Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

One of the nice things about not only being able to pick my spot, Gulf or freshwater, is the ability to check the weather and add that to the equation.  Sunday night the weatherman predicted a north wind at up to 25mph, and he was right.  So off to Coleto for a little bass fishing.  Not being a guide, or fishing for food on the table, I have started a new rule  –  if the number 25 or higher is anywhere in the forecast, I am not fighting the Gulf.  There are lots of days to come, like others this week, and so off to the lake I went.

It was 41 degrees when I got to the ramp, and the wind was a steady 25 out of the north, and it was cold.  So after Friday I decided to go ahead and start with the same crankbait I used Friday.  Over the next couple of hours I caught a limit along with a few more.  While none were big, most of the ones I caught knocked the snot out of it, it wasn’t one of those bites you could not tell, they whacked it.

You can still catch a limit on that crawdad colored crankbait.

I am still finding them on shallow banks with grass.  The nice thing about a cranbait that only runs to 4 feet is you can run it right over that shallow grass and when it gets deep enough it is right on the edge.  A medium retrieve is still the best, but I wanted to see if I could catch a few bigger ones. So I threw the jerkbait some, while I caught 5 or 6 on it, it was not an improvement over the crankbait.

The wind was still blowing, so I decided to throw the Strike King Swim Jig, unfortunately I only caught a few small ones.  They seemed to nip at the tail of the Rage Craw, but I still managed to catch several.  The one below just ate it, and as soon as it warms just a hair they should be back on it with a vengeance.

He was little, but I love the way they eat that Strike King Swim Jig.

As a side note I met Eric at the lake.  He has read a few of my columns so he thought he recognized me, and we chatted on the water.  He had a pretty good morning considering the weather, catching a few a little bigger than I did on a rattle trap.  The Rattletrap, or Strike King Red Eye Shad which as you know I have thrown some in the last couple of weeks, is a good choice right now, if you can get it through the grass.  Eric is a man after my own fishing heart.  He is from Houston and was on his way back from a 2 day tournament on Falcon, and just stopped to get in a few hours at Coleto on his way home.  How can you not love a guy who just can not keep on driving home when he has the boat on the back and there is a lake between him and the house.  Can you say fishing nut?

I ended up fishing until about 1:30 and never did boat a real good one.  But when you have a big front with high skies, it tends to be tough.  But the reason I quit early was my friend Jeffish was going to do a taping job on a Gulf Coast for his friend David, and I wanted to see how it works.

Making an old boat look like new.

We started of with a mid 90’s Gulf coast which was plain grey.  David chose the color of his tape, and so we prepped the side and started to work.

Here is the way that Gulf Coast looked before  . . . .

Let me tell you folks, doing this job was no easy task.  There is not a staight line on the area we wanted to wrap, and it was tough.  We worked on it that afternoon late, and finished today.  And it came out really nice.  It is a great way to make an old boat new, and also to set it apart from others like it.   In fact, I am sure there is no other Gulf Coast that color.  It changed the whole look of that boat

and after.  I love how it came out, looks like a new boat.

Now I am not sure this experience made me want to run out and do another, but it was a learning experience.  And if you want to give your boat a make over that will set it apart without doing the full wrap, this is one way to go.  There will be a few other graphics laid on the console, and when it is done, it will be sharp.

So tomorrow I am off to the water somewhere.  Where I am not sure.  But it does not really matter, I will be fishing.  So thanks for reading my stuff.  I appreciate all of you, and I read all the comments I get.  And like Eric did the other day, if you see me out, stop and say hi.  I am in either the white Mako 18LTS or my old 17′ Carolina Skiff.  And remember to take someone fishing, it is a good thing for both of you.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Strike King Lure Company

Those of you who read my stuff know that I am a big Strike King fan.  Being in Northwest Arkansas for years I had always used their stuff, and over the last year I can contribute some of my better fishing success to their products.

I have put a ton of trout in the boat with the Rage Shrimp, and I love the way you can catch literally dozens of trout on one, it is one tough bait.  And there is no better spinnerbait than the Redfish Magic.  When it is time to put some reds in the boat there is no better bait.  And I have put big bass in the boat on Falcon, Fayette, and Coleto on their crankbaits.  Just this week I caught them on the Strike King Red Eye Shad.  And of course as you know, I love to throw that Strike King Swim Jig.  And yesterday it was driven home to me again how much it really makes a difference if you like to swim jigs.  But more on that later.

So it gives me great pleasure to let you know that I am now receiving a lure sponsorship from them.  And how easy is that for me.  I love their stuff and use it, it works plain and simple.  Of course I will keep telling it like it is, and whatever I catch them on is what I will post.  But by the same token I will tell you  to buy their stuff.  KVD, Shaw Grigsby, Greg Hackney, and all the rest have proven that it works.  Soon I will have a link on the page so when I use something you can slide over and check it out.

So I would like to thank Aaron Fite for helping me out with that, and Strike King for letting me come on board.  It gets expensive to keep fishing so I can keep posting, and every little bit helps.  It is going to be another great year and this is a fine start.

Coleto Creek

As you know Wednesday I had the worst day fishing I have had in a long time, and that was my fault.  Thursday it was the fishing show in Houston which just renewed my determination to catch some fish.  We again were projected to have high winds Friday, and surprise-surprise, and it did not disappoint.

I am just getting over a big cold, and also a couple of the crappier fishing days I have had in a long time.  I have been whining lately  because for some reason I do not control the weather, the fish have given me a hard time, and I was sick for over a week.  So it was time to put on my big boy pants and quit acting like a girl.  (No offense to any woman who picks up a rod and fishes.)  So Thursday I decided to fish Coleto like it was tournament day.  First I wanted a limit, and then the plan was to finish it off with a good kicker.  It worked like a charm, and reminded me that we often just head out and fish, but sometimes a little thought and planning can make all the difference.

The last few trips I have caught fish in shallow grass patches, and on flat banks with grass, on the Strike King Red Eye Shad and a Bomber Model A, both in a crawdad color.  Some of those places were real shallow, so I put my thinking cap on and went through the crankbait box.  I found a shallow running, to 4 feet, crawdad colored balsa crankbait.   With a heavier line, and a steady retrieve, it stayed right above the shallow grass.  So keeping the boat in 6 – 7 foot of water, and throwing to the bank, I caught a limit and a few more retrieving it at a medium speed.  It took me a little while to weed through the little ones, but I probably limited by about 10:30.

The average size of the limit on that crankbait.  Part 1 of the plan.

No do not get me wrong, of course I threw a spinnerbait some, the topwater Bang O Lure, and a swim jig some.  I probably caught a dozen on topwater and a dozen on crankbait, with the crankbait producing the better fish early.  This time of year the best bite is almost always late morning into the afternoon, and it was the same yesterday.  The fish bit really well from about 10 until I quit at 3.  So now that I caught a limit it was time to hunt for some bigger fish.

I headed to a deep channel bank with brush on it to throw  a swim jig around some lay downs.  I really like the 1/4oz. Bluegill with the Watermelon Red Rage Craw.  And I want to take a minute to say a little about the Strike King Tour Grade Swim Jig, it works.  You find the fish shallow, and they will eat it.   And it is so easy to fish compared to jerking and cranking.  Just toss it to the bank and reel it back, hopping it a time or two off the bank in case one is tracking it, or give it a little jerk when you hit the grass.   If you have not tried one yet, give it a go, it is fun.  Tossing it into a tree and reeling it out produced one of those slack line hits, and her she is.

Not a bad fish, it really would have helped with the weight if I was actually  fishing a tournament.

A little while later I broke one off on my last Swim Jig I had in the boat.  I threw another brand without success so it was time to change tactics.  My fake tournament life was looking up as  I went from about 11lbs to 15+ with that one fish.  So now it was time for my favorite pattern on Coleto in the spring, topwater minnow fishing.   Of course you have read how much I love to catch fish on that thing.  They were hitting it some about a month ago, but had slacked off with the continuous fronts we have been having.  But with the sun and warm temperatures Thursday I knew they would be moving.

Next it was a flat shallow cove up lake where I have caught spawners before.  The most important thing about fishing that topwater this time of year is that you need to be in a calm spot.  And it is not so much that they hit it better, that is just where it is usually the warmest.  I  caught some of my biggest bass last year fishing this pattern on Coleto.

I started in the mouth of the cove on the first secondary flat point with grass on it.  Right now that is the prime spot for early moving pre-spawn fish.  I made about 3 casts when this happened.

My first really big fish of the year.   One of those girls that the picture just not do her justice, she was a hoss.

She came out of 2 foot of water and smoked it.  I have fished that Bagley Bang O Lure for 25 or 30 years, and it is one of my favorite clear water baits.  There is nothing more awesome than seeing a pig like her roll up and take it while it is under water, a thing of beauty.  It often seems like a dream because you see it all – to cool!

As I have said before, the balsa minnows work better for me when jerking along the top.  And the thing about balsa minnows is they are lighter and “faster” in the flash, making for a finesse bait.  You have to trick them.  Right now it is just a matter of jerking it under about 6 inches and then letting it come up.  Just jerk it along and watch closely, especially this early as the majority of them take it under the water, and almost none of them hit it while it is sitting.  As the day warms they want it moving, so try to make a small pop like a real shad does on the surface.  And remember, if you get in an area where the shad are popping, grab the topwater quick, there will be fish there.  Post spawn, and as it warms up, they might want it the old fashioned way, twitched and then letting it rest, but not this early.  From now through the spawn, move it right along and keep your wits about you.

I went back and read some of my old posts and they were eating that Bang O Lure up this time last year.  We are just a little behind right now, but over the next month Coleto should be on fire.  And with Bagley bringing the foil black and silver Bang O Lure back, grab one, you will not be sorry.

It was a good day.  After weeks of high winds and so – so fishing I was determined as ever to get it right, and I did.  If you love to fish the time is now.  The bays will get hopping, the lake is turning on, and it is all good.

I have been putting off re-working my site to make it easier to read and navigate, so I intend to spend a little time working on it this weekend.  You will be able to find the fishing reports in the right place instead of having to read through all the post pages.  And with a little bit of effort properly tagging the posts you will be able to easily search if you want to read some of the old stuff.  This started off as nothing more than a little way to document my fishing, now I do it for you.  And maybe in some small way I can help you put more fish in the boat.  I want to thank you all for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Skeeter Boats

Before I get to the fishing show I want to take a minute to comment on Skeeter Boats.  Last year when I wrote the article on how to buy a boat, I forgot what may be one of the most important points of all.  How long has the company been in business, do they make a quality product, and most importantly, do they stand behind their boats?

Over the years I had 2 Champions, a Holiday, a Questar, and a couple of others I can not remember, but I have had my share of bass boats.  And on 2 of the boats I had a couple of serious hull cracking, and it was handled poorly by the companies who made those boats.  My friend Aaron’s current hassle brought home to me how truly important the corporate culture of any boat company you are thinking of sharing your hard earned money with is.

If you read the post the other day you know about Aaron finding that a whole bunch of glass was off the bottom of his Skeeter.  One of those things that when you find it, you want to throw up.  Folks it was bad.  So he took it in, and Skeeter stepped up to the plate.  When my Champion’s hull cracked it was – you trailered wrong, you hit something, you maltreated it, and anything else they could say to blame it on me.  Suffice to say they did not help me even though I used it like any fisherman would.  The other, the company was out of business less than a year after I bought it.

Skeeter is doing the right thing, and they should.  But what is reallly important is that they did the right thing.  So next time you are looking at boats, remember you read this.  Stuff happens, and if it is your fault take it like a man.  But if it is their fault, just like Skeeter did, you want your boat company to give you this kind of service.  It shows a true appreciation by Skeeter of you as a customer and fisherman.  This is the way things are supposed to be, and I give Skeeter a thumbs up for being a stand up company.

The Houston Fishing Show

After a tough day of fishing yesterday of course there was only one thing to do, head to the Houston Fishing Show with Chris.  He had a particular Shimano reel he wanted and I wanted a new wade belt.  We both accomplished that without any problem.

I specifically wanted a wade harness I saw last year and regretted not buying all year.  Made by Coastal Fishing Gear, the Wade Right  fishing system is a harness with the rod holder on the back.  It allows you to set it right or left so there are no issues with casting plus you have the freedom of movement to bend and lean without worrying about your spare rod falling in the water.  And because it is a harness and not a belt, it is much easier to keep things from getting soaked.  The front rod holder for changing baits and getting fish off can be placed high enough to keep from dunking your reel.  With points of attachments you can put anything on the harness, your tackle box, your phone, pliers, whatever.

I thought it was the best at the show last year and I can not wait to hop over the side.  The whole thing is well thought out and anything that will help even a little with keeping things a little drier is a good thing.  But as long as I am positively commenting on customer service today, Coastal Fishing Gear is right up there.

I bought a harness for my brother and a deluxe with boxes for me.  The price was fair and I was happy.  A while later as we were walking through the show the gentleman who sold me the harness came looking for me.  He was so worried that he did not put the small box in with my stuff.  Now I had not looked, but it was there.  Now that is what I am talking about!  They could have said oh well, he will let us know, or maybe he won’t notice when he gets home, or whatever excuse we all might make at some time.  Instead he tracked me down truly concerned that I did not get that small box.  If that is the kind of folks they are, their product will be everything they say it is.

So if you wade check out their site – http://www.coastalfishinggear.com/

The rest of the show was ok.  The usual guides, trips, rods, lures you name it.  Even Cajun Phil was there.  As we were walking through the show we came to the Midcoast Products booth.  Last year Chris bought some of their popping corks, so we stopped to look.  And folks, you learn something every day, and I learned something that makes so much sense.  There was a young fellow, missed his name, but it said Captain on his shirt so I assume he was a guide, working the booth.  And I learned something from him that I know will put more fish in the boat.

One of their products is a cork with lead in the bottom that allows you to throw it a mile.  But the interesting thing is that you tie the line to the top, and then the tie the dropper to the top also instead of tying it to the bottom of the cork.  The young guy explained how he is now doing that with the other corks they make and it works great.  If you think about it, when you set the hook you are pulling in a more direct line on the fish, that can only help.  I asked about tangles and he said it gets tangled on the cast less using it that way.  He was knowledgeable and consequently a good salesman.

So that is how you sell fishing tackle, tell us how to use it, then show us.  It is a simple modification of an old standby and some of the best ideas are simple ones.  And of course Chris and I bought $30 worth of corks.  So I give them props, real information we can all use.  So next time you get out a popping cork, give it a try, I know I am.

So now I can not wait to fish the Gulf.  I will have my new wading belt on and will be tying that popping cork in a new way.  Like I said yesterday, we fisherman are optimists, tomorrow is the day.  I can see it now, waist deep, trout smashing that popping cork, my spare rod on my back, oh the joy of it all.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Woulda – Couda – Shouda!

If you read my stuff you know that I have had a pretty good run on the Gulf the last couple of months.  Trout have been good, and reds basically whenever you want to catch them.  But as always the fishing Gods will get their revenge, and it happened yesterday.  The title of this post says it all.

The wind was projected to be 6 – 15 out of the Northeast.  Well they did get that part right, there was wind.  In fact, the wind was blowing right down the barge canal and it was white capping, are you kidding me.  And the tide was low, and I mean real low.  Sometimes you get certain signs that maybe you are about to do something stupid, and we got the first one at the ramp.  Chris and I normally are the first ones out but we waited due to the cool morning and got to Charlie’s at about 9:00 or so, and there was a couple of guys already taking out.

They had been catching reds on the back side of Dewberry but the wind was pounding on it and had muddied it all up.  They also told us that the cut at Charlie’s leading into the bay had almost no water in it.  In fact it was blocked as there was a boat stuck in the cut it was so low.  When we pulled out at 4 it was still there, stuck right in the middle of the cut.

My original plan was to head to POC and fish the deeper channels.  Over the last month almost all the trout I am catching have been 3 foot and deeper.  It is one of those patterns that when you find them, you catch them.  I think if I “woulda” gone there it might have been considerably better.  How bad did my day go?  Better than Chris, I actually caught 1.  yes folks, that is a one!  And Chris had the pleasure of catching none.

Chris wanted to head to South Pass and wade some reefs, so down the canal we went and out in the bay.  The wind was blowing pretty good and as we rounded the corner we could see some birds working pretty heavy just outside the entrance to Shoalwater.  We stopped and made a drift without a bite, though they were working it pretty hard.

Then we did a drift out of the bay and did not have a strike.  About half of Shoalwater was muddy, the rest had no water.  It was flat low.  The tide projection was for a small tide later, but by time the water started moving I was done.

We then started hunting and pecking, we waded 3 reefs at South Pass, where I managed to catch a red.  How small?  I thought I had a small trout.  That was the only bite I had all day.  We drifted the mouths and drains of a couple of back lakes past South Pass without success.  Then we found some more birds getting after it, and again did not have a bite.

Now at this point here is where I made my second mistake of the day.  Checking out the reefs and South Pass was ok, but I “coulda” moved.  In fact I “shoulda”.  At this point in the day there was still time to make the long run to POC and fish were I planned to.  There are always trout in Big Bayou in the winter on those deep banks.  With the super low tide and the 38 degree temperature it was the perfect set of conditions for that area.  But instead we called it a day.

So if you were hoping for a good report on POC today, it did not happen for us.  This was one time where it was truly operator error.  We should have realized after the first couple of places it was not happening shallow.  Now it was nice to wade those reefs and get a good look at the passes, but even throwing plastics across the  channels did not work.  The weather combined with the poor decisions led to a real crappy day.

Now I have had some bad days on the Gulf, but this one was the winner.  When something like this happens on the water it is almost always because you make bad choices, and we made plenty.  But you know what?  It just makes me want to work all that much harder next time.  Never forget though, just when you are thinking you are all that the fishing Gods will put you in your place!

So today it is off to Houston for the fishing show.  A new wading belt, a net, and who knows what else, is on the agenda.  The show is a big boy shopping extravaganza and who knows what will follow me home.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  Tomorrow is another day, and I will be out there slinging baits with renewed hope.  That is what seperates fisherman from other folks, that sure feeling that we are going to whack them tomorrow.  So keep stopping in and keep those comments coming.  Who knows, I may have a great fish tale tomoroow.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

A I sit here this morning the wind is flat out howling out there.  We took the dog for a walk and nearly got blown over.  I will give the weatherman one thing, he has been right on the last two days, it was going to be windy.

So yesterday I decided to keep it to Coleto due to the high winds, I just could not get to motivated to fight it at the coast.  When combined the high winds with this cold that will not go away after a week, it was the logical choice.  I am going to finally get back to the coast in the morning when I head out with Chris.

The fishing on Coleto could only be described as slow.  With the wind howling there were some places that were just to windy to fish effectively.  I caught several on crawdad colored crankbait last time, so I threw it some.  Unfortunately that did not work at all, in fact I did not have a bite on one.  So I stuck with the jerk bait, and while it was consistent, they were small.  I think I ended up catching about 10 on the Rogue Jr. in a shad.  With the wind up I decided to throw a red Strike King Red Eye Shad.

Red rattle baits like that have been a Texas spring grass pattern for many years, and it was the case on Coleto.  From about 10:30 until I quit at 1 I probably put another 10 in the boat.  Most of those were small, but they knocked the crap out of it.

 This is the way most of them had that Red Eye Shad.

With the wind I was just not able to fish all that deep, and any points on the main lake were rough.  I am not that hot a deep water plastic guy, and with the wind I just stayed shallow.  But I can tell you right now that this very unstable weather pattern has the bigger fish backed off waiting for something that suits them better.  So if you are fishing a tournament, or looking for bigger fish, get off those deeper banks and points and drag some plastic.

The fish I caught yesterday all came out of big grass patches in about 4 – 6 feet of water.  I would make a long cast and crank the Red Eye Shad at medium speed, and then just stop it.  As it was drifting down, they would smack it.  It was not one of those Gee did I have a bite things, it was a solid whack.  One of the real differences with the Red Eye Shad and other rattle baits is the way it sinks.  It actually vibrates on the way down, and when they want it, they smack it.

 I saw this guy who was sunning and these coots decided to head out of the cove between me and him.

He lunged and they freaked, it was awesome.

So the fishing report for Coleto is just what it has been, plenty of small ones with the occasional good one mixed in.  The better fish were moving about 3 weeks ago when we had the stable warming trend, but this unstable weather has moved them way off and they are not inclined to move back in to the bank.  Now I am not the final word on Coleto, and as primarily a shallow water fisherman, my take on things right now is clearly not the best way to go.

There are schools of fish in 15 – 20 feet of water near the points.  That is where the bulk of the good fish are.  So if you want to catch fish shallow, you can.  But if good fish are on your radar, look deep, or wait for some stable weather.  Listening to it howling out of the northwest right now I am beginning to wonder if spring will ever get here.

My friend Aaron, who is back in East Texas, sent me a picture of some supper.  Aaron is not only an accomplished bass fisherman, he is a fisherman period.  He loves to catch them all, from crappie to redfish.  So he sent me this from a recent trip to Lake O’ the Pines.  You can see what is on the plate for supper at his house.

That will work.

According to the weather forecast the wind is only going to be blowing 10 – 15 mph tomorrow, so Chris and I are headed to the coast somewhere.  I intend to fish about 4 or 5 days this next week, with only time out for a trip to the Houston Fishing Show.  My main goal will be to pick up one of those wading harnesses that allow you to carry an extra rod while wading.  Love that, save return trips to the boat at times.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I think I have finally whipped this cold, and if the wind will quit for a freakin’ second I will get back to the fishing.  So keep those comments coming, I love to hear from you.

Good Luck and Tight Lines. 

Fish Catching Travel

Well the fishing this week was a bust.  I expected to be sitting here after fishing a day at the Gulf and a day at the lake.  The best laid plans were way laid when I got a snot slinging, throat hurtin’, coughing, fever, feel like crap cold.  The first day I felt it coming on, day 2 I went from the couch to the chair, and then the chair to the couch.  Day 3 I actually did laundry and made supper, but that was the size of it.  Yesterday afternoon, sick or not, I finally could not stand it anymore so I ran out to Coleto.

I had to stop for my friend Aaron’s electric fillet knife that he left at Coleto Creek Cabins.  I not only picked it up, but got a little advice about the bigger fish right now.  There have been some big fish caught in the last week.  As I have been saying points are the key, but the good fish are coming from 15’+.  Red stuff on a Carolina Rig during a high sky has been effective.  So if you are looking to catch the better ones, or you have a tournament coming up, this is the way to go.

The weather has been in a stable pattern for about a month, that would be a cold front every 3 to 5 days with a north wind and high skies.  It has backed the better fish off, though the small ones remain.  Of course did I head out to deeper water?  No way, right to shallow water I went.

I caught one on top and one a Strike King Swim Jig on a deeper bank with grass.  Those fish have been there a month, and so I left them in search of more.  Over the next hour I probably had 5 or 6 just pull on the craw and not get the bait.  Then I had one of those slack line hits as I reeled it, and promptly set the hook and broke my line.  I just put that 14lb on, and that is the 4th I have broke off in the last couple of trips, so off it will come.

The TV fishing report said crawdad colored crankbaits were working so I tied one on and went to catching them.  One thing I will say about that bait, there was no doubt, they smacked the crap out of it.  But the problem, they were all small.  I hunted and pecked as I headed down lake, and could catch one or two on almost any point.  So right now you need to back off and fish deep.  These fronts are keeping them staging and waiting.  So while a shallow water fisherman like me can catch lots, the real money is deep.

After about 4 hours of it I still felt like crap, and was fishing the same way, so I called it a day a couple of hours before dark.  I just did not have it in me.  So here I sit getting ready to check the weather and tides.  It is time to get in some serious fishing.

Random Thoughts

We are now in the early spring wind pattern, one that plagued us last year until June.  And early this week the forecast is for more wind.  It gets real depressing when that forecast keeps coming, so it turns into one of those put on your big boy pants and get over it things.  The wind is going to blow and you just have to deal with it.

How do you tell when your love of fishing is potentially an obsession that may need treatment?  The 3 days I spent pent up in the house were only made tolerable by the fishing shows that were on.  I watched bass fishing, tournament fishing, fly fishing, crappie fishing, Canadian fishing, and anything else that was on.  In my case I do a lot of fishing, i mess with my boats and tackle a lot, I write about it, and then I sit down and watch hours of it.  I guess I need to see someone about that.  NOT!

Speaking of messing with stuff.  This is what the captain of Team Nancy calls the Man Hole.  I finally have a room dedicated to fishing tackle, and I need it.  When all else fails I can always go out to the Man Hole and mess around.  And it is amazing how keeping it a little more organized helps keep the boat mess to a dull roar.

The Man Hole.

The real reason I went in there this morning was to show you my favorite topwater minnow.  Ever since I saw Bill Dance wading in lake Seminole in Florida, and just killing huge bass, I have been a fan.  And then about 10 years ago this particular bait seemed to disappear.  In fact, I was at the spring fishing show at Bass Pro and asked the rep about them and he was actually kind of an a-hole who needed to work on his customer skills.  Of course we have them, and I will take you over to the shelf and show you.  And so we went across the store and there was not a one.  Since that time I have found them here and there, and always bought them all if I found some.  I never did understand why that Bagley Rep was such an a-hole to one of his biggest fans.  But you know what, in spite of that experience, I still love them.

Bagley Bang-O-Lure.

I have caught bass, redfish, snook, speckled trout, and god knows what else on this bait.  It is light and the foil gives off great flash.  Being balsa it is very easy to twitch it either on top or under the water.  For bass I usually twitch it on top and then pull it under a couple of inches, and that is when they hit it.  I have really enjoyed great success in Florida on speckled trout.  There I just real it down and go to twitching extremely erratically.  It is amazing how often they would follow it where you could see them flash it.  Then it was a matter of tricking them by twitching it just right.  A really fun way to catch them.  So if you like topwater, get one, you will not be disappointed.  And if you fish Coleto, they will hit it from now until June.

So that is it for today.  As usual I want to thank you for reading my stuff.  I am itching to get back to fishing.  The only question is tomorrow or Monday.  I am taking a guy from Academy this week.  I intend to keep fishing with new folks.  Take some time to spread it around.  Fishing is a great sport that deserves to be shared with others.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry I have not posted for a few days but a couple of real important things came up and I was out of town.  My wife’s birthday was the 24th so we loaded up and drove to Oklahoma City for a couple of days.  We had tickets to the Thunder game against the Chicago Bulls, and of course I got to spend some time with my daughter and granddaughter.

The game turned out to be a dud as far as excitement goes, the Bulls forgot how to put the ball in the hole, and the Thunder just blew them out.  By the 4th quarter the Thunder was up by 25 and it was over.  So it was a good win for them, but it would have been nice if the game would have been a little better.

But the upside was seeing my granddaughter Mia.  She is 3 and is really growing fast.  The time goes quickly, and she is getting bigger everyday.  So a good time was had by all.  To add to the confusion my parents were here at the house while we were gone, as my mother had a conference in Corpus.  We got back last night, and will get to spend a little time with them before they head back to Arkansas.

What a catch.  Better than any fish picture I could ever take!

So back to the fishing.   As you know from the last post I met Todd and a couple of his friends on Thursday for some fishing.  One of the guys caught this red, it was a 28 1/4″ so  back in it went, but he was just happy catching it.

Orlando’s good redfish. 

The boys ended up fishing 3 days and it was tough.  One thing about this time of year it is so hard to set a date in advance and not have the weather come in to play.  They stuck it out, but  never did get it really going.  I can sympathize.  Before I moved here I came down in February with a friend and not only was it a tough time, it actually snowed.  We ended up having to tow the boat back with ice and snow the whole way home.  Oh the weather gods, sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes he eats you.  If you want to read more about the rest of their trip here is the link to Todd’s report on austinbassfishing.com.

 http://www.austinbassfishing.com/forum/coastal-reports/35652-lavaca-river-lavaca-bay-poc-2-21-2-23-a.html

I get a lot of emails asking what platform I am using and what host.  I use WordPress, which comes with the host.  I use HostGator.com.  They are reasonably priced and provide good support.  They handle my domain registration and make it easy for someone like me to produce this blog.  One thing I can tell you is that it is way more work than I ever thought it would be.  I don’t want to whine, but it is tough to fish all day, then get home, download pics and video, and then write the blog.  But the rewards are great if you have the fortitude to just get it done.  There has been nothing more satisfying than to get the feedback from you readers.  In my wildest dreams I never thought 45,000 people would visit my site, and it is still growing.  So keep those comments coming.  I read every one of them and try to answer all I can.  Some things fall through the cracks, but if I missed you, accept my apologies as it was not intentional.

My fishing life will return to normal now.  On the way home from Oklahoma yesterday the wind blew about 40 mph+ and there were several big trucks blown over on the tollway around Austin.  Today it has settled down to a nice leisurely 20 mph, and I will be fishing for the next couple of days.  So keep stopping in, who knows, I just my catch the fish of a lifetime on my next cast.  It is what keeps us all fishing.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

My friend Todd from Austin had scheduled a weekend trip to POC with friends and was wanting to put in at 6 mile launch.  The 25 mph south wind put a stop to that.  So with discretion being the better part of valor, he decided to put in on 616 at the bridge.  So with three boats, down the river we went.

Two things struck me immediately, one was the tanic color to the water, and second the wind was howling up river, pushing a ton of water in the river.  Now I only fish there about 3 times a year, but I have never seen it that high.  Of course, once I saw the water color I knew it would be tough.  With the rains we have been fortunate enough to have there is lots of fresh water, so we headed down river.

We got a late start as they drove down this morning, and I had to quit at 3 with my parents arriving for a visit, so I fished about 6 hours.  We just place hopped down river, and did not catch a fish until the first creek coming in on the right about halfway out to the bay.  One boat caught one trout there, and I caught 3.  None worth a hoot.

 This was the biggest fish I put in the boat.  I love the way these Black Drum fight on light line, makes you think you have a whopper.

I moved across the river to a little flatter bank, and put 2 keeper trout in the boat, one about 19″.  They came on a Bass  Pro 3″ paddle tail in purple and yellow.  The other guys were having a little trouble catching them, but did put one rat red in the boat.

A little later Orlando, who was fishing with Todd, caught a rat, and then a nice redfish that just happened to be 28 1/4″.  They said it was a pig, but he was just over.  I was across from them, and had just boated a 15″ trout, a small one, and a red that just made it.  When I caught the 20″ red I actually saw him moving bait on a grass bank which is almost out to the  bay.  In fact, I saw several of them chasing bait.

I had just caught a trout on a popping cork with a Rage Shrimp, and when I saw him move the grass.  I just tossed it in the grass, popped it once, and he ate it.  On that same bank I had one of those moments we all have occasionally.  I tossed the Gambler Flappin Shad out, reached down and moved the trolling motor, then closed the bail and started trying to figure out where my line was.  It was by far the best trout of the day, to bad when I finally caught up to him I set the hook and broke my line.  It is a bad feeling to watch a huge silver  boil as he tried to throw the hook.  Oh well.

For the day I ended up catching 11 trout, of which 3 were keepers, one good red, and the Black Drum above.  After a real run of trout the last 2 months, I was about due to have a slow day.  I am not sure how they ended up, but will let you know how the weekend comes out for them.

What fish we did catch were on the shallow sides of the river as you go down.  Until we got past the second set of power lines down river we did not do a thing.  It got better as we went down.  My best bait was a paddle tail on a 1/8th jig head, and I caught a couple on that Flappin Shad.  I could not find anything that worked better than anything else.  When I caught 3 on a popping cork, of course I could not get another bite on it.  One of those days when you change baits or colors, catch a couple, and then not get another bite.  Just hunting and pecking.

It appears the fresh water has really run them down river, and combined with the warmer weather we had a couple of weeks ago, the big bunch of trout have moved way down river.  To bad the wind was completely wrong to put in at 6 mile, that area of the bay should be loaded with fish.

And the wind, don’t you just love living on the Texas coast?  It was howling out of the south when I got up early this morning.  Which meant it was blowing right up the river.  It was a hassle, but not unfishable.  Right before I quit, just like they forecast, the wind turned around and came out of the north, so it started blowing hard, right down the river.  So while it made for a rough ride back to the ramp, it is supposed to stay out of the north for a few days.  The 6 mile ramp should be somewhat protected tomorrow, and hopefully those guys will be able to launch there in the morning.  Todd has been looking at Google Earth and the map.  He is sure the fish are there, I hope so.

So no great gang buster day, but I really like to fish the river.  It is just a different deal.  With the number of redfish bites we had, it would have probably been a good day to throw that Redfish Magic.  One thing about that bait is it is a good choice in the wind.  Woulda/shoulda/coulda.  For me it is simply the joy of putting the boat in the water, heading out, and fishing.  Some days are great, some not so great.  But no matter how you look at it, I got to spend the day fishing.  It makes me a lucky guy.  Thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

You think you had a bad day the other day!

Before I get to the fishing, how about someone really having a bad day.  My friend Aaron was going to bring his Skeeter down this week so we could do a little scouting with his side imaging sonar.  So he decided to go ahead and do the bearings as long as he was pulling it down here from East Texas.  So he was down looking at the wheel when he notice a chip out of the jel coat on the bottom.  He looked under the boat and………………….

 Now that enough to make a person throw up!

Now over the years I have cracked 2 hulls on bass boats, one of them twice.  And I have been around lots of messed up boats, but I have never seen anything like this.  Last year he hit a stump and had his boat fixed.  Looks like they fixed it all right.  So let’s see how this all comes out.  Looks to me like the bottom repair de-laminated and just popped right off.  Sorry Arron, that sure does suck.  And, as all of you know who have owned lots of boats, stuff happens!  In fact, the captain of Team Nancy never asks me how many fish I catch, it is always, “Did you break anything?”

Coleto Creek 

After a couple of days out of town I was looking forward to getting back to fishing.  I can honestly say I wussed out.  The weather forecast was for wind, and they got it right.  I just did not have the get up and go to drive to the bay and then fight the wind all day, so I headed to Coleto.  To bad I did not head to the Gulf anyway, for some reason I just did not fish all that well today.

So being in the midst of a high sky, north wind, cold front I decided to throw the jerk bait a little.  I headed up the plant arm, and after fishing a couple of places I finally stuck this one on a deeper grass bank.

The best one of the day, to bad it was the first one, and I never caught another one this good.

I wanted to throw jerk bait some, to see if I could catch a little bigger fish, but this was the last bite I had on a jerk bait.  Of course, I was alternating with a Strike King 1/4 ounce Swim Jig.  I also threw a swim bait and a topwater some.  But the fishing is just not as good as it was.  It was more of a catch a couple here, catch a couple there, but I could not establish a pattern.  About 3 I finally buzzed the spinnerbait and caught 6 off one grass bed, then 3 or 4 more off another.

Four or five this size just ate a buzzed spinnerbait.

Looking it back on it a spinnerbait would have been the best choice.  Of the dozen to so I caught on it, all of them whacked it, there was no missing them.  They wanted it right on top leaving a wake.  A little tough when they want it slower.  You just have to use the rod to keep the blades right below the surface moving steady but not fast.  Most of them came from shallow water.

 The spinnerbait fish were ok, to bad I did not stick with it.

The best I can say about the fishing is it was tough today.  I just could not find the right combination today.  But not to worry, our good fishing is still to come.  Another moon and some warm weather and all will be back to normal.

As far as the Gulf, when the forecast for today was 10 -20, tomorrow is 15 – 25, and Thursday is “windy” , it looks a little tough.  Of course my friend Todd from Austin is coming to POC with some friends for 3 days, hope it straightens up some.  Either way I will be fishing with them for at least a day.  So we shall see.

 So thanks again for reading my stuff.  Some days it just doesn’t happen.  But that does not stop me.  It just makes me more determined to find and catch fish, no matter what the conditions.  So keep stopping in, we’ll catch something.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

I really did not think that I would be fishing today.  My friend Jeffish had said he might be able to go, and at 8:30 this morning he called and we made plans to fish the lake.  I met him at the ramp, and we were fishing by 10:45.

It was interesting how last week I fished Coleto on Sunday and there was only 5 trailers at the ramp.  That was not the case today.  There must have been a club tournament, in addition to everyone else.

We headed up lake and started on one of my favorite flats.  We were sitting in 4 – 5 feet and throwing to the bank.  Jeffish was throwing a bl/bl Strike King Swim Jig with a Rage Craw, I was throwing the summer craw.  We eased down the bank, around the mouth of one cove, and to the next point.  It probably took an hour and a half on the first bank, and we put 13 in the boat.  None were real big, but we had lots of bites, missed a few, and lost a couple.  So it was looking pretty good at the time.

 Eating that Strike King Summer Craw Swim Jig.

We were just swimming that jig with a steady retrieve with an occasional hop in case they were tracking it, with half of the hits right on the bank, and the other half coming half way back to the boat.  Jeffish had a little tough time getting the hang of the bite,  but so did I when Aaron first taught me.  The majority of bites on the swim jig are subtle, few just whack it.  I have caught enough lately I was on them.  I did break one off, but I can not say it was all that big.  I ended up catching 5 or 6 like this, but just have not stuck a big one lately.

5 of these makes for a nice limit, but it was just not what we were looking for.

Today was one of those days when the cool front had definitely backed them off the shallower coves and flats.  We fished a first cove and caught only one, and that is a place I have been catching them.  We then fished a long bank just covered with grass, and the 3 that came over the side were right on the bank, but it was long stretch with only few hits.

At this point I knew we might be in trouble.  So it was time to make a stand, so I headed to the back of a big flat cove, and we fished quite a bit of it, and only ended up boating another 3 or 4.  By then it was clear the cold front had pushed them out of the real shallow water.  This was one afternoon where they just seemed to quit.  Jeff had to quit early, so we called it a day at 4:30.

It really is kinda funny that you can go out on a cold front, with high skies, during the slowest part of the day, and catch 20 and think it wasn’t that good.  There have been many days when I would have killed for 20 bass with a limit around 14lbs.  This weather has definitely backed them out and off the real shallow places.  A crankbait in a little deeper water would have probably been the way to go.  So pray for a few days of calm, sunny, warm weather.  As soon as that happens it will be back to game on.

But as usual I enjoyed fishing with Jeffish, to bad that after catching 5 or 6 right off the bat he never boated another one.  The Strike King Swim Jig can be a funny bite, and experience with good feel is important.  Of the 14 or so I caught at least 3 that totally slack lined me, giving you a split second to set the hook.  Catching those bites is just experience, nothing more.  All in all we had our usual fish catching travel good time.

So with the weather slowing those bass down a little, it will be back to the Gulf next.  I haven’t waded in a while, and since I have caught some trout on corkie, it is time to try to catch a big trout.  As I have only really fished for trout seriously 4 years, other than trips when I was living in Arkansas, I am just getting the hang of it.  The natural progression seems to be trying to catch the bigger ones.  It is one of those things that you have to do with a purpose, hope I can get off my butt and make a serious go of it.

I have $50 worth of points at Cabela’s which is burning a hole in my pocket, so we are off to Buda, then Austin for some tunes, and a tune up on the car.  Does that mean we will be all tuned up?  Hope so.  Then it will back to fishing.  So thanks for reading my stuff.  I enjoy writing about it almost as much as doing it.  Not really, but it sounds like the sportsman thing to stay.  So until next time………..

Good Luck and Tight Lines