Hurry Up It’s Over! — May 7, 2007

Man, Dylan had it right, Things A Gonna Change!  Transition is the name of the game hurry up before it changes.  To be successful this time of year, you have to employ every trick in your arsenal.  One second your throwing tops, then tails, working birds, then a deep grass line, then drifting to covered scattered fish.  Makes things fun and keeps you up on your game.

One constant though, work the birds.  Birds are hammering any windward shoreline right now and the majority of fish this week were caught in 8 to 24 inches of water.  If you don’t have eagle eyes, or have a trained eye for working birds, I would recommend picking up a cheap, water resistant pair of binoculars to search the shorelines for birds.  Learn the difference between your liar birds and real birds and look for popping shrimp on the surface right now.  Best options under the birds…besides fly  ;D…avocado soft plastics with white devil tails. 

I often keep my dirty little secrets out of the fishing report but here is a trick I have started to use when working birds. After a number of ‘hook-up’s’ and no sticks, I noticed, even the larger trout, were grabbing the back part of the plastic and running with it and releasing as it got close.  So, after a number of color changes and retrieves, I tried cutting the plastic in half, lo and behold, FISH – ON.  That little tip is my public service announcement for the week.

Reds are right up there with the trout…but the trout are simply too fast for the grubbing reds.  Cappy and Poppy were having success in 3 to 4 feet of water throughout the day with their typical ‘One here, one there’  mantra.  Very rarely do they smoke me on reds, but I have to give my elders some respect every once and while, right!?  Spoons and red and white paddle tails were the best.

As the spring winds still rock and howl, we are waiting for Mother Nature to flip the light switch back off and usher in the hot days of the summer patterns.  Reds up shallow, trout out deep, and poons everywhere.  TWC says it will be this week.  We will see!

Finally, Aaron Reed of Texas Sporting Journal, is launching off on the next leg of his epic Rio to Sabine paddling trek tomorrow.  Follow his journey at [url=http://www.waterwilderness.com] Water Wilderness[/url] and see the picture of his much deserving braggadocios snook.  After he finishes his coastal journey, we are going to pile the kayaks into the offshore boats and do a few Tuna sleigh rides Texas style. 

Until then…you know the drill….