FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  

Weather

Did not prep this report but the punch line was the wind.  It was supposed to be 10 – 15mph out of the SE and it was blowing every bit of that at daylight.  According to the weather dude we had gusts to 30mph.  Trust me the ride back from the island was bumpy.

The tide was rising with a projected high like 2:oopm then falling all night.

*****************The new bait is coming.  Michael is headed to ICAST in Orlando for the unveil and it will be out soon.

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First thing I could not find my camera that I use wading so I used a spare.  The pictures are so so but I can not find the download cord.  Of course I caught a big trout today

The wind was blowing right down the pike straight out of the east, and it was basically windy everywhere.  I did the usual drain fishing thing from near Pringle down to South Pass.  The first place the grass was not to bad and right off the bat I caught a trout on topwater, but the others who followed were not willing.  Then a couple of small reds fell for it, but the grass and the wind made it to much of hassle so I switched to plastics.  3 or 4 on the Controlled Descent prototype, and 3 or 4 on a DOA Cal.  The only poor result is I lost 2 big fish of some sort, not sure why.

Most were not much, so time to throw the fake shrimp and popping cork, and several jumped on it.  I knew it would work so time for a move.  With the tide up I headed down to South Pass and got serious with the fake shrimp.  I am still using the crappie bobber as a popping cork and it works just fine.  It is easy for them to pull under and it gives you plenty of time to set the hook.  Today it was 2′ below the float, a clear glitter shrimp on a 1/8th jig head.

First on the new spot lost a big one, then a good trout, then another, and then the bite.  It has been awhile since I caught a big trout but this one qualified.  The picture tells the story but I am not sure if I can figure out how to download it.  Before it was over a nice limit of trout and a nice red.  Several small trout also ate.  They were located out of the mouth of a drain in 2 – 4′ foot of water.  There was scattered shell and obvious potholes which provided a bite on each one.  It was a consistent bite until about  1:30 when a big thunderhead came over the horizon and being that for from the ramp I called it a day.

I will be out first thing tomorrow with a Wade Right customer I met last month.  And I found the camera, hope it does not jink us!  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet

I decided to wait until tomorrow to hit the bay, and I am now watching a big thunderstorm coming ashore covering the whole POC area, with more forecast to come today.  We do not need any more fresh water in the bay.  Tomorrow looks great so it will be off and gone early.  Another day including some testing of the new Controlled Descent Lure.  But I will not be able to resist throwing the popping cork with a fake shrimp some.  So many baits so little time.  As I am home fishing was on my mind so here is a few.

*****************The new bait is coming.  Michael is headed to ICAST in Orlando for the unveil and it will be out soon.

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

One of the Boss’s co-workers posted a comment on Facebook concerning the amount of alligators seen in the bay this year, which apparently generated a ton of comments.  (As usual the trolls were out.)  Here is my theory on that, as long as we have this amount of freshwater they are staying right where they are.  So if that is true as soon as we settle into a real south Texas summer pattern, and it gets bone dry, the sightings should go way down.  Will the majority of them swim back to fresher water, or are they here to stay?  Or are there that many all the time but for some reason they are just being seen for some particular reason.  Only time will tell.

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I have never felt that fishing for bedding bass was “ok” for me, but that said, as long as it is legal no one should be criticized for doing it.  But the latest revelation in the bass fishing world just confirms my unease with the practice.

Over the years you see all of our “heroes” encouraging us to release bass, including spawners back on the bed, but unfortunately they are hypocrites, at least until the MLF came along with on the spot catch and release.  But it was ok for them to catch bedding fish, transport them in the boat who knows how many miles, keeping them in the livewell who knows how long until weigh in, all for money.  A little entitled are we?  No one can tell me that taking a big fish off the bed and then releasing it no where near where it was caught is a good thing.  Don’t kid yourself, they do not swim all the way back to where they were and successfully finish spawning.  And if you know a study that say this happens please let me know, I would be happy to tell others about it and change my opinion on fishing for bedding bass.

Now there is this, and it is terrible.  Those of us in the fishing industry who try to do it right get left in the dust by guys like this.  Tackle companies flock to “that” guy showering him with credit.  Magazines write glowing articles about what a guy he is.  At some point this guys numbers defied rational results and not one in the industry raised or questioned, not the least bit of vetting, they just jump on the bandwagon and went with it.

So please follow this link and read the story.  Apparently there has been questions following this character for years on the tournament trail, but they were ignored by tackle companies, magazines, etc, because it was just the “common” fishermen asking.  (Read the comments in the article.)  Those of us who read and follow bass fishing, much less pay their salaries by buying their product, should expect an apology to the sport from those who made this guy a “fishing god”.  They were players in his actions and they share some of the blame.  You are known by the company you keep, like it or not, and when you do it for profit you should expect some backlash.  I often lament were fishing is headed and this is particularly sickening.  So lets see the commercial and promotional end of the industry response.  I expect crickets.

Mike Long: Big Bass Snagger Exposed on

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TPWD – Warden Blotter

No internet busts this month but drugs and alcohol sure were in the spotlight.  My favorite was the dude who was running from the wardens and turned on a dead end road.  He did not know one important fact the wardens chasing him did:  There was a brand new pond just dug at the end of the road.  They arrested him when he made it to shore.  No one ever said someone running from the law was a mental giant.

There was the lady, and I use the term lightly, who shot out a side mirror on the car while taking an illegal deer at night.  No Annie Oakley here.  And the inevitable jet ski incident where the drunken driver wrecked at high speed in a no wake zone.  But I just loved the guy who tried to sink his kayak so the meth would dissolve.  I give him points for creativity, like the first guy, nice job coming up with your well thought out plan.  (And a side note on this type of plan, I had several clients in the past try to eat “something”, which got them choked for their troubles.)

And last they rescued a kayaker from an island after he got dehydrated while drinking beer.  Beer does not hydrate sir.   I have a question for you kayakers –  Drinking beer (Maybe it was light beer.) in a kayak would seem to be a little sketchy, right?  I have “heard” that to many brews could tend to make someone a might unstable.

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Totally off the subject but some scumbag attempted to use my debit card this morning and luckily Prosperity Bank caught it right away, and of course they cancelled my card.  Thanks and nice job protecting my card.  But since we are going on vacation in a week I asked if the new one would get here before then.  She said sure, for $70!  Whatever happened to those little services customers used to get?  I sure miss that bank they say they are.  While I was on hold they played the message how we are family.  Really?  Just saying.

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And just a quick word on planning a far off fishing trip.  A boat out of Biloxi – NOT THE SOUTHERN BELLE – basically gave half the fishermen a case of food poisoning, and apparently were not the least bit helpful or concerned.  When after supper half the boat is puking their brains out not to hard to figure out what happened.  Another report on the same boat had a fisherman getting into an argument with the crew (The cook on the previous complaint.)  when they said they should be happy with half limits and they should not be fishing just to catch and release.  Last, another on the same boat had their last day cut short so the captain could be back in Biloxi before it got dark.  Any of these could easily ruin a bucket list trip, which the Chandeleurs is.  Another had trouble with the small motors having to tow a boat in, all on the same boat.  So before you go spend a little time really searching out anyone you plan on fishing with.  There is tons of information out there on google, fishing websites, and travel websites.  While the comments and complaints are informative, true or not, but the response by the company is by far the most important!  Stuff happens on fishing trips, as it has to me many times, but the response taken to the complaints can make or break the trip.  Remember it is your money.

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And if you were in the area I hope you got a chance to attend the Grand Opening at Angler’s Arsenal.  We were out of town and I missed it but I hope they had a good day.

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That is it for my generic ramblings today.  Time to fill up the boat and truck so I do not have to mess with that in the morning.  Then be sure my stuff is ready to go.  I will be in the water, hope a gator don’t git me!  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet

Being gone the last 3 days I do not have a clue how the fishing is but after perusing the internet, and hearing from Aaron, things seem to be the same.  Some folks are whacking them and some not so much.  So I had to vicariously fish today, before it is back on the water tomorrow.

*****************The new bait is coming.  Michael is headed to ICAST in Orlando for the unveil and it will be out soon.

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

My buddy Aaron, who can catch fish in a puddle, sent this along after a day on Baffin this weekend.

A couple of great tournament reds.  The boy can catch them.

He reported catching reds and trout on the old gold spoon and sent along this picture.

A gold spoon with a paddle tail trailer.

And as a side note this is the third person in the last couple of weeks who reported catching good fish on the gold spoon.  At times it is a forgotten bait but like it has done for 50 years it catches fish.  And if you get to that bank with to much floating grass do not forget to break it out.  Thanks for the report.

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

And Joshua, the owner of Marker 54, had a couple of great reports this week, one when he absolutely killed the trout on his shrimp and popping cork.  He posted a picture of his 56th trout, coming off the platforms.  He said he actually got to feeling guilty, but I sympathize, when they are biting like nuts it is hard to put the rod down!  To go along with that, as I said on my last post, a couple of the trout I caught the other day were puking small shrimp.  So keep that in mind next time out.

Then he posted this photo of a huge gator that swam right under the nose of his boat.  It was in the area most folks wade in Pringle.  The same day he saw another around 5′ in Pringle and one in Conte.   Can you say back lakes!

Notice the side of the boat in the picture.  That was a horse!

Not something to be real scared of, but it pays to keep your head on a swivel, at least until the fresh water declines in the bay and the salinity raises.  There are always a few around but this year they seem to be particularly present.

Every once in a while a bait comes along that claims to mimic live bait, and in this case it is the truth.  His shrimp, both hard and soft, are the best in the business.  (This is not a sponsor plug.  He does not give me shit, except the usual amount of fisherman crap!)  As you know I have seen it work with my own eyes, and if it swims in the salt it will eat them.  The best way to get an idea of the amazing stuff his shrimp will do is check out his website and videos.  The hard plastic will last until you lose it, really.  One of his customers ordered a new one because he finally lost his, after 3 years of catching reds and trout.  And his soft will run forward or backward, and most amazing thing of all, land on it’s feet!  Crazy!

https://www.marker54.com/default.asp

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I missed some of the Austin Boys at POC this weekend, the 4th time I have missed some of them this year.  How can a retired guy be that busy?  They caught a few though looks like they had to work for them.

Ro’s son Michael, with a good one on topwater at dusk.  Fished with him in Port Mansfield, the boy can catch them.

Don reported they fought the wind and sun but did manage to catch a few.  He reports they did not set the world on fire but boxed trout and reds.  His son caught a big red which made his trip.

Of course the weekend could not have gone without a hitch, and they had a couple.  Don’s oil pump crapped out and Ro had to tow him in from Panther, no short trip.  Luckily Sunny’s was able to jump on it and they were back on the water Saturday morning.  Then Ro had a problem with his jack plate, but it was fixed and off they went.  To have both boats having problems but not ruing the weekend was something.  I know Stapp was looking out for the boys!

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And last but not least there were several reports online this week with good catches of black drum.  They were definitely biting for me last trip, and the small ones are good eating.  And one thing about black drum, they pull like a tractor.  Here is a blast from the past.

A hoss and definitely my biggest fish ever on 10lb line.

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And the day would not be complete without a report from our Fayette County guru Rusty.  He has had some fast a furious bass fishing first thing in the morning the last couple of trips.  It is going to have to make me get up at some crazy early time and make a trip up there after a little more time on the salt.

A Fayette Fattie!

He reports it is a shallow shad bite that is over by 8:00 or so.  They caught 30, another bang up day on Fayette.  Nice job.

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

The closest I got to fishing this weekend was a trip to Bass Pro in San Antonio.  Picked up a bunch of jig heads, they had some I liked, and a few other things.  Boy I wish I had not sold my lead pot and molds when I went to law school.  Having that allowed me to make them just like I like them.

A little boat work and tackle organization and it will be back on the water a few days this week.  Conditions look great on the bay later this week with an early high tide and falling from there.  Falling tide is my favorite time to fish, for some reason a rising and I suck.  But as we all know, we go when we can.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet  

The best fish that will be  caught on the boat all month!

There are things in this world besides fishing.  We had a great weekend at lake on Friday and the beach at Rockport on Saturday with the family.  The kids got in the water and basically stayed there.  Mia, the oldest always wants to fish, but the catching and touching part is not on her list for some reason.  But she reeled in a catfish all by herself screaming the whole time so she just might be a fisherman.  They are headed back to Oklahoma City and when you read this I will have fished POC.  It will be the bay Tuesday and Wednesday and it will be interesting.

Weather

83/88.  Partly cloudy with a 20% chance stray shower.  Wind S 10 – 20 mph.

Tides 

Low  12:44 am  -0.22.    High  12:02 pm 0.84.  (It will be a rapid rise until high then slow fall.)

Solunar Periods

Minor 7:43 am to 8:34 am.    Major  2:41 pm to 4:41 pm.  (Day classed as good.)

*****************The new bait is coming.

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Dink Fest

You can tell I am just not on them particularly well.  I have never claimed to be a good trout fisherman, but I try.  And after 2 days in the blazing heat I only know just a little bit more than I did before.  The drive back and forth a couple days in a row gets a little old so I just stayed over night to get a nice early start Wednesday and that turned out to be a good decision.

Let the games begin.

Taken at the same time as the one above, moon going down, sun coming up, and there was a bite.

One of the purposes of this trip was to test the new bait from Controlled Descent and I stuck with it both days.  I have been sworn to secrecy as Michael is off to ICAST in Orlando for the debut so you will have to forgive me for leaving a “little something” out of the report.  Suffice to say the punch line is coming soon.

Day 1 it was all on me as I simply fished like crap.  Poor planning led to fishing stuff in the wrong order, which I should not have done with what I learned last trip, but we live and learn.  First up was an area at South Pass, and I caught 7, all on the new prototype.  Unfortunately nothing to spectacular.

They liked the Blackgold/Limetreuse in the new bait.

They were out in 3′ plus on an area where shell was scattered around, with no real grass.  I worked that area over pretty good and had no luck shallow, which is not a surprise.  The water is a lot clearer out on the island than near POC and the water temp is 86 degrees over most the area.  The tide was rising as the morning went on and after what little bite I was on slacked off time to move back down the island to my favorite drain.  Once I got there I realized I fished it in the wrong order as there was grass everywhere in that area making it tough to fish.  So time for a little boat fishing.

So I decided to fish the Oil Cut and Big Bayou out of the boat and neither produced.  Literally not a bite.  The water color in Big Bayou is crap and my favorite deep places produced nothing, uncommon for this time of year.  At this point the wind was dead flat, the tide was slack, and it was hotter than hell.  But oh well, so I called it a day.  Time for a burger and a brew.

Day 2

The morning plan was to fish them in reverse order and that turned out to be a good decision.  The wind was blowing pretty good at daylight, but at least it never got above that all day.  I got to the first place as it was just breaking daylight and there were fish moving everywhere.  While the bite was on the size left something to be desired.  Though I landed twice as many as the day before, nothing was all that big, unfortunately.

There were lots of rat reds but none of the trout were worth a hoot.

The trout I did catch there, maybe 8 or 10, were all small.  I did learn one thing both days, good trout and shallow is an oxymoron.  I am making an assumption here but all the fresh water has the better trout deeper, at least with what little I know.  There was bait moving everywhere and several of the small trout I caught were puking up small shrimp.  As I was working with the new bait I did not throw a popping cork with a fake shrimp, which I suspect is a good choice right now.  After a while it was time for a move with all the grass coming with the rise.

So it was back down to South Pass to an area with little grass to give it another go.  While only a couple of small trout jumped on there was one little bit of excitement.

Nothing like a few black drum to save the last place.

I tossed up on a flat shell point and thought I was hung.  As I pulled back it started to slowly swim off, felt like an oyster at first, one of those where he did not know he was on, just pulling slowly.  Of course I did not set the hook and off he came.  A couple of casts later the first black drum  jumped on, then the next.  The first bite was definitely one of those monsters and if I had set the hook it would have turned out better.  But again, no good trout so I called it a day.  When I got to the ramp over half the trucks had taken out.  But both days there were boats going out later in the afternoon, and I am sure there must be a bite late.

As far as the new bait it is almost there and I am looking forward to the refinements which are yet to come.  It is a cool idea and my results the last 2 days were more a function of me not having a clue so I can’t wait for the final result.  And I intend to rectify my trout results over the coming weeks.  It is croaker time and as usual the lure fishing gets a little tougher in the summer.  And when it is combined with all the fresh water in the bay it can be tough.  At least that is my story and I am sticking to it!  Not fishing a lot it will take me a little time to get on some good fish, but I will keep banging my head against the wall until I get it right.

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Of course being mid week there was lots of traffic, the ramp was hopping at daylight.  There was one incident that I feel the need to comment on.  I was wading a point near Pringle and there was another boat about 150 yards down from me, also wading.  Then here comes a brand new Majek.  This thing is tricked to the max, matching custom colors, dual power poles, with an engine the size of a car.  Now he does not come to close to me but as soon as he passes he makes a beeline to the shoreline, and I mean super shallow, and runs right on the bank all the way to the other guys. I can hear him grinding the bottom.  Freakin’ stop it!  Why burn a shoreline with several boats fishing it?  Are you that freakin’ clueless?  Do you have not give a rats ass someone might want to fish there right after you screw it up?  Another of those doing it cause I can but we are not impressed.  Just because you can does not make it right.

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As you all know I have struggled on Coleto this spring but I am definitely not alone.  I was beginning to think it was me.  The tournaments on the lake have been flat horrible, and the latest one met the same fate.  The Texas Bass Nation had a tournament Father’s Day, and like it has been all spring it definitely left something to be desired.

Only 9 boats fished, a function of scheduling it on Father’s Day, and I am sure most of them would have been happier to stay at home.  The winner only had 3 fish with a total of 8.10 with a big fish of 4.64lbs.  3 others also had 3 fish, all weighing around 5lbs, 3 guys had I small fish, and 2 blanked.  They caught a total of 28 bass all day, with 15 keepers, which barely works out to 3 fish per angler all day.  Sad!  These are hard core tournament fisherman and I was hoping someone would knock it out of the park, letting me know it was me.  I really wanted them to catch them.  Unfortunately that was not the case.  They found exactly what I have this spring.  So the big question. where are they, or are they gone?

Since they killed the grass the lake has been on a steady and steep decline.  I have been banging that drum the last year and unfortunately I might be right.  From a lake where a big fish was a possibility on every cast to a barren puddle.  It really is sad and it leaves me wondering what has happened to what was one of the best lakes around.  My only comment is we have to drain and clean, pull any weeds and grass off to eliminate the spread, but it is just fine for a company to kill all the vegetation without any oversite.  Somehow it does not seem right.  What worries me is the proliferation of catfish, and the crappie fishing is fabulous on the lake, which leaves me thinking something is horribly wrong with the balance.  In the 8 years I have been fishing it I have literally put hundreds of nice big bass in the boat, the lake was full of them,  Now it is a struggle to put 3 keepers in the boat.  I just do not know what to think.

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And if you are in the Victoria area this weekend do not forget the Grand Opening at Angler’s Arsenal.  There will be lots of stuff happening so stop in and support them.  The fishing tackle business is tough, I know I had a tackle store for a couple of years in my younger days.  They are great folks and we are lucky to have a great new store in the area.  Sorry I will be out of town and will miss it, but would be there is I was in town.  They have a great selection so bring your wallet.

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Next week it will be back to the bay to try to improve my trout results and keep fishing the new bait.  It should be out soon and I am looking forward to the final results.  And if any of you have any thoughts or comments lets hear them.  A few of the Austin Boys will be down this weekend and as soon as I get their report I will let you know.  They are good fishermen and hopefully they can help me out some.   And they had a hard time finding a house for the crowd from Port Mansfield to POC due to what they told me was a ton of tournaments this weekend.  If you are out there be careful.  Time to start making the kill switch a regular practice before it goes in to effect in September.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet  

Kali’s Law

As those of you who read this know the last couple of years I have commented more and more on wearing life jackets, and especially the kill switch, it could save your life. My opinion, and actions, really jelled a couple of years ago when my buddy Clyde, and 2 other guys, had the steering fail on an almost new Lund and nearly threw them out in the middle of nowhere on Lake of the Woods.  The kills switch was not connected and no life jackets were being worn. It could have been a real disaster.

I started out wearing both when I tourney fished in the 70’s and 80’s, then over the years slowly wore them less and less, which was just plain ignorant.  And over the last few years I am pretty regular with both and feel naked when I forget. My buddy Fay and her husband even have dual kill switches so if either go overboard the boat shuts off.  Great idea.  Just statistically the more time you spend on the water the more chances you have of a mishap.  In my case it was the pontoon on the head thing.  And in the last post or two I said wearing the kill switch should be mandatory.  And then to my surprise this – I had no clue it was in the works.

https://www.tradeonlytoday.com/boating-safety/texas-governor-signs-kill-switch-law

Beginning September 1st any boat under 26′ that has a kill switch it must be worn.  There are several other provisions, I have not read the actual law yet but this is the punch line.  I could not be any more impressed that Texas did this, it was a long time coming.  Tournament fishermen are often criticized for their behavior to other fishermen on the lake, some of it rightly so, but they have led the way by wearing both.  There are very few organized bass tournaments where it is not required.  And as I have said before I have often thought that saltwater tournaments were just asking for it by not having the same requirements.  And with engines climbing into the 300hps, and speeds in the 70mph+, if you are running like that on the bay without at least the kill switch on I wish you the best.  You know, it always happens to the other guy.

So that is my rant for today.  I do not mean to get on anyone’s case but this is important.  As I have said often, if not for you at least for your family and friends, on the boat or off.  The government often over reaches trying to legislate behavior or morality but they got this one right.  Time to get used to it because it is coming.  Do you even know if yours works?

We just got back in town but I could not resist, this is important.  Next up is 3 days with the grandkids which should be a hoot.  Trolling for a couple of catfish with my little fisherwoman, Miss Mia, tubing and swimming, Bubba’s for a boil, a little beach time with Wren, alias “The Beast”, a good time will be had by all.

*****************The new bait is coming.

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And I am really looking forward to next week.  In the next couple of days the new prototype bait from Controlled Descent will arrive at my door.  Time for some serious bay fishing as the final design is right around the corner.  It will be nice to have a “real” reason to get after them and I am excited to see how it goes.  I know it sure looks good and I intend to give it a real on the water work out.  So keep stopping and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the  Planet     

Thought I better put something on here so you know that I am still upright and taking nourishment.  Since my little short trip to the lake on Friday I have been giving it a rest.  Not being able to catch a bass is starting to wear on me and so I laid up this weekend.  And since we are going to be gone a couple of days for a little R&R and then the grandkids come later in the week this will be the last of it until next week.  Miss Mia wants to “go fishin'”  and fishin’ we will go.  Though she still does not like to touch them.

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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Friday morning I slept a little late so just decided to hit the lake as we were in the throes of a tough heat wave.  I got there about 8:00 and the water temp was 91 in some places.  But it really has cleared some, which has not helped me at all.  The plan was to fish some of the deeper places where I have historically caught fish in the summer, which are in that 10 – 20 foot range.  Then if nothing much happened by noon to call it a day.

Suffice to say that went no where.  Between senko or a worm fished Texas rigged it only produced 2 bites, one I lost in some brush deep, the other a midget.  I really expected it to be somewhat better than that, it is time to admit I am stumped.  Of course one problem with fishing the same lake a lot is you can always get trapped into the “I caught them there once.”   That syndrome often rears its head during big national tournaments where the local favorite struggles.  Unless I fish it at night, or learn something new, the lake is going to get a rest from me for a while.  (Except for Mia and Wren with some catfish and tubing!)

They are still there and biting.

So on the way back I stopped and made one pass down and up at the catfish hole and they are still there eating like maniacs.  Since I had changed baits on one rod there was only 1 with a crankbait on it and that actually turned out to be a good thing.

I dropped it behind the boat and like it has been, fish on.  Only one rod was easier to handle and in a pass down and back at least 10 jumped on.  I am still trolling the area from the mouth of the discharge cove to the point where you can see the dam.  This time I just wandered around in and out and the bites came wherever, though the 20ft range still seems to be the best.  After that I called it a day.  The catfish thing is nice, and I hope it stays until the grandkids come this weekend, but I have had enough of that.  But with the kids it will be great.

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RIP

I am sure you have all by now heard the Police Chief of Kemah got knocked out of his boat by a rogue wave on Galveston Bay.  His wife was with him and called 911 but he was lost and they recovered his body yesterday.  So tragic, by all accounts he was a great guy.  I know I harp on it but a kill switch and life jackets save lives.  Not sure what happened with his drowning, but we see this way to often on the coast.  My condolences to family and friends.

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Apparently there will be a big bass tournament Father’s Day on Coleto and I will be very interested to see who figures it out.  It was a tough tournament year on Coleto and I am afraid it may not be any better.  But there are quite a few boats who may fish so there is a good chance somebody will figure it out.  Just have to wait and see.  Just might take the kids to the weigh in if we are around.

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There was a little vicarious fishing this weekend as we plan our late August trip to Oregon.  Looks like we will salmon fish a day on the river out of Astoria, then when we are in Bend  I found a place on the Deschutes River that offers a reasonably priced 6 hour beginning fly fishing course.  2 hours of class then 4 hours on the river, which I need.  What is really cool, the Boss is going to take it too!  She is funny about the fishing, she loves it offshore, hates bass fishing, and does not like fishing plastics, but with her love of the mountains and hiking she just might like it..  Since we are spending more time out west in the mountains, we are going to Colorado in 3 weeks, she just might turn into a fly fisherwoman.

*******************.

So have a great week I know I will.  And a few days off the water will give me time to recharge.  This has been the weirdest fishing year since I have been in Texas.  The lake has absolutely sucked and the bay has been off and on due to the fresh water and increasing temps, which according to the news now top 90 degrees.  So by next week I will be itching to get in the water with them.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the Planet

I am just hanging around the house today as they continue to say possible severe thunderstorms though I have not seen any yet.  So with that I was not going to head to the bay and then get sent packing.  But tomorrow is a different story and I will be headed out in the morning.  Maybe it will be somewhere I haven’t fished in a while but I am still mulling over where due to all the fresh water.  But that is part of fishing, the anticipation and planning, even if just for a morning trip.

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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

While looking at weather and tides for tomorrow I did something interesting I have never done before, checked tides and periods for two close but different places. and the results were something to think about.  Tells you how much difference there is depending on where you are on the bay.

• POC tomorrow
• Low Tide   3:04 am
• High Tide  3:39 pm
• Major Period   5:12 am to 7:12 am   and   5:39 pm to 7:39 pm
• Minor   10:41 am to  11:41 am
• Port Lavaca causeway tomorrow
• Low Tide   5:54 am
• High Tide   5:01 pm
• Major Period   5:13 am to 7:13 am   and  5:40 pm to 7:40 pm
• Minor Period   10:41 am to 11:41 am

Of course the solunar periods basically remain the same but it is impressive the differences in high and low tide just a short boat ride away.  Back to understanding how where and when with the tide can improve your catches dramatically.  Sometimes trying to think about all that makes my head hurt, but as usual we go when you can, but it is something to think about.

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

I stopped in Angler’s Arsenal today to pick up another catfish catching crankbait.  They had plenty of baits that would work and I picked up a Strike King 3XD in Sexy Shad that runs in the 10′ range.  Another great option they had would be the Flicker Shad that runs in the same depth.  (Maybe the 8.5.)  The catfish have not shown any particular preference as long as it is white/silver/ or shiny.  And while I was there Ronni was talking about their Grand Opening, which is scheduled for Saturday June 22.  They expect to have a few of their vendors there, a give away or two, and something for the kids.  So stop by and support them, they have you covered.

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

Steve sent along this comment on the trout and an offshore report.

Good Morning Doug
I enjoy reading your stuff and keeping up with your adventures. I read where you are having to fish deeper for trout around the 5 foot mark and the summer pattern is kicking in. I have a couple of guide friends that have switched over to more red fishing than trout the past few weeks due to all the fresh water runoff in the bay. When the fresh water moves in it drives the trout deeper as the saltwater sinks to the very bottom and the fresh water rides over the top. Just my 2 cents, but for sure summer is on its way. Our group went offshore last weekend for snapper and they are thick this year with easy limits if you can keep the sharks off. The water color offshore looks like the bay water so all we caught were snapper, no king fish anywhere. One captain told me blue water was a 100 miles offshore. You keep writing and I will keep reading.
Steve

This is what I love about all of you when you comment.  We can all learn something.  Fresh on top, salt on bottom, of course, and it never crossed my mind.  (With all the gators around it should have. ) And that brings to mind a pattern that played out a few years ago when we had the same thing – Deep reefs.  They came on that summer and when you found them it was game on.  So first thanks for that, now I will spend the rest of this rainy day thinking about that.  Things change, but they are always “the same”, why experience trumps all in the fishing world.  And nice on the snappers.  Looks like the fresh water runoff on the coast is effecting more than the bays.  (It will be interesting to ponder how the tarpon will react, my guess no problem.) I was just wondering the other day why I had not heard any report on kings at the jetties.  Thanks again, love comments that get the discussion going.

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

And Rusty our resident Fayette guru sent along this report.

Good morning catfish dude! Was on Fayette Thursday and Monday and the fishing is good when you find them. Best so far is 18-20’ on watermelon lizards and worms. Water temp is 94-96 degrees away from the outflow. Haven’t been over by the outflow but it’s got to be close to 104. Daylight fishing is anything shad and off points. . Fished till dark Monday in shallow water and didn’t get a bite anywhere. Going to go going to go this afternoon and fish deep till dark, stay tuned.
Tight lines
Rusty

Sounds like Fayette is settling in to the summer pattern.  And after the bunch you caught the other day off one tree it is definitely find them and you will catch them.  Thanks for keeping us informed.  And as far as the catfish dude, if the weather does not straighten out tomorrow enough to warrant the coast I might take a friend who doesn’t really fish that much and load the cooler for him and his family.  Glad you are upright and taking nourishment.

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The 2cnd Amendment.

I try not to comment on much outside of fishing but the arrest of the officer who did not go into the Parkland High School during the shooting has left me ambivalent for several reasons.  First I was not there, (Easy to second guess as hind sight is always 20/20.) and I do not know what was in his mind, and second, facing 99 years seems extreme .  Unfortunately due to his actions it is likely that more kids died.  I understand the anger felt by the families and their quest for justice.  But actually prosecuting him may be problematic, should the prosecution be successful it may reach the US Supreme Court before it is over.

One thing that most folks do not know – The US Supreme Court has basically ruled that the police do not have a duty to protect you or your family, basically making them immune to suits, and in this case maybe prosecution(?).  So what will come of this remains to be seen, but there is one important thing for you to know and it the basis for my complete support of the 2cnd amendment.  They do not have a duty to come to your house, they do not have to protect you, they do not have a duty to stop you from being attacked, and the list potentially goes on.  Of course we know that is not how our law enforcement really acts, but this is how it is.  Until this is changed, which it may never be for several good reasons, you have the duty and right to defend yourself and your family.  The whole thing is a sad state of affairs.

(Before you get your panties in a wad I worked with police for 20 years in several capacities.  They kept me safe as a medic, much less in the courtroom, and I appreciated it.  They do not get enough credit and I can only imagine how tough it is to do the job day after day.  So this comment was not a diss on law enforcement, they can come and save me anytime.  This is just a weird situation.  Sorry I got off topic.)

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

So that is it for my morning ramblings.  Next it will be out to the boat and checking air pressure, adding a little fluid to the trim, and going over the trailer looking for potential &^$ ups.  Just the occasional walk around can save you from roadside regret, much less a big tow bill.  And thanks to everyone who commented, it makes this a much better place.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the Planet

I got this comment from anonymous, he has commented occasionally, and it is right on point.

Great POC report. Hope you get into the cats again!

Ok here you go!  Thanks for the comment.

21 Minutes.

 The Boss was wanting a catfish fry so I headed to Coleto to see if they are still biting like they were.  The answer is a great big yes.  How well? Amazing!

I headed back to the same area  (See old post below.) and put the first crankbait out behind the boat and before I could cast the second one it was fish on.  From that point on it was hard to keep 2 rods in the water and I had several doubles.  In fact, after I lost one I started to crank it back and another jumped on, it was something.  When I got to 10 keepers, and threw back another 4 or 5 smaller ones, I stopped with an easy fish fry and all wanted to clean.  Funny, I do not have a clue what the limit is (Just looked it up, thought it was 15 but is 25 statewide.) but whatever it is it wouldn’t take that long.  It took exactly 21 minutes to catch them.  In fact, there were several doubles and the other would get off before I could get the first one in the boat.  Of course at this point the hooks on the crankbaits are trashed, it has been 80 give or take the last 3 trips.  Now that is nuts.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to be somewhere when there was a “bite.”  Well of all the bites I have had the pleasure of taking part in this may be the most interesting.  I can not even imagine how many there are, whatever perfect storm in the spawn a couple of years ago and this springs shad spawn have contributed to some really fantastic fishing.  And best of all, it isn’t rocket science.  If  you want some tasty filets now is the time.  Next up for us, some golden brown fried catfish filets.

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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

As I off loaded the cooler Patrick came over and introduced himself.  He lives close and had towed his camper to the park hoping to take advantage of the bite.  I always love meeting new folks and he was kind enough to tell me he had been reading me since the beginning.  It means a lot to me, and actually meeting you all keeps me writing.

But what was interesting there was another guy at the cleaning table and he had 30 catfish his wife and he caught this morning, and they caught 30 yesterday to boot.  He has been trolling like me close to the same area, and running jugs.  The bigger cats came on the jugs, the rest on crankbaits.  Of all things Patrick’s camper is next to him and he told Patrick that he caught them all on jugs.  Fishermen crack me up, always a secret.  So good luck Patrick, they are there, sack them up!

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

It was good to hear from Ed with this POC report from yesterday.

Howdy
Here’s a little about our trip today in POC. My friend Paul has been helping me put a new addition to our house down there. And after a couple of days of working we decided to fish this morning before heading back to SA. Anyway we waded the shoreline going to boggy around 6:30 and like you said, I was throwing tops to close to the shoreline and only one blowup. I then went out deeper and managed one keeper trout and so many smalls I can’t remember. Around 9:30 all the other people left and it was on from there. We both managed 2 limits throwing gold spoons and DOA under a cork. Finished up around 11:30. Turned out you just had to wait for them .and persistence paid off.

Great report and persistence says it all.  Funny how we both had the same experience as far as shallow goes.  Summer is here.  And what a good way to finish off a couple of days of work.  Thanks for the report.

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

Thinking about the gators I had a moment of insight, not sure this is correct but seems logical.  Several of the reports were from multiple fishermen, all with fish on the stringer.  I wonder if just like sharks when there are lots of fish being caught and tossed back, much less struggling on a stringer, it might draw them in.  Where I had no fish on the stringer it seemed like I startled the one yesterday and he was not hungry enough to eat me.  Just a thought.

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

Tomorrow looks like some real rain, I hope for us but not for lots of other folks.  I will be waiting to get back on the water ASAP.  The bay is producing some great fish, and there were some good online pictures that came on croaker online.  Where next I do not have a clue but I am ready to roll.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the Planet

It was not quite daylight when I dropped the boat in at Froggie’s.  The tide was high, the water was off color, and the water temp was 86.  Today it was off to South Pass to fish a couple of drains so as soon as I could see it was off for the long run.  Nice to not get the snot knocked out of me running across.  Summer is here.

Just about to jump in, what a beautiful morning.

Weather

81/97.  AM clouds giving way to sun.  20% chance of rain.  Wind ESE 10 – 20mph.

Tides

High 9:12 am  1.32 ft      Low 9:58 pm  -0.38

Solunar Times

None during the time I was out.

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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

It was calm with a slight ripple so I started with topwater.  I missed a small red right off the bat, then I hung a good one who somehow came off after a pretty good fight.  So of course I stayed with the topwater for way to long, without success.  I would learn later I was way to shallow.  After an hour in the first drain without another bite I moved down the bank some and finally started getting bit.

A nice flounder.  The best of 3 reds this morning.

It took a while to figure it out but I finally got something going.  The fish were definitely not shallow and until I moved out over waist deep, tossing it as far as I could, they were just not having it.  The best I could tell the trout were in about 5 foot of water and they wanted it hopped erratically off the bottom.  Small paddle tails on 1/32 jig head and 8lb line turned out to be the way to go.  I did catch a couple slow rolling the white Controlled Descent Paddle Shad and a couple on the popping cork and fake shrimp, but I think with all the small shrimp and the glass minnows they wants something smaller to match the hatch.  I eked  out a small limit, but a limit all the same.

These were the 2 best of the 8 caught in that area.

After the bite slowed down I made one more move to another drain close to South Pass and while another one or two jumped on they were small.  But at least I was catching fish.  Around noon I decided to head to my favorite drain back down the island, and that turned out to be a bad choice.

With all the shell and little mud the water was clear in the pass area, back down the island not so much.  The water was rising rapidly and the area I chose had floating grass everywhere and the color was awful.  Really a bad idea, not even a touch.  In fact the closer you got to POC the worse the water color.  Big Bayou was a mud hole as the water rose.  Since I made such a bad choice, and with the wind starting to blow, it would have been a long run back down the bay to the clear water so I called it a day at 1:30.

On the way back I saw lots of folks fishing, most dragging a bucket, croaker I assume.  And everyone was at least waist deep and deeper.  With the water temp rising rapidly it looks like the trout have settled in a little deeper, the usual summer time pattern.   Not a real croaker fisherman I will give it a go at some point in the near future, but nothing beats hopping the plastic up and feeling the thump.

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

Ok here is the “damages” from the holiday weekend according to the TPW

• 11,ooo vessel safety checks
• 1,279 citations
• 1,339 warnings
• 39 Boat while intoxicated
• 10 DWI
• 11 drownings across the state
• 21 boating accidents
• 2 fatalities – 1 on Granbury – 1 on Aransas Pass Channel

13 lives lost, what a shame.  Think about it, with 11,ooo checks there were 2,500 tickets, which means over 20% of the boats had some form of violation.  These are big numbers and a perfect example of why it is so important to be careful every time you hit the water, especially on the holiday weekends.  It just might be the other guy no matter how careful you are.  The final word – almost every one of these might have been avoided.

And as I prepared this apparently a boat ran aground in Baffin this weekend sending 3 people to the ER.  And I will say it again, like jacket and kill switch.  It has taken me decades to wise up and this morning, like almost every day, I wear mine.  You never know.

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

And speaking of TPWD another fool was ticketed for an online post of him messing with an alligator.  Just think it through before you hit post.  Nothing like confessing to a crime online.

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

And speaking of alligators the Boss has a friend who had an encounter with a gator wading the bay this weekend and apparently Jesse the neighbor had a one around his bunch last week.  And I have seen several more incidents posted on line.  And I might have had a close call this morning.  As I waded along all of a sudden a huge boil about 5 feet from me, and if I was guessing, and I am, it was probably a gator,  Seeing many of them on the lake it was that tell tale gator moving out as big as that boil was.  I sure had not seen any thing else moving around.  So keep your head on a swivel right now when wading, there are lots of them out there.

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

Starting tomorrow afternoon looks like we have some rain moving in for a couple of days and on the way home today I drove through a big one.  I know other folks don’t need the rain but we sure do.  So with that in mind, and the Boss working the late night shift, I will get up in the morning and head to the lake for a couple of catfish.  Whether they are still hard at it remains to be seen but the Boss has ordered a fresh catfish dinner so hopefully I will have dinner caught and cleaned and be back before she even gets up.

I want to say how much I appreciate all of you.  Your continued readership and comments keep me writing.  I have still have lots to say, no surprise, and there is a lot more fishing to come.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the Planet.

I really had no plans to fish today.  Joe Cool was coming this morning to do the annual service on the AC so I figured I would just be hanging out today.  But after sitting around the house and wasting time I figured might as well run to the lake for a few hours this afternoon.  I got there at 3:30 and the wind was perfect, hopefully it has let up for good this summer.  First I headed up lake and pitched to some heavy cover for an hour and only missed 2 with no other bites.  So I decided to run to the other arm but on the way I figured why not stop on a place I wanted to troll the other day.  The baits are still on the rods, and it will just take a minute.  Nope, it was on.

*****************The new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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

(I normally show a few for each day but I wanted to give you some context.  No wonder my hands hurt, no wonder my memory card was full, no wonder I trolled away after a while.  It was an easy 50+.  So here are the highlights.  What a crazy day!)

This about says it all.  It was no fluke.

Not sure how many it was but it went on for 2 hours until I quit.

First, there has been a massive shad hatch on Coleto.  They are literally all over in the area I was fishing, flipping on the surface.  And along with them are some catfish, and I mean bite after bite, doubles.  I often had trouble keeping 2 baits in the water.  They were in a stretch about a half mile long, and maybe longer as I did not go up any further.  I started on the timber point on the up stream side at the mouth of the discharge cove.  Then trolled down lake on the left side past the point until I could see the dam and then back again.  I was still trolling any shad imitation crankbait that runs 10 foot deep on 15lb line.  Many of the fish I was seeing on the graph were in the 12 – 15 foot range.  I just  let it out about 50 – 60 feet behind the boat, trolled at 2.5 mph in the 20 – 25 foot range, then held on.

I am not sure how long this will last but the fish are fat as all get out and really aggressive.  It must have been a banner spawn a few years ago as most of them were from the same age group.  It really is a feeding frenzy, they are putting on the weight.  It was nuts and I finally trolled back down towards the dam to get away from them.  Looking at all the pictures no wonder it was time to go home.  Makes me laugh thinking about it. The camera card got full, it was truly nuts.  I really figured it was just one of those things a couple of days ago, a fluke, but it is definitely a pattern.  If you want some  catfish there you go. Get them while they are hot.  It really was a once in lifetime happening, and weird!

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

Robert Stapper

We lost one of the Austin Boys this week.  His death was tragic and unexpected.  My sincere condolences to his family and friends.  He was a kind man and a good person  and I pray he is at rest.  He will be missed and not forgotten.  It will add a solemn feel to the next Fishmas.  Sad.

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

So there you go.  I know at when I say we caught a ton it might be hard to believe at times, so this time I wanted to show you some of what happened.  It was over 2 hours of mayhem and a day I won’t soon forget.  It will be back on the water somewhere, I am really feeling the passion right now.  Plus, I didn’t keep any and the Boss says go get a few for supper.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines