FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Gator Watch

I hate to prolong the gator thing but I got another reliable gator report from this weekend.  My buddy Justin, and some fishing friends of his, were wading the Pringle shoreline when Justin saw a gator watching him.  He kept fishing and then the gator slid under, and with discretion being the better part of valor, he high tailed it to the boat.  (They did fairly well on red and white paddle tails.)  Obviously all the fresh water post hurricane has moved some out from the marshes and into the bay. A few years ago at the Indianola Marina I actually saw a big one at the ramp, and there was even a small one in a puddle in the parking lot.  Not sure exactly what can be done about it other than keeping your head on a swivel, it is their home, not ours.  But if you are wading right now, and I will be, just be aware of your surroundings and probably the shallower you wade the better, but as we all know nothing is certain.

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I got this question from Richard and guess I will have to look at the video and see if I can answer it.

It was a Gambler Flappin’ Shad, the longer one.  Had to go to the tackle room and check a bag to be sure.  The thing I like about it is the tail is long and thin with a flat tail, not a paddle.  But the tail flaps to beat the band and it catches fish, as you can see from the video.  It also reminds me that all of us get stuck on particular baits for a while, and that one was the ticket that winter.  But as usual, a specific plastic may make a difference one day to the next, but the real answer – Location, location, location.  No fish, no bites, no matter how great a bait it is.  So when you try it this fall let us know how it works out.  Just might transfer the bag from the tackle room to the boat.  Thanks for the comment.

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And our chief head banging reader sent along this comment on the ninja turtle.

We actually had this discussion yesterday evening over a cold one.  They are good to eat according to folks, though I have only eaten snapping turtle, which is freakin’ delicious.  Of course that brings up a story.  My best friend from grade school was a professional trapper and one of the things he trapped in the summer was snapping turtle.  He would brown them in the pan, cover with mushroom soup and simmer for hours, you talk about good.  And even years ago he was getting good money live with the shell on.  And though they are a hassle to clean, I have only seen it done once, it sure is worth the effort.

And as long as Billy sent this comment along here is his nice limit he caught this weekend on topwater.  He has a topwater fishing habit.

A nice solid limit.  (Stolen from his facebook page.)

Billy caught these in the Palacios area, he never met a topwater he did not like.  And Capt. Aubrey Black even gave him a little dig on his throwing a topwater, which he does even when fishing with the Black’s and everyone else is throwing plastics.  But hey, there is no wrong way to fish, usually, and Billy throws it year round and catches fish.  Thanks for the comment and nice string.

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One thing I forgot to add to my post yesterday was crappie.  I spoke with Mr. Crappie 1 and Mr. Crappie 2 on the lake and they had a nice string of good ones.  They are using minnows and report that the 8′ foot range was the ticket.  And when I pulled out there was another gentleman cleaning a few.  On many lakes some of the best crappie fishing of the year is fall extending into winter.  So if you love you some tasty filets Coleto has them.

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There really is not a lot more to say about the massacre in Las Vegas.  As usual the f’n coward killed himself before law enforcement could administer the double tap.  What could possibly prompt a piece of crap like this to do such a horrible thing?  Maybe nothing could have been done to prevent this, but I have learned a couple of things about criminals and guns after representing hundreds of fools over the years.  While we can not stop idiots from being idiots, no matter what subject we are talking about, there is something that can and should be done.

If you use a gun in commission of any crime we should impose severe mandatory minimums, and I mean in the 20+ year range with no parole.  The problem with folks who would do this is they have no soul and no conscience.  I know, I know, you do not have to tell me all cases are different.  Tough shit.  Once you pick up a gun and use it in that way you have forfeited your right to live among us.  We are incarcerating way to many non-violent criminals for way to long, and not jacking up fools who use guns to commit crime.  One thing that is not well known is almost every penitentiary system in this country are in a one in, one out, mode due to overcrowding.  Send in a hot check artist, send out a violent thug, happens every day.  Time to re-evaluate who is incarcerated, animals who use guns in the commission of a crime need to be caged until the fight is out of them.  Trust me, most who use guns like this are animals who are a danger to you and your family.

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Today is maintenance day on truck and boats.  New trailer light, fix and replace running lights on boat, grease hubs, inspect them both front to back, and check air and fill all tires on both trailers.  Also getting tires rotated on truck, differentials all drained and replaced, oil change, and on and on.  Trailering constantly is hard on a vehicle and nothing extends the life of your tow vehicle like constant attention to maintenance.  The easiest way to spoil a day of fishing is sitting roadside waiting for a tow vehicle.

It is raining right now so the decision to get some stuff done today looks like a good call.  Even doing all that the fish are calling me and watching the weather will be my favorite activity the next couple of days.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Since I just got back from Louisiana fishing the salt, and the skiff has only been out of the garage twice in about 4 months, I decided to go ahead and hit the lake and give the skiff a run.  Ultimately the worst thing for a boat is sitting, the carbureted models definitely need to be run on occasion.  If it clouds up it should be pretty good as the day goes on, maybe extend the bite, but the only way to find out is to actually go.  So here is the stats and it will be launching at daylight trying to bust a big girl.

Weather

90/75    Increasing clouds during day with chance of a stray shower.  20% chance of rain.  Wind 10 – 15 out of East.

Lake Level

Today  98.15 msl     9/19  98.18 msl

Solunar Times

Best Time   7:48 – 9:48 am.

At Least the Day Started off Beautiful.

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Today started off with high hopes.  The weather wasn’t to bad and the prime period was mid morning so it should have been good.  To bad it started slow, and then proceeded to get slower, if that was possible.  There are days on the water when things do not work out even close to what you expect, and my expectations were high.  The water temp was in the low 80’s and it still has the tannic looking tint to it.  It is not dirty, just off color.  And once I got up lake the owls were hooting, which got a few turkeys going and it was music to my ears.

One thing that was on the plate today was fishing that crazy prop buzzbait.  So I threw it, and threw it, and after a couple of hours, and 5 small ones, I went to everything else in the box.

   Not all that big but I sure learned something about the prop buzzbait.

The thing that makes the prop bait so unusual for a buzzbait is it floats.  I had several bites that came when I let it sit after the cast, then moved it a little, then buzzed it, stopped, just using it very erratically.  I missed several, some over halfway back when I stopped it.  There is definitely a time for it and only more experience with it will reveal the right time and place, but it has potential.  And it is fun anyway.  Though the bite was slow, this kept me entertained for a couple of hours until the sun was up and I switched.  I kept expecting the big bite that never came.

I was sure the swim jig would catch fish so it was next up.  I made the perfect cast right down the side, and right off the tip, of a nice willow hanging over the water.  And then the thump, that swim jig bite you hope for.  I set the hook and first thought, huge bass, second thought big cat, third thought – are you kidding me.

                                                     Crazy Killer Turtle!

I have caught lots of different things over the years but this is the first time a turtle actually bit.  A real hard thump, and hooked right in the jaw.  It was quite a tussle, in fact one of the better fights in a while.  Once I got it to boatside I was real careful and finally got him off, he was hissing and snorting the whole time.  Just have to chalk this up to one of those crazy things that happen when you are fishing.

Nothing else was interested in the swim jig so I started pitching a creature bait and was able to catch a few, all small.  I did catch 3 out of 1 tree pitching but they were small enough to move on and not work it over any more.  As the morning went on I tried some topwater, spinnerbait, senko, and a few other things that produced exactly zip.  I kept waiting for the bite to start, and it didn’t.  Uplake, downlake, mainlake, coves, channel banks, grass, it did not matter.  This is one of those days where it was not right place, wrong time, they just were not biting shallow.  My last bite was probably around 11:00. Looking back on it pitching was probably the way to go today, as usual hindsight is 20/20.

So at 2:00 I called it a day.  I had plans for this evening with my buddy so instead of waiting the fish out I just went home.  Every day is an adventure, and the turtle saved the day.  Crazy.

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I got this text from Ed who is heading to POC next week.

Thanks.  Not sure what the plan is at POC other than fishing from dawn to dusk, but you can always find us at the cleaning table at Froggie’s around dark.  And the Louisiana trip is definitely one of the great places to catch fish and is well worth the drive.  So thanks for commenting and maybe we will run across each other next week.

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The only redeeming thing today was the skiff ran great.  Funny how when it has not been run in a while you forget how fast that little thing is with that 50hp.  A real flat bottom it scoots right along, and today it did not miss a lick.  Touch the key and it started, so the last tune up right before I got sick must have done the job.  But I did manage to break a tail light backing the boat in when I got to close to the dock, you would think I never backed a trailer before.  It really looked bad wrapped in bungy cords holding it on the way home, but it still worked.  A job for tomorrow.

Next it will be the bay, weather dependent.  We have a pretty good chance of some weather the next couple of days so will just have to see how it plays out.  And if there is a little window if it is raining to fish an evening stretch I will slip out for a few hours on Coleto.  It can not be any slower than it was, and maybe it is an evening bite.

And I love your comments and reports, keep them coming.  Really appreciate hearing from each and every one of you.   So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY

First a big Happy Birthday to my little brother Kelly, holding down the fort in Fayetteville AR.  And how about those Hogs yesterday?  Hope you have a great day.Kelly and I 35 years ago.  Those were the days.

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Here is the real story right out of the man’s mouth on the gator bite at Lighthouse Cove out of POC last week.  All I have to say is wow.  Having had one ease my way last year in Barroom it does give you pause.  This guy is lucky to be alive.  Thanks for the share Faye.

http://2coolfishing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2398322

(Note:  I quit posting my reports on this site, which like some others, basically want to charge me to put a link so folks can read a full report on the blog.  Since I do not do this for money, though if anyone wants to send along a couple of thousand help yourself, I have just quit going to this site.  I give this out basically free and I am sure not going to pay any more bucks to post.  But their rules, their site.)

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I got this from Elaine, which I believe is her first comment, and we always like to hear from new folks.

First thanks for commenting, no matter what the visiting numbers say, nothing confirms that there are actually real folks out there who read the blog than when I hear from you.  I can not thank you enough.  I will say something about South Louisiana, there is always something to catch and the folks are great, and once you visit it is hard not to return.  And who does not like gorging on fresh shrimp or crawdads?  So have a good trip and let us know if you do any fishing.  Heck, I woke up this morning thinking about how in the hell I can get back there as soon as possible.  And to the rest of you any comments, questions, bitching, or reports are appreciated.  Your participation makes this a better place.

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Several things I forgot to mention about fishing out of Bridge Side Marina is first, they have a great fishing pier.  A couple of folks from Arkansas were there fishing off the bridge Tuesday night and caught hundreds of trout under the lights with 40 keepers.  And there are lots of nice reds, including some big bulls this time of year, caught off that pier not to mention the other usual suspects.  Second, there are also bank fishing opportunities that includes several bridges and pools along highway 1 just down the road from Bridge Side.  And I am not even going to start on using a kayak.  The only thing to say about that is if you are a kayaker and like catching reds there are hundreds of miles of protected marsh easily accessible from the road.

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One thing that usually happens when the Austin Boys, or some sorry configuration of that bunch show up, is the tides are wrong and the weather just collapses at the very thought of them getting the perfect weekend.  Well it sure looks like this trip is setting up to be perfect in all respects.  The weather is good, the tides are right with some good water flow, and the wind is not going to blow.  Of course this is all subjected to the fishing gods not deciding to change their mind.  So in a week and a half let the fishing begin, it is always a great time.

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Truck detailed, boat gone over, air in tires including spare, bearing grease checked, lights gone over, all necessary after a trip. Also had a little under the console time getting batteries changed and organized after a complete battery failure on the trolling motor.  Funny, but not sure I have ever had a battery just quit, over and done without warning.  It takes just a little more effort to make sure all goes well in that department before, during, and after a trip.  Attention to detail can keep you from sitting beside the road waiting for help.  Knock on wood.

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The Cowboys are about to kick off, at least they played a little better last week.  And the Hogs beat the snot out of someone they should have, so not sure that meant much.

I am fishing in the morning, just not sure where, but that is one of the joys of living here.  A little bay fishing, right down the road.  Some bass or crappie, how about Coleto?  And finally having all my tackle completely and totally separated it is just a matter of grabbing that stuff and exchanging it for that other stuff.  But just like having 2 boats it takes twice the time and money making sure things are ready.  But it is a labor of love and I thank my lucky stars everyday that my life has worked out this way.

And I am still making up for this summer and the fishing is going on full steam ahead.  I am constantly looking at the Corpus weather for the Baffin trip which is coming when the time is right.  And there will be a trip to Falcon or Amistad this fall, along with 2 trips with the Austin Boys and a little beach fishing in Florida in November.  And those are just the things that will happen no matter what.  And interspersed with those trips it will be fishing, fishing, and more fishing.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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I Freakin’ Love This Place!

It has been to long and now I remember why I like this place so much.  The last time I was here was actually the day oil from the Event Horizon came ashore and they closed fishing to 35 miles out for weeks.  Really a tough time for Buggy and the Folks at Bridge Side.  But in true Cajun fashion they shrugged it off and kept on rolling.  So the people here, from the fishermen, to the help at Artie’s Sports Bar and Bridge Side, are great easy goin’ folks and it just adds to the trip.  And with the marsh there is always reds to catch on spinnerbait, which may be my favorite way to fish.

Two things were readily apparent today.  First, the tide was absolutely critical and the redfish responded just like redfish are supposed to.  Second, remembering those banks with stretches of scattered oyster was the ticket.  So with that in mind I was out at daylight though the tide was not going to move until late morning.  And just like clockwork it all came together.  I just love the feel of them thumping a spinnerbait, what a bite.

                                              We are having fun now!

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

As soon as the water began to fall I fished 3 places with oysters and they were biting on all of them.  Once they started biting they kept getting a little bigger as the tide dropped.  The place that they were tailing yesterday did not disappoint.  They were tails up and moving water when I got there.  I should have caught more but who gives a flip.  It was perfect in every respect as several bunches moved up and down the bank in a couple of inches of water.  A classic redfish bite.  And it was one of those times when the Power Pole was critical.  Putting it down the minute you hooked up kept you in place, which was important in that shallow water.  The fish had their backs out and I was a long cast away in less than a foot.  Being that super shallow they were spooky and it was just plain cool.

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                                                                He ate it!

One thing fishermen have a tendency to do is experiment when they aren’t catching fish, when in reality the best time to experiment is when you have them down pat.  So with that in mind you can count the number of redfish I have caught on a gold spoon, including my first one in Florida over 20 years ago, on one hand.  Today I doubled that.  And to top it off I tossed the Waker some more, and while the spinnerbait was king, I love it when they slurp that crankbait off the top.  This was pure hard core industrial fishing, crank and wind, cover the miles.  But once you located them slowing down was the ticket.

                                         A face full of Waker.  The hits just kept on coming.

They bit from about 11 until I quit at 3:30, and they were still biting when I put it on the trailer.  But with the drive, and getting my crap together, it was time to call it a trip.  Today was an easy 20 with a couple of small trout.  The marsh is not the place for trout, or driving like a lunatic.  It reminded me why when the fish are biting here you can take your possession limit of 10 reds and 50 trout to the house.  The trout may not average as big as ours, but I have never noticed any significant taste difference when they are done frying in the pan.  But this trip was purely recreational, and recreational it was, so none in the box.

Time to put it on the trailer, so sad.

So as far as trips go I give this one an A.  The weather was hot with little wind, which was great.  Shrimp baskets, cold ones, good folks, and consistent fishing, does it get any better than that?  As I type this I am at the dock watching the sun set, just plain awesome.  This is one of the cool places to fish and hang out, and as soon as the summer is over the crowd is gone, the fishing is still good, and it is not hard to get a table when it is time to eat.

Turn out the lights the parties over.  A cold one and a sunset over the bay, the conclusion of a great trip.

If you ever want to visit May is a great time before the holiday and the season start, and September after the holiday, is the same.  The fishing is still good and it is like having the place to yourself.  And one comment on fishing the marsh, leave your big ass bay boat behind if that is the plan.  (Note:  There were less islands in the marsh like in the bay, really worrisome whatever the cause.  Time to do some reading.)  It is fine for the bay, and the rigs are close enough if it is calm you can get to the rigs in your bay boat like the guys I met the other day who were catching kingfish out of a 19′.  But if the marsh and reds are the plan a 16′ jon boat with a 10hp and trolling motor would be ideal.  There are thousands of acres of super shallow water and I can only imagine the redfish that are rarely molested.  I saw 3 boats fishing the 2 days I fished the marsh.  I wish I had taken the skiff this time, and will next time, but wanting to fish the beach I took the Mako.  So take a look at the Bridge Side website, a full service marina with cabins, bait, and most everything else you might need.  It is nothing fancy, and not particularly cheap, but it has everything you could need and is in a great location.  It is a fishing marina, not the Hyatt.  It is all about the fishing.  And if you go tell em’ I sent you.

http://www.bridgesidecabinsandmarina.net/

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It was good to hear from Colby, our accomplished writer friend.

Doug, Just a reminder to your viewers that wade fish, seeing more stingrays this year than all of the last 6-7 combined. Many are small saucer size. Also many more jellyfish, not cabbageheads, but jellyfish. It’s going to be a great fall. Colby

Thanks for the update.  It only takes a second and your world can change.  And speaking of the dangers of wet wading we had a really horrible case of  vibro this week.  A stick from a stingray can go hand in hand with vibro.  So if you wet wade at least wear some shin guards and wading boots.  Better safe than sorry.  Good to hear from you and I intend to fish until I drop this fall.

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And my buddy Clyde sent this comment on the last couple of reports.

It really was a good trip with a great finish.  Buggy and Bozo are still hard at it and when combined with the weather and the fishing it was all good.  I will be headed back soon, it is just a red catching, shrimp eating, good time.

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I just got home from the 9 hour drive.  I can not help but comment on a couple of road issues.  Congratulations Louisiana, you have some of the worst roads around, and Hwy 90 is a rough piece of work that will shake your teeth loose in some stretches.  And whoever did the signage from Grand Isle to I10 could use a little help figuring out where and what signs to put up, pretty confusing.  And I would be remiss if I did not compliment the pinheads at TexDot.  You must have been awesome at 3rd grade math.  You figured out that if you added the width of 2 semis, then put an inch on one side, an inch on another, then an inch between them, you could space those concrete construction barriers just right.  And since it takes years to get stuff done, can you say I35 north of Fort Worth, it makes the drive so pleasant.  Now if you were only that efficient with our money things would be all good.  Trailering from Canada to Florida can really be stressful and you learn to appreciate great roads when towing a boat and fortunate enough to be driving on one.

So time to put stuff away and call it a trip.  There is just something about Grand Isle that I have always liked beside the great fishing.  Of course I am already planning my return.  Buggy was telling me one of his customers has been knocking the crap out of nice trout, which would be 25 big ones, at the  jetties in January and February, so sign me up.  Next weekend I get to introduce a couple of young men to the joy of Coleto bass fishing, then a long weekend at POC with the Austin Boys.  I love fishing with them, no drama and no whining like a baby about this and that, just good friends having a good time.  I on the other hand will be back at it in a day or two.  And still waiting for the perfect weather for the Baffin trip.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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Bridgeside.  It is all about the fishing.

What a day.  I fished what I call the Fouchon marsh.  It has a main channel and tons of flats/pockets/channels tons of which are a couple of foot deep, as long as there is some tide.  This is why I come here.  A good day of spinnerbaiting was just what the doctor ordered.  There was one problem, one of my trolling motor batteries flat failed, so when you see the pictures below I managed this with almost no juice.  So without further addo here it is.  Then on with the story.  (Note:  As I type this a guy in a pickup just went by on the way to the cleaning table with a couple of big ass yellowfin sticking out of the bucket, and the guy next to me caught some big kings off the second rig, which he went to in his bay boat.  Plenty of rigs are close if the wind holds, and it has.  It is all about the fish here.)

   It started off with a bang and stayed that way.  All sizes were biting.

The plan was to spinnerbait, and other than tossing a gold spoon and a Mann’s Waker when I was in a bunch it was simple, idle into a pocket/cove, the best places were only 2 foot at most.  Luckily the wind was right and I was able to keep after them until 1:00 when the whole thing quit and I had to go find a battery after I diagnosed the problem.

All shapes and sizes.

I have never had dolphins follow the boat and dive under it and jump in front.  Very cool and one of those things that makes the great outdoors what it is.

That was awesome, must have been the bait I was driving through.

As the morning wore on the tide started to drop and I found some tailers, a good cast and you were hooked up.  I ended up fishing that bank twice so I could toss the gold spoon and Mann’s Waker just for shits and giggles and they both caught a fish.  But with the spinnerbait bite so good I just stuck with it.  Perfect for shallow water.  And as the water really started to drop they positioned on the outside of exposed oyster beds.  From nice to small they just kept knocking the crap out of the spinnerbait.  Guess all those years of bass fishing were not wasted.

                                               Mann’s Waker and gold spoon fish.

I boated lots of smalls, but was thankful for each one.  Not having a real trolling motor I made due and had to quit early.  Tomorrow that will not be the case, last day fish until you drop.  So far other than the battery thing it has been a good trip and tomorrow I intend to finish with a bang.  There is just something about fishing a shallow marsh which is the breeding rearing grounds for redfish, which definitely accounts for the range of sizes.

I am tired so that is it for today.  I was going to put up more pics but you get the point.  Tomorrow could be epic!  All I know is this is one fishy place.

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Got this timely comment from Rick.

Thanks, and this trip just reinforced how much I love to just go somewhere and let the chips fall where they may.  And when it works out there is nothing better.  And for a saltwater fisherman this place is the bomb.  Thanks for keeping in touch.

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And finally I got his from Richard, which is worrisome!  In other words WTF!

The amount of these type encounters seem to be growing.  Just last year I was wading in Barroom using a topwater when I saw about a 6’+ coming towards my bait.  I quit fishing and eased off the other way, but it was way to close for me.  Just another reason to be cautious.  Hope this is not a becoming a common theme.  As long as the harvest is restricted expect more.  Thanks for the heads up, will read it when I get back.

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I can not tell you how nice it is to be feeling well and catching fish.  And one final word on Buggy and Bridgeside.  As I work on this I am close to the office where the wireless is good.  Both nights they have closed and folks show up before they can get off the deck and they smile and open back up and help them out.  That is the kind of folks they are.  And one last word on the fishing.  There are some folks from Arkansas here and they caught 300 trout off the fishing pier last night.  Like I said this is a freakin’ fishy place!  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!**

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!*

On The Road Again

It is 6:00 am Monday and I am packing up to hit the road.  The Boss has some plans this week so I spent a lot of time researching just where I might fish this week.  After looking at plenty of places, fresh and salt, Grand Isle, Louisiana it is.  The plan is to fish 3 full days, and maybe some on the 4th day, before I hit the road.  I am unsure what, or if, there is any wireless where I am headed, but of course I will have the stuff with me and if I can get a few posts up this week I will.

I had not thought about Grand Isle until there was some pics from my friend Jimmie Rose and it got me thinking so I checked the facebook page of Bridgeside Marina and low and behold there was Buggy, the owner, with some great trout.  And of course the bulls are gathering at the pass so there will be plenty of fishing this week.  Hard not to get excited about Grand Isle.  It has been awhile since I have made a trip like this and it feels good to be back in action.

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I had only watched the Texas fishing show once and it finally dawned on me that one of the hosts was Rick Murphy, who was a well respected guide in Florida.  It just took me aback a little.  Figured he was a Florida guy for the long haul.  Wonder how he compares the fishing between the two?

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Got this report from Richard on his couple of days in POC this week.

First the mangrove snapper thing on concrete is actually a really good way to catch a tasty fish fry.  I have only done it a couple of times but it works everytime on the seawalls around POC.  And speaking of the drains that is why we went all the way down like we did the other day.  Those reds are going to show, and it will be soon, and that is exactly where I will be looking for them.  And you caught a fry and had a great time, which I believe is the whole idea.  Thanks for the report, comment anytime.

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So with a 9 hour drive I will be hitting the road and should get there by 6pm for a little Cowboys football and a good nights sleep.  Then the only big decision is the bay for trout or the marsh for redfish.  One thing about Grand Isle, a slow trip is still a good trip, and if it is good it can be crazy.  So wish me well, keep stopping in, and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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On my current making up for lost time by fishing until I drop tour it was back to the lake.  Last trip resulted in my biggest bass in a long time, and today’s conditions were perfect.  Sunny to cloudy to storms.  It should have been perfect, but alas, it was far from it.  But the day sure did start out pretty.

First one out, not a soul in sight.  One of those great mornings to be me.

The water temp was 87 with a slight ripple which ended up being about 15mph later, actually about right.  The possibility of catching a big bass on frog, not to mention trying several other baits for shallow grass/trash, had been driving me nuts so it was first up.  On a flat grass point 3 made a pass at it, and I missed them for whatever reason, but they were definitely small.  I stayed with it a while longer but only boated one small one, then headed to the bank where I caught the big fish the other day.

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   The best bass for the day.  And a bonus catfish, they like the swim jig.

They definitely were not on it like they were, but I did catch 4 there including the ones above.  For the rest of the day I tossed the swim jig (4 or 5), frog (1), Controlled Descent Jerk Shad (3), buzzbait (0), spinnerbait (3 or 4), and I can not think what else.  I fished from daylight until 3:00, from one end of the lake to the other.  It would be one here, one there, almost all small, but try as I might I was either at the right place at the wrong time, or vice versa.  Either way what started out with great promise ended in mediocrity.  I still can not digest the fact that they were not shallow in the stuff and on the chew.

                                 The best on spinnerbait.  And a big boy.

What was funny was the game was active.  I saw hawks, teal, deer, alligator, turkeys, and even had a bird I could not identify try to eat my frog when I was shaking it up in tree.  How it got there I do not have a clue.  I am still puzzled why there was no big bite, or did I quit to early.  Grass, wood, flats, points, I fished them all.  And the grass was basically devoid of fish.  Most of the points had one or two small ones.  After the wind got up I stuck with spinnerbait, and while it caught a few, but no big bite.

So I finally called it a day.  Another great example of what fishing really is.  Some days you whack em’, some days they whack you.  But I have had a good 5 day run, and managed a few nice fish.  And it has been great to spend so much time in the great outdoors.  We are slated for a cold front which may finally cool us off for good, and as a side benefit bunch those redfish up for some of the best fishing of the year for them.  It will be nice to get out the jacket and have those nice cool morning runs.  And if you are a fisherman you know what I mean, the morning run is usually a thing of beauty.

I will be at POC for 3 days with some of the Austin Boys in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to fishing with them.  They start early, well almost, but they finish strong.  As usual about my only ride home across the bay in the dark will be with my buddy Todd.  No matter what a good time will be had by all.  Until then I want to introduce a buddy who wants to learn to some bay fishing and take a couple of kids who have the fishing bug.  And when I am not doing that, I will be fishing.  I have just started on the making up for lost time tour.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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As I was headed off the lake I got a text from my buddy Chris wanting to hit the bay.  So the choice was obvious – stay home and maybe hit the lake after doing some bunk work on the trailer, or let him take me to the bay.  So with that out of the way the plan is to hit the Twin Coves, Contee area today.  Hopefully we will find a little better average size to the trout.

And one last word on that bass yesterday.  It has been a while since I caught one that big.  I have not weighed a bass since Falcon years ago, but this one felt an easy 9lbs.  I could get both fists in her mouth, but couldn’t figure out how to get a picture. But no matter how you shake a stick at it that was one big fish.   So who knows, maybe today it will be big trout day.

Weather

87/78  Intervals of clouds with stray shower.  20% chance.  Wind SSE 10 – 20 mph.

Tides

High   8:01 AM     1.0   
Low   12:38 PM     0.9
High   6:26 PM     1.0

Solunar Times

5:30pm t0 7:30 pm   (No other period during the day when we will be there

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It Is Why They Call It Fishing

One thing I strive to do with the blog as tell it like it is, and this post is just that.  My buddy Chris and I were on the water as daylight cracked.  After my last few trips where I caught a ton but had to work for keepers we decided to change it up.  The plan was to sooner or later get down to Pat’s Bay, Twin Lakes, and all those places past South Pass.

First up we stopped near the common entrance to Pringle for the first wade, and the results, not a bite in spite of the bait being there.  Odd but a sign of things to come.  From there we started hunting and pecking and other than catching a couple here, and a couple there it sucked to put it nicely.  The further away from the jetties the worse the fishing got.  Whether fresh water, bad tide times and water flow, or whatever, we just could not get on them.  We did 3 or so drifts and 3 wades, but good ones were not on the menu.  Until the final wade I think I caught maybe 8 or 9, all small.

The best I could do today.

Hard for me to remember but there are noticeable changes here and there.  And the little cut next to the house with the sea wall at South Pass is just a boat wide with a sandbar right in front of it.  And a couple of the lakes have a different opening, or smaller bars, out front.  While they are not major changes there are some differences.

There was something that said fall, we saw several redfish in a school tailing.  I made a good cast and hooked up immediately, but again nothing to get excited about.  But I sure do like watching them tail.  We ended the afternoon around 3 by wading my favorite bank near Army Hole and I actually caught maybe a dozen or more, all small, all on small paddle tails.  It was just a matter of moving over to where the bait was flipping and at least some small ones where there.  And though I caught several the other day on topwater, one may have taken a pass at it in spite of throwing it off and on all day.  It seemed like with the water not really clearing like it did the last couple of trips combined with almost no movement conspired to make it tough.

But no complaints and we always have a good time fishing together.  Chris did wonder when the last time we did not catch a keeper together, I sure could not remember.  Even when it is tough I would rather be fishing and the only way you ever really hit the mother load is to keep moving and trying new spots.  So while we did not get it done we learned a few things, and there is always tomorrow.  Hmmm.  Now that you mention it looks like we might get cloud cover and some light rain tomorrow, can you say big bass?  Like I have been saying, I am going to make up for lost time.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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It has been a while, in fact way to long since I was on the lake.  It has been 3 months and I am itching to give it a go in spite of how good the bay is at the moment.  There is lots of new water, though it has been steadily dropping since the flood post hurricane.  So with absolutely no pre-conceived notion I will be on the water at daylight.  Everyday I am thankful I am back in the game.

Weather

92/75   Sun clouds increasing in afternoon with chance stray shower.  20% chance.  SSE 10 – 15 mph.

Lake Level

Today  98.18 msl     6/23/17  96.45 msl  (Interesting to see how they like the new water.)

Solunar Times

Best  10:30am to 12:30  (Perfect timing if the clouds roll in.)

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Grass and I am not talking Colorado.

I got to the lake at daylight and unloaded the boat, when I pulled out one of the bunks was almost off.  On closer inspection they are all missing a bolt or two and there is some trailer work in my future.  A boat owner’s work is never done.  But that was the last thing that went wrong today.

The water is clearly up quite a bit, with a tannic looking color, and it is up in the cover lining most banks.  And the fish are in it, and I don’t mean close, or on the edge, I mean right back in it.  I started with a buzzbait and caught a couple of smalls and missed a few, but no size to them.  But with that much cover on the banks it was time for swim jig, good choice on my part.  It is one of the great baits for swimming through cover.

Maybe the heaviest 24″ bass I have ever caught.

Once I started swimming the swim jig through cover, and the green grass patches were the best, I started catching them.  The one above came with 3 others  (See the one below on the left.) on one grassy point on consecutive casts.  I really love it when a fish like her tries to jump and all it is is mouth and head.  Awesome.  It really was something for a while.  From that point, until I quit at 1:30, the swim jig put them in the boat.  I was fishing a blue jig/green craw trailer just working it through the heaviest stuff I could find, throwing it was far back as I could get it.  I did catch one on a white one but broke it off.  It may actually be the preferred color, that will definitely happen before the week is out.  Before I got my head screwed on right I broke a couple off, still a little rusty, so I went with 30lb braid and a 20lb fluoro leader and that took care of that.

I will take this size any day!  The one on the left had a 6lb head and a 4lb body.

Most of the bites were nothing more than a little tic and it felt like bluegills.  But once you set the hook it was bass.  I did toss the buzzbait off and on and maybe caught one more.  I tried spinnerbait on a windy bank, no luck, because the fish are in the stuff.  Really!  And after fishing half a long main lake stretch with spinnerbait I picked up the swim jig and caught a couple more.  It really was the preferred bait.  And of course they are not in every patch, but I found 2 that had keepers, including the 3 above.  Not a bad pattern.  And when you caught a good one there was usually another one there, see above.

In a big main lake cove near the ramp I stopped to try the topwater Bang O Lure, that time is coming, when all of a sudden a bunch of fish started chasing bait.  4 or 5 ate the Bang O Lure before they went down, all small like many of the other fish I caught today, but there was an interesting aspect to it, they were eating small crappie!  One spit one up in the boat and there was another floating.  You don’t see them schooling much on Coleto so that was fun.  I had 2 on at once but one came off or I would have taken a picture.  It does say a lot for our last spawn.  The young bass are everywhere, good news for the future.

The increased water is just what the fishing needs right now.  Get them up shallow and they should stay most of the winter.  Sometimes a raise hurts the fishing, especially in the spring, but a fall rise always brings fish shallow.  I would estimate half the bites, and I had a bunch, were in less than a foot of water, as close as I could get to the bank.  On the next trip I will also give the Controlled Descent Jerk Shad in a pearl a go.  Another great bait to throw in the stuff, and I also kept thinking about the frog.  So many baits, so little time.

It is tough right now to make a decision where next.  I have to fix the trailer, which will require going to the lake and parking while I work on it.  Other than that it looks like I may be on the bay tomorrow.  This is going to be fishing with a vengeance for a while, and with the fishing this good both fresh and salt, it is great time to be living on the coast with a great lake close by.  I just wanted to take a second to thank you for staying with me during that dry spell.  I really appreciate it, and love your comments and reports so feel free if the mood strikes you.  Keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines