Fishing Megathread: Looking For Big Girls Who swallow

[troph 24810]

Water was too rough to chum the snapper up for the fly rod but we are going fly fishing tomorrow.  In the meantime a nice little snapper run. I had the biggest…

snapper fishing is almost guaranteed and more fun than you remember. Like a lazy pitch and catch with your son or tennis rally ball with a friend where no one tries to win. Easy, relaxed fun. That big one actually put up a fight all the way up. Cute fish too, almost feel bad for them.  Good eating though and we is the predators so that’s the way it lands.
 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by troph

[bmbmd 1027]

On 9/8/2021 at 10:08 AM, Johnny Chimpo said:

I don’t like surgeons knots very much… I feel like they break off easy. 

Tell that to your gall bladder. 

[troph 24810]

Skip jacks taking our red fish flies today, breaking off 4 flies on me alone. Thought it was my loop knot but our buddy / guide tied the same and it happened to his knot. You know what held though 5 hours of fly fishing? my triple surgeon’s knot did. 

wind was a bitch today, we fished mostly the cut at port M but we did walk over the jetties to the surf side and - holy shit - I have never seen a clearer surf in Texas. Clear green water to the shore. Waves were really close to each other making it hard to get a rhythm.  We ended up back in some of the coves on the bay side.

was by most accounts a shit day. But whatever my knot held, and my new 8wt saw some action. 

no one comes down here. It’s really great, the appeal is near solitude. I could easily choose here over port A for fishing. 

met some great guys down here at the docks. Good hard working people. Made some chicken fajita tacos for dinner for them tonight, watched a Capitan and a deck hand squeal when their charter gave them $300 each (impressive haul of wahoo, dorado, snapper and black fin), and got to play cars and trucks with the two year old of a hard core fisherman in the cockpit. His daddy runs a bait fish / shrimp boat 6 days a week, crews multiple off shore boats and takes care of my friends Hatteras.  On his off day he took us out on the bay boat today - not a guided trip per se he got to drink a few beers and laugh and not be on the whole time. His wife threw in a line and caught some skips with us too. Guy just works the land old school, so impressive. 
 

I feel like I’ve completely lucked into a pretty cool group of folks who just love boats, water, fish, and want to share it.  Enjoying this big fancy boat and having the access to it and the dock like it’s ours is really something else.

From Orange Beach in June to Port M this weekend to Key West in January !! 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by troph

[troph 24810]

Not sure why I love this but my buddy still using the tippet from a reel of it he bought in 1967 apparently.  Maybe he hasn’t fished as much as he should have… 

 

[Johnny Chimpo 478]

When I’m fly fishing I change my tippet at least once every couple years. I find it gets brittle over time. Even with thermal cycling that can come from day and night variations when stored in the garage. 

[troph 24810]

Figured as much but he’s that kinda guy. Anyway I thought it cool and all vintagey. 

[Mac8111 2107]

PSA that if you got your CCA Academy Coupons on the back of that Deer Hunting Guide, they expire on 9/30.   The $10 one has no minimum, so at the very least go get you a new lure for free.    I signed all the kids up for Star Tournament this year and so I have five booklets sitting here.    Good timing for me.  

 

If anyone is planning on spending $100 at Academy online this week, message me and I will send you one of these online codes for $20 off.  

 

 

 

 

[Zwylde 812]

On 9/24/2021 at 10:51 PM, Zwylde said:

Top right trout was 21” and fatter than I’ve ever seen.  Have to wait and see till we cut her open tomorrow if its eggs or a big mullet in there.  Pleasant evening wade with a nice sunset.

 

 

It was eggs.  Never seen so many in 40 years of cleaning trout.  Don't worry Lower Coast guys, this was Galveston.

 

  

[Zwylde 812]

 sorry double post

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Zwylde
sorry double post

[fattyflattie 4639]

19 hours ago, Zwylde said:

It was eggs.  Never seen so many in 40 years of cleaning trout.  Don't worry Lower Coast guys, this was Galveston.

 

  

Those would have all my Czech buddies salivating.  Egg eaters. 

[Mac8111 2107]

Waded POC yesterday evening. Bait was all tight to the shore. Popped a couple of solid trout. Largest was 24 1/2 “ Was planning to flounder but the lightening storms blowing in said otherwise.

[hornbri 1399]

I can add to this thread this week! Took a charter boat out in the Indian Ocean this week. We only went out a couple hours but caught a shark and this jackfish that became dinner. 

[BearSchlong 8098]

Very cool.

Last 3 weekends have been absolutely perfect. Since the LA marsh is closed Oct 15 through March 15, I've been fishing LA (willow bayou marsh) exclusively.

This is my favorite time of the year, everyone else is either out shooting teal or doing whatever else, but in my last 8 hours fishing I've seen no more than a half dozen boats. 6 trailers at the ramp when I got back.

Easily could have taken Texas limits on Reds, Trout, and Flounder today and the last 2 weekends, within about an hour after sunrise. Probably caught 200 LA legal fish but kept less than 10 fish total.

High tides puts the Johnsons Bayou/deep water ramp dock 8 inches underwater, takes a little extra effort lined up to launch, and the visual of backing down a ramp you can't see is weird, and gotta be careful upon return. That and the water hyacinth is thick, there's a substantial weed line of purple flowers extending out into sabine lake. I'm sure the crabbers just love that stuff, their traps were all tangled.

From last weekend, the barely visible bridge pilings in the photo at the bayou/canal crossing were 6 inches underwater today.

Last Sat I had a hooked ladyfish followed by a 5 foot gar, so idiot me decides to dangle it in front of the gar and wham, now I traded a hooked ladyfish for a hooked gar, on very light tackle. Kinda like the dog who caught the car. I quickly popped the leader.

[Mac8111 2107]

Why is the Marsh closed ?

[Brisketexan 105152]

Why is the Marsh closed ?

Doesn’t matter. Moose out front shoulda told ya.

[BearSchlong 8098]

To give the ducks a break.

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Sabine/about.html

[JCHIL 414]

spent last week fly fishing near Crested Butte.  Taylor River - 16” brown trout on a dry fly is fun!

[Johnny Chimpo 478]

The taylor river is beautiful. 

[JCHIL 414]

Quote

The taylor river is beautiful. 

Agreed.  The Gunnison and Taylor in that area are beauties and great fisheries.  Access is so easy on the Taylor it tends to get alot of pressure which can make the fishing tough....Lots of hogs in the Taylor though....

[Chewbacca 7780]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:17 AM, JCHIL said:

Agreed.  The Gunnison and Taylor in that area are beauties and great fisheries.  Access is so easy on the Taylor it tends to get alot of pressure which can make the fishing tough....Lots of hogs in the Taylor though....

State record rainbow came from the Taylor just below Taylor Reservoir.  Some huge fish in that stretch.  Biggest trout I've ever caught was there.

[Chewbacca 7780]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:17 AM, JCHIL said:

Agreed.  The Gunnison and Taylor in that area are beauties and great fisheries.  Access is so easy on the Taylor it tends to get alot of pressure which can make the fishing tough....Lots of hogs in the Taylor though....

I really wish they hadn't paved Cottonwood Pass.  Now that's the fastest way to CB for a lot of front range people, so it's much busier over there.  Over the pass and through Almont instead of going through Gunnison.

[MoJames 8244]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

I really wish they hadn't paved Cottonwood Pass.  Now that's the fastest way to CB for a lot of front range people, so it's much busier over there.  Over the pass and through Almont instead of going through Gunnison.

We could go unpave it....

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Nice evening down at Oyster Lake.  Lots of sand trout and a couple keeper specks.  Should be good in the morning. 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Man the mosquitoes were brutal this morning, before the sun came up.  Was wading chest deep and they crowded my face, think I snorted a few.   After sunrise not bad at all. I haven’t caught that many sand trout in a long time.  Specks were finicky but seemed to like a pink flamingo down south lure the best.  

[BearSchlong 8098]

+1 on the Sandies being thick at times this year. I'll go years without catching them then 10 in a row.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

11 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

+1 on the Sandies being thick at times this year. I'll go years without catching them then 10 in a row.

It’s one of those things where I should have decided to keep the bigger ones, most were little, but I could have had at least 8 or so that were 10” or over.  Oh well, I’ll buy fish at HEB and live.  Usually I say screw it I’m not keeping anything, because I’ll end up only catching 3 or 4 decent sized ones.   Wasn’t the case this time.  There were some pretty hefty ones but they all went back because I decided on the first one I wasn’t going to string them.   

Another first down there, we had a visit from a game warden about 9pm, at our campsite.  He was very polite, fortunately we had a clean camp with no trash, we had Willie on Spotify, and told him he was welcome to check our coolers, there were two legal trout, some beer and a bunch of kolaches.  

Edited October 15, 2021 by Judge Roybeanbag

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Had to get wet to get in and out of my camping spot.   Dry land seems to get harder to come by these days.

[CHIEF 5091]

On 10/15/2021 at 5:31 PM, BearSchlong said:

+1 on the Sandies being thick at times this year. I'll go years without catching them then 10 in a row.

When my Old Man was still alive we would go to Lake Calcasieu every October. We usually had our limits by about Noon. We would then set up on the edge of the ship channel and catch a couple of hundred Sand Trout till we got tired of catching them. They were like perch in a stock pond, you had to have the slack out of your line by the time your bait/lure hit the surface, and just set the hook.

CHIEF

[BearSchlong 8098]

Caught about 30 specks, 10 reds and probably another 20 sand trout this afternoon.

Kept 3 nice trout for dinner.

Not Calcasieu but Keith Lake.

October is the best, but that place produces year round. And with a La Nina winter. . .should be good.

I think I may change things up in month and fish Calcasieu.

[Braff Zacklin 13590]

The pics ... they're ... they're not showing up. Image server must be down. Please try again, @BearSchlong.

[BearSchlong 8098]

The pics ... they're ... they're not showing up. Image server must be down. Please try again, [mention=398]BearSchlong[/mention].

Routine fish, gorgeous afternoon.

[Braff Zacklin 13590]

2 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Routine fish, gorgeous afternoon.

Nothing wrong with routine fish or routine pics. I'm in landlocked Idaho, so I enjoy my saltwater vicariously through you guys. You're doing God's work. 🤘

Edited October 18, 2021 by Braff Zacklin

[Zwylde 812]

 

 

Love me some Sunday evenings!

 

Nasty NE wind finally started to lay about 4:00.  Plenty of action but only one solid keeper.  Grilled Redfish for dinner mañana!

[BearSchlong 8098]

Had to get wet to get in and out of my camping spot.   Dry land seems to get harder to come by these days.

Like the ramp I use in LA, more often than not underwater and challenging to use.

The last 6 months or so we have had electrical gremlins in the boat. Replaced both the 24 and 12 volt battery systems with gel batteries, new battery switch, new starter on the Yamaha. . .today. . .went to drop the minn Kota and no juice, and they stay on a charger in a warehouse between trips.

Dad has been eying a new Xpress and as I was putting the boat back into storage he told me he is sick and tired and fucking with this boat, he thinks it is a lemon, and when he takes it in to the shop tomorrow he might just trade it in.

He said besides spending time with family fishing is his only pleasure and he doesn't want to wonder if the damned thing is going to work correctly. . .if money was the issue I would tell him that I would learn/replace the entire electrical system, and if it was 100% my boat thats what I would do. . .but I'm going to shut up and let him roll with whatever he wants to do, because he has earned that right.

It's the 14th boat he has owned in my 49 years and the most problematic by far. Robalos, Hydra Sports, Whalers, Triton CCs, Carolina Skiffs, custom boats. . .Zero issues like this. This is the first aluminum one, a Alumicraft CC which is more stable than the previous flats skiff but still lets us get in somewhat skinny water.

We shall see.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Go with his gut feeling and let him get a new one 😂. Electrical problems are the worst.  

[fattyflattie 4639]

13 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

he doesn't want to wonder if the damned thing is going to work correctly.

This is where I am at.  Knock on wood I have been very lucky with boats, but if/when ever had more than a one off problem, it’s getting taken down to the foundation and figured out. 

[BearSchlong 8098]

Faulty trolling motor breaker.

Just a matter of time until something else breaks.  Maybe it's the boat, maybe it's Alumacraft, but I'm not going to ever own another one.

Dad bought the Xpress.  Nice boat.

Did not get the SeaDek, I could floor a room in my house for cheaper.

Will be my first experience with a Humminbird in many years, the Helix 9.

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by BearSchlong

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

44 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Faulty trolling motor breaker.

Just a matter of time until something else breaks.  Maybe it's the boat, maybe it's Alumacraft, but I'm not going to ever own another one.

Dad bought the Xpress.  Nice boat.

Did not get the SeaDek, I could floor a room in my house for cheaper.

Will be my first experience with a Humminbird in many years, the Helix 9.

 

I like sea deck in common spots where I'm on my feet a lot. I've got it on my poling platform and casting platform tops. Otherwise I think it looks good when new, but really doesn't age well and as you noted...it's expensive to have to replace every 5-6 years (if it's in the sun a lot). I've replaced my platform tops a few times over the years, and even that's a pain in the ass. I couldn't imagine having to remove the seadek and clean the whole damn boat with solvent to get the goo off. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

48 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Did not get the SeaDek, I could floor a room in my house for cheaper.

Will be my first experience with a Humminbird in many years, the Helix 9.

Shit is crazy expensive.  You could get a very nice floor in your house for less. 
 

WRTHummingbird, I’ve met several saltwater guys that have moved to them and really like them. They had some fantastic graphics and mapping, plus the 360 deal is sweet.   Those guys put literally hundreds of hours a year on their boats, so if it works for them, I have to trust it should be fine. 

[Sbbruin 21858]

@justhookit is your boat in Cabo for Bisbee's?

[justhookit 4191]

16 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

@justhookit is your boat in Cabo for Bisbee's?

No, but the other boat my captain runs that I fish sometimes went over there for it - Game Plan. There are about 10 boats that I know from Costa Rica and/or Texas that are fishing and all but one are skunked so far. Full day to go, though. Today started slow an hour into it and there’s only been 1 release from the whole fleet.

Edited October 22, 2021 by justhookit

[Sbbruin 21858]

2 minutes ago, justhookit said:

there’s only been 1 release from the whole fleet.

Wow, brutal.

[justhookit 4191]

Just now, Sbbruin said:

Wow, brutal.

Did your friend fish?

[BearSchlong 8098]

Monofilament. Serious business.

Noticed the last time I changed out line that it had a lot of spool memory, maybe I got a bad batch?

What is your go-to monofilament for inshore fishing?  I've always been a 10 or 12 lb Trilene guy but I'm looking to see what else is out there.

[Masshole Horn 774]

I use the 1/4# spools of trilene big game for mono. Versatile, cheap, and knots well. I’m pretty liberal about respooling given how inexpensive it is.

I go braid to flouro for 95% of my conventional fishing though. Usually respool the braid every other year or so.

[davidg 4038]

When was the last time you changed it?  I never switched over to braid for casting reels and have just always used 12lb Big Game.  Used to buy the big 1lb spools and change it out like socks.  

[justhookit 4191]

6 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Wow, brutal.

Friend of mine is hooked up right now. Three fish killed so far but one didn’t make weight. Missed by 7 pounds. That boat was in all the pots. The 2 fish that did make weight were caught by boats that only entered the small pots, so there is a lot of money out there if someone boats a 300 pound or better fish in the next hour. Total pot was 9.7 million and I was told 7 million of that was still up for grabs today. Holy shit.

Edited October 22, 2021 by justhookit

[justhookit 4191]

And they lost the fish. Damnit.

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

1 hour ago, Masshole Horn said:

I use the 1/4# spools of trilene big game for mono. Versatile, cheap, and knots well. I’m pretty liberal about respooling given how inexpensive it is.

I go braid to flouro for 95% of my conventional fishing though. Usually respool the braid every other year or so.

I go braid to mono on all my conventional gear except the loaner spinning rods, and those get Trilene Big Game 16. I go a little heavy because anyone that fishes with me that doesn't have their own rod is probably one of little Rojo's buddies and has no idea what they are doing. For bait casters I go 30  lb Power Pro and about 8ft of mono topshot. 

[justhookit 4191]

Holy fuck. team Pelagic from my marina in Costa Rica. Very good friend of my captain and a friend of mine hooked up 4 minutes before lines out and have been fighting a blue marlin for 37 minutes which almost guarantees its over 300 pounds. If they boat it they are across the board in the pots and I think it will be worth 7-8 million dollars.

The crazier thing is this captain has won the big money twice before in this tournament since 2015 fishing on Tranquilo.