thediscochef

I've been lucky enough to have minimal confrontations, the thing about being primarily shorebound is that I can avoid most private property disputes by not trespassing. I also like to avoid surprise gunfire. I only really have conflict with boaters at one spot and it's next to a boat ramp, so I should expect some crossover. Funny enough the only real confrontation I've had was one run-in with a park volunteer who told me I couldn't fish off the boat docks at Isle du Bois state park, and threatened to have the state parks police come over and yada yada. If there had been any actual boat trailers of any kind present in the park I might be able to understand why. The actual rule at most texas state parks is: without "no fishing" signage displayed, it's OK to fish wherever you are as long as you are not impeding vehicular, equestrian, or pedestrian traffic. The ramp at Isle is the only one of the seven TPWD-managed ramps that does not have the "no fishing from pier" signage, so therefore only the traffic rules apply at these specific docks - I've cleared this with multiple state parks police officers and park rangers while they were standing on the dock with me and my gear. Some people are just intent on exerting some sort of control or power in every circumstance they encounter ?‍♂️

The Texas forums always have someone experiencing buffalo spawn for the first time and it's funny lol Love those fish, one of the few native sucker-ish fish that reach size First solid spotted bass of the year during about an hour 30 at the ole Ray Bob. probably 2ish lbs. In the usual spottie spot, with a spot remover minimax. Maybe I was trying lol

so many tournaments this month, at least one every weekend in april. stick to the weekdays if you can

buffalo will hit a finesse lure in the mouth, i can't explain why. tons of fun. Their spawns can be a spectacle

Without grass I usually look for rocks or some other feature in the water, like pilings or trees. I try to retrieve around those things and vary speed and motion until they either hit it or don't. One of those baits that can coax a bite even when it's not really what they want, but when they want it there's no wrong way to fish it

As much as I love tying knots, a $4 lure wrap is 100% worth the convenience alone

They didn't want the Puke today though, gonna try something else in the morning lol

This is the best other options. If you have treble hook lures I would use lure wraps. There are ways to roof mount and all that and it does free up a lot of space - just remember that they're there, road conditions like pebbles and gravel and sand can be problematic, and theft also becomes a possible concern. Sentra is a tough vehicle to be fitting 7 foot rods in, I wish you luck and I'm sorry for the loss of the rod

I only know maybe three species of sunfish positively, and they're all called "bass" by most people. I was struck by the size of the mouth and the black dots where a bass stripe would be. Probably a warmouth, cool experience for sure. Fought hard for such a tiny little thing.

Vacation continues, a fun day capped off with some great fishing. Caught the chubby little bass at the Blanco State Park area, to the east of the bridge. I missed probably two or three other swipes. Then back at the rented cabin, throwing tubes into the extremely clear water of the lake, tried a few colors before they went absolutely nuts for the bass pro "Puke" color. 5 bass, a bluegill, and I believe this to be a hybrid LM/Bluegill in about 45 minutes just before sunset. Bats are out eating bugs. What a great day.

I'm decent at it with bass, though not so much when it's been a while since I had a big fish

On a road trip with my woman, stopped at Inks Lake for about 45 minute. Threw a weightless fluke around where I saw something eating something in some shallows near some reeds. Bass ate fluke. I took a picture, released it, and kept on my way to where we're staying, about an hour away. It's probably the biggest first catch at any lake I've been to, I'm guessing 3-4lb but probably closer to 3. I didn't take the time to weigh it. Pretty, thick fish. Super fun, should be a fun week. Hoping to catch another Guadalupe but we will see.

Good question. I'm not sure any of us have asked to be up front lol He's gonna want to control his boat but we should be up there more

The four times have all been bluebird skies lol its more or less getting third crack at all the fish in that situation...but making the best of it

Curious to know what your back seat experiences are like. I am traditionally the back seat on my guided trips - guide up front, buddy in the middle, me in the back. Without fail, on four consecutive trips, I've had a rough day and moaned n groaned all morning while watching everyone else catch fish. Then, within the last hour or two - sometimes as little as 15 minutes left on a full day, so 3:45pm - I hook the biggest fish of the trip. Make everyone gasp, and go home with a great photo and on at least one occasion a PB. So, frustrating all day and then bragging rights. I can handle that of course, but there's times it gets hard to remember that I finish strong. wHaT dOeS iT mEaN?!?!?!?1 Also what's your back seat experience like?

back to nothing

I do this to my buddies too but the joke's on me, they have boats and can actually find a place to fish on the weekends lol Ray Roberts was stupidly busy today

When I'm targeting LM...same, but I start in July and go through December depending on when the winter temps start. In that time frame I'll go to whitney dam or PK at daybreak for stripers/wipers, and the outlet below Ray Bob for blue cats and gar mid morning. Should be some good fishing below the dam this summer with all the water thats been let down to Lewisville, that logjam between Bob and Lewisville stops up a lot of life when there's not big cu/ft moving. More or less stocking via army corps LOL.

weightless flukes have been the order this week. before that it was nothing.

Not much to write home about today but a nice few fish in some different spots. Tough wind conditions from the bank spots I could get to, would probably make some different location choices. Still, catching never gets old.

I mostly take photos to prove to the GF that I'm not just spending money for nothing lol but also to annoy my fishin buddies. I've posted most of my fish in here this year but I'm trying to stick to the more notable ones

I read somewhere that Ned's favorite color is coppertreuse, I tend to agree. it just works

It's a way to keep track of what line is on the spool...for those of us who have enough money to forget what's where that coin slot does nothing in terms of the reel performance. took me a hot minute to figure that out lol It's a great reel, the mag brake on mine is a little noisey but the drag is silky smooth and it pulled in a PB of 7-10 quite handily. Also it weighs basically nothing, that reel on its current rod combined weighs less than 11oz and I can fish it all day long

I think the first reply about selling is a big one. The big money isn't in the fishing. It's in the selling. Much of what I see on YouTube is just guys trying to convince you to watch more of their content or buy their sponsored whatever. If I want to actually know how something is done I pretty much stick to Glenn's videos. The rest is edu-tainment. I do enjoy a good Bill Dance blooper reel.

Went out to a different spot on Ray Roberts again today, just state park goofin. Landed five in one hour at the first spot I tried - a 4lb, two 2.5-3lb, and two 1-2lb. Feeling good about that, might be one of the best trips I've had in terms of pounds per minute. Had to leave for an appointment but gonna go back to the east side of the lake for more sheltered cove action. Three straight days of good fishing makes a chef happy.