2019 Fishing - Bent rods and tight lines

[1leggedduck 443]

My son was a little reluctant to offer up the bass rig for a trip this far north. Like Apocalypse Now, or some shit. Is that stretch of water from the dam down to Gloster Bend good fishing? That would justify buying a metal boat and never fighting the wake boats on LBJ again. 

[Jerry Callo 8,647]

Here's my contribution for the year. White River Arkansas, right below Bull Shoals dam.

[ROFL BOX 6,644]

^^
Where did you get those sunglasses?

& I think you have the sunscreen on a bit too thick.

[Storm the Field 5,268]

On 10/31/2019 at 1:07 PM, Storm the Field said:

Man, I have not had "good" fishing trip in a loooong time. Couple of bites here and there, but nowhere near a limit in god knows how long,. Hopefully that should change this Monday. Dad, brother and I are heading to Bay Flats Lodge down in Seadrift. If a professional guide can't put me on some specks or reds, I may just give up on this sport. 

Trip ended up being quite a success. Took us a few hours to get on fish yesterday morning, but finally, on the 4th spot our guide suggested, we got into a big school of specs and limited out. Reeled in another 20-30 or so that were just shy of keeping. Handful of rat reds too. 

As far as the lodge itself, couldn't have asked for more. Accommodations were very clean and comfortable and the food was as good as everyone advertised. Place is a little pricey for a quick personal trip, but looks like it would be a really good option for company trips/entertaining clients.  

[MAROON 445]

On 10/31/2019 at 2:07 PM, MAROON said:

Headed to my buddy's fishing cabin in the Lower Laguna Madre.  I predict after about an hour or two on Friday night I will be tired of catching specs under the lights.  Last time I was there I conservatively estimated that at any one-time there were 400-500 trout under the lights.  The real challenge was avoiding the undersized trout hitting your lure and coaxing the bigger keeper size to hit it.

Duck hunting in the morning, probably fish the shallows for reds/trout during the day, then hit the lights at night.  All in all it will be a blast...and cast

well the weekend didn't turn out like we planned. Arrived Friday evening to find the bay waters really off color with tons of grass floating.  Made for the under the lights fishing to be not very good.  Saturday morning we arrive at the "duck blind" to find out we are hunting on a spoil island because the air boat was malfunctioning.  Shot one duck while we watched flocks of thousands fly in the marsh.  Did make a couple of drifts on the way back to the fishing cabin and managed four nice keeper specs.  Saturday was mostly drinking, football, napping, eating.  Woke up Sunday morning to flat conditions in the bay and made an audible and went offshore and caught a four man state limit of red snapper - that was a blast and  made the already great weekend a roaring success.

[crash_davis 23,076]

5 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Trip ended up being quite a success. Took us a few hours to get on fish yesterday morning, but finally, on the 4th spot our guide suggested, we got into a big school of specs and limited out. Reeled in another 20-30 or so that were just shy of keeping. Handful of rat reds too. 

As far as the lodge itself, couldn't have asked for more. Accommodations were very clean and comfortable and the food was as good as everyone advertised. Place is a little pricey for a quick personal trip, but looks like it would be a really good option for company trips/entertaining clients.  

Surprised that BFL guides couldn't put you on reds. They should be schooling and settling into their fall patterns.  The recent front blew a ton of water out of the marsh so they should be easier to find and pattern. Guess not.

[Brew 3,011]

Picked up a Waterworks Lamson SSS 8Wt with a Waterworks Liquid reel tonight. The local shop I use at the beach cut me a good deal on one, so I guess I’ll give this fly fishing thing a run. I liked the feel of it and it’s the setup the guy that owns the place uses around the beaches here.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,323]

15 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Surprised that BFL guides couldn't put you on reds. They should be schooling and settling into their fall patterns.  The recent front blew a ton of water out of the marsh so they should be easier to find and pattern. Guess not.

They were probably trying not to blow out their duck hunting spots and took them on a main bay milk run instead. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,323]

10 hours ago, Brew said:

Picked up a Waterworks Lamson SSS 8Wt with a Waterworks Liquid reel tonight. The local shop I use at the beach cut me a good deal on one, so I guess I’ll give this fly fishing thing a run. I liked the feel of it and it’s the setup the guy that owns the place uses around the beaches here.

nice. Get a casting lesson or two. It will cut the learning curve waaaay down. 

[Brew 3,011]

He told me to come back by tonight and he would walk me through the basics of it. I’m going to try and make it back by but if not I’ll stop back in another time.

I may pay some premium, but like most things I’ve found it’s better to buy local and stick with the same places.

[Bert Orange 1,115]

Headed out now for some birthday salt flats fly fishing. Hope for some nice bull reds. 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

Anybody fished the bay in Puerto Vallerta? Headed down there in a couple of weeks and got the greenlight for a half day...would love to check Dorado off the list but not sure if they’re in the bay in November...

seems like there’s 2 primary outfits down there...any suggestions on who to contact for a somewhat last minute charter.

[justhookit 4,174]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Anybody fished the bay in Puerto Vallerta? Headed down there in a couple of weeks and got the greenlight for a half day...would love to check Dorado off the list but not sure if they’re in the bay in November...

seems like there’s 2 primary outfits down there...any suggestions on who to contact for a somewhat last minute charter.

https://www.elmatadorsportfishing.com/ and https://marlasportfishing.com/ are the two I always hear recommended. I tell anyone who will listen that no matter where in the world you are fishing, a half day isn’t enough 95% of the time.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

17 minutes ago, justhookit said:

https://www.elmatadorsportfishing.com/ and https://marlasportfishing.com/ are the two I always hear recommended. I tell anyone who will listen that no matter where in the world you are fishing, a half day isn’t enough 95% of the time.

Oh I know. It’s me and 3 non-anglers with grandparents watching 5 kids (including a newborn) back at the house. Half-day is my only shot.

thanks for recs, will reach out now

[justhookit 4,174]

 

11 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Oh I know. It’s me and 3 non-anglers with grandparents watching 5 kids (including a newborn) back at the house. Half-day is my only shot.

thanks for recs, will reach out now

No problem, good luck. If neither of those work they might have other recs for you. They are definitely the best down there. Lots of other outfits there are just going to take you on a boat ride.

[kmac30 416]

Went out this morning, Golden Meadow, LA. Not as good as we would have liked, but we caught fish. Good sized trout. Hit a few reds. Another day tomorrow.

[crash_davis 23,076]

1 hour ago, kmac30 said:

Went out this morning, Golden Meadow, LA. Not as good as we would have liked, but we caught fish. Good sized trout. Hit a few reds. Another day tomorrow.

if that haul is considered not good, i'd like to see the haul from your good days.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,323]

What's the name of that ratty place right on the water? Boudreaux's? I've stayed there a couple times. Perfect location, but man it's a dump. I accused my buddy of getting drunk and smoking in the room, but he swore he didn't. Next day we came in a little early because of storms, and the old cajun maid was cleaning our room with a lit cig hanging out of her mouth. 

[kmac30 416]

What's the name of that ratty place right on the water? Boudreaux's? I've stayed there a couple times. Perfect location, but man it's a dump. I accused my buddy of getting drunk and smoking in the room, but he swore he didn't. Next day we came in a little early because of storms, and the old cajun maid was cleaning our room with a lit cig hanging out of her mouth. 

Boudreauxs went bankrupt. Bank sold it to guy who owns GoBears out of Thibodaux. He’s fixing them up and will reopen. We stayed at some place farther south that was pretty nice.

I didn’t get a pic today. We were in a hurry off the boat and don’t know WTF I was thinking. Pulled in 19 reds, all but 2 were good size. Trout were not as active today. We caught a lot more trout yesterday than I realized. 17 or so keepers today. We caught a bunch, but they all went back.

[kmac30 416]

What's the name of that ratty place right on the water? Boudreaux's? I've stayed there a couple times. Perfect location, but man it's a dump. I accused my buddy of getting drunk and smoking in the room, but he swore he didn't. Next day we came in a little early because of storms, and the old cajun maid was cleaning our room with a lit cig hanging out of her mouth. 

Boudreauxs went bankrupt. Bank sold it to guy who owns GoBears out of Thibodaux. He’s fixing them up and will reopen. We stayed at some place farther south that was pretty nice.

I didn’t get a pic today. We were in a hurry off the boat and don’t know WTF I was thinking. Pulled in 19 reds, all but 2 were good size. Trout were not as active today. We caught a lot more trout yesterday than I realized. 17 or so keepers today. We caught a bunch, but they all went back.

[Buzzrock 14,859]

Tried to go after some tuna near the oil rigs off of Venice, LA this weekend but 20 kt winds said otherwise. A few guys went inshore and caught a few reds instead. Another day.

[BearSchlong 8,072]

Here's my contribution for the year. White River Arkansas, right below Bull Shoals dam.

Hell yes. I need to get back up to Gaston's.

[El Diablo 4,232]

Any flounder pounders on here? 'Bout that time of year.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

43 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

Any flounder pounders on here? 'Bout that time of year.

paging @Steel Shank

[Shaddie 1,634]

Any St Lucia recs here. Looking at some place new and they have Hilton and AA so I can get ther and stay for free. 
 

Prefer light tackle if anybody has done that there. I am old and lazy so no fly fishing. 

[El Diablo 4,232]

27 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

paging @Steel Shank

He all about the meat?

[Steel Shank 9,383]

2 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

paging @Steel Shank

24/7

[fattyflattie 4,636]

4 hours ago, El Diablo said:

Any flounder pounders on here? 'Bout that time of year.

You rang? 

[Brisketexan 104,238]

You rang? 

Huh. Most of us read this as you obsessively pursuing fatties, not flatties. Our bad.

[fattyflattie 4,636]

Nope. Longtime handle across several outdoors boards.  Flounder are a decent money maker in the meat pots that is often overlooked. I used to be good at taking advantage of that.  I would change handle to my tournament team name but I’ve had this one for ~15 years now. 
 

*Not to say that I haven’t found myself is both fatties, and flatties. Any port in a storm and all that. Scooter and whatnot, too. 

[El Diablo 4,232]

Diablo Jr and I used to do an annual flounder pounding the week of Thanksgiving. There were usually still plenty of fish to be had and many folks who might otherwise be fishing would be at home so we had no crowds. We'd fish the cut at Rollover and any spot between Sabine and Freeport that looked good. Good times and good eats.

ETA: Sitting in the car on the Galveston seawall eating cold sandwiches and listening to K101 play Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" became part of the tradition. It's the little things, haha.

Edited November 20, 2019 by El Diablo

[BearSchlong 8,072]

Been fishing Keith Lake and the cut to the ship channel the last few weeks and having a lot of fun. Limit of texas legal trout last weekend, and trout, drum, and some nice slot reds today. It's so close to the umphrey ramp that I haven't even gotten the boat on plane. We finally got the 5 trout limit here at sabine this fall, it's a little strange to think it's still legal to keep 15 @ 12 inch over in LA.

[bigshark88 388]

Merry Christmas to me.

Inshore upgrade. Coming off a set of 7yr old Ci4s that are past their prime

[crash_davis 23,076]

tacklewarehouse has the curado 70 and citica on clearance. 

$130 (reg $199) for the curado 70 https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Curado_70_Casting_Reel/descpage-7CS.html

$85 (reg $150) for the citica. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Citica_I_Casting_Reels/descpage-RCI.html

i love my curado 70. best real i've ever used. i have many curado 100ds, chronarch 50mg, chronarch 150mg, and core 50mg. on a 1/8 oz jig head and paddle tail, the curado easily outcasts all of them.  i picked up a left hand model to complete my arsenal.

 

[DCA_HORN 725]

Cant get out this weekend but should be good conditions along the coast for those that can.

[Sbbruin 21,690]

17 hours ago, bigshark88 said:

Merry Christmas to me.

Inshore upgrade. Coming off a set of 7yr old Ci4s that are past their prime

 

For those of you who inshore saltwater (and they are supposed to work in fresh too I guess), I have found these HookUp baits to be the best artificial swimbaits for our local islands I've ever used.  Having a 20% off sale today.  The bodies get chewed up really easily though, so get some replacement bodies.  

20% off code: BF19ROUND2

https://www.hookupbaits.com/

 

 

 

 

 

[bigshark88 388]

Just sold my Ci4s on Craigslist for $250. 

Shimano reels are expensive but if you have a local dealer who will work with you on MAP and then sell the old reels: the money works out.  My set of four, 7YO Stradic Ci4s were on CL for less than 30 hours.  I probably left some $$$ on the table for a quick sale.  

Got back home from making the sale and listed a pair of old Calcutta 201Bs.  

[BearSchlong 8,072]

30 specks 14-20" and 5 reds over 25".

Didnt keep one but sure did have fun. Keith Lake.

[fattyflattie 4,636]

On 12/15/2019 at 10:38 AM, BearSchlong said:

30 specks 14-20" and 5 reds over 25".

Didnt keep one but sure did have fun. Keith Lake.

Should have been perfect pre-front. 

[crash_davis 23,076]

On 12/15/2019 at 10:38 AM, BearSchlong said:

30 specks 14-20" and 5 reds over 25".

Didnt keep one but sure did have fun. Keith Lake.

where were they biting on?

[Brisketexan 104,238]

where were they biting on?

The hook.

[BearSchlong 8,072]

Live shrimp, fished on the bottom at about 10-12' - the current gets wicked trying to drain Keith lake through that cut that goes to the ship channel.

[Mac8111 2,102]

Fished the past two days in Rockport with my BIL and his buddy.

Drifted the flats over and over and over. Easily caught 120 trout on Thurs and another 80 or so on Friday. No size to them at all, with the largest being about 18”. Was good time though and definitely was better than working.

[BearSchlong 8,072]

Same thing here at Keith Lake, caught about 60 trout and kept 8, nothing over 17.

Headed back to the boat ramp now.

[DCA_HORN 725]

Had a nice day Thursday. Limited out if you include the first picture which went 35" and was obviously released.

[BearSchlong 8,072]

I love winter in Texas/ SW LA when we havent had torrential rains to mess up the salinity. I've caught more fish in the last 6 weeks than I did in all of 2017 and 2018 combined, or at least it seems that way.

[crash_davis 23,076]

just came across this video. damn, big bait, big fish. this is a fucking ginormous fish.

 

[DCA_HORN 725]

Have to love these Texas winters even after the rains we had last week. This one went 34". Took a good 20 minutes to get it in. Took about 10 runs of 50 yards of line. Got the Texas slam plus a decent sheepshead.

[DCA_HORN 725]

I love winter in Texas/ SW LA when we havent had torrential rains to mess up the salinity. I've caught more fish in the last 6 weeks than I did in all of 2017 and 2018 combined, or at least it seems that way.

Have you noticed the redfish being larger than usual this year? I've had to throw back more oversized than I can ever remember.

[BearSchlong 8,072]

Have you noticed the redfish being larger than usual this year? I've had to throw back more oversized than I can ever remember.

I haven't really noticed that specifically but I have noticed the quantity of rat reds is increasing. I mainly keep reds when I've launched in LA, I prefer the 17-22" ones that aren't too thick.