2019 Fishing - Bent rods and tight lines

[Dry Elbows 142]

On 2/22/2019 at 10:04 PM, fattyflattie said:

Anyone going to fish Pocchampionscup?  Did anyone fish freeze out? 

Thinking I might jump into poccup. 2 day format which is nice, for me. Tad pricey though. 

I don't fish tournaments, but saw the POC Champions Cup is going to have a legit payout even without the calcutta and side pots.  I thought about entering, but haven't fished POC in years and don't have the time to scout right now. 

[fattyflattie 4636]

Diversion channel to Carlos iirc. 

Either way I don’t think I’m going to drop the coin, I have another I fish annually right behind it and another right behind that one. Wife will kick me out the house if I’m not careful. 

Scrolling thru the names on the invite list, there are some hammers in there.  Donating my $$$ at that point. 

[bigshark88 388]

Getting springy here along Florida's beautiful I10 corridor. Lips will get ripped this weekend. I pledge to report back.

Weather said April but the bite was still February. Decent little fish fry though

[bigshark88 388]

Anyone going all out replacing mono line and rusty hooks?

I have been engaging in tackle therapy getting ready for the bite.

'God does not subtract from a man's life the time spent playing with fishing tackle.'

[fattyflattie 4636]

When I was using mono I would change after every trip. By far cheapest part of the whole trip and I always fish on the light end on line (10#).   

But yeah, I’m getting ready and organized.  Just a few more weeks until we’ll really kick off. 

[bigshark88 388]

Decided to bring two old reels out of "deep storage" and get them back into the rotation. 

I have re-spooled and replaced the drag on a Penn Spinfisher 7500SS.  This reel was the first saltwater reel I purchased for myself while in grad school in 2002.  Going to use it on a semi custom Connolly rod for pitching to cobia.  Felt good messing with Trilene Big Game 20 again after over a decade of basically braid only. 

The other reel is an old (Japan) Shimano TLD25.  It'll need a service but it'll also get a drag and handle upgrade.  Going to spool with mono as filler and a braid topshot.  Mostly going to get used for trolling on a new Connolly rod as well.

Both reels just sat in the corner of the garage for 10+ years.  Going to be good getting them on the water again.  If it doesn't work out I'll just buy new stuff but I like the feeling of using what's already on hand.        

[Mac8111 2103]

Down in POC right now. Fucking miserable. 34 degrees and 20+mph winds. Supposed to fish tomorrow and Thurs.

[Pescado_Rojo 19331]

Last January Hollywood Colt and I drove from Austin to Cocoderie to fish and woke up the first day to 30 mph winds, sideways rain, and temp dropping by the second. We skipped fishing and went to NOLA to day drink. Got up the next day to clear skies, still a 20 MPH wind, highs in the low 30s, and a huge negative low tide. We went fishing anyway and managed to scratch out 6 fish. Next day was about the same weather wise, but he caught 10 in about 1/2 day fishing, because we had to get back to Austin. 

[Dry Elbows 142]

May be good on Thursday.  Supposed to warm up. 

[Lerka Lerka 1086]

1 hour ago, Mac8111 said:

Down in POC right now. Fucking miserable. 34 degrees and 20+mph winds. Supposed to fish tomorrow and Thurs.

Fished Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday was a weird weather pattern with shifting winds out of the east, fog basically never lifted. Caught some chunky reds that had apparently gorged Thursday or Friday.  Bellies so fat they started shitting out when we held them up on the bogas.  Got on some dink trout in Shoalwater and added a couple of nice ones at the end of the day.  Sunday was a motherfucker.  You know it's going to be a grinder when you get to the boat launch around 8:0 and there's only one other boat out. North winds came earlier than expected.  Hit about 8:30. Foggy, drizzly around 50 degrees with north winds pumping 25+.  We gave them hell for a couple of hours in the Lagoon, couple more chunky reds and then waived the white flag. 

[GoPokes83 2236]

We were out in that same weather. Our GPS went out and it was so foggy we couldn’t tell one way from another. Spent almost an hour wandering around the middle of Matagorda Bay before we decided to check our phones. We used Google maps to navigate back to Sand Point before it finally cleared enough to see. Wound up with 4 flounder and 2 nice reds and an absolutely miserable boat ride back across Lavaca Bay to the boat ramp.

[fattyflattie 4636]

We were out in that same weather. Our GPS went out and it was so foggy we couldn’t tell one way from another. Spent almost an hour wandering around the middle of Matagorda Bay before we decided to check our phones. We used Google maps to navigate back to Sand Point before it finally cleared enough to see. Wound up with 4 flounder and 2 nice reds and an absolutely miserable boat ride back across Lavaca Bay to the boat ramp.

Literally the first thing I installed in my boat, even with a bad ass GPS, radio with AIS, etc. Can’t not have one




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fattyflattie 4636]

Double post 

Edited March 8, 2019 by fattyflattie

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

Anyone have any experience fishing on the South Llano?  My son and I are hitting up the South Llano on our way back from Big Bend over spring break.  Dropping our kayaks at the ranch on the way out there, then picking them up on the way back.  We have a six mile float lined up through South Llano Canoe & Kayak.  

Any info on the float?  I'm assuming rapids are tame.  Fishing advice?  I'm planning on fishing like I do on Onion Creek or the Devils River with wacky rigged Senkos and frog topwaters.

[Mac8111 2103]

We fished Weds in POC (9 boats). Weather wasn’t as bad as I was prepared for but wind was still pretty high. The only boats that did any good were the ones that went to the jetties.
One boat absolutely smashed it with sheepshead etc.

My dad and I fished Thurs on our own. All over Pringle. Army Hole. Lighthouse Cove. Outside Bill Day reef. Only had two bites. Both were tiny redfish. We saw a couple of trout slicks at Bill Day and you could just smell the watermelon all over , but never got anything to bite.

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

1 minute ago, Mac8111 said:

We saw a couple of trout slicks ... and you could just smell the watermelon all over

Could you please explain "slicks" and "watermelon" to an ignorant landlubber?

[Mac8111 2103]

39 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Could you please explain "slicks" and "watermelon" to an ignorant landlubber?

when the trout start feeding heavily, the oils etc from the baitfish float to the top of the water and the trout will regurgitate some as well. Looks like an oil sheen on top of the water.   It starts small, and then the current will start moving it, also making it wider.    So if you see some slicks pop up, you can try to go fish back behind the origin (up current) and hope to find some hungry fish.   If you are serious about wanting to get better at understanding bayfishing, please go buy the Trout Support videos and watch them often.  He has a whole section on slicks.  ( I bought the online versions, saved them to my computer and then downloaded them to my ipad as well).  A lot of scientific stuff and lots of experienced guide info as well.  Every time you watch them, you pick up something. 

I don't know why, but the trout feed smells like watermelon.  You will be cruising along and then bam, you smell it.  Sounds odd I know, but once you get a good whiff while cruising around or wading, start looking around upwind.  Probably a slick somewhere near. 

Bunch of stuff on youtube about slicks. Here is one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_40qVYZF2nk

 

 

 

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

Genuinely fascinating. Thank you.

[Sbbruin 21724]

Headed to the Fred Hall Fishing Show at the Long Beach Convention Center. I could have driven, but that's no fun. Fred Hall is THE place to go for fishing deals.

[crash_davis 23084]

Went to the Lagoon in Seadrift today. Holy rotting fish. I guess the freeze on Monday and Tuesday killed a shitton of fish.  Dead fish, mostly hardheads and gaftops, were littered on the north shoreline. Easily over a thousand as I paddled all the way to the major cuts. Dead fish covered the shoreline. Saw one or two reds, and a few trout. Fishing SUCKED. Saw ONE red. Absolutely no movement in the whole Lagoon. Hopefully the reds and trout moved out for awhile and are not all dead. Dock talk was much of the same. No reds or trout anywhere.

Edited March 10, 2019 by crash_davis

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

First fish of the year was a bit of a toad, if I'm honest.

[RMac5 1550]

That’s a damn nice fish, where are you?

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

Udapimp, Idaho.

[DCA_HORN 725]

Hit East Bay today. Complete fail. 2 catfish and a dink spec and flounder. Perfect conditions and zero in the cooler.

[Kennythetiger 9334]

I thought Braff was making up a town called "You're The Pimp", Idaho.  Turns out not only is there a town called Udapimp, there's also a Dickshooter, Idaho.  Fair enough.

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

4 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

Turns out not only is there a town called Udapimp, there's also a Dickshooter, Idaho.  Fair enough.

People walk funny there. Word is, Plaxico Burress wants to buy a few acres.

[Masshole Horn 762]

Got the kids into some Pickerel yesterday. They did surprisingly well.

[Texaus 372]

Any fishing piers left in rockport? Going for a few days with kids, any other kid friendly rec on fishing spots would be appreciated.

[retsevlys 408]

I'm going to Alaska in September to do some river salmon fishing among other things.  Any recommendations for non felt booted chest waders? Rent or buy? There are outfits up there that rent them.  I feel like this may be a recurring trip, so buying a quality pair may be a good option.

[retsevlys 408]

Also, Alaskans call waders "caddys"

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

Your heart is set on boot-foot waders?

[3adays 454]

Has anyone fished out of Punta Cana, DR and has a recommendation? I’ll be there for a week in April. I haven’t done any research, but if it’s worth it I’d love book a charter. 

[retsevlys 408]

11 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Your heart is set on boot-foot waders?

I don't guess so.  That was just what was suggested by the people we are going with.

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

1 hour ago, retsevlys said:

I don't guess so.  That was just what was suggested by the people we are going with.

They probably have good reasons. Unfortunately, I've no recent experience with boot-foot waders as I've been trudging around in the stocking-foot variety for the past 20 years. Much prefer the "modular" aspect of being able to change or replace components as needed.

For example, I usually wear studded/cleated boots with my waders for river fishing, but in another month, I'll swap out the boots for some old oversized sneakers so I can slip on some fins and fish from my float tube.

Another example, my last pair of boots lasted twice as long as the waders, so I only needed to replace half the ensemble.

As for brands, Simms and Patagonia have the best warranties in the business. Can't go wrong with either, but their stuff comes at a premium. I'm a "bang for buck" guy (i.e., cheap), so I'm currently rocking Redington boots and waders.

Since you've got about six months of lead time, you can probably find a great deal if you put in the work. Check outlets or sites like steepandcheap.com, waderusa.com, etc.

Good luck and please be sure to post pics of your trip!

[CoTex 1160]

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

[llanoflash 151]

12 minutes ago, CoTex said:

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

tie on lure. cast into pond. reel. drink beer in between casts.

repeat as needed.

[Pescado_Rojo 19331]

4 hours ago, CoTex said:

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

Simple top water like a spro frog, short lipped square bill crank bait...play around with the retrieve speed if you are hitting bottom or grassing it up. small silver bladed spinner bait with a white curly tail grub. If you can't get bit on one of those, they are lying to you about there being bass in there. 

[4th and 5 4914]

6 hours ago, CoTex said:

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

Supposably. 

[CoTex 1160]

2 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

Supposably. 

My parents bribed my way into college.  I'm not that smart, just born wealthy.

[Lat22 3994]

16 hours ago, CoTex said:

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

Chartreuse spinner bait. Cast.  Reel. Repeat.

[llanoflash 151]

any color is good as long it is chartreuse.

[The Royal We 3065]

I've caught more fish in my life on a chartreuse H&H twin bladed spinner than any other lure. 

[MalibuSheriff 1088]

On 3/13/2019 at 3:39 PM, CoTex said:

I’m in broken bow, ok for a few days.  The pond here is supposably stocked with bass.  Any ideas on how to catch a stocked bass?  Simple instructions better - I will be drinking.

If you’re in Broken Bow and want to catch a ton of fish between beer sessions, drive north on Hwy 259 about thirty miles until you see a large river on your right side (east).  Pull over and park, walk down to river and cast any lure that is gray or white. Both white bass and walleye will be both be running up the river this time of year.  The white bass run above Broken Bow is unbelievably good with not much competition (aside from meth-crazed hill billies on occasion).

[bigshark88 388]

Surprised that nobody's suggested a Senko (or similar) either Texas rigged or wacky rigged as conditions dictate.  

[DCA_HORN 725]

12 hours ago, MalibuSheriff said:

If you’re in Broken Bow and want to catch a ton of fish between beer sessions, drive north on Hwy 259 about thirty miles until you see a large river on your right side (east).  Pull over and park, walk down to river and cast any lure that is gray or white. Both white bass and walleye will be both be running up the river this time of year.  The white bass run above Broken Bow is unbelievably good with not much competition (aside from meth-crazed hill billies on occasion).

I did not realize there were walleye that for south. Do we have them in Texas?

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

Used to be walleye in Meredith. No idea if they survived the various droughts and algal blooms, though.

[Coyote 269]

Greenbelt has them as well.

[Lat22 3994]

15 hours ago, DCA_HORN said:

I did not realize there were walleye that for south. Do we have them in Texas?

I wish (in real numbers anyway). 

[Braff Zacklin 13415]

Had the pleasure of spending the day on one of my favorite spots in the entire world. Nothing like the size of trout we see on bigger water in October and November, but they still average 14-15 inches, have lots of color, and we catch so many we lose count.

My best of the day--between 19-20 inches.

[El Diablo 4232]

South 40 Trail bass tournament championship is this weekend on Lake Waco if that's your thing. I'll probably go to the weigh-in at the HOT Coliseum (Extraco Event Center) on either Saturday or Sunday just to check out the rigs.