FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

No real change in conditions other than it is slowly clearing.  It was dead calm at daylight and basically stayed that way all morning.  The water temp was down maybe a degree but basically the lake has remained stable on a very slow rise.  Though I am not a big fan of getting up early a boat ride as the sun starts to come up is always on my happy list.  Makes you appreciate the day, and today did not disappoint.

As long as this keeps happening, I will keep getting up.

I am fishing shallow; it is what I like to do and as long as this keeps happening it is a no brainer.  I am sure there are plenty of other patterns and ways to catch them but when they are eating the buzzbait it is hard to beat.   It is not fast by any means, in fact I only caught 13 this morning, 4 were ok.  Just a steady medium retrieve is doing the trick.

This one came fairly far off the bank.

Other than a good one the other day who smashed it, these are more eating it.  Often barely pulling it under so you had to be on your toes.  It is interesting that they are not right on cover and getting a bite with the buzzbait on wood or bushes themselves is rare.  I think what they are doing up there is actively feeding at daylight, so they are in there chasing bluegill and shad.  Once the sun comes out they flat desert those places.

A buzzbait fish.  A good one swimming the 5″ Pearl Knockin Tail in the cover.

I continue to try new places but have not really added any to my current milk run.  Of course, part of the problem is by time I get done with those places and try new spots the bite has seriously slowed down.  And that was the result today.  Before it completely stopped, I wanted to wallow the 5″ Pearl Knockin Tail through a couple of shallow places and the one on the right smoked it.  I caught one more on it and missed a couple.  No doubt starting with that at daylight in the good spots would produce.  As it got closer to noon tossed the stick worm and 4″ Honeydew Knockin Tail on a jig head and both caught a small, but it was go home slow at that point.

They really slowed as it completely went flat and the sun came out.  With the water noticeably clearing it makes sense that they would desert the shallows once the sun really comes out.  Just means you have to be up early and gone if you want that good morning bite.  But all in all, a good morning.  Cool to see a couple of baby gators, no wonder I have been seeing one in the same place the last couple of weeks, probably momma.

***************

I spoke with one of the real young guns who is a great bay and tournament fisherman the other day and it just confirmed what I am constantly hearing, the trout are tough at POC.  In his words: “There is just no trout.” He did confirm the fishing in Baffin is better right now, which we sure found.  One way to tell is the occasional online dead fish picture that has 5 or 6 trout.  Tough when you are proud of 3.  Only time will tell next year if the new limits help.  It is slim pickings right now on the trout but there are plenty of reds.

**************

And speaking of Baffin looks like Michael and the film crew got enough fish for a good show.  Multiple overs on the reds and one good trout will definitely make the show.  It will probably not be out this year, not sure, but will let you know when it is on.  At this point I am watching the motel where I stay on N. Padre waiting for the rate to get back to reasonable.  Planning on fishing it a lot more than in years past.

**************

It is great to watch gas prices fall.  But it leaves me with a question:  Why has engine oil not gone down?  It is a little tough to swallow that Opti oil has hit almost $60 a gallon.  Can’t imagine what it is costing folks running the 250 hp and up or the guides who are fishing 20+ days a month.  At least my mechanic has the last of a 50-gallon drum and is still charging $45 when you bring your own jug. Guess that is why Chevron is doing so well on the stock market.

***************

No real plan going forward so unsure if will fish another day before the weekend.  But I know one thing for sure, the Hogs 11:00 Saturday then the Cowboys Sunday night so football is getting going big time.  And I am 11 days from Colorado, and when I get back it is off to the Chandelier Islands for our annual trip.  Nothing like fall.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

How about this weather in South Texas?  After a long period of drought, we got more rain in a couple of days than all spring.  Though we are still down I just looked at the forecast and it includes rain at least 14 days out.  Not sure how they arrived at that but keep it up.  It may not be the best weather for fishing when it includes lightning, but we need the rain so keep it coming.  And it sure is nice to see all the “green” this time of year when it is usually a dirty summer brown.

And I hope you all had a good weekend in spite of the weather.  Since I worked on this yesterday, they are slowly taking the rain out of the forecast which is fine by me at this point.  I am ready to do some fishing and the cloudy thing with low chance of rain fits the bill.  So let the fall fishing begin.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

It was barely daylight when I made my first cast.  I stuck with the pattern today, and while it was not quite as good as last trip, it was still one good morning.  The bait was definitely not up lake it was last week, and much of what I saw was off the bank.  So I stayed shallow and the bite was on.

The lake has some color to it, at least in the Coleto arm. The water temp came down a couple of degrees and it was dead calm at the ramp.  And the lake is noticeably up.  At least they got the light fixed at the ramp, it has never been that bright.  Now if they would do something about the roads, but I digress.

The last fish of the morning, a real solid.  Many of the fish are skinny right now but this girl has not missed many meals.

There was a real difference in the way they hit the buzzbait, few were aggressive with most just pulling it under.  You had to stay diligent because as soon as you took your eye off it one would hit, and it would be a clean miss.  None of that toilet flushing strikes today.  But they cooperated until the sun came completely out.  So, I switched to the swim jig with a Knockin Tail trailer, and they liked that.

Obviously started with the buzzbait.

I also added in the spoon and Knockin Tail, which produced 3 smalls, but since it did not get fished until after 10:00 by then I wasn’t surprised with the results.  Several did swirl at it in bushes and if I were guessing starting with that first thing would also be productive.  But definitely switch to the swim jig when the sun comes out.  Still using the pumpkin color swim jig with a Greenback Knockin Tail trailer.  Still do not know why if you fish a swim jig you would not want the Knockin Tail, it can only help.

The swim jig finished out the morning.

Later in the morning I headed up the plant arm to fish 2 spots before I quit and it was no bueno.  I tossed the works at them in cover and could not buy a bite.  At 11:30 I called it a morning.  Not sure how many I boated but it was another consistent morning.  There is so much cover in the lake right now.  Time to fish the good spots but keep checking other areas where there is good green cover.  And finding the bait close by sure helps.  But the end result, fish what and how you like but just keep your bait in the water.  The bass and crappie are biting on Coleto.  And I ran into a guy who was tearing up the blue cats up the creek.  If we are lucky the fall bite will keep on rolling.

**************

Yes you can do this.

Do not get me wrong, I respect Bill Dance.  Thanks to him I discovered the Bang O Lure and it has given me decades of pleasure and results.  But I do have a problem with his labeling on the saltwater show.  He fishes with Peter Deeks who is a guide in Florida, and they just smash the huge trout and snook.  So, I figured even I can do this, so I looked him up as I really wanted to fish with him.  Well not so fast Grasshopper.  You can do this, for $900 a day!  Sorry but $900 a day inshore does not qualify as anyone can do this.  I love fishing but man is the cost of our sport going up.  So not anyone can do this, a growing problem with our sport.

**************

Huh?

The barn light at the Coleto ramp has been out over a week, which makes it a little sketchy offloading in the dark.  (It was fixed this morning.)  So I let the dude at the gate know and when I was heading out he stopped me and said it is not theirs.  He told me that the light is directly connected to the power company, whoever that is, and they reported it over a week ago.  As a guy at the ramp said at least they raised my rates!

************* 

Remember………..

I have repeatedly comment on the chronic wasting disease issue in captive deer breeding facilities in Texas.  Well guess what?  It has been found at another facility in a county that has had no prior cases.  I do not know what it is going to take but neither you, nor anyone else, can tell me that we are not going to have a big outbreak as a result of the spread from these facilities.  It continues to be a slow steady spread and is a real threat to our wild deer.  You see it so often, and in other states, forgetting that the first and only responsibility is to WILDLIFE!  Captive deer, while great to eat and genetically improved for some folks who want to shoot a giant without the effort, are a threat to the native population and TPWD needs to take extreme measures to protect them.  Study all you want but it is time for real action before it is to late.

*************

One thing I forgot to mention about our trip to the Laguna was that Michael fished the 3.25 (I should quit calling it a 3 1/2.) Glass Minnow Knockin Tail some and it caught fish, probably the number 1 producer that day.  Of all the colors this is probably the most universal and effective color for fresh or salt no matter the quarry.  If there is a complaint, and think about it, all sizes like it so you have to wade through more smalls.  When was the last time you heard someone complain about catching to many fish?  It really does the job and will put some in the boat when I am in Colorado.

*************

That is all for today.  The fishing will continue, where and what remains to be seen.  And with Colorado just 2 weeks away I am starting to get excited.  A little fly fishing, some house looking, along with animal chasing it will be the usual big time.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

***************

It seems like folks I know are getting some serious TV time and exposure.  Joshua, owner of Marker 54 that makes the best fake shrimp in the business, announced he has been invited to fish a redfish series that will be broadcast on Discovery Channel.

I have been invited to the Discovery Channel elite series sponsored by frogtoggs. 25 professional anglers from across the country compete in a 4 stop, multi state, redfish tournament series with a live championship. Each event is a 3 day format with top 5 from day 1+2 competing on day 3 for winner take all. This is gonna be fun.

His shrimp products flat work.

Wow!  Congratulations on your selection.  Seeing your magic shrimp smash big reds in the Chandeliers you should be in business.  So good luck.

****************

And then I get a message from Michael that he will be the “guide” for a kayak fishing film crew that will be shooting out of North Padre and the Upper Laguana using the Knockin Tail.  He will be working with a film maker that shoots some of the fishing shows that fishing nuts like me watch.  He wanted to know if I wanted to head to Padre to do some exploring and mapping in preparation, of course my response was yes.  He cautioned it would not be that big of a “fishing” trip which was also fine be me.

One of the reasons I was excited to go was to get a ride on that 25′ JH Outlaw, and it did not disappoint.   To call it a fishing platform does not do it justice.  Of all the boats I have fished this was the first boat that you could actually fish 4 out of without any problem.  It was nothing short of a beast, rode like a dream, and we were able to get back in some areas that was kayak water.  He wanted to have multiple places to fish with the kayaks, and since he could easily transport a couple and the film crew we were just mapping and checking areas that fit that bill depending on the wind.

Now of course we fished some, and while we only landed one 18+ trout, the 13 – 15″ were on the chew and we probably boated around 15 plus anyway.  We tossed the full complement of Knockin Tails with all sizes catching a fish or two.  Michael threw the 3 1/2″ a bunch and it probably caught the most fish but since we were not keeping or counting who knows.  The point was to quick check each place to see if we could get a few bites, and then to see how to get in and out.  My take on the trout fishing down there was things will be just fine, the number of fish right under the new slot was good and the future looks bright.

I will never make fun of that DOA weedless topwater.

Since we were looking for the most different bites in different places, I decided to throw a bait that I have carried around in my tackle box forever and have never caught a fish on, the DOA  PT-7.  It is that little fat soft topwater that has an embedded hook and you fish it in a walk the dog pattern.  I just threw it for the heck of it, mainly because there was lots of floating grass in some of the places, though I did not have a clue they might hit a topwater in the middle of the day.

PT-7 (doalures.com)

First time I ever really used it and it worked.

The interesting thing was of the 5 or 6 I caught on it most just barely sucked it under.  In fact, with it being a little rough you would just see it disappear, weird.  Several blew up on it but those did not stay hooked up.  I really gained a new appreciation for what it can do.  It has a place in any saltwater angler’s arsenal, and it came through the floating grass like nothing.  (Can you say Port Mansfield?) As a side note it looks like it will be perfect for some freshwater mats.  Once I let them eat it just a second longer like you would do with a frog the hookups went up.

And the other thing I really liked about our day was the mapping card he had in the big Simrad.  Sorry I don’t remember what brand it was; I will get back to you on that but it was the bomb.  The overview closely resembled looking at the area on Goggle Earth.  The end result was we were able to pinpoint the “good” spots and drive right to them.  And getting in and out of shallow areas was a breeze.  It was a game changer in mapping.

So we found several spots with fish, and good places to kayak depending on the wind.  As far as bait we caught on the works, with the 3″ catching the numbers. the 4″ catching the better fish, and I caught a couple slow rolling the 5″.  You will hear this from me for the next few months, I cannot wait for our winter fishing.  There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if you get around big trout the 5″ will bring on the THUMP.  It could be scary good and I cannot wait for winter.

Thanks to Michael for the invite.  Any time you want someone to make the trek on short notice just let me know.  Plus, congrats on the sweet ride and the great progress your company is making in the lure industry.  And I love your new idea, it will be a winner.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

*****************

It has been several years since I fished the Upper Laguna and this trip added much to my knowledge.  I forgot just how much fun it is, and how big it really is.  I will not ignore it this fall and winter; we are lucky to have a fishing hole like the Baffin area.  Additionally, it has re-invigorated my saltwater fishing desire.  I have neglected it all summer but time to change that.

***************

Football is back!

Fall is my favorite time of year.  Fishing gets better, folks head to the woods giving the water a rest, and football returns.

A&M – The only thing I knew about Sam Houston State was they were 11 – 1 last year, but they were definitely outgunned by A&M.  Hard to really see how good A&M will be this year but they won, so good start for them.  But it was one of those supposed to win.

HOGS – We looked ok against the 23rd ranked team in the country.  It was a struggle at times, but we held on.  Good start to the season.and KJ looked pretty good at quarterback.  The only area I really noticed was we did not have a pass rush, something that will need to be addressed.

***************

Looks like the real rain is moving this way.  The forecast is for a week of it with possible flooding in the next 48 hours.  It will probably mess up the outdoor weekend activities but if you do get out be careful.  I will be watching the weather from Tuesday on and will be on the water somewhere.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Sometimes you get up on the right side of the bed and this morning was a perfect example.  When I got to the ramp it was still dark and the conditions were almost perfect.  It is so interesting how real confidence can make a difference when you have a rod in your hand.  The plan was to fish the swim jig and Knockin Tail in the grass, but when it did not feel right I made the right change.

For an hour it was crazy good!  If you like good fish smashing a buzzbait.

Weather

76/93.  More clouds than sun; humid with a 40 55 chance of thunderstorm in spots.  Wind E 8 -17mph.

Lake Level

Tuesday   96.39 msl.   Today   96.41 msl.

Bite Time

Major   5;15 am to 7:15 am.  (Looks like the fish read the forecast.)    Minor   11:59 am to 12:59 pm.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

Starting with the swim jig it just did not feel right.  Not only was there nice green grass with water on it, there was bait, and that turned out to be the real ticket.  So I picked up a white Lunker Lure Buzzbait, the best ever made, and went to work.

The solunar tables got it dead on right.

From barely daylight until around 8:00 they were up and biting.  A couple of important observations:  First you had to put it right on the bank and have it moving.  Of the 9 caught that hour 6 or 7 came in the first couple of cranks.  The one big fish that came way off the bank came out of an isolated bush to smoke it at boatside.  I love catching them this way and that, but when a real one smashes a buzzbait it is still my favorite strike.

The best bite of the morning, 5 feet from my rod tip.  Absolutely smoked it.

But most important this morning, grass with bait.  Reminded me of the bay, if there was grass you might get a bite or two, same with an area that has bait.  But today when you combined them and added a steady rise it was one of those set of conditions that happens, and as long as you recognize it you are in business.

And these 2 made a nice tourney 5 fish limit!

I did hit a couple of my better wood places and only caught a couple of smalls, so I ditched that and stayed with the buzzbait.  As the sun came out the baitfish activity steadily decreased, and the bite was over.  After they quit the big bite, I tossed the silver minnow with a pearl Knockin Tail trailer and managed to catch a small and miss a couple.  It was definitely a case where once the sun came out, they called it a morning.

I woke up before the alarm this morning, there was no question it was going to be good.  The great days are often easy to forecast and this was one of them.  Thank goodness it looks like the fish have decided to come up with the raise, which might turn out to be a really good thing later.  Having seen them do the exact opposite at times it gives me hope when combined with the forecast.  They are talking some crazy shit like possibly 4 – 5 inches of rain this weekend.  If we get that the lake will take a big jump, and as long as they come along with it the fall fishing is shaping up to be as good as it has been in a while.

With the bite slow and the grass needing mowing I called it a morning at 10:00.  I did not want to call it to close and not get it mowed before the big rain this weekend. When it is all said and done it was the kind of morning that makes getting up all those other days’ worth it.

*****************

Though the weather might depress the holiday weekend everybody needs to be careful out there.  Before you head to the water time to check your paperwork, life jackets, fire extinguisher, and flare dates if headed to the bay.  Then take a minute and walk around the trailer and check out your lights and tires.  It only takes 5 minutes to do all of that, it might save you a ticket, or even save your life.  Be the bigger guy at the ramp and on the water, assume other folks do not have a clue, which on any holiday weekend is quite possible.  And if you are not at idle put on the kill switch, it is not only the law, but it might also be the most important piece of safety equipment on the boat.  Last, do not drink if you are driving and responsible for everyone in your boat.  Save it for later.   Have a great weekend with family and friends as most of us mark the end of summer.

**************

I will be close to the house all weekend as I leave it to the rest if the folks.  It is possible, depending on the weather I might be off to Baffin with a friend to lay some tracks and mark some way points.  Fall is coming and with it some better trout fishing.  I am really looking forward to slow rolling the 5″ Knockin Tail in front of some big trout this winter and the Upper Laguana is the place to get it done.  So, time for all of you to break out the guns and go to shooting stuff.  My favorite time of the year weather fresh or salt is on the way, and it cannot get here soon enough.  So keeps stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

I prepared this for Monday morninig and it did not work out.  I was up early and headed to the lake while it was still dark.  Unfortunately there was lighting off to the SE and the closer to the lake I got the bigger it got.  That was that and it was back to the house, I don’t do lighting.   This morning it was back to the lake as there was not a lot on the radar though of course it was coming.

Weather

76/92.  Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a 805 chance or rain and thunderstorms, humid.  Wind E 7 – 13 mph.

Lake Level

A week ago.  95.36 msl.  Today.  96.39 msl.  (Up over a foot.)

Bite Times

Minor   10:00 am to 11:00 am.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

The water temp was 86 at the ramp and it had just a little bit of color.  And it is definitely up, which ended up meaning something.  It was cloudy and real humid which led to my decision to get right to the good stuff and see if they were there.  The first place it was one, the next 4 smalls, and from there it was hunt and peck until I finally got a clue.

Swim jig with a Knockin Tail trailer.  Watermelon red stick worm.

The first 6 or 8 were like the ones above, but after switching to the swim jig things improved, at least until the rain came.  I was not all that sure what I would find with the lake on the rise, you can never predict for sure how they will react to a big rise, and a foot plus on Coleto considering where it was is a big change.  The raise has put the water back up in quite a bite more cover.  So after fishing wood it was time to try the swim jig with a 4″ Greenback Knockin Tail.   Want the rattle even more in off color water.

When the lake went down I switched from 15lb test to 12lb on the swim jig to go along with very little cover.  Now quite a bit of the grass is back in the water and there is fish in it.  After catching a small on the swim jig I had one break my line, my fault.  The bites were coming on the back side of the grass.  Then the one above smoked it right after it came out of the grass after giving it a big hop.  Always remember that bass will track it and at times a hop will trigger a strike.  The last good bite, a 3+, came off at boatside when I attempted to boat flip it.  Stupid move on my part.  And then it started coming over the hill with rain off in the distance.  I tried to stretch it out and of course I waited a minute to long and had a miserable ride back to the ramp.

But I will say one thing, it looks really promising.  I fished 2 1/2 hours catching 8 or 9, and would have ended up with a good string if it had not poured.  The last 2 places I managed to fish before the rain came had plenty of water in the grass and there was fish in both of them.  Hopefully that is a sign of things to come at the lake.  And with rain forecast for the next week we just might get a lot of what we lost back, which bodes well for the future.

**************

Starting to think about Colorado again.  There is a TV show, Fishful Thinker, where he fishes almost exclusively in Colorado and I have learned quite a bit.  I had no clue that Echo Lake right out of Pagosa Springs holds the record for the biggest largemouth at 13+.  But the one thing that really stuck with me was how he fishes light jigs in the rivers and streams and catches some really great trout.  So last month when I stopped and checked my favorite spot on the river I tossed a 1/16th olive marabou jig and caught 3 in nothing flat.  So will sit down and tie a couple of dozen 1/8 and 1/16th for the couple of weeks I will be fishing out there at the end of the month.   And of all things a couple of guys I know will be out there at the same time.  Depending on how close they are hopefully we can fish together.  But no matter what it will be good to be back in the mountains, which has turned into our happy place.

****************

Definitely going to try to get back on the lake as soon as I can.  As the water comes up if it will just not rain buckets a good cloudy day could be something.  And it will be interesting to see how the influx of fresh water affects the bay.  Only another week and summer is officially over and the traffic on the bay will decrease immediately.   Fall is here so let the fishing begin.  While I do not want my life to pass by at high speed all I have to say about this summer is bye, you sucked.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

***************

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Weather

78/94.  Humid with times of clouds and sun; with a 40% chance of thundershower in spots in the afternoon.  Wind S  12 – 21 mph.

Lake Level

Today  95.36 msl.   Last Monday   95.32 msl.

Bite Times

Major   9:53 am to 11:53 am.  (Dead on.)

It was still dark when I got to the ramp, it was dead calm with good cloud cover.  The water temp was in the high 80’s over the lake and the clarity is good.  This morning I decided to cut to the chase and head to my good spots and throw the creature bait and the stick worm, and as I said before any color is fine, as long as it is watermelon red of some sort.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

The bite was on.

I went to my magic tree and caught 8 in nothing flat, all small.  From there I just kept hunting around wood trying to find some better fish.  And then my luck changed, or at least I did.  It seemed the plastic was catching mostly smalls so I switched it up to fishing the swim jig like the plastic, hopping and dropping.  The first one was a nice one, and for the next hour plus it was on.

Early smalls but it got better mid-morning.

Once I found them they were bunched up and when they hit they were eating it.  And though the smalls were mixed in it was one of those times where I kept re-fishing the same areas.  There were 3 places where they bit so it was definitely stay with them until you did not get another bite.  It was flat fun.

The swim jig hopped off the bottom got the good bites.

Another Kentucky showed up today, and it was a little bigger than most I have caught but it just confirms they are getting established.  Winter will be the real litmus test, they love winter just like I like winter fishing so hopefully we will intersect.

Spotted Bass are cool looking.

They are prevalent in the north Arkansas highland lakes and the good ones cannot resist a jerk bait.  Not sure what affect it will have on the lake long term, but with the changes it has gone through in the last 3 years who knows.  And speaking of changes looking at the plantings areas not really sure it is taking off.  But will also withhold judgment on that until it goes for a year.  But right now it does not look promising.

It was flat good this morning.  The clouds held and the wind did not pick up until after 11:00, when they finally slowed down.  But the numbers were nothing to sneer at, an easy 25.  Slow and methodical was the ticket and it was nice to have a good day.  It is sumer.

***************

Stopping at Academy to buy a belt, just a quick in and out, did not work out that way.  I need another rod like another hole in my head so of course I bought one.  It is a really nice Berkley and it was clearance at $17.  And it did the job this morning.  At this point when we finally hit the road it will be a heck of a garage sale.

**************

One thing you begin to notice when watching fishing shows is that smallmouth up north make up a lot of the bass fishing.  There is a reason, they are easy to catch in those places, so making a show is pretty much a sure thing.  As Zona said on the tournament coverage this weekend smallmouth are stupid.  Guess that is why he fishes for them so much.

**************

Have a few things to take care of with the truck and tires after putting 6,000 miles on it in one month.  And with a return to Colorado in the next month times to make sure all is good.  With the weather looking up and down not sure when I will get back out but it won’t be long.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

**************

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

****************

You never know but today’s fishing could not have been any different if it tried.  First the weather, it was almost dead calm and sunny, and the bite was definitely not on.  I only threw the buzzbait until the sun came up, from that point on it was plastics and swim jig in the area I caught them yesterday.  While I was not surprised due to the complete change in conditions it was a lot slower than one would have thought.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

The only fish of note today.  A Kentucky or spotted bass.

Today I lightened up some on the weight, a pegged 3/16 tungsten on a stick worm and the small ones sure liked it and other than one that jumped off it was all smalls.  My magic tree produced 9, but not a one measured.  And where I caught them yesterday on the swim jig it was a complete strike out.  Another place produced a couple on swim jig, but again all small.  At times I bitch about the wind, today I was hoping for some.  I tried to fish stuff in the right order but not really sure that would have made a difference, it was simply the weather.  And other than the Kentucky not a fish worth taking a picture of.so I spared you that.

Speaking of Kentucky or spotted bass they are slowly establishing a population.  It is still a fairly rare catch but that is one of several (Maybe 10.) I have caught since spring.  And remember TPWD told me they only shocked like 5 over 20 years so that tells you how quickly they have spread.  In fact, thinking about it I might have caught a couple in the prior 12 years so looks like there are here to stay.

In spite of the slow fishing there was a fallback plan today, which was to put a few white bass on ice.  We have been eating salmon right along and it is time for a fry so I had the cooler ready to go.  The place they usually stage, along with bass and at times catfish, is a big flat off a major channel turn.  Today they were in 14 – 18 feet of water scattered on shad.  Using a rattling shad style bait that ran about 10+ was the hot bait.

I needed about 5 or 6 of the Coleto smalls and it took a couple of hours.  (Course it did not help when I got number 5, a nice one, which I promptly unhooked and tossed back.  Brain fart.) The bass were the big hit and easily boated twice as many.  The white bass are small on Coleto but there is a few of them and like all fish, a good soak and fry cures lots of ills.  While the fishing was slow it is good to be back on my home waters.  This time of year is not the easiest, but like i always say the more I fish the luckier I get.  Nothing beats time on the water.

****************

And speaking of fish the crappie are just going nuts on the lake.  When I cleaned fish a couple of guys were cleaning 40 nice crappie, all caught on minnows.  He was telling me the minnows are $5 a dozen.  Yikes.  I sold them 3 dozen for a buck at the store.  And I did not use them then, always been a jig guy.  Not sure why I have not worked that over some on the lake, there are plenty of them there and the guys who chase them regularly are quite successful.

****************

My favorite time of the year is right around the corner.  Time to renew the fishing/hunting license.  (Puts me up to $400 on fishing this week and I have not even left town.  Ouch.)  It means folks are about to get the guns out and start blasting away, which reduces folks on the water.  So get out there and kill something.  And if there is any left over give me a call, will be happy to take it off your hands.

***************

It is really sad to read the Falcon Lake Tackle website.  The lake is past way down, it is getting dangerously low.  Launching is getting to be a real problem and those pesky hardwoods can eat a lower until right up.  And from what I read there is only one or two ramps left open on Amistad, which includes Rough Canyon.  Glad I was able to fish them during their heyday.  Amazing where all that water went.  Water is going to be the big issue at some point, ask the folks out west.  It sure would be a good time to extend ramps while the water is down, we can only hope the drought will finally be a thing of the past, but don’t hold your breath.

It seems to me the dilemma going on out west with the Colorado River can only be solved this way.  Go back to the original agreement between the states and users, set those % as the baseline, and then cut every user from farmer to cities the same amount. If it is 50% or whatever then hold them to it.   Everybody is more important than the other guy so make it across the board and tell the end user to figure it out.  We can not continue to use that much water, end of story.

***************

And this from SA Joe commenting on my reel guarantee story.

Went the same with shimano rods. Bought some really nice ones back in 2006 for my Air Force retirement presents with left hand retrieve reels. They were lifetime rods. One sticker came off. But I was able to return one but still have to pay for some no questions asked plan they had. Still 1/2 cost of newrod, got a bait casting rod Shimano Curado. And did with a spinning rod I lost in water 2 months after I got it. The luck I have

That is actually where one of my lifetime reels went, to the bottom.  In the end they keep on making it and we keep on buying it.  But hey, it is half the fun of fishing.

***************

I got called for jury duty in Victoria.   They have a website and you can sign up, fill out your info and they will contact you with any changes.  So up early Wednesday, shaved, showered, clean clothes and off I go.  Surprise?  Not really, there was no court.  The lady asked me if I had gotten the text, which if you think about then why in the hell would I be standing there?  I was a successful attorney before I moved to Texas, now I would rather eat my own kidneys than practice law in Texas.  The whole system sucks, just saying.

**************

Not sure what and where is next but there is no real change in the weather on the horizon.  But fishing will be involved one way or another.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

****************

It was stunning this morning.

My day started not quite the way I would like it but it made a comeback.  The problem?  I spent $350 before the sun came up.  The Coleto annual and $100 gas in the truck and boat, which did not fill either one.  It was raining close by with lightning, but after looking at the radar it looked like a go so I headed to the lake.

It was barely daylight when I put in.  The lake is obviously dropping, the color was a little off the farther up lake you go, and the temp was in the mid 80’s in most places.  I started with buzzbait and a couple committed but once the sun came up that went by the wayside.

Weather

73/94.  Times of clouds and sun with a 80% chance of rain with a couple of thunderstorms.  Wind  SE  10  – 22 mph.

Lake Level

Today   95.32 msl.   7/6/2022 (Last time I fished it.)  –  95.75 msl.

Bite Time 

Minor   10:35 am   to   11;35 am.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

The good news, landed a big one. 

The bad news, went 1 for 3 on fish bigger than this one, guess I am a little bit rusty.   They were definitely biting this morning and if I had done my part it would have been a really good day, but since I had not fished the lake in weeks boating 15 give or take a few it was not a bad summer morning.

Several like these.

2 jumped on the buzzbait early but I went to plastics as soon as the sun was up.  It stayed cloudy/partly cloudy with a 15 mph wind.  As far as the plastics it was the Berkley Pit Boss, a stick worm, and a 9″ worm.  They all got bit, one of the big fish I lost was on the big worm, she took off and just pulled off, then I broke another off.  The punch line, any color is fine as long as it is a variation of watermelon red pumpkin color.  And there were lots of smalls who would run with it but not there when setting the hook.  But you fish like each bite is the big one and bites are bites.  And this morning they kept after it.

Skinny Minnie on the buzzbait.

They were on wood but of course not all wood.  About 10:30 the wind came up a little so since I was getting my bites shallow time for the bluegill swim jig with a Rage Craw trailer and one jumped on the first cast.  On one point I boated 2 out of 3 and had the other big fish jump off, which I got a good look at.  So I stayed with that the rest of the morning alternating with the plastic to any wood.

I quit at 1:30 and they were still biting a little.  When it was all said and done not a bad morning.  Looking at the weather looks like I will leave the boat hooked up.  It is going to be sunny and a lot warmer tomorrow so will try to be at the gate when they open at 6:00.  After the way it went today I have some ideas, and plan on not losing any big fish in the morning.

***************

As I watch a little football this weekend I decided to look back at Coleto’s water level a year ago compared with today.

• 8/13/2021   –  98.18 msl.
• 8/13/2022   –  95.31 msl.
• 7/6/2022 (Last time I fished it.)  –  95.75 msl.

Last year when it came up in early summer they went to the new cover and it was buzzbait and silver minnow with a Pearl Knockin Tail.  Not sure what might be working now but with the water still dropping not sure it will be either of those but only time will tell.  The water is almost to the end of the ramp so it has fallen quite a bit.  But it sure did not affect the bite.

**************

I finally decided to get the skiff out and make sure it was functioning properly.  It started right up but unfortunately it was not peeing on the muffs so off to the shop it went.  It really has not been used enough since the last tune up, never a good thing for an outboard.  It had a mud dauber nest in the hole a few months ago and cleared up when I ran a wire through it, but obviously it did not last.  But as soon as I get it back it will be up for sale.  The time has come, if it is not being used it needs a new owner who will use it.  The hull is a 2000 and the engine is a 2010.  It has served me well and from bluegill to tarpon, on rivers, lakes and bays, it has caught it share.  I will be sorry to see it go but it has served its purpose.

***************

It was good to be back on the water.  It has been a long stretch looking back on it.  Salmon in Alaska, Snook in the Everglades, trout in Colorado, and back to bass on Coleto.  A lot of miles.  Will be taking it easy for a little, but still want a couple of days on the bay.

I did get called for jury duty on Wednesday so just have to see how that goes.  It all depends on what kind of case it is.  If it is a criminal case then the prosecution will want me off, if it is civil who knows.  But it is the duty of all of us to show up and if selected do your best.  But no matter what it will be back on the water soon.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

**************

Off Topic –  Sad State of Affairs

At times I am amused by the fickle nature of the electorate.  This country has a real schizophrenic problem with law enforcement.  It seems to come down to either you do, or don’t “really” support them, which is what is happening right now.  We now support them when we agree with them.  You either give law enforcement (FBI) the benefit of the doubt until things shake out or you don’t.  Making snap judgements without all the info is not the best way to go.

And last Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.  He has been informed he is a target of the voting case in Georgia.  Basically that means we already have enough to indict you so now is your chance to get ahead on this.  Which means talk or take it like a man.  Tough choice at his age.  But trust me, after representing hundreds of criminal defendants, almost everybody will rat.  You cannot even trust your best friend.  Once the serious jail threat comes folks start thinking about helping themselves.

**************

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

I have now covered over 6,000 miles this month, and I must confess I am tired.  We got back from Colorado yesterday and I finally got around to the blog.  Let me say it was another successful trip.  Part of that is I am headed back in just 6 weeks for a couple of weeks of fishing, and maybe just a little more real estate research.  We will just have to see what comes of that but we are more than ready.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

We never get tired of it!

That is one big bull Elk.

This guy lives at the jerky store, probably his kin in the summer sausage.  He gets bigger every year.  The only other elk we saw were south of Chama NM, where we intend to drive some next trip.

Lots and lots of turkeys this trip.

And the muley bucks were in full velvet.

Lots of mule deer this trip.  One thing I will give them they do cooperate better than any other animal.  When I get out there hope to have them on the menu regularly.

With the rain they had lately the flowers were in full bloom.

Love the top rod box.  8 full rods and reels, lockable and convienant it is worth every penny for a traveling fisherman who needs lots of stuff.

We got in our daily hike somewhere.

Checking out the creek in a new area.

As I explore more and more there are plenty of cool places for lots of different water conditions.  And with the lakes plenty of places to fish.

Ground squirrel Game of Thrones.  A great castle. 

Lots of grouse.

We get up and get in the truck at daylight.  If you want to chase the critters time is a wasting!

Love fishing the streams, a real change of pace.

It was an evening of rainbows, some doubles and even a triple.  Beautiful in that clean air.

A couple of real ones!

The prairie dogs were out and about.

I will try to get the video the Boss shot of these as the whole bunch jumped up.  There was 13 bucks in this bunch, it was something.

One of the many area lakes.

A quick stop at my Brown trout hole, can’t wait for next month.

I fished very little, though the places I did I caught fish.  And while my fly-fishing skills leave something to be desired, I did manage a couple at the last 2 places I checked.  It is looking like the water will be about perfect when I get there next month, and at least half of it I will be by myself so it will be all about the fishing.

I watched this Pine Marten so long before I finally took this crappy picture.  I was not even sure what it was but it is right up there with the greatest animals I have seen in the wild.  Way cool.

I spotted it right after I took this picture.  Up a rough dirt road to past 2 lakes.   Then a 3 mile hike to 10,000 feet or so.  It just does not get any better than this.

The view from the overlook at the pass as we headed out on our morning search.

A great shot of a grouse.

My first trout on a squiggly worm which I tied myself.  Cool bite as I watched it eat.

The Boss loves her kayak!

She was bedded down and just watched us.

Me and the Boss just hanging in the mountains.

Ready, set, go.  This says it all about what we love to do, explore.  There are literally hundreds of roads going into the mountains.  As rough as you like and high as you want.  It has led to what we call cartography.  Get out early and be ready. 

So there is the trip in pictures.  We love the mountains, and it sure was nice when it was in the mid 40’s as we hit the high mountains in the mornings, with the high 70’s in the daytime.  The weather was perfect, and it was so nice to sleep with the windows open, much less drive with them down in our morning wildlife chase.  And with all the public lands you can actually get away from folks to some extent, something that is shrinking every day.  But the upside, folks outside doing stuff in the woods.  The place we stayed did not have a tv, a bonus.  Add little to no cell service in some of places we travel it is a great change for the everyday noise we are all subjected to.  Last, we love the 4Runner and sketchy roads, it just all works together.

*************

I told you this was coming months ago!

I just do not get TPWD at times.  They have now instituted new regs for multiple counties in Texas due to Chronic Wasting Disease.  It is and will continue to spread (Sure these rules will contain the spread.)  and only time will tell if we have a potential disaster on our hands, but it is not looking good.  For the love of God do what you are chartered for:  Protect our native wildlife.  Time to end captive deer breeding, at least for the time being, or at least until those deer are all declared clean.  But as so often happens there appears to be $$$ involved in some of their decisions.  (Shocker!) Commercial interests should have no place in a wildlife department decision, ever.  It is why it is called “Wildlife”.

*************

Going to take a couple of days off, at least until I can’t take it anymore and have to put a rod in my hands.  Definitely want to do some bay fishing, and with school starting in many places and the holidays and dove season right around the corner, the traffic will start to decline.  Hunting season if my favorite season, so please all you all head to the woods and I will watch the water for you.  Then hopefully the temp will follow, and we sure could use some rain.

I appreciate all of you who keep reading the blog.  I may not work as hard on it as I did but as long as the fingers can translate some of what the mind says I will stay at it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

***************

After over a 2500 miles round trip I am finally home from ICAST and the Everglades.  Without any real internet and poor phone it was a little break from all that.  So while I am sure I will miss a thing or two time to put this trip to bed.  And if you think about it in the last couple of months I have been from one end of the country to the other, Alaska to the Everglades.  And with Colorado and the Chandeliers coming Sept/October it is a pretty good run but I digress.

ICAST was a rip roaring success and Michael picked up new customers even after leaving the show.  The Knockin Tail was a hit, and it looks like it was well worth the effort.  As I have said repeatedly once you start using them they become a part of your arsenal and we heard that plenty of times.  And spending the day speaking about fishing with other fishing nuts is a good day.  Even had a dad and son stop by and since they were staying at a place with a dock, I gave him a Pearl 5″ Knockin Tail and he caught his first bass, a 3 plus, ever.  For me the show was a bucket list trip in and of itself.  It is hard to describe how much “fishing stuff” was there, it was massive.  If you use it, want it, or ever dreamed something up in the industry it was there and plenty more.  So a big thank you to Michael for the invite, it was my pleasure.

**************

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

***************

The fishing was interesting to say the least.  It was flat tough, but I had my day.  I did not get lucky and boat a Knifefish, but not surprising after talking to a guide at the ramp, guess it will wait for a later day.  Then I did not boat a fish the first day in the Glades by myself but did manage to lose one on a topwater.  But the day with the guide was not only a bucket list day for me with snook, I learned a lot which will help me in the future.

Right off the bat I had a tarpon which looked to be around 48″ thump the Halloween 5″ Knockin Tail.  It was still almost dark and he immediately jumped and tossed the hook.  The story of my life with jig heads and tarpon, but I always love it when it happened.  In fact Tom Roland told me if I see them rolling, which I did not there, to put a 6/0 circle though the nose of the 5″ Pearl and then crank them on.  Then I caught 2 of the biggest snook of my life out of the next 3 bites and had another hog wear through a 30lb fluoro leader after a great tussle.  For the record I retied on all of the 4 bites, their head shaking gill rattling jumps are hard on line and you need a heavy leader.

That would be the tarpon landing after his escape.

Just call me happy after this one smoked the 5 inch Halloween Knockin Tail.

Nothing like the big head shake.

Big snook seem to be a combo jumper between a tarpon, they do not get that far out of the water, and a trout, as they thrash with a big mouth open.  Big snook are a wonderful animal and I can see why some folks get hooked on them.  At this point in my life it is easy to fish for the big bite, and this was that trip and when it happened it was a thing of beauty,

No hurry just let them run.

My biggest one tearing it up.

It was interesting wading.  Though this was my 3rd or 4th trip there it never crossed my mind.  I did see a few big sharks but just like here be cautious and it is no big deal.  And wading sure made the hand-to-hand combat with the snook a good time.  The last one I landed smoked it 5 feet in front of me, really a cool bite.  I really did fish well that morning and will take 2 for 4 any day on fish that size.  No matter the species big fish are special, and that morning made my trip.

Talk about big headed mommas. 

Taking the big girl to the boat for a quick pic and slow review and release.

Back and forth then thumb in their mouth.  They will let go and swim off when ready.  It is almost fun as catching them.  My PB snook, one big girl.

Suffice to say it was just my morning as Michael struggled, which he did on his second day.  I was told the fishing was tough several times down there and it held out to be true.  My response to that was I would not be here now, but ICAST refused to move the show on my account.

*****************

The last day I fished was Thursday.  I did a lot of map study and tried to duplicate the right stuff but just did not have enough time with the tides to fish more than a couple.  Big snook are not just everywhere and while I caught a few it was overall slow fishing.

Even the little guys fight like crazy.

After a couple of wades without success and the tide coming up there were a couple of places I wanted to boat fish before it got to high and stagnant.  Once they hit the mangroves on a 4 foot tide it is over.

Found a couple of places with trout, but not what I was interested in.

I gave the topwater a try but other than one bite it just was not happening.  So from that point on it was a 4″ Pink Ice Knockin Tail on 1/16th jig head.  The last small snook came on it as did the trout.  I think 4 trout jumped on a couple of places the map showed as good spots. ( Of course I saved it from a couple of prior trips stored in a big pile in the spare room of most everywhere I have been.)  The tide came in big time a little after noon and that was it.  I decided to call it a trip and to hit the road home on Friday.

The trip was just a big hit all the way around.  I put in at the Rod and Gun Club ramp which has been there since the 30’s.  The ramp is fine with a good seawall to tie up on with a hose.  And by the way a couple of years ago they put in a new rule and you now need a federal license with a test to operate any boat in the Glades.  On my travels I always stop at the governing bodies place, in this case the Everglades National Park office and they were kind enough to help me to study and take the test.  It was quick and easy and better than a ticket.  Good thing I stopped.  From there it is out the Barron River which is well marked all the way to the Gulf.  Once there it is a world of fishing and just maybe I will get back in early spring.  Like all good places with cool fish it comes down to one thing:  How bad do you want it?

****************

Driving

Obviously, I spent a lot of time on the road, and it was well worth it.  Here are a few observations.

• Going and coming there were at least 5 or more major incidents on the interstates, and none ended up costing me much time.  The only one on my side was at the Inverness exit which I took to get on 19/27 the Old Georgia Florida Parkway to take a break from the interstate.  (It really is the last of the cool old rides left in Florida and I take it every trip.)  There were warning signs that traffic was stopped, and it was.
• The roads in Florida are really good and since they do much of their construction at night it is not a big deal.  But they do drive like a NASCAR race on the interstates.
• When I left ICAST heading south the inbound traffic in to Orlando was bumper to bumper barely moving for 32 miles.  No Thanks!!
• Louisiana gets the award as it has in my travels for years:  The shittest roads in America, by far.  They are just flat terrible and the state taxpayers are definitely getting screwed.  Really hard on boat trailers and vehicles.
• Texas gets the award for placing the concrete barriers on construction sites an inch from the road on both sides making side by side with a semi more fun than sharp stick in the eye.
• Right in downtown Shreveport there was a major accident, they completely blocked off the interstate, traffic was backed up for miles.
• It poured like crazy in the Tallahassee area where the traffic was nuts coming home causing most of us to slow down to 45 – 55.  I ended up passing 3 of those 3-car tag along things headed to Mexico and the driver of the first one was texting.  Crazy.
• I paid from $3.50 to $4.45 for gas.  The biggest expense of the trip.
• It was easy driving then the reality of being home.  As soon as I passed Buckys the wind started to blow, first time on the whole trip.  Nothing like the Texas coast this year.

***************

Speaking of Snook

Michael got this while we were at ICAST from Ernest one of the top guides in the South Padre area.  That was one big shark eating one big snook.  As a side not Ernest organizes trips to Mexico for plentiful tarpon, bonefish, and a few permit in an area I was not familiar with but his pics are great.  I am planning to be on his next one in the spring, it looks awesome.  They leave from down there, fly direct and then picked up for an all-inclusive 3 days including guide, and the price is right.  Time to take a real fly rod trip and this looks like the place to do it.

**************

When you get my age you realize that all you will have left is the memories and you either make them or end up wishing you had.  The memory of trophy fish wallowing like the hogs they were will live in my mind forever. It was just that amazing.

Not really keeping track or writing as I went it was also different.  That was the only downside to staying in the swamp, if it could really be called a downsize. Unplugging has its benefits.

An interesting stretch but it is back to real life.  Plenty of stuff left to be organized and cleaned but I am already thinking about what is next.  There are a couple of things to add to the next post but wanted to get this up and call it a day on this trip.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines