FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

The Best Wading System on the Planet.

It has been a 3 week stretch of travel from Montana, Louisiana, Arkansas, and then Oklahoma.  We just got home from the last leg seeing the parents and grandkids.  I am ready to get back to normal, if it ever does around here.  Being gone almost 3 weeks has put a damper on the fishing but that is about to change, thouugh I am still waiting on the weather.  The wind is blowing 25mph+ as I write this and is forecast to possibly hit 30mph the next 4 days.  So I might slip out to the lake for a short run in the next day or two, but the bay is on my mind.

*****************The Paddle Shad did some serious damage at the Chandeleurs and it will do the job here this summer.  And the new bait is coming, I have seen it and it will be a fish catcher.

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I meet Steve a couple of weeks ago when I picked up his Wade Right after his had a defective buckle.  Tim and Jason had already sent a new one, they stand by their stuff and treat their customers right.  Steve is a little unusual as far as waders goes, he accesses his wading spots from the bank.

A nice limit of Wednesday trout.

                                                          And a bonus limit of reds.

So we made a date to fish together sometime, and if this wind will lay down hopefully it will be soon.  He is living proof that while a boat is nice it is far from necessary.  It just depends on how bad you want it.  Nice string, thanks for the pictures.  I will be in touch.

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The part for the trolling motor came and I fixed it today.  Not a hard fix by any means but it says something about Krestas.  A year or so ago I took my old one to be repaired and they had it over a month.  It started doing the same thing shortly after I got it back from them so I finally broke down and just bought a new one.  Well the new one started doing the same thing so I took the handle apart and found the broken 0.55 cent part.  So hey, I still have the old one so I will take it apart and see if the part is still good.  Guess what?  No part, just left off when it was “fixed”.  How do I know it was just left off?  The handle is sealed and there is no way it could break or come lose and get away.  Maybe it vaporized!  Shoddy work when it took me 55 cents and 15 minutes to fix.  A lot better than a month and $100.  Before I took it there someone cautioned me about doing any kind of business with them, should have listened.

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While out running errands I decided to stop in at the lake and pay my annual fee.  I was somewhat surprised when renewing my annual GBRA pass to Coleto Creek.  This year it has jumped to $185.  Talk about inflation, pretty amazing.  I normally do not complain about fishing license fees, ramp fees, etc, they are worth it, but in this case it is a good thing I fish there quite a bit.  Not sure the quality of the fishing is worth all that.  But who knows, maybe they need the extra money to replace the dam on Dunlap.

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And I heard from fishfearlarry.

Doug, Yes sir! That was my brother you met at the ramp yesterday. Allen told me he met you yesterday. Have a great vacation in Montana with the wife and I am looking forward to living the La trip with you through the blog when you get back!

I figured that was your brother.  The La trip was a success like last year, and I will pencil in next year as soon as I hear from the boys.  It really is a trip every hard core salt guy should make at least once.  And I did want to mention another option if a guy was wanting to take his wife, Due South Charters out of Biloxi.  A couple of the guys on the trip fished with them once and had no complaints, and while a little more expensive you have 2 man (0r woman) staterooms for a little more privacy.  The Southern Belle is more of a “guy” trip boat, but I would not take any other.  They are tops in my book.  Good to hear from you.

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And long time reader Rick sent along this question.

I am trying to put together a trip to Quepos. What airline did you use and who did you use for the shuttle. We have contacted Steve , who John recommends for lodging and transportation but just asking questions, you know. How was The Falls.? 30 year anniversary, I got to get this right.
Thanks in advance!!!

I sent along some info via your email but wanted to add one more comment.  One of the guys on the La trip who has fished extensively overseas has also fished with John and had a great trip.  So can’t wait to hear if you make the trip, I would make it tomorrow if I could.  Like the La trip John’s operation is one of the best bang for your $$$ I have found. Good way to knock the sailfish, mahi, and maybe even a tuna or marlin, off the bucket list.  Fish 3 days, you never know.

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And I got the follow comment from Sam.

Hello. Judging from the pictures, the weather was nasty on you, but you seem to be so happy posing for the picture with the Trout. But the views, they are just amazing!!!

The fishing that day on Whitefish was tough, but I loved every minute of it.  And the views, all I can say is the more time the Boss and I spend in the mountains of NM, Colorado, and now Montana, the more we love it.  In fact as I type this the Boss is looking at another trip back west in July.  Sooner or later I might even succumb to the fly rod.  Thanks for the comment, feel free to comment anytime.  And I clicked on the link in your comment, is that your site?  If it is I would be happy to share it.

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And last long time reader Elaine sent this along.

Thank you for sharing the wolf trip. Very interesting reading and nice pictures.

Of all the trips we have taken this was one of the best by far.  Doing it with real pros made it so much better.  But there are so many trips to come that they each have their own character, and we plan on keeping on as long as we can.  Great to hear from you.

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Bend Over!

And one last personal comment.  Talk about a rip off, try paying the property taxes we pay in Victoria.  Folks are up in arms this year as the appraisals skyrocketed.  What makes it stupid is only a small percentage are actually viewed, they just make this shit up.  Seems like the plan is raise them a ton, then give people a break who contest, but don’t lower it that much, so the total take increases.  My property taxes are  $1000 more than my brothers in College Station, and he has a much bigger, and more valuable, house and property in a fancy subdivision.  And they are $3000 more than my folks nice house in Arkansas.  Mine have continually gone up the 10 years I have been here.  The local politicians all have their hands up shaking their head saying its not me – so then who the hell is it?  The masked property tax monster?  Hypocrites.  (And please don’t respond to this, it is not a discussion, just a rant at being ripped off.)

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To those of you I missed my apologies, but I must admit a couple of weeks away from the old “interweb” has not been a bad thing.  But time to get back on the horse and do a little fishing.  Unfortunately, surprise – surprise, our forecast includes 30 mph winds the next 4 days, and then will finally settle down some.  With it the serious saltwater fishing will begin.  And as usual love to hear from any of you, keeps it more interesting.  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.

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“There is something in the wild romantic scenery of this valley that I cannot nor will I, attempt to describe…..but as I am neither Poet, Painter or Romance writer I must content myself to be what I am a humble journalist…………”

Journal of a Trapper,  Osborne Russell   1834 – 1844.

As I read his book this passage could not have said it any better.  For me, a moment in time glassing across a valley led to the number 1 outdoor experience of my life.  We were set up on a viewing area watching not only a bison kill but a den.  There were pups and mom was in and out during the morning.  The pack was also hanging around and all was right with the world.

My eye was glued to the spotting scope as the grey Alpha female came out of the den and the black wolf, who had been laying close, both stood up together and began to move downhill.  There was a slash of sage grass in front of the den and as they approached it the rest of the pack stood up and then the unthinkable happened – an attack.

The whole pack jumped the Alpha females sister, who was the Alpha of the pack last year, and began to tear her up.  Initially others who were watching thought it was play, but having seen coyotes do basically the same thing it was pretty clear what was happening.  Their tails were straight up in the air, not wagging, and they were so aggressive.  The attack did not last long, a minute maybe (?), and her sister was left with a bloody rump and a pretty ugly looking injury to her belly, all visible in the spotting scopes.

Once she succeeded in getting away she stood there and began to howl.  She just wailed over and over to the pack, but no answer, and none approached her.  We learned later a spotter from the Wolf Project was also glassing and taking dictation on the behavior reported another attack later.  Other folks found the scene hard to watch, the pros we were with said this was a rare happening.  I found it compelling, fascinating, and beautiful.  This trip is not the zoo, life and death is played out every minute of every day and I will never forget what I saw that morning.

Wolves

(Thanks to the shared photos from our group.  Many were taken through a spotting scope with an iPhone attachement.)

There are somewhere between 60 – 80 wolves in the park, many are GPS collared.  We were fortunate enough to see wolves everyday.  And a word on optics, a GOOD spotting scope was an absolute.  These folks know where the dens are, where the wolves and other critters hang out, and once spotted you could see the individual marks setting each apart.   I also had the good fortune to be watching a bear in one scope, and a couple of wolves feeding on the bison kill.  As the grizzly ambled down the slope to the kill I was thinking, oh my, there is a bear.  Until he walked up to the kill, ran the wolves off, and climbed on top of the bison.  That was no bear, that was a freakin’ giant!  Boy are they big.

One wolf who had been trying to jerk a back leg off the bison laid down and watched the bear eat.  Meanwhile ravens and eagles are all trying to get a bite.  Then the wolf got up, walked behind the bear and gave it a nip on the ass, grabbed a big hunk and took off like a bat out of hell to the den.  The pack attack and the bear/wolf confrontation made my trip, but there was so much more.

Normally I try to get stuff up as soon was we get back home from a trip, but due to the airplane turning around in mid air and heading back to Denver we were a day late, and I took off for Louisiana.  But even if I did my words can not describe how great this trip was.  And I really learned one thing, along with lots more, go with the pros.  And thanks to the Boss and her dogged research we hit a homer.  So here is a completely unsolicited ad – Yellow Stone Tracker is the freakin’ bomb and if you go with anyone else you are nuts.  Could I say it any more clearly?

https://www.wolftracker.com/about-yellowstone-wolf-guides.php

Owned and run by Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston, they are the real deal.  I think they know more about wolves than I do about fishing and have the chops to back it up. They are personable folks who have been there from the beginning, playing an important and active part with the introduction of the wolf to Yellowstone and have been studying them every since.  Suffice to say they have the education to back it up, which was critical to our trip.  Nice to see stuff, but more important to know why.  And the guides with our group, Jeremy, Nolan, and Taylor were great.  Jeremy is also employed with the Wolf Tracking Project, a public funded wolf research institute in Yellowstone, and is involved in monitoring and the capture and tagging of  wolves.    Nolan has lived there his whole life and knows the park like the back of his hand.  Their knowledge usually put us where, and when, we needed to be.  So check out their site it says it way better than I can.

Bears

We saw this guy on the way in the last afternoon.  Basically filling his belly with grass, over 75% of their diet is grass.  (Be advised any stats included in this report are from memory, so they should be close but are not gospel.)  He stood up once and gave us good view of how tall they are on their hind legs.

The big picture above through a spotting scope.  These with my camera from over a mile away.

So besides the big guy above we saw the other grizzly on the kill, and one morning we saw a sow and what was probably her 1 year old cub.  We also got this bonus bear one morning on the way to the den.  Bears are just plain cool.  And with around 600 grizzlies in the park there is always a chance to see some.

A cinnamon black bear.

Big Horn Sheep

This may be a funny thing to say but I damn near cried when we saw our first Bighorn Sheep.  I have seen the roadside signs in tons of states, driven through miles of mountains, and it just has not happened. I was beginning to think they were Bigfoot.  Then driving in here is a bunch of rams eating fresh green grass at roadside, and my trip was complete.

Shedding that big winter coat, feeding on new growth getting ready to head to the top!

We saw these girls a couple of mornings in the park.

Luckily these were not all we saw.  Fortunately we saw a couple of different full curl rams on mountainsides.  They are such majestic animals and a big ram is nothing but a hoss!  Watching the guides spot animals was like fishing with a bonefish guide on the flats, amazing what they would spot.  After a while it was just a matter of believing your eyes.

Elk

Really not much to say about elk other than there is a couple in the park and the surrounding land.  Like somewhere around 6,000 in the park and that many roaming around close.

They were not calving like the bison so we saw no calves but they were all over the park.  They are one of the primary food sources for the wolves and the other meat eaters roaming the park.  As they had also shed their antlers a few had nubs as the new growth was coming, and a couple of spikes still had last years.  The population like the wolf is constantly monitored.

Bison

A majestic animal.

There are lots of bison in the park, if memory serves me correct 6 – 7,000.  It did surprise me how high up we saw some of them.  They are big and when they cross the road they have the legal, but more importantly the actual, right of way.  They are big.  I was reminded of the big trees in the last Lord of the Rings.  Old, wise, steady, they are impressive in many ways.

Lots of them and we saw plenty of babies as they were actively calving.

You don’t get close, but they do just come strolling by.

Moutain Goat

No pictures but we spotted some on the final day and what a cool animal.  High up on the craggiest stuff they can find once you spotted one they stood out like a sore thumb.  A long white coat, big beard, and small horns, you can not tell females from males.  This was definitely one of my favorite spots.

Other Stuff

A coyote slipping past us.

Prior to the introduction of the wolf Yellowstone had thousands of coyotes.  Over the years the wolves dominated but there is still a good population around and we saw 3 on our trip.

Not a lot of moose but we managed to see these.

Many more antelope than I would have thought, some way up on the mountains.

Marmots – A funny little guy cross between a ground hot and something else.

And for you birders we saw bald and golden eagles, ospreys, several types of owls, bluebirds, swans, ducks, and a host of others.  In fact the Boss had a big Great Horned owl swoop down right next to her and take a screaming mouse to the nest.  Like I said, it is tough out there.  Just the bird life alone would satisfy any birder.

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Our group of hardy adventurers.

This does not even begin to do the trip justice.  Ours was a 4 day trip and after you landed at the airport they took care of us.  Motel, food, speakers every day, all handled like the pros they are.  This type of trip is only available outside of the busy summer season, when they only run day trips.  In fact trips in the time period we went are already booked for next year.  If you want to see how others feel about them look at TripAdvisor, a first class operation.   This was a bucket list trip for the Boss and it exceeded her expectations.  The only downside for us folks who tend to be a little lazy in the morning was the 5:30 am start, which obviously is important for viewing.  We had snow, light rain, cold, sunny, you name it was had it all, sometimes all in the same day.  Would I do it again – In a minute!  So a big thanks to the folks, memories we will cherish for a lifetime.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

(This is not my best work by far but I hope it conveyed how cool it was and how great the folks were.  And this monster cold hasn’t helped anything.  So now I am caught up, so to speak, and it will be back to the fishing.  So if I have missed you sorry.  We will be out of town again this week, I am about traveled out, but promises to your grand baby can not be broken.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.)

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Don’t Leave For the Chandeleurs Without It.  I didn’t!

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After 2 weeks of really great adventures I am home.  Feeling a little rough today, tired, and got a cold but it was worth every minute.  After last years trip aboard the Southern Belle I was really looking forward to this year, and it did not disappoint.  In fact, this trip was one of my favorite fishing trips ever.  Capt. Howie, the crew, Este and TD, are the best and made this another trip aboard the Southern Belle to remember.  And this particular bunch of guys were fishing lunatics, no offense to lunatics, and we laughed for 4 days.  These is no coherent way to tell the story, or repeat the outrageous, but here we go.

*****************The Paddle Shad is about to do some DAMAGE!!  It Did!

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Home Sweet Home for 4 nights and 3 days of hard core fishing.  If you find a better boat than this, or a better crew let me know, because these boys are the best!

We all met Sunday afternoon to load up and head out to the Chandeleurs, which is about a 40 mile trip out of Gulfport.  We buy pizza the first night as we pay a little more to go out that night and get 3 full days of fishing.  5 guys were on the last trip and 4 were new to me and they turned out to be great fishing buddies.  I need to say one word about the boys, it was a “tough” crowd at times, several times I laughed so hard I almost threw up.  Everyone got along and it could not have been a better bunch of guys to spend 4 days on the boat with.

What a way to start the trip.  Jason of Wade Right lovin’ every minute of it, or doing his Capt Ahab imitation.

I was lucky enough to spend 3 days fishing with Ted from Good Luck Gear.  (Check out their site by clicking on the link on the side of my page.)  We decided to start in the area where we had some good fishing last year.  The first morning was a bit of a grind as we tried to figure it out.  Ted waded into a hundred small reds and from that point on we caught fish all 3 days.  We caught fish wading on both plastics and topwater the first 2 mornings.  We decided not to weigh or even measure many of the small keepers,  and we kept after the trout with the reds just came along with it.

The better trout I caught were absolutely thumping the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad on a steady swim.

Ted figured out the most effective pattern we used most of the 3 days – slow rolling plastics.  He was using a purple Down South lure and I stayed with the Paddle Shad in White/Limetreuse and Pink Limeaid on a 3/32 VMC swim bait hook most of the time.  We slowly got the pattern on day one and kept 15 or 16.  It could have been more reds and a few more trout but we tried not to measure them all, if it made it it went in the live well.

Ted with a nice red and sorry about his backlit trout but it was also a nice one.

We ended up wading the first and second morning, from then on we drifted.  The wind was out of the right direction to drift out of the pockets, following the fish as they followed the tide.  But do not get me wrong, they were not jumping in the boat.  Fishing is fishing no matter where you go, it still required us to hunt and then get it done when the chances came.  As a rule for us most of the trout were nipping and by just keeping it coming they would finally commit.  On the Paddle Shad they smoked it, while not catching as many fish it definitely caught all my bigger trout and reds.

Ted getting it done.

The second morning we headed back to “our” spot for a morning wade and the small redfish were all over the flats.  Everyone caught a bunch of shorts and if I were guessing we had an easy 30+ blow ups from all sizes.  The tide slacked around noon, and like every day we all met at the boat for a good lunch and a story or two.

The afternoon of day 1 Jason stopped by and said follow him to a place he and his dad caught them last year.  And Ted and I had a good run on nice trout. One of those was my biggest at 4.4lbs.  What made that special was they wanted the plastic reeled fast, and there was no missing, it was on.  I think we boxed 6 or 7 nice ones.  Two things about that.  First, we all worked together trying to help each other catch fish.  Second, though we did not make the surf, I know my average size of keepers was overall a little bigger this year.

The rest of the pics are in no particular order, hard to remember.  The trout weighed 3 lbs.,  one of 4 I caught over 3lbs.

A couple of nice fish on the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad!

We had a good redfish run on day 2 after lunch.  Ted just said I had not caught a big red and it was literally 10 seconds later when one just slammed the Paddle Shad at the boat after I gave it a jerk.  Nothing better then seeing them eat.  Several other followed in that spot for both us. And later I actually caught another good red and while doing the around the boat thing I kept feeling something bumping my fish.  Turned out it was 3 giant reds trying to take the Paddle Shad dangling out of his mouth.  It is a tough world out there.

Sunset on the boat, it does not get any better than that.  And there was only a few thousand $$ worth of rods and reels.

Capt Howie can cook and no one left the table hungry.  Hanging on the rear deck and telling a story or two.

The fishing was best described as a grind but most folks had their moments.  Wading and drifting all produced, and Larry and Kyle had a couple of productive wades.  Unfortunately Larry had a new fancy ass stringer, it failed, and 13 trout got off and he was only able to recover 2, the rest swam away happy to have defeated the Grim Reaper.

Around and around the boat, the Iowa Boys finally nailed a multi-spotted bull.

Matt and Mike, brothers from Iowa, were really wanting to  concentrate on reds as they love catching and eating them.  And while they had not caught a hoss they pulled it out at the last minute.  They wanted to take a few back to those Iowa folks, not many reds in Iowa, when it was over they had plenty for a fish fry.

The board.  When the big cooler is full to the brim you better have kept track.  These numbers are not a true indication of the totals caught.  As usual after day 2 they tell you to give the reds a break.

Capt Howie moved us the second day to shelter from the winds to come the last day.  So with a new area to explore the second afternoon we started drifting behind an island and actually finished our trip fishing behind it the last day.  The wind was tough enough to make fishing plastics hard and I had a moment of insight and we started in on the popping cork.  It was not fast by any means but we boxed 17 nice trout the last day and released a few.  And there was a moment of real insight.

Instead of tossing in front of the boat on the drift, we were moving right along, Ted and I started throwing the popping cork out of the back of the boat, drifting along and popping.  That technique will forever be known as the Chandeleur Method.  Not having to cast we just popped along, and leaving them close to each other seemed to attract more bites.  It was an easy way to fish, and if you have them cornered and the wind is tough give it a try.  It basically made it easy on the arm and we were able to finish off the trip with consistent fishing.  A perfect technique if you have a healthy breeze and folks on board who are not all that experienced, or you are a lazy old guy like us.

Turn out the lights the party is over.  Group hug.

We ended up with a 172 keepers and it could have been more with smalls, especially reds, many who would have made the grade if we were measuring them.  The 3 flounder were a surprise as they are not that common.  We saw some really big stingrays and a few small sharks.  One morning during the topwater catching a shark came in to explore the action but no real confrontations this year.  The Iowa boys did make the surf for a couple of hours one morning and caught some, but the prevailing wind prevented us from getting out there like last year.

As a group not much got broke  but one lucky angler, who shall remain nameless, did face plant out of the boat.  And interestingly he also nose planted on the sliding glass door the day we loaded.  Always an adventure.  And a fighter jet came over us and then went supersonic straight up over our heads.  I have heard plenty of sonic booms in my life but this one was spectacular.

Now here is my big, and only, complaint.  Capt Howie and the boys can cook and if you don’t eat it would be an insult.  So as usual the belt is out a notch.  Big breakfasts, steaks, fish fry, his delicious casserole, banana pudding, cake, roast beef, grits, and on and on.  If you take the trip and bitch about the food just stay home, you ain’t worthy!  So just kidding on the eating thing.  And Este and TD are not only great mates but good guys.  And if you will listen to them your results will improve.  They have all been fishing the area for decades.

And last some practical information if you consider going.  The skiffs are 12′ with an easy starting Yami 4 stroke, and there is a net and radio to keep in touch.  Other than beer or some particular drink, 3 rods and reels and your tackle will cover it.  You can either wade or drift, both are effective.  There is a reef or two but the crew will help with that and it is not particularly hard to navigate.  There are other boats fishing the area, but it had no affect on our fishing or choice of places.  It is a bucket list trip.  And yes you catch reds and trout just like here, but that is not the point.  So a big thanks to Capt. Howie, TD, Estes, and my boat mates.  As I said in the beginning this was one of my favorite trips ever and I am already putting it on the calendar for next year.

Fishing on the MS Gulf Coast with Southern Belle

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I am still dealing with this cold and trying to catch up with everything I have ignored.  Over the last 2 weeks while I have been gone it has been a pleasure to not be a slave to the phone or the internet.  So consequently I have ignored some of you and I promise I am catching up as fast as I can.  Next I have to sit down and work on the Wolf Tracking expedition which like the Chandeleurs is a one of a kind adventure.

I hope to fish in a day or two soon but will be leaving town next week for a few days.  Then it will be some serious bay fishing.  Michael at Controlled Descent is finishing up his new plastic and it looks to be a killer and I plan on giving it a good workout.  And last I hope I did justice to our trip, it was all that.  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

Don’t Leave For the Chandeleurs Without It.  I won’t!  I’m Off!!!

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Sorry you have not heard from me in a while, but while on the 4 day Wolf Tracking Tour this took a big back seat.  I can not even begin to remotely do it justice in one report.  So here is a quick highlights that I will get to as soon as I get back.  Wolf/grizzly confrontation, Wolf pack attacking another wolf in the pack,  (The most incredible thing I have ever seen in the outdoors, even the pros were amazed.), packs of wolves, grizzlies, Big Horn sheep, mountain goasts, bison, eagles, coyotes, elk, and a host of others.  And the characters and players we met only added to the trip.  Suffice to say it is a big story and one I want to not only put in words but to remember for a lifetime.  So here is quick taste.

We left Boseman Mt and flew to Denver on Friday after the park.  We got there around noon for our flight at 3:00, boarded on time, all good, home Friday.  Which gives me a day to get ready before heading to the Chandeleurs.  But like all plans there was a hitch.

We take off for Austin not having a clue about Austin’s weather yesterday, but apparently our pilot knew it was an issue as he took on a little more fuel because we might have to divert some or circle when we get there.  Around an hour in flight we did something that has never happened to us flying anywhere in the world – We turn around and head back to Denver.  Huh?  The weather was to high and rough over Austin, so then we have to circle for an hour to burn off the excess fuel as we are to heavy.  So after over 10 hours in the airport we are not going anywhere.  So as it was an act of God tough luck, they did give us a voucher for 1/2 off at a motel and took us there, so it was what it was.  And we did not crash, a good thing.

*****************The Paddle Shad is about to do some DAMAGE!!

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Of  course the real consequence, it is 8:30 Saturday night and we just got home as I type this.  I am finishing the packing and will turn and burn at 5:30 in the morning for Biloxi.  It would be nice to have had that extra day, but trust me, when I take off in the morning the weariness will disappear, with visions of big trout and reds pushing the 4 Runner all the way to Biloxi to meet the boys.

Of course that means no internet so there will not be a report until probably Friday, but then there will be several in a row to adequately tell the story that is running through my mind as I write this.  Words will not adequately detail the wolf tracking but I will try, truly a fantastic experience.  And doing it with literally some of the best biologist and wolf experts in the world was so far beyond my expectations.  We met and learned from emmy winning videographers and photographers who work with National Geographic tv and magazine, BBC, and on and on.  As you can tell it pains me to stop, but I have to get my stuff together.  So don’t desert me, I am on a great adventure and I want to do it all justice.  And I will get to your comments and questions, i have not forgot.  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

Don’t Leave For the Chandeleurs Without It.  I won’t!  Won’t be long now!

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All I have to say about Montana at this point is what a place.  I knew it would be cool after spending time in New Mexico and Colorado, but this definitely takes the cake.  Talk about places to fish, puts Colorado to shame.  More on that later.  We are headed to Yellowstone today on our wolf tracking trip, but first we wanted to head to Whitefish, cruise Glacier, and she got me a one day guided trip for pike on Whitefish lake.  As the rivers are “blown out” with spring run off and rain lake fishing was the ticket.

*****************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.

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It is in the Doing!

We stayed at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.  A quick word on them, one of my favorite places we have ever stayed on our travels.  Location, reasonably priced, nice folks, I can not say enough about how great a place it is.  Right on the lake, it fit the bill and when, not if, we get back that way would stay there again.

My guide for the day was Jesse Shively.  Jesse is an Orvis guide who not only does river and lake fishing but also guides bear, deer, and elk.  The weather forecast was for snow, sleet, rain, sun, big wind, you name it, the day had it.  And the forecast was right on.   The plan was to fish big pike, which they have, must be feeding up on all those trout.

Snow/sleet/hail – Call it what you will it was ugly.

So we dropped the drift boat in a small creek way up lake leading into a big shallow bay, classic early spring ice out location for pike.  By time we got in the water at 11:00 the weather was going down hill fast.  But the conditions were no problem, proper dress and it is nothing more than an irritant.  And I have always wanted to fish out of a drift boat, a cool rig.  So he oared us down creek and into the bay.  Conditions were deteriorating fast.

Jesse, though he has a trolling motor, prefers to row to keep good position.  During the afternoon it was real apparent the pike were off.  I had a big one, probably, follow a spinnerbait to the boat, all I saw was a huge boil as I lifted it out of the water.  A while later another nice one followed it to the boat but it was clear they were not to happy with the deteriorating conditions, which obviously were dropping the shallow water temps.  Heck, I even tried to cast a fly to them, but as I suck at that, tossing a big fly was definitely not working for me.

Jesse was a beast on the oar as we had periods of big wind

So with a couple of refusals he suggested we try a little dead baiting for Lake Trout.  And again as the pike did, a weak bite but no cigar.  So as the afternoon wore on we went back to chasing pike.  I started back with the spinnerbait and on a cast it got tangled and as I pulled it out of the water to try to fix it one boiled on it.  So I cranked it in, buzzed it right over the same spot and one got right on it’s ass but did not connect.  So a switch to a chartreuse/white Gulp jerk shad style bait seemed like a good follow up bait, and it was.

Laker number 1.

So after 2 refusals on consecutive casts time for a slower presentation.  As the water was only a few feet deep I was using it fairly fast and the one above rolled on it and did not eat.  So I tossed it right back in there and as soon as it rolled on it again and missed I dropped it and fish on.  That made the day under these conditions.  So we kept after it a while and then it happened again exactly the same way.  One rolled on it, so stop it and let it fall, and in the boat it came.

I just love me some fishing in these conditions.

A word on Jesse.  I have fished with guides in many places, but I had a big time fishing with him.  He worked his ass off to get me fish, in fact he went above and beyond.  I gave him a couple of subtle hints we could quit if he wanted but he was not having it.  He rowed against big wind, along with everything else the weather could throw at us, without complaint.  He has fished with some famous folks, he is guiding a hall of fame football player to bear this month, and has some great experiences and stories to share.  (Plus he politely listened to my nonsense stories all day.)  As far as guides go I give him a 10+ and would recommend anyone who ever wants to fish or hunt in Montana to consider him, you will not be sorry.  His “normal” fishing grounds is fly fishing the Flathead River near Glacier, but he fishes many different rivers and not only for trout.  There is some outstanding smallmouth fishing lakes and rivers and one of his clients broke 6lbs last season, a good smallie anywhere.  And if you want to bow hunt for bear, rifle for elk, he does it all.

The nicest part of the day as we headed to the ramp.

I always say it is in the doing, and today was exactly that.  Catching a few fish at the end of the afternoon was just icing on the cake.  It is all about the experience, and this was a new one for me.  They always say in Texas if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes, well today Montana had it all, which made the day what it was.  So a big thanks to Jesse, you earned your money and I will be back.

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I want to say something about Colorado, which we love to visit.  Colorado fishing is nothing more than a suck up to the rich.  Buy some river bank and no one can even wade fish, hell you can not even anchor in the river when floating if there is private land.  So what has happened, as I have seen it done in so many different places the last 30 years, folks with money come in, buy it up, and then the rules make it hard for the common man to fish.  So the rich have much of it to themselves and the rest of us, especially shore bound anglers, are left out.  Why I have only fished there a couple of times.

Montana is a completely different story, they want one and all to come and fish.  Some of the greatest trout rivers in the world, not to mention lakes everywhere, and all have tons of public access.  What would have been a 5 hour drive back to Bozeman turned into 8 because I kept stopping at so many access points to lakes and rivers.  The Game and Fish specifically have a working relationship with landowners to make sure we can all fish.  There are literally hundreds and hundreds of public access to all waters, and anything below the high water mark is open to all.  So you can stop at an access point and go to wading, something you really can not do in many areas of Colorado.  I was really amazed at the difference in attitudes, Montana wants you to come and fish, Colorado not so much.  And if you are a do it yourself guy like I generally am, Montana is the place.  So I will be back.

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Here are a couple of pictures of the trip so far.  Sorry have to hurry up and finish as they will be here to get us soon.

All have to day – What is not to like about this!

So we are off to chase wolves and I will try to get something posted later, but we are excited.  I have never been to Yellowstone, and have never seen a wolf in the wild so it promises to be an epic trip.  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

Don’t Leave For the Chandeleurs Without It.  I won’t!  Won’t be long now!

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It was lightly drizzling as I headed to the lake at 7:00, my favorite weather for fishing.  The wind was down, and did not really start to blow until after noon.  And the lake is clearing rapidly, just hope when we get this big bunch of rain the next couple of days it does not cloud back up.

*****************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.

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Weather

81/68.  Cloudy with 20% chance of rain.  Wind SE 15 – 25 mph.  (Basically the same.)

Lake Level

Today  98.05 msl.   Yesterday  98.07 msl.

Solunar Periods

Good  8:30 am to 10:30 am.   Best 2:43 pm to 4:43 pm.

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Today I took my own advice and spent a lot more time pitching.  I used a 5″ watermelon red stick worm with a 4/0 vmc with a 1/4 ounce pegged tungsten weight on 20lb. mono.  There is definitely fish on wood, the best seemed to be in a couple of feet of water near spawning coves.  I did not feel one bite, they just started swimming with it.  If you felt anything, basically mushy, you had to set the hook or they let go of it.  I ended up catching a good 10 pitching, and missed several.  And today I have no complaints, I had her on.  Pitching to a tangle of hard wood when I lifted up she was swimming, I set the hook and could feel the wood as she rolled around.  After trying several things, including slacking up, hoping she would swim out to get her she finally pulled off.  It was a good one.

The best I could manage today.

Of course I fished spinnerbait and caught 2, buzzbait 1, Controlled Descent Jerk Shad 2, and Bang O Lure 5 jumped on.  So not a bad day as far as numbers are concerned.  But I am still not on the better fish though I have a feeling as the spawn winds down the pitching will really come in to play as it has the last couple of years.

The Bang O Lure is still catching them.  And the second one felt like a good one.  But coming in backwards will fool you.

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And Anonymous had the following comment after I mused about fishing with croakers.

Croaker…….most definitely a horrific thought process.

I really have avoided them on purpose, but the guys I know who fish them catch the snot out of them in the summer.  So who knows, best laid plans sometimes just don’t happen, but you never know.  Thanks for reading.

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I met a couple of guys at the ramp today, one of them turns out I met at a tournament a few years ago.  He might be fishfearlarry’s brother, I am so bad with names.  The guy he was fishing with is camping and doing fairly well fishing a spinnerbait from the bank.  In fact he caught 6 waiting for his buddy to get there.  And the other gentleman caught one in  the 4+ range yesterday so the bites is definitely better than it has been.   So thanks for hollering at me, I always enjoy talking fishing with folks who read this blog.

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One thing that is a little “tough” right now is figuring out the best bait to use.  They are hitting anything, so you can pick your poison right now on the lake and it will catch fish.  Yesterday was like getting into a bunch of shorts on the bay, but they bit from the minute I started until I quit.  Other than a big fish not sure what more you could want.

Tomorrow it is off to Montana.  The next time you hear from me it will hopefully include lots of wildlife photos  and a good fishing report.  The guide said he lost the biggest pike he has ever had on at boatside, and if it turns out we do that it is all good.  But as I told him I am flexible and will do whatever he suggests we need to be doing.  One thing I learned guiding, and fishing with guides, do what they tell you otherwise you have no bitch if it goes south.  And the Boss is crazy excited to then be heading to the wolf tracking in Yellowstone.  This trip has real potential.  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

Don’t Leave Home Without It.  I don’t!

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Taking a Break

Just wanted to check in and let you know I am still out there.  Things have been quiet around here this week as far as the fishing goes.  And no, no problem, I am still alive and taking nourishment.  I simply have been taking a break from all of this after suffering a slight case of fishing and blog fatigue.  So I decided to not fish this week, not a hard choice with the wind, and recharge my old batteries.  These times come occasionally, wondering if I should keep it up.  It is a labor of love, but don’t get me wrong it is work.  But with Montana, and then Louisiana, it is about to crank back up around here.

But the hiatus has let me accomplish a few things on the boats and in the tackle room.  Since we leave for Montana in a week, and then I turn and burn the next day to Louisiana, it was good to go over every bit of the saltwater stuff to be sure I have it all and put new line on the reels.  You never know what you will need, the only downside, a 50lb tackle box.  And with POC in next weeks plans it is good to be organized.  But we sure do not need any more wind!

Tuesday the wind was howling.  Wednesday was up to 25, gusts well over 30mph.  The temperature is fine and there was a hint of clouds today, but this wind thing is getting depressing.  Thursday forecast set to blow 35 plus, and it did every bit of that.  In fact, Thursday when we were watching the weather Bill said the wind was 12mph, as it was shaking the house!  Try sticking your head outside weather dude.  It is now Friday and it is starting to crank up again, man it is getting old!

******************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.

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SA Joe sent along this comment after his trip to Travis.

Your last trip(s) to Lake Travis. Did you catch alot of small fish? I spent last friday all day there and I got 33 bass. Nothing over 2lbs. But they acted like they was over 5lb. Hit and run. Dang near lost my pole a couple times not paying attention. Nice to hear you caught em at Falcon !!!

A Travis bass from 2017.

Thanks for the Falcon comment.  The trip was the old “make chicken salad out of chicken shat”.  Conditions weren’t the best but I soldiered on and day 4 it all came together.  Last time I fished Travis I caught quite a few good fish shallow, but from what I hear this year it has been a lot tougher.  My buddy Aaron and his friend fished it 2 weeks ago and did fairly well but they caught fish deep using the side imaging to find them on deep ledges.  This has been a different year in South Texas on many bodies of water and Travis is no different.  Have never used the side imaging but they have to be somewhere!  Who knows, it might help my Coleto production right now.

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And congratulations to Clayton Heldt of Victoria  (Don’t know him.) and his partner Chad Kallina for their 13th place finish out of 156 teams on a tough Lake Belton Skeeter Bass Champs tournament.  36 teams blanked to give you an idea how tough it was.  Always good to cash a check.

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The Old Interweb

A Texas store was advertising freshwater stingray for sale on Facebook.  Wardens went to the store which was unaware that it was on the Texas Prohibitive list and they should not sell it.  And I just read an article out of Louisiana where wardens regularly check social media for violations.  I told you it was a dangerous place, so before you hit “Post”, engage  brain.  Some folks never learn.

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If you are a dove hunter TPWD has set the seasons, along with some other hunting regulations, so check it out on their website.  I love it when they set the hunting seasons, let the bay fishing begin.  It really knocks back the traffic and is my favorite time of year on the coast.  The only downside, no fresh doves for me.

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I am having the same trouble with the handle on my minnkota trolling motor I had with the last one.  So today instead of taking it somewhere I took it apart, surprise!  I found a broken part that controls the tension on the handle, keeping it from turning on when running down the lake.  So no problem, I have the old trolling motor.  I had it fixed once at one dealer, but no Bueno.  Then I took that one to the place in Edna where they supposedly fixed it after having it a month, charged me $100, and it started acting up again almost right away so I just bought a new one.  But hey, great, the part I need is in there.  Surprise!  No wonder it did not work properly, they just did not bother to put that part in!  Now I am no mechanic but what a rip off.  I have heard some really bad things about that place, and this just confirms it.  Shoddy plain and simple.  It is a .55 part and it is on the way from minnkota.  Took me 2 minutes to find the problem, 1 minute to order the part, and it should be good to go after about a 5 minute effort.  Guess I should pay myself $100.

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At this moment both boats are about 98% ready to roll, at the same time amazingly enough.  As I type this it reminds me of what else I need to fix on the Carolina Skiff to have it 100%, so as soon as I hit post out I go.  I really use it more in the summer due to less wind, and though it can “handle” the stuff, a bath is coming when it is to rough.  But it is about to be 20 years old, I have abused it over the years and it has been a work horse.  If they made the same boat in a v hull I would have bought a new one long ago.  The thing is a tank.

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You can tell it has been really windy as the number of Facebook posts from the bay is way down.  With the holiday weekend that should pick back up and the wind looks like it might slow a little.  I am ready to hit the water and plan on doing it several times in the coming week.  So keep stopping in, there will be some fishing, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

The Wade Right Fishing Belt

Brought to you by

Don’t Leave Home Without It.  I don’t!

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When she was good, she was very very good, but…………You know the rest.

This was definitely a trip that had it all, crazy weather, bad fishing, good fishing, some big bites, great folks, and an all around good time was had by all.  And only a few beers died in the making of this blog post.  The lake itself was fairly clear with more color up north and the water temp varied between 76 and 83 over most of the trip.  Saw lots of snakes and the lake is covered up with ducks.

There are no words to adequately describe how freakin’ hard this girl smacked that spinnerbait.  She must have been going the other way.  One of those strikes where they really do try to take the rod out of your hands!

******************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.

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I stayed at Beacon Lodge as I have 3 or 4 times before.  No matter the water level, an issue on Falcon at times, there is a usable ramp.  And when it is busy it is not a hassle like the County ramp can be.  I am not interested in the Hilton.  A good ramp, electric, and simple meets my needs and Beacon is perfect.  This trip I met the owner, his wife, and some of their family, great folks, and more on that later.

Day 1

The simplest way to tell this story is day by day.  When I got to Zapata around 11:00 the cabin was open with keys on the table  (Not many places do that.)  so after a quick off load out I went.  I knew it was going to be hot, but holy mackerel, it set a record for the day, 103 degrees.  There was no wind and the humidity was 14%, so much for it was a “dry heat”.  It was smoking hot.

First I ran up lake to a couple of creeks I have fished every trip and started slow rolling the spinnerbait, but the no wind thing did not help.

A good start for a smoking hot day.

The water is low so I was able to fish them both and only caught one small on a crankbait.  I saw a fish bust shad right on the bank so I tossed it on his head and caught him.  That very thing would play out later.  So after that it was around 3:00 when I headed to the Velano to an area I caught them last trip, and caught the 2 above.  (A note on the area, it is a nice big bend in the channel 10 foot deep with flats on both sides and lots of buck brush.)  Just swimming it near the bottom in 1 – 8 foot of water and they whacked it pretty good.  After fishing that area I headed to a big point and started to feel woozy.  Then I had the pleasure of throwing up.  For the first time in my life I had a little heat incident even though I was on my 3rd water.  At least as a former medic I knew what was up and I wasn’t interested in falling out so I called it a day.  A little nap, AC, and it was all good.  But at least I had a clue, after seeing shad flip and a few getting busted, most near brush.  As a side note I did not catch one bass off rock.

Day 2

Unlike day 1, day 2 brought wind, right up the pike out of the south, and I mean gusting over 30 mph and it was unfishable, no wonder I only saw 1 other boat.  Like day 1 it actually got to 104, South Texas hot!  I did have a bunch of hits first thing that just whacked it and did not hook up, so I was thinking small white bass.  By 11:00 it was just to much of a hassle, no where to hide, and no way to make a big trip on the main lake so with discretion being the better part of valor I called it day.  Believe me the short run back to Beacon on the main lake was no fun.  When I got back there was no one at the ramp so time for another nap.  Beacon has a small bar and as I was sitting on the porch later the owner’s wife and son-in-law stopped by in the old golf cart and said come on to the bar a little later and have a cold one with them.  I did, and learned they are great folks and we just had a dandy time.  The day was not a complete loss.

Day 3

Bite 1.

As they say about Texas weather just wait a minute and it will change, and change it did.  This was one of the more interesting days I have had on the water.  Remember yesterday it was 104, today only 90, but the wind was predicted to switch to out of the north at 25 – 30 during the morning.  In fact, first thing I wished I had a jacket.  What?  One of the few days in my fishing life I can remember the wind blowing like crazy out of one direction one day and completely switching around and blowing that hard the other way.  Nuts.  So with that wind forecast I put in at the county ramp so I would not have to negotiate the main lake.

Today was different as far as the fishing goes.  My second cast the fish above absolutely smashed my spinnerbait.  She is the very reason I go and slow roll the spinnerbait.  They say Falcon bass are the toughest and I tend to agree, they are stout.  Working that bank over completely with the spinner bait I had a couple of those little whacks so I turned around and tossed a crankbait.  The only reason I show you this is that was how big they were, no wonder they did not hook up on the spinnerbait.  I caught 4 or 5 in nothing flat and then another good bite.

They all looked just like this.  Wait until next year, the white bass fishing could be unbelievable.  But it was not all whites…..

Another Falcon good one.  This girl just came off the bed and showed it.

I never felt her hit, it just got soft and muscle memory took over.  Funny how after all these years I sometimes set the hook before I think about it.  She was like so many Falcon fish, big all the way to her tail and it was a tussle to keep her out of the stuff.  By now the wind was starting to just howl again.  So I tried a couple of protected, if you could call them that, banks and it was just to rough.  I headed to the ramp around 12:00 and the same guy who put in when I did was taking out.  There was just no place to get out of it.  Not many days on Falcon is there no one at the county ramp.

So I did another nap thing, a rarity for me.  Around 4:00 the wind dropped to a dull roar, and with the ramp right there I decided to head back out for a couple of hours and try a big cove or two close.  At this point I am still committed to slow rolling the spinnerbait and it did not disappoint.

If you are only going to boat 3 these 3 will do!

So while I lost most of this day it was a success.  Spinnerbait fishing is my first love and while I am sure there were plenty of different ways to catch fish it suits my style.  And though I had lost half my fishing time so far I was learning a thing or two.  The shad were definitely spawning, why I downsized my blades on the spinnerbait, and the fish were on that bank feeding on them.  And the good thing about tomorrow, clouds, and light wind.

Day 4

I launched at Beacon’s and headed to the back of the Velano as it cracked dawn.  With the morning’s forecast it was Bang O Lure time.  The water was clear enough and I knew it would work, and it did, in some interesting ways.  The plan was to throw the Bang O Lure until the wind came up in the afternoon, and I stuck with it and had some interesting results.  I catch catfish on lures occasionally but have never caught 3 in one day, much less on topwater.

The Bang O Lure catches fish!

Falcon is a catfish hatchery.  Talked to a guy who has caught 2 over 50 off the bank.  

One thing became immediately apparent, there were plenty of fish there.  Some were boiling the Bang O Lure and some were eating it.  I caught several that I missed by throwing right back at them.  Funny though none blew up on it, they all grabbed it after twitching it and pulling it under.  A couple grabbed it right next to the boat.  Big fun!

]

The bite was on, or maybe I finally removed head from butt.

They cooperated for a couple of hours and most looked like those above with some even smaller, which Falcon does not have a lot of right now.  It became apparent the big ones wanted a bigger bait slow rolled right in front of their face, where some of these guys I could see streaking out of a bush after it.  And what is there to say about catching that many catfish on lures in the same area other than I found the buffet line.  So after a couple of passes I explored a few other places without success waiting for the wind.  Finally about 4:00 it started blowing right on the good place so back I went.  Time to buzz a spinnerbait really shallow.  Good choice.

These were absolute chunks!

I started back on “the good spot” running my spinnerbait right below the surface in spit for depth making a big wake and they were just smashing that thing.  No boils, no misses, just smoking it.  I think I caught 5 or 6 like that and was in spinnerbait heaven.  This was really proof of why I always say 3 days minimum on a trip.  It took that long to finally get it going.  And like the Falcon Lake Tackle guy has been saying if you catch one work that area there may be more, and that was spot on.  This area had fish.

This trip was a trade off in some respects.  Slow roll the spinnerbait and hold on, or catch as many fish as possible, and both happened.  I did regret not taking the 2 silver foil Shallow Shad Raps sitting in the tackle room, the shad looked just like it and with the shad spawn on it would have been a killer.  I take a hundred pounds of tackle but just did not think about those.  Light balsa crankbaits on Falcon is almost an oxymoron.  And due to losing fishing time and travel I did not get to any of the places south I wanted to fish.  But if you do any amount of serious fishing travel things change and you just make the best of it.

My last night is their Karaoke night  (I would sooner eat my own kidneys than sing for any reason, but it was fun to watch.) and they bring food.  The crowd was local and food it was, some real TexMex on the border.  Everyone had a great time and I finally met Speedy, the owner and bass fisherman extraordinaire.  Born and raised in Zapata he knows Falcon as well as any human can.  He was personable and I learned more about the lake in that hour than I could have in a year.  Additionally he is my age so we had plenty in common.  So I would like to thank him and his family.  They were excellent hosts and I count them as new friends.  Perfect, another excuse to head back.  I really do like fishing there no matter how it goes.  I was lucky to fish there during the hey day, then when it was really down, and now with the fishing better than it has been.  The big fish can come any cast there and as long as I can sling a lure I will be back.

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Gage sent along this question, and it is easy to answer.

what is your personal best bass . what lure was it caught on?

Easy answer, all 3 on that first Falcon trip were caught slow rolling a spinnerbait, wh/ch with nickel Colorado blades, just thumping along trying to tic isolated cover.  The biggest was 9.3 and is still my PB that was weighed since there was scale on board that trip.  Now I have caught several easily in that range over the last 8 years on Coleto, but since I do not weigh them it would only be a guess.  Most of those on Bang O Lure or swim jig.  For me a bass is either big or it is not.

As my fishing interests change over the years I subscribe to the following:  First I just wanted to catch a fish, then I wanted to catch a bunch of fish, next I wanted to catch a big fish, now I want to catch them how I like to, and am willing to keep after it trying to catch a big fish.  What Falcon can be all about.   So this trip I will be doing a lot of spinnerbait fishing, but have 6 rods rigged with different stuff and will listen to the fish, they will tell me.  And as all fisherman know, what they usually tell you is what you are doing is not working.  So I will remain flexible.

And one last word on this trip, it will not be all about the bass.  The lake has exploded with white bass and I have not messed with them yet but plan to.  And the crappie rod is in the boat so may give that a little go.  Nice way to break up the day after first thing bass fishing and last thing bass fishing, keeping after it in prime time.  Then chasing some of the others while eating lunch or taking a break.  But no matter what I will be having fun no matter how it shakes out.  Thanks for reading.

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Colby Peyton, one of the best fisherman on the coast, nailed a solid 8lb trout out of POC the other day.  He can catch them and that was a pig.  But the important point, I firmly believe the 5 fish limit is slowly having a positive effect, especially in the POC area where no matter how you phrase it, they get pounded.  The trout are now bigger across the board.  With the increased pressure on our bays the change to 5 is the best thing that could have happened to that fishery.  Plus what has become standard practice on big trout among most trout fisherman –  Catch – Phot0-Release.   And as a side note Colby and his dad are hard to beat on Coleto bass tournaments.  So hey Colby, isn’t it about time to have another Colby Peyton Go Fund Me Coleto tournament?

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And speaking of working the trout over my neighbor Jesse has had a couple of good trips lately.  His last was a late night trip and they put the serious hurt on them.  So congrats to you and your Home Boys, a nice mess.  The fish are definitely biting on the coast, my next weeks plan.

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And this comment from SA Joe on the pending Chandeleur trip.

What are the odds. I just watched a fishing show this weekend about Chandeleurs Islands. And then you post your going. Some of the Bull Reds they were pulling in were HUGE !!!!!! Have a blast, looks like a great place to fish…

Saw the same show, The Obsession of Carter Andrews, and boy did they knock the snot out of them.  Though happily we did not catch that many jacks, thanks have had enough of those to last a lifetime.  On our last trip the first thing in the morning on day 1 I wanted to try the Whopper Plopper and right off the bat had a nice one just explode on it.

What a freakin’ first bite!

I was sitting on the live well lid and when I set the hook it opened and I almost went head over heels in the ocean.  As I posted before I had a reader ask about the trip and he wondered about doing it when we have all of them here, which is true.  But this trip is about far more than that.  Good eats, a few cold ones, great company, and being pampered.  And not a Majek in sight doing a hundred busting the shoreline, no offense to Majek.  What is not to like about that.

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It was another successful trip.  It could have gone a whole lot worse and it finished up with a bang.  There were so few fishermen out and it never made one iota of difference.  I learned some more about the lake and intend to pump Speedy at the next opportunity.  Falcon is a different animal and there is lots I need to learn.  And no internet was nice, along with a few naps, a little reading, and new friends.  The Boss is keeps asking if I kept any fish so time to get her fed.  And speaking of her, as I write this it is blowing out there, but she is in Iowa and it has been blowing 60 mph knocking over semis and pushing her rental car all over the place.  And San Antonio had big hail, what a spring.

Next up depends on the weather but I hope to make the bay early this week.  And I just got the skiff serviced so it needs to be run.  And it is so much easier to mess with after saltwater.  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

Don’t Leave Home Without It.  I don’t!

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Heading to Falcon

A 9lb. Falcon post spawn fattie!

While I did not fish the last few days there was plenty of “fishing” stuff going on around here.  First I finally made a decision of where I would fish this week, I am headed to Falcon in the morning for the rest of the week.  The only downside I  could see, it is going to be nice.  The fishing report is still consistent as it has been for a month, fish shallow on spinnerbaits (Count me in!) and soft plastics with some starting to show up on deeper rocks and points, a typical pattern there this time of year.  The first trip I took there years ago was around this time and the fish were post spawn, once we figured it out it was game on.  So with what I learned from the trip last 2 months ago I am good to go.  Will be looking for that one, or more if I am lucky, bite!

A few from January.

Falcon Lake will always hold a special place in my fishing destinations.  So many places, my first marlin, sailfish, tarpon, permit, all bucket list fish in cool places, and Falcon earned it’s place on that list.  I started bass fishing in the 5th grade, 1963,  (Yikes!  55 years ago.  Where does the time go?) and over the years guided and tournament fished in Arkansas, plus fished other destinations later.  And then my first trip to Falcon, and what happens?  I catch my 3 personal best bass in 24 hours.   One of those destinations where you still literally have a chance to catch a monster every cast.  I never need any more motivation to make one more cast, or stay a little longer, than that.

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Because  I am headed to Falcon, and even when I am not, I keep up with the Falcon Lake Tackle website for current information.  Fishing lots of different places, especially when fishing a place the first time, I find it tough to find good useable information about the practical aspect of fishing a new place.  Simple stuff, ramps, hazards, the kinds of things if tackle stores and marinas would include on their website would definitely drive traffic to their site.  Here is the information I want to know before I leave.

April 2, 2019: Man.. I hadn’t updated this page in months.. That’s a good thing.. That means that there are no real hazards to speak of and the ramps are still working fine..

The county ramp is still five wide.. And all three ramps at the state park are operational. No bridges or concrete on the main lake to worry about..

Lake level is 275.58. – 25.62 feet low..

Still a shitload of water out there..

First thanks to the store for letting me steal this, rarely do I find a site that includes this kind of useable information.  When added to his fishing reports I am good to go.  So check out their website.  Not only informative but read a little, he is not shy by any means.

http://www.tackleandrods.com/lake/flash.htm

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And part of trips like this is preparation.  Yesterday it was rod/reels/line/ tackle, as Falcon requires a couple of changes, especially in rods.  Until proven otherwise I will be fishing the “stuff”, looking for post spawn females resting and recharging.  That “stuff” is cover, of which there is tons, and occasionally it is hand to hand combat with a big bass.  Last year Aaron and I were pitching hardwoods, I know where I will be starting.  You had to land it on the trunk and let it fall straight down to get bit, and then pull them out before they pulled you in.   I always carry a good selection of line weights just in case, and way to much tackle and lures, but you never know what you might need.  Or what might break.

A few from last year.

One thing I do enjoy is the food prep, if that makes sense, and for me it does.  The Boss  always says just go get something to eat but it does not fit in to the Master Plan.  My cabin is right on the lake at the ramp, and it has a micro wave and small fridge.  So today I am making plates for every nights  supper, and organizing easy breakfast and lunches.  So why go through all that?  I will not unhitch the boat all week or go anywhere.  In the water as it cracks daylight and out at dark.  Having meals pre-prepped means I can fish until dark, come in and grab a cold one and be eating in 3 minutes.  Nice not to be messing around going to town and eating late after being on the water all day, especially when it stays light as long as it does now.

******************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.

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And I also confirmed the guide trip the Boss gave me for Christmas on April 27 somewhere in Montana.  Guess I should look up where huh?  According to the fly shop the rivers are blown out, they had tons of snow, and the ice is still on the lakes but spring is coming.  So the option might be big pike at ice out, and he said something else that intrigued me, grayling are available somewhere close, a fish I have not caught.  So our actual quarry is yet to be determined but it should be fun.  Plus the Boss is actually going to fish with us.  She is a fair weather fisherman, or maybe the smart one.  Rarely fishing she will catch a marlin, fight a tarpon, or participate in the bucket list places.  And her success level for amount of time with a rod in her hands is off the chain, hopefully I can cash in on her good luck. (The first time she fished a baitcaster she picked it up faster than anyone I ever taught.  She is a natural.)  And then our 3 day wolf tracking expedition in Yellowstone, and the timing looks perfect for seeing tons of wildlife.  But just like fishing, nothing is guaranteed in the great outdoors but the week looks like it could be epic.

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It Is Going To Be a Busy Month

Then following all the tomfoolery above, the day we get back from Montana I turn and burn the next morning for the mothership trip with the Wade Right boys to the Chandeleurs Islands.  I really like the way they organize the trip, paying a little extra to head out the night before, sleeping on the way, then 3 full days of hardcore fishing, sleeping on the way back.  It really is a bucket list destination that checks all the cool boxes.  And the results will be interesting.  They went in the fall 3 years ago, and while they caught their limit of 250 trout,  (That’s a lot of trout.) last spring we only kept around 130, but the average was much larger.  So we shall see if that holds up this year.  And I love a trip where they tell you that you have all the redfish you need by the middle of day 2.  Having paid for lots of different fishing in many places this is hands down one of the best bangs for the bucks on the planet.

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Tony, one of the Austin Boys, with a nice 27″ Army Hole trout.

Tony has a friend stopping at POC a couple of days on his way to the Keys with his skiff wanting to maybe catch a redfish on the fly.  So I pointed the way best I can from the couch, and hopefully they will cooperate.  And I am jealous, it is tarpon time in the Keys!  So good luck and let us know how it goes.

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So today I finish packing and load the boat so I can head out first thing in the morning.  With a 4 hour drive I will be able to get in a good day of fishing tomorrow.  Then it is 3 full days of dawn to dusk, and maybe Saturday depending on how the fishing goes.  It is hard not to get excited, the best I can hope for is to fish clean and when “the bite” or bites come put them on the deck. There is no internet so I will be dark this week. (It is not a bad thing to unplug occasionally.)  So wish me luck.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines