FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Of course I can not resist.  The fishing on Fayette was to good to be true, and I did not get to several places I generally fish.  So with expectations of putting one of Fayette’s real fatties over the side it will be up early and gone after looking at the radar.  It will be interesting to watch the solunar times today to see if it comes close to the other day.  But I am armed with plenty of the right stuff so if I don’t put them in the boat it is my fault.

Topwater sent along this comment on the  bass from the other day.

Solid fish.
A big curve ball from the Coleto bite you have been on.

See below.

Weather

96/76  Clouds and sun with a 20% of scattered showers and thunderstorms.  Wind SSW 5 – 10 mph.

Solunar Time

Best 9:12 am to 11:12 am.

Get inhaled!  

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 A beautiful morning.

It was barely cracking daylight when I got to the ramp at Fayette.  There was 5 or 6 trucks and trailers but the traffic on the lake was not an issue.  First up was the bank I killed them on the other day.  I started with jerkbait, no luck, then crankbait, no takers.  So then what happened?

0000000000

So off to the next bank.  And then what happened?

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Then another place, and what happened?

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So multiple bait changes, and what happened?

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And I kept chewing up the grass, and what happened?

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Now I am going through the box, and what happened?

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And then it got hotter than hell after noon, and what happened?

I admitted defeat.  After promoting the heck out of Fayette, and never having had a tough day there, it finally happened.  Not a fish, not a bite.  I hit places that normally hold something, and nothing.  Different colors, different action, plastics, even slow rolled a spinnerbait in the grass, nothing.  I was tearing those grass beds up and not even a dink.  It was a 100% strike out.  I have had a few tough days but I can not remember the last time I did not have a bite.

The catching does not always happen, and while I do not know what happened, it is still all on me.  No excuses.  Whatever put them up and shallow the other day was not in play today.  It is actually what makes fishing what it is.  It can be a mystery, and today was one.  Catching literally 40+ the other day with 15 of them being nice ones, to not a bite.  Crazy!

Doing a blog is not like catching some nice ones and putting the picture on the internet.  I have to lay it out every time, good or bad.  In fact when Chris sent me his pictures and report he commented about how I could do this every day after fishing.  So true, it can be a real chore, and it would be easy to just pretend like today never happened.  But that is not the way this works.

When I first started this I thought it was a failure when I did not get some good pics and catch some nice ones.  But guess what, everybody has a bad day now and then, it is what you do with it.  And I hope this blog is not always dependent, for me and you, on just the catching.  In my case I am going to do the following – Figure out where is next and get back on the water as soon as possible.  That is what fishermen do.  As I get older I finally have begun to really appreciate every day on the water no matter what, another great day to be alive and in the outdoors

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I really enjoyed the report from Chris and Jamie on their backcountry guide trip into the Everglades.  It is such an adventure to go there, and there is more stuff than you could fish in a lifetime, which at times does not make it easy.  But that is part of the fun of it, it is in the doing.  And the story of the potlicker was interesting, it happens everywhere.  To go along with that, in the Glades you can often hear the occasional boat running and then running aground.  It is not uncommon.  It can be really tricky and caution is the word.  In one sense it reminds me of Lake of the Woods, huge but plenty of stuff to hit if you are not careful.  I always start with a track from the ramp all the way out to the open ocean and then work off that.  So thanks again for the report, except now I want to go!

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The Boss has a colleague, friend, and all around good guy, she works with and he has just bought a semi-off the grid cabin in of all places Pagosa Springs, where we are headed in less than 2 weeks.  We are excited to visit his place and maybe fish the creek some.  It is on a Forest Service Road that is not plowed and it is snowmobile or ski in during the winter, now that is cool.  He was kind enough to share his local knowledge and point me to a guide I might spend a day with.  So in this period where I am having my ups and downs in the fishing department, to say the least, it will be nice to be in those beautiful mountains catching some rainbows, and who knows, maybe a brown.  I have caught tons of them in the White and North Fork rivers in Arkansas but this moutains stream thing is something new.  Talk about a change of pace, I am starting to get excited.

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A Little Rant

While I stay out of politics the lawyer in me, there is still a little left, can not help but comment on a legal matter in the news right now.  If Rudy Giuliani was my attorney I would flee to South America.  He is revealing confidences, shooting off his mouth, even potentially implicating his client, followed by making statements that conflict with his client and just generally looking the fool.  Today he just flat out lied about the law itself.  With that kind of representation a prosecutor will be licking his lips.  The profession gets the reputation it has from that very thing – An attorney who either does not know what the law is, or just makes it up.  Rudy is slipping and needs to retire.

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So it was not Deja Vu, in fact it was not even close, but in the words of a great philosopher – “Shit Happens.”  As usual not sure what or where is next except the Boss is going on a 7 day rotation and I am going fishing.  How fair is that?  An overnighter somewhere is in the cards.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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I always love getting reports, big and small, and this is a good one.  My buddy Chris and his wife Jamie are celebrating their first anniversary in the keys and as a part of that they hired a guide for a back country trip.  For a one day shot in the dark it could not have gone any better.  So in his own words here it is.

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Jamie and I just got back from an amazing trip to Islamorada, here’s the report on the backcountry trip we took.

I called and booked a trip out of Bud n’ Mary’s Marina a few months ago and they put us with Captain Bill Bassett (the man, the myth, the legend according to the guy on the phone.)  I told them I wanted to target Snook and Tarpon, having never caught either, and on artificials if possible.  I didn’t know what to expect, but hoped for the best and waited anxiously for the next couple months.

The day finally arrives and as trips planned months in advance often go, conditions were less than ideal.  The normally calm, light breezes of the Florida Keys had given way to South Texas like winds of 15mph with a good sized area of showers from about Marathon all the way down to Cuba.  They told us to be there early since there’s usually a long run north to the snook grounds and we showed up about 6:15 to clear skies with hopes that the weather would stay south.  We grabbed a quick bite at the cafe and some sandwiches for the boat and jumped on Bill’s Maverick skiff and headed north towards Everglades National Park.  The weather wasn’t ideal, and Bill said later most of the guides probably cancelled when the sprinkles started back at the marina, but by then we were an hour north making bait with a few quick throws of the cast net.

The thrill of victory……

With a livewell full of pilchard and a few pinfish, we headed to the first spot, but it was windblown and muddy.  We continued through a large lake and anchored up in a bend with some brush overhanging and deep hole.  He rigged us up and pointed right where he wanted me to put it under an overhanging branch.  I see my first ever tarpon rolling, then another and another, they’re seemingly everywhere!  After about three seconds with my line in the water, I feel the big thump he told me to expect and the line goes tight.  He heads straight for the brush and I get a quick glance at a big snook jumping through the trees just before my line goes slack.

The agony of defeat!

 Apparently these guys have some nasty gill plates and know how to use them.  I’d get used to that feeling through the rest of the day!  Jamie hooks into something that makes for the horizon with no signs of slowing and he breaks off what is surely a shark with no intention of stopping.  The bite slows there without landing anything we were looking for, so we move over to the wide drain of the lake inside a big sandbar.  We anchor up and immediately, there’s tarpon rolling all around us, there’s tarpon clearing the water putting on a show for us, there’s snook busting bait along the shoreline and I’m absolutely giddy with excitement.  Jamie puts a pilchard with some weight up on the shoreline and in short order lands our first snook of the day!

You go girl!

It’s her first real fishing trip and with some expert guidance from Bill, she is quickly becoming a pro.  So with  a snook checked off, that just leaves one.  He starts me out freelining live pilchard with the current behind the boat as he chums a few alongside my casts, almost like chunking for tuna.  It only takes a couple casts and boom!  Tarpon on!  After a brief battle, we’ve  got my first Tarpon in the boat.

That is what I am talking about!  Congratulations!

I try a bunch more times, but they don’t seem willing to bite again and I don’t have another run.  In the meantime, Jamie is catching fish left and right.  I finally land a snook so small I have to hold it real close to the camera, but I had caught both species I came for.  Florida’s coast certainly doesn’t lack variety.  At the end of the day we had caught snook, tarpon, mangrove snapper, schoolmaster snapper, speckled trout, shark, ladyfish, catfish, and jacks, and I probably left someone out.

Hey it is a freakin’ snook.  

After the bite slowed there and jumping lockjawed tarpon seemed like a normal part of the scenery, we moved a little way up the coast to a creek mouth and concentrated on some brush and stumps as the last of the outgoing tide flowed out the creek mouth.  Jamie continued catching left and right and I continued to break anything off that felt like a good fish.  Jamie hooked into a real one and even though she didn’t think she’d win the battle managed to bring in a good 10-12lb snook.

Once she landed it she was all smiles and said “That’s so much fun!”  I may be holding it in the picture, but that fish was all her.  Later in the trip she said we should have planned more days fishing.  She begged and twisted my arm some more, but I finally gave in and told her we’d definitely do it again.  She’s hooked!

They are getting bigger!

I’ve got to say, I didn’t know what to expect calling up and getting a “random” guide from the marina, but Bill was incredible.  Conditions were sketchy, but he made the long run and put in the work to make it an incredible trip and we succeeded in catching everything we were after.  He was patient with us, helped Jamie with everything, entertained all day, and made it a great day.  There’s a bunch of guides out of Bud n’ Mary’s, but I’ll go with Bill again next time.

Feeding the tarpon at Robbie’s, a must do in the Keys.

Of course one thing never changes, in Florida, anyone can buy a boat just like here.  We watched a nice new Everglades try potlicking us, then heading out after being unsuccessful and running right into the sandbar.  A good amount of mud a roostertailing later and they finally got out and pushed it off, then did it again, then managed to get it out into deeper water.  Bill did tell me it was actually illegal for him to go help them, because they have to assess damages to the sea bed and pay reparations by the square foot after a grounding.  Talk about a bad day, get your boat stuck, have to pay through the nose for a tow, then have to pay again for the grass you dug up.  It was even worse when the park ranger pulled up, watched them muck it all up, then continued on without citing them because apparently its turtle nesting season and they only care about finding turtle nests right now.  Seems the priorities may be a little upside down for the next few months?

Had an amazing rest of the trip eating ourselves silly and exploring the keys.  Will definitely go back someday, but there’s so many places to see first we have to decide what’s next, but it sounds like there will be fish involved!

Get inhaled!  

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FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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

There comes a time when a person needs to get out of his warm and fuzzy spot, and mine is now.  So first I was thinking the bay, then the lake, and with clouds and a 60% chance of rain the fishing prospects looked good.  As the afternoon wore on Fayette kept creeping in my little brain.  But with the weather I was not sure I wanted to make the drive if it was gonna get ugly.  I got up at 4:00, looked at the radar and made the decision, heck with it, I am going to Fayette so I  hit the road.  (Sorry no notice Rusty, but trust me after today it will not be that long before I am back.)  Best decision I have made in a while!

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Weather

91/74  Cloudy with 20% chance of rain.  Wind SE 5 – 10 mph.

Solunar Time

8:25 am to 10:25 am.   (This is probably the most right on the money I have ever seen.)

Get inhaled!  

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First a little on Fayette.  While it has been well over a year, I have a pattern that works on Fayette, rain or shine, hot or cold.  For fish catching, Fayette is one of the best lakes in the country.  Along with being a slot lake, which adds plenty of nice fish, it has great grass beds, usually in the 3 – 8′ range.  Shad are plentiful, which sets up the fishing.  And when they are in those beds it can be really good.  Today I found 2 of them that were loaded.  It was a beat down.

Cranking and yanking, it was game on.

There was only one boat on the lake this morning when I put in at daylight.  He asked if I had fished it lately, no, and he said it really sucked the other day.  There was a light breeze so I headed to my favorite long bank which almost always has fish on it somewhere.  For the first hour and a half it was fishing in empty water.  Today I stuck with alternating a 6x crankbait and a blue and chrome jerkbait, occasionally tossing in the stick worm.  Which is basically what I do there no matter time of year.

Those big girls love that jerkbait.  Tip the grass and hold on!

Then it finally dawned on me, a no brainer early morning on Fayette, the big points.  I went to the first one and stayed out in about 8′ of water.  The good thing about both the jerk bait and the crankbait, besides Fayette bass love them, is they find the grass.  Once you find a deeper bed it only takes a minute to determine if they are there, and today boy were they.

Like big fish will do, you would barely feel them, but they were there.

They were on a main lake point in a grass bed that was from 2 – 5′ deep with a good drop close.  What made that place so hot, the wind was lightly blowing around the point, creating a little current and there was plenty of bait.  Not only did I catch a real freakin’ wad, I broke 2 off (10lb. line is not quite heavy enough in the grass beds.) and lost several other really nice fish.  For an hour and a half it was crazy.

Keep switching and they kept cooperating.

It was simply a matter of working the  whole area with one bait them another.  The crankbait they wanted slow, and then slower.  Of course a 6x was diving right down and I could feel the grass, and that was exactly what a bite felt like, really soft.  It only took a second to figure out the difference and I started jacking them up.  Then the jerkbait, fairly erratically, basically a jerk/jerk, pause, jerk, and then do it over again.  The goal was to jerk it right down the edge of the grass.  A couple of them whacked it or slack lined it, which never really happened on the crankbait.  After just smacking them they began to slow up.  Not surprising with me tossing them right back in.

There are a couple more nice ones but you get the picture, and there were also some smalls today.

It has been a while since I had a run like this.  It was solid fish after solid fish.  The second place was exactly like the first but it was getting later.  Maybe 5 or 6 off it, on both baits.  At this point it is around 11:00 and I have been catching them for 2 1/2 hours.  And then it stopped, and I mean I could not buy a bite.  Then a front blew in, the wind picked up, and it started sprinkling.  So I hit one more place without a bite and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.  When it goes like that it makes up for every other tough day.

Fayette fatties are the most shad eating fish I have ever fished for.  Since the first trip there jerking Rapala crankbaits until today, Fayette fish eat shad and live in grass.  It is not that hard, but like all places I am sure it has it’s bad days, I just never have seen one.  When you are suffering a case of boredom, in my place same old same old, it is time to make a little change, and today I did exactly that.  I fished really well, the fish cooperated, and it was good for the soul.  Catching that many fish will do that.

And the solunar time today, it was so right on it is hard to ignore.  I did not have a bite first thing in the morning until it began.  During the period they were having at it, then as the period ended so did the bite.  If I have learned one thing about the solunar tables, just because it is a major period doesn’t mean you are going to whack them, but most of the time when you get on a frantic bite it is right in the period.  While the time to fish is on the tides, moon, solunar period, clouds, and on and on, most of us fish when we can but it interesting to follow it.

Unfortunately life is going to get in the way of the fishing for a couple of days.  I will be thinking about where next, and not the usual suspects.  Every once in a while change is a good thing, and who knows, maybe the next place will be as good as the last place.  If one thing can be said about fishermen, there is always hope.  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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Last year I bought 3 Lew’s reels, the Laser pro LP1SHB, I said I would let you know how they are, I could not be any happier.  They normally run around $110 and I bought them when they were on sale at Cabela’s.  You can still find them for $79 on sale and when I see them again I will add another couple.  You can almost empty the spool on a cast and they are smooth and quick.  But there is one caveat –  I have not used them in the salt yet.  I am cycling the other reels in the salt and it will be a while before any of them make it.  So far they have done yeoman work.

Get inhaled!  

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This is my 983rd posts, that is a freakin’ lot of posts.  Over a half a million visits, it is hard to believe.  I used to pay attention to that stuff, I haven’t looked in a couple of years, but not any more.  The numbers take care of themselves.  The only reason it came up today is I just paid my fee to keep my domain name registered.  It is going on 8 years now and though I have the occasional thoughts about stopping they quickly pass.  I have met some good folks, fished some great places, and really enjoyed sharing it with you.  And maybe you learned a little something, or at least got the occasional good laugh.   And I never get tired of your comments or reports.  Thanks.

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Watching a National Geographic show on the floating garbage pile in the Pacific I have heard about really opened my eyes.  It was not a big pile but a huge area where garbage from the US and Japan is mixing, along with who knows else’s. This “area” was hundreds of square miles.  The real problem was when they were still miles and miles away from the “real” area they hopped in the ocean and when they got out they were covered in minute particles of plastic, it looked like glitter.  Of course there was tons of floating debris but the stuff is actually deteriorating, and of course being nice and colorful the fish and birds are eating it as it breaks into pieces.  It was terrible and the problem is growing.  So many people and the space, read outdoors, we live in is shrinking.  And when our government wants to sell of our land from monuments it puzzles me.  They sure aren’t making any more.  Who could not be in favor of preserving what land we now own?  I want my kids kids to be able to hunt and fish in the great outdoors before it is finally lost.

Check out these composite photos.  They may be manufactured but that is exactly what is going on.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/disturbing-composite-photos-reimagine-ocean-slideshow-wp-184651080.html

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That may sound somewhat pessimistic but of all outdoor sports hunting is the one affected the most.  In the “Old Days” you just stopped and asked to hunt and often were given permission.  Lease hunting was a rare thing.  It was possible for a little boy to take the shotgun on his bike and go hunting, I did it every day I could in the fall.  Quail faster than a speeding bullet, rabbits, squirrels, even the occasional pheasant were big game.  These days – No way.  It is sad to see the money taking over but who can blame the landowners.  Poor sportsmanship, trespassers, open gates, it happened all the time.  The knuckleheads hurt us all and then when the money came in to it hunting was changed forever.  Change comes whether we like it or not, but hunting is slowly headed to only those with the $$$ will be able to hunt.  To bad.

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And though I rarely hunt these days hunting season is my favorite time of year, so go hunting, please.  Dove season really does cut the traffic like a knife on the bay.  And fishing Falcon the opening week of deer season resulted in us seeing I think 5 boats in as many days.  I really do try to fish more during those periods, makes for a much better experience.  So go kill something and I will handle the fish.  (And anytime you have to much deer meat let me know! I may not hunt but I sure can eat them.)

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The red tide/algae bloom in Southwest Florida is frightening.  We were there about 15 years ago and it was bad.  It stunk, a fish kill, the beaches were awful, but nothing like it is this time.  The pictures are almost unbelievable.  Along with fish, manatees and dolphins are dying.  And if you remember there was an episode last year with a major bloom during the holiday weekend.  There are lots of factors but it does not matter who’s “fault” it is.  Whatever needs to be addressed needs to be addressed.  It may not all be man made, but what is needs to be changed.  We never thought it was possible but we are seriously polluting the ocean.

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Watching Timmy Horton’s fishing show was the first time I had seen the MJ rig in action.  Basically it is Texas rigged worm with a spinner stuck in the tail.  It works best with a stick worm with no tail, then stick a screw lock willow leaf spinner in the end and you are in business.  He was using it in grass and it came through with little problem.   There are plenty of companies making the spinner you need.  So if you are a bass fisherman and are not familiar with it look it up, it is a great addition to the arsenal.

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There were a couple of bolts that kept coming loose on the trailer.  They hold the guides on and since the bolt comes up through the bracket and makes direct contact with the guides there is no nut.  After them coming loose a few times it finally dawned on me, plumbers tape.  It has kept them from shaking loose and if needed they can be taken out with no problem.  A good idea that has other applications.  Beats Loctite.

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It is cloudy this morning and not quite as stifling hot.  We must have had a little rain last night as it is a little wet outside.  As we are 8″ down we need it badly.  It looks like clouds with a chance of rain will be the norm for the first few days this week and I will be taking full advantage of it.  No decision has been made for the morning yet, rain will determine that when I get up.  So now it is time to head to the tackle room and a major cleaning and re-organization.  It never hurts to get you stuff together when you have as much crap as I do.  Hope you had a good weekend and keep those cards and letters coming.  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!**

One last word from Topwater Billy on our trip the other day.

Yep, very frustrating day when you know fish are there and they just will not bite.
BTW, not one word on the biggest catch of the day. SMH, can’t have nothin’ nice anymore…….lol.

That is the first thing I told the Boss and forgot to tell the rest of them, I took a hook out of Billy today using the line method and it popped right out.  I have done that several times in the last few years but this time was different.  The hook went in the trout’s mouth and out, and in Billy’s thumb.  So I popped it out with the fish still on and we were back to fishing.  He took it like a man.

Weather

96/72  Sunny  10% chance rain  Wind E  10 – 20mph.

Lake Level

10 days ago 95.24 msl   Today  94.91 msl

Solunar Periods

10:17 am to 12:17 am.   (Only relevant period.)

Get inhaled!  

The Weekly Lake Fix

I love this kind of morning, the lake to myself.  Once the trolling motor hits the water you are in the great outdoors!

It was just breaking daylight when I made my first cast.  On the way to the lake the deer were definitely on the move, before the morning was over got to see a couple more and a few pigs.  And for some reason the turkey were gobbling up a storm.  Since I am no turkey hunter I thought that happened in the spring but it sure does make the day better.  One thing to be said about no traffic is when you are just sliding along you see and hear so much wildlife.  You can get nice and close at times, really makes a morning when it happens.

This girl was built like a tank.  One of those that if she lives long enough will be a real hoss.

Of course I was pitching, and to make a long story short I caught 14 this morning.  About half were really small, and I did manage 1 good one.  What made it a little interesting this morning was how it went.  3 came off the first 6 pieces of wood.  Then it was slow and 2 came off another.  It definitely took multiple casts to work the cover on all sides, the ones that did bite today smacked it and I missed very few.

Nothing like hand to hand combat getting them out of the wood.  They were still biting when I quit at noon.

The best one came off a laydown in about a foot of water.  Unlike some of the skinny long ones I have been catching this fish was a real solid, heavy, big gutted fish.  One thing about bass, length is great but nothing beats a big fattie!  The rest were just the run of the mill this summer.  Several places gave up 2 fish and a small isolated patch of timber gave up 3.  It is just a matter of keeping it in the water, and catching the bites.

The water temp today was 90 degrees over the whole lake.  It has taken on a little color, especially up the 2 main arms.  The fish preferred the little deeper cover as the lake is on the fall.  It could use a good gully washer to get it back on the rise.  So I don’t expect the fishing to really improve for a while yet.  At least I got to catch a good one.

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We are headed to Pagosa Springs in a couple of weeks and I will be doing some trout fishing.  Where we are staying has river access, and a friend of the Boss’s just bought a place with access, which for bank fishermen in Colorado is important.  So I will have plenty of places to fish.  And last year we hiked in some serious snow “almost” to a high mountain lake with trout in it.  Making it is definitely on the agenda.  Additionally I am still mulling over hiring a guide for a little fly fishing education.   Add in some 4 wheeling and critter watching and it will be a great vacation.

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Not a clue what is next but if the weather forecast for Monday – Wednesday is any indication I will be hard at it.  The only question is where.  Hopefully the clouds in the forecast will help cool it off some, and the rest of the tides and conditions are good.   Have a great weekend.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

Watch this, trust me, it is freakin’ awesome.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/photographer-captures-crystal-clear-images-slideshow-wp-142025559.html

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!**

I got this comment from Topwater Billy after the last trip.

Best trip yet.
Would like to have seen what that second spot was like first thing in the morning.
Redfishing that bank at the end of the day is a good experience.

Glad you liked it as I texted him and we are going in the morning.  I am very interested in how the fishing will be in the area we caught them last time mid day.  We had a couple of shots at some pretty big fish on topwater and just did not hook up, so the plan will be to remedy that in the morning.

Weather 

91/76  Sunny  Wind NNE 10 – 15 mph.  10% chance of rain.

Tide

Low   2:48 AM     0.0    High  11:21 AM     0.4.  (Very flat tide today.)

Solunar Time   Best 2:49 pm –  4:49 pm.   Good  8:48 am to 10:48 am.   (One source has this as a no “fish” day.)  (Note:  The good period was approximately when we caught them last time.)

********************Get inhaled!  

There is something innovative and new coming!  

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Keller Bay

We put in at the Olivia ramp at daylight.  We were third there with one behind me.  When we quit at 1:00 it was just us.  First up was the pasture shoreline where it ends in a flat point where we caught them last trip.  The bait was there, not as heavy at first, but there was a ton way out in the bay.  Of course both of us started with topwater, and it was not nearly as good as I would have hoped.

First red of the morning on the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad.  The other on the Hoover Shad from Academy.

The reason I showed you the second fish is that is the one that came on the Hoover Shad.  Academy sells it and I started using it last fall, both trout and reds like it.  It is a twitch bait and the smaller one is the only one I have used.  It is best worked with quick, really small twitches, on lighter line.  When they hit it they usually have it.  It is not as expensive as the other similar baits, and it is subtle, working for me in cold weather and hot.  Just saying.

Guessing, Topwater Billy caught 4 or 5, and missed that many on top, same with me, though I did some bait changing.  Two on the twitch bait, 1 on topwater, and a couple on plastics.  It never did feel right there and none of them were worth talking about.  The bait that was out in the bay, on a slight color change, was slowly working it’s way right towards us.  At times it would shower getting out of the way of something and it looked promising.

Slow rolling the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad in the pink limeade, though they hit all 3 colors I threw today.  CPR’d.

Unfortunately when it finally arrived in perfect casting distance, they were following the topwater, you could even see them below the bait at times, just not eating.  So I went to slow rolling the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad, in 3 colors, and while it was not fast and furious, they ate it.

So we made a move and headed back past Olivia to make a couple of redfish passes before quitting when I had an epiphany – There is a place back here where I have caught trout this time of year so why not stop and do a drift.  It is a mix of mud and shell in about 2’+ of water, which had some color to it.   On the first pass Topwater caught a keeper on top, which was followed by………. oh I don’t know, maybe 20 of the weakest, least impressive , not one bit interested in eating topwater bites I have seen in a while.  They were all over it, and just would not commit.

This should have been the start of something big for Billy, but it was crappy bite after crappy bite.  He even tried 3 different topwaters, same result.

I just kept slow rolling the Paddle Shad with a 1/8th swim bait hook with a rattle in the cavity.  Using it that way is very speed dependent.  When you would get it just right the better ones, like the days best above, would eat.  Keeping the rod pointed right at the bait worked best, and the bite is a little different as they come up and suck it in.  In fact, with the trout above I put the jig out of his mouth so you could see it, because if I left her hooked up you could not see the bait at all.  And if you look closely at the first red, you can just see the tip of the chartreuse tail.  In the second place I put a keeper in the box, needed 2 today for supper, and released the one above, and lost 2 good ones trying to flip them in the boat.  If we had been on the meat hunt that would not have happened.  I actually do have a net, but rarely use it.

And just for your info I read a report from one of the local guides that have also been slow rolling plastics, which I know the Mad Trout Fisherman has done this time of year.  So something to consider.

Not a great day by any means, way tougher than last Friday.  They were interested in the topwater, just not interested enough to smack it.  For me the good part has been slow rolling the bait in deeper water.  It is so speed dependent but when you find it you will get bit.  And the nice thing about the swim bait hook, when you stick them they usually stay stuck, minus operator error.  And of course it catches less grass, a good thing when the tide is moving.  And today it definitely was better for the good ones.  I figure we only caught maybe 15, only keeping 2 for supper, but with the amount of topwater bites it should have been a bunch.  It was weird but it happens.  I can’t wait to drift that spot again.

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I just spoke with my buddy Aaron and he got a good report from the Baffin area from one of the guides he knows.  They just had his best day ever on topwaters, so looks like the time is now, if you are not fishing croakers.  So there may be a Baffin trip coming, if it would just cool off 5 degrees it sure would be nice.  Aaron is working out of Alice and it has been a 100 the last couple of weeks.

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We took a few days off and headed to Louisiana for a little adult entertainment and I have a couple of comments.  First, we are not big $$ gamblers, but we go on occasion, and have for almost 30 years.  One thing I hate to see, and we saw it in 3 different places last weekend, is people taking their kids to casinos.  The casinos are encouraging this with pools and game rooms, etc.  My thoughts on kids there is that is not a place to teach a kid is “normal”.  If they want to indulge later in life by their choice, great.  But it seems teaching them from an early age that casinos are a place to “vacation” is like saying cigarettes are good for you, like they told me in the 50’s.

Second, I got $900 on a .40 bet, so I have no room to talk, except I never took my daughter anywhere near a casino when she was a kid.

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So it was a somewhat frustrating morning, especially for Topwater Billy.  I can honestly say it was probably the most bites on top I have ever seen with such poor results.  I was ok with the morning as I did catch a nice one, and as reeling plastics is not my regular way to use them it is fun, which I intend to do again, as in maybe tomorrow.  Today will be running down why the boat lights are not working, a pain in the ass.  And the GPS on the LTS has decided to go crazy, and it is getting worse, so it is probably headed to the trash pile. The joys of boat ownership but the beat goes on.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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The plan is to meet Topwater Billy at around 6:00 and be on the water at first light.  Conditions look good, it is rare when there are 2 major periods in the same morning.  While it is no guarantee, at least it gives you hope.  So after getting a new trailer plate and putting it on, followed by putting the tire back on the trailer and remounting the spare, I am caught up with boat “stuff”.  A little tackle prep later and it will be game on.  Topwater will be the order of the day and I hope to at least fish thru both prime periods tomorrow.

Weather

89/80  Partly Cloudy.  ESE 10 – 15.   10% chance rain.

Tide

High  11:00 am   +0.5.

Moon Set

6:30 am.  99% visible.

Solunar Time

Best  4:37 am – 6:37 am  and  10:49 am to 12:49 pm.

********************Get inhaled!  

There is something innovative and new coming!  

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

It does not get any better than this!

Tale of Two Places

When I got to Indianola Topwater Billy was ready and waiting.  The plan was to fish the Powderhorn Ranch shoreline where I caught some nice trout a week ago.  As we idled into the bank there was a tell tale sign – the tide was out, way out.  It was just barely daylight as we jumped in and started chunking topwater.  Billy headed out and I stayed in.

There goes Billy.

I had high hopes, unfortunately the tide conditions should have warned me, it was just to low and the bait was not “acting” right.  If I were guessing it was two bites for me and I am not sure if Billy had one or not, but it was not happening.  I did catch one short red, but after an hour and a half my thinking cap kicked in and it was time for a move.

Small but love that topwater bite!

As I found last trip there are trout on the drops, especially if it is a good couple of feet or more off a good flat.  So the obvious choice, the ranch shoreline in Keller.  It has been quite a while since I fished Keller, but one thing for sure, the shoreline has a good drop which should fill the bill.  So bailed out in about 2′ of water and it was immediately game on.

They were smoking that Controlled Descent Paddle Tail!

Literally as soon as we jumped out of the boat it was topwater mania.  We had bite after bite on topwater, the interesting thing – They were on the drop where it went from 2′ to 6′.  Many of out bites came at the end of our casts, they were coming from the deeper water.  Billy put a couple of keeper trout on the stringer, I never did sack a keeper.  One of the times when my it either makes it easy or not probably led to not keeping a couple which were on the line, but I was just happy to be catching fish.

So to go along with what I learned the other day I put a 1/8th swim bait hook into several different colors of the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad, started letting it sink close to the bottom and then just slow rolled it.  They were thumping it and over the next 2 hours it was fun.  That slow roll works, end of story.  We literally had bite after bite.  This is where the Wade Right comes in to play.  It was great to be able to catch 2 or 3 on topwater, and then bait and switch with the Controlled Descent.  Carrying 2 rods pays off.

Not sure how many we ended up catching there but it was an easy 30+ as the bite was on.  Billy had a real hoss miss the topwater at his feet and I had some kind of sea monster just flush it and not hook up, so there were a couple of better trout there.  Another big one of some sort flushed me again and immediately broke my line.  But luckily my topwater floated up and I got it back.

We made one move on the shoreline but the wind was up and the tide was running and the water colored up.  On the way in Keller I told Billy about catching spinnerbait reds on one of my favorite banks in Keller and as he had not caught them this way he wanted to give it a go before we called it a day.

Just some nice keepers.

Billy stuck with the topwater and it wasn’t long before a good one jumped on.  It acted like it did not know it was hooked and after a brief struggle came off.  Then one jumped on the spinnerbait, a classic spinnerbait bite, one of my favorites.  Billy put another in the boat on topwater, I missed on that slammed it, then I caught one more.  I forgot how much I liked fishing that way in that place, and will be back this week.  But I did have one more bite and boy it was a good one!

That thing was massive!

As I was reeling my spinnerbait along one knocked the crap out of it.  After a big tussle it showed itself, a big alligator gar.  That thing was an easy 5′ long and thick as a concrete block.  So I took it easy and we finally got it to boat side.  We were talking as I fought it that it must not have it all the way in the mouth or it would have easily broke off.  When it got close we could see the bait outside of it’s mouth.  What made it interesting – The hook was not in the fish, it just had the blade!  So I rustle that thing close and easy up on the slack and out came the spinner.  It looks like when it hit a tooth got caught in the eye in the blade.  Weird!  A perfect example of keeping the line tight when fighting fish.  Obviously I won big fish today.

The last fish of the day.

So about 2:00 we called it a day.  The temp was pleasant and it was nice to catch a bunch of fish.  We waded through a whole bunch of trout for just a couple of keepers, but it was one of those days where we were not going to leave fish to find fish.  Obviously there were some keeper trout mixed in, and thinking about it there might be some options to deter the little ones and get to the better fish.  It is just plain tougher this time of year on us lure fisherman, croakers are the way to go if that is your thing.

Today was good thing for my fishing psych, nothing will improve your attitude like catching a bunch of fish.  It was not so hot as to be oppressive, and I really enjoyed catching a couple on top, then on the Controlled Descent, then moving 10′ and doing it again.  And fishing with Topwater Billy is always a barrel of laughs, and the boy can catch them on that topwater.

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One of my pet peeves is folks who pass up people having motor troubles.  It can happen to any of us in an instant, and if you are to “busy” going fishing to help then when your turn comes good luck, you earned it.  The reason I bring this up is when we got back to the ramp there was a brand new big Shoalwater on the trailer and a Freedom 15′ scooter tied to the sea wall.  The Shoalwater engine decided to crap out and the guy in the scooter towed them in.  All the way from Port Lavaca back to Indianola against a big head wind!  It was rough.  The scooter could not tow the bigger boat so he tied off on the side and that little boat did the job.  When I talked to him he was waiting for his wife who was bringing him the trailer from where he put in.  It was so rough I am sure it beat a ride back down the bay in a scooter.  Now that is a great guy!

Jarrod  (sp?), a local guy who is now a game warden, was at the ramp and it was good to see him.  He was on the boat that broke down and they were preparing for a tourney this weekend, hopefully they will get the boat going.  He reported they caught a bunch of trout on croaker, of course I made a face.  Good luck this weekend, if you make it.

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Looks like our weekend plans are shot.  Reservations made, all ready to go, and she gets a subpoena involving a criminal case where she treated someone.  The problem, like all trials, trust me, it may or may not go.  Unfortunately it came right in the middle of our plans so not sure what the fall back position is.  If she does not end up testifying then our weekend is screwed for no good reason.  But you answer subpoenas like it or not, I sent enough of them.

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Now I have a little case of the trout fever.  After yesterday I got the feeling that something a little different, like a BIG swimbait just might catch a big trout right now.  There were definitely some where we were fishing, you just had to catch a bunch to get a keeper.  So my theory, they are there mixed in but since the little fish are fast and stupid it is tough to get it to the bigger fish.  That’s my theory and I am sticking with it, which means it will be back to Keller soon, depending on the trial or travel.  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 was freakin’ foggy.  Until later you could not see the other sided of the lake.

********************Get inhaled!  

There is something innovative and new coming!  

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

It might have been foggy but it sure was cool looking.

Totally off the subject of this mornings fishing is these pictures.  I saw a Facebook post where someone was making fun of folk’s sunrise or sunset pictures.  The point was people only post them when they don’t catch any fish.  That totally misses the point.  If your fishing success is just based on catch numbers you are missing out.  It is all about the sunrise and sunset, being out there, and enjoying that simple fact.  It ain’t all about the results.

Coleto Creek

Conditions – Hot, humid, little wind, lake dropping – that perfect Texas summer weather!

Where to start?  First the heat, by 9:00 the sweat was just rolling off me, and shortly thereafter the sun came out and it was really hot and humid.  It just boils down to I am not that mad at them.  At least not enough to spend the bucks to go somewhere else and know that shortly after noon it would be bordering on insanity to stay out much longer.  (It costs every time you hook up and I hate spending money on short days.  Maybe I should do a Go Fund Me page to feed this fishing addiction!)  And that is part of my boredom, go catch 10 or 20, troll up some white bass, hit replay and do it again.  And with no big fish showing up, I am just ready for a change of some sort, like fall.  But I double digress.

I was second to the ramp when it was still pitch dark.  There was one in the water, one behind me, and one more that came before I headed out.  It was the first time on the lake for one boat and they asked me about where they might catch some catfish.  They wanted 10′ of water with timber so I directed them to 2 spots that filled the bill.  Then amazingly enough, in the dark and fog, they took off using a map.  Scary.  Meanwhile boat number 1 did not have a good stern light so they were using a flashlight.  Perfect.  Then boat number 4 took off with no stern light and 3 kids in the boat.  Man oh man it all made me nervous.  It was so foggy and I know my way around.  I always worry in the fog, not about me but the other guy.

So I just idled to a close main lake point and fished plastics.  I hit 4 places as I slowly worked my way up lake, including my favorite deep point with not so much as a nibble.  But it was so foggy there was no running, at least if you had a brain in your head.  Finally working my way up lake I got to where I wanted to be after 9:00.

Today’s 2 best.

Even then, around 9:00, I still had not had a bite, then the sun came out and here we go again, I caught 9 pitching.  I did give buzzbait a little go as the fog was still there but no bites.  Insanity reared it’s ugly head, keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result perfectly describes my love affair with the buzzbait.  So it was just same old, same old, pitch the watermelon stick worm close and get bit.  Today there was not as many bites as I have been getting, but when they bit they were there, most just swimming off with it.  So around 11:00 it was heating up big time so it was back down lake to troll for an hour before calling it a morning.  That produced 5 or 6 bass and 2 small whites.  With little wind and high skies they were in 20′ today, and not nearly as active as they have been, so on the trailer it went.

This report is boring, my morning was boring, and I know at this point it is probably boring you also.  I was hoping as my movements were restricted this morning that hitting those deeper points and banks as I made my way up lake would produce a little different pattern, but it was completely unsuccessful.  Keeping it deeper in those places did not produce a bite.  They are good places and I intentionally fished out to 20’+ trying to find some deeper fish.  It just seemed like they were not having it in the fog.

Friday will be back to the bay, as a housekeeper is coming I have been told to not come home before 3:00.  Maybe a forced banishment to the bay will get my juices flowing.  And if I am lucky a real early start with the full moon setting will produce some topwater magic.  (Hey resident Head Banger you good for Friday?  Drop me a Facebook note.)

We are in the throes of real summertime with heat in the afternoons reaching worrisome levels.  No rain in sight, but at least the winds have subsided.  I try to keep my fishing fever at boil, but it is hard right now.  And I hate to whine when I  get to fish basically whenever I like.  I am lucky and I know it and appreciate it every time the boat slides off the trailer no matter how the rest of the day goes.  Trust me, this funk will subside with the weather and a little change of scenery.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines 

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by

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When I commented on a post from a reader on his past fishing at Magnolia Beach I got this follow up comment from Mac.  I so appreciate his filling us in on the “old days” and I wanted to share it with you immediately.  I hate to see these memories getting lost and this one is informative and important.  It is a snap shot of a period of time on the Texas coast when things were different.

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“Those were the days”

Doug, after reading your work today about the 70’s , I just had to write back. It is 108 degrees in Bastrop and goin’ fishin’ is the last thing on my mind.

I will never forget working at the Port A Ice house in the summers in the late 60’s and 70’s . I learned to fish hanging around Totsy Belcher, who knew any and everything about bay and gulf fishing

My opinion on fishing then and today.

Back then before GCA was evident, commercial fishing for trout and reds was legal. I got 40 cents a pound selling them to eateries around the area. Did this hurt the fisheries back then. Yes it sure did! Unattended trot lines were everywhere in the bay systems. They caught tons of redfish using simple strips of red strips of 4 inch plastic table cloths. – CCA and the Parks and Wildlife stopped this practice. Since then, with the redfish breeding programs, I know for a fact the redfishing has vastly improved.

I think the trout population was really hurt from several severe freezes in past 20 years
Reducing limits, I feel has helped out trout fishing today.

There was no limit on flounder and I remember gigging all night with 25 or 30 fish.
We need to keep pursuing ways to help their population.

Back to the 70s—Totsy would go out to the end of the south jetty at Port A with a strong rope and a large single hook. I saw him catch a huge Jewfish that I knew was over 15O lbs. They have disappeared today. One good thing–There are now tarpon showing up again. King fish were everywhere with practically no limits. I also remember seeing multiple sailfish working baitfish up in a “ball” and catching 7 of the sails at this event. The bill fishing has also slowed

On a somber note–We gathered stone crabs in the flat’s oyster reefs. There are few left today. Old timers say people took both claws off them, including their fighting claw which was their protection from harm. Oysters were bountiful also and large. what happened? I remember going to South Padre island and gathering real scallops.

In synopsis . Good things have happened. The Brown Pelicans were almost extinct back then, but a fisherman from Fort Worth found that the bird shells were being broken at birth. The use of DDT was then banned and now these birds are all about.
As I mentioned before –Limits are enforced, GCCA is making many strides to better our fisheries. I studied, the effects of nitrates from fast release fertilizers while in college. There has been much study on its effects on marine life, I, myself. really believe that going more organic and using slow release nitrogen will bring the snook, tarpon and many other fish back to us.

I have caught my share of fish and hope we keep making ways for our young to enjoy this super sport along with the other coastal wildlife.

PS-I mentioned this before–” The only time I ever saw my Dad cry was when we came up upon a trotline with rotting redfish all along it”.

We are on the right track–GCCA and other concerned venues will help keep us fishing

THE TEMPERATURE JUST HIT 111 DEGREES IN Bastrop

Mac

The times they are a changin’!  (Even a Jewfish in now a Goliath Grouper.)  Those of us who have been fishing for decades have seen the improvement, and while it is a work in progress, the results are undeniable.  Looking back most of us have done things that would be considered “wrong” today, but it was a different time.  (Tad from Fishin’ Machine Lures and I were guiding 4 guys in the mid 70’s for bass on Norfork.  We stopped for a shore lunch and he pulled me aside.  They are not happy I was throwing the really small, as in 10″  or less, bass back, at the time there was no length limit.  So while legal that was the attitude in those days.  How could we fish out the lake, or an ocean?  We know better now.) It is these memories that educate and enlighten us.  Those who are not willing to look at past mistakes are sure to make them again.  The challenges facing fisheries management are not the “same” today and we still have a ways to go.  The only other comment is thanks for the share.

********************Get inhaled!  

There is something innovative and new coming!  

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

One thing I forgot to mention the other day was when we drove the PINS beach Sunday we saw a kayaker cleaning a nice kingfish.  The water looked absolutely fabulous, actually it kind of reminded me of South Padre when the good water comes ashore.  According to an online post from a local guide the even better water is making it’s way to PINS and the fishing should only improve.  Nothing like a snook, tarpon, or a kingfish from the beach.  Heck we billed a sailfish in 2 foot of water on PINS.  It can happen.

One of my great outdoor memories.  This was October 2013, where does the time go?

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As you faithful readers know I check out the boats for sale throughout Texas almost daily.  I love to comment on some of the posts, folks can be seriously delusional.  Needs work, it ran when I last used it 10 years ago, “project” boat, no title, you see it all.  But there was one today that takes the cake.  Now I am sure the X3 is a great boat, saw lots of them at Mansfield, but I can not wrap my head around why anyone would pay over $100k for a used boat.  If you can swing $100k why buy a used boat?  Just wondered.

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Man it has been hot, but not as hot here as other places, as if 103 degrees is so much better than 110.  It is cloudy this morning and while I am doing this I wish I was fishing.  That will not happen today.  When I parked the truck yesterday morning I noticed the license plate was missing from the skiff, the bracket broke.  This is the second time in 18 months.  So it is off to renew my plates, good timing, and then a better system to make sure it does not happen again.  Man I love/hate boat ownership.

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I hope you enjoyed Mac’s memories.  And if any of you have any more to share please do.  The world has changed dramatically the last few decades and these stories need to be both shared and recorded.  It is our history and it is important.  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

102/75.  Sunny.  Wind S 10 mph.  Chance rain 0%.

Lake Level

Today  95.24 msl.   Week ago  95.54 msl.

Solunar Time

Best  7:59 am to 9:59 am.

With temps to hit over a 100 degrees it was out early.

It was barely daylight as I headed up lake.  The plan was simple, go up and flip until 9:00 or so then back down to do some more trolling.  I figured it would be plenty hot by noon so it was definitely a short day.  And it turned out to be an interesting day.

     That was one hungry catfish.                 And the average size these days.

6 small ones jumped on the watermelon red stick worm at the first place, including a catfish.  As far as this year goes I have caught more catfish than any year, ever.  And a little later the weird continued.  The fish are still around the cover, but as the lake falls there is less and less of the good stuff.  But it is still simple, toss it right on the cover, let it drop straight down, and give it some twitches.  Today none of them came off the cover.  Close was no cigar today.

         A 4 lb head on this skinny fish.          At least they are willing.

The first pass this morning was 6, from there it was back to one here and one there.  And I strictly stuck with the “good stuff” and there are still a few fish coming to it.  But as I have learned the last couple of trips trolling, the mass of them are in the 14 – 20 foot range.  After catching 10 or so pitching it was starting to warm up a little so down lake I went.

Crazy, it smacked the crap out of the crankbait.  That is one big tilapia!

Starting on the big flat point that separates the ramp cove from the fishing pier cove it was actually slow for a while.  I worked it the long way on both sides, made several passes over the tip, and just kept it in the water.  Finally I found the shad, and most of the fish, which were in that 15′ to 20′ range.  They were on the damn side of the point, and were easily visible.  And when the tilapia above hit it there was no doubt.  After a pretty good tussle, I am leaving 50′ of line out, I finally put it in the boat.  The same thing goes for the tilapia, I have caught more of them on lures this year than ever.

Just little guys, but I sure like catching them.

The white bass were harder to find today.  I caught 5 or 6, and none were as good as some of them the other day.  They, along with the bass, were clearly visible near large schools of shad and I was actually counting down from 10 as I passed the shad, and many times it was fish on.  But today the bass were jumping on the crankbait far better than the whites.

The 2 best of about 10 bass trolling.

Though the balsa shad bait was the better bait the last couple of times I tried trolling, today I put out a hard plastic shad bait with rattles in it that ran about 12′ deep, they liked it.  Once I found the fish it would be 1 or 2 on every pass for around a couple of hours.  Get it in the perfect depth and get a bite.  And one quick observation, several fish coughed up shad on the way in, exactly the size of a medium crankbait.  So say what you want about trolling, I like catching fish, and not the same fish the same way all the time.  And when you can boat an easy 25 in a morning trip I will take it.

A really good morning considering.  And if I had a crappie rod with me I would have run to a couple of quick spots and caught one just to add to the take.  Think about it, today could have been a nice little fish fry if I was keeping.

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Get inhaled!  

There is something innovative and new coming!  

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

I got this comment from first timer Ron.

Worked at Alcoa in the 70’s and fished under the lights at Powderhorn. Caught many specs. Wonderful days.

I am sure it was so much different than today, and probably better.  And I have heard that back “in the day” during winter the beach was lined with Snowbirds and their campers.  But there are still plenty of specks, reds, and some really big black drum caught from the marina fishing pier.  I have often thought of interviewing folks who have been around and documenting the changes that have happened on the coast.  Lots of cool history that will be lost.  So thanks for reading and a great memory.

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And this comment came from Matt on the POC weekend.

A couple comments. Sunday after Poco is a good day to fish. Most have pounding headaches and are leaving town as soon as they can.

Also, you can’t beat the Tackle Box. Great people.

Funny how events like this lead to a certain amount of over indulgence.  A good time will be had by all, but it sure can make the drive home a chore.  And those poor fish, they will probably have their own “hangover” after this weekend.  But all will be back to normal Monday, including me getting back on the water.

And it is nice for folks like me who do not mess with reels to have the Tackle Box.  They are pretty quick on the cleanings, which is nice if you have lots of reels, which I do.  And they know what is biting and what is selling which can help with lure selection depending on the time of year.  I appreciate your comment and feel free to comment any time the spirit moves you.

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A big congratulations to the boat Smooth Move with a big marlin, 720 lbs to win Poco Bueno.  There were 5 marlin over 443 lbs, which are some good fish.  And the ACY63 Tenacious for their first place catch and release.  There is just something about catching a marlin, and if I had to pick one fish in my life it would be my first marlin.  The waves crashing over the transom, diesel smoke, the marlin jumping right at the boat, it does not get any more exciting than that.

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A RANT

I try to avoid politics on this site but there are times when I just can not help myself.  I am very concerned with something I read in the small paper The Island Moon, which we picked up on North Padre Sunday.  4,200 acres of land UNDER Choke Canyon is going up for lease for oil drilling.  Now do not get me wrong, I agree with my Land Man buddy Aaron, if you don’t like drilling go home and turn off your house.  But this is to freakin’ much!  No matter how safe they try to be there is always the potential for a spill or accident.  Rigs and drilling on the lake is completely counter to the great outdoors.  Not only is it a good fishing lake, it is the drinking water for Corpus Cristi and the surrounding area.  And that is bad enough but what struck me in the article is this ………….

“However, a government policy issued in January now  requires the Bureau of Land Management – the agency in charge of oil and gas leasing – to offer industry nominated parcels for lease…..”

What is scary about that?  That the industry will be deciding where they can drill and the BLM will just stand back and let them have free reign.  Sorry if you are in the oil business, many folks here are, but letting any industry make their own rules will only lead to abuse at some point.  What’s next?  Big Bend, under the park downtown, in your yard?  All because they nominate a place?  This is a bad idea.  I hope it is not that easy.

Another example is the government opening the Anwr in Alaska to drilling, I have a problem with that.  We need to protect places like Anwr and they should stay that way.  If you have spent as much time in the outdoors as I have it is clear, there are more folks using the outdoors.  It is getting more crowded every day and there should be some places that remain off limits for all time.  There just needs to be some places in this world that are protected and unless we are in a national emergency they should stay wild.  And to drill under Choke Canyon is just plain wrong.

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I am sorry but when we are topping 100 degrees I am just not that mad at them.  Fortunately it looks like it will temper some with the slight chance of rain mid week.  And the wind is definitely down so with it being cooler on the bay it is time to enjoy those little cooler temps in the water.  It is a little tougher for me in the doldrums of summer catching trout on lures, but after saving the day on a drop at least I have some kind of a pattern to start.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines