Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Brown is Down

Settle down all you deer hunters!

I'm talking fishing here. I made a trip to SLC and packed a couple of rods "just in case".

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Winter is on the way.

Monday evening found me in the Heber Valley at the famous Snake Creek with the 9' TFO 5wt rod and a wooly bugger or two. There is already snow in the mountains and the creek is heavily vegetated. Time for a freeze!

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Heber Valley
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Watch out for these on the backcast!


I managed to fool one small Brown and a nice Rainbow.

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Brown on a Bugger


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Nice Heber Valley Bow

I made a return trip on Tuesday evening and arrived just after a thunderstorm.

I got some nice pictures but the fish were down in the creek as it was running hard and dirty.

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Thunderstorm and Rainbow
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Behind the Storm
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Upstream
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Rainbow Run
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Whirlwind Sunset

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Beach Buggy

After an exhilarating morning chasing redfish with Paul in the marsh, it was time for some serious beachcombing.

Tracy and I ate a quick lunch of leftovers, packed some sandwiches for supper, and headed south to Matagorda. Each time we go is a different experience and this trip was to be the first in the new Beach Buggy.



The model we found is the Sport and the one we rented was the Limited. The major difference aside from the luxury items is that the 4WD on the Limited had an additional setting. The Sport has 4H and 4L with two other settings for 2WD and a neutral setting which frees both axles. This feature is great if you want to tow the vehicle as a dingy behind a motorhome.




We drove several miles down the beach - not as far as last week but well beyond where we were able to go in the Tracker. The sand was very fluffy and since the tide was low it was not always clear which was better - close to the waterline or back near the dunes. The Liberty Sport performed well in whatever task we asked of it. It has a long enough wheelbase and a wide enough track to provide a stable platform and the 4H setting was all we needed to go where ever we wanted.




I fished some but either the cold front or the low tide had all the fish out well beyond my casting range. Either that or I've lost my edge!



The surf was pretty rough and the wind was blowing - not the best for fishing the first gut but great for shell hunting. Tracy took some great shots of me and the Liberty.


Walking on Water?

I haven't been the one taking the beach pictures on previous trips so I decided to keep my eyes open for some good shots. The day was moving towards evening and the light was improving.



The wind was blowing sand along the ground which, combined with shells and the longer shadows, made for some interesting mini dunes.

Drifting Sand and driftwood combine here to provide a collage of texture.



The longer shadows provided this shot of the fishing photographer.



While Tracy was exploring beyond the dunes she found some water so I naturally had to check it out. Who knows what might be found here?



It turned out to be a fresh water pond - collection of rainwater that didn't seem to have any fish in it but provides a source of drinking water for the wildlife.


Tracy heading back to the beach.

The search for shells is never ending and you need to keep your eyes open. This shell had landed on a stump.


Looks like a pearl in an oyster!


The surf brought in some small debris along with shells creating this interesting interface with the dry sand.



Pink light from the setting sun colors these sand ripples.



Time to head for home.....



Isiah 51:6

Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath;
For the sky will vanish like smoke,and the earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not wane.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Plastic Navy

Paul and I headed to McNab Lake for a pre-dawn strike.

The plastic destroyer, aka "Spot" was loaded on the new transport.

I traded the '99 Chevy S-10 (and a few $$) for a 2007 Jeep Liberty 4X4.

This should prove to be just what we need to traverse the beach and other fishing destinations. No playing in the pasture!


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Jeep Green Ride

In our usual style we both arrived earlier than planned and since I had my boat already unloaded, I threw a cast net while Paul made ready. Several large shad or menhaden found their way into the bait bucket which was a hint as to what was to come later...

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Gulf Menhaden

The moon was full the previous night and we have been experiencing a stretch of clear fall weather so the fact that we launched before daylight was no problem.

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Moon over McNab

The tide was WAY out this time and all the oyster reefs and crab traps were clearly visible as we navigated our way into the marsh. There wasn't much activity along the way but as we approached the lake, Paul and I saw explosions of menhaden as the predator fish attacked from below. The water was still moving out of the marsh so when we stopped paddling to cast into the fray the current carried us back down the channel.

We cast Gulp shrimp and topwaters all around the feeding fish but they apparently were keyed in on the menhaden. I even tried hooking on a couple of the bait fish we had netted off the launch but they wanted something specific.

When the activity tapered off we continued into the lake and Paul said, "The first one who catches a fish wins".

Then like Abraham and Lot, Paul went left and I went right.

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Paul Ready for Battle

I generally head straight for a little cove that has been a consistant producer since the first time I visited this lake. This time however my attention was captured by some bait jumping along the south shoreline just adjacent to the mouth of the channel.

I began slowly working my way along the shoreline and quickly realized I was in the fish. I could see several targets and began sight casting to fins, tails, and swirls. Everything was being refused until I finally dropped a gulp right in front of a cruising red about 40 yards away. He picked up the bait and began to move off when I began to reel and got a good hookset.

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Big Red


The fight was on and I got a nice ride from this 26" brute. When I finally landed him I was amazed at his girth - he was full of something!

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Full Belly

Thanks to brother Paul for the great camera work!


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The Happy Fisherman

I continued to cast to active fish and actually hooked another but after a brief battle he regained his freedom and will live to fight another day.

We continued to fish the south shoreline but the activity seemed to shut down about 9AM.

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East End

I made an early day of it since Tracy and I had plans for the afternoon and Paul hung in there for a couple more hours but the fish didn't cooperate.

OK here is the theory...(I thought about this all the way home)

When temps drop in the fall, predator fish like reds and trout gorge themselves on high quality bait like menhaden in preparation for winter. The recent unusually high tides followed by the extremely low tides has a flushing effect on the marsh, sweeping schools of bait that has been growing in the marsh all summer out the channels into the intercoastal and eventually the bays and passes to the Gulf.

Since the moon was big and nearly full, I think the fish had been feeding on menhaden all night. The stomach contents of the fish I caught confirmed this. That football shaped belly was nothing more than gobs of whole shad in various stages of digestion.

The tide had probably been going out most of the night and the reds simply had to wait near an ambush spot and snatch the bait as it came down the conveyer belt.

In hindsight, a silver spoon was probably the bait of choice. The Gulp has been the go-to bait up until Saturday but when reds get keyed in on a specific bait, one writer claims, "They can be as picky as a spring creek rainbow".

Live and learn!

We will have to try that on the next trip...which incidentally will be Friday - God willing - in celebration of both of our birthdays.



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We'll be back!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Palacios & Matagorda

The kids are back at school and work, the lawn got mowed and weed-eated, I got a load taken to the local landfill, and the weather is considerably Fall-like.

Must be time to go fishing!

I headed to Palacios to visit my old friend - the 1st Street Pier.

I brought my usual arsenal of double shad rigs and this time I also decided to throw out a Gulp or two to see if anything would be fooled by this offering.

The sand trout were small and far between when I first arrived but I was able to snag a few under the light on the wall before heading to the pier. There were several fishermen out and they were having about the same luck as me.

I heard the locals talking about the pattern observed over the past few nights - slow at first with increasing sand trout activity until 11PM and then the specks move in. Perfect - my target departure time was 11pm!

The prediction turned out to be accurate and by 10pm the sandy bite was in full swing. I caught them on the shad rig and on the new penny Gulp under a cork.

I caught so many that the Gulp got shredded. I removed just the tail and replaced one of the shad on the 1/16 oz jighead and fished that combo for a while.

The sandies seemed to like both baits equally well and I picked up a few doubles along the way. One of my piermates caught a sting ray and another caught a whiting and a ribbon eel, but for the most part it was all sand trout until 10:50pm.

My friend Tony from Pearland started it when he caught a 16" speck on live finger mullet. Next, a group from Austin caught two that were just under 15".

They were all "giving me the business" as I reeled up my lines and headed home...like I need any encouragement to stay late! What they didn't know was that I had a date with Tracy to head to Matagorda in the morning in a rented Jeep Liberty 4X4 for a trip down the peninsula.

Matagorda

Perfect Fall Weather - that's what the weatherman called it. The sky was clear and the temps were moderate as we got underway on the big adventure. We were bound for the coast and intending on driving down the beach to see how the Liberty handled sand.

We passed the 3-mile mark and headed into unfamiliar territory. There were several fishermen and families along the way. We stopped a couple of times to fish and look for shells.

I fished with fresh shrimp and new penny Gulp and caught some usual suspects in the first gut.


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Whiting

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Tracking Birds

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Baby Drum

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Rat Red

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Gulp in the Surf

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Still Too Small

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Multi-Spotter

We travelled about 10 miles down the beach before deciding to head back to civilization. After a bathroom break we parked near the river mouth and finished out the day watching the sunset over the confluence of the Colorado River and the Gulf of Mexico.


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Fisherman's View on the River

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Shoreline

The Liberty proved to be a good choice for the beach - plenty of traction and ground clearance. We got in some pretty soft stuff and were able to navigate through it without any trouble. There may be a trade coming in the near future...

Used car dealers beware!


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Jeep Liberty on the Shell Bank


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End of the Day


Psalm 50:1
"The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting."

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Gators 2007

Gators at Brazos Bend State Park

Friday, October 12, 2007

Legal Limit

Early morning was the key at McNab today.

I had taken the day off since we are having company this weekend but "The English Teacher" said she had some papers to grade and gave me a hall pass to go fish.

I got out early and had my paddle in the water at 6:30AM. I was rewarded with a limit of 3 redfish ranging from 22" to one that was the max length of just shy of 28".

If you have never had a big redfish on light tackle in a boat that puts you at almost eye level with the fish - you haven't lived!

Paul H. showed up after I had two on the string and we paddled up to the lake where he picked up a fat keeper and I completed my hat trick.

Here are the pics - enjoy!

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Sunrise at McNab Lake
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Huskins Stirring them Up

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Fisherman's View

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Heavy Stringer

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Three to Go

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Paul with a Fat Red

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Toothy Trout



Looks like fish will be on the menue later this weekend.