FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

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Before I get to the fishing let me tell you why I am pissed.  At least yearly, and often more than that, I break a rod setting the hook.  For some reason it has happened consistently for over 30 years, which is nuts.  So the point?  Today throwing a spinnerbait I thought it was a bite, set the hook, and my best rod snapped in half.  (At least in a perfect place so it is destined to be a travel rod.)  But dang it.  I even got it at half price and it was still $80.  And that is the very reason I am a value rod shopper, big on the sales.  Whether costly or cheap, it happens.  It is just particularly irritating as it was the best of the lot.  Oh well, the cost of doing business.

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The new Knockin’ Tail Lures will come in 6 colors and they look great.   So click on the link and take a look.  Heck, pre-order some as it is going to be first come first served. 

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The swim jig is still the best bite for me.

It was a weird day all the way around.  I waited at the house until 9:00 as it was raining some and there was occasional thunder.  But watching the weather I hit it just about right as it was drizzling and dead calm when I started.  But as the morning went on it cleared up the wind started out of the north, which definitely did not help the fishing.

After catching a couple of crappies yesterday first up was a couple of places, first where they were yesterday, second a place they always come.  And not a bite, not even a touch.  I worked both places over, probably to long, and could not get a bite so time to put that up.  So next was swim jig in a couple of coves.

There is definitely fish all the way back in some of the coves.  The best bites still come near any cover, the “brushier” the better, though a lay down is just as likely to have a fish on it.  5 jumped on in the first cove, then 4 or 5 in the next one.  A couple blew up on it over a really shallow piece of wood.  As it started to clear the wind finally started to blow.  So I headed to the bank where I had the best bites yesterday.  But the wind was out of the opposite direction, the north, and not a bite.

The best of them today.  The second one came on a pitch.

So one last place, a big cove out of the wind.  4 or 5 came out of the back end, all around brush.  The swim jig caught most with the last one of the day pitching the beaver to a dead fall.  The water temp was the warmest that I saw all day at 68 degrees.  As I fished my way out of the cove not another bite.  So at 4:00 I called it a day.

A dozen or so on swim jig, one on spinnerbait, and one pitching.  I did make one quick trolling pass and caught 4 small whites and a couple of bass.  It really looks like the white bass are either going to split spawn, or they are already done, which is a month early.  And while I have not looked for beds with the water temp at 64 minimum it would not surprise me.  But no matter what the fishing is good, you just have to work for them.

Will be off galavanting around for a few days and then it is time to start doing a little salt work.  The Boss will be gone late next week so I am trying to decide where to go.  Of course I will be back on the water way before that.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

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Jury Duty

I got up this morning, cleaned up my act, I even put on a suit coat in deference to the Court, I am still an attorney you know.  On arrival at the courthouse there were potential jurors piling in.  After clearing the checkpoint, security is tighter in the courthouse than at the airport, they directed us to an upstairs courtroom.  We filled up  courtroom the and the waiting began.

Turned out there was 3 trials scheduled and they had called 500 potential jurors. Knowing how long this would take I had my book and settled in.  Last time I was called of course I was not chosen.  Must have been when they asked if anybody ever had trouble with a prosecutor.  My answer, always.  So while I figured my chances of getting on the jury were nil, I still had to go through it like everyone else.

Then they read off a list of names and told us to go into the hall and the clerk would tell us where to go.  And she did – Go Home!  One trial settled, one was dismissed, so they only needed one jury and I was free to go.  And of course I did, right to the lake and was on the water at 11:00!

When the wind came up they smoked the swim jig.

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The new Knockin’ Tail Lures will come in 6 colors and they look great.   So click on the link and take a look.  Heck, pre-order some as it is going to be first come first served. 

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The water level is still stable, not quite as clear, and the temp was 64 over most of the lake.  I headed up to hit a big spawning cove where I have been catching them.  A couple jumped on the swim jig, but they had backed out a little farther in the cove.  Both came on a secondary point, a classic pre-spawn location as they get ready to get after it.

The new pearl Knockin’ Tail puts a nice white in the boat.  That is a 5″ stick worm all the way down that crappie’s throat.

There were several folks up lake fishing, so when I left the cove I trolled up seeing if the white bass fishing had improved.  Not really, though 8 jumped on trolling, 4 bass and 4 whites.  The biggest came on the new Knockin’ Tail pearl.  (I have now caught bass, white bass, crappie, trout, tilapia, and redfish on them.  Not only do they catch fish, they last, which is a real benefit.)  After a trolling pass or two I hit a small cove, the water temp was 65, and caught the crappie above pitching the stick worm to cover.  So since I had the Knockin’ Tail tied on I tossed it in there, one thumped it, I set the hook and tossed it completely over the boat!  Now the Knockin’ Tail is a little large for crappie, but that isn’t the point, it catches fish.  And where those crappie were if you are looking for a fish fry look shallow trashy cover, they are moving up.

A spinnerbait bass.  The bite was on for a couple of hours in the wind.  Spring fishing is coming!

The wind came up some, and in my insane pursuit to catch them on spinnerbait I headed back down lake around 3:00 to fish some windy banks.  And just like it should be, they were up.  The bluegill swim jig did most of the damage and before I quit at 5:00 it put 8 in the boat on the jig and broke one off.  (I hate it when that happens.)  I threw the spinnerbait off and on and finally had some success.  It was 4 for 7 or 8 bites.  At least they were chasing, a great sign of things to come, and the ones that did hook up smoked it.

Late afternoon the sky cleared and the water temp had risen to 67.  Buzzing the all white spinnerbait was best for it, while a slow roll with the swim jig was getting bit regularly.  I will take a dozen in the last 2 hours any day.  Before it was all over 10 on swim jig, 4 on spinnerbait, 8 trolling, and 2 pitching.  Not bad for a short day I thought was going to be a complete waste.

So the fish are biting and it should only get better.  One nice thing about this time of year is you can generally fish for what you like, how you want.  After our slow year last year this year is starting off with a bang.  And the big fish should start turning up a little more regularly.  So if you like the lake, time to fish.

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“Our Water?”

According to the local paper it has been discovered that Union Carbide in Seadrift has been allowing “plastic pellets and other solids” to leak into the barge canal.  (“Other Solids?  Not sure what that is, but try dumping that on their yard and see how they like it.)  This is the second plant to be found doing that lately to our bay.  There is a lot of talk about getting to a zero discharge policy but part of the problem is the folks we pay at the state are slower than molasses.  This reason, that excuse, wtf?  Get it done.  The rule should be ZERO discharge into OUR water of anything, by anybody, anywhere.  It is not that hard and should be done post haste.  What do we pay them for if they are not acting quickly and decisively?  And along with that a fine big enough to hurt, and a demand that every last thing is cleaned up.  Of course we need the jobs, but this is not rocket science.  They can surely find a way to manufacture safely.  There is no reason for anyone to dump anything into our water.  End of story.

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And one last comment I forgot last post – Austin traffic.  We have driven at night on the opposite side of the road during rush hour in Cape Town South Africa.  In San Jose Puerto Rico it was exciting when during rush hour terrorists blew up the main power line and there were no traffic lights.  Or Greece, we drove on roads that were a thousand years old and nothing more than tracks through the mountains not as wide as my driveway.  In fact, on the only highway going across Costa Rica there was a fatality and it took 5 hours to go around.  We have had some driving adventures.  But Austin is a whole other animal.  Heading home on a Saturday afternoon it was bumper to bumper crawling for 25 miles.  People doing crazy shit, being very aggressive, it was bad.  I know it is a great town but the traffic gets worse and worse and I feel for the folks who live there.

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It is almost daylight as I finish this.  It is raining a little but the forecast is for clearing, and with that I am back to the lake.  Since I did not have my crappie stuff with me yesterday I will add that to the boat and do a little exploring.  As shallow as those were yesterday they should be fairly easy to catch if you find the right place.

And Michael, the designer of the Knockin’ Tail, dropped me a note after he put the hurt on some trout last weekend at Corpus.  He reports the same thing I am finding, it is one tough bait that lasts.  In fact, thinking about it I had not had one fail in the tough department.  As I glue them all on what few I have lost has been the only way they fail.  One pumpkin color I have used for a while is chewed up and still swimming fine.  He hopes to have the mold to the manufacturer in a couple of weeks with baits in hand hopefully by the Houston Fishing Show.  It is going to be a hit.

We are headed to the Biloxi area for a couple of days, then home in time for the Super Bowl.  The Boss loves the commercials and this year scheduled off way in advance so we can watch the game.  I will get today’s report up before we hit the road, hope it is a good one.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

“SAVE OUR WATERS”

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The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

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Before I get to the fishing I have a story.  It is absolutely the best example of the joys of boat ownership that I have ever seen, and I have seen my share.  The names are changed to protect the guilty, but there are several lessons to be learned at their expense.

So Owner has a boat he has had for quite a while and has just not been able to use as much as he likes.  Buyer and his relative, who owner is friends  with and have fished with for years, are wanting to buy said boat.  The plan, meet at Travis, fish with us on Saturday, and see how it goes.  From there the fiasco begins, much to our amusement!

Lesson number 1, Nothing is harder on the “stuff” on the boat than not using it.  In this case the sellor’s rationale to sell the boat is it is not getting used as much as he would like.  So they drop the boat in the water and guess what?  The battery is dead, but hey, no problem, just a quick jump start, then run it a little and no problem.  Sure………

They meet up with us and we are fishing a long bank so they idle past us and start fishing.  Sure…….  The trolling motor batteries are dead.  Great.  But hey, no problem, we were all going to troll some anyway so they go to start the boat,  Oops….nope.  The battery is deader than a hammer.  So we hook them up and take them back to the ramp.  The plan, once started they will just leave it running and troll.  The best laid plans………

At this point we are giving them a load of crap.  We get the cables, jump them, and we  all head up the river when they start lagging behind.  So we turn around and head back, and the hydraulic steering is starting to really act up!  How bad is it?  They have to turn around and head to the ramp to get some fluid.  Of course at the ramp after they fill up the fluid will the boat start?  Of course not!

So now it is off to the battery store.  Not sure if it was just the starting battery or the trolling motor’s too, but the batteries are around 4 years old.  They finally come and meet us a while later, with 3 new batteries and a working steering.

Lesson number 2, selling your boat to a good friend is always a little sketchy.  Heck I would probably not buy a boat from me.  I learned a lesson when selling a Champion to a friend and the hull ended up being cracked.  Good thing we were friends with the owner of Champion.

But in this case their troubles is really a lesson in boat ownership.  So lesson number 3.  Often the real cost of owning a fishing boat is batteries, cables, oil, trailer lights, you know the drill.  (Almost forgot when I walked up with anonymous owner to get some cables a brand new LED trailer light has broken off the trailer and is just hanging there.  The hits just keep on coming!) In this case the boat is fine and none of what happens has squat to do with the engine or the hull.  It is the accessories we all struggle with if you have owned a boat or two.  Case in point.  Last year and a half I bought a new trailer, 2 graphs, gel batteries, a new trolling motor, and had some upholstery recovered.  The hits just kept on coming.

Lesson number 4.  Do not have your friends all there when you sell a boat.  As their morning progressed so did the amount of good natured crap we gave them.  Neither the seller or the buyer was spared our pithy comments. There has never been a greater example of the joys of boat ownership.  But it was all in good fun and was definitely the highlight of the day.  At least on our end!

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Just got some of the new Knockin Tail Lures in a multitude of colors and they look fabulous.  So click on the link and take a look.  Heck pre-order some as it is going to be first come first served.  And now I don’t have to hide them when I catch a fish! 

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I have fished Travis once in the past, this time I was meeting Ro for a night of camping and fishing, and some of the rest of the boys were coming on Saturday to fish.  Ro and I met up at Pace Bend Park to get a camping spot and then on the water.  I did not realize it was primitive camping with no electric.  (The problem, no coffee the next morning.  Hard on a coffee addict.)   So we pick a spot and are on the water by 11:00.

The water temp is around 50 degrees, the water is clear, and there is not a breath of wind with a mile high sky.  When you add the cold front they just had it added up to some tough conditions.  Ro has basically grown up fishing Travis so we started in his favorite area.  And it was slow, with him boating one or two.  That bites were well over 15 foot deep, which turned out to be telling.  I threw jerk bait off and on both days without a bite, they were just not on the bank.

So we moved and he started catching them, I on the other hand can not get a bite.  He is fishing a brush hog on a heavy shaky style head, I am throwing a stick worm.  We ended up fishing 3 hours and while he caught 6 or so I have not boated a fish.  Time to do a little trolling.  We head up the river to the go to spring spot for whites and stripers  (The Boss had dibs on any striper.)  and do not catch a single white bass.  But the largemouth are jumping on, including a double, most from the bait running over 20 foot deep.  We finally decided to spend the last bit of light back on the bass.  My pea brain finally figured out my problem.  Ro is fishing the bait in almost a do nothing style.  Really slow and deep, but without abrupt hopping.  I had been hopping it to aggressively.  Basically they wanted it crawled.

Finally we hit a spot and put 5 in the boat real quick, and I get 3 of them in nothing flat.  Nothing to big, but Ro wants to release a few to the grease so in the end we kept 4.  If I had got with the program a little quicker it sure would have helped.  Then back to our camp on a bluff overlooking the lake as the sun sets.  A campfire, burgers on the grill, a clear sky full of stars, it is all good.

The next morning John joins us and we run right across from the ramp and fish a long deep cove.  Ro and I are doing ok, and now that I am working it properly I am doing my share.  We probably get 7 or 8, adding a few more keepers to the box.  The day started off clear and as the morning progressed it clouded up and the wind started blowing.  Instead of helping matters we maybe caught a couple on the next 3 places.  We decided to end the day, quitting time was 3:00, by trolling.  It was even slower than the day before, not a bite.  Whatever turned the fish off it just quit.  Which worked out fine as it was out quitting time.

Sorry there are no pictures but I was just having a good time and blew it off.  But if you saw a picture it would have shown nice fat bass.  While we had nothing over 2lbs, everyone we caught was stout.  They were fattened up for the spawn and had obviously been working the shad over.  Actually with the way they were biting, which was not very good, it was a good result.  Plus got to check in with David, Joey, John, and Ro.  I always enjoy fishing with them and this was nothing new.  And David, hope the batteries didn’t cost to much.  And Joey, welcome to boat ownership.  Did I say that?  Hope you all made it back to the ramp!

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I was interested in what Coleto had done the last few days after our rain and it looks like it has stabilized.  Hope that continues.

4 days ago  94.38 msl.   Today  94.39 msl.  (Looks like whatever rise we got has stabilized.)

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I would be on the water in the morning but duty calls.  Got my summons for jury duty and have to be at the courthouse at 8:30 in the morning.  Since I have retired I can honestly say I do not miss going to court.  And since generally attorneys do not make the panel, and if it is a criminal case, my chances of being on the jury are a big fat Zero.  So I will go and do whatever, then will get sent on my way for $35.00.  And I promise to waste every bit of it on tackle so there is that.

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My week is totally up in the air.  About the time I think there is no way I will end up on the jury it could happen.  And then it turns into a murder case and it takes 2 weeks.  But if not, I will be on the water Tuesday, rain or not.  And then the Boss and I are off to somewhere to do something.  Exactly what I could not tell you.  But as all good husbands know, yes honey.  I do know she will be off to visit her mom in a couple of weeks and I will definitely be off fishing somewhere.  Way past time to give the new Knockin’ Tail a serious go on the salt.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

It rained yesterday, basically all day, so I did not get on the water.  As we got over an inch it will be real interesting how the cool rain affects the bite on Coleto, but if I was guessing, and I am, it should slow things down.  Here is the current water level on the lake.

Today  94.38 msl.   Monday  94.21 msl.  (Last time we were at that level was December 15th.)

So the water is coming up  (I am happy about that!) and I am sure there is more to follow.  As it was in the mid 50’s all day I would expect the rain temp to be in the same category, or even cooler.  As far as water color that remains to be seen, but the couple of creeks close to the house were running right along.  Since I am prepping to head to Travis in the morning to fish a couple of days with Ro and David it will be Monday before I am back on the lake.  So while the cool rain may slow it down some we needed the rain and the lake definitely needs the water.

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Just got some of the new Knockin Tail Lures in a multitude of colors and they look fabulous.  So click on the link and take a look.  Heck pre-order some as it is going to be first come first served.  And now I don’t have to hide them when I catch a fish! 

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Ro is a good multi-species fisherman who catches them doing whatever it takes.  So I expect it will be everything from bass fishing to even some trolling.  Travis has good white bass fishing and stripers, and as we are staying on the upper end it could be a mixed bag.  As Travis is a lot like my old stomping grounds I will be swimming the Knockin’ Tail and adding a little jerk bait for starters.  But like all trips the most important thing is to keep an open mind.  And for me getting to fish out of someone else’s boat is always a pleasure.

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Save Our Waters – This is not off topic!

“the EPA’s proposal would end federal protection for half of the nation’s wetlands and 15% of streams across the country.”

When I was young we used to wade Big Creek north of town.  It had pools, riffles, grass, lily pads, and great bass fishing.  The wading was easy, the fish hungry, and it was a beautiful thing.  Hardwoods lined the creek with beautiful creek bottoms full of morel mushrooms every spring.  Then the unrestricted straightening of the creeks, the use of hard core pesticides, along with other factors, turned that creek, and many others, into a mud hole.  What a loss for those young fishermen on the way.

The governments new proposal to reduce the regulations on a large portion of the water in this country will do nothing but take us back.  As a fisherman, no matter your politics, you should be concerned.  Remember, every little creek or river ends up in our water supply or your fishing hole somewhere.  Sorry but I trust mining, big farming, and the oil folks as far as I can throw them.  But by the same token, as long as they are following the rules I have no complaint with them.  The problem is the rules.  This country has made tons of progress from the days the Detroit River used to catch on fire, but it has taken decades for things to improve.  Of course the current rules are not perfect or fair to everyone, but I will always be in favor of over protecting our waters.  Why in the world we would roll back any of that is beyond me.  If you love to fish, and you would prefer to not have lead or mercury in your drinking water, you should oppose these rule changes.

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Random past fish picture – My Belize Permit. One off the bucket list!

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https://captainexperiences.com/

I submitted my request to Captain Experiences for a redfish fly guide in Rockport.  Though I already made up my mind who to fish with I wanted to sign up to the service and see how the process works so I can let you all know.  And of course will continually follow up on the process and the results.  One thing that is for sure, I will never use Fishing Booker again, really shoddy.  And now that the reservation is going to be made it adds an April trip to what I am fondly calling Trip of the Month Club.

And speaking of that, my trip to Travis fills in the January Trip of the Month.  February will be Baffin or Falcon, or both.  Stay tuned.

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Time for a jig head rant.  Stopped by Cabela’s the other day to pick up a few things, jig heads being one of them.  Needed some light screw locks for bay fishing, and a few old style ball heads to use on the Knockin’ Tail for freshwater.  I will be using it some on Travis the next couple of days.  But my complaint – man are they high.  When we downsized to go to Fort Worth for the Boss’s school I sold my hot pot and molds, really wish I had them now.  This $1 – 1.50 a jig head is killing me.  Hopefully when I get to Arkansas later this spring the little tackle store will still be open.  They poured me a 100 last trip for $30, and it was nice to pick out the specific hook I prefer.  This time I will have them pour multiple sizes and then I won’t have to bitch about how much they cost.

I did make one purchase that I have thought about buying for years, a line stripper.  I hand pulled the line off 7 reels the other day and realized for $12 I could get a tool that would do the job in nothing flat.  The Boss actually commented that she has been watching me strip reels for over 30 years and was surprised I did not have one.  So much cool fishing stuff it takes a whole room in the house to keep track of it all, and now one more thing added to the pile.

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Politics 

This is not a rant to start a discussion.  I have watched a little of the impeachment and it further reinforces one of my pet peeves about both sides, all sides, or any side.  Time for term limits, end of story.  Whether it is local dog catcher, or the US Senate, there needs to be a 2 term limit for anyone who runs for any public office, national or local.  And with that an end to retirement benefits that surpass anything you and I have.  Time for public service, not self service with out tax dollars.

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That will do it for now.  The next time you hear from me will be after a couple of days of fishing on Travis.  The weather looks great and nothing like a little camping with friends.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Weather

It was pretty nippy this morning  (Monday), clear and cool with a brisk north wind, not the perfect fishing day by any stretch.  So I laid up and waited until later in the morning before heading out.  It will be interesting to see what the affects of the last few cool nights will have on the fish and the water temp.

Hail.  Hail.  The gangs all here.

64/40.  Intervals of clouds and sun with a 0% chance of rain.  Wind NE 5 – 15 mph.

Lake level

Friday   94.19 msl.  Today 94.21 msl.  (Holding steady the last 5 or 6 days.)

Prime Periods

Minor 2:25 pm to 3:25 pm  (Only relevant time today.)

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Just got some of the new Knockin Tail Lures in a multitude of colors and they look fabulous.  Full production soon.  So click on the link and take a look.  And now I don’t have to hide them when I catch a fish! 

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The wind was blowing right out of the north at a good 15mph when I dropped in at 11:00.  What little the lake has come up was obvious at the pier, but the color was not near as good as it was Friday.  But the big thing, the water temp was down 5 degree at the ramp.  And for the rest of the afternoon that would be the best of it.

As I headed up lake the water temp stayed around 65, a big drop.  So I decided to head right to where they were and cut to the chase.  How much did it drop?  What is the color like?  And will they bite?  Lots, crap, yes, sort of.

A lot tougher but still managed to catch a couple of good ones.

Idling in the cove it stayed 65, where it has been 70 degrees, and it was murky, not the best combination.  But it was not a complete bust, I boated 6 but they were definitely smaller than they have been.  But the interesting thing?  There were no fish near as far back in the coves like they were.  The problem was the temp dropped to 63, so they moved back out some.  A 7 degree drop with color is usually not happening in the back ends.

Whether slow rolling the swim jig or pitching the plastic, the fish are still tight to cover.  But as an example the cover I caught 6 out of produced one today and I missed one.  Looking at the weather it is going to stay like this, with a big rain Wednesday, then sunny Friday and Saturday when I will be fishing Travis.  I think tomorrow I will clean the boat, it really needs it, and while I am at it do a little screw tightening, a never ending project when you use a boat this much.

I always catch a couple every spring.  This one was a beast.

After fishing some of the uplake stuff I tried 2 other coves without a bite.  Next up was the deep channel banks down lake.  I had one of the new Knockin’ Tail Lures in a green with red flake on the spinning tod, not sure what color he is calling that, so thought I would give it a go.  The second bite was a really nice bass, which I tried to boat flip without success.  So still thinking about messing that up when I get another bite, and it was the tilapia above.  I really thought I was in business.

Swimming the Knockin’ Tail ended up producing 4 or 5 total, and though most were small they were smacking it.  I am not all that much of a swim bait guy in fresh water but that will change.  Made me so excited for Arkansas, with smallmouth, largemouth, white, stripers, crappie, and walleye, all legitimate options, the Knockin’ Tail is going to put fish in the boat.  That bait catches fish, and it is nice a firm, so when on a screw lock jig head it lasts, which is a real bonus.

So while the fishing was slow, I boated around 15, but the real the point was to see how things have changed, and they have.  Actually I am glad it slowed it down, no need to hurry what is coming no matter what next month.  And it just might keep the fishing a little better until we are in full on spring.  Plus, with the forecast for up to an 1″ plus of rain Wednesday maybe we can have a nice steady raise and not that frog strangling cold bit killer.

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Over the last few years the Saturday morning ritual usually involves me watching fishing, just like I did today.  The Boss has joined in for a little different reason, I like the fish, she likes the destinations.  And once they say where they are she starts her research.  This has led to several trips in the past, and our next big one to Africa is a perfect example, and she is currently looking at Alaska.  When you are a fisherman, and your spouse really isn’t, the fact that fishing can take place in the most beautiful places in the world works out just fine for everyone.

What got me started on that is Bill Dance was brown trout fishing on the White River and it brought back some good memories.  It was January, cold, and the water was high.  They were drifting and throwing Smithwick Rogues to post spawn brown trout.  Me and some of my buddies had a roll in developing and spreading that technique on the White.  When the Rogue first appeared we were all over it and smoked the bass on Bull Shoals and Norfork.  So why not take it to the river and catch browns and rainbows?  It worked.  It was amazing seeing a nice brown materialize and absolutely attack the Rogue.  Big fun.

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Speaking of travel we just made our reservations for a week late July in Colorado.  It might be one of those the Boss flies in, and I stay longer and fish more.  The place we often stay has a deal going for returning customers.  The place is run by some folks  (You know, those Austin cool kids.), it, and the customers, are eclectic to say the least.  We stayed there right after they first opened and several times since.  Now I may be back there way sooner than that, but this adds another destination to the Trip of the Month Club.  The calendar is already starting to fill up.

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That will do it for today.  We are now in that early spring weather pattern which can be unpredictable but the fishing finally seems to be straightening up some one the lake.  Not sure exactly how the rest of this week will go, but there is going to be fishing for sure.  And then after I get my fill of the lake and some bass it is time to start working on the bay.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

The weather looks absolutely perfect for another run at the lake tomorrow.  The fish are biting and a big fish just might be in my future.  And with the weather change coming this weekend it might back it off a hair so it is one of those get while the getting is good deals.  One thing about pre-spawn, the chance for a big fish is greatly improved.  So as long as it is not fogged in it will be on the water at daylight.  Love spring fishing!

The Bite is On!

 Could it be an clearer what I am doing?

Weather

66/77.  Fog lw clouds in morning then cloudy with a 25% chance of rain.  Wind SE 12 – 20 mph.

Lake level

Today  94.19 msl.  2 days ago 94.19 msl.  (Stable 3 days in a row.)

Prime Periods

Major 6:25 am to 8:25 am.  12:22 pm to 1:22 pm.  (The times were right on today.)

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

Just got some of the new Knockin Tail Lures in a multitude of colors and they look fabulous.  Full production soon.  So click on the link and take a look.  And now I don’t have to hide them when I catch a fish! 

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It was perfect this morning when dropping the boat in at 7:00.  Cloudy with a medium breeze, it had fish written all over it.  The water temp continues to rise slowly, with much of the lake around 70, and find a little warmer and you have fish.  And best of all, not a boat at the ramp.  I have basically had it to myself this week.

After a less than stellar year the lake is off to a big start.  I am not sure how many I caught today in 5 1/2 hours, but to give you an example, I caught 4 on the fist point and 6 out of one top alone.  It was nuts all morning.  8 in the first cove, 15+ in the second and then 5 or 6 each in the next 2.  And the last 2 days when I have hung up the worm in brush when I went to get it lose it popped off, and one rolled up and smoked it right in front of me.  They are biting, end of story.

The solids were on the chew!

Starting with the swim jig I broke one off right off the bat.  Thought I checked my drag but it may have been a bad spot in the line.  But 4 came on that secondary point, then I spinnerbaited the bank when it got windy, finally catching one after having a good one break a spinnerbait.  (A side affect of buzzing the big bladed spinnerbait on top, it does weaken the wire, and your arm)   I ended up fishing it a little more, catching 4 on it, all small, but it is a start.  From that point on it was cove hopping because the pitching bite was to hot to ignore.

Oops.  An all white tandem, old school for me, good in clear water.

I am still slow rolling the 1/4 ounce bluegill swim jig with a Rage Craw.  In fact, the best pattern has been swim jig then back with the stick worm if there is brush.  And the bigger tangle the better.  A couple of the better ones were right on stump/logs in an area where they will be spawning soon.  Today like it has been they were just doing the eat it, then swim, most of the time not feeling the bite.  As long as you are paying attention the line would move a little and it was time to set the hook.  Really a fun bite.

The average size is picking up!

It has been a great week.  I have fished 4 times and am really starting to get them down.  And the bite had gotten a little bit better every day.  The combination of stable water and warming temperature has them thinking spawning.  If the front coming tomorrow is not to ugly we should be in business.  And a good indicator, I saw a spawned out tilapia, and reeling the swim jig over a stump so I did not get stuck a bunch of little fry jumped out of the way.  That is what makes fishing what it is, you just never know.  Every day, every month, every year, it never stops changing.  All I know is I am loving the bite!  Time for a cold one!

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

I was in need of some information.  My brother-in-law from Iowa is coming down to Harlingen in late April.  Would love to put him on a redfish.  He has started fly fishing and I would like to hire a fly guide in the Rockport area.  Both of us know just enough to be dangerous and need a patient teacher.  I could maybe put him on one blind casting but looking for the classic sight casting day on a poling skiff.  But wait – brain fart!  I have the resource, so time to use it.

Not 2 minutes after I wrote this I got an email from Johnathan at Captain Experiences and they have the guy for us.  If you did not check out his site the other day do it.  Maybe you don’t have a trip planned, but it is always fun to dream.  And there just may be a little tom foolery involved in our day.  So stay tuned, will be setting the date this week.

https://captainexperiences.com/

****************** 

Starting the Trip of the Month Club

And speaking of traveling and fishing looks like I will be fishing Travis with a few of the Austin Boys next weekend.  They are kicking around a camping/fishing trip and since I am headed up there anyway I will be looking to put a few in the boat.  The weather might affect my sleeping choice, but will have no affect on whether I fish.  Travis is so like my old stomping grounds and I really enjoy fishing there.

The next plan, time for a coastal trip not involving driving back and forth.  Maybe the Upper Laguna, or just the motel at POC.  (And of course Grand Isle is not out of the running either.) I got a handful of the new Knockin’ Tail Lures in the new colors from Michael at Controlled Descent, and they are burning a hole in my tackle box.  They look flat awesome and just like the lake, the time to catch a big trout is now.  Still not to old to jump out of a perfectly good boat!

And I am watching the Falcon fishing reports.  Would really like to make it down there next month.  The big girl may not be what she used to be, but my last trip was good and I would like to put a friend on a big one.  Love fishing anywhere the next cast can be “the one”, and Falcon still has them

March is definitely going to be Bull Shoals and Norfork.  Not only the lake but a little fly fishing on the White.  I caught boat loads of trout in the old days but never did get in to the fly fishing thing.  (Fly fishermen were uncommon in those days and when we did see one we called them Beaners.  Now before you got you politically correct panties in a wad it was because they looked like they came right out of the LL Bean catalogue.  Remember this was the hills of Arkansas in those days  Heck I married my cousin. Just kidding!) But since I have a little case of it I know where to fish so why not do some while I am there?

Then April will be the fly fishing day with the guide.  That will be an exercise in putting my brother in law on a redfish.  My sister in law got him lessons so it should be fun to see a real beginner catch his first redfish.  Hell, I hope I catch one!

I went to the financial guy for the free calendar the other day and it is starting to fill it up.  This year will be another great year on the fishing front.    The next 4 months will be fish till you drop.  And you maybe will get tired of me say this, but the anticipation of catching  a Tiger fish on the Zambizi will be the trip of the year.  In fact, now that I am thinking about this I have decided to start the Trip of the Month Club.  So little time, so much water.

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

Well there you have it.  Not much else to say but the lake is on.  And now that I have the pattern down pat it is almost call your shot.  The main lake is not as hot right now but that is coming.  Just for your information if you are a crappie fisherman I saw a nice mess in the can at the cleaning table.  (It pays to stop and check that out occasionally, tells you a lot.)   I really need to get my “stuff” organized and new line on every reel.  The fishing has just begun this month and as long as I am upright and taking nourishment I will be 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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Weather

69/80.  Fog, then cloudy with a 50% chance of rain.  Wind S 15 – 30 mph.

Lake level

Today  94.19 msl.  2 days ago 94.19 msl.

Prime Periods

Major 11:07 am to 12:07 pm.   Only relevant time.

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

The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon.  

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

First and best bite of the day.

Cooked the Boss breakfast this morning and really did not get in any kind of a hurry as the afternoon bite seems to be best.  It was 9:30 before I got on the water and the wind was blowing fairly stiff right out of the south.  The lake at least seems to have stabilized and the fish are definitely biting.

That is a real one!

As a side note I meet Jeramie at the ramp today and we talked fishing.  He caught a bunch today but they were smaller.  He did have a pic of a real big one  (See above.) he caught yesterday using a crankbait when he hammered them.  The real interesting thing was that he saw bedding tilapia!  This is real early and is a real indication of how far along things have gotten.  Today I was in a couple of places with 70 degree temps.  And as it has been for me, slow roll the swim jig, and if there is some cover toss the plastic in there.  It was about 50/50 between the swim jig and plastic today.  I am fishing a 1/4 bluegill swim jig and a Rage Craw and a watermelon stick worm for pitching.  With Jeramie catching them on crankbait there are several ways to skin the cat.

Just nice solid fish.  It was work but the occasional good one makes the day go away pretty rapidly.

Of course I am still throwing the swim jig at “stuff.”  Stump, past a lay down, over a point, and then reeling it nice and slow.  The bite is so tricky when you use it like that but they do not want it hopped or twitched for some reason.  They just come behind it and eat, and today I missed several, one of those deals where if you think it was a bite you already missed them.  The wind blowing right along at 15 – 20 mph did not help matters.

And speaking of wind, as I have the spinnerbait got a bank or two but they just are not interested.  Not sure why that is but that’s fishing.  And I tried one bank with Bang O Lure and had a small one miss it, but that is definitely not a tactic when it is windy.

The current “run of the mill.”   Happy to have them!

First thing I headed up the plant arm to fish a couple of places.  As I got a little ways up the plant arm the water temp dropped to 66 and stayed there.  Fishing 3 places without a bite I said heck with that.  That is by far the coolest area on the lake.  It is in the high 60’s everywhere else and 70+ in some places in the Coleto arm and some coves.  Unfortunately there were several places I did not/could not fish due to the wind but still managed to boat an easy 15 with a nice average.

And my second catfish of the year on lures.  Starting off just like last year.

FIshing is a little better up lake, but with the wind blowing right down the pike it was hard to keep good boat control and still reel the swim jig slow enough to present it properly.  And some coves have fish and some don’t, but if it stays like this that will change as they move to the bank to spawn.  But the weather was good again today and given the choice I will take cloudy and windy over calm and clear any day.

The weather the rest of the week looks good but there is a small cold front coming this weekend and the 80’s will be a thing of the past.  It will be interesting to see how that affect the fishing.  Tomorrow I have to take a day and get my stuff back together.  All those things that need doing when you fish 6 of the last 10 days.  And the boat is a mess as is the truck.  So time to get back it all back in fishing shape then back on the water 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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Disturbing!

The creepiest trash on the shore, ever!

After staying up late watching the game I slept in this morning.  Really did not have a plan for anything particular.  It had drizzled and rained a little all night, and but as I was finishing the prior post the sun made a little peak out of the clouds.  It was already 11:00 so I headed to the lake and was fishing by 12:00.  So no forecast, no fishing times, just go.

Probably the biggest change is the water temp.  It has really jumped up, and up lake it has come up 7 to 9 degrees to 69 degrees in some places.  That is a lot and it made my choice simple today.  Head to the coves where they spawn, concentrate on any swing area, or edges near secondary points.  That is as classic a pattern you can get early spring.  Starting with the swim jig nothing in the first cove, but in the second they were there.

They are definitely in pre-spawn.  Whether that continues is any buddy’s guess.

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

The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon.  

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

From that point on I fished 3 more coves before I quit at 5:00.  One was just loaded, swim jig in, then re-fish the same water with the stick worm pitching to cover back out.  5 or 6 going in, and then 5 or 6 going out.  Nice to catch fish re-fishing an area.  Now there were no big fish, I did break one off setting the hook, it is where they were as much as what they were.  If it remotely stays like this we could have fish on the beds at the next moon.  And most of the lake is clear as it continues to fall.

They wanted the bluegill swim jig at a slow roll.  The stick worm, right in any top.

I caught a bunch, and maybe 3 or 4 actually “hit” either bait.  Almost every one I caught on the swim jig  just started acting different as they swam with it.  None hit it after a hop or any kind of twitch, just a slow steady retrieve.  Made getting a hook in them pretty easy.  The one that broke my line wacked it close to the boat and I wacked him back just a little to hard.  And it was the same with the sinko, several just started swimming out from the bank with it right after it hit the water.  Really cool bites, most coming within 5 foot of the bank.

There were 5 gators warming in one cove, the one with the most fish.  Makes sense.

I did fish a couple of main lake stretches without a bite.  This big warm front has them confused.  It has not been the usual fall, winter, then the slow warm up.  We are talking the water temp coming up almost 10 degrees on the lake in the last month.  A little early for that kind of thing.

The last place.

I did miss a couple that were more of a fast tap, as in maybe crappie.  It really might be time to crappie fish shallow, but just like the bass, it could end as quickly as it has started.  But since the weather is a fickle mistress it depends on her.  But for the moment they are biting.

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

And I got this nice offer from SA Joe.

You ever want a ride in a BassCat, all you have to do is tell me. Brought/Bought mine in Dayton ohio in 2003 and love it. 2001 Pantera Classic with 200 Merc. Most expensive fix is going to be the ECM that has been failing me last couple of months. Hope CDI fixes the problem..

Thanks for the offer.  I have actually ridden in several.  Many of the early tournaments I fished were partner with a draw.  Each team would have a boat and a no boater.  Whatever team you drew the no boaters would swap.  So I ended up fishing in lots of different boats over the years.  The Pantera is a great bass boat and I am sure with the 200 it hauls.  Maybe I will take you up on that sometime.  Good to hear from you.

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

And Jeramie sent along this one after putting the hurt on them.

I was one of the other boats today. White bass were on! Limited out quickly and started fishing for fun. Caught 4 largemouth bass also had over 15 lbs on 4 fish! Missed one that easily was over eight pound, shook off at boat! This week has been great on the lake.

Nice job!  The bite is on, the big question is will it last?  My real fear is not cold fronts, it is a big cold rain.  If it leads to a massive raise I have seen it ruin a spring or two when that happens.  But a nice warm rise is another story.  But any time you can limit on whites and catch some good bass is a big deal.  Congrats.  And I did learn something cleaning fish the other day.  The can had a nice pile of whites, crappie, and bass.  Folks are catching fish, great to see after a slower year last year.

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

1,149th Post

I used to care about the numbers, how many folks, what time, and on and on.  Now I rarely look, as long as I am fishing this blog will exists.  But occasionally I notice what post this is, and this one is my 1,149th post.  That is a lot.  Wonder how many of those are actually days on the water?  The majority for sure.  Good days and bad, it is what fishing is all about.  And today was one of those nice days when the fish bit and the right decisions were made.

Not sure what is next, haven’t even contemplated that.  I need to do a little maintanance on rods and reels, much less give the boat a good cleaning.  And it needs to go to the shop for a quick fix, trying to decide when it can be skiff time for a week while the Mako is gone.  But for now that can all wait, time to fish.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Tomorrow there is only one plan, the Boss wants a fresh fish fry for the big game, so tomorrow I will actually be keeping a few.  What flavor I have no clue, it will depend on what is biting, or how I choose to fish.  But this time of year has one thing going for it, if you want some fish they are usually biting enough to get it done.  Probably should not have said that, but no matter what it will be a good day on the water.

Weather 

67/71.  Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of afternoon rain.  Wind ENE 5 – 10 mph.

Lake Level

Today  94.19 msl.  Thursday  94.17 msl.  (Down over 4 feet since last year but we got a drop from the last rain.)

Activity Periods

Major 2:31 pm to 4:31 pm.   Minor  8:59 am to 9:59 am.

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

The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon.  

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

It is foggy here in Victoria this Tuesday morning, and like yesterday morning when I fished, it is raining.  The plan yesterday was simple, troll up supper, quit early, hit happy hour at our favorite establishment, then enjoy the game.  And it worked out perfectly.

To make a long story short I trolled up about 15 or so, cleaned 3 for supper, and called it a morning.  The real interesting thing was the timing of the bite.  I putted around an hour or two, getting a half hearted bite here and there until about 10:00 (See Minor time above.) then the bite was on.  Bass, whites, and crappie.  Since it is just me and the Boss I only needed 3 so I kept one of each on purpose.  Time for a story.

When I was living and guiding at the boat dock on Norfork we used to have fish fries in the summer.  We would have everything from bass, walleye, striper, crappie, whites, catfish, and on a couple of occasions we added a ringer to the mix.  Spearfishing was allowed on Norfork and Jerry would shoot a couple of carp.  Clean them carefully and add them to the mix.  Funny, folks ate fish until they foundered and not one person ever asked or said this is carp.  Not one.

If fish is properly cared for, and even on the lake when I am keeping them they go on ice immediately. We almost always eat them that day, prefer to never freeze fish though again, if done properly is ok.  Then cleaned/fileted properly and back on ice in the fridge until cooked.  So with 3 different fish obviously there was a difference in texture and shape, but when it came down to it, no fishy taste, it is all good.  And last night was delicious.

The only thing I did forget as it was raining and they were not all that big, I decided to take a dead fish picture which I do on occasion.  That picture was going to be them on a platter but there was one problem.  We started “testing’ the first piece or two and then the full fledged feeding began.  And of course cleaning up I went “rats”, forgot the picture.  Trust me they were goood!

As a side note on catching white bass in the early spring, sunny days are usually better than cloudy.  Not to say don’t chase them on cloudy days but there is a little difference.  On our area lakes the bite is going to be on big time in the next month, this is just the precursor.  But I am sure our fish are a little confused with the wild water temps swings.  Up lake the temp was as high as 64.9, up almost 4 degrees in the last week.  And as I type this it is 73 degrees outside and projected hit 77.  This has been one wacky winter.

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

A big congrats to LSU.  What a game and it was so nice to see Ed’s face.  No bigger dram could come true for him than winning it all, much less in New Orleans!  There were lots of LSU fans, you know who you are, who hated the hire.  But he has grown and adapted to the changing game.  And the players love him, what more could you want?  So hate all you want LSU is the national champion.  It does not get any better than that for a football fan.  So now when you are talking bad about him at some time in the future just remember – He took you to the promise land.

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Oops, there will be an abrupt end to this drivel.  It is 11:00 and the sky is clearing some so time to put this down and load the boat.  So hopefully there will be a good report in a few hours.  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

The Best Wading System on the  Planet.

Boat show, fishing show, outdoor show, call it whatever you will, I like attending them.  The Boss was off this weekend, something unusual, see we headed to Houston for the boat show, and her usual trip to Trader Joe’s.  The show always has some good stuff and I often meet some good folks, and this visit to the Houston Boat Show was all that.  Plus, I never met a boat I did not like and was really looking forward to seeing some nice ones, and with the Boss in tow no chance I was going to buy a new boat.  But there is always hope!

And as far as the boats went there was anything your little wallet was big enough to tackle.  My “when I win the lottery” boat was there – Yellowfin.  But first I have to live on the ocean with docking and blue water close.  So that ain’t happening.  I enjoyed chatting with the Bass Cat guy, as they are made in Mtn. Home and I watched them grow up.  And of course the Skeeters looked good as did the Rangers.  There were a couple of smaller/lighter/cheaper salt boats that were not so hard on the wallet.  But of course there were the top end Majek, Shoalwaters, Shallow Sport, and Dargels, all with the price tag of a small house.

My personal preference is the Majek Extreme.  Most at the show were the 22′ models.  The 20″ is more my speed but they do not generally produce them, it is a special order boat.  But as far as a really good looking bass/salt boat it fits the bill.  The only reason I have not taken the plunge a while ago,  I own 2 boats that do what I need them to, and no boat payments.  The internet is full of nice fairly newly  (They wish they had not done that.) purchased boats for sale.  The grass may seem greener, but we need to be happy for what we have and not what we don’t.  Plus, as I have learned owning multiple boats over the last 50 years – the boat does not make the fisherman.  But it sure is fun to look.

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The new Knockin Tail Lures are coming soon.  

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Dennis Chafin – Coastal Bend Fishing

Find of the Day!

If you like to fish new places on the coast you need this site!  I really enjoyed speaking fishing with Dennis at the show.  A sales consultant with Ron Hoover Marine we had plenty to talk about in both boats and fishing.  When we were talking about websites I mentioned how in the beginning folks gave me a certain amount of crap for giving up “spots.”  My site is blog, an ongoing story that mentions places and methods as part of my ramblings, but when I looked up his website I was blown away.   What he has done is a credit to sharing information.  So before I rave any more I want to make it simple for you.

Go to his site.  Then as an example click on fishing maps at the top of the page, then click on wherever you want to fish, then look at the legend when the page comes up.  It includes all the places/names you have ever heard about on a Google Earth overhead.  You can not get any more accurate than that.  It is just plain cool.  Additionally there is plenty of fishing how-to, seasonal trends, etc.  Amazing.  I want to give him big props, the work it must have taken to get this done is something.  Wish I had found it a long time ago.  I have always taken pride doing it all by myself on trips, but a resource like this is invaluable and it should be in your favorites.

(Tip of the day  –  If you are planning a trip to visit one of the places on the site for the first time it will be a real resource.  Choose a couple of places you would like to explore in the area, then organize your route based on hitting them with some kind of order as part of the plan.  Then do a Google search using the name of the “spot”, like Panther Reef, Mesquite Bay, as examples.  There are tons of articles and fishing reports out there, you might be surprised not only at the hits, but what you can learn.  Can give you a real head start to your first visit to an area.)

https://www.coastalbendfishing.com/

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Marker 54

Joshua having a good time!  The reds were lovin’ his baits.  They were freakin’ eating his plastic shrimp, but once he got on his 3″ Hard Shrimp under the popping cork it was really game on!  (From our trip to the Chandeleur Islands 2 years ago.)

The new hard shrimp, a little bigger and just as tough.  It looks real and acts real, and whether tied off to fall forward or backwards, the fish love it.  

I got a chance to chat with Joshua, owner of Marker 54 lures who I fished with in Louisiana.  His booth was hopping, and as I am want to do at times I started helping sell some baits to the crowd.  His hard shrimp is easy to sell as I have seen it and his soft shrimp in action.  He has improved the hard shrimp and in the water it looks even more real, end of story.  Plus it is really durable and generally will last until you lose it, they are stout.  Put it on a popping cork and if there are redfish, or trout, around it will be fish on.  If you have not checked him out before have a look.  His baits really work.  (He does not give me anything to say this, other than some shit!)

https://www.marker54.com/

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Knotty Hooker

I fought the urge to buy tackle, that will come at the Fishing Show.  And though there was not a lot there, I did pick up some jig heads.  I have seen the Knotty Hooker jig head before, to me they seemed a little high, but all jig heads are.  (But since I am an old man who poured thousands in my day everything seems a little high!)  But after giving them a closer look I picked up a bag.  They have all the characteristics I like when trout and red fishing.

This style is often called a stand up jig head.  I have been fishing jig heads on plastics since the 70’s and have come to the belief that shape has more to do with how it falls or swims rather than how it lays on the bottom.

Their 1/8th has the right size head for light line fishing like I prefer for trout.  And with a screw lock, (I am using them more and more.) once you glue the bait on your plastic could last all day instead of continually tearing them at the head.  Nothing like only using a couple during the day instead of a bag when they are biting.  And I like the 3/0 Gamakatsu hook, not to thick as I am often setting the hook a long way out with a spinning rod, tougher on light line.  Apparently that brand does not have a website but you can find them on the Baad Marine Supply website.

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

Captain Experiences

I met the owner of Captain Experiences, I think his name was John, (Sorry if I am wrong but will get it right.) who after getting out of the oil and gas business started a guide finding service.  His service is innovative and I love the concept.  After speaking with him and understanding how he is different I would not hesitate to use his service for guides when traveling.

Time for a little story.  As we are headed to Africa, when we first started looking at guides I contacted a guide on FishingBooker.  They claim the captain will get back to you usually within a day.  No response, another email, no response, then contact FIshingBooker x2, “we will find out why”, then no response.  Before it was over nothing from the guide or the company ever.  Think about it – You are planning international travel, shall we say Africa, and you have booked a guide with them and something comes up and they can not even pick up a phone and call the guide?  You want to bet your vacation fishing trip on that kind of shoddy customer service?  You think they would help you in Africa if they could not even help you before you went?  I have had good and bad experiences hiring guides out of the country, you never know.  Captain Experiences is a great way to reduce the chances of a bad choice/trip.

What I like about his service is you tell them where you want to go, they contact their guides for you, then some quotes, and then you make the decision.  Each guide is personally vetted by them and only reviews by folks who actually fished with them are allowed.  No bots or guide’s family members or other bullshit reviews.  They set up payment in a really safe and easy way and they guarantee your trip.  And the best thing – You pay them nothing for their service.

So take a minute to check out their website.  He booked multiple trips for folks at the show and next time we are looking for a guide (See the Boss and flyfishing.) we will definitely use his service.  Nice to see some innovation and they have clearly done that.

https://captainexperiences.com/

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

Capt. R. Corey Vinson – nofishnocharge,com

When I walk by a booth with tons of pictures of nice stripers it is hard for me not to stop and chat.  One of the great freshwater gamefish, I caught my share in the 70’s and 80’s.  Hard fighting and great to eat, there is nothing like catching a big fish.  Capt. Vinson and I shared a couple of stories and it was easy to see he and his service are great guys to fish with.  Brought back some good memories.  (I could barely lift these 6!)

They fish Whitney and Richland Chambers south of Dallas/Fort Worth, and should you get skunked they have a no fish no pay guarantee.  But from looking at their pictures and chatting with them there is little chance of that happening.  Many folks who fish the coast have never experienced fishing for stripers, or eating them.  If you have never done it you need to give it a try.  And it is one of the best fisheries for getting the kids and the wife on fish.  So take a look at their site, no better way to fill the cooler.

http://www.nofishnocharge.com/index.html

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Of course there was lots going on but these are my highlights.  It was fairly busy and folks were definitely buying boats.  There were some good deals, and if you were in the market and willing to stand your ground, it looked like a good time to buy a boat.  And being the last of like 10 days of the show the folks had to be getting tired and burned out.  Maybe an easier “yes” when arguing price?   Heck you would be doing them a “favor” by towing it to your house.

I talked to lots of folks, imagine that, easy when everyone speaks the same language, boating and fishing.  So now I can’t wait for the Fishing Show.  And maybe the Fishing Classic at Cabela’s.  Plenty of stuff going on in the fishing world, spring is coming.  For me it will be back on the water in the morning.  First the lake for some fresh fish for the Boss.  Then Tuesday the bay, and the rest of the week will shall see.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines