FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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First, I am going fishing first thing Thursday morning raining or not.  I have spent about as much time in the house as I can stand.  I am really interested to see what changes all this rain has made to the fishing.  One thing I am pretty sure of is that the upper ends will be muddy so I will have to change my game plan no matter what.  It will be one of those days where I have no preconceived notions as to what I might find so it will take an open mind tomorrow.  Plus want to put the new trolling motor through it’s paces and be sure all is good with that.

The rain has finally slacked off some this afternoon.  Our area has had from 5″ to over 10″ of rain, we have had 6″ plus, but it will be slowly moving out of here with the low tomorrow afternoon.  So we sure needed it but hope the damages are to a minimum.

Weather

89/75  Scattered thunderstorms in the morning then cloudy.  40% chance  Wind SE 10 – 15 mph.

Lake Level

Today  (Wednesday evening.)  95.64msl    Last Friday   94.98 msl  (It is charging up.)  This morning as I get ready to hit the lake  95.75 msl.   Home at 1:30 now  95.79 msl.  Friday morning as I finish this:  95.84 msl.

Solunar Times

Best  6:13 am to 8:13 am.   (Only relevant time.)

*********************Get inhaled!  

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When I got up at 5:30 it was lightly drizzling.  I checked the radar and the lake level and off I went.  Before we talk about the fishing lets get the lake condition report out of the way, and in a form that won’t be disjointed.

The water temp was 83 at the ramp, down about 4 degrees or so from before it rained.  Way up either arm the temp was in the low 80’s, and 80 in one place.  The water color is clear down lake except a place or two that had runoff, even that was not muddy.  What surprised me in both arms, there is no distinct mud line full of trash that I expected from this much rain.  Now it is possible that it is still coming but it was a gradual coloring up, but not muddy where I have been fishing.  Which is around the plant in that arm, and past the big bend in the other arm.   And looking at the bank the water is clearly on the way up, and should continue to do so.  So if you are thinking of fishing have at it.

I started pitching at the color change and this was the first one, which turned out to be the best for the morning.

It was not raining when I started, which did not last long as it rained the rest of the morning.  Starting where I have been fishing I really did alternate between pitching the plastic, swim jig, and buzzbait.  Today I did that in all kinds of different places specifically to see if there was any major change, and basically there isn’t.  The fish have been in the shallow cover, and there was no change.  Again pitching was still the ticket and 5 or 6 made it over the side before I moved on.

This is the buzzbait size, and other than getting broke off, none have been any better than this.  The first one was in 2″s of water on one of those bushes with lots of cover.

I left them biting where I have been fishing to head all the way down and then up to the plant area.  Like the creek arm, the color change is gradual.  The only thing that was different in the plant arm is I did not have a bite in 3 places, one where I have been catching the better ones.  From there it was the long channel bank and several took a swipe at the buzzbait, 2 made the boat, and a big one (maybe?) broke my line.  That is what I get for not re-trying.  It should be a mandatory practice every time you hit the water, but I digress.

On the way I stopped at a main lake point in sight of the ramp, it has stumps, and boated a couple on buzzbait, but they were really small.  I also hit a main lake bank with pretty good water on it with swim jig, nothing.  And before I continued on to the plant I made one pass in a big clear cove with buzzbait, not a bite.

The fishing today was ok.  It was not the 20+ fish mornings I have been having, around 10 today, but that had a lot to do with trying new places and moving even when they were biting.  But the goal, figure out what the rain might have done to the fishing was accomplished.  The answer: Nothing much.  Fishing was just like it has been and with the water still coming up I expect it to maybe even get a little better as more cover floods.

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I can always count on Billy to respond to my musings.

You will never be a true TEXAN. Sorry, that’s just how it is.
Cheaters…….SUCK!!!
Someone posted a picture of a boat in Port A. At first glance, everything seems normal. Looks like it’s sitting in the bay. Wrong, it was in a yard.
It’s “accept” responsibility. Yes, I’m a grammar/spelling nerd…….lol.

I figured that on being a Texan.  And cheaters do suck and more should be done when found.  One thing I learned from years of practicing criminal law, once a cheater, always a cheater.  And yep, Port A had another round but looks like we are out of the rain pattern.  Tough on them but we sure needed it.  And the “accept” thing, I know, I just get lazy on the editing.  I decided a long time ago since I do not do this for money that those kinds of mistake, while I am sure to some readers are quite distracting, it is what it is.  Plus I am usually tired and just want to get it done.  As usual thanks for your input, I always enjoy it.

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GO HOGS!

The Hogs are one win away from the championship round at the College World Series.  They have Florida tonight, and then tomorrow should Florida win.  So here we go, win 1 out of 2 and we are in.  Yahoo!

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I really was surprised that there was not more of a mud line with the accompanying trash.  My theory?  It was so freakin’ dry around here that much of it soaked in which kept the rise to a dull roar.  I hope this is right and the fishing just gets better.  So my advice – Go fishing!

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As soon as I post this I will pack and do a few things and head down to Corpus to meet Aaron for a little Upper Laguna fishing.  He has been whacking them so it will interesting to see if that continues.  They got more rain in that area so we shall see what effect it might have had.  But no matter what a trip there always includes a stop at Roy’s, one of my favorite tackle stores I have ever been in.  I promise not to buy anything, NOT.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

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!**

Here I sit, completely bored, boat ready to go fish a rainy day, and it is just not going to happen.  It is really pouring, and I mean buckets.  In fact, I have been up the last 3 mornings at 5:00 in an attempt to go, but it has been back to bed.  We were 11″ down but that is rapidly being replaced, but flooding will soon be a real issue from Brownsville to North of Houston.  Some areas have had 5 – 10 inches in the last day, with one area south of Corpus that got 6 inches in a little over an hour.  Our house is on a high point in our neighborhood and we have lots of standing water in the front yard, which is a sign it is getting pretty wet.

Lake Level

5 days ago  94.98 msl    Today  95.43 msl    (That is a half a foot since it started, and the really heavy rain is here with more coming over the next couple of days so the rise may be epic.  I just checked it 2 hours after I initially started working on this post and it is now 95.58 msl.  It is on the rise bigtime.)

It looks like our drought may be over, but it is a tough way to get there.  The last year we have experienced some of the most extreme weather I have seen in the 10 years we have been here.  Just think, Harvey, then snow, and now major flooding in the last year alone.  But one thing you can say about Texans, they just keep on rolling.  So with 2 more days of steady rain to go only time will tell what the end result will be.  No matter what it will be a big change to both fresh and salt.

*********************Get inhaled!  

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On the fishing front, TPWD has come out with new regs that I assume  (I am not sure.) will become law when the book comes out, but if you fish any of these lakes, and there are a bunch, you might want to check the list.  The regs change some slot lakes to the statewide limits, and one in particular in our area, Fayette and a couple of others, will change from a 14″ to 24″ slot to a 16″ to 24″.  So whenever it goes in affect you can keep them up to 16″.  That is a good change that will only help.

One thing “bass fisherman” are guilty of is NOT taking a few to eat.  As long as folks primarily practice catch and release the resource can take it.  There is no doubt that catch and release over the last couple of decades definitely made today’s bass fishing what it is, and that is thanks to bass fishermen.  (This is from a guy who before real length limits won a bass tournament with a 10 fish limit that weighed 9lbs.)  But the time to release everything caught has passed.  The fishing is as good as it has ever been, keeping a few bass for the plate is good for the resource.  Remember that our lakes, no matter the make up, can support so many pounds of fish per acre, so taking the small ones only helps.  Now I have to admit I have been willing to criticize TPWD when I feel they are wrong on an issue, but at some point we have to trust the biologists recommendations.  If they think we can keep a few more we need to trust their judgment, if it turns out to be wrong it won’t take long to figure it out.

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And speaking of Texans I have a question.  How long before a transplant can one call themselves a Texan, if they ever can?  My daughter was born in Arkansas after I moved there.  Now according to her she is an Arkansawyer (Actually correct.) and I could never be since I was not born there.  What in ingrate!  Should have taken her to some other place to be born, like Mississipi.  (Just kidding about Mississipi, but not the ingrate.)  Just wondering.

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A cheater, or a poor excuse for a fisherman, was caught cheating  (How many times has he done this?  And if he has any past wins they should be taken off the books.)  in a kayak tournament, it is the reason no matter how much fun fishing tournaments can be I have fished very few in the past years.  Any tournament that relies on the honesty of tournament anglers with no checks in the system is suspect.  And that is sad.  About the only way a tournament can be as reliable as possible is team tournaments with a draw or mandatory polygraphs.  With partner tourneys each team has 1 boater and 1 no boater.  I know it won’t work with kayak tourneys but is easily applicable to other tournaments.  Then they draw another team and the no boaters fishes with the other boater as a safeguard.  My only comment is it should not only have big penalties for cheating, including fines and jail time, it is theft, but a lifetime fishing and hunting ban.  It may not deter all cheating but it will remove some of the slime balls from the sport.

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One thing I really enjoy about soccer, the devastating injuries.  These guys take flopping to new heights.  A guy is bumped and he falls to the ground, flops like a bass on the deck, moans and groans, and then looks out of the corner of his eye to see if he will get the call.  These guys make basketball players look like tough guys.  I am not sure yet of what the contact rules are and why some is a foul and some isn’t.  (Oh No.  While I am actually typing there is a guy suffering  horribly and rolling around, but wait, like magic he is headed down the field at full speed.  A miracle!)  But I am thankful that after they suffer such a serious injury they are able to hop up when they don’t get the call and run on downfield.  Brave competitors.  (Can you tell I am bored yet?)

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And since I am rambling on some unrelated issues, let me comment on a couple of commercials on the radio that drive me nuts.  They are both from companies that will help you make a settlement for less than you owe on both taxes and credit cards.  Now before some of you go all cranky on me I know stuff happens.  Life does throw some people curves resulting in money issues, it happened to us in the past.  My problem is that you had the $$$ when you did not pay your taxes, and you enjoyed the use of your credit cards to buy lots of stuff that you could not pay for, and now you don’t want to pay it all back?  Sometimes it is just necessary to except responsibility, realize you messed up, and it is your duty to pay it back no matter how hard it is, or how long it takes.  By shirking your duties you make the rest of us pay for your irresponsibility.   Sorry, but sometimes I just do not get “it”.

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I have just seen the video posted on facebook of Port Aransas where it is really starting to flood, and the rain keeps on coming.  Those folks have had enough, many places are already not re-opening, and some are still repairing or have just opened.  If anyone needed a break it is those folks.  Looking at the forecast the end is not quite in sight.  All I can say is give those poor folks a break.

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So that is it for today.  I am going in the morning and I could give a heck whether it is raining or not.  I can only imagine what the lake will look like and I will head up both arms and give you a fresh report.  It obviously will be really muddy, it will just depend on far down each arm it is, and what the water temp is.  Then Friday it is off to Corpus to meet Aaron as we head to Bird Island Saturday to lay the smack down on the trout he has been whipping on.  As far as fishing goes the coming days will be interesting.  This is a lot of rain and there will be changes, it waits to be seen what they are.  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!**

There’s a storm a comin’!

While watching the weather at 10:30  Thursday night it dawned on me, if he is right, that tomorrow might be the last fishable day for the next 4 or 5.  So with not a bit of thought or preparation I was up and gone to the lake before daylight.

Weather

92/75  Partly cloudy with stay thunderstorms.  20% chance.  Wind SE 15 – 25.

Lake Levels

Today  94.98 msl   Yesterday 95.01  (The steady decline continues.)

Solunar Times

Good  6:41 am to 8:51 am  (Definitely biting during this period.)   Best  12:57 pm to 2:57 pm.

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Get inhaled!  

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The lake continues it’s downward spiral.  There is color at both upper ends, otherwise it is fairly clear.  The water temp was 85 in the morning and moving to 90 when I quit at 1:00.  The wind was just starting to come up, and I got rained on twice.  What finally drove me off was a big black cloud coming and it was raining pretty good.  Of course by time I got home it had quit in town.  Man we need it to rain, then rain some more.

I know it may be getting boring but the fishing was consistent again today, a few on swim jig, a couple on buzzbait, and 20+ pitching the watermelon red plastic.  It has boiled down to pitching any wood, using the swim jig on straight stretches, and throwing the buzzbait when ever the mood strikes me.

The best on a buzzbait today.  Came out of a patch of shade in a foot of water.

The best wood continues to be that with branches or tangles.  Not that there is not the occasional fish on a stump, but if there is a tangle you can usually get a bite with a good cast.  Even some of that in a foot of water has a fish on it.  And anything that “looks good” deserves at least a couple of casts, and I caught 4 or 5 after the first cast on several pieces of structure today.

This is the kind that has been biting this week.

And be prepared for the swim off.  Some knock it pretty good, but just as many start swimming with it.  It definitely is not a good time to get in a feeling contest with them, you will usually lose, plus they have it anyway.  I missed at least a half a dozen today by not just setting the hook the minute I felt anything, kind of like a defensive back taking a peak into the backfield, you will get burned.  And one thing I learned from Aaron, try to give it as many shakes as you can close to cover, very few of them hit more than a hop or two outside the cover.  And be sure to have your plastic straight and as streamlined as possible so you can work it over the wood.  If you hook point is not buried you will be getting hung up with a good pitch.  Better to be hung on a fish.

I have been using 20lb. Big Game.  It is fairly tough stiff and does not fray or nick like fluorocarbon, and I break less fish off with it. And then there is no need to use the same leader with braid.  Plus it is a cheap option that allows for continued line changes.  In fact today I brought a couple to the boat with the stick they were wrapped around.  And as far as feel, when you are only pitching it 10 feet or less from the boat you should be able to discern a bite and the fish sure do not care.  And I am not using some heavy rod, just a MH 6 1/2 foot, it is all in the pitch.

It has been a good week when you throw in the last 7 days, lots of trout and bass.  When the fishing is this good it is hard to decided what is next.  The big question – What will happen on the lake if we get the amount of rain we are supposed to?  Over the decades I have seen the fish respond several ways on a lake, they seem to either come up with the raise, or hold right where they were when it came up.  Additionally if we get a gully washer then the bay will also feel the effects, or it may turn out to be a whole lot of nothing.

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 Mike, who I believe is with tacklejak, sent along this comment.

This is epic! Being a fishing info fanatic, I can relate. I’m going to save this and send to a few of my friends.

Thanks, not sure it deserves all that but I appreciate you sharing my blog with your buddies.  I don’t advertise or promote like is should but actually that is what I am most proud of.  The blog started with a few folks and has spread slowly but surely, much of it after being shared with friends.  And since this comment was on a How To article it is the best compliment.  Sharing information makes us all better fishermen.  Thanks for commenting.

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I love my boat.  It may not be the best crossing the bay in 25mph winds, but it is a great bass boat, bay boat, and an easy tow.  Today I put on a new trolling motor and I am continually amazed at the absolutely shitty way this boat was rigged.  Seriously, some of it was stupid, ie: a splice in the bilge, the console was not nailed down, the wrong breaker on the trolling motor, and the list went on and on. (Note: They did fix most of it.)  So beware if you buy a boat from Katy Bass Pro.  So when I go to put on the trolling motor I have to remove the rod tubes, bad design, and then find only 3 of 6 bolts had a nut and washer on them.  Now do not get me wrong, mounting the trolling motor was the biggest hassle I have had ever, which is saying a lot as I could fill a boat with old motors.  So I have it mounted properly and can not wait to give it a go.  The old one would just start running, never a good thing.

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KVD is the best bass fisherman who ever lived.  $6.5 million in earnings, 4 Bassmaster Championships, 25 tour wins, over 100 tour top 10’s, and now the 2018 Major League  championship, for a 3rd time.  What stands out to me most is how he can do what needs to be done.  Is it a catch as many as you can?  Ok.  Or is it a 5 fish biggest limit?  Ok.  And all against the best in the world.  Every once in a while we see an athlete come along who is dominate, and in a sport as tough as professional bass fishing it may be a while before another “KVD” comes along.

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I confess to watching some of the World Cup.  Actually a couple of the games have been exciting.  What makes it stand out is those of us who watch sports have “home” teams.  In the World Cup the whole country gets behind one team, and folks go ape snot nuts.  At some point guess I will read the rules.

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And how about those Hogs beating the pants of Texas.  Sorry Longhorns.  They are loaded both offensively and pitching and they are playing well.  Go Hogs.

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This morning it is off to the store to buy more stuff, and I should get the trolling motor finished up today.  Now it will just be a matter of waiting for the rain that we have been promised.  They moved the big rain back a couple of days and so I will be watching closely and get out as soon as I can.  And this weekend it will be Rockport with Aaron for some trout, and if his pattern and place holds there is a smack down coming.  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!**

Thought I would slide in one more lake morning before the rain gets here.  According to the weather dude, he is not all that reliable, it is going to start raining soon and keep on raining on and off for days.  We can only hope.

Weather

94/74  Scattered rain and thunderstorms.  50% chance.  (It sprinkled)  Wind SE 10 – 20mph.

Lake Level

Today  95.01 msl   Tuesday  95.10 msl   (And the drop continues.)

Solunar Periods

Good  5:35 am to 7:35 am.  (Yep)   Best  11:19 am to 1:19 pm.  (Yep)

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Get inhaled!  Dealing with grass, nothing beats the Controlled Descent fished weedless, it comes through like a champ.

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As I headed up lake at daylight it was just about dead calm.  The water is clearly about to really get low, the drop was visible from just 2 days ago.  The temp was 87 at the ramp and was 91 on the main lake at 12:30 when there was thunder on both sides of me and I called it a morning.  First up was swim jig, and before I got done with the first bank 5 jumped on, and it would continue like that off and on all morning.

There are a few good ones out there if you keep after it.  Caught pitching to wood.  A big head slim body girl.

Basically from daylight until 10:30 or so I stayed with the swim jig and whenever a piece of cover, they are getting few and far between, presented itself I pitched the 5″ watermelon red stick worm with a 3/8th tungsten weight.  About half of them just started swimming with it, so if it moves, hit it!  Unlike Tuesday the fish were clearly up and active everywhere and there were very few periods where I was not catching fish, though like usual most were small.

Later in the morning I headed up the other arm and of all things ran into a reader.  He was just on a boat ride and asked if I was that guy.  Guilty as charged.  It is so nice to meet folks who read this blog.  At times I wonder if anyone is out there and it is nice to know you are.

Pitching was clearly the way to go today, Especially when the sun was out.

The first bank I fished up that arm was where the swim jig had been working and it was surprising to not get a bite.  So I re-fished it with a buzzbait and caught one and missed another.  The wind was finally up a little, not near what the forecast said, so I stuck with the buzzbait for a while.  I caught 5 or 6 on it, but still can not get that bite from a big girl.  You would think I would give it up, but until they stop hitting it I will not stop throwing it.  Especially on one of the cloudy rainy days coming.  But again, see the one on the left, whenever I got to a good piece of cover I would pitch.  And cover with good deep water nearby is clearly better than the shallow stuff.  The way the lake is falling they are not having that type of places right now.  And of course points, always points this time of year.

Basically the little deeper cover was the best, and while most were small, and I caught a bunch, it was good fishing.  It was an easy 20+ this morning.  Taking into account the current falling water and high temps the fishing was pretty good.  Some of that may have to do with the coming front.  The deer and hogs were out, I saw several gators and even a racoon on the shoreline eating something that was fairly crunchy from the sounds of it.

Also they were jerking crappie all over the lake and I actually saw several folks actually catching them.  And from what I am seeing the crappie are biting all over the lake, just pick a place.  And one string I know of was caught out of 20′ so they are out there.  And for you hard core bass fishermen the big long points on the lower end of the lake should be hot right now if you like to fish deep.  So in spite of the weather and conditions fishing on the lake is not to bad.  To bad it is so freakin’ hot.

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Tommie V, after sending me the pic when he and his girlfriend won the Coleto Bassmaster Tournament, sent me this very cool picture.

Broke the sheldon lake record using my flyrod.  I was catching crappie using a bass popper when I noticed a big swirl.  I maneuvered the boat in order to make a perfect cast….well she liked the presentation….I think I’m still shaking.

It was caught 4/11/18.  24″  9.23 lbs.

All I can say about that is wow!  That is a hoss!  Where preparation and opportunity intersect and you got the job done.  Nothing like that memory, way to go.  Thanks for sharing and as this is an open forum for anyone to send me stuff, feel free to keep it up.  And it looks like you have had a pretty good spring.

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I have been slowly updating some things on the flats boat, and the trolling motor is next.  Over the decades I have settled on Minnkota but they do have 2 flaws, one is the way the head is mounted on the shaft.  Basically it gets shook loose and I do not understand why they do not have a better way.  And when you get the variable speed if you leave the handle extended it slowly shakes and then turns on.  I have had mine fixed twice by 2 different places and it is still shaking loose and starts running as I drive, so time for a change.  I must admit since it has been on the boat for 8 years and lived a hard life there really is not much to complain about.   Just break out another grand!  I have the new one but it looks like unlike past boats this is a mounting nightmare.  It is always something.

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I heard from my buddy Aaron and he has been smoking the trout somewhere near Rockport.  If you remember I posted that giant he caught a month ago, and he is still on a roll.  Give that boy some water and a rod and he is the best fisherman I know by a good bit.  So he has them found and it looks like next weekend he is going to take me to the promise land.  In an interesting aside, he reports that he is adding fish bites to his plastics and they are slamming it.  Fishing with him both fresh and salt he is always looking for that little extra, and when he finds it, and he usually does, it is game on.  Can’t wait!

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This has been an interesting stretch when you consider all the different fish and places I have been after the last 6 weeks.  Now with a trip with Aaron next week, and maybe a trip to Falcon if the weather will cooperate, it is a good run and I hope it continues.  And I hope to fish with Michael from Controlled Descent in 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!**

Today’s Tip

I constantly harp here on keeping a close watch on your trailer.  Todd’s flat tire just reinforced this.  Make sure you check your spare occasionally, if it is under inflated you may not make it another 10 miles, and make sure you have a good 4 way and extra tools.  Having had a fender ripped off myself a few tools in the trunk beats sitting beside the road trying to figure out what the heck to do some Sunday morning at 5:00 am.

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My usual beginning of the week, today does not count as it was a get my stuff together day, will be fishing Coleto.  With a good dose of trout fishing this weekend I am interested to see if the fish have completely abandoned the shallows yet.  So I will be on the water at daylight, just have to see how long I can take it.  And it will definitely be a Mako day because when the wind is blowing the skiff gets blown all over the place, definitely not conducive to pitching.  Just have to see how it goes.

Weather

96/74  Partly Cloudy.  Wind SSE 15 – 25 mph.  10% chance rain.  (The wind is projected to blow for at least a  week, even to 30 mph in a couple of days.  We need rain.)

Lake Level

Today  95.10 msl   8 days ago  95.35  (The drop continues.)

Solunar Times

9:44 am to 11:44 am.  (Should be awesome other than super hot, high winds, falling lake level.)  

********************Get inhaled!  If you fish Port Mansfield do not go without a couple of packages.  Fishing it weedless it handles floating and shallow grass like a champ. 

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Some days you do – and today I didn’t!

After catching a big bass last trip I was up and raring to go.  I got out at daylight, there was a light breeze, a few clouds and the water temp was in the mid 80’s over the whole lake, and I fished both ends.  It is definitely on the way down, but still not as low as 3 or 4 years ago, but it might not be long.  First up was a shallow bank, one of the few with some vegetation on it, and 3 jumped on the bluegill color swim jig with a craw trailer.  They were smacking it, but just did not make the grade.  Next was a deeper bank and another ate the swim jig, but again small.  So being about 8:00 it was time to turn around and run to the other end.

I finally took some pictures when it was apparent they might not get any bigger.  And they didn’t, but the swim jig fish were a little bigger than the buzzbait fish.

Once I got up there the water was fairly clear and the wind was blowing so it was time to fish the buzzbait.  Unfortunately while they were hitting it, they were nothing to talk about.  I finally got smart and put it down, sometimes I just can not help myself.  At this point with the wind it was tough to pitch.  In fact out of one brushy spot I could not get a bite in the wood because I could not make a good pitch, so I picked up the buzzbait and caught one first cast.  So with them running small I went back to the swim jig.

They were willing and I kept waiting for the big bite which never came.

In one spot I caught 1 and missed several, then I broke my line on what would have been the best fish of the day.  There is such a give and take when using 10 – 12lb line.  After setting the hook thousands of times in my life there are times when I set the hook before I “know” it.  Pure muscle memory, and definitely to hard apparently.   Then it was down lake and trying a little crankbait, but no results. By noon they were not having it.  I ended up catching 9, the 4 above were all they amounted to, most on the swim jig.  But I did see several pigs, lots of deer, birds, and a couple of big gators, which makes every day on the water worth living.

So being hot and blowing I headed to the ramp.  There was one at the ramp when I left, and 2 when I took out.  And the few other boats I saw were crappie fishing, which is still the best choice on Coleto.  But hey, it is summer and there is always tomorrow.

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I got this interesting question from Bruce and I had to think about it for a minute.

If I put in at 1289 and go toward the big part of powderhorn do you have any advice on good spots.

First I have never put in by the bridge, for me the Indianola Marina is it, and I am not sure you can launch there unless you are talking a kayak or maybe a Ghenno, or know something I don’t.  Which is highly possible.  Since they redid the bridge not sure there is anywhere to launch, I never have looked.  But generally when you head from the bridge down the channel out to the main bay it is really shallow depending on the tide until in the open bay, you have to be really careful.  A perfect example of why: my $3,500 repair bill after hitting a pipe.

But that being said the back end usually has some good reds in it and I have caught lots on spinnerbait back there.  The left bank coming out seems to usually hold them, and though shallow you can follow that bank almost all the way to the boat lane near the marina.  And as the bay opens there is a small pocket/cove, which I believe they called Mail Box on the opposite side, it is really shallow, really muddy, stick to the left idling in or use the trolling motor.  Both sides going in and out have reds, you just have to stay off the bank, again depending on the tide.  Generally the trout are harder to find in the Powderhorn, but I generally do better in the front end on the east side after the old point sticking out.  And at the end of the pipes lining the boat lane coming from the marina there is an oyster bar you can see on the map and that place has produced trout for me.

It really is not the easiest place to fish but it can have it’s moments.  No matter what take it easy as you learn it.  It is not that big and caution will go a long way.  I am not trying to scare you, just a word to the wise.  It can be a fun place to fish and rarely has traffic that is an issue.  I would suggest you get the hard map, and do a little study, and if you have any other questions let me know or know something I don’t drop me a line.  Good luck and let us know how it goes.  And thanks for reading.

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

And I got this good report and a question from Tommy.

Hey redfishlaw, I really enjoy all your coleto creek reports…..I fishes the coleto bassmasters tournament with my girlfriend as my partner….we took 1st place in some terrible weather….at times I would like to post pics to the blog, how do I go about doing that?

Email on the way.  Listen folks, anytime you want to share anything drop me a comment and I will forward my email address to you.  We don’t care if it is one trout that squeaks 15″ or a 10lb bass.  And when we can get a little more participation from “girls” instead of old smelly guys that is a plus.  (Except for my buddy Faye!  fishcatchingtravel’s resident best girl.)  So send them along.

And listen the rest of you, you do not have to be Hemingway to send a report, we love them just the way we get them.  This is not an exercise in the proper written word, this is a place for fishing stories in our own words.  So thanks Tommy and I will be looking forward to your pictures and reports anytime you want.  And one thing if you do not know, I have one rule with reports.  If you do not want me to “tell” where, etc. let me know, your choice.

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

And before I got this posted here is his picture.

Had around 35 fish,  weight was only 13.22lbs….for the win of 40 teams….winds reached 30+mph multiple times and hailed on us twice….at one point the weather was bad enough to beach the boat and take cover in some thick woods….I was not going to try to run into the hail and chance it….

Tommy Vinas and Melissa Duncan

Congrats to you and your girlfriend on a real grinder of a day.  Coleto has been fishing like this off and on, more off, quite often this spring.  (See today.)  The big fish are still there but come few and far between.  And as far as I am concerned hiding in the trees when it is hailing sounds good to me, running in it is not all it is cracked up to be.  Been there, done that.  So thanks for the picture, anytime you want to chime in feel free.  And if you get the urge to write something, on a technique, method, pattern, whatever, give it a go.  I try to make this a place where we can share and all learn something.

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

Doing a little reflecting on the Port Mansfield report one thing that I found interesting was the size of the trout.  They were really pretty living in that grass, definitely different than other areas I have fished.  But I was somewhat confused as to the body size.  We had plenty that were in the 16′ range with a few bigger but they definitely did not have the bulk and body size of the ones in the POC area.  Lots of real skinny trout.  That could have been what and where we fished, but the difference was notable.

Now on the area itself it was easy to see why it is a trout factory.  Acres and acres of grass with some pretty good depth in places makes it what it is.  And not blowing smoke here, using the Controlled Descent Lures weedless made it so much easier to fish. I never did figure out, and the trout refused to tell me, what color was best, or whether they preferred the Paddle Shad or the Jerk Shad.  Additionally finding the right swim bait hook (1/16th) and adding a rattle kept the bait above the bottom grass and below the surface grass.  And if you remember my last day at POC they wanted it ripped/pulled right along, and that worked.  I fished beside David and we alternated retrieves from straight steady, slow jerk, fast jerks, hopping and dropping, but were never able to find “the” retrieve.  Guess I will have to go back and see if I can remedy that.  It was a cool place to fish.

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

One thing that is irritating me right now is stupid, or tone deaf, best I can tell.  Here we are, possibly in a drought and the state will be hearing a petition from GBRA to sell more water upstream from Victoria.  Any day now we will be in rationing and they want to sell upstream water for oil and gas.  Hey, I love oil, it keeps my motor from blowing up, and I love gas, but selling more water out of the Guadalupe is nuts.  Just my .02 worth.

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

I just spent the last hour checking on the weather in lots of places from POC to Zapata to Texoma to Del Rio, and all are about the same, some real big wind coming any day next week and according to the weather dude it is going to pour down rain here.  Man we need it.   I kind of have another travel itch, but looking at it I am not feeling inspired.  So I will sit back and see if anything changes.  The wind will not stop me from fishing, but it will play a role in where.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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!**

Port Mansfield

I always enjoy fishing with whatever variation of the Austin Boys show up for a fishing extravaganza and this time was no exception.  Ro, his son Michael, John and other John, Todd, David, Pete and I made up this bunch and it was some weekend in all respects.  I spent the weekend with Ro, Michael, and David, the other 4 were in Todd’s boat.  But the tail of 2 boats includes the caveat – “So you want to own a boat?”   More on that was we go along.

What is not to like about this?  Curtesy of Todd.

We met Thursday afternoon, unloaded the stuff, and boy was there stuff, and we were in the water by 6:00 for a couple of hours.  The wind was blowing almost 20mph and it never did slow down the whole weekend.  The water temp was around 87 degrees and there was tons of floating grass, which really was a problem most of the weekend.

To bad the grass was so thick.

If memory serves me I think it was maybe a total  3 or 4 keepers wading the grass flats off East Cut for both boats.  Most of us caught at least a fish or two and  my mastery of the short began and continued most of the weekend.  But not a bad start.  But the floating grass was everywhere thanks to the wind and never let up.  And though I caught my one and only on a topwater that evening, I did not throw it much the rest of the weekend.  So here was my first take away dealing with the grass, the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad, in any color, caught as many fish as anyone all weekend because I could make it almost completely weedless.  I used it with a rattle and a 1/16 ounce weighted swim bait hook, tipping the hook lightly in the body sure made fishing easier.

What a way to end the day.

********************Get inhaled!  If you fish Port Mansfield do not go without a couple of packages.  Fishing it weedless it handles floating and shallow grass like a champ. 

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

The next morning we were gone at daylight.  We went north to an area known as some “hump”, I have already forgot most of the names of where we fished, so bear with me.  We stopped on the west side of the bay first thing, you had to fish that side first thing because by 9:00 the wind was pounding on it and it was chocolate.  On the first wade I lost a really big fish on the Controlled Descent, obviously a great red.

Michael with a nice 19″

So we pulled up and headed further up the bay when a disaster struck.  Ever had something happen before your eyes and there was nothing you could do about it?  Apparently the trolling motor did not get locked in place, it is one of those digital remote controlled jobs, when it rose up as we were running along in 5 foot of murky water and deployed.  And in slow motion, really the blink of an eye, it ripped right off the front of the boat.  The motor hit it on the way by, and was gone.  Gone, Gone!  All I have to say about that, is boy that sucked!  But we soldiered on.  This was the beginning, but not the end, of the 2 boat tale.

We picked up Ro and the rest of his limit.  The man is one mad wader!

Next stop was a nice ditch next to an island where Ro has caught flounder in the past and we added a couple of keeper flounder wading.  By this time it was starting to color up pretty good so we decided to drift and it took us about an hour to find some, and boy did we.  The water was boob deep, (Would have been neck deep on me.) but Ro wanted to wade so he hopped in, and we continued to drift and everyone started catching them.  Before it was over we limited, and Ro probably caught 30 or more so it was a beat down.  Most of the fish were in 3 – 4ft of water, and from noon until 2:00 the bite was on and when we went to lunch we left them biting.  One comment on the trout in that area, they are a cool color thanks to living in all that grass.  But as far as size went they were long and lean, not sure why, but who notices when they are frying in the pan.

And kudos to his son Michael.  He was consistent all weekend and caught his share of good ones.  In fact he was the man.  We gave him just tons of grief as he starts A&M in the fall.  There are enough good A&M jokes to last a weekend, but it was all in good fun, and his results sure shut us up.  He is a good young man and I sure enjoyed fishing with him and his dad.  (You too David.)  I stuck with the Controlled Descent and caught fish most of the day, but lots of mine were small.  But when you break 4 off during the day it is obviously operator error, or bad line, so the next day I switched to a spinning rod and solved that problem.  So we ended the morning with a limit of 20 trout and 2 flounder.  And here comes the second part of this 2 boat tale.

A nice box full.

For some reason, it happens, the other boat was only able to boat 4 keepers.  Sometimes it just does not go your way and it was tough for them.  We met them for a late lunch and my boat folks took a nap.  So I went out with the other guys for a short evening wade near the East Cut.  We caught a few, John actually caught 9 shorts without moving, the rest of us a few, and other John lost a big black drum.   So we called it a day and headed back for our usual ridiculous evening feed.

I told him skip the A&M, just head straight to the guiding!  Not sure Dad was down with that advice.

Saturday there was tons of traffic, but it did not turn out to be that big a deal for a weekend, and we headed back up to the “spot”.  It was definitely tougher today as the wind was thumping right along and the water was coloring up fast.  Like yesterday the fish were near the color change, but both days they were basically in the really clear water, most in around 3 foot.  Though we struggled, I think we had 10 keepers that morning, and we caught lots of smalls. Ro put several in the boat on a chartreuse looking Skitter Walk slowly twitching it, I stuck with the Controlled Descent.  One we found interesting is there was no consistent way to retrieve, and the color preference varied constantly.  It was hard to develop a consistent pattern.  We only made one wade that day as we drifted looking for fish.  The other boat had a another tough morning, they only had a couple of keepers, so they headed in for an early lunch.  Unfortunately the 2 boat tale was about to add to their pain as they headed back.

As they idled away David and I both heard something in their engine, faint, but one of those noises you don’t ever want to hear.  They got a couple of miles from Port M when the lower unit started clanking and banging, and they could not go one rpm over idle.  Their day, and weekend, was done.  Whatever gave out was only in forward, but boy was it hurt.  So Todd backed his trailer in and I drove it to the ramp and loaded up.  A really tough break and another addition to the tale, but the tale was not complete.  So after a little lunch our bunch went out for one more run at it.  We headed south to Hole and Saucer and Michael continued to smack em’, and I continued to lose big fish.  Michael added a couple of keeper reds and a nice trout, giving us around 13 or so for the day, not bad as we called it a trip.

See, I actually caught a fish.  Like most for the weekend on the Paddle Shad.

Michael, Ro, and David took off for Austin that evening, to bad for them.  Todd is a great cook, and if you read this stuff you know he always does something spectacular in the kitchen.  In his younger days he worked in restaurants and he cooked us a recipe he learned from a place in Louisiana, Redfish Ponchartrain.  So without further ado, one of the highlights of the weekend as usual.

A filet, some great crab dressing, another filet, all topped with hollandaise.  To freakin’ die for!  We never go hungry.  Thanks Todd.

So what a weekend.  But wait, the 2 boats tale is not quite over.  Sunday morning we had some breakfast and I hit the road.  Todd, Pete and the 2 Johns finished packing up and headed home a little while later.  I was driving along when I got this text, adding insult to their injury.

Nothing like a blow out to add to the weekend after your lower unit gives up the ghost.

They were rolling along when they had a major blow out, which also shredded the fender while it was at it.  But they were able to quickly change the tire and get back on the road.  So for the weekend, one trolling motor, one lower unit, one boat out fished the other by a good bit,  then finished off with a blow out and fender shred.  So you want to own a boat huh?  All of us boat owners can sympathize, shit happens, it just sucks when it is you.

But none of that ruined the weekend.  Plenty of good eats and drinks, enough fish to keep everyone happy, nobody got hurt or arrested, and we did not have to call an ambulance.  The wind added to the confusion, but there was good water, it just took some time to find them.  The Port Mansfield area has huge flats with tons of grass with miles and miles of  places to hide.  Thanks to Ro having fished it a lot in the past we were able to grind it out.  I think our boat total was 34 keepers, which I will gladly take for 2 days.  And though the other boat struggled, these trips are not all about the catching.

The house was great, a 1 minute ride to the bay.  And there is a lot to be said for boat lifts,  a cleaning table and hoses everywhere you need one.   We set on the upper deck and watched the parade of high dollar boats, and being across from a marina we were entertained watching Game and Fish checking boats and fishermen.  (I did note he spent a little more time on one boat, I am sure the hot chicks in bikinis had nothing to do with that.)  The place also had a green light, and though I did not fish it any John caught some smalls the last night.  As far as comfort and convenience this place was perfect.

When things do not work out perfectly you only really have 2 choices, go nuts or keep on keeping on, and everyone did.  Nice to fish with folks who take it in stride, happenings like that can ruin it for everyone.  This is a great group to fish with and I appreciate being invited along.  It really is not all about the catching and I could not fish with a better bunch of guys.  So while it was a Tale of 2 Boats it really is nothing more than memories and we will all laugh about it in the days to come.

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

I have to apologize for the pictures on the last post.  I have nothing but trouble with pictures from I phones, and have not quite figured it out yet.  Thank goodness I was at Jeffish’s house and he asked what was up.  So if you have not seen them scroll down and they should be there.  Funny I could see them on my page.  Oh well, for someone doing this as long as I have you would think I might get it all figured out.  Not sure why it is so much trouble with some iPhone pictures.

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

After I teased Metalhead Billy about his snacks he dropped this comment.

Well, I wouldn’t say Cheetos and apple juice are my favorite.
I mean, you’ve got Fritos and bean dip, peanut butter and dark Karo syrup, milk and Oreos/Graham crackers, and butter and sugar sandwiches.

Catch a good one in Mansfield. I’ve been there a handful of times. It’s a different environment. Sand/grass flats forever and a mile.

The rest of those snacks sound a little better than the Cheetos and apple juice.  And I ate butter and sugar sandwiches as a kid, or made cinnamon toast in the oven by adding the cinnamon.  I hoped to catch a good one, but that is every day, but at least the numbers were there.  But Port Mansfield was one cool place, and I will definitely be back, hopefully with a little less wind.

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

And I had not heard from Rick in a while.

I really enjoy your ramblings, and your reports. Good luck in Port Mansfield.

Thanks and it is always good to hear from you.

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

That is not all, but it is all I can remember.  Thanks to Ro for his knowledge of the area, and to the rest of them for a great time.  This is the 3rd trip in the last 6 weeks and all of them have had their moments.  This weekend will be memorable for several reasons and I hope when repairs are made it is not to expensive.  What is next for me is up in the air as tomorrow will be a get my stuff together day.  There are a few things to get to on the blog and will do that as soon as I can.  And  I am looking forward to more trout fishing, this weekend whetted my appetite, and since I got the boat ready to go, and then did not need it, I am fairly organized in that department.  So keep stopping 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!**

My buddy Jeffish makes every attempt to keep his son Korbin on the water.  Korbin, the future 2030 Bassmaster Champion, just got his own kayak and they have been hard at it.  And they threw a little limb lining in to the mix.

Styling!

The mighty sheephead.  And look at his face, priceless.

Hey.  That’s my boat!

Here kitty, kitty.

A nice 30lber, almost as big as Korbin

I really love it when dads take the time to introduce their children to fishing.  My dad worked his butt off to keep 5 kids fed, but he somehow made time to take me fishing even though he was not a fisherman.  So I guess I can blame dad for making me what I am today.  Thanks Dad!  So take your kids fishing, once they have a love of the outdoors it should stick with them the rest of their lives.

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Here are the TPWD stats for the holiday weekend.  Like I continue to preach, be careful out there.

8 water related fatalities.

19 boating accidents.

28 search and rescues.

108 arrests.

55 for Boating While Intoxicated.

It always puzzles me why on the holiday weekend, when the police and game wardens are all out in force, people act so stupid.  So next holiday weekend remember these statistics and plan accordingly.  It is up to all of us to not add to the confusion on the holiday weekends.  Like the old saying goes – “It is all fun and games until the cops come.”

********************Get inhaled!  Bill Clinton would not inhale it but redfish sure do!  (Just kidding.)

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

I am constantly amazed at the number of assholes out there on the internet. Michael from Controlled Descent Lures posted a report and the only comment was from someone who felt the need to comment with the name of another lure company. Why? Does it make you a bigger fisherman? A bigger person?  Man I do not get it.

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

It is always good to hear from Rusty, our Fayette and Bastrop guru.

Hey Doug!! Costa Rica was awesome!!! We were in the Nosara area and we caught sailfish, marlin, dorado and tuna. My wife was able to scratch off sailfish off her bucket list. Fayette lake has been very good last couple weeks. Early and late they have been hitting shad color anything!! Really nice sized fish. If you can take the heat, they are in 12-18’ on Black/ bluetail lizards, senkos or power worms. Stay safe and tight lines
Rusty

Forgot to mention that there were 3-4 large logs floating on the lake this morning. We were very lucky we didn’t hit one running in dark this morning!!

First congratulations on a great Costa Rica trip.  Looks like you caught the whole 9 yards.  Of all the places I have fished Costa Rica is by far the best bang for your buck.  And congrats to the wife.  Sounds like the fishing on Fayette is up to it’s usual snuff and worth the drive.  I just may try to give it a go when I get back from Port Mansfield.  As usual thanks for your report.

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

As you all know I am a lure guy, just a preference not a snob thing about using live bait.  But live bait is in full swing on the Texas coast.  There are some really big strings of trout being caught right now on live bait.  And one thing I have noticed with the online posts is there seems to be lots of big fish being caught right now, and it seems the POC area is producing some of those bigger fish.  (At least in the 28″+ fish.)  I am no biologist but the 5 fish limit seems to be driving this, and though it was fought tooth and nail when initially proposed, it seems to be working.

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

I wanted to share this picture from Billy.  Our resident Headbanger sent me a pic of a catfish he caught on topwater.

He rarely puts topwater down and he sent this to me after what has been my big catfish run this spring.  You just never know.  Keep in mind this is the guy who’s favorite snack is Cheetos and Apple Juice.  Interesting!

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

When we were fishing Falcon last month there were white bass being caught by the truckload.  The bite is still on big time and from online reports it is still a no brainer.  I don’t eat them much but I sure like catching them.  When you can sit in one spot and catch 40 or 50 without moving that is good fishing.  Man I want to get back down there, to bad it is going to be 105 degrees.

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Time to Dredge

I do not know anyone who is a higher up mucky muck in CCA but it sure would be nice if they, or someone else, would find some funds to dredge the cut at Charlie’s.  It has been causing problems for quite a while and from what I hear, I have avoided the cut, it is basically impassable.  So if you know anyone or agency that would be good to approach to find an answer give them a shout.  It sure would be nice to have it safely open again.

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

That above covers it for today.  Tomorrow it is off to Port Mansfield for 3 days of it.  Got all my shopping and packing done and am really starting to get excited.  Since I boated a big bass this week time to top that with a big trout.  The weather looks like it will cooperate, the highs will be in the low 90’s, but it looks like the wind will blow.  Oh well, can’t have everything no matter how much we try.  I am unsure if there is wi-fi at the house but if there is I will post a few updates.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

One More Thing:  Just perused the news this morning and found the article on the new Wyoming largemouth bass.  The state record had been around 7 1/2 and was broken in a small pond.  The new record is 11 1/2, which is a huge bass for the north country.  According to the article it would be the state record in 11 states.  That is a huge bass and if I were guessing, and I will, it will never be broken.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It Is Freakin’ Hot!

A beautiful morning!

I just spent a couple of hours doing stuff  (Sunday.) on the boat and it was rough outside today.  The one thing that I wanted to get done was to mount the seat back rest.  I just got the live well lid and the backrest re-covered and I wanted my buddy Jeffish to make me a custom vinyl logo, and boy did he do a great job.

It looks great!

Jeffish is a computer guru and graphic artist.  He can do just about anything with his vinyl machine, and if you ever wanted to personalize your truck or boat, or maybe some shirts, he is the man for the job.  He can do just about any custom work you might want to spiffy up that man stuff.  So a big thanks to him for the great work.  Trust me, if you can think it up he can make it!

And speaking of how hot it is, I came up with a great plan, but checking the forecast that plan got shut down in a minute.  What would have been nice was drive to Falcon Lake Tuesday morning and get in a couple of days of bass fishing, the reports are off the chain right now, then head Thursday to Port Mansfield to meet the boys.  And the good thing, as it is just a couple of hours from Port Mansfield it is not the far out of the way and would have worked just fine.  So I went to the weather channel and the forecast high for Zapata is 106 and 105, which is approaching to hot for me, at least for day time bass fishing.  So to bad, would have been fun.

So with the heat becoming oppressive it will be a half day on the lake tomorrow.  With 3 days of bay fishing coming later in the week it will be the only outing until Thursday.  The Port Mansfield bunch will start fishing Thursday afternoon, and fish the rest of the weekend.  I have not had the pleasure of fishing there so it will be another place to knock off the bucket list.

Weather

99/74  Partly cloudy, stray showers. 20% chance.  Wind  S 10 – 20.

Lake Level 

Today  95.35     8 days ago   95.67  (We need rain!)

Solunar Times

Best 6:43 am to 8:43 am.   (Only relevant time today.)

********************Get inhaled!  Bill Clinton would not inhale it but redfish sure do!  (Just kidding.)

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

This a freak!  Biggest over the side in a while.  I don’t weight them but this was a real big girl.

One thing that keeps me fishing Coleto is fish this size.  They don’t come often, but they are there to be caught.  And when you boat one this size the day is a success.  It was just breaking daylight and dead calm when I launched.  The water temp was around 90 degrees over most of the lake.  So I headed up lake to do the usual, throw buzzbait for an hour or so, and then go to pitching.

2 small ones came on the buzzbait and 4 small ones pitching.  But the size was not there and so it was time for a move.  I ran all the way down lake and then back up the plant arm to fish a bank that is a great buzzbait bank.  After making a pass with out a bite on the buzzbait I turned around and started throwing the bluegill swim jig back through the same bank.  With a few bluegill spawning the swim jig has it moments.

A swim jig fish.  Another big girl pitching the stick worm.

So I turned around and re-fished the same bank and caught 4.  The biggest was the first one above, and all 4 knocked the snot out of it.  So now things were looking up so I headed to a bank with some deeper wood and then good fortune struck.  I actually thought the big girl above was a big catfish.  She did not jump or thrash and until she was at boat side I was not sure what it was.  I lipped her and my day was made.  I kept after it for another hour or so, and boated the second one above.  Both came near deeper water right against the wood.

One of 4 big ones in the same place.  Got a feeling there was love in the air.

I am still using a 5″ watermelon red senko style worm, a 3/8 tungsten slip sinker, a 4/0 hook, all on 20lb/ fluorocarbon.  It still requires a good tight to cover pitch, and try not to move it off the cover for a twitch or two.  And when you feel anything do not get into a feeling contest, you will lose unless you get one who really has it.  Otherwise when you feel a tic, or see you line move or jump, drop your rod, take out the slack, and set the hook.

So a fairly successful morning.  I fished from daylight until 12:30 and caught a total of 12, not bad for summertime fishing, especially with a falling lake.  The water color up both arms is darker than the lower main lake, but I did not notice a real difference with the water color and the bites.  But no matter what there are fish to be caught, and obviously some pretty good ones if this morning is any indication.

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

Next up it is a little prep for the Port Mansfield trip.  Get meal supplies bought, a few adult beverages, and organize my packing and I will be good to go.  I could not be happier about this morning.  That girl above was really fat and heavy.  One of those that when you lift them up you know you are in business.  The fishing remains good lake and bay and I am really looking forward to some serious topwater fishing at Port Mansfield.  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!**

Hope you all had a good weekend, I spent mine being lazy.  So with being gone a couple of days this week today is the only fishing chance I have until the end of the week.  I ran around and did some errands this morning, and with the tide and solunar periods being in the afternoon there was no big hurry.  I will be leaving at noon, which by time I get down there some folks will be getting off the water and who knows, I may not have to park a mile away.  (I actually got the 5th spot, wonder of wonders.) Plenty of water and cool clothes is the ticket as it has a chance to be ugly, but just maybe I will sack a few.

(Note:  This is late report from Tuesday.)

Weather

88/78  Some clouds giving way to sun.  Winds S 10 – 20 mph.  0% chance of rain.  (Possibly setting new temp high for the day.)

Tides

High  11:06 am  – falling the rest of the day.

Solunar Times

Good 5:14 pm to 7:14 pm.   Another from a different site.  Best times to fish – 2:00 to 4:00 pm.   (Could be a good afternoon.)

********************Get inhaled!  Bill Clinton would not inhale it but redfish sure do!  (Just kidding.)

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I hit Froggie’s around 1:00 and headed across the bay to the island shoreline.  With only about 6 hours to fish first up was my favorite bank.  One problem, there was a boat parked right in the drain.  So I went on the other side of the point and hopped in.  Unfortunately the grass was everywhere and really thick, which made topwater out of the question, and put grass on your line at least halfway through the cast even with weedless rigged plastic.

So I kept after the plastics and started catching a few rats.  One thing that was unusual, at least for me, they wanted that thing jerked horizontal really quickly, and they smoked it when they hit, which was a problem with all that grass.  So after alternating between the regular texas two step for trout and the quick retrieve for reds, which only produced a few bites and 4 rats, it was not real promising.  So getting concerned about the conditions, and maybe my bank selection, it was time for a move.

The best I could manage today!  That Paddle Shad is in there, and I mean way in there.

So using my brain some, clearer water and less grass, I made the long ride to South Pass and the sandy shoreline.  It has lots of shell and isolated patches of grass that I have saved on the GPS.  Due to the solunar times I really wanted to catch a good trout on top, and I had my chance.   I was working the edge of sand and grass as the tide went out when she blew up on it, and missed.  My thought –  What a redfish!  About 3 foot later my Bagley Knocker B got plain smoked.  (One important thing about the Knocker B is the heavy single rattle for all you One Knocker folks.)   To my surprise up came a really good one, mouth open doing the big trout thing.  Unfortunately one part of the process was ignored, like setting the hook.  I just kept cranking and when she got close, she got off.  That was the last, and only, bite I had from a trout.  I did boat the red above, and a couple of more rats, on the Controlled Descent Paddle Shad in watermelon red/limetreuse.  I rigged it with a 4/0 swim bait hook and a big rattle.

If I learned anything today it was I definitely do not fish the plastics fast enough at times.  They really wanted it ripped along, pulling and stopping, not really letting it sink any.  So that is something I will be watching this summer.  And it was good to be back on the water and just wets my whistle for what is to come on Thursday when I meet the boys at Port Mansfield for a long weekend.  One thing about fishing with those boys, it will be epic one way or another.

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And I got this much better report from Faye on her 2 day trip to POC with her husband.  Looks like it was a great time!

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Saturday, June 2cnd, is free fishing day in Texas.  You can fish any public water without a license.  And it is great time to introduce a friend or family member to the sport of fishing.  So if you get a chance take someone fishing.

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And speaking of Controlled Descent Lures I want to send along my congratulations to Michael.  Since his start 2 years ago he just got the largest load of lures out to one customer.

That’s a lot of freakin’ baits!

Michael has worked his tail off building his company and it great to see it really start to roll.  Just like I support Wade Right and Marker 54, Controlled Descent is a Texas company run by entrepreneurs just trying to make a better product.  So much of the products we use are foreign made, it is nice to support our hometown guys.

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Just got back from a couple of days of adult R+R with the Boss.  After working a long stretch her only request, get me out of here.  Suffice to say we had a big time, one of those trips where after everything we came back with $150 more than we left with.  What is not to like about that?  As far as fishing not sure what is next, but I am going out to check on boats as soon as I hit post.  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!**

Enjoy the holiday but never Forget!

To every vet, past and present, and their families, who gave and continue to give so much, ‘Thank You”.  You are not forgotten.

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It was good to hear from SA Joe who feels about like I do as far as fishing on the holiday weekends is concerned.

I’m like you, I stay off the water on the 3 day weekends. I have no patience when you have the guy testing his boat, or having problems with his first launch of the season and the boat will not start. Blocking the ramp.

To add to your quote ”When you feel anything set the hook, you just might be surprised. The old saying – “It does not cost nothin’.”

I like to say ” HOOKSETS ARE FREE”, we spent the weekend at Solid Rock Ranch with Heroes on the Water BAMC, were we get vets on kayaks and go fishing. If you know any vets located in San Antonio we have events for them and families

Most of my bites were very light and if I didn’t set the hook I would have lost a lot. I ended up with 46 bass.

First thanks for your work with vets.  Any of you in the San Antonio area who know a vet who would like to fish with these guys contact BAMC and ask about their program.  Or if you want to contact Joe let me know and I will pass it along.  It is a great thing you do and as usual good to hear from you.

********************Get inhaled!  

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I get this question occasionally and here is a quick answer.

Wonderful blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Many thanks!

I use Word Press and my host is Host Gator.  If you are just starting keep it simple and before you go spending money like a drunken sailor start with Word Press, trust me, if I can do it so can you.  But most importantly, if you are not going to write constantly don’t bother.  So pick your subject carefully and find websites where folks of the same interest gather.  Of course Facebook is a mandatory.  You will meet folks, just like I have my fishing buddies, and you can share your blog with them as you all have a mutual interest.  And you will get spammed by everyone in sight telling you they can get you this and that, absolutely stay away from that, build your site and get to writing, that is the only way it can happen.  And for the haters and trolls, f’em, they come with the territory.  But just like the fishing, you will never know if you don’t give it a go.  So good luck.

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One of the trailer bunks on the Carolina Skiff decided it was time to just break in half for some reason.  One thing about trailers, the work never stops keeping it in tip top shape.  So this go round I am going to take the Slic Stiks plunge.  I have spoken with several folks who like theirs, and if there is a complaint it is they are slick.  In other words no disconnecting the boat until it is time to drive it off the trailer.  So this time I am going to use a treated lumber, unpainted, and see how long it lasts.  It sure is easier than re-carpeting.  Speaking with a guy at the POC carwash who has been doing it this way for years he says it works great.  Since the boat is almost 20 years old no fear of marking up the hull, I have already done plenty of that, but only time will tell.

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The CCA Star Tournament kicks off this weekend and hope springs eternal.   It really is a great deal for our coastal fishery as the CCA does millions of dollars worth of projects benefiting the coast.  And who does not like dreaming about winning a boat and truck?  So good luck to all of you, and if you fish and have not joined and paid here is a word to the wise.  I know a guy (Really) and it actually happened to him, you never know when that tagged redfish is going to show up, so pay up, it is a good investment for lots of reasons.  And if you want to keep track as summer wears on here is the link.

https://www.startournament.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-Leader-Board.pdf

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I really love me some Grand Isle fishing and according t0 Bridgeside Marina the trout smackdown is on big time.  There are lots of limits being caught with a few larger fish thrown in.  If I did not have so much else going on right now I would load the boat and hit the road.  But for me the trout fishing would be a morning, the rest of the time it would be fishing the marsh for reds.  After making 5 or 6 trips there I am finally getting the reds down a little better, you get plenty of practice.  In that marsh there are lots of really big coves/pockets that are really shallow and most have some oysters.  Once the water starts falling the tails start rising.  And once you get a few places down it is a milk run.  And best of all, I rarely see more than a boat or two.  So it will just be dreaming about it, but boy I sure would like to go.  So many places to little time,

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And along with that great report the fishing report out of Falcon Lake is literally off the chain.  Some real big fish are showing up, and get on the right place and a real numbers beat down is possible.  Coming from Arkansas our lakes are clear highland lakes where come summer our fish were headed to deep water where they stayed until late fall I still am amazed by what seems counter intuitive behavior.  The water is heating up on Falcon and so is the bass fishing.  After a little down period Falcon Lake is back.  It is a bucket list destination and if you are a bass fisherman and have not fished it you are missing out.  You can keep up with the latest reports on the Falcon Lake Tackle website.  If he says “Some of the best fishing that has happened in a couple of years is going on at Falcon right now.” you better believe it!

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

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And one last report from a great destination.

Port Mansfield. Trout are good on topwaters around sand and grass. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes with Gulps under a popping cork. Offshore is good for kingfish, red snapper and dolphin in state waters.  (TPWD)

I have never fished there and I am starting to get excited.  The coast has been hot and any report that starts with topwaters gets my attention.  Not sure exactly how much time we are actually fishing but it should be 3 full days total.  With 8 of us going we should be able to get them patterned fairly quickly.  The boys had a great fall trip last year and are hoping for the same results, but obviously not sure that means a rats ass.  So a week from Thursday it will be off at daylight to get in as full a day as possible.  The only time I visited there was a gas station, which is now closed.  The boys almost had to drive the SUV in the bay to fill up a the marina.  So if you go be sure to gas up.  Stay tuned for that report.

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Just sitting here watching some fishing and thinking about tomorrow along with musing about those things above.  Will be checking weather and tides before I make the decision on where to fish tomorrow.  Then we are off for a couple of days of Louisiana fun in the sun.

According to the weather dude our temps will be approaching 100 degrees plus by the weekend.  And boy do we not need that, we need rain, desperately.  I finally gave in and watered the front yard some, figured rationing is right around the corner.  It always gives me pause when it gets this dry, seems like it is a waste to use water for the yard.  You know, the old keep up with the neighbors thing.

One final note, the Boss reports several copperhead bites this weekend.  If  you water be sure to be cautious when walking outside at night.  When it is this hot copperheads are known for their cantankerous disposition and getting bit is an expensive and painful happening.

That will do it for this holiday.  Hope you all had a great weekend no matter what you did.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines