Met up with my dad to fish Fayette County Lake. Was on the water a little after 7. Managed a few smaller fish not long after starting. Used plastics off a grassy point. They seemed to be schooling in that area as another boat in the vicinity was catching them on crankbaits/rattletraps. Moved to the dam to fish a ledge and caught 3 more in 10-15 feet of water on plastics. The video report is brief as using the go pro bass fishing is rather tricky. You either leave it running at the risk of sifting through a ton of footage or attempt to turn it on when you feel a bite. You can tell which one I chose. Half the time I thought I had pressed record and the other half I lost fish attempting to press record. The wind picked up as it normally does at Fayette and we didn't have much luck after fishing the dam. Attempted to perch fish but all the reeds apparently froze to death last winter. Couldn't locate a bed and the wind made it that much harder. I sure do hope those reeds come back. They were a perch haven and a great place to flip for bass with braided line. I guess I will have to return soon to reclaim the bluegill record. Enjoy the short video report.
No video report this time for one simple reason, no fish. Attempted to fish the reeds for bass like I like to do at Fayette County. The bottom was hard sand making my stake out pole useless. No bass were caught in the reeds. This left me with one option since I could not find my cast net this morning. Trolling with a rattletrap it was. Didn't get a bite on the long paddle to the West side of the lake. Fished the West bank above the dam with a spinnerbait and fluke with no bites. Trolled back with a rapala deep diving shadrap. No bites. All this paddling made me retire the pelican and it will soon be out of my garage. Its either a new yak or a trailer for the hobie which is currently down on the coast. I have learned my lesson. Calaveras is no Fayette. People troll and fish bait for a reason. That is exactly what I will do when I return. I may have to visit Braunig before revisiting Calaveras. I wouldn't mind getting back my bluegill record on Fayette either. It is that time of year for bluegill and perch. Let's just see where wind takes me.
Finally caught a fish on the go pro! Enjoy the video report below. We attempted to fish Friday in the boat but before even entering the bay we encountered engine problems. Limped in and that was it for Friday. Headed out early Saturday towards the first cut (launching from Caney Creek area). Solunar tables had both days at poor but the major was around 6-9. No fish caught during that time. Winds were from the SE at 5-10mph with temperatures at 73-90, partly cloudy. Entered the first cut into the bay and fished the reefs with a variety of plastics and a mirrolure topwater. No takers. Saw a couple walking the reef in the middle of the bay catching a few specs and headed out to do the same. Fished a plastic cocahoe and chicken boy (natural/chartreuse). Once again no takers. It looked like mother nature was going to cut my trip short again but the thunderstorm headed of towards the middle of the bay to pester other fisherman. My original plan was to head to Brown Cedar but no way was I making that paddle. It seems a lot shorter in a boat! I headed to the South shoreline and paddled as close as I could to the shoreline. This was only the second time I had fished the South shoreline in a kayak. The first time I just could not figure it out. Was I supposed to fish the grass? Was I supposed to fish the grassline? This time I tied on a weedless saltwater assassin and slow rolled it through the grass. Baitfish were everywhere along with bigger tailing fish. Not far down the bank from where I started I found a nice pothole. I have read that you are supposed to target these areas further down the Texas coast but have never heard of using this technique in East Matty. Caught a keeper bronze back in the pothole. In appreciation for him showing me how to fish the area, I let him go. I was there to learn, not load the freezer. A couple of minutes later I hooked up to another red, only to let him get away when I went to turn on the go pro. Tossed at many tails but did not get any more bites. The fish were easily spooked in the shallow water. I learned a lot this trip and the long paddle there and back was worth it. When I woke up the sky looked promising. A storm had just passed over the bay moving up towards Bay City. According to the radar, nothing else was in the gulf that could move up towards the East end of the bay. I launched from the Caney Creek area and paddled down Mitchells cut towards the bay. I noticed some activity along the East side of the cut that appeared to be flounder. I should have stopped and got an hour of fishing in there but I wanted to head into the bay. I actually had to anchor in the cut as a small storm that had passed over seemed to back build. Lightning and rain continued but I figured it would pass through like the others had. I paddled all the way into the bay and things did not get any better. I was looking forward to finally being able to fish the Brown Cedar Flats area but mother nature had other plans. We currently have a hate-hate relationship as this is a common occurrence on my fishing adventures. Pulled out the phone to check the radar and the larger storm around Bay City was pulling moisture from the gulf overtaking my position. I made the long paddle back to the cut against the tide and seaweed. Only had time to fish Mitchells cut for a few minutes before making the call to head in. No fish is worth being struck by lightning.
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July 2019
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