TexasKayakFisherman.com

My last day of vacation was a good one. I've gotten really comfortable with the kayak & now stand while drifting, looking for fish through the water & casting when I see something interesting... Polarized sunglasses are a requirement.

Started a bit late (again). On the water around 10am, launched from the last GISP launch point that I'd not tried. The launch point at the end of PR66 puts you in to Lake Como and is rough! I won't use this launch again (1' ruts on the way to the water, no good for a heavy kayak on a cart). The Oak Bayou launch is much nicer & will get you to Dana Cove just as easily.

Saw nothing worth throwing at in the Lake Como area (but some spots looked promising), so I paddled / drifted around & ended up in Dana Cove near Oak Bayou with a few casts an the way over. The water was perfectly clear & there were fish everywhere. Reds & trout mostly, but rays & sheep heads too (I saw a ray with at least a 4' wing span at the top of the water). There's thick grass over here (detached/floating on the top & growing from the bottom) & everything I had kept catching the weeds.

I finally settled with a suspending swim bait keeping it below the surface, but off the bottom & caught 3 trout all around 20" (zero reds took the bait) before calling it a day... I kept one for lunch today & tomorrow.

Anyone have suggestions for lures/rigging that won't hook the grass? I've looked up how to rig a weedless Gulp & will try that next time (will need new hooks, don't think my jig heads will work for this).

I'm considering a camera mount for the rails on my center console so I can take better fish pics. Juggling a fish & my phone (in a water proof bag, on a lanyard, attached to my pfd) makes it a bit tough to get good pics of my catches.

Tide @ Pier21, fish were found/biting around 12:45.
6:19 AM high 1.47 ft.
11:31 AM low 1.03 ft.
4:39 PM high 1.41 ft.

In the weeds I use a jerk shad on a twist-lock hook. I use the Owner version since the twist-lock has a center shaft that aids in centering. Once the lure is on the hook you hide just the very tip of the hook under the back of the lure to keep it from snagging. There are many twist-lock hooks available as well as many jerk shad baits. Get the bait with a belly slit so the body does not take up the whole hook gap. Rigged this way it will not be bothered by the water grass or the marsh grass if you overcast to the bank.

Congrats on finding the fish -

I went to Academy this evening looking for Owner hooks with no luck. Looking online now but I have no idea what size I normally buy (I just buy what looks right but that's kind of hard to do online). Suggestions for hook size? 3, 4, 5 /0?

Are there any weedless hard lures? I have a weedless spoon, but don't think I've seen anything else.

I had an ebay shipment waiting for me when I got home today - 7 packs of gulp (most are a bit small, but will be ok) + some jig heads, soft baits, and spoons all for $20
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6JsAAOSwi ... -l1600.jpg

That is a nice selection for only $20, congrats. Most of the gulp lures are generally use with a jig head, but in there is a jerk shad like I referred to. For that size (5") I generally use a 3/0 hook. You would determine the hook size based on the body size of the lure that you use. For example gulp has a 6" jerk shad with a larger body that is too big for the 3/0 hook, so you would use maybe a 4/0 or 5/0. With the 3/0 hook a 1/16 or 1/8 oz weight is probably sufficient.

The link is to a site that reviews how to properly put the lure on the hook.
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gul ... ad-review/

Thanks! That's the link I saw that led me to academy for hooks.
I've ordered a pack of each size so I can pick the right one. Looks like Harvey isn't going to let me use them when they get here... at least the weather stayed away while I was on vacation (thankful for that).

Man, you have had one heck of a vacation and been on the fish. We need to change your handle to "fish whisperer"!!

Glad you brought up that grass situation. The replies from all you guys have been helpful. The last time I was there I was with my son and that grass was a pain. I even tied on a stanley ribbet frog ( the bass love em!) but didn't have any luck. Even though I didn't have any luck that day I'm still convinced that lure could be good if the fish are there.
Stay safe and dry this weekend!

Thanks! We bought a house that had minimal damage during Ike (no flooding)... plus it's a 1900 storm survivor. We're stocked up on booze, water, meat, and potatoes + have enough gas to run the generator for at least a few days (fridge + freezer & charge devices) & enough charcoal/wood to cook for a week. Hopefully none of that is necessary though.

It was a great vacation for sure - what started as burning time (use it or lose it) turned in to something I'll make sure I do more often. I hadn't fished nearly enough since moving to Galveston, that changes now.

Just realized I forgot to add my pics to this post... worthless without pics!
http://imgur.com/a/PnplH

Great pictures. You seem like your all set to ride it out if you have to. My son and his girlfriend live just off of 62nd street on "O 1/2". I'm about to give him a call here in a little bit and make sure he's prepared also!

rball5 wrote:My last day of vacation was a good one. I've gotten really comfortable with the kayak & now stand while drifting, looking for fish through the water & casting when I see something interesting... Polarized sunglasses are a requirement.

Started a bit late (again). On the water around 10am, launched from the last GISP launch point that I'd not tried. The launch point at the end of PR66 puts you in to Lake Como and is rough! I won't use this launch again (1' ruts on the way to the water, no good for a heavy kayak on a cart). The Oak Bayou launch is much nicer & will get you to Dana Cove just as easily.

Saw nothing worth throwing at in the Lake Como area (but some spots looked promising), so I paddled / drifted around & ended up in Dana Cove near Oak Bayou with a few casts an the way over. The water was perfectly clear & there were fish everywhere. Reds & trout mostly, but rays & sheep heads too (I saw a ray with at least a 4' wing span at the top of the water). There's thick grass over here (detached/floating on the top & growing from the bottom) & everything I had kept catching the weeds.

I finally settled with a suspending swim bait keeping it below the surface, but off the bottom & caught 3 trout all around 20" (zero reds took the bait) before calling it a day... I kept one for lunch today & tomorrow.

Anyone have suggestions for lures/rigging that won't hook the grass? I've looked up how to rig a weedless Gulp & will try that next time (will need new hooks, don't think my jig heads will work for this).

I'm considering a camera mount for the rails on my center console so I can take better fish pics. Juggling a fish & my phone (in a water proof bag, on a lanyard, attached to my pfd) makes it a bit tough to get good pics of my catches.

Tide @ Pier21, fish were found/biting around 12:45.
6:19 AM high 1.47 ft.
11:31 AM low 1.03 ft.
4:39 PM high 1.41 ft.

I purchased some twist locks from Amazon. And last week bought some eagle claw 4/0 croaker hooks. The point lined up with the eye perfectly. I twisted the point, to point directly at the eye. They worked perfectly on gulp jerk shad, mullet with tail, mantis split tail, sassy shad. Threw into grass a number of times. Not one hang up. Only thing I don't think the hooks are stainless. Got my eye out for the same configuration in a stainless. But at the end of day, I throw all hooks and lures in a mayonnaise jar filled with freshwater before paddling back in.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

You want to look at Skinny Water Arsenal lures. These are soft plastic and carry a single hook that recedes into the body to make it weedless. Popular in the coastal bend area where the flats are grassy. And you can put single hooks on top waters and suspending baits that will reduce the catching of grass.