FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out the new Madre Sling

Folks it is flat hot and looks like the week is not going to get any better.  By time I quit at 11:30 it was completely calm, humid as all get out, and just plain hot.  We really are in the middle of the Texas summer doldrums of August.  It is hard to get to excited when you know it is going to be seriously hot, so nice to have the lake right down the road for short trips.  But I am ready for fall.  With the Boss ordering up a fish fry for tonight time for another short morning.

Weather

75/98.  Mostly sunny and very warm with a 10% chance of showers.  Wind NNE 6 – 15 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.75 msl.   Friday   93.78 msl.

Solunar Period

Major  1:38 pm to 3:38 pm.  (No way will I be out there then!)

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

The Knockin Tail is the perfect trailer for the swim jig.  They smack it!  

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

It was dead calm at daylight when dropping the boat in.  The water color is stable, the water level is stable, and the temp continues to be 89, give or take a degree over much of the lake.  As usual started with a buzzbait for the first hour until the sun came out and the shade left.  4 small ones jumped on and then a really big fish just blew up all over it and never even touched it.  So I grabbed a swim jig and tossed it in, she ate, and before I figured that out she let go.  There is no excuse for missing a throwback like that.  All the fish were around wood, and as it has been not all wood is created equal.

This was a good one.

After having every buzzbait bite next to wood it was time to put that down and get back to the pitching.  Today it was the 4″ Berkley Power Bait Pit Boss in some darker color.  They claim the fish will hold on to it 18X longer, and while I do not know about all that, they definitely do hold on to it longer than other plastics.  And that is actually what makes it all that for pitching to cover, especially thick wood.

It was a tug of war to get this one out.

It really helps when you are pulling it against branches and your line comes tight.  The question – fish or wood?  Because they hold on to it a lot better than regular plastics just hold your rod steady, don’t move it at all, and give it a second.  If it is a fish it will almost always start swimming off or you will feel a light tug.  If it is wood you can often ease it over without getting hung.  I have been using it for over a year and it has proven to be a first rate pitching bait, and also works just fine fishing deeper.  And pegging the tungsten slip sinker keeps it nice and compact and the fish don’t care.  Generally for shallower cover the Pit Bass with a pegged 3/16 or 1/4 sinker works best with a 4/0 hook.

After catching the ones above along with the usual smalls and close to measure, time to make sure I had enough fish for the Boss.  With 2 small legal bass in the cooler I headed down to where the catfish and crappie were the other day.  After trolling that area it was apparent they were not there  (They do have tails you know.)  so I started working down to the dam.  It took a little while but I finally found a little more shad and caught a keeper crappie, a couple of white bass, and several largemouth.  That is the first whites I have caught this summer, and they were both small.  Never have quite figured out why Coleto has no really big white bass, but who knows, maybe next year.

So Deja Vu all over again.  The fishing on the lake has been nothing if not stable.  Results just depend on tossing it to the right piece of wood.  And trolling as it does will put fish in the boat.  I talked to a couple of guys who put in when I did, and took out when I did, and they caught over a dozen in the 15 foot range, which is actually where I am seeing fish trolling.  There are several ways to skin the bass on the lake right now and the crappie are definitely biting.

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

It has been a while since I have seen a good ramp fiasco, but this morning produced a real extravaganza.  There was a big fancy Skeeter putting in in front of me as I got the boat ready and as they backed down I think the driver got it turned some almost hitting the pier so he put on the brake and bam – half off the trailer it goes.  It is now sitting on the skeg and one corner, about half way down the hull on the end of the trailer, so the nose it almost sticking straight up in the air.  It took a little banging and clanging to finally get it in, and the engine did some serious dragging on the ramp.  But looks like the only damage was to the skeg but it sure was painful to watch.

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

By the end of the week should have some new stuff to try and will start the bay fishing.  Until then when it is this freakin’ hot it is to hot to fish all day  (Not as mad at em’ as I used to be, plus hunting season is coming.)  and to far to drive for a few hours so will wait until then.  And with the Boss headed to an 8 day stretch will probably stay at POC a couple of days, hope this heat wave will be down a little by then.  But it will be nice to have some new stuff to fish with, it all looks good.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out the new Madre Sling

Out early to beat the heat.

Just cracking daylight when I dropped the boat in the water,  The water temp today was 88 – 89 degrees over the whole lake and the water color is great, including up lake.  So up lake to start and it turned out to be a fishy day.

Weather

78/96.  Partly sunny and humid with a 50% chance of afternoon showers.  Wind SSW 9 – 15 mph.

Lake Level

Tuesday  93.79 msl.   Today   93.78 msl.

Solunar Period

Major  10:55 am to 12:55 pm.

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

The Knockin Tail is the perfect trailer for the swim jig.  They smack it!  

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

It does not get any prettier than that!

My best bite of the day was interesting,  The perfect pitch to the perfect piece of cover.  It sinks right in the middle of the tangle and when it gets to the bottom in 4′ of water the line jumps 6″, I set the hook and game on.  It is a titanic struggle trying to pull that big fish out of the pile.  Visions of a big bass are running through my head and then…..

I catch one on lures every once in while, in this case the beaver style plastic.  This one will not be adding to the population.

The morning started off with a nice one about 4lbs smashing a buzzbait, he came straight at the boat and it was an easy boat flip – right over the boat and back in the water on the other side and off he came.  Not the best start but it happens.  As soon as the sun started peaking out switched to the swim jig, caught a couple of smalls and then on one bank missed several.  So turned around and pitched the mag finesse worm and it was game on for a while.

Had several like this first thing, and lost more than I boated.

They were really shallow and any piece of wood bigger than your arm seemed to have a fish on it.  One thing that often lets you know that there are a few fish on the bank is when it hits the water and one grabs it and just takes off.  A little competition.  On one spot boated 4 or 5 and missed several.  Seems like right now if you find some there are more.

It was pretty consistent until around 10:00 on the plastics and since a tilapia made the boat time to do a little trolling and add to the number of species.  It took me about an hour to find them but finally did.  Not sure where the white bass have gone, but the catfish were smacking the crankbait.

Ended up putting 4 catfish in the boat.  Should have kept a few.

One thing that is interesting is I just did not see tons of shad schools while trolling.  I covered quite a bit of water before finding the area, and everything was there.  They were liking a shad colored crankbait that ran about 10 foot.  One thing about the catfish, they smack it, but it was not all catfish.

I caught one bigger crappie but the camera battery died.

It is interesting how trolling gets a bad name.  It is efficient, and allows you to cover water, then hopefully get them cornered, and put the hurt on them.  Probably an easy 10 jumped on once I got them, and the area, figured out.  There were scattered shad but no big schools, but see a few fish on the down scan and here came a bite.  Great way to end the day. and also a good way to put a few on the dinner table if you are so inclined.

The fishing was good today, they definitely wanted plastic pitched to cover, I think now that the water has stabilized they have started to return a little shallower.  But if you were not on your toes they were not holding on to it all that well, feel a bite and set the hook or they were gone.  But the action was consistent this morning early, and when I headed back down lake to troll I left them biting.  Any time you can catch the short side of 20 and back on the trailer by noon is a good day in my book.

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

On the travel front of course we had to cancel our trip to Africa.  We were so excited about seeing the gorillas and spending 4 days on the Zambezi River catching tiger fish, which just happens to be one of the great places in Africa to see leopard.  That would round our seeing the big 5 as we have seen the rest.  And one cool thing about the place we will stay is they do walking safaris, which sounds awesome.  Still haven’t made up my mind on the dugout canoe trip in a river with tons of crocs and big hippos.  So that one is re-scheduled for next year, hope to God things are quiet a year from now.

But there is a trip coming soon, as in a short couple of weeks.  Will be staying right outside of Yellowstone for a couple of days of photos and animal watching.  Grizzly bears and wolves being the main quarry.  One day will be a float/and or walk and wade, depending on the water level.  We will be hiring a guide as we are still rank amateurs with the fly fishing thing, but we are willing.  So time to get the stuff out and do a little organization.

And if things go well will be heading to Colorado sometime in September or October for a week or two.  Have found lots of water to fish that I have not even made a dent in around Pagosa.  There is something cool about standing in a mountain stream with only the sound of rushing water and not a soul in sight.

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

We be getting a couple of new toys which means time to give the bay a serious work out.  Will fill you in after a couple of days on the water.  Of course now have a blinking trailer light on one side so this weekend time to get that fixed.  If it is not one thing it is another when you own a boat.  With that comes the responsibility of keeping things working, especially trailer lights and boat running lights for the safety of others.  But will back at it next week.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

Not sure what the weather will bring tomorrow but I will be up early and on the lake as long as it is not pouring or lightning.  It has been a little sketchy here and there in our area, and it is pouring (77 degrees outside.) as I write this.  We sure needed it, to bad it came at the expense of those south of us.  But as Capt. Mac told us before we moved here, it is not a question of if there will be a hurricane, just a question of when.

It looks like the lake has come up just a little but surely there is more to come.  And since it has been a cooler rain it should help drop the lake surface temps some, but as far as water color up lake it remains to be seen.  Hope I can get out first thing, could be good.

Weather

75/91.  A 60% chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the morning but otherwise mostly cloudy all day.  Wind SSW 8 – 14 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.79 msl.   Friday  93.80 msl.

Solunar Period

Major  7:21 am to 9:21 am.  Minor  1:54 pm to 2:54 pm.

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

The Knockin Tail is the perfect trailer for the swim jig.  They smack it!  

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

Well that was hardly worth the effort.  I was out at daylight, and while it was not really foggy, it was actually wetter than that with serious suspended moisture.  It was apparent at the ramp the lake is rising and the water temp was around 85 in most places, a 3 – 5 degree drop.  And up lake the color is still fine and things were looking good, as long as it lasted.

Started on a main lake point close to the ramp with a buzzbait which produced one small and several misses.  So next up was a deep point with plastics, same result.  So I headed up lake to toss the swim jig, and see if the water color had changed.  It was around 8:30 and so far major non-productive but at least 2 smalls came on the swim jig and one on plastics.  The bite was clearly not on and then off in the distance it started thundering.  I gave the Boss a call and it was raining hard in Victoria so time to get closer to the ramp.  On came the raincoat and then came the rain.  With it thundering around me time to call it a short morning.  (It is thundering as I write this.)  Sometimes it just does not happen and today was a perfect example of that.

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

Local News

Hurricane Hanna turned out to be a little more than it looked like, but most of it went south of Corpus Christi.   Port Mansfield on down to South Padre had high winds and it will be raining for days, some areas have already had over a foot.  We have only had a little more than an inch in the last 24 but it is expected to to continue for a couple of days.

In this area sad to report that the Indianola Marina caught fire, according to the news maybe in the bait room, and ended up with a partial roof collapse and it looks like it is a total loss.  The surf was super high but the fire trucks got through, hopefully they will be back on their feet as soon as possible.  And from the pictures there is still a bunch of water on the roads down there.

And on a tougher note one man was killed and 3 taken to the hospital after a boating accident at midnight Friday out of POC.  According to what was initially reported they were on an SCB going fishing when they hit some kind of marker on the intercoastal.  My condolences to the family and a sobering moment for the rest of us.

And on that note I rarely come back in the dark on the bay.  Though I night fished for decades on freshwater lakes the bay is a whole other animal.  It only takes a minute and you never know what might be floating, semi-submerged, or in the case of the many channel markers, what might have moved or fallen over.  It is dangerous on the water anywhere after dark, and the bay has its own special hazards.

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

Since I wrote the above I have seen the pictures from the scene of the accident that night.  They are sobering.  I will not be sharing them out of respect for the family of the man who was killed, as I would not share them if it was your family or mine, it is only fair.  Plus I am sure there is a serious ongoing investigation.  Over the years as a medic we ran some boat accidents, including a Champion that was 30 feet up the bank in the woods after hitting the bank at night, or the Boss working a boat/swimmer accident at daylight that turned out be a nurse friend of hers who was horribly mangled by the prop, just to name a couple of the more serious ones.  These pictures were in that same vein – terrible.

As I eased out this morning I thought back to those pictures.  No matter what it was like yesterday, or where you thought/think you were or are, that has nothing to do with the current moment.  All it takes is an instant and in this case it had a horrible outcome.

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

As you all know I am regular reader of the TPWD website, where you can learn all kinds of interesting stuff.  One current issue that TPWD is taking comments on is statewide catfish limits.  As far as the basic proposals I only have one problem, it is becoming increasing clear that you almost need a law degree to decipher each particular body of water.  If  catfish are your thing, and you have an opinion, check out the proposals and comment.  If you don’t no complaining if it does not go your way.

Of course these area/lake specific regulations are a good thing for our wildlife, but man it can be complicated.  After reading over the Colorado hunting regulations  (South of this road, north of that road, with Boot Hill as the west boundary.) it reminded me of the Ontario fishing regulations, which seemed to go so far as –  “If it is Tuesday after lunch and you are fishing on this particular body of water in spring you can only keep 1.4 fish between 11″ and 12″ before it gets dark.”  Now that may be a serious exaggeration, but you get the point.

My favorite Texas regulation is the 13″ inside spread on whitetails.  And what is, or is not, a buck, or legal depending on where you are.  It is not a simple matter by any stretch.  Arkansas is much easier to decipher – If it has 3 points on one side, kill it.  Simple enough.

I guess my point with this ramble is it has become more complicated to be sure we are in compliance depending on where and what we are doing.  (Case in point:  Missouri requires a paddle.)  It has gotten to the point that you better have an annual book in the boat or pack to double check just in case.

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

So today was a wash, but at least the boat got a good soaking on the way home.  It looks like it will be Friday before I am back on the water as I will be spending the day tomorrow with the Boss, and then a quick trip to Austin to get the car serviced.  You would think a retired guy would get to fish more, but life follows you no matter your age or station.  On the bright side there are a couple of goodies on the way and am looking forward to sharing it with you next week.  So keep stopping in and thank for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

Of course with Wednesday’s successful bass trip, and now a major front on the way, there is no way I will not be dropping the boat in the lake at daylight, depending on when “it” gets here.  It was nice to catch a big fish, and the conditions sure could help with that tomorrow.  How about clouds, wind, and drizzle.  (But looking at the forecast wind is coming, just a case of what time it gets here.)  Perfect bass catching conditions.  But by the same token you never know and the only way to find out is to go.  If it is not nuts out there.

Weather

78/93.  Cloudy with a 60% chance of rain possible flooding.  Wind  NE 18 – 29 mph.

Lake Level

Wednesday  93.81 msl.   Today  93.80 msl.

Solunar Periods

Minor  10:44 am to 11:44 am.

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

The Knockin Tail is the perfect trailer for the swim jig.  They smacked it!  

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

Tale of Two Days

Think it was early when I hit the lake?

Today could not have been any more different from Wednesday if it had tried.  The water was down a little, much more of it was 90+ degrees, and the front did not really show.  But a big difference, other than a couple of gators, there was no wildlife moving.  And not seeing any deer is rare on the lake. But the bigger difference – I managed to lose an expensive pair of Costas.  They were on my hat, and not around my neck, when going around a corner into the wind my hat blew off, and obviously the Costas went directly to the bottom.  And since it was basically dark it took me a while to find my hat.  Hate it when that happens but lessoned learned.  And last, no big fish.

The plan was to give the swim jig a serious go, and it caught fish, but it was back to the dink fest.  They were hitting it but I just could not find that sweet spot.

The bluegill looking swim jig with a Knockin Tail trailer was the ticket.

I fished way up lake, midlake, and even went up the plant arm and tried a couple of places I have not fished in a while.  Of the 10 or so on swim jig most came tight to some kind of cover, and nothing came off the bank or without some object close.  I did re-fish one area where they were biting with a buzzbait, and though a couple jumped on, again all part of the dink fest.  Of course it did not help that shortly after the sun came out it slicked off and the clouds left, real pleasant with no sunglasses and hard to see sunken cover.

To bad I did not get all of him, he was massive.

I did have a close encounter with a big gator.  He was way down the bank and instead of hitting the road he swam right over to the boat and when I took this picture he was maybe 10 feet from the boat.  He had no fear and was eyeing me like a cold beer at happy hour.  He finally lost interest and swam away, but he was the kind that I have a healthy respect for.  Love those things.

So after fishing from around 6:00 until 11:30 I called it a day after catching a dozen plus.  The lake was quite a bit busier with lots of folks fishing.  In fact 2 of the places I wanted to fish had a boat on it, rare during the week.  And there was an amazing almost accident between 2 boats in the middle of the lake without another boat around.  Clearly stupidity on one party, maybe both, but they were way to close and both pulled up.  And if you like crappie I saw folks catching them, and some of them looked pretty solid.  One thing on Coleto is they are available year round and not all are deep.

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

Got these from our Fayette Guru Rusty who is up in the north country.

He took his son and son-in-law on Lake Michigan for some lake trout action.  They had their limit in 4 hours and he reports a fun time with the family.  Congrats on the successful trip and those are some really big lakers!

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

After my comment on ATT and my flip phone SA Joe sent this along.

FLIP FONE UPDATE. Coming from a Phone Man, 20+yrs in Communications….

All you need to do is go buy an ATT FLIP GoPhone that is 4g access. Take out your sim card and put into the new phone. If the sim card is different go to the story and they will transfer the number to a new one. Make sure you copy all your contacts…

I got the same notice that our 3g phone is going out of service. Right now I’m using a 4G alcatel 4052R

DONT GO TO THE SMART FONE DARK SIDE!!!!

Thanks for the advice but since I posted that there has been a revelation.  The new service will not affect our phones until February 2022.  They literally said they “forgot” to include that relevant fact.  My problem with that is sending this crap out during our current state of affairs to sell phones is tone deaf.  This was nothing more than an attempt to sell some phones by leaving out that important  piece of information.  Doing that to customers who might be on the edge right now is just plain slimy. Shame on them.

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

Now we all sit back and wait to see what this storm will bring us.  Obviously we are going to have several days of rain, whether it is a few inches or a flood remains to be seen.  It seems to have slowed down some, it is forecast to take 2 days to move through, but is building strength.  They are closing Corpus beaches as I write this.  So be careful were ever you are.  Turn around, don’t drown!

So I will hang this weekend and wait it out.  We desperately need the rain.  Just want to thank you all for continuing to read this, it has been a tough year all the way around.  The best we can hope for is this virus will start to drop some and my wife will not risk her life every day at work for this “Fake or Democratic” virus.  Feel that way, try working a few days in the ER or ICU and see what is really going on.  And in my wildest dreams it will start to decline and we can have some good fall fishing.  Hope springs eternal.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

Crank It Up!

I had no plan today until waking up at 4:45.  It was drizzling and the forecast was for some clouds and possible rain.  Can’t resist that set of conditions.  With it looking good I hitched up and was dropping the boat in as it was just cracking daylight.  The water has clearly come down just since Monday, the temp was still in the 89 degree range, and there was no change in the color.  And it was flat beautiful out there.

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

Weather

76/94.  Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of rain in spots.  Wind  SE 7 – 15mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.81 msl.   Monday  93.87 msl.

Solunar Periods

Minor  8:34 am to 9:34 am.

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

The Knockin Tail is the perfect trailer for the swim jig.  They smacked it!  

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

I decided to fish a bunch of places that I have not fished in a while.  So from daylight until around 9:30 it was slow pickens.  4 or 5 midgets jumped on the buzzbait and one good one pulled off.  I threw plastics on a couple of points that should have some, and it produced exactly one small.  The sun came out big time so it was up lake to pitch to cover.

On the way it dawned on me I had not thrown the swim jig in a while. and with the water up lake off color a Knockin Tail with a chartreuse tail made sense.  After trolling the other day and not seeing big bunches of shad why not the swim jig for something a little different?  The first one that ate smacked the snot out of it.  As did the next one.  I was running it on a steady straight retrieve.  It was nice to catch a couple of little better fish after the run of smalls.  And they were shallow.

Fishing the swim jig with a Knockin Tail rattling along is a no brainer.

Several other smalls also made the boat but the 2 above were nice ones.  They both came near a piece of brush and there was no doubt it was a bite.  After fishing a few more places the rain started.  Not being sure what was coming I decided to get a little closer to the ramp.  On the way there is a great point with standing timber that holds them at times.  Glad I stopped.

That is a good one!

I was sitting in 20 and tossing into around 10 feet and dragging it off the point.  I had a couple mess with the mag finesse worm but no takers until the one above hit.  When you are working a plastic on the bottom any bite could be a big one, and then there are ones like this where you know, she thumped it hard.  Of course I was just whining about the lack of big fish, so it was nice to have a pretty good morning.

One the way in stopped at one more point with some deep cover and with my superior skill managed to break one off.  I have switched to 15lb from 20 on the pitching rod and obviously did not have the drag set right.  So on that note I called it a morning.

I did want to comment on the wildlife.  The deer were literally everywhere, and as I have noted before lots of little guys.  Saw one bunch of pigs and it is amazing how spooky they are.  Of course tons of herons and egrets fishing the bank and I even saw 3 coons on one bank and another one later.  Stuff was out and about this morning and I love seeing it.  I try to never take it for granted and  know just how lucky I am.

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

I have heard of using a “thumper” on the bottom of the boat for attracting white bass, but have never had the pleasure to see it in action.  On my morning trolling of boats for sale this one was on Craigslist.

Interesting.  Fancy.

I am sure it works as several different folks have told me about it.  My only question:  Who was the first person to bang on the bottom of the boat with a mallet thinking it would help the fishing?  Most of the time when fishing is tough we want to hit ourselves in the head with a mallet!

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

And from interesting reasons for you to pay what I am asking.

 This is a 24,000 dollar boat new.

So.  What does that have to do with the fact that this is a 21 y/o boat?   Over the last few months of the pandemic one side effect I would never have guessed was the rise in used boat prices and sales.  Looking at them like I do there is a shortage of good used, reasonably priced, boats.  There is still the random high dollar “man I wished I had not bought it” boat for sale, but the price on used seems to have risen.  Many prices seem to be quite high considering the boats age.  But all it takes is a trip to some ramps to see folks are fishing.  And who knows, it would also seem that the price of new,  often in the $60k range, might finally be getting to the point where a good used is more within folks price range.  Consequently the price rise on used.  Good time to sell a boat, not a great time to buy one.

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

According to folks who fish Fayette frequently there has been a serious uptick in crime on the lake.  This from TPWD.

A recent game warden academy graduate was enjoying a weekend of camping and fishing at Fayette Lake before reporting to his first duty station later this month in Starr County. One Sunday morning, the new game warden came across a small aluminum boat that was abandoned at the dam. He called local dispatch and gave them the boat registration numbers, then towed it back to the Oak Thicket boat ramp and secured it. When the local game warden arrived, a park worker told him that a boat had been stolen during the night from one of the campers. After talking to the campers, it became apparent their missing boat was the same one the new game warden had found on the other side of the lake that morning. The campers were overjoyed and grateful for the recovery of their boat.

When this kind of thing happens, along with the drownings, what is becoming a netting problem, AND the other assorted nonsense, one would hope the wardens would be visiting Fayette constantly.  I know they have lots to do and big areas to cover but a constant presence will help keep that stuff to a dull roar.  Nothing worse than not feeling safe at the ramp.

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

Our buddy Chago and his family were back out in Colorado at their cabin in the high Rockies and from the looks of it what a trip.  And the boys have been wearing the fish out in both the rivers and lakes.  That is the one thing that surprised me as we spend more time out there, the number of fishing opportunities.  Primarily known for the trout fishing there are tons of lakes with just about any kind of fish you would like to catch.  His pictures just make me want to go back, so looking at September.  Let the crowds thin some.  There are lots of places I have not fished yet but am really looking forward to trying.  Add in the wildlife viewing and what could be better.

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

And this on the flip phone front.  I have had the same one for years.  It has been in the water, dropped, you name it, and it kept on working.  Of course I have taken a little guff for having a flip, and at times it can not translate the texts I get.  But those days are gone.  ATT sent me a notice which basically says your old phone sucks and with the new network it is finally obsolete.  Tomorrow it is the I Phone thing.  Going to miss that phone.

So there you have it.  Maybe not the numbers this morning but the size was a major improvement.  And catching a few on the swim jig leaves me thinking about all those places where I will fish it next trip.  That would be Friday.  With our weather having some real rain in the forecast it will remain up in the air where.  But no matter what I will be back on the water.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

One Beautiful Morning

When I got to the lake at daylight it was almost dead calm and it really is dropping like a rock.  The end of the piers are completely out of the water and if it continues at this rate it could be interesting loading and unloading.  So if you are headed that way be sure to take it slow at the ramp, who wants to be the first guy to back off the end and get the trailer stuck.

Weather

76/92.   Sun and some clouds with a 60% chance of rain or showers in the afternoon.  Wind E 8 – 14 mph.

Lake Level

Today  93.87 msl.  Last trip 11 days ago.  94.20 msl.  May 27  95:09 msl.

Solunar Times 

Minor  12:38 pm until 2:38 pm.

The water temp was 88 – 90 degrees, really consistent over the whole lake. The color on the lower end is so/so clear, uplake it has some good color, but it is not muddy.  What little brush left in the lake is about to be completely out of the water.  Hard to really describe how far down it is, but when you are talking a foot or more it is shrinking the lake.

First up was buzzbait and although 3 jumped on they all looked like the one below.  So it did not take long to put an end to that.  From that point on it was pitching to any cover and some rocky areas.

Best For the Morning.

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

The Knockin Tail put them in the boat on the bay, see the report below.  

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

They were acting real hinky this morning and I missed as many as I stuck.  Though I threw at any piece of wood up lake, only 4 or 5 had a fish on it.  A couple of places gave up 2, but other than that it was slow.

One thing you can say positive about the lake is there sure is lots of these.

They seem to like the little shorter plastic I am throwing better than the stick worm.  It is actually a 4″ big bodied stick worm in what else, watermelon red.  One small one did jump on the Knockin Tail white ice swim bait, but with it as slow as it was I decided to do a little trolling for whites, and see what I could learn watching the locator.

A nice Coleto Crappie

First was the area with the big point right outside of the ramp cove.  Historically white bass hang around in that area but today not a bite from a white.  (It has been on the decline the last couple of years, which may be more of comment on the lack of white bass numbers in the lake.)  So after a couple of passes I trolled up lake to the discharge cove and back.  It took about an hour and 5 small bass and the crappie above jumped on.  I did lose a couple of crappie by not stopping the boat and reeling slow, but that wasn’t the real point of trolling today.

It was real surprising that I saw very few shad schools, and the couple I did see on the down scan were small.  When I did see fish I got a bite.  But again very few were seen, and most of those in the 20′ range.  Of the about 10 bites they just came here and there, other than the one place with the crappies never more that one bite.  I did not learn anything earth shattering about where the bait or fish were.  So at noon I called it a day.

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

It really was about what I thought it would be.  The water falling like it is does not lend itself to stellar fishing when combined with this hot summer.  Sad what has happened to the lake.  From one of the best big fish lakes around to a dink fest.  Of course there are some big fish in the lake, but this is now our fishing, really miss the grass.

Headed back at some point for some spinnerbait fishing for redfish.  As wide spread as we  found them the other day it should be good.  And might be time to get out the fly rod as they were mudding around at one spot.  And thank goodness we have rain in the forecast the next few days and we sure need it.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

It will be back on the bay in the morning.  My buddy David will be down tonight and it will be off to POC tonight for an early start in the morning.  And while I am not predicting squat, at least the conditions are those that I like.  A good falling tide all day with a prime period before it gets to hot.  About the only question will be wading vs. boat fishing first thing.  So after a stretch without hitting the bay it will be good to be back on the water slinging the Knockin Tail.

Weather

80/90.   Some sunshine with a 60% chance of an afternoon thunderstorm in some areas.  Wind  SE 9 – 15 mph.

Tides

High 7:05 am.  + 1.31.    Low  7:24 pm  – 0.23.  (So freakin’ wrong.  Not sure what the deal was.)

Solunar Periods

Major  10:48 am to 12:48 pm.

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

There is some great news on the Knockin Tail front.  Stay tuned!  

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

Knockin Tail Morning

You may be tired of hearing this, but if you have not added the Knockin Tail to your arsenal you are missing out.  It catches fish, and this morning it did yeoman work.  What I have come to love about it, as you will see with the pictures, they like all the colors.  It is all about the rattle!

When we got to the ramp it was just cracking daylight and it was all things Froggie’s.  There was a tournament and it was nuts.  Parking lot full, boats everywhere, been a while since I fished when it was that busy.  But the water was clear and 86 degrees, it just had a good feel about it, and that turned out to be spot on.  So we decided to forgo the wading and get right to the fish, good choice.

David with a good one.  Red Shad Knockin Tail. 

We decided to start on my old places and topwater was up first.  Though we found a couple of schools they were intent on rolling on it, following it, popping close, but just not eating.  I did boat one but we switched to the Knockin Tail and it was game on the rest of the morning.

Bone Spook Jr.   White Ice Knockin Tail.

From that point on we stuck with the Knockin Tail and basically just reeled it.  And those that wanted it smacked it.  The only funny thing this morning was the number of reds including rats we caught, but the trout were few and far between. But there was no blaming the trout.

A solid 20″ on the Pumpkinseed Knockin Tail.

And the reason I am not blaming the trout is both of us had a really good trout, as in big, and with our superior skill we managed to lose both of them.  David had his come off right beside the boat, one of those at least we got a look at her, but it sure did hurt to lose them both.

Whether in Big Bayou or the Oil Cut, the reds were on the chew.  We also caught 5 or 6 small trout and David managed a nice black drum.  Always a bonus fish.

David with a red and a nice black drum on the Magic Grass Knockin Tail.

Most came on a slow retrieve but occasionally it was on a hop and drop.  The water fell and then started up, which was totally confusing based on the forecast.  It was not all the way up when we started fishing at 6:30, then it fell around 10:00, then started back up.  As usual I will never fully understand tides, and this forecast was totally wrong.  But there was a silver lining, the water moved all morning until we quit at noon so David could make the drive back to Austin.

The hits just kept on coming.  Pumpkinseed and Pearl Limetreuse Knocking Tail.  Pick and color and throw it!

The better banks were the steeper ones, though we caught a few on the flatter banks to boot.  It was really consistent action all morning and we left them biting.

The last red of the morning on the Controlled Descent White/Limetreuse Paddle Shad.  And the only other trout to hit the cooler and headed to a  fish fry for the Boss.

We finally called it a day at noon.  Not sure how many we caught but it was enough to call it a good morning.  Anytime you can boat as many as we did in 5 1/2 hours it is some good fishing.  In the Oil Cut there were smaller trout other than the big one David lost.  As far as the reds went, it was keep a Knockin Tail in the water and you will get bit.  Since it has been a while for me on the bay I can see why so many good strings are on Facebook and I can imagine how good it is if you are out there regularly.  And fishing with David is always fun no matter how it comes out.  I give it an A!

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

This is why I stay home on the holiday and plead with you all to wear your life jackets and kill switch, to keep the booze to a dull roar, and just be the bigger guy.  From TPWD.

AUSTIN – Thousands of Texans headed out to lakes, rivers and coastal bays to celebrate July 4th weekend, and Texas Game Wardens were out in force to ensure everyone stayed safe on the water. Game wardens conducted safety checks on more than 11,000 vessels across the state between Friday and Sunday.

In addition to issuing 1,061 citations and 1,348 warnings for various boating safety law violations, wardens arrested 42 individuals for Boating While Intoxicated and filed one other charge for Driving While Intoxicated. Additionally, another 34 people were arrested for various other charges.

Texas Game Wardens conducted multiple search and rescues over the weekend according to game warden Cody Jones, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Assistant Commander for Marine Enforcement.

On San Jose Island in Aransas County, game wardens rescued three individuals whose vessel became inoperable and washed ashore. All three of the individuals were returned safely to the Port Aransas Marina.

In Austin, four wardens responded to a capsized vessel on Lake Travis. Two occupants were hanging on to a floating kneeboard in the water when wardens arrived. Four other occupants were already removed from the water and onboard another vessel. Game wardens were able to bring the two occupants safely aboard the patrol vessel.

Wardens also rescued a swamped kayaker and located a missing juvenile on Lake Alan Henry.

Additionally, game wardens investigated 21 boating accidents across the state and three boating related fatalities that occurred on Lake J.B. Thomas, Clear Fork of the Brazos River and Lake Bastrop. There were also seven open water drownings that occurred over the holiday weekend.

“The dedicated efforts of the game wardens while working these tragic events is second to none and we keep the families in our thoughts and prayers,” said Cody Jones, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Assistant Commander for Marine Enforcement.

Our thanks for your hard work dealing with the insanity that is the holiday weekend on the water.

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

One of the hazards of the internet is knucklehead trolls.  Now the same rear ends have come out trolling the announcement of the new Minn Kota Raptor anchor, claiming it is like the Power Pole.  Well guess what?  It is.  That is the way it goes, if something works and folks buy it of course it will be manufactured in some variation by someone.

We also see these same pinheads commenting on lures, which is even dumber.  Of course one lure might be like another.  So lets look at a couple of examples.  Take Strike King.  They make lots of jigs, but the modern bass jig was developed by Sam Welch in Arkansas in the 60’s, so they are thieves?  And their jerk bait, it is nothing more than a variation on the original Rapala.  How about Zoom?  Since they started making plastic worms are they thieves because it was originally developed in the early 60’s?  Make a crankbait – then you are a thief because it was developed as the original Big O.  Come on folks, that shit is ridiculous.  If it is that close and there is a patent violation the company will deal with it.  Otherwise shut the hell up, we don’t care, there is only one requirement – Does it catch fish?

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

This morning got my blood going for more bay fishing.  It will be lake on Monday, then the hearing test etc. on Tuesday, then hopefully it will be back out there.  Though we did not boat the trout we should have that is an easy fix, fish more.  And time to do a little spinnerbait fishing for reds with the Knockin Tail, it could be epic.  I just want to get past this stupid virus thing and really get to fishing, time to get after it.  But be safe!  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

Just wanted to touch base and let you know I have not deserted the ship.  We spent a long weekend on the Mississippi coast and got back last night.  It was good to get the Boss a little time away from it all.

Unfortunately the “fake/Democrat” virus is absolutely blowing up in Victoria with 150 – 200 new cases a day, one of the top % increases in the NATION.  Dozens of nurses in the hospital have now contracted the virus, the area hospitals are full of sick patients, and we just lost a 16 y/o female along with many others.  30 nurses have been brought in to help with the outbreak.  Not sure how many deaths will satisfy the folks who deny this is real – maybe 200,00 – 300,000?   Walk a mile in the emergency room hero’s shoes and see how it really is.

Random Fish Pic – Belize Tarpon

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

Post #1310 – That is a lot of writing!

It is time for the 3 year renewal of my website, headed into year 10, in other words shell out more money.  So in spite of the occasional desire to give it up I have decided to renew for another 3 years.  This is a labor of love, at times maybe a love/hate relationship, but as long as I am upright and fishing the website will continue.

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

There is some great news on the Knockin Tail front.  Stay tuned!  

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

Random Fish Pic – Love me some Falcon Lake bass!

I would be at the lake this morning but real life continues to rear its ugly head as we have been living on borrowed time with the AC at our house.  As it is 25 years old that is to be expected.  We had it worked on, but no great hopes actually, and when we got home from Gulf Shores it was nice and cool.  Turned it down 2 degrees and off it went.  So Joe Cool will be here later, and even if he can get it going again time to bite the bullet and replace it.  It may live again, but like cars, boats, and other mechanical things, let me down once shame on you, twice, shame on me.  Love home ownership.

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

And time for another off topic rant.  We are small time gamblers, anything over a $100 and we are done, but I am a big proponent of legalized gambling.  We notice in our travels all of the Texas folks having at it, whether in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Gulfport, and beyond.  All of that is tax money and jobs leaving the state.  Now I know that folks have differing opinions on gambling, but no matter what folks love it and do it whether legal or not.  So however it is labeled: lottery, bingo, or office pools, it is still gambling plain and simple.  (Think your odds are bad at the casino – they are great compared to the state lottery.)  But there was one side affect of the casinos in the Mississippi area that I had not considered.  Jobs!

Even in these tough times there was no shortage of available jobs in that area.  Even with things “slow” there due to the virus there was work and lots of it considering. They are crying for help.  There were signs everywhere, and even the service jobs paid $12 to $15 to start.  I agree that is not big money, but it is a job and in these times with so many folks our of work it sure was good to see.  Is gambling a cure all?  Of course not.  But the end result, jobs and money leaving our state for no good reason.  Just my .02 worth.

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

And one last word on the Mississippi coastal area.  I love what they did with the Katrina money.  Ramps, parks, the coast has it all, they did not waste it.  Unlike our incompetent county here that spent a cool half a mil on rebuilding a metal building.  Who paid out big money to contactors without itemized bills.  Who wanted a true accounting of the money and where it went, and then decided never mind.  The whole thing appears to be mismanaged and looks like they are going to let it slide.  Your tax dollars at work.  Sad.

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

Now back on topic!  I got this comment from Don.  And I definitely learned something.

Is the “tiny child” rig hot down there? Seems to be perfect for summer finesse slow fishing in central tx.

So the answer to your question, never heard of it but I sure learned something.  So instead of me trying to explain it here is a post from Ike’s website that explains it.  Not only a good looking summer bait when times are tough, it has real application for super clear water like the highland lakes of Arkansas, or highly pressured fish.

Top secret! The Tiny Child Rig

I am sure it catches fish and for those of you who like the Ned Rig, or light line finesse fishing, this should be the bomb.  Thanks Don for the info, love it when folks share by adding to all our collective fishing knowledge.  And I can see it catching the snot out of smallmouth.

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

I interrupt this post to report I am now sitting in a motel with the Boss.  It is always good to come back from 4 days out of town and end up in a motel for a couple of days.  The new AC will be put in Friday so here we are, it is way to freakin’ hot to try to deal with that.  But there is a silver lining.  My Buddy David is coming Thursday night to fish POC with me on Friday.  So I just booked a room down there and we can be on the water at daylight without having to get up at 4:00 to make the drive.

As far as the AC goes, comes with the territory.  Just amazing how stuff like that fails at the worst time.

Sorry for all the off topic stuff today, but that will change as the fishing renews in earnest.  Saw a pretty good lake report, they are still biting, and the Facebook posts from the bay look great.  Not sure whether we will be wading or not, but definitely will be some boat fishing on my go to spots.  Really looking forward to feeding them the Knockin Tail on Friday.  So keep stopping in and thanks for  reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

The rest of this report was written yesterday before I decided to fish.  Since we will be out of town a couple of days thought a lake trip was in order, especially with the wind forecast, which turned out to be right on.

Weather

80/96.   Partly sunny, breezy, humid.  24% chance of rain.  Wind  S 15 – 25 mph.

Lake Level

Today  94.20 msl.   10 days ago   94.47 msl.  (The steady decline continues.)

Solunar Time

Minor  9:48 am to 10:48 am.   (Could not tell.)

Dropping the boat in as it barely cracked daylight the lake was obviously dropping.  The water temp was 88 – 91 depending on where you were, and there is some color in the coves which is probably due to the falling water.

First up was a consistent point with a buzzbait, and 5 jumped on and missed a couple, all seriously small.  So up lake and to the places they were, and except for a couple of brushy deeper banks, it was few and far between.  I ended up catching 3 more on buzzbait, but again all small.  So time to pitch to wood, which is also slowly going away as the lake drops and the water warms

Needed a couple more like this.  Beaver style bait.

Covering lots of water 2 things became apparent.  First, there has to be some deeper water really close or they are not on it.  And they seem to have deserted the more isolated simple stump type wood, so look for brush.  Second, I can tell I have not been fishing as much, I missed as many as I caught, which was 5 on plastics.

  Knockin Tail White Ice.  Stick worm.

One thing about pitching lighter weights and baits, if you feel anything you have to set the hook.  Do the “see if they are on there thing”, and they drop it.  Catching those just comes with fishing a lot.  By about 10:00 the wind came up so there were 2 places I wanted to fish with plastics, the discharge and a long point.

The discharge gave up 3 and again I missed several.  But it was not quick so made a long run to a deep point with some wood and did not get a bite.  As this point the wind was blowing so I decided to make my fishing stand cranking, so I did.  Sticking with the 5XD in a sexy shad, it was 3 long deep channel banks with the wind pounding 25 mph on them.  One would think an occasional one would jump on but it did not happen.  All 3 banks were a bust so at 11:15 I called it a morning.  If the wind had laid some I would have stuck it out a while longer but after 4 places without a bite it was not looking to good.

This morning the deer were everywhere, and if the number of fawns on the lake is any indication the deer had a good year.  And today I saw 3 little gators, and I mean small.  They love that buzzbait or a frog.  Mean little guys.

The buzzbait was as big as him.

I did notice shad still seem to be everywhere, some are really small, and some about the size of a rattle bait.  So next trip will give the White Ice Knockin Tail a good go, along with a Rapala Shad Rap crankbait.  So not a bad morning, just a little tough, but not totally unexpected considering it is 100 in the shad.  As always good to be back on the water.

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

The World is Plotting Against Me

As I always do I stayed home all weekend, no reason to add to the holiday confusion.  So the plan was to be on the water first thing Monday – but noooo!  Friday afternoon the AC just craps out.  Great.  Good thing was I have a smaller AC in the tackle room which we put in the bedroom to keep it and the living room cool until Joe Cool Heating and Air could come Monday morning.  Turned out better than I thought.

Here is a blatant plug for Joe Cool.  He is the 5th AC service we have used in Victoria and is the first honest one who has not ripped us off.  How could I possibly accuse all 4 of them of ripping us off?  Every single one, every year, on the annual check said we needed expensive freon.  Interesting as they never “fixed” anything but every time, by all of them, it needed freon.  The last 3 years we have used Joe Cool guess what?  No freon needed.  Hmmmm…..  And to add to things he comes when he says he will, responds to calls, and has a smile on his  face.  He fixed us first thing for a fair price and it is all “Joe Cool” again at my house.  Nice to deal with an honest service guy and I can not recommend him any higher.

So now it is Tuesday, and I am not fishing.  Why not?  Off to the ENT guy to have the ear checked.  More on that when I get back in an hour.  So one more round of meds as I have made some progress, then a hearing test.  Looks like hearing aids are in my future.  After watching my parents struggle with theirs at times I have decided on the big over the ear one, less chance that I will lose it.  Or at my age, forget what I did with it while it is still in my ear.  Hell getting old.

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

The Knockin Tail, swim bait, jig trailer, or Alabama Rig, it will put fish in the boat.  

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

Random Pics

Hollowed ground I was fortunate enough to visit!

It puts you in your fishing place.  Think you are all that, not so much.  These folks were pioneers and the fish and records in the club are mind boggling.  Much of it done on gear that was primitive by today’s standards.

Lee Marvin’s Grander.  I hope some day to return and give it a go, a true bucket list adventure!

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

Got this from Rusty our Fayette guru.  You know you are having a bad day when………….

What is that thing out there on the water?

Man I hate it when that happens.

This is the comment his friend sent with the pictures from the Park Prairie Ramp on Fayette.

The ramp has a lot of algae and moss on it.  The truck was in Park and slid into the lake.

Not a cheap wrecker call either.

I have had a close call at that ramp, it can be really slick, and my brother had to sit for a half hour with his foot on the brake before someone gave him a tow because he could not pull out due to algae.  Why I put in at Oak Thicket Park.  And my condolences to whoever’s truck that was.  Tough break hope you had good insurance.

Over the 8 years or so I lived at the boat dock we saw that kind of thing at the ramp often, though looks like this was not his fault, that ramp can be slick.  We did see boats fall off trailers, had a brand new Bronco slide down the ramp and into the lake, even had a guy actually get so mad trying to back the trailer in he coded and died right on the ramp.

And as a side note Rusty reported New Mexico not only instituted mandatory 14 day quarantine when visiting from out of state, the motels are supposed to call the cops if violated.  Add that due to the virus spike Americans are being banned in many foreign countries and you have a mess.

What made that relevant is we were looking to head to the mountains somewhere west this week but decided not to make the trek.  Most of the places in Colorado were booked and New Mexico has been one of the tighter states since the virus.  Last time we were in Colorado it was all folks from New Mexico because even fishing was closed.  So by time you read this we will be headed somewhere to do something.  But this whole virus thing is getting old.

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

And our TPWD wardens report 45 Boating While Intoxicated charges filed on the water this holiday weekend.  My response – If you are that freakin’ stupid to not only drive a boat while drunk, but do it on a weekend when every law enforcement officer in the state is out looking for exactly that, then you are one bad criminal.  (After respresenting hundreds of criminals I know criminals that are bad at it.) You might want to try something else in the future.  Sorry no sympathy here, and yes you are a criminal.  (Maybe the hand cuffs and ride in the back seat would tell you something.)  To our Wardens – thanks guys we appreciate what you do keeping us safe out there.

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

It has sure been interesting, and I use that term loosely, in the tackle business.  Fishing has been on the upsurge since the virus started and getting stock, whether lures, parts, rods and reels, has been tough on retailers and manufacturers.  (One I heard about is so swamped he can just not keep up.) Many shelves are bare in Academy and last time I was in Cabela’s there was only 1 bag of 3/0 worm hooks, period.  Long manufacturing times on baits, regular shipping delays, it all affect the fishing world.  Just buy American made when you can and support our local guys.  When it comes down to it Academy or Wal Mart does not know you, or care.

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

Coleto Creek Bassmaster June Tournament Results

June winners at Coleto Creek:
1st place: Boo Knezek 12.43 lbs
2nd place: Brad Wright 11.15 lbs
3rd place: Zac Reihs 9.99 lbs
Big Bass honors: Trent Thrasher 7.82 lbs

This is exactly what I have been finding.  You can catch a limit but they might not weigh a ton.  But a big one is always possible, and 7.82 qualifies, so congrats to Trent.  At least they are biting.

(Tip of the day:  Anchor at the discharge and stay there all day.  If Groundhog Day is your thing you will get bit.)

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

On the fishing front I will be back on the lake in the morning, but overall just giving it a rest right now.  But my favorite season is coming, hunting season, and with that a huge drop in traffic on the bay.  Combine that with the beginning of the mullet run, and the reds starting to really gang up, and it will be time to get back to it.  And with a new toy coming to try can’t wait for fall.

This week we are headed out of town for a few days after the Boss finishes a long stressful stretch.   She has earned a little R&R and it took a while to find something acceptable for the long weekend.  But no matter what it will be face masks and hand sanitizing.  Just making sure we live another day.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Check out their new CFG Madre Sling

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

Speaking of Wade Right a big thanks to Tim and Jason.  They were kind enough to hook the Boss up with her own wading bag for her wading gear, along with a sling.  It is part of my insidious plan to get her wading with me on the coast.  So now she has Sims from head to toe and Wade Right for the rest.  Remember this boys – It is not how many fish you catch but how good you look doing it.  Not sure why she likes me.

So after fishing Monday I have taken this week off.  We have been 100+ heat index with winds in the 25mph range so I will sit this stretch out until next week.  And with the holiday weekend I will be staying close and leaving it to the rest of the folks while the Boss saves some lives.  Many of the beaches on the coast are closed for the weekend, so expect any area with water that is open to be busy.  They just closed all of Austin’s parks.  And remember, if you are going to Coleto go early, it will reach capacity fast.

And no matter how you feel about the state of the virus please be careful.  Victoria is in the middle of an explosion, and for some reason nationwide many folks who are getting sick now are even sicker than before.  You may not be worried but if you give it to your Grandma, wife, uncle, your opinion might change.  It is scary right now.

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

The Knockin Tail, the best new bait on the market.  

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

 I got several comments after the Chandeleur trip and here is one from Jimmie B.

I hope your trip to the ENT went well. Do you have an email address for Capt. Howie? I have sent him two emails from off his website with no response. I am planning a trip for next late May or early June. Tight lines!

Though there is an email address listed on the site I know that Tim from Wade Right who coordinates our trips always calls Capt. Howie, which is the best way to get in touch.  As a perfect example he came in from a trip that morning, loaded us up late in the day, and when we off loaded the last morning he was getting ready for another trip that day.  He is busy for good reason.  So give him a call and tell him I sent you, he will get a kick out of it.  A really good guy, he will answer as soon as he can.  As far as the ENT, some oral steroids for a week as it may just be an inflamed nerve issue.  Then back in a week, either fixed or injection in the ear, can’t wait for that one.

And this from Darryl who I met at Cabela’s.

First thanks for your posts, been an avid reader and follower since we met at Cabelas in Buda 4-5 years ago, looking at the discounted fishing line…. I am an avid fisherman, and normally tourney fish for Bass here in Central Texas, and have been President to a few Bass Clubs. However, I am doing more salt water inshore stuff as I like the challenge and the pull.

My question is simple: Chandeleur is on my bucket list, but getting 10 buddies together is like herding cats… I am open in driving a Charter group, leveraging like minded souls` who read your Blog, or is there another way you would recommend.

Tim organized the trips and has found that once the first one goes it seems there is no problem getting folks to repeat.  And I agree it is like herding cats to get that many folks together.  Our bunch is full for good reason, and like me, they all start looking forward to next year as soon as we dock.  One thing about booking Howie he has a base price per person, and deposit, that has to be met, and I am sure he will take one person if they want to shell out that much $$$$.

One thing I would suggest is booking a date fairly far in advance as he is busy, which does complicate the cat herding.  I have done tons of fishing travel and have heard the count me in thing quite a bit over the years, until the rubber meets the road and then my dog is sick, the wife won’t let me, etc.  So the task could be daunting.

As far as getting folks I would start with your fishing groups or your Facebook friends if you are on it.  Maybe post his website and one of my article about the trip seeing if there is interest.  Then if there is get folks to put some money where their mouth is.  It will be a challenge.  But do give Howie a call from the number on his website and talk it over with him, and tell him for me thanks for another great trip.

To the rest of you that have expressed an interest occasionally, if you ever wanted to go let me know and I can put you in touch with other interested parties.  In this case Darryl is a really experienced fisherman who would be a great person to coordinate the trip.  As I have said before, this is the best deal in fishing on the planet.  Having hired guides from The Great Barrier Reef to Oregon I promise you will get plenty of bang for your bucks.  (I  was looking for a flats guide in Gulf Shores the other day, and the day price was the same as Howie’s 3 day all inclusive trip.  Like I keep saying, grits, steaks, and Banana pudding, but never forget the Seagull Surprise!)  This trip was a perfect example, the fishing was slow, the weather sketchy, and we had a couple of self made hiccups, and it was still a great trip.  So good luck and let me know if things are shaping up.

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

As the number of guides expands I will always remember what Carmine – those of you who have been fishing POC might remember her restaurant – had to say about guides at POC.  “There are so many guides here they have to wear badges so they don’t guide each other.”  Sure makes picking a good one harder than it was.  At some point in the future I hope the state considers some kind of training like they do with guides and outfitters out west.  Just because you bought a boat and took a test does not make you a guide.

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

If you fish the Texas coast you need to check out this site.  A wealth of information, if you are a traveling fisherman and not a “stick with” my warm and fuzzy spot guy, visit them. When you read an article about a place to fish the salt in Texas you might want to try this is the bomb. It is probably the best coastal fishing resource on the net.

https://www.coastalbendfishing.com/

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

More fun with boat buying.  Many are listed as “Condition fair.”

Condition fair.  2003 Honda 200hp needs motor, engine block has corrosion.

Fair, I might classify that as disabled.

Condition fair.  Everything works besides the shifter.

A boat that will not go in gear is not in fair condition.

Condition fair.  The floor was removed due to rot and needs to be replaced.

Who needs a stinking floor.

Condition fair.  The floor will need a lot of work.  Some electrical work, and cable work for the throttle may be in store for you.  The tires will most likely need replaced as well.

The fairest boat in all the land.

Boat is in good shape but motor doesn’t run.

A boat with a motor that does not run in not in good shape.

THIS IS A PROJECT PURCHASE.  NO TITLE FOR TRAILER.  NO ENGINE.

Like I have said so many times in the past.  Project = run away as fast as you can, especially when it is in all caps!

Condition fair.  No title. Can float on the water. Motor not included.

A new kind of boat.  Thank freakin’ God this will float on water.

It will need a new floor and new seats along with a new motor.

An easy fix.

Condition good.  The outdrive on the blue boat is good but the engine is shot. The white boat has a good engine and a bad outdrive.

Twice the trouble.

trashed inside,  free, you lift, load, haul.  will float fine.  no motor,
no trailer, no papers of any sort.

Free.  At least this guy is not delusional.

One thing I am seeing quite a bit on Craigslist now is a lot of Bass Tracker and Lund boats that are priced way below market, ridiculously so.  Of course the boat is in storage or some other excuse.  One thing that runs consistent on all the fraudulent ads is the contact information is always a email address.  Here is a couple of examples.  The names have been changed to keep slime like this from suing me when I call them thieves.

XXXX057 @gmail .com    XXXXX75@gmail.com

If that is the only contact information, run.  I see the same names over and over with boats so far below market it could not be real.  So ignore these, but if you just can’t resist ask where you can see it, if the answer is fuzzy it is a scam.  And if they want the $$$ up front just ask them which county to send the check, where it can be picked up at the sheriff’s office, see how that works.

Actually one thing that has come out of the pandemic is fishing related sales are great.  Folks who have been laid off have been fishing.  Heck Michael is having trouble keeping the Knockin Tail is stock, and so many of the shelves are bare in Academy.  And from what I read boat and camper sales are great.  Of course in the near future look for some really nice used boats to be back on the market.

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

Being friends with the Wardens of TPWD on Facebook I keep up with them.  There was a post yesterday where they stopped a shrimp boat and apparently he had offloaded about half of a commercial bait guys over catch of croaker and was transporting it for sale, neither had the appropriate license.  They reported they released the croaker back in the bay, a good start.  But I look at it like a theft, which it is.  I see regular folks getting guns and boats confiscated with a violation, and I have no problem with that.  But it is time to treat the commercial guys the same as the rest of us.  Suspend the license and confiscate their gear when it is an intentional violation like this.  It is only fair.

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

And from TPWD.

Drownings are up 30% over last year. Please be safe on the water this weekend.

That will do it for now.  Have a great weekend celebrating living in the best country in the world.  But do it safely when out and about, especially on the water.  There is no more dangerous time than our 3 summer holiday weekends and the last thing you want is to be a statistic when they release the figures.  Wear your kills switch and life jackets, give way – be the bigger man, you have no clue what that other fool is about to do.  Make sure your boat and trailer are ready to go.  Pick up your trash.  Drinking while boating this weekend is just like drinking and driving on New Years Eve – strictly amateur hour.  Law enforcement will be out and about this weekend and breaks will be few and far between.  So tell them thanks for their service and they just might tell you thanks for having your shit together.   (They probably won’t say it but just might be thinking it!)  It has happened to me several times.  With all that said have a great time.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines and God Bless America.