Badlands Fishing - ON FIRE !!

Rich Gidrey, Mike Jalifi , and I. left the boat ramp from Bird Island Basin at 6:30am in search of some rod-bending action. 

The transition between Summer and Fall can be some of the most awesome weather we can hope for in the year.  What makes it great is the fact that the winds can be just right, 10-20mph, and the heat of the Texas Summer has dropped to the 70-85 degree range instead of the 98-105 degree range.

We hammered down the throttle of the 250-HO Evinrude motor and ran at a top speed of 62 miles per hour, that is really fast on the water.   Our first stop was a barrier island complex that we saw on the way south.   We moved in and surveyed the area looking for three things, visible signs of baitfish, moving water and birds.  We had 2 of the three; we had moving water and birds working the shorelines.  The plan today was to use life piggy perch on a size 4 mustad croaker style hook.   We used 30 or 40 lb braided line with both bait-casters and spinning reels.  The first stop was not productive so we jumped back up on top and ran further south.

We chose the Badlands of Baffin bay because of the amazing rock formation structure that is sometimes just under the water’s surface.  These rocks hold baitfish and sometimes, just sometimes ----Big Trout and Redfish.  Today we hammered the Redfish, oversized Reds and top of the slot reds.  We moved probably 10 short moves against a shoreline working the rocks.  When you fish the rocks of Baffin bay, you will get hung up in the rocks and have to break off your hook and tie on another hook.  If you’re not getting hooked up in the rocks, you’re not fishing tight enough to the rocks.  The fish will be right in on and around the rocks.  Don’t be afraid of losing hooks, it is part of the game.  Use a Uni-knot tied directly to the braided line and you can break your line by aiming the rod directly toward the rock, tighten your drag all the way and pull the rod and reel back until the line breaks, it will almost always break at the knot and you will get all of your line back.   Simply tie on another new hook and bait up and get back out there.

Anglers Report:

Now----What made the fishing so good on this trip ?   Why were we so productive ?  

First, we had a sliver of a moon the night before, that means that the fish could not see very well so they did not feed much.  Second, we had moderately stained water, that means that the fish can find our bait by sight but they could not see us in the 24 foot Mako Bay-Boat that we were fishing from.  Third, there were visible signs of baitfish.  I mean at our last stops, where we hammered the Redfish, we could see mullet jumping and silver flashes in the water indicating that baitfish were in the area.  Forth, we could see birds hovering over the water in areas, sitting on the water in the middle of a bay and foraging along the shores.   That means that there were baitfish in the area and they were feeding.  

 
Seeing all these things helps us identify that we have a “Multiplier Effect” working for us.  We had 4 signs that the fishing should be good. 

Use the “Multiplier Effect” for your fishing and you just might…………………………… “Catch More Fish”.

Thanks for your time today and….I’ll see you in the outdoors !!

Dave

Fishing Port Aransas and the Laguna

On this trip, we fished with Tommy and Chris of “At Home Concepts”.  They provide the Inshore Fishing Team with our electronics support in our show studios and in our personal home entertainment environments.

 

We fished two days and caught Redfish and Trout in the shallow waters of both Port Aransas and the Laguna close to Corpus Christi.

Rich Gidrey was on board one day to help us locate some good fish in the Laguna.

Anglers Notes:

The trick on these two days was to find structure holding fish.  We covered a lot of water to find fish.  The conditions were good, we had moving water and stained water for cover but the fish were not that aggressive.  We found the reds in the flats---- just up on the flats as the tide came back in.

The trick on the Port A trip was to find deeper water close to a flats and find dolphins at work smashing bait on the surface.  We had some birds but they were of the pelican variety, not the seagull variety.   There we smoked over 50 Sand Trout.  They make for some excellent eating.  Just make sure you plan for a big fish fry since they do not freeze that well.

On a final note---Contact Tommy and Chris at 210-415-4811 for all of your audio and visual home entertainment needs.  They provide a top quality offering at the best prices you’ll find anywhere.

Thanks for your time today and I’ll see you on the water.

Dave

Flounder Gigging – Texas Style

Mike Wilson and our friends went Flounder Gigging just before Thanksgiving and it was rock solid awesome.

We left the dock at 6am----------------I mean 6pm and headed for the flats and shorelines of the Port A area.  We were using a specially equipped flounder boat with lights that could be lowered under the water level and a Honda motor on the back that was an Air Motor to move us thru the skinny water.

Our plans were to stick some flat fish and video a great show for television.  That was exactly what we did.  This time of year the flounder are in migration and if we had had colder weather, we had 60 degree temps, we would have really smoked the flounder.  They are really turned on with the cold temperatures.  

 

Angler's Note:

Flounder do not have a air bladder and they have a small body cavity.  They spend most of their lives lying on the bottom on their side or swimming along on the bottom on their side.  When they are born they are shaped like any other fish with one eye on each side of the fish.  At about 1/2 inch long, both eyes migrate to the left side of the fish and their body organs shift and they morph to become a bottom dweller for the rest of their lives.  They have razor sharp teeth and have a large cavity for a mouth.  You can catch them with mud minnows or soft plastics worked on the bottom.

They are strong fighters and you should have a net ready to snatch the fish from the water before they spit the bait.  You can often loose them at the side of the boat.

Thanks for your time today and well see you on the water.

Dave

Colorado Outdoors

 This trip was to scout for a potential location for an Outdoor Television Show.   Dianne, my wife, and I headed for Colorado in search of some “Action Outdoors”.

We were interested in Mountain Biking, Hiking, Fly Fishing and White Water Rafting.   Not too ambitious….. Right ??  Well, we  went to the Right Place.  We traveled to Denver Colorado and then headed out to Vail and Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  That was the ticket. 

Have you ever thought of going to Colorado, Vail, with no snow.  That is crazy, you go here when there is great powder and you ski the black diamonds,………………Right ??? 

Well not us, we hit the trails and the Rivers for some Excellent Fun.  As I always say……………….Let’s Get Out There !!!!!

We will be back with our HD Video Cameras and we will make a “Most Excellent Show”.  You can bank on that.

Outdoorsman Note:

Try 28 miles on Mountain Bikes along the Colorado River.  Then go for some Level 4 White Water Rafting, (remember Level 6 is all there is for Commercial Rafting Cos)…The water was super cold and very rough----------------NICE !!! 

 

 

 

We then went on some Strenuous Hikes up into the Mountains to Alpine Crystal Clear Lake ending points…..Very Sweet !!!

 

Not done there………..We then when Fly fishing on the River with a guide named…..Jack Bombardier………No really we did, he runs Confluence Casting in Gypsum Colorado.  He was great, he gave me a casting lesson for the 15 mile per hour wind and then we were off to get some nice trout who sip the surface to eat surface insects.   

It was a finesse game with false casts to dry the fly so it will float on the water longer.

All in all……..”Smoking Hot Fun in Colorado in the Summer Time”.    You really have to try it……… Really !!!!!

Thanks for your time today and I’ll See You in The Outdoors !!!

Dave