The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Five years ago, the picture of Jay and Donnie Williams” recent catch would not have warranted a second look, but that was five years ago and things have changed!

Immediately following Monday’s brief downpour, the cousins decide to at least give it a try rather than return home without even launching the boat. “It was Donnie’s idea to go ahead and fish and I am glad we did,” said Jay.

“I was still tying on a topwater when we rounded the corner at Blue Buck Point and saw three different schools of reds on the surface. ”The fish didn’t stay up long, but simply making shallow drifts over the area produced two limits in less than thirty minutes.

“I think you could have caught them on anything, but I was using a chrome Skitterwalk and Jay was throwing a chartreuse Catch 2000,” added Donnie. “I don’t know how long they had been schooling, but we never saw them come up again.”

It is a reasonably sure bet that had they continued to school, the cousins would have never switched gears and there would have been no picture. “We were idling down the shoreline having already made our day when we saw a small school of tiny shad explode out of the water,” said Jay.

The first two fish that inhaled their lures were lady fish, but the third fish was a four pound trout. After establishing the fact that the larger trout and fewer ladyfish wanted a topwater, the duo repeatedly

drifted the same area time and again.

“Some drifts we would catch only one fish or get just one strike, but we may catch two or three fish the next drift,” said Jay. “As soon as Donnie caught our final limit fish we left and headed back to Houston.”

They finished up with two limits of trout between two and a half and four pounds and released one fish that they guessed to weigh five pounds before releasing it. They saw only one other boat while the redfish melee was taking place.

When all was said and done we narrowly dodged a bullet with the latest storm, but the water is still exceedingly high in both the bayous and the marshes. We ran the big engine in areas where we usually have to push pole Tuesday afternoon.

We never gave the lake a try, but had a very enjoyable time catching both bass and small reds on Wacky worms in Old River Cove. The cooler weather was a welcome change and just what is needed to ignite a more user friendly bite over the next few months.

As the cool fronts continue to stack up, surface temperatures will drop as will the water level in the backwater lakes and ponds. That combination will push more bait and predators into the open water

rendering them far more accessible to the waiting anglers.

Aside from locating gulls or terns ratting out schooling fish, there is no easier bite than taking advantage of an outgoing tide that is draining a nearby bayou or marsh drain.Both reds and trout will stack up on the nearest drop off or even a small pile of shell that affords them an ambush spot and feed for incredibly long periods of time.

Once you have located one of these magical spots, drop anchor or bury your Talon and take advantage of your good fortune. DO NOT CONTINUE TO DRIFT ACROSS THE AREA!

Invariably, day after day, a half dozen or more boats will gang up in Middle or East Pass and when all is said and done, one or two of them will have enjoyed a banner day while the others pick off only a fish or two and leave scratching their heads.

If your bite slows down due to boat traffic for a few minutes don’t panic. The fish will quickly settle down and you will be back in business. The number one reason that program is so effective is that your magic spot is constantly reloading with bait that is riding the tide out of the marshes.

Anchor your boat up-current so that your entire cast will stay in the strike zone. Changing colors as well as the length of your plastic can also make a big difference from one day to the next.

Fall may finally be on its way!