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Mid-Coast Bays: June 2014
Charles Gremminger with a redfish that loved his 51 MR MirrOlure.
The only thing I can compare the May fishing to is a roller coaster, and if you know me very well you probably already know that I don't like roller coasters. The talk and the moods around the docks at the end of the day have been pretty grim, and if someone had a good dayBoom! Here comes the interrogation.
These interrogations were mostly by the newer generation who (I'll give them benefit of doubt) probably don't know any better. I say newer with no reference to age in years; what I am talking about is the generation of instant gratification fishermen that seems to be growing at a frightening rate.
I was one of the lucky guys one dayhaving the pleasure to take a couple of very seasoned fishermenthe type capable of making you look like you really know what you are doing. Our hard work paid off on a day that was slower for most. While cleaning fish and conversing with my clients, another angler walked up and started grilling me.
I could not believe his rapid fire persistence. "Did you run south? Did you fish San Antonio Bay? Did you fish shorelines or reefs?"
I politely answered some of his questions in hope he would let me get back to the conversation with my clients. But nope; he continued even after I told him we ended up pretty far south by the end of the day.
"Did you see so and so? He went south and only had two fish at 10:00."
No, I had not see ol' so and so. By then he evidently figured I wasn't going to tell him exactly where we fished and went back to what he was doing before I got there.
Now, I have no problem telling anybody how I fish, or the type of area I am fishing, but exactly where will always be a guarded secret. I learned long ago that when that cat gets out of the bag you will have lots of "help" for several days.
Please do not misunderstandthere are always a few that wait until I have finished my clients and boat duties, then come up and say, "Man it was tough out there. Can you give me a few hints on what type of structure I should be fishing? I don't want to know where, just some clues to help me next time."
I will usually give this guy much more consideration. Heck, I have even been known to give up some of the areas I fished on particular trips, simply because their politeness tells me they are not the type I need to worry about. They are simply seeking clues to help unravel the mysteries of fishing.
The instant gratification type is the guy that hasn't done his homework. He's the guy that boldly barges into spots where somebody told him they caught fish, without regard for others already there. He doesn't fish where the conditions or availability of baitfish tell him to try. He is the guy that runs past a slick-laden shoreline to reach a reef he heard someone caught fish on yesterday. Or he is the guy wading shirt-pocket deep, run-and-gun through other anglers, oblivious to mullet getting crashed on the shoreline by a school of redfish that would take anything he threw.
So my question is; "Are you fishing for instant gratification, or are you striving to learn more about your quarry and willing to put forth the effort to understand their feeding patterns?"
Enough of that. Like I said, the fishing in May has been up and downwith a lot of down. The good thing with that June is almost here!
June brings stable weather patterns and I blame May's consistently unstable weather for most of the disappointment we have been experiencing.
During June I will target the Matagorda Island surf every day the weather allows. When conditions are unfavorable out there, my next choice will be shoreline wading near the passes to the gulf. My third choice would be the reefs in San Antonio or West Matagorda Bay.
My lures of choice for June are the Bass Assassin Vapor Shad or the 5" Saltwater Shad in Baby Bass and Green Moon. Both have an excellent natural hue. If I feel my lure needs more flash I will try Red-Gold Shiner or Gold-Black Shiner. I typically rig all my soft Assassin baits on 1/16 ounce Assassin jig heads.
I know I got off on a touchy subject this month, but it is one that has been troubling me for some time. Just remember that fishing is like anything elseyou get back what you put inand then some.
Fish hard, fish smart!
These interrogations were mostly by the newer generation who (I'll give them benefit of doubt) probably don't know any better. I say newer with no reference to age in years; what I am talking about is the generation of instant gratification fishermen that seems to be growing at a frightening rate.
I was one of the lucky guys one dayhaving the pleasure to take a couple of very seasoned fishermenthe type capable of making you look like you really know what you are doing. Our hard work paid off on a day that was slower for most. While cleaning fish and conversing with my clients, another angler walked up and started grilling me.
I could not believe his rapid fire persistence. "Did you run south? Did you fish San Antonio Bay? Did you fish shorelines or reefs?"
I politely answered some of his questions in hope he would let me get back to the conversation with my clients. But nope; he continued even after I told him we ended up pretty far south by the end of the day.
"Did you see so and so? He went south and only had two fish at 10:00."
No, I had not see ol' so and so. By then he evidently figured I wasn't going to tell him exactly where we fished and went back to what he was doing before I got there.
Now, I have no problem telling anybody how I fish, or the type of area I am fishing, but exactly where will always be a guarded secret. I learned long ago that when that cat gets out of the bag you will have lots of "help" for several days.
Please do not misunderstandthere are always a few that wait until I have finished my clients and boat duties, then come up and say, "Man it was tough out there. Can you give me a few hints on what type of structure I should be fishing? I don't want to know where, just some clues to help me next time."
I will usually give this guy much more consideration. Heck, I have even been known to give up some of the areas I fished on particular trips, simply because their politeness tells me they are not the type I need to worry about. They are simply seeking clues to help unravel the mysteries of fishing.
The instant gratification type is the guy that hasn't done his homework. He's the guy that boldly barges into spots where somebody told him they caught fish, without regard for others already there. He doesn't fish where the conditions or availability of baitfish tell him to try. He is the guy that runs past a slick-laden shoreline to reach a reef he heard someone caught fish on yesterday. Or he is the guy wading shirt-pocket deep, run-and-gun through other anglers, oblivious to mullet getting crashed on the shoreline by a school of redfish that would take anything he threw.
So my question is; "Are you fishing for instant gratification, or are you striving to learn more about your quarry and willing to put forth the effort to understand their feeding patterns?"
Enough of that. Like I said, the fishing in May has been up and downwith a lot of down. The good thing with that June is almost here!
June brings stable weather patterns and I blame May's consistently unstable weather for most of the disappointment we have been experiencing.
During June I will target the Matagorda Island surf every day the weather allows. When conditions are unfavorable out there, my next choice will be shoreline wading near the passes to the gulf. My third choice would be the reefs in San Antonio or West Matagorda Bay.
My lures of choice for June are the Bass Assassin Vapor Shad or the 5" Saltwater Shad in Baby Bass and Green Moon. Both have an excellent natural hue. If I feel my lure needs more flash I will try Red-Gold Shiner or Gold-Black Shiner. I typically rig all my soft Assassin baits on 1/16 ounce Assassin jig heads.
I know I got off on a touchy subject this month, but it is one that has been troubling me for some time. Just remember that fishing is like anything elseyou get back what you put inand then some.
Fish hard, fish smart!