got done, I headed to Coleto.  I started in the first big cove in the Coleto arm, and with it fairly calm and cloudy, I decided to start with the buzzbait.  On my second cast this girl whacked it.

Not a bad start.

As I knew it was not going to be a long day, I decided to stay with the buzzbait.  And like we talked about last time, I tried to make the fish do what I wanted, which was to catch a big fish.  So I buzzed my butt off for 5 hours, and though I caught a bunch, none topped the one above.  But I did get the bite I was looking for, unfortunately she missed it by a mile.

The fish seemed to be a little more bunched up, if you caught one, you caught a couple.  The best bank was a lilly pad field up the lake.  As I neared the point a really great fish rolled on the buzzbait right next to the boat.  That was the bite I was looking for and though she just did not hook up, it was an awesome sight.

So even though I did not land the big one, it was not a bad way to spend the morning.  I did want to shoot a little video, so I decided as soon as I caught several in a row that I would put the camera on.  I stopped at a main lake flat with some shallow pockets above the bridge in the Coleto arm, and immediately caught 5 in short order.  So on went the camera, and for the next hour of the battery life I put exactly none on film.  In fact I only had one bite in that hour.  So that ended my short trip to Coleto.  While catching those bass the last few weeks has been fun, it was great to get back to the salt, and I intend to keep it up.

Random Thoughts

When I got to the ramp at Coleto I met Rusty, who I have communicated a little in the past on the blog.  He has been fishing Coleto some, but his home lake is Fayette.  He reported pretty good catches on the swim jig, including 16 the day before we chatted.  It was nice to hear his kind comments on the blog, puts a real face to those numbers.  So if you see me out there give me a shout out.

I also heard from Don who said reading my stuff, and then attending a seminar where the pro talked about the swim jig, got him to try them.  He gets around to several lakes and is catching fish on it, some of them pretty good fish.  And while he likes the Rage Craw, he has had good luck on the Yum Wooly Bullie.  I looked it up and it looks like a lot of the beaver style baits.  Not only would it be good on a swim jig, but also looks like a good pitching and flipping bait.  Being a sucker for tackle, next time I come across one at the store I will grab a bag and let you all know how it works.

Tomorrow I am headed to Texana in spite of my best interest.  My only trip there resulted in a catfish, and not another bite.  I can not remember the last time I went bass fishing and did not catch even one fish.  But Aaron is determined to show me how it is done, and hopefully he will.

It was nice to catch some reds yesterday.  Things have conspired to keep me at the lake a little more than normal, but feeling the thump of a good red on that spinnerbait reminded me why I love them so much.  And it can not be long before it warms and stays that way, which will surely get those trout in full swing.  For the love of god, this is South Texas, almost May 1, and it looks like we will have temps in the 40’s Thursday night.  Hopefully these next couple of fronts will bring more rain, we need it.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  After  Texana tomorrow, it will be POC before the end of the week.  I have a hankering for some fresh trout, who knows, I might even do a little wading.  But no matter what I will be on the water because someone once said that time on the water is not subtracted from your life.  If that is the case I might live to be 200 years old.

Good Luck and Tight Lines