Father of Many – Enemy of None

On March 15, 2021 my father, Dean L Coppernoll, died at the ripe old age of 92.

My father’s health had declined during the pandemic and he died peacefully on Monday.  All the family was there and able to say good bye.  He lead a wonderful life, and actually worked all over the country until he retired at 76.  A great father, husband, and successful salesman, he had many friends and was well respected by all who knew him.

His 4 passions, family, church, work, and golf.  Born in a small town in Illinois and raised on a farm, they milked cows by hand, picked corn by hand, doing the work with a team of horses. No indoor plumbing or other creature comforts, it was a different time but taught him hard work the rest of us can only imagine.  He made it to the University of Illinois and got his degree, and was a Lt. in the Air Force during the Korean war when he met and married my Mom.  He and mom worked hard at taking care of 5 kids, multiple friends, dogs, cats, and all the insanity of raising 5 teenagers during the 60″s.

I know that I am lucky to have known him, father or not.  Smart, compassionate, he would knock out the NY Times crossword puzzle, and do not try him at Scrabble unless you want your butt kicked.  Words can not fully describe a life so full.  I will miss him.  RIP Daddy.

(Not sure when I will be back on the water.)

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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I had hoped to be on the bay Wednesday but it just did not work out.  The folks I was going to fish with did not end up having room as they were going to boat fish and not wade, they already had 3 in the boat.  And since it was the same boat as mine I demurred, the LTS is not a 4 person boat by any means.  Since the LTS is in the shop it will be the skiff on the lake tomorrow.  It has been a great boat, but I just do not use it enough.  But as usual glad I have it so I can keep on fishing.  Just might make a trip to the Louisiana marsh her final voyage, at least by me.  But with a basically new trolling motor, graph, and batteries it is ready to go.

Weather

68/83.  Some  low clouds turning to sun, then breezy with a 9% chance of rain.  Wind  SSE  15 – 25 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.88 msl.   Monday  93.79 msl.  (A slow steady rise.)

Solunar Period

Major  12:13 am to 2:13 pm.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

I am going to make a long story short.  Spinnerbait early caught 6 or so, then swim jig caught 5 and a Controlled Descent Jerk shad caught one.  The wind was blowing right along and the color on much of the lake had deteriorated in places.  The water temp was 66 – 69 over the whole lake, and was a little patchy here and there.

With the wind spinnerbait was the ticket.

They wanted it buzzed and most like last trip were near wood.  The wind kept me from throwing the topwater minnow as it was just a little rough for that.  So I decided to give the swim jig a go, and they liked it.  The only problem, 3 or 4 of them when I set the hook flew over the boat, they were that small.  But the good thing, the little fish are on the move.  And as we are in the dark stage of the moon look for the bass to start spawning bigtime in 2 weeks.

Another spring sign, the carp were wallowing here and there, and of course it trashed the water color in that area.  And with the tilapia on the beds it is going to be crappie and bass time soon.  As I said before we are about to find out where the lake stands, I am trying to be optimistic about the whole thing.

I quit early and when I got to the ramp a guy had managed to drive his boat over the guide post which wedged in the gunnel and he was hung up.  So I jumped in his boat and he backed back in and I was finally able to wrangle the post out of the gunnel and get him on the road.  Unfortunately he did not have a bite, which is not uncommon after talking to a few folks at the ramp.  So only time will tell.

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First I want to congratulate Michael.  The Knockin Tail is now available in 10 states and growing rapidly.  He just added a big Louisiana store to the list and it keeps growing.  Make a bait that catches fish and it will sell, and the Knockin Tail catches fish.

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The St. Joe Fishing  Club fished the Belton tournament and Joaquin’s team finished 13th out of 55 teams.  This after his 10th place finish in the last tournament he is showing some real promise.  And to make it even tougher Bass Champs was also fishing that day with 198 boats.  Believe me that was crowded.  Good luck for the rest of the year, you are off to a good start.

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From the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Millions of fish off the Texas coast died after the winter storm in February, officials say.

Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists estimate at least 3.8 million fish consisting of 61 species were killed by the cold weather. Not since the 1980s have so many fish died due to freezing temperatures in the state, officials say.

About 91% of the fish killed were non-recreational species, officials say.

“While not sought after by most anglers, non-game fish are ecologically important, providing food for larger game fish as well as adding to the overall diversity of Texas bays,” officials said in a Wednesday news release.

For recreational fish, spotted seatrout were hit worst, accounting for about half the deaths among game species, officials say.

Hey,

I just signed the petition “Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director Carter Smith: REGULATE CAST NET HARVESTING AT LAKE FAYETTE, FAYETTE COUNTY TX” and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name.

Our goal is to reach 500 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:

http://chng.it/2f9fxQnyX9

Thanks!
Rusty

I signed and I urge you to sign.  Basically what is happening has made Fayette a dangerous place at times with other illegal activity, not to mention deaths from boating issues.  It has been going on for a couple of years now and the complaints have been increasing.  Time to rein in the behavior and set some rules that are fair for all.  Please read and sign.  It is time.

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I have ranted on this subject before and I will do it again after reading a post trashing a lure for being “a copy” of another bait.  First, this came from a tournament fisherman, who of course was sponsored by another company.  Second, it shows the limited depth of folks knowledge and respect for the history of our sport.  EVERY lure is a variation of a first.  All crankbaits flow from the Big O, minnow baits from the Rapala, and every plastic is a variation of the first worm, to name a few.  Innovation moves the industry, and this country.  So unless you want to trade your SCB for a jon boat might want to think about your stand on innovation.

It really is an indication of the elitism that has taken over fishing.  Somehow folks think that being good at catching fish is something more than it really is.  So you can catch fish: kinda like when you fed the hungry, got an advanced degree, wrote a book, or took care of a sick stranger?  Those are the things than make us something, not our ability to catch a trout.  When it is all said and written, fishing is just a blip on the screen.  In the end we will be remembered for the things we did, good or bad, not how many fish we caught.

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Unfortunately my father was just taken to inpatient hospice care.  He is 94 and has had a full life, it has been coming for a while.  So we are headed to Arkansas and not sure when I will be coming back.  From there who knows?  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Better Cork built a Better Way

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It was looking like I would be fishing with friends on the bay Monday but they were not going to arrive until later in the day so I re-scheduled for Wednesday.  So it will be my usual Monday on Coleto for a short day.  But I have a few things to do including take the boat to the mechanic for the yearly, and get the last vaccine shot Tuesday and some truck service.  Then all will be right with the world and it will be back to fishing.  I am making no projections on the fishing tomorrow, but I am looking forward to improving my last results.

Weather

60/74.  Pleasant with a blend of clouds and sun and  a 15% chance of rain.  Wind ESE 10 – 20 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.79 msl.   Last Friday  93.73 msl.

Solunar Period

Major  8:49 am to 10:49 am.

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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

A great way to start the morning.

The water temp was 63 at the ramp, 67 here or there over the rest of the lake.  Color in some places was poor, but it was a light wind with increasing clouds so decided to stay with the plan as much as possible, fish the balsa minnow topwater.  They liked it last week and a few liked it today.  And it appears the lake is improving.

The Pearl Knockin Tail put the best one in the boat today.

I caught a small one on my first cast, though no more bites there, so on to another cove, and not a bite.  For the first part of the morning not much was happening.  But the few bites I had were on wood so I headed up lake and fished main lake and coves, a couple of places I caught them the other day were empty.  But I managed to pick one up here and there, ended up with 8 on the minnow bait, one on spinnerbait, (I just can’t help it!) one on swim jig, and the best one on a Pearl Knockin Tail.  All came off wood.

But the topwater minnow was the bait of choice.

It was clearly wood as far as bites went, but there was plenty of empty wood, though I did not pitch, which might have been a little better.  Later in the morning I tried slow rolling the Pearl Knockin Tail around wood to see if there were any crappie shallow.  (That is coming very soon.)  and of course caught the best bass of the day.  But like everything I fished besides the topwater, each only produced one fish.  Almost forgot, had one blow up on the Controlled Descent Pearl Jerk Shad fished right under the surface like a spook, but she just did not get it.   It is also another good option right now.  Welcome to spring fishing.

And the baby gators are still hanging together.

I quit early but can live with the results.  The size was a tiny bit better, and it will continue to improve.  There are a few days every spring where it all happens, and that day is just around the corner.  Now we just keep after it and see what happens with the lake.  I can honestly say that I do not expect it will be all that good, but there is just no way to tell after our poor winter.  At least there are a few shallow, which is enough to keep me happy.

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The real reason for the afternoon was to get the boat squared up, this is no time to not have it.  The boat job is one of those it could be expensive, or it could be real expensive.  The beginning of steering tightness, which is as simple as running the brush through there, or it is a cable issue.  And another problem that has come up before, the paint job on the power tilt is coming off.  Bob told me that lots of the parts/additions on the engine actually come from suppliers and are bolt on for Mercury.  No matter, I replaced the last one and it should not happen twice in 12 years.  (I mean it has only been fishing over 1000 times!)  At least they both came up at the same time as the yearly maintenance.  So time to crank up the skiff and run it a little, then when the Mako is back the skiff will finally be hitting the road.

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Just saw the Thursday weather report and they are talking 30mph plus.  Perfect.  But if those boys are willing I will be on the bay Wednesday somewhere.  After that who knows but it looks like spring has sprung.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Better Cork built a Better Way

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The only thing to do after falling off the horse is to get back on.  Nobody likes a quitter and I ain’t no quitter.  So after cleaning the boat and fixing a couple of things it will be off to the lake in the morning.  Not sure what to expect considering my run of luck lately, but there is no place like home so we shall see.

Weather

58/82.  Mostly cloudy with a 25% chance of rain.  Wind WSW 7 – 12 mph.

Lake Level

8 days ago  93.70 msl.   Today  93.74 msl.   (Keep coming!)

Solunar Period

Major  5:55 am to 7:55 am.  Minor  11:18 am to 12:18 pm.

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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

Didn’t exactly get my mojo back, but things are definitely looking up.

They were out today.

I was at the ramp and fishing by 6:45.  The lake was calm, fairly clear, the water temp was in the mid to high 60’s all over the lake, and it was perfect cloudy.  First up was a main lake point that should have fish on it, and it did.  Started with the Bang O Lure twitching it on top and caught 4 pretty quickly.  Now they were all small but that is not the point.  The fact is 9 jumped on the balsa minnow today, a major improvement.

It was slow, but they were biting some.  The Boss had ordered a white bass fry, so I fished my way up lake and once getting to where they were made 2 passes and put 6 in the box and filled that order.  The Pearl Knockin Tail was the ticket as it has been.  There was one little hitch in the git along when something big jumped on the trolled Bang O Lure, was on for a second, and broke my line.  When I reeled it in it was covered with slime, probably a big catfish.  It stayed calm until around noon as I fished my way back down lake.  Alternating between spinnerbait, Bang O Lure, and swim jig, only the Bang O Lure produced a bite when the sun came out.  I can safely say that if I had just fished the minnow bait and not wasted time with the other stuff I would have caught several more.

All 11 were like this and smaller.  But they are about to get after it.

I fished 5 coves and only got bites in 2 of them.  They came in those little side pockets which were warm, and there are a few beds and the tilapia are definitely spawning.  At this water temp my guess is the “real” bass are going to come in really soon.  They are going to spawn, they can’t help themselves.  And as a side note the white bass have not spawned yet, at least the ones I am catching and eating, which is surprising.

A whole bunch of baby alligators.  They were making lots of noise and I am sure moma was close.

I did catch 2 jerking the Bang O Lure under water after I saw them.  A great sign.  And one jumped it when I was reeling in.  Once the sun came out it slowed way down.   The last place I tried no bites, but the back end was full of tilapia so if you like to bowfish now is the time.

So at 1:30 called it a day, and while no big fish jumped on the bite is about to get good.  How good remains to be seen, but the boys came to the bank and the girls will not be far behind.  Feeling a whole lot better about the lake after a tough period and will be patiently waiting on some rain to raise it and provide cloud cover.  The one thing I did not throw today was the Controlled Descent Pearl Jerk Shad.  It just might be the ticket as it has been in the past, and it is sure easier to see.

Not sure what kind of hawk this is but he stuck around and occasionally hits the ground for a bite.

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Whether trolling or casting they eat the Pearl Knockin Tail and usually only the jig head is sticking out.

I did forget to mention one other thing about the white bass on Falcon.  I threw the Pearl Knockin Tail one cast, and caught one.  I never did pick it back up, how many white bass do you want to catch?  It really is a white bass killer!  They flat eat it.

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Am very anxious to hear about Michael’s trip to the lower Laguna Thursday.  The weather looks great and so I hope they sack them up.  The future of the bay is still up in the air until TPWD speaks, probably after their netting surveys.

Michael’s report is better than I would have guessed.  He caught 6 eaters not counting dinks on the Purple Demon Knockin Tail.  And on the Pearl Controlled Descent Jerk Shad  6 from 2lbs up to 6 along with 2 slots reds.  And one in their party did ok on top with a couple of good trout and a redfish.  So the moral of the story, maybe we dodged a bullet on the bay.  Nice job.  And as a side note they only saw 1  dead fish.

And Colton and his bunch won another tournament with a 4 trout bag weighing  16lbs plus.  So the news continues to be looking better for the bay.

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Not sure what exactly is next, though get my second vaccine shot on Tuesday.  And a friend is coming down with his son to fish out of Seadrift and I hope to join them a day this week.  And I will be back on the lake for sure.  Spring fishing is finally looking up and it will be fish till you drop around here.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Better Cork built a Better Way

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Now that is sunrise!

I almost do not know where to start.  I have been many places, fished in all conditions, and learned something new each trip.  This trip to Falcon was “something” for lots of reasons.  Not happy catching a 100?  87 degrees Sunday afternoon, Monday blowing 30 out of the northwast with what turned out be a 35 degree temperature drop and kept me in the cabin all day.  An 8 degree water temp drop, it goes on and on.  Dead tilapia, and not a few, or a bunch, or a million.  Those words can not describe the carnage!  From one end of the lake to the other, it was nothing short of astounding.  How bad?  They were using tractors with buckets at the County Ramp, it was amazing/sickening.  And the lake was rock bottom low, a totally different animal.  The cove we normally put in – dry as a bone nowhere near the water.

Millions, and I mean freakin’ millions, of dead tilapia over every inch of the lake and boy did it stink.

I drove over Sunday and as usual Beacon’s left the key in the room so I was able to drop stuff off and head out.  First, I had to figure out where the ramp was.  Beacon’s always has a place to launch whether 40 feet high, or 40 feet low.  This time it was on the main lake and it took a while to figure out which road to get there.  But it was a good ramp with a pier so no big deal.

Starting out it was apparent this is a whole different animal.  So the next couple of hours I did the smart thing by cruising the areas I was planning to fish.  My favorite area in high or low water – no water, end of story.  The side coves, no water. My first creek choice the water ended a mile from where I was headed, and the depths were minimal.  The second creek I was planning on fishing, only good water at the mouth and in the first couple of pockets.  But while idling and graphing the second place found a good ledge with brush that I marked.  Looked perfect.  Idling into the first cove there are shad flipping in the quiet water with the 87 degrees sun beating down on it.  So good place to start right?  Should be some bass there.  It would end up defining the trip.

See this?  Multiple by 100 and you get how the fishing went.

Spinnerbait, jerkbait, crankbait, or where, it did not matter.

I caught one white bass, then another, and another, I ended up the short afternoon wearing them out.  Make a pass, catch 5 – 10.  Change baits and make a pass, catch 5 – 10.  For a couple of hours it was a massacre.  Not what I came but sure fun, heck I will get the bass tomorrow, though no bass was a little surprising as I was fishing a big area.  Little did I know what the rest of the trip would bring.  While fishing a guide boat came in the mouth where I marked the brush and ledge, and started fishing.  So great, will start there in the morning with plastics, good find.  But wait, not so fast buster.

After watching the weather for days before deciding where to go I knew Monday would be raining, but it turned out to be a lot worse than that.  But give the weathergirl down there props, she was spot on.  Daylight till 9:00 heavy clouds, 9:00 rain with a chance of thunderstorms, though only heard a little, then starting to blow with gusts over 30 out of the NW.  Don’t know what you all know about Falcon, but high NW winds can be straight out unsafe , it literally blows right down the whole length of the lake and my primary spot was miles down lake.  Unfortunately it played out just like she said.  Maybe 30 years ago I might have tried to squeeze in a couple of hours and then make a run at the last minute, but not these days.  (How I cracked the hull of my Champion, taking on waves like that.) There are lots of other days to fish.

Crankbait crappie.  And like the rest of the trip, a catfish on a spinnerbait.  Notice the clothing change, Sunday T shirt, then Tuesday bundled up.  This was supposed to be South Texas on the Mexican border!

So Tuesday morning I am up early full of anticipation and on the pile and ledge at daylight.  Then not a bite and I worked it over.  It was big, with a perfect ledge at the mouth of a big creek, and totally barren of fish.  I ended up fishing 11 hours and just did not find them.  So from that point on I cranked, and jerked, and dragged. 6XD, square bill, spinnerbait, jerkbait, creature plastics, I emptied the box.   I threw it all shallow and deep, on rocks, on gravel, on creek channels, it did not matter.  I made several moves but it was all the same, white bass.  They were in the coves and on the main lake.  I was not on the bass, and they were not helping any.

Now I see why the Falcon Lake tackle report says some folks catch some, others striking out.  Last month a few teams cashed a check with 8lbs, crazy on Falcon which at times is 25lbs on a 3 fish limit.  With the lake falling, 2 consecutive cold fronts, a massive fish kill, those Florida strain largemouth were not having it.  Combined with me having to learn a “new” lake, I only caught 3 bass the whole trip.  I did lose what was a big fish but who knows, the way the trip went it might have been an alligator gar.  But the white bass were literally everywhere.  It seemed like I could not get away from them.  So there you have the catch a 1oo and you are not happy.

The best I could manage.  Of course this one came right before heading home.  The old should have been here next week.

Wednesday was going to be a half day and then home, so I committed to the cause.  Out came the favorite white bass crankbait, a Rapala Shallow Shad Rap in balsa, and I went to smacking them on purpose.  It was a little slower, I probably only caught 20 – 30 give or take before I called it a trip.  Funny how when you like to catch white bass, and then all you catch is white bass, it is a “bad” thing.  But every strike could have been the big girl. at least there was that.

From the cabin porch.

Over the years there have been some epic trips to Falcon, and there has been some tough times.  One trip a few years ago we only caught 4 in 3 days, last trip 5 or 6 big fish to go along with a steady bite.  But this particular trip took the cake.  The way the lake will need to be fished properly was beyond a 3 day trip.  It would take a couple of days of just graphing to get the hang of it.  It will take that long to re-learn, it is that low.  Basically the brush is gone.  First time I wished I fished the Mexican side, at least a couple of stretches had plenty of hardwoods to flip.  And though I don’t want to harp on it, the conditions have battered the old girl.  But I am far from deterred.  It is only 4 hours and any trip you can catch the girl of your dreams.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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And Steve sent me this report from the bay.

Well, it started out as “Not much,” but ended up “Not bad.”

More of the story: I was invited to tag along with a friend that purchased an SCB from a guide, had it completely re-done and needed someone to fish the other end of the boat.  That was an easy decision for me—play with someone else’s toys, navigate new waters, do something different—sign me up!

We started off in the flats off the Cedars where they had been scratching out limits of trout before the artic blast.  Story was that they had to pick through 20-30 undersize to get to 5, but that sounded great to me.  Besides, I am not that keen on keeping a bunch of trout anyway.

The wind was calm, the water mostly clear and we were able to drift at a leisurely pace.  But the fish were just not happening.  Not a bump, drive by, or nibble, nothing.  The only “fish” we encountered were dead stingrays, stuck to the bottom.  I even managed to hook one with my Knockin Tail jig, but broke off.  I mean you know it is bad when you lose your lure to a dead fish!

We decided to try soaking some cut mullet at the jetties to see if we could scare up a big red.  We fished inside, then outside and then back inside but all we had to show was one stingray, this time lively, so we know for sure they have not gone extinct.  Finally, the tide swung from ebb to flood and the current picked up.  We anchored on the inside of the jetties at one of the swirl points and started casting dead shrimp.  Rigged with a number 3/0 khale hook in a knocker rig—tiny worm weight right on top of the hook, we cast up current towards the rocks and tight lined the bait as it drifted down the face of the rip rap.  Boom, redfish on.  22”, nice one for the box and finally some fish smell on the boat.  Then a black drum, 16”, then another.  We ended up catching about a dozen from 12” to 20” plus one hoss at 28”.  We kept a couple for dinner and let the other swim.

All total, we fished about 8 hours but caught all of our fish (except the stingray) in about 40 minutes.  The day was mostly overcast, kind of cool, but any day on the water is a beautiful day to me.  I am looking forward to figuring out the trout on the flats thing.  We plan to hit it again in 3-4 weeks and see what we can find.

Thanks for the report.  As we so often do, it is nice when we make chicken salad out of chicken crap.  And I am with you on fishing with others, and I am sure the SCB was a sweet ride.  As to the bay, guess I will have a go at it next week.  And the rest of you – if you are fishing the bay drop me a note, we are interested in the results of the kill.  If you are catching them you don’t have to cough it up, just a word on what you are finding.  I sure did see it on Falcon, at least the majority (Millions!) were tilapia and a few catfish.  Will be waiting to hear on your next trip.

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And a little good news for the bay fishing.  Colton and his bunch fished a big tourney on the salt and won with a 4 trout stringer that went 16.57.  Good news, at least they are still out there.  Those boys can catch them.

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And Rusty the resident Fayette guru had a really good day on Fayette so it looks like it is picking up there.  Hopefully Coleto has made some progress.

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So there you have it.  Of course I am already planning the next trip.  Thought Amistad was in the works, though it might have fell through still think I will go.  And where will I be in the morning?  Fishing of course.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Falcon lake slow rolling a spinnerbait last trip.

Even the Boss is sick of my whining.  Her response – Just go somewhere.  So after fretting over where, I finally decided on Falcon.  It has a special place in my heart, first for producing some really big fish, but just as much for how it fishes.  And while pitching and cranking have their moments it is the spinnerbait fishing there that I love.

My first trip there I learned a lesson that has served me well.  Take a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait, change the blades from a willow to a #5 Colorado, then toss it out and crawl it along feeling the heavy thump.  If you feel wood, a common occurrence, give it a pull and hold on.  It is not the fastest way to fish and it takes real patience, but the big bite ratio is high which is the reason I do it.  And it is so crazy when one thumps the crap out of it and you miss, because he had the whole thing in this mouth and smashes it flat.  And also a little swim bait fishing with the big stuff is on tap, have to see where they are set up.  But no matter what it is the search for the big bite.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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And this gal came on the same day.

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I got several comments on my last couple of posts where I whined like a little girl, and I mean no disrespect to girls, but fishing has been tough.  The fishing on the lake has really declined this winter and now the horrible fish kill.  Of course part of it is me, but seeing all the dead fish from South Padre to Houston does not bode well.

First from Rick.

Just a heads up. The Park in Jonestown is now charging $20.00 just enter the Jones Bros. Park. Outrageous!!! You had said you might be going to Travis. Water is so low I’m not sure if you can even launch.

I actually looked at Travis but the weather was not as favorable as Zapata.  I can not believe how ramp fees are raising crazy in some places.  It is not like the only ramp on Lake of the Woods for a 100 miles, or Everglades City deep in the Everglades.  In fact the big increase on Coleto, when combined with the slow fishing, has reduced folks by a ton.  Not sure they didn’t cut off their nose in spite of their face.   Like yesterday there was only one other trailer at the ramp.  Good to hear from you.

And this from anonymous.

If I were you I would go to Ivie. 6 Sals in a week. Why not. Fishes like a highland lake.

Funny you should say that as it is on the radar.  But I am taking the safe way out by heading to Falcon.  At least it will save me a little time, though until I see the water level not sure what it will be like.  And it has a special place in my heart after catching my 3 PB’s in 24 hours there.  So Ivie is on the list.  Thanks for commenting.

Matt chimed in with his 0.02 worth.

You may try Texana. I’ve also heard Choke Canyon is good.

I am going to fish Texana as I got some real help from folks this spring.  But I am going to do the big fish thing on Falcon.  What makes it all that for me is the anticipation on every cast.  And Choke, I just learned from a guide and reader in the area, has lots of grass, which makes it a swim jig hotspot.  So many places so little time.  Good to hear from you.

And last from Ernest.

Your breaking my heart about the fishing being slow. If its Gods will ill retire after 36 years at the same company. If i’m lucky maybe I can enjoy some slow days myself! Thanks for keeping us working folks entertained. Good luck until then and save some fish for me!

Don’t worry, when you retire there will be plenty of slow days to go along with the great days.  But you know what?  Tough or not I am on the water.  To bad we are in a rough period but the bass will come to the shallows on Coleto, not all the fish in the bay died.  Often when it comes back it often comes back with a vengeance.  So hang in there, your time is coming.   Good to hear from you.

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What is not to like about Falcon?  A hair short of 9.

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There are a few changes proposed this year for both freshwater and saltwater.  The biggest is changes in catfish regulations on multiple lakes.  Nothing on the saltwater particularly interested me, but there is a clarification on the red snapper rules in state and federal waters for you offshore guys.  But no matter what we should all read these, one of the better ways to keep tabs on TPWD.

News Releases: – TPWD (texas.gov)

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Michael from Controlled Descent and Knockin Tail will be fishing in Port Isabelle later this week and I will be real interested in his results.  If it had not been for the fish kill that area was actually at the top of my list, figured a trip way up the Brownsville Ship Channel just might put a snook or two in the boat.  So good luck, it will be telling.

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That will about cover it until I get back.  No internet so the report will have to wait until I get back.  Hope you all had a good weekend, and maybe even did a little fishing.  And I love to hear what you all have to say so if the mood strikes you drop me a line.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Well I just could not stand it.  The weather is perfect, so I decided to fish the lake this afternoon, so will be headed that way a little after 10:00.  It does sound crazy with my results lately, but I have never been accused of being “normal”.  Plus want to stop by the mechanic and have him look at something he might need to order before it goes in for annual service.

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Weather

61/64.  Mostly cloudy; and cooler with a 15% chance of rain.  Wind ESE 10 – 15 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.70 msl.  Monday  93.66 msl.

Solunar Times

Major  11:24 am to 1:24 am.

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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

Always just a little uneasy getting this close, but they sure are interesting animals!

This was a really interesting day as far as conditions went.  It was 63 at the ramp, 67 in front of the discharge cove, and 65 way up lake when I put in at 10:30.  Now what makes it interesting, when you come around the corner headed back and can see the ramp cove the water temps drops from 67 to 63, and the water color is not all that good.  And the whole main area is that temp and it did not warm any today.  I wonder if they are letting just a little bit of water out maybe that is the last of the “cold front” cool water.

Starting with the jerk bait I fished a long point leading into a big cove.  It has a nice drop around 10′ and is staging area, at least it should be.  Not a bite.  Since the wind was blowing just a little thought I would spinnerbait the cove right past the bridge.  And surprises of all surprises, I caught 2 and missed 3.  Now they were all (real) small, but it was bass.  So that should be a good thing, right?  Not so fast buster, this is the lake.

They were back though I just made one downstream troll.  Wanted at least a couple of fish pictures.

At this point the wind as perfect at 10 mph, the first cove had fish in it, what could go wrong?  For the next 5 hours I missed 2 more on spinnerbait, and had a nice one follow the Pearl Knockin Tail all the way to the boat, and that was it.  I worked my way up lake, the wind was blowing out of the SE right up the river and it was promising.  2 good coves and several other places and not a good bite.  Once I worked my way all the way up I made a quick troll down and caught a couple of white bass, at least they were back where they are supposed to be.

So I headed back down and fished 3 coves, expecting them to be in at least one, but nope.  After I fished one I headed to try somewhere in the plant arm and the minute I came around the corner the temp dropped 3 – 4 degrees, so I turned around and headed back to fish one last place.  At 5:00 I admitted defeat and put it on the trailer.

The gators were on the prowl today, as long as they could find a nice warm sunny bank out of the wind.  Even saw a little guy today.

The only thing I did not throw was a crankbait, other than that the spinnerbait was the only thing that raised a bite.  They just have not been interested in the jerk bait, and the Bang O Lure has not raised a fish.  And I fished ok today, did what should be the right thing in the right places, but they are not up yet.  The last 10 years these are the kinds of days where you could catch several big fish.  The conditions, combined with whatever is going on with the fish, have things in a state of terrible.  (But there are lots of crappie being caught off timber and brush piles by the campers.)  It has been a long winter on the lake, and the fishing has steadily declined.  But spring is coming, and with it so will the fish.  Actually saw a couple of beds, maybe tilapia, but whatever there is no better indicator spring is on the way.

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My plans are in a state of flux at the moment.  Intend to go somewhere, just can not make up my mind.  But would like to fish 3 days somewhere, so weather watching will be the big factor the next couple of days.  But whether trying somewhere else, or staying here, I will be back on the water at least 3 or 4 days next week, I have the fishing fever.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Better Cork built a Better Way

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The only way to recover from striking out is to fish more.  And since I am currently mad at the lake there is one way to fix that, head to POC.   Since I do not have a clue it will be a simple plan, go to Big Bayou and fish the deeper places they have been and see what happens.  Seems like a good idea.  Until I know how it is not going to run all over hell for the time being.

Weather 

61/67.  Cloudy with a 25% chance of rain.  Wind S 10 – 15 mph.

Tides

Low 6:43 am  High  7:04 pm.

Solunar Times

Major  10:28 am to 12:28 pm.

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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

Great Morning.

Today I stuck to the plan and fish Big Bayou through the last of the falling and the beginning of the rise, and as usual the fish dictated how it would go.  The water temp was 58 at Froggie’s and never got above 60 anywhere I fished.  It was cloudy with a light wind and stayed that way.  The plan was to fish the deep stuff, and the oyster bar where I had been catching them, and then a little spinnerbait fishing for redfish.  Neither worked out all that well, and what trout I did find were not where I historically catch them.

Could not get any better than this.

Basically the places they were are not where they are now.  (Though I am not sure where they are.) One place that  surprised me was a flat point in front of a drain, it had water running over it and maybe some bait.  As a side note, I saw very little baitfish flipping stuff.  And I was very surprised that the deeper areas that normally holds them only had a few smalls.  In fact, it is not that I killed them, but normally there are some nice ones, and a good red or two when I catch that many.  But the good fish were not there, or having what I was pitching. Both the Purple Demon Limetruese and the Mansfield Magic Knockin Tail caught fish, and I did not notice any difference.

I  probably scratched out a small limit of keepers, but that was it.

I did not see any appreciable kill, at least in Big Bayou.  A few floaters came by but nothing big.  The ramp at Froggie’s was covered with mullet and a few catfish, until I took out.

A whole bunch of grey/mangrove snappers.

There were a bunch, at least 50, that washed up at Froggie’s.  Not sure where they came from but they did not look that long dead.  Interesting.  Some were big as a good tilapia on Coleto.  I have caught a few in the barge canal, but none as big as the ones I saw today.  Just a indication of what might have happened.  Only time will tell.

The water was running some during the prime period, but it was light and only made a little difference.  And with the light wind it made boat control easy.  So that had no affect on the results.  I spinner baited my favorite bank without a bite, but the tide just did not get up any to speak of.  So sticking with the Knockin Tails until quitting put 2 in the boat here, 3 there, off and on until 2:00 when I called it a day.

There were tons of dolphins early.

The dolphins were tearing it up when I got there, and when I moved they all came with me, doing the swim under the boat thing.  One group had 2 small ones and they also came along for the ride.  Always cool when they do that.  And they did not bother the fishing, but I was not having any big runs so they quickly lost interest.

Not sure what to make of today.  Maybe 20, all basically like the ones above and 3 small rat reds.  I did not lose any fish, and maybe missed a couple, so it was not me, at least mechanically.  So I can honestly say I do not have a clue.  I talked to a guy at the carwash who lives there and he says he is not all that concerned and has been catching fish all week.  Hopefully that is the case.

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After sending us the picture of fish sunning and trying to recover Steve sent along this follow up.

Just as a follow up, I visited the same flat Saturday and Sunday morning.  No fish congregation was observed, but there were a couple of fish moving.  On Sunday, the wind shifted so that it was blowing onto the flat from the Southeast.  There were a few dead mullet, all about the same size at 8-9” long and one dead catfish, about the same size observed.  Real work will keep me away until next weekend, but it was interesting to observe the same flat several days in a row.

That is great news on several fronts.  First looks like they have returned to their regular haunts.  And great to hear that you saw no new dead fish.  From what I am reading at the moment it looked like the kills are localized, but we shall see after this years netting survey.  Thanks for the update.

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I am still mulling where I might fish this weekend.  Looks like we are going to have a round of high winds early next week, welcome to March on the Texas coast.  Still debating between fresh and salt, but just might have to fish Travis, Amistad, or Falcon to get my bass fix.

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Wish I could add to the conversation on the fishing but I did not really learn anything today.  The missing better fish is a little puzzling but it was a major event.  Hope they were just hanging out mouth shut and not gone.  Just have to go more.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

 ********************

A Better Cork built a Better Way

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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At least he caught one.

After basically being house bound last week time to head back on the water.  The lake will be first up, and I will be real interested in seeing what affects the cold front had.  Not sure what they will be but it probably will not be good.  But that is not going to keep me home, time to wet a line.

Weather

47/69.  Mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain.  Wind NNE  10 – 15mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.66 msl.   12 days ago  93.75 msl.  (A slight drop.)

Solunar Times

Major  7:45 am to 9:45 am.   Minor  1:02 pm to 2:02 pm.

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt and the new Madre Sling.

For all your wading needs.

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

I Should Have Known Better  –  But I knew what was coming.

The water temp a couple of weeks ago was in the mid to high 60’s, today not so much.  It was 53 at the ramp, 59 in front of the discharge cove,  and was 53 way up lake.  And the water color down lake was poor, better in the plant arm than up lake.  But the temp was basically the same.  I even stopped at the discharge, made about 10 casts and did not have a bite.  There was quite a bit of water coming out, but it was only 61 degrees and the color was terrible.  And the real sad thing, the water had been getting into some of the stuff on the bank where fresh stuff was growing, now all of that is dead.  And the water has visibly dropped.  So the point of all this, you can guess how it went.

To make a sad story shorter, I fished almost every place I have caught a bass in the last month, and not a touch.  Both ends of the lake.  Not a bite at the discharge, or the bank leading into the intake at the plant, or anywhere elase.  They were sucking water and I hoped they might be biting there, but zip.  Main lake points, deep pockets, long channel banks, fished them all.  Swim jig, deep jerkbait, crankbait, Knockin Tail swim bait, tried them all.   In fact around noon I actually ran all the way back up lake to finish the day.  The water had warmed to 54 and there were a couple of spots out of the wind with sun shining on it, places that should at least have a straggler.  No such luck.

While up lake tried to get the  Boss her fish order, and the whites are flat gone.   The area that was producing whites was barren, including no shad.  When I got ready to quit I trolled out, put lures away, checked rods and line, all the stuff that normally happens at the ramp.  And of course the only bite, a white bass about 8″ jumped on.  So that says it all about the day.

This front really put the hurt on the lake, and all the progress it was making is gone and we are really back in the winter pattern.  It really has become somewhat disheartening.  The lake just can not catch a break, but I am not ready to throw in the towel yet.

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Thursday the Boss and I took a drive to a few area ramps to see if we could see dead fish.  We hit Six Mile, Keller Bay, the back and of the Powderhorn, and the beach and barge canal in POC.  Thank God we basically saw no dead fish.  I know our sight line was limited, but at least there were not dead fish everywhere.  But there was a major kill in Pringle, and I am sure other similar areas, so we just will have to wait and see what the damages are.   And from what I am seeing and reading on Facebook this may be pretty bad on many areas of the coast.  We will just have to see what the final word is from TPWD.   And props to the Wardens for collecting all the sea turtles, tough work in that weather.

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And on that note Saturday I got this picture and comment from Steve.  I actually hesitated to use it but since it will not get out until Monday at the earliest here you go.  (And if you use the following to find fish right now you need to seriously examine your ethics.)

Wow!

This is a shallow sand bar from this morning.  I know it is hard to tell, but a mixture of reds and trout with just a couple of sheepshead mixed in.  They were extremely lethargic, but the sun beating down on the sand bar was bringing them in.  By mid afternoon, most of the trout had moved off to deeper water but the reds were still around.  The deeper water is 6-8 feet close by.  I don’t think this is scientific, but it seems that the larger fish that moved to deeper water may have fared better than the smaller/shallower cousins.

You are absolutely spot on to what is happening, and what happened all over the bay with this front.   Facebook has had a few pictures like this the last few days.  In this case they need to be left alone until they fully recover and a few days of sun will do that.  (I was really disappointed to see barge traffic on the barge canal.  They churn the warm water up off the deep areas and kill tons of fish, as I saw on a Facebook post the other day.)  That is why I decided to share this with much warmer weather coming they will have time to get back to their usual haunts.  And I just mentioned this phenomenon to the Boss on our drive.  Deep water saves trout and the problem with Pringle, they love that warm mud in the winter but once it drops they are toast, by time they cool off they are to lethargic to run.  I really appreciate you sharing this as most of us will never see it.  Good stuff.  And to the rest of us in the words of that “freak” on Brittany Spears – Leave those fish alone!

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I got this comment on putting signs on the cover in Coleto from my buddy Clyde, who was with me from the beginning of the Arkansas fishing adventure 45 years ago.

They have replenished all the piles on both lakes and not marked them due to people stealing the signs ; they are all GPS marked and allow down loading for free I believe.

Wtf is wrong with people?  First they are obviously not “fishermen”.  I just do not get it, it is theft plain and simple and makes you nothing but a criminal.  After dealing with literally hundreds of felons it so confuses me how folks do not understand this makes you no better than the worst, you are right there with them.  This is something I never considered but now that you mention it there were very few signs when I was there last spring.  And if our fishing does not get any better I am headed that way.

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But while Coleto is a dead sea other Texas lakes are having their moments.  O.H. Ivie Lake produce a 16lb + last weekend.  That is a big fish on any body of water, and Ivie has produced plenty of big fish.

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And last on the cold snap.  It is not the fault of Obama, the Yeti, AOC, The Joker, or the bogey man.  They were given a road map to fix it after the disaster 10 years ago which actually messed up Super Bowl Week in Dallas and nothing was done.  I do not know who’s fault it is, most in charge are blaming everyone but themselves.  But whoever it was needs to be fired, end of story.  Growing up in the north country this was just a blip on any day, no big deal.  And don’t bother to give me that unforeseen crap, stupid argument.  So just fix it.  What are we paying you for?

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Tomorrow I have to buy a new lawn mower.  Nothing like the occasional “tariff” of home ownership.  As Rosanna Rosaana Danna said;  “If it is not one thing it is another.”  After watching the weather Wednesday looks good for the bay, so that is the current plan.  The Boss is headed out of town next weekend for a few days and I am watching the weather in 3 or 4 places and plan on going somewhere for a few days, fresh or salt is yet to be determined.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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A Great Deal From Four Horseman Tackle

If you fish a popping cork and have not tried the Four Horseman popping cork, or even if you are currently using them, here is a GREAT DEAL.  They have been kind enough to give my readers a discount. It will be a 20% discount so get them while the getting is good.  What a deal.  Use the code 4H6 at check out to save some serious bucks.  No better time to stock up.  (I will leave this up for the time being, you never know when you will need some new corks.)

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