FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

Stop by and see them at the Houston Fishing Show  March 6 – 10th.

The front blew through here this morning (Thursday) and it was 43 degrees when I was out at 9:00 with a pretty cold wind.  Tomorrow looks better, and the low is going to be 7 degrees color here in Victoria than on the coast.  With it being Friday there will be the usual influx of weekend warriors so I will be getting at lot earlier start than yesterday, plus no fog.  I spent the morning checking reels, some new line, and just making sure I have it together for tomorrow.  The plan, fish some bigger stuff and try to catch a big one, but if I get into another bite like yesterday it may be hard to help myself.  We shall see.

Weather

53/64.  Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance stray shower.  Wind  ENE 10 – 15 mph.

Tides

Low    8:31 AM    -0.4
High   8:29 PM     0.3

Solunar Times

6:37 am to 8:37 am.  Day classed as poor.

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

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

It was a little foggy and drizzled in places on the way to POC.  As I cruised by the Powderhorn Ranch I saw a couple of the Sambar deer were right next to the fence and had there noses stuck out, which was weird, until I looked across the road and there were a couple more looking at them.  Funny.  Wonder how they taste.

It was about 7:30 when I got on the water.  The wind was blowing a good 15 mph almost straight out of the north.  This is when I made a bad decision.  I went back where I caught them Wednesday and the first thing I noticed, besides the wind was blowing directly on it, the temp had dropped from 67 to 61 degrees.  The tide was low, and it was gin clear, a recipe for failure.  After an hour with 1 bite time for a move, they clearly had!

From there I waded a cut in front of a lake on Falwell Island.  The minute I got out of the boat 3 little ones jumped on, and then nothing.  Next was another cut, and not a touch.  So time for old reliable, the Barroom Bay shoreline.  The wind was no problem, but that water had cooled 4 degrees.  From shallow, to deep, not a bite.  The drop off on the POC side goes from 2 – 5 foot and when they are slow the drop usually holds them, usually.  Not a touch  So now I am not to happy, considering Wednesday.   Time for Big Bayou and a total change of tactics.

This is what they all looked like, no great shakes.  But nice keepers headed to the frying pan!

When it is off, and cold, or conditions suck there is a deep bank there that they like and I fish it from the boat.  And since nothing was working all that well it was time for the light line, small DOA Cal on the 1/32 ounce jig head, a great choice when things are tough.  I stopped on the point and first cast thump, caught one.  Then another, and another, and for an hour they were smoking it.  But all that activity lured in a dolphin and her baby.  But until then they were smacking it.  They were right on the drop, toss it in to a foot, hop it up, and let if fall over the edge and thump.  Love it when they are eating like that.  The tide was finally moving and I went from Zero to Hero in nothing flat.  Meanwhile momma schooled her baby, it was a really little one, in the fine art of following the boat.  While at times they can be a hassle, it is still cool.  So after catching a wad the trout had enough of the dolphins, and me, so I called it a day.  (On the way back to Victoria the boat train was headed to POC for the weekend.  Let the spring fishing begin!)

That is why I love fishing.  By keeping after it and realizing they were gone from the flats, and not interested in big baits, the day turned around.  When the bite was on it was good, you could see the line jump, and they were hard to miss.  But after throwing back a couple of dozen the dolphins got in on the act and it was over.  I kept our supper, and released the rest.  Nothing over 17″, but plenty of keepers so I put 3 in the box for supper, perfect.  The Boss likes em’ fresh, we rarely freeze them.

Our weather is nuts.  Cloudy and cool again with a north wind, the weather dude said it is possible our Sunday may be as cold as it has been all year!  We are definitely stuck in a crummy weather pattern.  And while it may warm some as the week progresses, rain and clouds continue in the forecast.  The fishing will continue to be good on the bay, the lake is another story, so we shall see how the lake shakes out.  I look forward to the Houston Fishing Show mid week, which I will combine with a meeting with the Sony rep at the Houston Camera show to teach me some on the new camera.  While I am sure my kid could make it do all it can do, an old guy like me needs a little help.  (And you don’t get a book anymore, see my new locators, it is all on line.)

The Boss on the other hand has had a stretch of ER hell. everybody is getting in on the sick train.  So time for a little R&R to help her keep her sanity.  I will be back on the water soon, though Monday has a high in the mid 40’s with a north wind to 30mph.  But hope springs eternal.  So keep stopping in and thanks for ready my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

Stop by and see them at the Houston Fishing Show  March 6 – 10th.

Finally good weather for a long day on the bay.  I prefer the tide dropping but this will be a rising tide all day.  While not my best suit a good day to learn some.  So it will be up early and gone for a day of wading.  I will be hoping for a big bite and will fish accordingly, though a few smalls for the pan will be appreciated.

Weather

63/71.  Cloudy with partial sun late.  20% chance stray shower.  Wind S 5 – 10mph.

Tides

Low   6:16 AM    -0.4
High   7:05 PM     0.3

Solunar Times

There is no relevant time during daylight.  Must be why the day is classed as poor.  (Wrong!)  Just my luck lately!

*******************Fresh or salt it has a place in your arsenal.  And boy did it today.

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

I finally hit the road about 7:30 and it was foggy, I mean thick.  So it was a slow ride to Froggie’s.  When I got there the fog was still thick, but the water looked great and it was a little over 60 degrees.  And for the tide it was a lot higher than I would have thought.  So I hung out getting stuff ready, waders on, then coffee waiting for a break in the fog.  As soon as there was a clear patch overhead I eased out.

I took Army Cut across, which turned out to be a great decision.  There were still big patches of fog, so I took it easy.  The nice thing about going to the island that way is the ferry lane, which worked out great when it got thick.  It was a long ride until I could see the island so I headed down the island and stopped at a drain.  Foggy and drizzly, it could not have been better.  At times I do not fish the bay as much as I will in the future, but I keep saying I was looking for the “right” day.  And today was it.

They flat ate the Controlled Descent white/limetreuse Paddle Shad.

The reason I chose that particular place is there is a nice ditch, 2 great points, and an area of softer bottom with grass.  The tide was still easing out slightly, and the color was great.  I did not get 10 feet from the boat when it started.  The first 4 or 5 blew up on the Spook Jr. and none stuck.  So as I say, listen to the fish, so I switched to a Rapala Skitter V in a gold top with a white bottom.  Great choice.  One thing the Skitter V does is move even more side to side on a short twitch, but it’s rear end staying pretty much in line.  Second, it has finer hooks.  And from that point on it was game on.

They sure like the Rapala Skitter V.

Then it was just a matter of a slower retrieve and keep it coming no matter how many times they missed, and then they would hook up.  Not even gonna guess how many I caught on it, but it sure was fun.  Then another great choice.  Michael, the Owner of Controlled Descent, posted he and his son caught some nice ones on the white/limetreuse Paddle Shad.  What better advice, so as soon as I had them found in a ditch along the drop with the topwater I started with the plastics.

Still listening to the fish, I rigged it on a 1/16th weighted swim bait hook so it would stay shallow.  Hopping it 3 or 4 times, the last hop on the surface, then letting it drop and they were smacking it.  That, along with the topwater, went on until I quit.  Then I made another good decision, again listening to the fish.

The pumpkinseed/chartreuse glitter caught it’s share.

As the topwater bite slowed down, though I caught  trout on it until I quit, the trout wanted the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad fished horizontal and not up and down.  Jerk, jerk, jerk, then stop for a couple of counts.  Several hit it within a couple of feet of me.  It was interesting following them around, first on the point, then along the drop, and finally out on the soft bottom.  The topwater would get a bite and then I would bait and switch, which worked until I quit.

That’s enough pictures, you get the point.

No big ones today, but the average was nice, plenty of keepers.  And now the plug for the Wade Right wading harness from Coastal Fishing Gear.  Today was the proof, carry 2 different rods was the ticket.  I only went to the boat once in 5 hours, and being able to alternate baits, with different line weights made the day.  And not one dunk, which is always a great thing.

There are some days when you just know, and watching the weather for the last month put me on the water under great conditions.  And then choosing a place with lots of features close kept me in the water casting instead of moving the boat, they just kept biting.  Finally I just called it a day.  When you have a bite on your first or second cast, and then catch a fish right before you quit 5 hours later, it does not get any better than that.

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

Gage sent along this follow up comment, and my answer might be better this time.

Thanks for the reply have you ever targeted crappie at coleto last year i caught 6 up in the back creek they were all 12 inch or over and all on rattle traps . i was looking for a little bit more specifics on places to try ive seen some of your older post about wading in lavaca bay. thats just as close as sea drift for me. Thanks and always tightlines

Now that I know you have a boat, and having a Carolina Skiff myself, I have a much better idea of a few places.  As far as crappie up the coleto creek arm there is tons of brush.  There is always crappie up there, and as the weather warms they will hit the bank in the next month.  Just hitting piece after piece of cover with small jigs will find them.  Be prepared to lose lots of small jigs, 2″ or 3″ tubes for me, cheaper.  Always count it down as you cast to cover, then a slow reel back.  Once you find them, and get the count down, they will smack it.

And as far as Lavaca Bay, there is the Powderhorn Ranch shoreline, or inside the Powderhorn when it is windy, are both steady places.  And in the Powderhorn itself there is always redfish.  Just be careful, care has to be taken to fish the lake, if you go just take it easy going in following the stakes.  Most of it is shallow, but taking the time to learn it can keep you in redfish.  Of course Keller Bay taking Hwy 172 down to the ramp.  A south wind or a big east wind can be a hassle, but if not to windy the pasture down the same side of the bay as the ramp always hold fish.  Just look for the area that has a high bank.  As will fishing the Strike King Redfish Magic down the bank around the docks.  Good luck and if you want to know a little more email me.  Thanks for reading .

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

I will be headed to the Houston Fishing Show on the 7th to take in all the new stuff, and who knows, maybe spend a buck or two.  And also a little time covering the Controlled Descent booth while Michael takes time out to be at his son’s school activity.  Now that is a good dad.  Of course I will be stopping in at the Wade Right booth to chat up Tim and Jason.  We are all getting excited about the Chandeleur trip after lasts years rousing good time.  For a saltwater fisherman it should be a bucket list trip.  Good food, fellowship,  fishing, much less being treated like a king, it does not get any better than that.  So if you have a little time this weekend, especially if the weather sucks, head to the show and tell them I said hey.

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

Not sure what is next but as soon as the weather straightens up, looks like Friday might be a go, it will be back to the bay.  I wanted to fish corky style stuff, I did catch a couple on the Hoover Shad from Academy today, and if Friday pans out it will be more of a try to catch a big fish day.  Today it was one of those why in the hell would I leave when they kept biting for over 5 hours, especially when the average size was keepers.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

Happy Birthday to the Boss

Since I did not post on her birthday, I wanted to tell my lovely wife Happy Birthday.

She doesn’t always fish, but when she does it is a thing of beauty!  Love the Boss!

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

It is raining with some thunder this morning as I write this so no bay for me today.  Before I get to the report I wanted to tell you what I found on the lake yesterday.  A big bucket with holes drilled all over it, hanging from a deep tree.  That my friends is a “tournament” cheating bucket.  Used for putting fish in the day before, it is used by real low life’s to cheat.  I have found them in Arkansas, Amistad, Falcon, and now one on Coleto.  This is the reason that except for small pot tourneys I quit fishing partner tournaments years ago.  One thing that is sad is much of the cheating uncovered over the years often involves “winners”, folks who seem to always be in the money on their local lake.  Without the threat of polygraphs, and often it is nothing more than a threat, there will always be scum willing to cheat.  So sad.

Weather

45/66.  Cloudy, slight (20%) chance of stray shower.  Wind E 10 – 20mph.

Lake Level

Today  98.24 msl.   5 days ago  98.26 msl.

Solunar Times

Good  9:38 am to 11:38 am.  Best  3:51 pm to 5:51 pm.   (Day is classed as poor.)

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

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

My catfish mastery continues.  He ate 2 tails, and like usual this catfish slammed it!

With possible thunderstorms on the bay I decided to do something completely different on the lake.  And while the results were less than stellar I really had fun.  In fact so much that when the Boss called on her way to work and told me it was 4:00 I almost fell out of the boat, I thought I just started!  The water is clearing slowly, but in coves that had the wind blowing in them some had color.  It seems like when the wind blows it stirs up easily.  The water temp was 63 – 66 over most of the lake.  And a telltale sign of how the fishing is, one truck at the ramp at 9:00, no trucks when I pulled out at 5:30.

The plan was to throw the A Rig today, and to keep after it.  I decided to fish the smaller one, but it still has 5 tails on it, each on a jig head.  The plan was to fish points at the mouths of known spawning coves, channels, and secondary points in some areas.  Unfortunately the wind was blowing almost 20 so some places that were a little tough to fish correctly, but I stayed after  it.

Of course I got fooled right off the bat.  Second cast on a secondary point in the first cove and I caught one.  It might have been a small but hey, something new.  From that point on I fished all the places mentioned above.  Another small jumped on, I missed 2 more, and I lost a big fish.  It actually felt like I was hung, and then it started swimming.  As my old guide customer used to say – “He caught me unawares.”  And my response to Albert, you are fishing how is that unaware.  But it happens.  And no bass pics, I was sure a big one was coming.

I went up lake and fished a couple of channel banks, and had a good run, to bad they were not bass.

The whites were willing but not what I was after.

Starting on a long channel bank up river one smoked it, and my relationship with catfish on lures continues.  He had 2 baits in his mouth, no wonder it felt like he smashed it.  Then the whites started, nothing big, but 3 or 4 got on and I missed a couple.  But no bass.  So on the way back down lake I stopped to hit a good brush pile for shits and giggles, and ended up catching a couple of more white bass but no crappie.

About 2:00, before I left up lake, it started pouring pretty good.  And then big scary thunder with lightning in the distance.  It kept up about a 1/2 hour, and then it just quit.  A little drizzle here and there the rest of the day but nothing hard.  Unfortunately after that little storm not a bite, not a touch.  The only variation from the plan was after the bite quit, I fished a swim jig on the last place without success and called it a day.

You can put all I know about fishing an A Rig, which I have done 2 days in my life, in a thimble.  One thing I learned is it is definitely a braid technique.  Being heavy, and fishing it deep, line stretch was clearly an issue when I set the hook.  No problem as it is easily remedied.  Other than that it is a fun way to fish, at least it kept it interesting today.  So the day was not a rousing success by any means, but there was one more happening that helped make it a great day to be outdoors.

Every winter we get a few eagles and lots of ospreys and I have seen the eagle getting hassled by the ospreys a lot.  Today the eagle fought back, and it was awesome.  They did a cool dance, twisting and turning until the eagle won the skirmish.  Then he turned and came right over me in a cool glide.  What a sight.

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

When I got to the ramp the gentleman who comes there most days to read and watch the lake was there and as usual we chatted.  He was there for the weigh in of the tournament this weekend on the lake and reported the guys caught lots of smalls and lots of whites.  There was only one big fish and one good one weighed in and the talk was as it has been,  Where are the big fish?  My answer, they are there and trust me, when they come to the bank it will be late this spring and I expect it to be something.

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

When I was talking about fishing the shaky head last post I had a little brain fart, I just could not remember the bait that was the “prototype” for that style of fishing.  It was made by Charlie Brewer and was called the Slider Head, the first for many of the techniques to come.  Basically the same as fishing the shaky head, it used the same method of burying the hook in a small worm to make it weedless.  Fished on really light line it was one of the first finesse baits.

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

Texas Parks and Wildlife just posted the proposed changes for freshwater fishing regulations, some on individual lakes, some statewide.  The big changes proposed are on alligator gar.  Trust me, if you like shooting or catching gar you need to head to the website.  Remember no complaining no matter how it goes if you do not comment on those that affect you.  Same goes with the proposed hunting changes.  The changes include some doe hunting in Victoria Country and the waterfowl season and bag regulations.  Saltwater proposals include a statewide 5 fish regulation.  At least go and read them, it is important to stay informed and if the spirit moves you comment.  Remember they work for us and are not always right.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/

And speaking of TPWD, another violator was busted after posting on social media.  They are watching and rightly so.  Keep it up Wardens, we support you and thanks for your service.

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

And Joe sent this along.

1) Thank Doug and Steve from Waco for the guide help.

2) Do the wildlife people at Coleto office know whats going on with the grass?

3) Your Bored? Lets make a trip to Miami to fish peacocks in the canals, or we go to the amazon and fish for them there. Only problem the big boat guys cost $5000

First hope you found a guide for the boys.  A cool thing to do.  Second, it was the guy who was the biologist at the lake, now retired, who told me what he thought.  He is the one who told me his theory was following a few years of drought we had the big flood and huge raise and the grass did not get the sunlight it needed to grow.  My only comment on that theory is the lake had just started to have a bunch of hyacinth up river, and it ended up dying also.  So not sure if it was all that simple.  I did snag some deep grass today, but only on one cast and only in one place.  Maybe some hope?  No matter what it has changed the lake.

And thanks for the Florida offer, but I already have a trip scheduled for late September.  I will be towing there to fish several places, to be determined, then meeting the Boss at the place we are looking at for retirement.  One plan once we get there, after 40 years of towing a boat finally putting the boat on a lift in a marina.  The area is on the Harris Chain of Lakes, and only an hour from each coast.  It sure will be nice to just drive up and head out.

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

Tuesday looks a little sketchy on the coast so Wednesday or Thursday I will be up early and gone.  It will just depend on which day has the least chance of thunderstorms.  But just like freshwater, cloudy days tend to extend the bite.  Looking at the weather a week out we are still in the same pattern, though temps are slowly rising.  Hopefully some of this water will be warmer than what we have, which will definitely get things going.  It looks like a late spring.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

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

Insanity – Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!

Weather

60/53.  Cloudy with a 20% chance of stray showers.  Wind NNE 10 – 15mph.

Solunar Periods

Best 11:40 am to 1:40 pm.  (Day classified as average.)

Lake Level

Today  98.26 msl.     2 week ago  98.37 msl.

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

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

We will get to the insanity thing as soon as I get through with the report.  When I got to the ramp there were several bass boat trailers at the ramp, and more came during the day.  Must be a tournament this weekend.  I hit the lake at around 9:00 and fished until dark.  The water is finally clearing just a little and the water temp remained like it has been, 61 to 65 over most of the lake.  While the lake has fallen a little it basically is remaining stable.  Many coves are still fairly off color but the bigger ones seem to have areas that are a little clearer.  And most of the bites did come there.

To make a long story short I caught 7 smalls, 5 on the Bang O Lure and I probably missed that many on it, and 2 came pitching a craw to cover.  Of those, 5 came in one cove.  I did have one try to jerk the rod out of my hands slow rolling a chartreuse spinnerbait, definitely a catfish bite.  At least there are some males headed to the bank, but clearly the rest of them are not.  But I gave it the old college go, (That is what 7 years of college will do for you.) and that goes to the insanity thing.

When the Boss got home and I told here how the day went, her comment – “You are bored.”  She is partially right.  I have been stuck in a fishing rut.  Thinking about it I have been hard at it the last almost 8 years, but may have been in the old – “Can’t see the forest for the trees” thing.  But being hard at it should not include being “hard headed”, which I have been the last couple of months.  As the lake has changed, and it really has over the last 2 years, I have not changed with it.  And a good illustration of that is my conversation with a gentleman from Missouri who was just taking out.

I asked about his results and he relayed the following.  He caught 3 keepers and had several others he thought were big fish that he did not get to the boat.  He is fishing a shaky head.  He said he tried multiple colors and the only thing that got bit was a watermelon seed color.  I got that feeling they were not particularly shallow.

In the back of my mind that little voice has been saying do something different, unfortunately I have not been listening.  (Funny how I often listened to that little devil on my shoulder telling me to do stupid shit when I was young and dumb.)  It should be simple right now, look for staging fish getting ready to head to the bank.  When you find them like that it can be a killing. Where to look?  Points at the mouth of spawning coves, channel bends and channels part way back in big spawning coves, and deeper secondary points inside the same coves.  Deeper being the operative word.  Standard bass location pre-spawn.  It’s not like these locations are a surprise.  And when the bite is tough shaky head is a great option, and one I have tons of experience with, and have completely gotten away from.

My experience?  Fishing the deep clear lakes of Arkansas and Missouri for 25 years.  Back then we did not call it some fancy name.  For us it was just a 4″ worm on a light jig head and light line, which worked well in the gin clear waters.  It caught fish when other techniques did not.  So what’s old becomes “new” again, common with some fishing techniques.

So how did I get stuck in this “rut’?  Much has to do with me getting enamored with fishing all the shallow grass Coleto had.  Easy to get stuck in the rut when you catch lots of big fish regularly in water less than 5′.  Such a change from fishing lakes almost devoid of cover where in October catching bass in 50′ of water was not uncommon.  We regularly deep water jigged winter bass out of 25 – 50′ of water and we filled the boat year after year with stripers and whites at this depth.  So fishing deep is nothing new to me.  (One caveat to this, I will not anchor on a point and drag a Carolina rig for hours.  It may be effective but I find that extremely boring.   Fishing should still be fun.) It boils down to me not changing when it was time, probably a function of getting set in your ways, which seems to affect me more as I get older.

Time for a change on my part.  As the grass has disappeared other techniques are now back on the menu.  A Rigs, deep cranking, spooning, light line small baits, all have a place and time in a good bass fisherman’s arsenal.  No amount of wishing will ever return Coleto to the grass filled bonanza it was, at least in my lifetime.  The fish are still there, the problem is me.  Fishing is always about change, time of year, weather, raising or lowering water, and you have to stay with it daily, monthly, yearly.  And like I said, and will again, you can not make them be where they are not.  End of story.

Now to what the Boss described as boredom.  One result of loving time on the water is even when the fishing sucks I still treasure every day on the water.  There are many days for me that the results are a side benefit of being out there.  So while it may be a “local” boredom it is not with fishing.  Fishing in some of the great places on earth can also have an effect.  But with Montana in April, and Louisiana in May, there is some great fishing to come, and trust me, it will not be boring.

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

I got this comment from Gage, who I believe is a first time commenter.

Do you have any advice for the seadrift area trout or redfish. Ive been catching them in the back creek in coleto back almost up to shroeder on double tadem rigs and tiny ttf minnows all the way up to 4 1/2 pounds. hope the tip on the lake helps They been in the channel 8 to 12 ft bouncing right on the bottom. The water has cleared up back there.

Thanks for a real report.  It goes along with my post today.  There is more ways to skin a cat and my stubborn ways sure have got me in a rut.  When you think about what I learned from the guy at the ramp this makes perfect sense.  You can not hurry the bass, they will come to the bank when the  time is right and no amount of my shallow efforts will put them there.  We all have out slumps and it is nice to have someone help out a fishing “brother”.

As far as your Seadrift question, not sure if you mean tomorrow or generally.  But generally if you have a boat here is my .02 for what it is worth.  My experience fishing out of Seadrift is limited, the barge canal, one winter Mission Lake, rare trips to San Antonio Bay, and heading to Cedar Bayou. The drum hole has it’s moments as does the barge canal, all close. On the other hand if you head across the bay to the island I can help.  It is a long ride that can be rough out of Seadrift but in that area you have some great places.

My first piece of advice, is always get a good map.  Along with regular maps I use the Lakes and Bay Fishing Atlas which you can get it in some gas stations.  It is good for a general layout and planning a trip, and includes most of the coast and tons of lakes.  I am using it as we speak.  From Ayers Point to Twin Lakes there is all the fishing you could ever need.  There are tons of drains and small lakes, which all hold fish at times.  Additionally Panther Point is there, one of the good shell wades on the bay.  So sorry if this is to broad, but if I were headed out of Seadrift that is where I would go.  If you want more specific info please drop a comment and I will email you.  I really appreciate you commenting, it is refreshing to get the occasional real report.

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

Here is a possibility SA Joe for your guide question.

Good Morning Doug
This is Steve from Waco. I haven’t dropped you a line in a while, but I can help with the gentleman looking for a guide. We have a weekend home in Seadrift so I spend a lot of time in the area. I have fished a couple of times with Captain Derick Kuyrkendall, he’s my go to man on saltwater and has become a good friend in the process. Capt. Derick fishes the jetties at POC and state waters. A jetty trip would be the all around best choice, not so weather dependent and you would catch more and bigger fish. A day at the jetties will bring good size trout, bull reds, black drum, sharks, jacks and maybe kingfish. If everything went just right you would have a good chance at a tarpon, but not at spring break, just not warm enough yet. If I were taking my sons fishing only one time, I would not recommend a wade fishing trip. The boat stops and everyone gets out and goes their way down the shoreline. Capt Derick fishes out of a 26’ Pathfinder so you have room and a big boat under you. He only fishes the jetties so he can flat put you on the fish. In the summer time he is the tarpon man, hands down. Check out his face book page. https://www.facebook.com/patriotguideservice/ Capt. Derrick taught me how to tarpon fish, we caught 5 tarpon last summer and looking for more this year. He’s a great guide, good teacher and all around good guy. Promise you won’t be sorry; you will have a great time.
Steve Roberts
http://patriotguideservice.com
https://www.facebook.com/patriotguideservice/
Captain Derick Kuyrkendall POC

Good to hear from you Steve.  And I whole heartedly agree that is the way to go for newbies, and one thing about the jetties, they are consistent year round.   If you want to get anyone hooked on fishing results are important and getting your line stretched at the jetties is the way to go.  Your recommendation is appreciated and is good advice.  So Joe, check him out, it is definitely a good option.  Thanks for the comment.

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

Yesterday started off with me losing my phone, which goes along with the fact I forgot it when we went to Louisiana early this week.  And when I got up this morning my casting shoulder hurt like hell.  Getting old is not for the weak!

It is raining as I write this, and 55 degrees out.  Just what we need, more rain, and rain that is colder than the current water temp at that.  Looking at the weather 10 days out we are stuck in this pattern, which is normal for this time of year.  It has been an interesting winter to say the least.

So to the tackle room I go to fix a rod tip, go through stuff, and get ready to hit it.  While I may have gotten a little off track it has nothing to do with how often I go.  Where or when nest?  Not sure but the salt is next, it really is big trout time and I am the one who preaches fishing for particular fish when the time is right, and the bay is right for big ones.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and  Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

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Sitting in the motel in Louisiana as I write this.  Will be heading home tomorrow and then hopefully some fishing on Thursday and Friday.  But there was a couple of comments I wanted to share with you.  And maybe you might have a suggestion for the last one.

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

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

I got this comment from Bo who I met at the Coleto ramp the other day.

Good afternoon Doug. The tournament this weekend wasn’t very good as far as results. It was a day and a half tournament and top weight was 9lbs and some change. Biggest fish was a 4.5lber. I came it fourth with a little over 6lbs. I am still scratching my head as where all the fish went on Coleto. It was tough but fun in the same. It was a pleasure meeting you at the ramp Friday afternoon. Keep the reports coming. Hopefully the water will clean up and the fishing will improve.

So at least I am not crazy.  The fishing on the lake has been so spotty and the results above sure confirm that.  9lbs wins a day and a half tournament on Coleto in the early spring?  It often takes a 9lber just to win big bass.  And with a lot of guys fishing you know there was multiple techniques used.  So congrats, (I guess!) on getting 4th with 6 lbs.  That is nuts!  But stayed tuned, I will still give it the occasional go.  Of course!  Just hoping there is not a real problem.  And thanks for introducing yourself and following the blog.

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

I got this comment from Matt and it is spot on what I like about the MLF.

On the MLF vs BASS vs FLW, I watch them all. The competition between circuits pushes them all to provide better content for the viewer.

The live fishing they all show provides so much more info than reading a magazine or watching some guy on TV talking about the new “great lure”. These guys are fishing for a bunch of money and they aren’t messing around.

I’m most impressed by the accuracy of the pros casting at specific targets.

I am sure things will settle in, each style of tournament fishing has it’s place.  And the MLF is not requiring an entry fee, will return over $6 million at each tournament, and winners will be in the Cup.  What is not to like about that?  And your comment on their casting ability is spot on.  Reminds me of a friend who was really good at golf, and then he went to a PGA tournament and watched the pros hitting off the practice T.  There is a reason these guys are where they are.   Should be fun and some really good TV.  Thanks for the comment.

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

And this one from SA Joe, which unfortunately I do not have an answer a good answer.

Doug, Can you recommend a boat captain that wont break the bank? I want to take my 2 boys out to the coast for either redfish in the bay, or go offshore.

Saw this guy on Outdoor channel and WOW the price. Edit out to prevent advertising for him. http://www.bammbammfishing.com/

Planning on doing something for spring break, they never been out on boat like that

Thanks.

Wish I could help a little but don’t know of anyone.  I went ahead and put the link on the guides post, and I will say that seems to be the going rate, maybe a touch high, for bay fishing on the coast.  So if anyone else out there has a suggestion send it along so I can pass it to Joe.  Thanks

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

I made the Bass Pro fishing extravaganza, and loaded up on spinnerbaits, the VMC hooks I like for the Controlled Descent, a couple of rod holders for the boat, and a new reel.  I really like the screw lock VMC hooks for any application, the weight is right on the bed and actually works like a keel, really makes walking the dog with plastics easy.  Nothing like a shopping trip!

Have not had time to check the weather but I will be in the boat tomorrow.  Spring seems to be coming…at least a little.  And last a congratulations to Colby and his partner for winning the Troutmasters this past weekend, they blew it out of the water.  Nice job.  That guy can catch fish.  So keep stopping in, there is lots of fishing to come, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

Though I said that Coleto was off my plate for a while I did fish a couple of hours yesterday afternoon.  We had some banking and shopping to do this morning and after the Boss and I ate lunch it was 1:00, the weather was beautiful, so I decided, against my better judgement, to see if I could change my Coleto fishing luck.  Unfortunately the fishing, at least for me, remains tough.

This is just proof I went fishing.  It was tough.

You often hear the following excuse when some folks do not catch anything, especially from bass fishermen, I was just looking.  In my case since I have sucked the last little bit I really did make a just looking plan.  The water color is terrible, and I was surprised that the water temp in most places and is still in the low to mid 60’s, actually down a little from Monday.  And why some of the coves still look like mud holes I do not have a clue.  This is one time I wish I had a PH meter.  Something is wrong, I just can not put my finger on it.  And one thing, no real baitfish activity in places where we should be seeing them.

So the plan, primarily spend the few hours fishing places that normally have spring fish, places I have not fished this “spring”, using that term loosely.  Unfortunately most were totally non-productive.  I have one spot, way back in a big pocket where there is a little pond that I call “Land of the Big Ones” once the spawn is on the  way.  I rarely see any boats there, and it has produced some of my biggest fish.  But nada!  And the water color even in the back of that cove, and most others, is ugly.

From that point on it was main lake places, coves, places that should have fish, and before it was over, 3 bites.  One on buzzbait, it was 12″ at best, one on Bang O Lure, which I missed because I could not see my bait, and the little one above on a swim jig.  All the bites came near a point of some sort.  So finally at 5:00 the great experiment was over.  I give.

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

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

When I got to the ramp it was real apparent that there was going to be a tournament Saturday. more trailers than I have seen this winter combined.  As I pulled up to unload there was a bass boat changing props and a gentleman walked over and the question – “Are you the blog guy?”  Bo introduced himself and we talked fishing.  They have a day and half tourney this weekend and had fished this morning.  The total, 1 around 3 pounds pitching a creature bait, and a few smalls.

They are experienced tournament fisherman on Coleto, his partner had a 10 in the past, but they were basically as confused as I am.  But as usual great to meet folks who read the blog.  Funny how I hear from the saltwater guys so much more than bass fishermen, but have met so many more readers at the lake.  No matter, just happy to meet any of you.  And good luck to Bo and his buddy this weekend, sorry I was no help.  But with a good number of boats someone will hurt them, they always do.  And Bo if you read this drop a comment, we would all be interested to hear if any fish were caught.

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One thing I have noticed is folks who when they receive free tackle from their sponsors love to post a picture on Facebook.  And just exactly what is the purpose of that?  To show how great you are?  It is not fair to your sponsors, and definitely not fair to the millions of us who have to buy our own tackle.  So good for you, but you do not have to rub it in folks face.

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When we stopped in the McAllen tackle show I wanted to say hi to Joshua, the owner of Marker 54 fishing lures.  I met him on the Chandeleur mother ship trip.  We ended up fishing 3 days together and I saw his shrimp lures in action.

This is how we started our trip, and it went UPHILL from there!

They catch fish, and he caught some serious bull reds on his hard shrimp.  They flat loved it.  And his soft plastics does something no other bait can, they land upright on their legs.  Crazy how he has achieved that, but it really works

Took a beating and kept on catching.  The hard shrimp is basically indestructible. 

And the hard bait will survive most anything if you do not lose it.  He has a new weedless shrimp is innovative and can be rigged for forward glide or backward glide, always landing on their little feet.  So take a minute and check out his website.  The hard shrimp under a popping cork works, and is a great bait for folks you fish with who are not that experienced.  Pop it and hold on.  I saw it work on the water and it catches fish.  If you get to the Houston Fishing Show look him up.

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Let the Back Biting Begin –  I call BS on MLF.

While watching the MLF this weekend I also visited the BASS website to read about Rick Clunn winning on the St. Johns at the ripe young age of 72 y/o.  Gotta love it.  You could easily argue he is the best of all time, and winning over multiple decades is a feat no one else can top.  Some of the comments on the site were interesting to say the least.  Let the back biting, and my stuff is better than your stuff whining, begin.

First a bunch of comments were directed at Mike Iaconelli, who left for MLF.  Clunn won the tournament the 4th day with 2 over 9lbs.  One is on video and he plays it the cool customer he is.  He is not only well respected but also one of the real cerebral fisherman out there.  He hooks it, in the live well and out with the smallest.  Several comments compared how he acted versus Iaconelli acting the fool, which is his shtick when he catches a big fish.  Or maybe it is not a shtick and he really is crazier than a loon.

Second, some made fun of the MLF for being a “keep them all” fishing tourney.  Several were not impressed with watching guys catch a bunch of small ones.  One comment trashed MLF for catching lots of small fish by putting that against Clunn catching 35lbs with 5 fish on day 4.  I agree, no contest as far as catching goes, but both tournaments styles are just different.  The MLF is more like what happens to us regular folks, we head out with a limited time to catch them and have to figure it out quick.

A lot has to do with some folks thinking that the guys who left BASS and FLW were traitors who somehow owed those organizations.  Sorry, if that is what they felt they had to do financially for their family who can criticize that?  Come on boys, if you make decisions about your work and future based on something other than what is good for your family and your future I would be interested in hearing another good reason.   I watch MLF and enjoy it, but today they stooped a little low.

The MLF is showing a little blurb/commercial where they tout how much better they are because they weigh and release immediately.  Then they show some fish in the bag at weigh in, then being dumped back in the lake.  The implication both stated and implied is their way is the only good way for the fish.  So what they are telling all of you regular tournament and club guys is that you suck.  Self serving and petty, I hope this is not how it is going to go as the competition heats up.  I often lament where fishing is going, and this is a perfect example.  So MLF, you don’t have to be a horse’s ass about things.  Try taking the high road.

Thought for the Day

Ever heard this from someone?  You need to forget the past.  Funny, most of the time that comes from the person who wishes you would forget their actions, or lack there of.  They are nothing more than a hypocrite.

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We will be off for a couple of days of adult fun in Louisiana then time to give the coast the attention it deserves.  While many of the online reports have not been all the big on numbers there is some really big trout being caught.  The only question left, Upper Laguna or Port Mansfield?  And speaking of that, while searching on VRBO I found a small cabin for $70 a night.  On checking the final total for 2 nights it was $240.  Hmmmm…..the cost of a good time.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

Weather

34/65.   Sunny with a 10% chance of rain.  Wind SE  5 – 15mph.

Tides

Low  5:44 am -0.5   High  6:09 pm  0.2.

Solunar Times 

Good   10:55 am to 12:55 pm.  (Day classed as poor.)

The Boss was off work today and while we were drinking our morning coffee she said go get me a trout.  She loves her fresh trout right out of the bay, so around 9:00 I headed for POC.  The forecast looked ok, the tide not some much unless you stayed late, but off I went.  Since this was nothing more than a meat haul I was going to fish out of the boat today.

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

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

On arriving at Froggie’s there were not that many trucks in the lot, and no more when I took out at 2:00.  The tide was way low, the water color at the ramp so/so, and the water temp was 57 degrees.  In the 4 hours I fished there was nothing above 58 degrees all day.

With the cold fronts lately producing the low water temps the plan was to fish out of the boat.  Just head for deep water and drag plastics.  First up was Big Bayou, and when I stopped at the first bank a boat came from behind me and stopped in front of me.  It was one of those you must be kidding.  Not a boat in sight and you start in front of me?  POC does have its moments.  I preach be nice and I soldiered on.  I fished my favorite stretch of it with out so much as a bite.  The water was not moving so time for a change.

Sticking with the deep water thing next up was the Oil Cut.  They like it in there when it is cold, and they were in there today.  It was not fast by any means, but they bit right along.

Part 1 of the slam.  And supper!

First keeper was a flounder, I only caught one other, so the supper order was beginning to fill.  If I were guessing I missed a couple of more flounder.  The kind you lift up on and they move a little and then come off.  Today the fish wanted the 3″ DOA Cal on 1/16 jig head worked really slow with short hops along the bottom, most were in that 2 – 4 foot drop.  The best places were the areas with a flat and oysters on the edge of a drop.  The only other bait I even had a bite on was the watermelon red/limetreuse Controlled Descent Paddle Shad on a 1/4 jig head slow rolled.  It was the big fish of the day and thumped it pretty good.

    I have caught some nice reds on the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad.

There were quite a few reds along the drop but most were like #2 above.  But at least they were biting.  The DOA Cal, in a watermelon red with a pearl bottom looking thing, kept producing so I ended up staying with it.  After 3 or 4 small trout, a keeper finally jumped on and the slam, and supper, was complete.

A keeper and a “will be 14 7/8ths” if you keep it.  

So while it was no slam dunk deal, for a 4 hour trip I will take it.  It was maybe 15 or so total, and while only 3 were good keepers, it was just what the Boss ordered.  And who does not like catching a keeper slam?  Back at the cleaning table the fish cleaning guys asked what I caught, and I told them, and that the trout were a little slow.  The dude said nobody has been bringing any trout to the table the last couple of days.  With the water temp I am not surprised.

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

And a good report from Rusty.

Some bright news!! The white bass run is on at Somerville. Recently retired Larry and I walked Yeagu creek by the Irvin bridge this morning and had some fun. We were throwing 1/8 oz white/Chartreuse paddle tail jigs and when you found them you caught them. Headed to Aggie basketball game tonight and taking Jon boat up Nails Creek tomorrow! I’m chasing them this week!
Tight lines
Rusty

Walking the bank and then getting them narrowed down is so much fun.  And as you said, once you get them figured out it is game on.  So good luck next trip, and hope the Aggie game was good.  Now is the time over much of our area, the white bass run is on!  Thanks for the report.

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

It was nice to hit the salt and there is lots more of that to come.  Unfortunately another cold front in on the way early next week, but it is February.  Last years things were a little more settled, this winter it seems we get a couple of nice days of 75 degree weather, and just about the time it will get the fishing going here comes a front.  And with that has been cool rain, which is Monday’s forecast, which makes it hard to get in the spring warming pattern.  But as I said before it is winter.  I will be looking for that 3 day low wind, don’t much care if it rains some, cloudy few days for a stretch at the Upper Laguna.  The fishing can only get better.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

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

We just got back after spending the weekend on South Padre with family.  The wind howled,  and I don’t mean just blow, I mean shaking the house with gusts to 50mph.  And it was a balmy 42 degrees Saturday.  The bay was the color of chocolate milk and it basically rained all weekend.  This was the 3rd or 4th time this has happened when visiting there this early in the year so now I have a new policy – Not before April.

One side affect of our trip was I missed 5 of the Austin Boys at POC for the weekend.  Of course I would have much preferred to be fishing with them, obviously.  But here is their report.  Short and sweet.

Three days, 5 guys, not even a nibble!  Worst fishing any of us have ever had down there.  Cold, windy, muddy water……….

You know if these were first timers, or did not know their way around, it would not surprise me.  But they have years of experience and know their way around.  So there you have it, welcome to our winter this year.   And how about this report………

The Mud Hole that is Coleto

So this morning (Monday.) I hit the lake at 10:00.  I fished until 1:30 without a bite.  The water temp was down 3 – 6 degrees over the whole lake.  In several places, read most of the lake, when I hung a white bait down it was not visible after about 8″.  One of the best spawning coves was flat muddy.  I just do not get it.  Hey I may not be KVD but I know the lake fairly well and fishing the 5 or 6 places I did today without a bite was all I needed to know.  Hope you can do better, or know something I don’t, but time for a change.

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

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

Joe got out for a little fishing from his kayak before the front hit and it looks like it was a good bite.

I know exactly how you feel. Had this phlegm cough for 3 weeks. Lucky for me I cant pull it up and spit it out. Goes into my gut and nauseates me, upset stomach. Got to coughing so hard, actually pulled a muscle in my side hurts like hell. Musinex makes it worse. so i resorted to allergy medicine to dry it out. Finally back to normal. Just a FYI we all getting the bug. I haven’t had a mandatory flu shot since i retired in 2006 from the Air Force. Rarely get sick. You dont even have to post. Im sending pics from my 16 bass day 2 from the guadalupe river, the other 14 from a local pond. And a bluegill.

Thanks for the pictures, looks like they were biting.  I love hearing from folks who do it their way.  A kayak, a fishing pole and you are set, often with access to smaller places and then having it all to yourself .  And the big benefit, not having to deal with the “traffic” which I am sure makes for a wonderfully quiet day.  So thanks for sharing, gave me something to dream about sitting here on South Padre where the wind is absolutely howling, literally shaking the house. Interesting as the folks we are with are here from Iowa and they have made 70 degrees of progress, so it is all relevant.  Keep in touch.

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With the bass tournament circuit in full swing lots of guys are posting their results, good or bad.  In fact a couple of young guys fishing the college circuit posted about their tournament, which went like it can anytime, tough.  But they posted no matter what.  Congrats guys you are a couple of stand up dudes, nothing like the truth.  Better days will come your way.  Fishing tournaments has its ups and downs, making it what it is.

On the other hand I really “enjoy” those other folks who post their great wins, holding the bucks, touting their awesome fishing skills, but then somehow when they fish another tournament and do not win, not a peep.  Posting only about your wins makes you nothing more than a braggart, not a champion.  Not mentioning your other tournament results, or even that you were there, really does make you nothing more than a wind bag.  Just my .02 worth.

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I got this interesting question, one for which I do not have an answer.

Glad you feeling better. Have you heard any reports on the Lavaca River or Garcitia’s Creek. Just wondering if the water is clear enough to get it a try.

Wish I knew.  I do know that the Lavaca has fish in it a lot later than Garcitas but whether or not they are worth the trip I could not tell you.  So if anyone out there has a clue let us know, and if I get that way I will at least drive over the river and take a look.  Of course the best tell, are there any trucks at the ramp.  And your handle, “anonymous” makes me wonder – Do you wear that cool mask?  Thanks for commenting.

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There was a post on facebook where some dude fished with Gary Klein (A great guy.) on a team trying to catch a Share A Lunker.  And Gary did, a 13.79 monster.  All well and good until you read a little further.  They were fishing a “private contract” lake.  So catching a fish that big is all well and good, but catching it on private waters in my opinion devalues it the same way as shooting a genetic breed freak whitetail behind high fence.  Both devalue the records that came before it.  Unfortunately that seems to be the way things are going.  Buy your way to a dubious “record.”  So when the world record is finally broken on waters none of us can fish with out shelling out massive $$$, or being a TWPD commissioner, it will mean nothing.  Big deal.  What next, put one in a tank and stuff it until it makes a world record?

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There was one interesting thing this morning.  Not sure where she was going but she was in a hurry.  I have seen deer swimming many lakes and even the bay once.  I always wonder where they are going and why.  This girl was swimming one of the widest areas of the lake so she surely had a plan.

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Unfortunately the crappy weather continues.  The wind is forecast to blow 30mph out of the north tomorrow.  Getting real freakin’ old!  At least it will return to the 10 – 20mph range the rest of the week.  So not a clue what is next around here but I am pretty sure it will not involve Coleto, at least for the near future.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

**For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online order!**

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

It Has Sucked to Be Me!  

When I wrote about having a case of the flu/terrible cold last week I thought it was coming to an end.  Well here it is Day 11  (Tuesday) and tomorrow I will finally be back in the boat.  It just got worse and worse until finally a round of strong antibiotics have begun to work, I hope.  (Interesting side effect – possible tendon rupture!  Wtf.)  I have only been out of the house 3 times in the last 11 days, and boy does that suck.  This is the worst case I have ever had, and while I feel a lot better today, that is a relative term.  When you felt like complete crap, feeling like partial crap is an improvement.

I was planning to fish today but deferred to the Boss.  Since I am married to a medical professional, who treats this kind of stuff every day, it might be wise to take her advice to wait one more day, no matter how much I don’t like it.  But back to my thoughts of last week, so much for getting the annual flu shot.  This has happened to me 2 years in a row.  But the bottom line – It is hell getting old.

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

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

Weather

75/68.  Cloudy with a 20% chance of a stray shower.  Wind S 15 – 25 mph.

Lake Level

 Today   98.37 msl.   17 days ago  98.30 msl.

Solunar Time

Best 11:09 am to 1:09 pm.  (Day is classed as average.)

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

Fishing Was Slow…Or was It Me?

I give them credit.  When a catfish hits a swim jig they smack it.

I felt like crap when I got up, and still feel like crap as I write this.  As a result of that I finally made my way to the lake around 10:00.  The wind was already blowing with white caps over much of the lake.  The color still sucks, in some of the coves it was flat muddy.  It really makes me sad to see it like that and after 3 years now apparently it will remain that way.  The good side of things, the water temp at the ramp was 64 and for the rest of the day over most of the lake it varied between 64 and 70 degrees.  With that came carp sloshing around in the shallows and tilapia sitting here and there, where you could see that far down.  In a couple of covers you could not see a bait over a foot down.

Starting up lake the plan was to stay with the swim jig which I did for a couple of hours.  My first bite was the blue cat above, and like his bro’s, smacked it and put up a great fight.  Other than that not another bite.  Part of the problem was the wind was blowing right up the lake.  As a side note the color up lake is better than some coves, it varied widely place to place.

They have not moved.

Since I was up there I did make 2 passes on the white bass and caught one each pass.  Again the 6 – 8 foot range was the ticket.  But since I just wanted to see if they were still there I headed back down lake.  They will be done soon so if you want a few whites for the pan get them while the getting is good.  And a side note, the fisherman were hitting the crappie pretty hard today, always a sign they are biting.  And the water temp is just right so that should be in play right now.

She barely sucked it under.

The next couple of hours I hopped around from spawning cove to main lake banks, all dependent on the wind.  Most places it was way to windy to fish properly, and if it had been lighter I would have tossed the pink trick worm weightless, and will definitely be tossing it next time.  Today was one of those fish where you can, not where you want, days.  Running a spinnerbait was fruitless and not a one took a pass at the Bang O Lure.  So I finally put on a buzzbait and managed to catch 3.  They were in flat coves with little wind, of which there were not that many choices today.

Finally around 2:00 I called it a day.  I just was not feeling it, so no blame on the fish.  They should be on the beds big time right now, and the bites that did come were in the little clearer water around bushes in spawning coves.  And the 3 bass I did catch all came between 1 – 2:00 this afternoon, staying until dark might have produced a whole different result.

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

It was good to hear from Rusty, the Fayette/Bastrop guru.

Glad to hear you are better!! I had a upper respiratory bug couple weeks ago that had me down for a week. Fished Somerville yesterday to check out water conditions and if the fish were biting. Water was back down close to normal after being up 10+’. It was cold(53) and murky. I didn’t get a bite in two hours of trying. Started raining and then pouring so I left. Be back there in couple weeks to try again. You know it’s going to happen!
Fished today on Bastrop Lake, beautiful day caught 5 bass lost couple more. Water was clear and 54 on one end and 68-70 closer to the outflow. Caught everything on a smoke shad fluke. Pretty day to be on water. Bass should move up to spawn in March. Fun time then on swim jig. Well keep getting better, I’m on Fayette next week, fish should be shallow doing their thing!

The good fishing is right around the corner and I will be interested in any report from Fayette.  And it is nice to see someone taking advantage of the many places we have to fish in our area.  Some folks are happy to fish the same place in the same way, and good for them, easier that way.  But some of us like the variety that comes spreading your wings just a little.  Nothing more satisfying than fishing multiple places and figuring it out.  Glad you got better, I am hoping for the same.  Keep in touch.

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

And Ed dropped this comment, which is right on point.

Hope you get to feeling better. Love reading your stuff. And especially when you get to the salt. Get well!

First thanks for the well wishes.  Now to the salt while I have been sick, and today (Tuesday) is a perfect example, it is absolutely perfect for catching big trout.  Warming trend, clouds, medium wind, it does not get any better than that and if I was able I would have been there today.  But there is more salt to pour on my current whiny mood.  In 2 days the weather is going to crap, 30 degree temp drop with winds in the 30mph range out of the north.  Thursday nights forecast is for winds  to 35 mph+ and the weekend looks terrible.  So much for the boat to South Padre.

The Austin Boys will be here, of course, bringing cold fronts and high winds is their specialty, but I am going to miss them because we will be in South Padre.  How can a retired guy with no job miss them 3 times in a row?  Not happy about that.  And to make matters worse I was going to take the boat in hopes of fishing the Brownsville Ship Channel Saturday but the forecast is the same, 25mph+ winds with a 1/2″ inch of rain.  Hardly worth towing the boat all the way down there.  Of course there is saltwater fishing to come, but it sure will not be before next week.  Thanks for keeping in touch.

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I am really excited to see what the new tackle store in Victoria will bring to the table.  It is on the corner of Airline and Laurent in the old Radio Shack store.  The windows are papered up so you can not see inside.  The only indication is there is a fly on their logo so I guess we will have to wait and see what their focus will be.  But if it provides more competition it will be good for this community.  So if you know anything drop me a note.

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One of the guys I have become friends with on facebook cleans reels and the reception has been off the charts.  Kole Dixon is in the Houston area and the name of his company is Maxed Out Reel Repair, you can find him on facebook.  The folks who use him love him and his turn around time is crazy.  Often 24 hours, he will work with you and his price is right.  I will be giving him a chance when it is time for the next cleaning.

What I hope to avoid is what happened with my last cleaning.  On picking it up they said sorry we did not have the part, so it is still grinding, but we cleaned it anyway.  Huh?  So you charged me $$$ and returned it with the same problem it came with?  Nothing like cleaning a broken reel and not fixing the issue.  So now if I find another place to fix it I have to pay again.  Thanks a lot.  I just don’t get it.

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It was a little tough to take when I quit today.  Being off the water for over 2 weeks and then finally getting to fish should have been a great day.  Unfortunately I just did not feel that well.  So as I recover at least the next 3 days or so are going to suck with major wind in the forecast so no big loss.

I would like to make a comment on the lake that I am sure you have heard before, the loss of the grass has been a blow.  Coleto has gone from one of the better bass lakes around to something quite a bit less than that.  The days where a 6lber was common, to now, is a sad comment on the fishing.  I do not have an educated guess as to what happened to the grass, but it is not debatable, the fishing sure is not what it used to be just a few short years ago.

So time to switch to the salt when I get back.  Plus it is big trout time so like other types of fishing get it while you can.  I will be watching for the next 3 day calm and cloudy pattern for a return to the upper Laguna, and maybe a trip to Port Mansfield.  And anyone with a motel suggestion for Port Mansfield drop me a note.  Nothing fancy, just a place to lay my head.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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The Flu Shot

“Get a flu shot.”  The older you get the more you hear that.  So to be a good patient I got mine over a month ago.  The tech at Walgreens said I even got a “special” one, which I assumed was for the “elderly.”  Then last week the Boss was sick a day or two, a cold we guessed, and then Saturday it began.  And since Saturday I have been immobile, sicker than a dog with the flu.  It was bad enough I have no particular memory of Tuesday and most of Wednesday, other than I was miserable.  And it was rough enough it hit all the systems.  Perfect.  So here it is Thursday and I am thinking about putting on some real clothes.  So I guess my point about all this is no more flu shots for me.  This is the second year in a row I have gotten pretty sick in spite of the flu shot.  So next year no shot.  Will it make a difference?  Who knows but why bother if the results are the same.  All I know is it was a wasted week.

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

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According to a post I saw online TPWD is proposing that the speckled trout regulations be standardized by going to a 5 fish limit state wide.  All I have to say about that is it is the best idea I have heard in a while.  With more folks on the water it just makes sense.  But I could not find the proposal on their website but will keep watching regularly to see when the public comment period comes.   Remember if you feel strongly, but don’t comment, don’t whine when it comes out differently from what you prefer.

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And speaking of TPWD the Warden Blotter had another fool arrested after posting online video and pictures of his illegal activity.  Like I keep saying look out what you post because somebody is watching.  And this idiot got exactly what he deserved.

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Terry sent me some tips on Buchanan after I met him at Falcon.

Great report, I am one of the Weatherford guys, we caught a bunch on Friday, 4-7 pounds. I have some info on Buchanan for you, send me an email.

All I have to say after looking at what he sent me all I have to say is wow.  It warms my heart when I find folks who share information in a real sense.  Thanks Terry, when those striper filets are sizzling in the pan I will send you a big thank you.

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And I got this very important question from Matt.

Thinking about taking the kids on Sunday afternoon to try white bass in Coleto. How far up creek have you been running? Past the Schroeder bridge?

Also, if this rain ever settles down, Texana is loaded with whites.

Email sent last week.  Hope they catch a few, always fun to watch kids catch fish.  And nothing beats time on the water with the kids, they grow up way to fast.  And folks white bass in spring are one of the best fish to keep kids interested.  So make time to take a couple fishing, they might get hooked for life.

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And for some reason I have not had the good fortune to hook up with the Austin Boys like usual this last few months.  They are coming to POC next weekend while the Boss and I are meeting family on South Padre.  If the wind is not to stout I will be taking the boat and hope to get in a Saturday of snook fishing in the Brownsville Ship channel.  But with the way my fishing luck has run lately who knows.

I also heard from my buddy Dan, the professional writer who I fished with on what has turned out to be an ongoing quest to catch a Share A Lunker.  He just fished a day on Lake Fork with a good guide and guess what?  Not a bite.  Making it a little hard for him to narrow down the focus of his article.  Maybe not catching one is the point.

Catching a bass over 8lbs, much less a DD, is a lot tougher than one might think.   Like all “big” fish, a relative term based on species, putting yourself on the right body of water at the right time definitely increases your odds, but only in a small way.  Ultimately nothing beats time on the water, except some simple luck, end of story.  Take it from a guy who knows.  I caught my 3 personal bests in one 24 hour period on Falcon, after 35 years of hard core bass fishing.  So keep after it Dan, it can happen any minute.  Maybe what we need to do is hit Falcon for a week and fish dawn to dusk, you just never know.

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That is all there is today, I just wanted to let you know I am still upright and taking nourishment.  After this little hiatus it will be back on the water somewhere.  You never want to go fishing any more than when you can’t.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines