Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

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karstopo
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Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

Post by karstopo »

My buddy and I took out his 16’ Jon boat Saturday. Launched from the San Bernard/ICW ramp at 7:30. Motored over to Jones Creek. Three kayaks beat us there. They were fishing the Galveston Redfish Series. Hope they found more and better fish than we did.

One thing I don’t like about Jon Boats is that the least little chop creates awful hull slap. No sneaking up on the fish in an Aluminum tin can.

Luckily, the wind went to zero for a time. We fished a few different spots. We each caught 4 fish. I caught 2 flounder, 1 trout, and one redfish. My buddy got 2 redfish, one trout and one flounder. He didn’t have a measuring stick. My trout was borderline, I tossed it back. My redfish was maybe 18”. One flounder was an obvious keeper, turns out to be 16” and the other was borderline. My buddy got a redfish that was likely 20”, but he wasn’t sure so back into the water it went. He kept the 17” trout.

I don’t think there were all that many fish in there. Talked to another boat going out using mud minnows and they were getting hardheads and gafftop.

Tide was falling all morning. Lures were paddle tails, green moon for me, texas roach for my buddy. He caught the keeper trout on a topwater. I caught my redfish on a tan Borski slider. Water was streaky green. Worse the closer to the ICW.

Trip made me miss my kayak. Super enjoyed fishing with my old friend so that more than compensated for the lack of a kayak. Saw a few flounder flip along shorelines and that’s how I caught the ones I did. Never saw a bonafide redfish up shallow. The trout my buddy caught was harassing bait along a grass line.

Fish just weren’t there in big numbers, that’s our verdict.
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TexasJim
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Re: Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

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karst: I hate hull slap! I was wanting to build a poor man's poling skiff and looked for two years for a hull with vee bow and rounded chines. I finally found a 1958 Blue Star, made in Miami, OK. It's perfect, with no hull slap and with a 15 Yamaha it'll go 24 mph, cruises at 18 nicely. I cut the gunwales down to 2-1/2 inches above the seats and put on a 5-foot wide flat deck with a nice cockpit. Great boat for one, OK for two. Draws about 8 inches with the motor on the first shallow water click. Basically a five-foot wide powered kayak. Nice foredeck for flycasting. I was always puzzled that the aluminum builders don't build a light, round chine poling skiff. I have recently found that Sabine in Kemah builds some, but way out of my price range.
I'll try to attach a pic, but I'm not very tech savvy. TexasJim
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karstopo
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Re: Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

Post by karstopo »

Cool looking boat! Glad to hear there’s an Aluminum solution to hull slap.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

Post by Ron Mc »

Thanks for the report. The boat looks like very useful conveyance.
I grew up fishing the sloughs along AP causeway from a 14' semi-vee.

we need more fishing.

My buddy Lou was at his son's in-laws condo across from PA airport earlier this week.
A neighbor there offered to take him out. They staked the boat and wade-fished Brown & Root.
Lou got a keeper 18" trout and his lifetime red, 27"
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Halen
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Re: Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

Post by Halen »

TexasJim wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 9:55 pm I'll try to attach a pic, but I'm not very tech savvy. TexasJim
That is a great looking boat TexasJim! I'm looking to do something similar and have been looking for a few months to find a very similar hull setup.
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karstopo
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Re: Jon boat Report 8/6 Jones Creek

Post by karstopo »

The few times I’ve been out this summer I haven’t been seeing just a ton of better fish. I went back and looked at some trip logs from previous years and it is clear overall I was coming across more quality fish then than now.

I really don’t think I’m missing the signs so much as just picking the wrong places without much activity. Then, ten years ago, I was getting more distance from some of the launches and seeing more water. But, one easy paddle place that was really consistent in past summers has definitely been off this summer. We had droughts back 10 or 11 years ago and I might try some places that were doing good back then.

The wind seems to refuse to lay down very long for the surf to really clean up. I definitely had more surf wading opportunities in past summers. Wade in Surf fishing is the ultimate low hanging fruit when the conditions are right, but there hasn’t been much of the right conditions.

I’m very optimistic and positive about the future trips I hope to make for the remainder of the summer. I feel confident sooner or later I’ll get on a lot more fish.

Slow fishing is still enjoyable to me. As long as there is some relatively uncrowded decent water to search or some good structure to probe, I’m going to be pretty content. But, I’m ready for a little more meaty, sink my teeth into it action than these trips with the multiple sand trout and general dink trout, tater chip flounder, and rat reds with an occasional keeper something thrown in. It’s just making me madder at them.
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