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Fishing Megathread: Looking For Big Girls Who swallow


Mac8111

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OK, I know I've been all over the damn place with questions, but I finally committed to taking the boys to the NC side of GSMNP the first week of August, staying near Bryson City.  We've never been to the area.

Anybody used a guide there that they love?  Bryson City Fly Shop seems to be the big dog.  I like the look of either their Backcountry Brookies or Hazel Creek wade trips, as I'd prefer to GTFO for some peace and quiet (inasmuch is possible with two teenage boys).  They seem a bit unique in that they do only 2 anglers per guide max.  That would substantially increase the cost, but when have I ever made financially sound decisions when it comes to fishing?  And that would probably increase the boys' fun factor since they'd each have a guide to work with (I'm a lost cause).

Any other tips on the area are quite welcome.  I'm usually the type to plan out vacations a year in advance, so flying by the seat of my pants here is a bit new for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This rain won’t stop and I’ve got cabin fever so I’m organizing a box of stuff my mom slipped into my truck a while back.

Right after dad got home from ‘Nam he went on a long trip to Mexico.

I’m guessing Acapulco. I just noticed the Bacardi sign in the background.

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They got it wrong, we actually released 39. Sail fishing is really good for this time of year but unfortunately the blue marlin haven’t showed up yet and this is normally peak season for them. May take the boat up to Flamingo on Friday and give it a shot up there.

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I caught a 10 inch Pumpkin Seed this week. Small for a fish in the grand scheme of things, but likely as close as I'm ever going to get to a state record for anything.

Here it is next to what I would normally describe as a big one:

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Hit the surf  behind Woody’s in G Town yesterday in the rain for a bout an hour.  Gulls started working not far down from me so I moseyed towards them and started catching.  The shrimp were flipping out of the water to get away from the trout.  Eventually I was right in the middle of them and probably could’ve hand netted a few trout.  Never been in the middle of something like that.  Crazy.  Caught a quick limit and headed back to the truck.  Good times.  
 

Note: skipjack was kept strictly for jetty bait purposes.

 

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1 hour ago, BearSchlong said:

TIL that Skipjack and Ladyfish is the same thing.

Oh yeah, we call them skips here in Texas.  Ladyfish most other places.  Kind of like the cajuns call ling (us Texans call cobia) lemonfish.

Also cajuns calling crappie, white perch.  I love all the different names.

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Zwylde said:

Oh and somebody fucked up pretty good.  Not sure if Beryl related or not.

The pond behind Woody’s.

 

 

 

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Sponsored by Hight Tide!

Probably drove out there drunk at night, got stuck.  Stumbled off to come back and drag it out tomorrow... then the tide came in.  Oops.

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15 hours ago, TexasHooch said:

I caught a 10 inch Pumpkin Seed this week. Small for a fish in the grand scheme of things, but likely as close as I'm ever going to get to a state record for anything.

Here it is next to what I would normally describe as a big one:

image.png.1ea01c73e856eba8d593672533909917.png

That thing is HUGE!  Where did you catch it?

I caught this 10.75" Bluegill in Onion Creek a few years back.  Hit a 5" Senko.  I couldn't believe it.  State record is 12.5".  I thought the same thing.  Probably closest I'd ever get to a state record.  

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5 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

That thing is HUGE!  Where did you catch it?

I caught this 10.75" Bluegill in Onion Creek a few years back.  Hit a 5" Senko.  I couldn't believe it.  State record is 12.5".  I thought the same thing.  Probably closest I'd ever get to a state record.  

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That's a pretty fish.  My pumpkin seed was caught on Pelican Lake in central Minnesota.  We were targeting walleye with a slip bobber and leach setup, but my fish was actually in the middle of a school of crappies.  

The record is apparently 10.25 Inches.  Mine was exactly 10.0.  I wish I would have gotten a weight cause he was fat.

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23 hours ago, Zwylde said:

Oh yeah, we call them skips here in Texas.  Ladyfish most other places.  Kind of like the cajuns call ling (us Texans call cobia) lemonfish.

I thought skipjack was a type of tuna?

Until your post, I've only seen/heard Texas folks call them ladyfish, but I'm in landlocked Idaho, so I know very little.

I like to call them "tarpon in training" since they bear a resemblance to silver kings (and are closely related to them, I believe), only much smaller.

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14 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

I thought skipjack was a type of tuna?

Until your post, I've only seen/heard Texas folks call them ladyfish, but I'm in landlocked Idaho, so I know very little.

I like to call them "tarpon in training" since they bear a resemblance to silver kings (and are closely related to them, I believe), only much smaller.

Yes skipjack is a type of tuna. Great bait for marlin. As to the fish in question I’ve always called them skipjacks too. Great fighters.

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On 7/28/2024 at 9:45 PM, Zwylde said:

Oh yeah, we call them skips here in Texas.  Ladyfish most other places.  Kind of like the cajuns call ling (us Texans call cobia) lemonfish.

Also cajuns calling crappie, white perch.  I love all the different names.

 

 

 

I’ve used skipjack and lady fish both, but lady fish probably more as an adult. Usually it’s motherfucker that just broke off my spook.  Ling were always ling here for me, or crab etah when east of the Sabine. Crappie as a kid, sacalait as an adult and fished Toledo more.  Coonass/Mississippi guys sometimes call largemouth “green trout”. 

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I am not the most religious fellow. But the times I feel closest to God, are often in greys and pinks of dawn.

But against that background and i thank the Lord for my blessings of family and friends, I realize God also has a sense of humor.  If not skippys/ladyfish would be delicious! 

Or as I am typing... Maybe there is a Satan... that would explain the excitement of the pull of a lady, and the disappointment with the taste... 😉 

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OK, I know I've been all over the damn place with questions, but I finally committed to taking the boys to the NC side of GSMNP the first week of August, staying near Bryson City.  We've never been to the area.

Anybody used a guide there that they love?  Bryson City Fly Shop seems to be the big dog.  I like the look of either their Backcountry Brookies or Hazel Creek wade trips, as I'd prefer to GTFO for some peace and quiet (inasmuch is possible with two teenage boys).  They seem a bit unique in that they do only 2 anglers per guide max.  That would substantially increase the cost, but when have I ever made financially sound decisions when it comes to fishing?  And that would probably increase the boys' fun factor since they'd each have a guide to work with (I'm a lost cause).

Any other tips on the area are quite welcome.  I'm usually the type to plan out vacations a year in advance, so flying by the seat of my pants here is a bit new for me.

Bryson City is a cool little town…much more authentic, quiet and prettier than the TN side of GSMNP. I used Fly Fishing the Smokies guide back in August 2021 and we had fun. The rivers were muddy due to rain, so we went creekin’ up in the park in small water. Had a blast catching small trout the size of your hand.
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Thanks.  The owner of the Airbnb we're renting from is an actual local, and based on his strong recommendation, we're going out with Mac Brown.  Scares me to death.

Will report back.

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I’ve used skipjack and lady fish both, but lady fish probably more as an adult. Usually it’s motherfucker that just broke off my spook.  Ling were always ling here for me, or crab etah when east of the Sabine. Crappie as a kid, sacalait as an adult and fished Toledo more.  Coonass/Mississippi guys sometimes call largemouth “green trout”. 

Dolphin, Dorado, Mahi Mahi. Thrice as nice.
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Poor man's Tarpon  If you're lucky enough to get them to the boat, they usually reward you with a big pile of shit.  Great cut bait.

Good reminder as to why I don’t use light wire leaders at the jetty. I’d rather tie knots than scrub that stuff off the deck, but my catch rate on ladyfish and Spanish is still north of 70%.
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  • 2 weeks later...

The dogs woke me up at 2:30 and I said fuck it lets fish. Actually rolled over and said “It’s my birthday, intercourse or golf course?” And she murmured go catch redfish.

I’m in a cauldron of ladyfish and rat reds destroying shad. I’ve never seen such a raw amount of baitfish. A guide just slid by with some pissed off looking clients.

I’ve caught a half dozen rat reds and I’m at my honey hole for hog sized reds, a duck lake drain, the tide is right, and even the alligators are mauling shad like a blue whale takes out a krill pod.

But it’s a gorgeous dry day in southwest ell-ay.

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anyone know a good trolling motor guy in Austin/highland lakes area?  

I think it's just the gps fob (Motorguide), as one of the batteries had a rust stain on it.  can only get it to turn left, but there's also a random waypoint I accidentally found by hitting something on the number pad and it suddenly wanted to get there real bad...while on the trailer in my driveway.

Thanks.

-w

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On 7/31/2024 at 9:48 AM, Lat22 said:

Poor man's Tarpon  If you're lucky enough to get them to the boat, they usually reward you with a big pile of shit.  Great cut bait.

Best cut bait ever; but only fresh.  Turns to mush overnight.  When taking kids redfishing; I'll always go and target lasyfish first for "magic bait."

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14 hours ago, Born to Run said:

Best cut bait ever; but only fresh.  Turns to mush overnight.  When taking kids redfishing; I'll always go and target lasyfish first for "magic bait."

I was farting around with my buddy last fall on that small pier, next to my buddies place at Cline's Landing.  We were getting good action, but I wasn't targeting big gaff tops and ladyfish.  So I decided to tie on a larger Circle hook to my pulley, and cut off about an 8 inch long piece of fat ladyfish.  (the pulley rig allows a longer cast with non-aerodynamic shapes.) Whatever was going to head that big chunkc of ladyfish was going to be something big!  I had purchased a a 5000 with a dual drag system, and set the drag very lightly with the second drag, and made myself a beverage.  Not even ten minutes later I hear a few clicks, then the drag slowly starts to sing, as that light drag is not noticeable on the light drag, then I just start reeling and that circle hook sets perfectly.  A couple minutes later, a 39 inch red was a quick pic and then a toss back in.  i then did the exact same thing again, huge chuck of ladyfish, 15 minutes, and a 38" red.

I had honestly thought the only thing that was gonna eat a chunk of bait that big was gonna be a shark.  So yes FRESH ladyfish are great baits.  Plus hald the bigger ladyfish you bring in are half way to death anyhow unless you get them on and off the hook super fast.  If you are trying to get distance with any check of cut bait, consider learning how to make a pully rig.  I do a lot of sure fishing and the casting distance where you have the weight of the bait and your surf weight compactly together, is a game changer from a distance perspective.

lady fish chunks and  circle hooks.  If you get a bite, it will be a fun fight!  The rig also acts as a shock leader if you don't have a cool dual drag reel like I do to let the fish run.  I cannot say how much I like my dual drag reels.  Fantastic for live suspended live baits boat or bigger baits from stationary positions.  Penn, Shimano and Bass pro brand have their own versions, but I am sold on using them on poles I don't want to have in my hand, but want to let the fish eat the bait rather than feel the drag and spit the bait like trout and reds my primary focus.

Anyhow the best way I have found to toss bait and weights the farthest.  

spacer.pngcompact small bait clips replace impact shield in pic. Hook goes in the curve and paddle releases hook on impact 

spacer.pngI prefer these to a swivel as line feeds easier.

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spacer.pngSecondary drag on back, primary engages when reeled

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Yesterday afternoon had an hour before dark thirty.  Water temp felt like smooth 90+ degrees.  Could barely keep any shrimp alive with them boiling in the bait box.  27 and a 20 and a small future bait.  The 27 was worth the trip.

 

 

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Went offshore over the weekend out of Freeport -- to the floater rigs Boomvang and Nansen.  Caught a couple tile fish.  Cooking those fillets up tonight.

Also caught and released a really nice Sailfish.  And a mess of blackfin tuna, which honestly eats similar to yellowfin IMO as sashimi.  Other fish caught were rainbow runners and barrel fish.  Ate some of the rainbow runner as sashimi for lunch today.  It was delicious.

Seas were very comfy.  And the boat we were in got us out there really fast -- a lot different than the 38 foot cat hull I am used to fishing out of (which is comfortable, but slow).

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6 hours ago, Frank Drebin said:

The family ate the tile fish last night.  First time I had it.  It was so good.

Assume you dropped deep with LPs electric reels for the Tiles/Barrel?  Great eating.

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1 minute ago, Frank Drebin said:

Yes sir.  First time using electrics.

Works for snapper too.  Kinda fun, not knowing what you are bringing up.

Buddy has the state record on some weird rare grouper caught that way.

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4 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Maybe it's been discussed upthread so apologies but what happened to texaskayakfisherman.com site?

Looks like it vanished - maybe the site is just down temporarily.  I was on there a couple weeks ago and it was fine.  I was one of the first ten people registered on that site when it started.

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6 hours ago, Lat22 said:

I used to spend TONS of time on TKF.  I really want to upgrade my first generation Hobie Pro Angler but gotdamn $6000.

Same.  I've had 6 or 7 fishing kayaks over the years.  Eventually sold them because I was too busy with youth sports.  A couple years ago, I found an old Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 on craigslist for $250.  What worked for me in the early 2000s works fine for me know.  All I need to paddle the San Marcos, Devil's River, or Brown & Root flats.  I might look to upgrade, but only if I could find a kayak that I could comfortable stand up and fly cast in - that isn't thousands of dollars.

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4 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Same.  I've had 6 or 7 fishing kayaks over the years.  Eventually sold them because I was too busy with youth sports.  A couple years ago, I found an old Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 on craigslist for $250.  What worked for me in the early 2000s works fine for me know.  All I need to paddle the San Marcos, Devil's River, or Brown & Root flats.  I might look to upgrade, but only if I could find a kayak that I could comfortable stand up and fly cast in - that isn't thousands of dollars.

Have a buddy who owns one of these and swears it's stable enough to stand up in and claims to do so frequently.

https://www.nrs.com/nrs-pike-inflatable-fishing-kayak/p64e

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