Get Skinny!

No, I'm not talking about your waistline- I'm talking about hitting shallow water and here's why.

   As our days start to shorten and our temperatures drop, bass are tuning in to their instinct to feed. Right now they're trying to soak up as much food as they can in order to survive "winter" (which is almost a joke here in Texas). In order to prey on their meals bass need two things really- energy and a good hiding spot.

   First, and I'm going to revert to a little empiricism here. Sunlight = energy, everyone remembers the cycle of sunlight to poop, and how basically all sources of energy on Earth are sourced back to sunlight. Well, a bass is this simple also (though it obviously gets energy from food as well), but just like humans would prefer to be in the sunlight on a cold day (if we have to be outside at all, at least it's a little warmer in the sun), so do bass. In essence, they prefer the warmer areas of the river, especially earlier in the day when they have an opportunity from a long night. In the shallow, limestone-surfaced foothills of the Balcones Escarpment, these bass will often swim into 6"-1' of water to warm up. Bonus points if the there is a sneaky little spot to lay-in-wait for prey to pass by.

   Which brings me to the second point- bass like a good place to hide. I've harped on this before and really stress that targeting the small hiding spots in skinny water that a bass could possibly fit in, are the keys to massive strikes and larger bass.

    So stick with me here... imagine waking up on a cool Saturday morning in early "fall" in Central Texas. Cloud cover keeps the sun from breaking through immediately upon rising, and the first chill of the cooler days-to-come lingers in the river bottoms... what would you do? I knew you'd say that...

    I grabbed my rods and kayak and quickly headed to the Guadalupe River for the few hours I had before my afternoon plans. Lurker and I slid in the water at Gruene and the sun had just fully broken through the clouds as I rigged up a baby brush hog. Lurker proceeds to float in front of me, casting the bank and pulls out 3 juvenile largemouth before I even feel a tug. I'm not a patient person, unless I'm fishing- I knew my time would come. As we float down casting the bank, I start to focus in on accurate casts (something else I harp on, for good reason!). If a cast isn't just right I might even turn around, paddle up and re-cast it. I'm that adamant. In this case, it helped. As we paddle to the first set of rapids, I linger off to the side and focus on the sun-baked eddies to the sides of rapids, in water that's less than 1' deep, full sunlight, all solid beds of limestone. I see some grass hanging over the edge of the water, its blades tipping in. It was a tough skip to get it under with a T-rigged 1/16oz BBH, but she fell perfectly, just inside the grass. Through the crystalline waters I see a bass lurch forward and suck up my lure. I pause for a split second... and *wham* set my hook and the fight was on. The beast bolted out of the grass across the limestone bed. The water was so skinny, and this pig so feisty, she skirted across water merely inches deep, her dorsal and tail slicing out of the water like the freshwater shark she was impersonating. She took me to the current and begin to fight it upstream, a worthless endeavor as my Penn drag keeps her at bay, allowing me to slowly man her back to the kayak. By now Lurker has paddled over to watch and help boat the bass. 

   I'm trying to teach Lurker to bass fish with confidence and to pinpoint big bass, this lesson couldn't have been more succinct- accurate casts to well-positioned ambush points in an area where bass SHOULD be at that moment. High fives were passed, pictures taken and the fish was released back to the waters in which she came, hopefully with the mindset to tug on my line again one day.

Accurate Casting is King for River Bassin'!

    As I introduce people to the sport of kayak fishing, and specifically to kayak fishing the rivers of Central Texas, I often find myself explaining a few simple tricks to increase the likelihood that they'll connect with a decent bass. I'll reiterate a few of those points here, but first, I must stress that accurate casting is King. Paramount. Requisite. Imperative. 

You get my point.

   What do I mean by accurate? I'd say you should be able to cast to an area 3' in diameter or less. Sometimes a difference of inches can mean no fish and a lunker. If you can cast to an area 1' in diameter, I'd say you've got the skill needed to target trophy bass in Central Texas.

   This brings me to my overnight camping trip along the Colorado River this last weekend. I landed 3 large Largemouth and 1 great Guadalupe Bass with accurate casting. Every now and then you'll get a dink, but the majority of the fish I'm pulling out of tight holes along bank cover are hogs. Bass are ambush predators, if you drop a lure 1' from their face they literally have a split second to respond. As a bass they have to make the decision so quickly, it's a reaction and the accurate cast gives you the advantage of surprise. They don't want that potential meal to disappear if it's that easy to collect. If your lure looks perfect, they literally have ZERO time to decide, and you have the advantage.

My tips for landing these.

1. Think small, cast small. Cast into the tightest of holes. Don't be afraid to cast over a log or limb. It might make the landing difficult (prepare yourself prior if you do hook up) but you will miss 100% of the fish you don't cast too. Big bass love pinch points and traps in the 1-2' behind between logs/branches and banks. The bass below was holed up between the tall reeds and water hyacinth you see over my right shoulder, right next to the fallen tree. Casting in that shallow, little transition point brought out this chunky LMB. 

2. Horse them out of the hole early. When I set the hook I horse them out early, before they realize the fight is as tough as it is. I'd rather yank them out in the open and fight them there then let them use all their energy near the cover and structure of the banks.

This bass struck the craw across the algae mat from me, under the cover of the elephant ears. Horsing her out early was key to keeping my line from getting wrapped around elephant ear stalks (hard to slice, even for braid) or algae matting (hard to pull through due to weight). Getting her out in the open early allowed me to fight her in the open water, which also makes for a safer release.

3. Hit the small eddies right above and below rapids. I especially can't stress this enough for Guadalupe bass and larger Largemouth and Smallies. An eddy that is 2' in diameter, or a shelf point along a rock wall that creates a current-less spot is a perfect ambush point for larger, predatory bass. This Guad pictured below was in literally a 6" deep eddy along a rapid, under a low hanging tree. Casting was difficult, I missed a few strikes (and I'll change my lure after missing two, so as to throw the fish off a little longer and increase my chances of a third attempt). This Guad hit a thinner craw on the 3rd time and NAILED it.

4. Get out there. Just go. Focus on every cast you make. Make every cast as perfect as you can. Don't let a lure hang sideways. The old and big fish don't get that way by being stupid. If something seems wrong or off about your lure, you aren't going to get a strike.

Good luck folks!

Fishing the San Marcos River in late summer

   It's about the time of year that our nights start cooling off and for the first time since April we see the mercury dip into the 60s. With shorter days and cooler nights the water temperature begins to drop, as does the sir temperature. This encourages a remarkable behavior in at least a few species. For the Black Bass family we notice an uptick in appetite, sated only by their love for any creature that inhabits freshwater. But this consequently creates an uptick in the amount of time fisherman try to spend on the water. Especially before cold days (you know, like the 3-4 weeks of winter we get around here).

   This past weekend- Labor Day weekend in America, I had the opportunity to float down the San Marcos River for an overnight trip between Martindale, Texas, and SH130, a toll road crossing of the San Marcos River. I would be joined by Sparrow and Steve who are on the opposite ends of the kayak-camping spectrum. Sparrow has been down this stretch and camped it numerous times. Steve had neither been down this stretch or camped out of a kayak before- but both are very capable fishermen. We put in at Spencer's/Shady Grove Campground (quite possibly the nicest folks and easiest put in on the upper San Marcos River). We didn't wake up early to get on the water, we just made decent time and were all on the water by 9am. 

   We meandered through the deadfalls, babbling rapids and cool water. Brian whipped his fly rod, I casted soft plastics and Steve cranked shallows lures. We hadn't been on the water very long before I pulled out a decent Largemouth.

The author with a 17.5" Largemouth bass

   Now I've been trying to get Steve confident in soft plastics for awhile. As I casted and kept getting strikes, he saw that they could work effectively, I gave him some pointers (accurate casting to the bank, where bass will hide mid-day, proper lure action, etc.) and soon enough Steve was catching them too. Not to be outdone, Brian hooked some up also.

   Steve and Brian both managed LMBs near 17.5", but Steve yanked out a 16.5" Smallie (pictured above) that put him over the top for the day. Throughout the day the bass were aggressive, all 3 populous species (LMB, SMB and Guadalupe bass). As I chunked plastic after plastic I started to mix it up. I first began with a Zoom Baby Brush Hog, Texas-rigged in watermelon/red flake (a go-to of mine). Soon after I ripped some of those up I wanted to show Steve that it wasn't necessarily the lure that was getting them. So I started chunking a watermelon/red flake Havoc Pit boss (T-rigged). After catching a few on those,  I switched to a watermelon/red flake Zoom Speed Worm and caught a few on that as well. Now, to top it all off- I was burning through plastics, and the aggressive bass were literally tearing them up on every second catch or so- I had to show Steve that no matter what color it was, as long as it was casted close to the fish and worked in a believable fashion, you could get a reaction strike on any lure. Cue the tequila sunrise curly tailed worm, and an arching cast upstream to the base of a submerged, mid-stream tree trunk and bam! a Guadalupe Bass took me for a ride. Then I switched it over to a brown lizard (with red & green flake) and did the same exact thing. Not only was I grinning ear to ear, Steve was too because he had new weapons in his arsenal. 

   Meanwhile, Brian is having luck switching between a craw pattern sinking fly and tossing a pumpkin worm. Steve watched as literally every lure caught fish and he slowly transitioned to a soft plastic user... until we literally had to stop using so many in fear of not having enough for day two. All in all we managed a dozen bass a piece, all aggressively taking a lure on the fall or sweeping it up in the current. 

   One technique worked really well for me in the hot mid-day sun. We know bass transition to deeper water as the surface temperature rises, and in rivers that deeper water may be difficult to find, however, on the San Marcos it isn't that difficult. Knowing that steep mud banks descend into the depths and shallow flood banks are the gradual slope, I casted within one foot of the bank along the mud cliff and I let my creature sink to the bottom. As the current drags me along I pop my lure up (if it's a worm or creature) or swish my lure sideways and let it fall (if a lizard or craw). 9 times out of 10 this resulted in a Guadalupe or Smallmouth picking it up off the bottom (maybe 6'-8') in current (since the current favors the steep bank). Especially if you can skip or drag up and over a submerged rock or structure, often times a Guad or Smallie will hang out right there.

   That night we enjoyed sausage and Ramen noodles (after Brian cleared the water moccasin out of our camp site). Silently the water drifted by as we slept under the stars...

    We all three woke up early and hit the water quick. We weren't but a few hours from our take-out and we wanted to ensure the bite was still on. Again, I managed the first bass (a Guad) and it was a day filled with Guads and LMBs for all of us. Brian lost a 5-6 lb. LMB at the side of his boat but boated many other bass and Steve managed to catch only Guads all day.

   All in all we had a great trip and I know Steve will be back to camp with us and will continue to expand his use of soft plastics.

The Colossal Colorado

   I haven't had a chance to write in awhile... because I've been fishing. With the pre-spawn aggression, the spawn and the beginning of spring (which is essentially a one month season here in Central Texas) I've been trying to catch some bass. The last 3 weekends I've spent on the Colorado River, and it has not disappointed. It was so good the first weekend (on a 3-day camping trip) that I had to go back last Saturday. It was so good last Saturday that I had to go back yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't have next Saturday off, but if I did, I'd be back again- it has been that good folks.

   Dr. Warthog and Sparrow (some TKF friends) invited me on a little float east of Austin down the Colorado River. I couldn't resist, they've been pulling in some big bass from the "Roddy" lately. The Texas state record Guadalupe Bass (and IGFA World Title for sure...) was pulled out last month not too far from this stretch and I was itching to get into some Guads.

    I loaded up with the good doctor and we headed out before the rest of the gang. We put in early Friday morning with the expectation to fish hard all weekend. We did. We literally wouldn't put the poles down all day, sunup to sundown. The first weekend yielded close to 40 bass, and I broke my PB Guad length- twice.

   I threw almost every soft plastic in my tackle box and had so many destroyed I burned through almost all of them in 3 days. Here were a few thoughts running through my head by Sunday morning:
1. My arms haven't hurt like this since Alaska
2. I wonder if they'll bite this (while rigging up the next random lure I hadn't tried)?
3. Can I catch one more fish?

   By Sunday I was worn out.

Prettiest Guad I ever caught

   But I had such a good time that I had the urge to go back all that next week... so I did. My friend Dave had just got his kayak and was itching to slime it. We decided to do the first stretch of my trip the previous weekend and once again, it was on fire. I landed 29 bass in one day. Of those, 2 were Guads over 15". In 2 trips I had caught 4 Guadalupe Bass worthy of a Big Fish Award through TPWD. Dave slimed his boat up good with White Bass and Largemouths, and needless to say he was hooked on the Rowdy Roddy.

    Yesterday we gave it another shot and Dave landed multiple White Bass (good enough to cite his first Big Fish Award) and LMBs again. I managed a little over 20 bass and a few hefty footballs.

    We were lucky to have similar weather and water conditions on all 3 of my trips:

Day 1: Over cast in the morning then sunny, high near 80, low wind- >3' visibility
Day 2: Over cast in the morning then partly cloudy, high near 75, low wind- < 2' visibility
Day 3: Partly cloudy all day, high near 75- < 1' visibility

Day 1: Partly cloudy all day, high near 75- 2' visibility

Day 1: Partly cloudy in the morning leading to bright sun and high near 85- > 2' visibility

    The Colorado is loaded with steep bank with mostly mud banks but some rock. Dead-falls abound on the steep bank and should be fished hard. 90 % of my fish were caught on the first or second cast into an area, typically on the fall, in the shallows near the felled debris. Often times the bite was "topwater" simply because the water was so shallow you could watch the current proceed to your lure and anticipate the strike. Often times I'd throw a weightless heavy craw Texas rigged around the larger trunks or in pinch points where bass might ambush their prey. If this didn't elicit a strike, I'd follow it up with a swimbait around the edges of the pile.

    My go-to lures for these 3 separate trips (and I didn't have enough for either of the trips) were:
1. Havoc Pit Boss 4in. in Okochobee Craw
2. Havoc Grass Pig Jr. 3.5in. in Black-Blue Silver Fleck (rigged weedless with a 1/8 oz. bullet weight)

   Sometimes they'd hit the craw and miss and I'd toss it back only to have it denied cast after cast. One lesson I learned by Trip #2- if they hit the craw and miss, follow it up quickly with the paddle tail swimbait and burn it through the area of the strike. Sometimes it'd be the 3rd or 4th cast in the area, but the bass would hit the swimbait hard, and this helped put probably 10 more bass in the kayak. By the 3rd trip I learned that if they strike the craw and miss, then deny the paddle tail- let it sit for 5 minutes quietly and then come back with the craw and try it later (maybe 5-10 minute) this helped put 5 more fish in the boat.

   Work the cover. Pound a pileup with lures for 10 minutes if you have to. I find a spot with great vantage points and wrap my leg over a branch (watch out for snakes!) while I cast at a pile over and over. I start with the craw and hit every little pinch point, nook or shadow I can get to. I don't just get close to that spot, I cast until I get into that spot- that makes a difference for the pickier (bigger) bass. If these casts don't elicit responses I'll work that swimbait parallel to the sides of the pileup, parallel to logs and under them and across points of the cover.

   Lastly, don't be afraid to burn a swimbait by a grass mat. Lineup alongside the vegetation and crank a swimbait or shallow crank or topwater frog parallel to that mat. These often result in aggressive strikes because the fish is generally hitting it closer to perpendicular than straight back. That's how this Guadalupe below destroyed a paddle tail- and it looks like this guy is used to fights!

Go get out there before it gets too hot folks!