Fish Catching Travel

Fish Catching Travel

Could the trout fishing be any better?

If you read my stuff you know that about 10 days ago I fished the Powderhorn.  It was one of those days where I did not even have a bite for 3 1/2 hours, and then caught them till dark.  They were on a small patch of shell at the end of the boat lane in the Powderhorn.

So today being Valentine’s Day I got a late start.  It was my pleasure to walk the dog, make a good breakfast, and spend it with the captain of Team Nancy.  I am truly the luckiest guy in th world.  Not only is she my best friend and a great wife, but she has never given me one minute of grief about my terrible fishing habit,  She has stayed with me through thick and thin for 25 year.  Man she must be crazy!  But back to the business at hand.

My friend Aaron called me and said he could meet after work, so I headed to the Powderhorn and would wait for his call later.  As usual during the week, there was one truck at the ramp, a crabber, and I only say 2 other boats all day.  I know the Powderhorn can be tough to fish, but it has good reds and trout, and it always surprises me when there is no one there.

 Of course, I stopped where I caught them last time, and they were there.  They were right where I told you last time.  I just pulled up at the end of the stakes and there they were.  In the first drift I put 6 in the box, and caught several more.  Popping cork with a Rage Shrimp plastic in white/chartreuse was the first thing I threw.  And they were hitting when I got there.  And let me say one thing about that bait, it is tough. I rarely go through one in a day, no other plastic can take that.

I also threw a MirrOlure Mirrodine (sp) in a shad pattern, and a Tsunami Corky in a bone.  Both caught fish.  I intentionally threw them to get better at it.  Nothing like sharpening your technique when there are plenty of fish.  With the fish still there, and Aaron coming later, I did not want to work them over until he got there.  So I decided to try to catch some fish shallow.

So for the next couple of hours I spent a lot of the time throwing the Corky and the MirrOlure.  I covered lots of shallow water, but with the cool front and high skies, it just did not happen.  Next it was the cove in the front of the Powderhorn.  The tide was out and it was only a foot deep.  So I idled in one side, then drifted the other side all the way out.  I saw a big pod of mullet flipping, and tossed a spinnerbait in them, and caught a 25″ red.  With my superior skill, I dropped him when I got the hook out, he hit the deck and was back in the water.  So consequently no pic.

Other than that, I just did not find them anywhere else but where they all seem to be.  It was getting about 4, the wind was blowing, so I decided to make another drift on them and throw the Corky.  The hit it regularly, and I put a couple of more in the box.  It also gave me some needed practice at throwing it.

Then Aaron called, so headed back to the dock to pick him up.  Now it was cold and the wind was blowing pretty good out of the NE, and that hot shot bass fisherman shows up in a short sleeve shirt.  I meanwhile was wearing a sweatshirt and coat.  But you know how those East Texas Rednecks are, of course that did not stop him, so out we went.

We pulled right back up on them, in about 3 foot of water and they went to biting.  He started throwing that topwater Spook Jr. in a bone color on a windy day in over 3 foot of water.  Of course they hit it.  He got lots of bites and boated several.  In fact he probably got at least 10 blowups in that “deep” water.  As in all fishing, you never know.

Over the next hour and a half, we caught fish on plastics, popping cork, topwater, Corky, and the MirrOlure.  It was interesting that the popping cork was by far the best.  They were still biting when we left, but with the narrow channel out, it was time to go.  Aaron loaded the boat and I cleaned fish.  We finished with 18 in the box.  The biggest was 19″,  the rest made it easy.   I try to not post dead fish in the bucket pictures, but this is all I got today.  When they were biting I just did not stop and take a couple of better pics.  So here is the box.

Not a pretty sight, until they are sizzling in the grease!  Sorry for the bad pic, but it was full dark when we got to the ramp.

But the real important lesson I have taken from the last month is this:  they are bunched up big time.  Everywhere I have caught them, which is everywhere I have fished, it has been the same.  Seems like you do not even get a bite, but when you find them you can slay them.  I often spend to much time in an area, but the way they are right now, that is not a bad trait.  So for me, and who I can not speak for others, I have found that by working an area over good, sooner or later you will whack them.  They are so bunched up right now.

And though I use a popping cork some year round, it has been an invaluable tool right now.  Being able to cover massive amounts of water by throwing all around the boat while drifting has paid off.  Once you find them, you can stay with it like I did this afternoon, or you can go ahead and throw your favorite bait.  So pick your bay, and then drift it with a purpose.  The rewards will come.  And believe me, and this is coming from a guy who may be one of the worst trout fisherman in the world, it is not rocket science right now.  Use drifts to grid an area, and work it over.

So it has been a good stretch of trout fishing for me the last 6 weeks.  Who knows?  Maybe I have been living right.  But no matter what the reason, it is really a find and catch deal.  So if you have a chance, get some Strike King Rage Shrimp in the Wh/Ch tail, put it on a 1/16th jig head a foot and a half below the cork, and go to popping.  Then when you find them work the area over really good.  It really is that simple right now.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I appreciate each and every one of you.  I am not sure where I am off to next, but where ever it is, I can’t wait.  Over the last few years I have driven across Texana, and I like the looks of what I see.  Aaron wants to give it a go, so who knows, maybe I will give it a try.  But no matter what, I will try to keep the fishing information coming.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

If you love catfish now is the time on Coleto.

I got out for a few hours Tuesday to try a few different baits.  The fish are still hitting that swim jig, but I wanted to see if they would hit anything any better.  Not yet.  But what is really interesting is that we caught 2 nice catfish on it Sunday, and I caught another one today.

Another tasty catfish on the Strike King Swim Jig.

When you catch that many catfish on lures, this was the 5th one over the side the last week or so, they are really biting.  It also means they are shallow.  Almost all of them came from points near deep water, with really shallow water close.  A person could simply anchor on the edge of a point with deep on one side and shallow on the other and catch fish.  Stink bait would work fine.  To really get it right you need to use a slip bobber and keep it right off the bottom.  Of  course it is not necessary and you can fish on the bottom, but I know lots of guides us this method.  If you are want to catch lots of catfish, you need to add that technique to your arsenal.

Though I threw that Strike King Swim Jig about half the time, I wanted to try the topwater and spinnerbait.  When I first got out there we had the north wind that led this small front.  The fishing was a little slower, but I still put over 20 in the boat. 

There are lots this size biting on Coleto right now, and there is that Swim Jig.

I tried spinnerbait and only caught one, not surprising with the cooler weather slowing them down.  But one of the reasons I went was that it was supposed to clear and the sun was going to come out in the afternoon.  About 3 it did.  So out came the topwater minnow.  Now the fish have been coming over grass, but as I worked down the bank with the topwater I noticed one thing as soon as the sun came out, they were on flat banks and points with sand on them.

Now most of them were small, but they bit until I quit at 5:30.  I was simply twitching it along and as usually most of them were hitting it right under the water.  So folks it is close, if we get a couple of days of really warm weather they should get crazy.  And the tip for the day, if we get a few days of really warm weather with sun, and then a front moves in with clouds and maybe a little drizzle, quit your job, lie to the wife, and get to the lake.  Looking at last years reports those were the days in the early spring that I absolutely whacked them.  One of those days my brother came and we had several over 6, and ended up catching them from the first cast to the last.  I can not wait.

I also received this from Aaron concerning this weekends trip, and I thought I would share it with you.

“It was a very much a weekend to remember. I still can’t believe catching around 80 fish over the weekend and no big girls over 6lb. But I still wouldn’t trade it.     As for the Strike King bait I was throwing it was the Rage Hog watermelon candy on the 3/0 hook with 3/8oz tungsten weight. The object is to get to fall into the grass and not stay on top. Some people may complain about the grass hanging up on the bait but that is where the tungsten comes into play. The smaller diameter weight, but heavier, allows it to come through easier and not hold the grass. Moving the grass makes the bass more aggressive.   When you have a cold front come through the way we did on Sunday fish bury up in the grass. So to make them active you want to move their habitat. Its like a spider on a web. The spider hides but keeping in touch with the web. When they feel a bug in the web they come out. Same as bass. They see or feel the grass move they think a shad or crawfish is in the area and ambush it when it comes out. Its more of a reaction bite.
Aaron Fite “Can’t catch a fish on a dry hook!”

Heed this comment.  We hit one place with a big grass bed and even though I caught a few, he caught twice as many.  They had backed off and were not near as active, and when he went to that technique, they really liked it.  So on Coleto if they are slow, gives this a try.  I used a regular weight and got a lot less bites.  Something to keep in mind.

You know I have preached to you about taking folks fishing, especially new folks, kids, and others who can’t get on the water.  So this year I did that, including actually picking a guy at the ramp and taking him for 3 days.  You pay it forward and you get it back.  My daughter’s father-in-law will be here in April and he wanted to hog hunt.  Now I have no place to hunt, I hope to have somewhere some day, so I placed an add on Craig’s List and got a great response.  A very nice man was kind enough to set us up with a couple of days of hog hunting with dogs.  And the amazing thing is he does it because he likes to take new people.  Funny how what goes around comes around, nice when it is good thing.  So I am so thankful he took the time to contact me.  All’s I can say is I can not wait.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I am not sure where I am headed tomorrow, but it will involve a boat and some water.  One of the great things about having the available places to fish in our area is you can turn left, or turn right.  There are lots of freshwater fish to catch, and the bay is just a short drive away.  So hitch it up and go fishing.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Coleto Creek

My fishing buddy Aaron Fite is back in town this spring to do a little work, and so off to Coleto we went.  When we got to the dock there was a club tournament going out.  Aaron asked if it was open, and they said no, to bad as Aaron is one tournament fishing nut.  We headed up lake, and at his suggestion started with Strike King Swim Jigs.

Aaron was throwing a Blue/Black with a Rage Baby Craw, and I used a Summer Craw with a full sized Rage Craw, both jigs  in a  1/4oz.  He was throwing it on 15 lb. fluorocarbon and I threw mine on 20 lb. Big Game.  It was simply a matter of throwing it to the bank and reeling it along.  Occasionally you need to hop it while reeling in case they are tracking it.

Over the first hour or two we fished a cove, and then a long flat bank leading out of it, and put over 20 in the boat, and it just went from there.  To get to the point, over the next day and a half we caught fish on flats, back in coves, and on deep banks.  In other words, we caught them all over the lake.  We caught fish up lake, down lake, and up the other arm.  They are biting.

A nice average fish, with that Swim Jig down in his throat.  We caught a ton this size both days.

Aaron with a nice one.  I guess we put 6 or 7 in the boat like this over the couple of days.  Though most came on Satuday.

Now I normally try to give you a little more specifics on Coleto as to where.  I only have on word that says it all – GRASS!   Now let me be a little more specific – GRASS!  So the pattern was no more specific than that.  It did not matter where, deep banks, shallow banks, flats, coves, points, creek channels, it did not matter, as long as you had GRASS!  So if you are going to fish Coleto in the near future, find the grass and find the fish.  Which may sound like a broken record, but it is par for course on Coleto Creek.

Another of the better ones.  We easily hit 20lbs.+ for our top 5 on Saturday.

Saturday the fish were really beginning to stage for pre-spawn.  Most of the fish we caught were males on the move.  We spotted our first small ones on the beds, but they were really little.  Just like a young guy, ready for action before the big girls get there.  We also began to find Tilapia and a few carp in the back of some of the coves getting ready to do their thing.

Sunday was a little different.  It was cloudy and dead calm when we got to the lake after 11:00.  We went about half way up lake and the minute he dropped the trolling motor in the water the wind came up out of the north, and here came the front they talked about.  It had a real affect on the fish.  Though we did catch a few small ones in the back of a few coves, that front really moved the better fish out on the points.  Nothing like a little cold front to chase them from the shallows.

 Aaron with another good one.  At this point we stopped taking pictures waiting for the big girl as we caught a bunch this size.

I did throw a spinnerbait some, but did not catch any on it.  Aaron threw a Strike King 1.5 some, and though he caught a few on it here and there, the bite was so good on the Swim Jig that it was hard to put it down.

But now for a couple of words on exactly how to use it.  It was just a medium retrieve nice and steady, with a few short hops on the way in.  Some would whack it, some would slack line you, but most just ate it and tracked right along as you reeled it.  And the bite was often so subtle that when you set the hook they were swimming right toward the boat.  It was awesome to set the hook when you thought you felt something, and they were already 10 feet towards you when you set the hook.  One thing I learned this weekend was I was using the wrong reel.

Usually when I am trying to use a slower presentation on a steady retrieve I like to use my Ambassador 5500c reels which are 5.3 to 1.  While great at keeping me from reeling to fast, it was a little to slow to catch up with them.  They would just eat it and keep on coming, and once you set the hook you needed the 7.1 to catch up to them.  Though I caught a lot of fish on the slower retrieve reel, it really helped to be able to catch up to them, and my hooking percentage went up considerably.  It was just a matter of reeling  it a little slower.

When you are reeling that Swim Jig slow you have to be on your toes.  The bite is often subtle, nothing more than a funny feeling, and you have to set the hook fast.  Sometimes it even felt like a bluegill nipping at the tail, but it was bass.  So it was best to keep the rod pointed right at them, remembering to hop it every once in a while.  It takes a little getting used to, but it is a heck of a way to catch fish.  In fact, it even catches these things.

When Aaron stuck this one he said I may have done something here.  A couple of seconds later he knew it was a catfish, feeling that roll as they twist.

A little while later I caught this one.  If you are a cat fisherman you need to load up and head to Coleto.  And do not fish to deep, they are on the move.

Sunday it was clear that the mini cold front moved them farther out, and points closer to deep water was the ticket.  In fact, on Sunday we caught some sitting in 18 foot of water on channel swings.  So they are staging for the spawn.  Just remember that if the sun is shinning and it is warm, they will head back in, if it is cold with a front that cools the water off, just move out and think about where they will hold waiting to move shallow.

The one thing that did surprise us was the fact we did not put that really big girl in the boat.  Normally when you catch at least 50 one day, and over 30 the next on Coleto you usually will have at least one big one.  But they are still waiting for the big warm up.  As soon as we have a couple of days of sun it will be game on.  So if you like fishing Coleto you had better make the time to get out there.  One of these days it is going to be flat out ugly with big fish.

It was a great couple of days.  The fish cooperated all day both days.  There were a couple of slow periods on Sunday, but when you found them you caught fish.  While they are starting to spead out, if you caught one, you usually caught several.  And Sunday it was a matter of working the area over a little harder, as they were in a little deeper water.  When we found a good bunch in a little deeper grass, Aaron threw some kind of Strike King creature bait, I wish I remembered the name, on a heavy tungsten weight.  He tossed it in the thick grass and the tungsten weight helped it sink down into the grass.  And when he would hit a hunk of grass he would shake it lose, and they would smack it.  So while the Swim Jig was clearly the hot bait, when those fish were head down in the grass it took a little more to trigger them.  I kept throwing the Swim Jig, but it would set on top of the heavy grass and not sink down in it, and I did not get near the bites.

So after fishing 6 of the last 8 days I am tired.  But one thing that I love about late winter fishing is that they are biting.  Whether it was on the Gulf, or at the lake, the fishing is awesome right now.  The weather may be a little sketchy at  times, but do not let that deter you.  Now is the time, and no matter what your preference, if you can make time, go.  There is no better time than the present to catch some fish.  This is big fish time so try to take advantage of it.

Thanks for reading my stuff.  The year has started off great for FishCatchingTravel.com.  I have had more readers in the last 2 months than any months last year.  We are growing and it is all thanks to you.  When I started writing I never though in my wildest dreams that so many of you would stop by and I am thankful.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Trip 5 of the 5 different places in 6 days.

One of my goals in this stretch was to fish multiple places on the Gulf and catch trout in all of them.  It worked out fine.  Over the last month I have fished multiple places and never repeated any of them.  The trout have cooperated every place I went.  As they say in real estate, location, location, location.   Right now it is simply a matter of covering water, and when you find them, they will bite.  So don’t get hung up on some secret spot, fish where you like, and stick with it.  The fish will come where ever you are if you keep on pluggin.  Of course it helps when I am to stupid to go home. Amazing how many times  the good bite has been later in the day.

I was so happy when I saw the weather report for today, another day of 5mph winds.  There are not many times when I fish consecutive trips on the Gulf that the wind does not blow.  And today did not disappoint.

The topwater action is just starting, and I wanted to catch a few trout on top if I could.  I started in the area with the high bank on the same side as the ramp, about halfway back in Keller.  It was dead calm, and there was bait moving everywhere.  I stayed with the topwater for over an hour.  I got about 10 hits on topwater, most from small trout of which exactly none hooked up, when this guy hit.  Notice the Super Spook Jr in his mouth.

The first red of the day.

Since the trout were just not getting it, I decided to switch to plastics on a popping cork.  That resulted in the old good news bad news thing.  Over the next hour or so I caught trout, and lots of them.  In fact, maybe as many as I have ever caught in one place.  The bad news, maybe only 3 or 4 were keepers, the good news, if that is the year class we have coming look out, it may be a banner year.  One thing that has held consistent everywhere is the number of small fish.  Just like POC the other day, you just have to work through those little ones to get a limit.  But that is not all bad.

After a while I got bored with that.  They were cooperative, but it was time to do some redfishing.  All the reports I am hearing on reds have been good the last month in our area.  Lots and lots of reds are being caught.  So since I caught the one above, and I had not targeting them in a while, I decided to give it a go.

I headed to the bank at the mouth of Keller to throw a little spinnerbait.  And right where there were supposed to be I caught one on my second cast.

First on on that bank on a Redfish Magic, time to get the video camera out.

Now lately it seems I just have not managed to get the good trout to bite on camera.  It seems I would start catching them, put the camera on, and run out of battery before catching any good ones.  So today I did not use the camera early.  Looking back on it, while trout can be caught all day, the better bite for the better fish has been late in the day.  But after catching this guy I put the camera on, and they did not disappoint.

It was a typical Redfish Magic moment.  Just throw it to the bank and keep it just off the bottom with a steady retrieve.  And when it is right, they whack it.  I ended up catching 5 on that bank, and missed a couple.  A rare thing on that Redfish Magic.  One of the things I really like about that bait is how well they eat it, and how well they are hung.  One of the few baits that when they get stuck, they stay stuck.  But now it was time to test my theory that the better trout bite late in the day.

I headed to the channel in front of the park at the ramp.  I just drifted out in the middle throwing popping cork.  That channel is an oyster filled, bait eating stretch.  There were some keepers there and I boated several.  Nothing big, but at least some of them would have gone in the box.  Most of the better ones came on the muddy side in about 2 foot of water.

A nice average keeper out of Keller today.

Even though there were some nice keepers like this one there, it was still a matter of wading through a bunch of small ones.  I want to take the time to talk about the popping cork this time of year.  When you are fishing more open water it is one of the better search baits around.  You can throw it all around the boat as you drift, letting you cover a lot of water.  That has been critical in some places.  A plastic shrimp has been best, and either a pink one or white one will do the trick.  My best results have been with a 1 1/2 foot drop and a 1/8 ounce head.  Some days they want it fast, some slow, popping it hard on windy days, easy on calm ones.  So it may be bobber fishing, but it is a useful tool right now.  And once you find them, switching to plastics on a jig head is the way to go.

As it was getting later, I decided to end my day on the first bank which was just loaded with smaller trout.  Being the fishing genius I am, I figured if I went back there and throw the Corkie I might be able to catch that big one.  Wrong again fish face.  I caught one on my first cast, and over the next hour caught 10+ on it, with only a couple being keepers.

But what a fun day.  How many trout did I catch over the day?  Lots and lots like everywhere else I have fished.  How many were keepers?  Since I did not keep any fish today I can only estimate, but it was clearly a limit, but not to many more than that.  But it played out just like it has in the other places I have fished.  Find them, figure out what they want, and then wade through the little ones.  I guess that is what I like about winter trout fishing, they are bunched up.

And it was nice to catch a few reds.  It had been awhile since I fished for them, and it reminded me how much I like doing it.  So the last week has been fun.  I am lucky enough to have the time to mix my fishing up.  Fishing something different each time keeps it interesting,  and overall it makes me a better fisherman.  So even though I did not get to fish all 5 days, I got 4 of them done.  And since I am headed to Coleto tomorrow, it has just turned into 5 different places in 7 days.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I consider days like this an adventure, and it keeps it fresh.  So keep stopping in.  Maybe that DD (double digit) bass will come over the side tomorrow.  That dream is what keeps us fishing.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

Day 4 of 5 places in 6 days.

So here I sit at the house.  I was up at 5 ready to go and of course it had been raining all night.  I finished the POC article below, tried to download the video, and then looked at the local radar.  It appeared that the front was going to clear up for a little while at least.  Well, I must have been looking at France.  So if you are looking for the POC post it follows this one.

So I switched the tackle from saltwater to fresh, made sure I had a charge, and off to Coleto I went.  I just wanted to put at least one good bass in the boat but it was not meant to be.  When I got there it was raining hard, and even though the radar forecast had it out of here for a while, it was not to be.  I called my brother at home, and he checked the radar, and said put it on the trailer, it isn’t going to stop.

So here I sit.  Oh the best laid plans of mice and men.  But of course there is an upside, it is pouring.  We need the rain.  The only problem with that is I was headed to the river to do some trout fishing, but with this amount of rain that will be out.  So I guess I have to come up with a new plan.  Life is tough.

While I was waiting under the cleaning table at Coleto a nice gentleman from the campground walked over to talk.  He comes from New Mexico and stays several months each year.  He reported pretty consistent bass fishing, which is what he does.  He has been catching them on crankbait, spinnerbait, and yesterday on the Fluke.

But there was one problem yesterday.  As he headed down a bank someone in a big fancy bass boat just plain cut him off.  Now I have encountered this quite a few times.  It is interesting how people cut in front of me much more when I am fishing out of the skiff.  Is that behaviour based on the assumption that if you do not have a $50,000 metal flake hydro blaster that you are not bass fishing?  Is it just the I am better than you so move over?  Either way it is wrong.

You can never make assumptions about people and their fishing just by looking at them.  Bass fisherman come in all kinds and flavors, and they fish from all kinds of platforms.  A big sack can come over the side no matter what a person is fishing out of.  In fact, that guy sitting in the aluminum boat may be in the process of whacking them when he is cut off.  So give folks a break.  There is plenty of water for us all.

I really appreciate the following sites for letting me post my reports.  If you have never visited them, please give them a try.  There is good fishing information on all of them, and I have met some really good folks through networking on fishing sites.

2CoolFishing   http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/

Texas Fishing Forum    http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forum_summary

FishingTx.Com     http://www.fishingtx.com/forum/index.php

Strike King     http://www.strikeking.com/forums/index.php#1

Austin Bass Fishing      http://www.austinbassfishing.com/forum/

CYBER-LAKE.COM        http://www.cyber-lake.com/

4reelfishing.com       http://4reelfishing.com/videos/

The World Wide Fishing Club      http://www.theworldwidefishingclub.com/

2012 Favorite Pictures of the Month

So today I took the time to look back on my pictures.  So here is my favorite for each month in 2012.

January

My first big bass of the year.

 February

A nice one the day my brother and I caught a ton on topwater on Coleto.  I caught 3 that size that day.

March

A Fayette Fattie.  I love that lake.

April

Shoedog’s 20lb. Redfish on 8lb. line at POC.

May

One of longest skinny reds I ever caught.

June

One removed from my bucket list – what a battle.

July

I will always remember this one, this is a “red” fish.

August

Africa – need I say more.

September

It just reminded me how many sunsets and sunrises I saw last year.  I am a lucky man.

October

The first good one on our Falcon trip.

November

Finally got to take one of my oldest fishing buddies to Falcon.  He caught this one 3 days after I caught the one above.

December

Now that was a flattie!

These are not the best, or the biggest from last year.  They just mean something to me.  It was a great year, and this year is starting off with a bang.

So come back soon, in fact later today I will have the Keller Bay post done and up.  There is a nice redfish video.  So thanks for reading my stuff.  I appreciate each and everyone of you who stop.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

5 Different Places in 6 Days  –  Day 3.

Here I sit at 5:00 a.m. finishing this post and listening to the rain come down.  I would be on the road to Coleto Creek soon, but looking at the radar, it will be a couple of hours before I can leave, which at least gives me the opportunity to get this done before I head out.

With the trout fishing as good as it is right now, and no wind in the forecast, I decided to head to POC and catch some trout for a fish fry.  I took the skiff as I knew I would not be having to go far to catch fish.  And of course my first, and last stop, was Big Bayou.  One of the things I really like about Big Bayou in the winter is that with the deeper water along the islands, it has always been consistent in the winter.  There are lots of mullet and the deeper water gives them a little protection in the winter.

I threw a topwater for an hour on a couple of the shallower banks, and managed to put 3 in the boat.  It was slow, so I headed for the deeper side along the islands to throw plastics.  As the electric chicken color has been so good to me this last couple of months, out came the Gambler in the Flappin Shad.  I like that bait, and so do the trout.  It falls real slow and the tail does all the work.  Before the day was done, I caught a bunch of fish.   It was one of those days where you had to wade through a bunch of fish to catch a limit.  And catch a limit I did.

The guests of honor at a fish fry.

I also made a video.  I have really grown to appreciate what it takes to make the fish bite on cue.  Of course the pros have unlimited battery power, I only have about an hour or so, and sometimes my timing is perfect, others it is so-so.  While I did not get the real good stuff today, here is what I did get.  It does give you an idea about how it went.  The catching was continuous all day.  A couple here, a couple there, but by 2:00 there was a limit in the box.  But, it still irks me when I get this little.  Oh well, I will keep trying.

Basically I fished the deeper banks in Big Bayou and the boat lane leading to Mitchell’s Cut.  It was just a matter of tossing that Gambler Flappin Shad in electric chicken to the bank on an 1/8 ounce jig head, and hopping it down the bank.  With the fish on these deeper places, and the tide falling most of the morning,, they love to position on the edge of the grass, waiting as the bait fish and other yummy stuff is pulled out.

It was interesting how I caught a bunch of really small reds, and not one keeper sized.  That is very unusual in that area, but the numbers of small reds and trout give me hope for the coming year.  No matter what though I caught fish from the first place to the last, you just had to wade through the smaller ones.  Not a bad job.

When the tide stopped moving around noon I switched over to a 3″ Mirr-O-Lure in a brown with a chartreuse shad tail.  That bait is heavier and is one of the tougher plastics around.  I actually started using it faster, and it turned out to be a good choice.  I had 5 in the box when I switched, and filled the limit in short order.

While I like to catch fish anyway I can, my favorite is still using the trolling motor and the tide to cover water.  I guess the reason I like it so much is how similar it is to bass fishing, and since it works for me, I keep doing it.

I have been saying over the last month that the trout fishing is good right now, and it is.  One of the reasons I decided to fish POC is I have fished many different places the last few trips as you know, and have been catching them right along.  Be it a river, a big bay, or a big creek leading into a back lake, they have all produced trout.  Sometimes we get hung up on “spots”.  We all seem to search for that secret magic place.  Right now we have that place, it is called inshore on the Gulf of Mexico.  Now some places hold bigger fish to be sure.  But right now it is a matter of going to your favorite area and fishing.

The trout are still bunched pretty good, and when you find them you can catch them, sometimes lots of them.  Indianola the other day was a perfect example.  No bites for 4 hours, the whack them for 2.  Today was a little different. but later when I found a bunch of better ones, it was game on.  So if you can get out go, the time is right.  You may have to search a little harder, but if you find that big bunch you can catch the snot out of them.

I think I hear the rain starting to slack off.  The radar looks ok, so time to load the boat and head to Coleto.  This 5 different places in 6 day thing is actually fun, and I hope to jack them up today.  Kind of gives me an idea for the future.  Maybe something like 5 different species in 5 consecutive trips.  There is a story there somewhere.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I try to keep it interesting and informative.  But either way I appreciate each and every one of you who stop by.  So keep watching, there are 2 places to go in the 5 different places in 6 days adventure.

Good Luck and Tight Lines. 

Fish Catching Travel

The Order of the Pork Rinds.

For the second day of fishing on 5 different places in 6 days I met my brother Shoedog at Fayette County for a little bass fishing before the Super Bowl.  Now folks I have not fished both days on a weekend in I can not remember when.  I will admit I am spoiled.  (Thanks Team Nancy)  Everyday I am thankful that I can fish when I want.  It is so much better fishing during the week.  But most everyone is not in that position, and with the water a lot busier it seems like it is harder to find a way to fish.  But all is not lost, you just have to stick with it, do what you do, and make it work.

I found that out yesterday on the Powderhorn, when I was able to whack the trout.  So with the goal of finding 2 completely different fish in 2 different places, we put the boat in at Fayette and took off across the lake.  And then a funny thing happened, I got a text from my friend Clyde in Arkansas who was at Norfork Lake in Arkansas putting his boat in.  That text says it all, about all of us fisherman.  “Trying to beat the pork rinds out when I realized I r one.”   I love it!

We started on one of the big points about halfway up, throwing deep crankbaits off a big point.  The sun was not up when I caught the biggest of the day right off on an Strike King XD5 in a shad pattern.  He knocked the stuffing out of it, and if my memory serves me right, it was the last on we caught on a crankbait all day.

So of course the next order of business was throwing that jerk bait.  Now I have fished a lot of bass in a lot of places, but there is no better jerk bait lake on the face of the earth.  If you read my stuff you know we have had some spectacular days there throwing small jerk baits.  Maybe today could not be described as spectacular, but when I can get in the boat, catch 39 bass, and then get home in time for the Super Bowl, it is a great day in my book.

Shoedog with a Husky Jerk in the mouth of a nice Fayette slot bass.

I feel like a broken record when I tell you about Fayette.  The bass we caught were in the grass in about 3 to 6 foot of water.   I think that is what makes Fayette such a good jerk bait lake, the depth of the grass, its location off the bank, both factors conducive to jerk bait fishing.  It really simplifies Fayette.  No matter what the conditions, there are always some fish located there.

What a great lake, love a slot limit that lets you put a bunch of these in the boat. 

Of course there was a ton of traffic.   Basically most of the fisherman were in the back ends of the coves in grass beds throwing plastics.  Later in the day, more were offshore fishing those breaks out in deeper water.  We just did what we do, jerked and jerked.  We caught fish with a jerk/jerk/pause/jerk, letting it set just a few seconds.  Now few were slamming it, they were just there.  But they bit all day.  And though nothing bigger than 4 came over the side, it was a consistent bite all day from nice bass.

Our best place was a little cove off of one of the main lake points.  We had put 8 in the boat first thing, then kept fishing until we found a cut in the point leading into a small cove with brush on one side.  They were right in the cut about 4 foot deep, and they were eating.  It had a stick up with a grass bed off to the side of it. We caught 14 off that one little spot in about 20 minutes.  I find that on Fayette, once you find them you can refish it several times, catching fish most of the time.  The fish seem to really be baitfish oriented there, contributing to the consistency we catch fish there on jerk bait.

As far as equipment, we fish jerk baits in the 4 1/2″ range almost exclusively in the silver/black back on lighter rods with 10 lb. test.  I probably shouldn’t say this, but we rarely break any off with that light line, though Shoedog did break one off today.  So keep it light, and think about what the lure is doing, it really is a finesse technique.  Make that bait into a struggling baitfish, then hang on.

We caught fish on points in the backs, in that one cove off the main lake, and then the usual long banks with grass.   The rest were just scattered.  For us Fayette is simply fishing until we find them.  It is small enough to cover lots of different types of water, then it just becomes a matter of finding a way to catch them, and for us it has been the jerk bait.

Now I am still working on a video from the Gulf the other day, so the video camera stayed in the bag.  Hard to do a time consuming editing and downloading of a video when you have only have so much spare time because you have to go fishing.  So for those of you who have not seen this one from last year, it says it all about jerkbait fishing on Fayette.  Watch the technique, it may vary with how hard you jerk it based on conditions, but this is the way it happens there.

And last but not least, I learned something from Clyde’s text and fishing the weekend in 2 completely different places for 2 completely different fish.  It is not how busy it is, nor how many other boats are fishing, it is about figuring it out.  You have to set everything aside and get the job done.  The ultimate goal every time we go out is to put fish in the boat.  Cloudy, windy, or whatever the weather brings, are just conditions we have to adapt to.  Other fisherman are just another condition.  You can let it get to you, or you can put on your big boy pants and get after it.   Those other guys fishing are just like us, they are not the enemy, they are just another condition to be added to the fishing equation.  Ultimately we are all brothers in the “Order of the Pork Rinds“.

So thanks for reading my stuff.  With mama gone for the week I intend to keep after the 5 different places in 6 days project.  So keep stopping in.  There is no better day than one spent on the water.  And I will forever be a proud member of the “Order of the Pork Rinds”.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Fish Catching Travel

After not hitting the salt for the last couple of weeks it was time to get back to the bay.  As I have been fishing somewhere different the last 4 or 5 times when i have hit the salt, I decided to hit the Powderhorn.

Low tide was first thing in the morning, with high tide set for 6:30 p.m.  Perfect conditions with the water running most of the afternoon.  I got there about 11:00, and it was low and off colored at the ramp.  The wind was blowing pretty good out of the south, and I decided to throw some spinnerbait for reds in the back.  The back end near the bridge was stained and very low.  I fished for reds for about an hour, but with no water in the grass or the small cuts, I had no success.  I then headed to the other side near those back ponds to give it a try with topwater, and though the water was calm and super clear on that side, it was way to low.  That did not work any better.

I moved all the way back near the mouth and started drifting for trout.  I made the first drift in 2 foot of water throwing a paddle tail in the electric chicken a long the boat lane, and managed one small one.  That was my first bite in almost 4 hours.  I tried one more drift, letting the wind take me a little deeper without success until I got even with the last post going out.  Several hit the paddle tail, a couple of them were alright, but I just wasn’t getting the bites though I could tell the fish were there.  I switched to a Tsunami white and chartreuse swim bait, and they hit that a little better.  At that point it seemed a heavier bait to get a little deeper was best, but that turned out to be just the opposite of what they wanted.

Here is number one.  I took a picture of him because it was the first bite I had in about 4 hours and I wanted at least one picture for the blog.

At this point I was drifting back towards the Powderhorn on the north side, along the stakes.  I picked up the paddle tail and tossed it out and one hit it immediately.  Several more did that, and I caught 2 reeling it.  At this point my pea brain figured out they were right near the surface, or at least the bait was, in 3 to 3 1/2 feet.  So out came the popping cork and a pink shrimp.,

From then on it was consistent, a bite every couple of casts for the next 2 hours.  None were big by any stretch, but I easily caught a limit.  Most were 14, and the biggest was probably 17,  but they were plentiful and willing.  It was one of those times when you had to wade through a bunch of fish to get the better ones, but who is complaining.  So basically I would get up wind and drift along the stakes.  I was popping it pretty good with the wind and I missed way more than I caught.  It would have been a lot better if I had braid on the reel, with the wind and the stretch, I missed a ton.

But it was nice to catch some trout.  It has been nice fishing different places each time, and finding the trout willing.  And like a lot of winter fishing, when you find them, you find them.  So next it will be off to Keller Bay.  I have not fished it in a while, and hope they are co-operating there like they have been everywhere else.

Tomorrow it is off to Fayette County with my brother Shoedog.  He has been tied up lately and not able to fish, so hopefully it will be a good trip.  So keep stopping in, this is going to be one of those 5 different places in 6 day things,  so surely something will happen.  And as usual, thanks for reading my stuff.

(Note: I have a video and when it is loaded I will get it up later today.)

And here it is:

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

Sorry I have not posted anything the last week, things seemed to conspire against me to get any real serious fishing done.  The wind has been a real hassle the last week or so, and yesterday it was downright howling.  Thankfully we will be back to our regular pain in the butt spring pattern.  Usually not to windy to fish, but still windy.  Just hope it does not repeat last year where it seemed to blow out of the southeast over 20 mph all the way into July.

The other thing that was not conducive to getting any fishing done was we did a little mission trip to help out the native Americans on the reservation.  Of course, that is as long as you believe dropping some $$$ at the casino in Coushatta actually helps them.  I will say we really did like staying there and will be making a return trip soon.

I did manage to slide out to Coleto Creek for a couple of hours of fishing last Friday afternoon.  Fishing was ok, and they still bit both topwater and spinnerbait.

They are still eating that topwater.

There were fish all the way in the back of the pockets that day, and I caught 3 on 3 casts in the back of one of them.   Start looking for the ones with protection from the wind with the sun shinning rightg down in them.  I am still just jerking that balsa topwater under and watching closely as they are hitting it as it pops up.  There were also some carp in the backs of a couple of pockets, and I did see my first Tilapia of the year in the back of a cove.  We will just have to see how this little cold front affected things.  I will be on Coleto at least one full day next week, so should have a better more complete report for you then.

A couple of things I do know is that I have seen some strings of crappie and catfish at the cleaning table.  Most of the crappie I have heard about came from a little deeper water, but the best cat-fishing seems to be in 10 foot of water on stink bait.  So now is the time to give Coleto a try.

There sure are lots of pigs on the shores of Coleto. 

My daughter’s father-in-law is coming to visit me in April, and we want to kill a few hogs.  I am still trying to arrange a hunt or two, but have not had the success I might have hoped arranging it.  With all the dang hogs in Texas it should not be a problem.  So if you might have any suggestions or recommendations on who or where, let me know.

So it is time to get off my rear end and get a little saltwater fishing time in.  If you want to catch a big trout you have to put in the time, and now is the time.  The leader of Team Nancy will be in Florida for the week, so any day I do not fish will be my fault.  So again excuse the lack of posts lately, that is about to change!  So thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Fish Catching Travel

A Great Day To Be Alive.

I had the best intentions to hit the bay today, but just did not make it.  The first item of business was a haircut that I was ordered to get.  I guess the leader of Team Nancy wasn’t wanting to spend a 5 day off stretch with a redneck.  So after getting that done, I made it to the lake about 12:00.

The lake is still coming up.  There is lots of floating grass, and when the rise combines with a stiff breeze, it made a couple of places unfishable.  Other than that, you can tell in the back of the calm pockets and coves that the water is warming nicely.  I decided it must be topwater time and it was.

The first nice one caught on a topwater. 

This one came a little later.

So here is the scoop.  The fish are getting ready to really bite, and pre-spawn is about to get in high gear if the weather stays like this.  I caught at least one or two in the back of every cove I tried.  The bigger coves were better, but I caught 6 out of one of those small, deep, timber filled coves  on the right before the bridge.

The fish really prefer a topwater minnow bait made of balsa.  The advantage to balsa is when you jerk it under, it flashes just right in clear water.  So right now I am just twitching it in short jerks.  The sound I am trying to make when it flips on top is that one you hear when shad splash.  So lightly jerk it under, and let it float up.  Polaroids are a mandatory.  Of the dozen or so I caught on the topwater only a couple hit it on top.  They were grabbing it right under the surface, so you had to be quick.  And just about every place I fished I got at least a bite.

This was the best spinnerbait fish of the day.

But it wasn’t just topwater, the spinnerbait bite was good too.  I probably caught a dozen on each bait.  The wind was blowing pretty good so it just boiled down to throwing the spinnerbait on windy banks and points, and then switching to the topwater where it was calmer.  I alternated all afternoon, and it was simply a matter of making a good decision as to which one to throw.  And the most consistent bites are still coming on the points and in secondary points in the coves.  But when you start catching them in the back which I did today you know it is time.

But the point is, the fish are biting.  So in my perfect world we will get a nice warm day with little wind, and a nice drizzle.  As soon as I see that condition for the next day I won’t sleep worth a crap.  Looking back on last year, those were the big days.  So if you see a day like that in future hitch it up and head to the lake.

But now to the title, “A great day to be alive.”   One thing I knew would be a slam dunk today was the alligators.  When we get a stretch like this, the real giants come out.  They love to sit on calm sunny banks and warm themselves.  So I decided to bring the real  camera and do some shooting.  And as you may have read here in the past, I have this weird thing about gators, I love them.  And today they cooperated

This my friends is a brute.  I was plenty far away and still could not get him in the zoom.

I know this guy, and where he lives, and have seen him often.  There is a cove up lake that always has a big one in it, so I fished it next just to see if he was there.  I went around a small point and one boiled off.  I thought that was it when I went around the corner and there were 2 more.  Not sure if it is mating season, but that was three big gators in one place.

This was the one who did not spook.  He was another good one.

I saw a bunch of gators today.  It was interesting how only one was small.

All day long the only thing I could hear in my head was, “Choot em Mz Lizebeth, Choot em.”  And right before dark this guy showed.  He was just about as big as the first one, and the picture will not due him justice, but he was a hoss.

Lets put it this way, if I get hung up on the bank right now in Coleto I will be real cautious. 

So there was some good fishing and the gator viewing was top notch.  It was just a great day to be alive and in the outdoors.  There were lots of other thing happening, and I could not resist taking a few more pictures.

I have a feeling he was a juvenile.

They are one beautiful bird.

I, like most of you, fish for fun and not for sustenance.  We love our sport, but some folks have to work at it.  We do not have to fish to live, but this guy does.

He is a  better fisherman than we will ever be.  From Canada to the Everglades, we both love the same water.

Awesome!

And away he goes!

And all of this combined to make this a great day to be alive.  The wildlife was on the move today.  If I could have put the rod down a little more there would have been a few more pics.  It was that kind of day.  The fishing wasn’t fabulous, and I never did whack the big one, but it was steady and fun.  The weather can not be beat.  It was just a great day

So thanks for reading my stuff.  I appreciate everyone who comes, and I love to share my days on the water with you.  Fishing is my passion, but today reminded me that it is not always just about the fish.  There is an awesome world out there and I am thankful for the time I get to spend in the great outdoors.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.