Next Best Thing to Fishing?

I drove over to Denton Saturday afternoon and preached at Singing Oaks in Denton this morning. As a result, no fishing report this week (I am, however, making plans for Saturday).

So if you can't be on the water what is the next best thing?


It just so happens that there is a Cabella's just off exit 65 on the way up from Ft Worth to Denton - how about that? So I did what one must do - I stopped and spent money, but not on anything exciting (new connections for my battery charger and carpet for replacing the rotten side guides on the trailer). I looked at the boats - 2007 closeout prices no less! - but only drooled and dreamed.

Truth is - most of the catching being done in the fishing business is the lure companies catching fishermen, not fish. And as I looked about the store, I couldn't help but notice that they position their "lures" based on structure just like a bass waiting for a dumb bait fish to swim by. They place the really "hot stuff" at the end of the aisles and out on an isolated points. Hmmm. Proud to say they didn't catch me this time... but I have to pass this place on every trip up to preach over the coming weeks.

It's still quite warm here. So I'm think the water has not started to cool much since last week, which means fall conditions have not arrived yet. Should be soon.

Lake Brownwood

A teacher's training seminar in Arlington last weekend, lectureship on campus this week - oh was it good to walk out the door early on Friday and head for lake Brownwood. Pam basically told me on Wednesday that she was making a reservation for me on Friday night (a room and a boat slip) so I dutifully obeyed.

The catching wasn't great, but the fishing was. The lake temperature was around 79-80 degrees, very light wind, and few clouds. I caught a couple on Friday night - one on a bleeding shad rattle trap, another on the red shad power worm. Saturday morning I got three small ones in the boat - all on the worm. I couldn't get a crankbait bite no matter the color (yellow-green or white) - nor could I get anything going on the main lake points that have paid off so much in the past. All the worm action came working brush and grass along the shoreline among the boat docks.

While none of the fish merited setting up my camera, I did experiment a little with the timer early this morning.Nice, eh? Makes you wish you were on the lake? Don, Don, wherefore art thou Don?

Don's appointed seat - empty and sad.

I start doing some interim work at Singing Oaks in Denton next weekend, so it may be a bit before I am on the water again. In the meantime, keep your bait in the water and your line tight - and let me know when you guys could fill this empty seat!

Pictures from Saturday

And now a couple of pictures from Saturday (thanks to a new card reader)



Perhaps 2.5 pounds? On my favorite soft plastic - red shad worm.



The first fish of the day - 1.5-2.0 pounds on the crank bait.

Back on the Lake

On Thursday I conducted the funeral for Vondane Burdick. She and her husband Hope (I did his funeral in February) were good friends from our time in Buena Vista. Most important here - Vondane loved to fish, really loved to fish; so, when the family gave me a little expense money for my trip over I decided the best way to honor Vondane was a trip to Cabella's on the way home. Thanks to a half-priced tent sale I now have the perfect rod for throwing medium sized crankbaits.

I hit Lake Coleman again yesterday (Saturday) morning. The lake temp was just at 80 degrees, sunny with a few passing clouds, no wind early (at 7 am) with a little breeze out of the south picking up mid-morning. Once again the chartreuse/green crankbait was effective on my favorite main lake point, especially early with the new rod. As we worked up the cove a red shad worm got good bites almost to the very back of the cove, at least until 10:30 or 11:00 am. At that point the bite was finished. I also tried a spinner bait (yellow skirt) and a bleeding shad rattle trap - but they just were not interested in these lures.. Reminder to self: check the drag on the crankbait rod and the line/knot on the worm rod (I'll spare you the story of the two good ones that got away).

As soon as I can get the camera and computer to communicate I'll post a couple of pictures (thanks to a new fishing buddy, Garry Bailey). Altogether I put 5 or 6 blacks in the boat, a few sandbass, and one ambitious bluegill.

I'll be off to Arlington next weekend for a seminar on Psalms, back just in time for Lectureship. I've already marked the calendar for a post-lectureship fishing trip the next Saturday. Any takers?

Fishing Lake Coleman (Sept 1)

Finally back on the water this morning after too long. The foot is better, but still not there yet.

I launched on Lake Coleman at about 7:00 AM, just as it was getting light. Of course the lake is full and this plus very little to no wind made for a beautiful early morning. I started up rattlesnake cove throwing everything I could think of - a buzz bait, a bleeding shad rattle trap, tried a little top water action, a yell0w/green crank bait, a red shad worm, and even a 1/4 ounce slab (at the sand bass popping the surface). No luck.

I ran back over to the south side in the first big cove and worked the main point with the crank bait and finally... I caught a small one, worked the tip of the point and caught a nice 2 pounder, finished working around the point and then came back tossing the worm - and caught another little one. I moved on further into the cove with the crank bait - and got another good one on the line... and broke him off. Of course I didn't have another crank bait of the same size and color (here I come Academy). I tried a larger size of the same color with no luck and another one the same size with red/yellow with no luck. I did manage to hook a couple more little ones throwing the bleeding shad rattle trap, but that was about it.

It was warming up by 11:00 and I promised to be home by noon so that was it for the day. It was to be back on the water.