Went fishing three days in a row at Mexiquita Flats.
Day 1 (15JAN19) Trip with my wife.
The day was cold and it never stopped drizzling. Only saw one other boat out there. Anyways, caught three Reds and lost three. Normally, I don't get bothered when I lose one but the second fish I lost for the day really crushed me. He was an upper slot to maybe a little oversized Redfish. The kind of fish that makes getting wet and being cold worth it. Lost him about 10-15 from the boat after fighting him for a while. I have been having trouble getting a good hook set with middle to upper slot reds. After fighting them for a few they seem to just spit the hook. I was breaking my head all day trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Anyways, glad my wife accompanied me in those conditions. Wife was fishing with cut mullet - no bites. I was using TSL Grasswalker in Chicken on Chain Color on a 1/8 oz jighead in 1-1.5 ft of water. I attached a link to a video of our trip. Hope you enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... ANLVPrv1Fw
Day 2 (16JAN19) Solo Trip
Beautiful Day compared to the day before. Took a quick late afternoon trip. First 3 Reds of the day were undersized. Then I lost another slot Red close to the boat. At this point I start thinking "Here we go again." My next 3 Reds were slot reds and most importantly I did not lose another one. I was using a TSL Grasswalker Chicken on Chain with 1/8 oz jighead.
I attached a link to a video of the trip. Hope you enjoy.
https://youtu.be/l-PtSsGJSXg
Day 3 (17JAN19) Trip with my wife
Got on the water around 11 am. Made a quick drift before I got my first bite which I lost after fighting him for a bit. Immediately, took off the jig head and replaced it with a Trokar swimbait hook. Did lose my first fish on it but that was my fault. After that I had a blast. Ended up with 12 Reds (2 slots) and 4 trouts (26, 24.5,25,25"). Kept the second one and released the rest.
After the second or third red I convinced my wife to switch from mullet to a lure. She caught her first red (20") on a lure while I was trying to explain how to work them. She also lost an undersized one by the boat. The trip ended with a double hook up. I hooked up a 25" Trout while she hooked the biggest Red of the day at 25 1/2". Can't think of a better way to end a trip. Fish were all caught on TSL Grasswalker Bone Diamond in 1.5 ft of water. Removed DOA shrimp weight and inserted in Grasswalker to get the action I was looking for without a jighead. For those of you haven't tried these lures I recommend you give them a try (something to have in you aresnal). They have great casting distance, durable (caught 16 fish on the same lure) and they entice fish to strike. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the report. I attached a link to a video of our trip. Please Like and Subscribe. Hope you enjoy and God Bless.
https://youtu.be/5BWj_vDOBuo
3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
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BlessedAngler
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3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
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Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
I stopped losing fish after I started sharpening my jigs before (almost) every trip. This includes those hooks you use with TSLs. Just grip it in vices, 1-2 movement with file on each side of the hook business end -- and hookup ratio skyrockets.
You're lucky dude -- you wife goes fishing with you, even in shitty weather like this.
You're lucky dude -- you wife goes fishing with you, even in shitty weather like this.
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BlessedAngler
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Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Yes, truly blessed to have a wife that will go fishing on days like that. Thanks, for the advice on sharpening the tip of the hooks. Will try before heading out next time. By the way, do you use a regular file or a hook sharpener?
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Ron Mc
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Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
looks like you're sold on TSL grasswalkers
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Just a regular file -- it is pretty clear when hook doesn't need sharpening. Keep in mind that this takes off anti-corrosion layer -- i.e. tips will start rusting faster. One way to deal with it -- after fishing trip drop all jigs/hooks that have seen water into a cup, put that cup in a sink and open hot water. Let it pour for a minute, then take them out and lay down on a paper trowel to dry -- this will arrest any rust process.BlessedAngler wrote:By the way, do you use a regular file or a hook sharpener?
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
https://www.feather-craft.com/tiemco-ceramic-hook-hone
I carry with me a tiemco ceramic hook file. Won’t rust out in the saltwater environment like many others will. True, sharpening removes any anti-corrosion plating or coating. In my experience, even on fine wire hooks like the fly hooks I use, the hook can be sharpened many times before becoming too thin to use. It the point struck something hard and bent, just a few quick strokes with the file can fix the damage. If there’s a little surface corrosion, just a couple of strokes with the file will remove that.
Are you using braid or monofilament line? It can be harder to set the hook with monofilament. I used braid and still do on the rare occasion I fish my baitcasting reels. I tried to keep a pretty tight drag for the set and back off quickly for trout. Better trout were and are harder to keep on than redfish, for me anyway. I sometimes will do another hook set or two on a redfish if I feel like the first one wasn’t a good set. Sometimes, redfish hit the lure coming towards you creating some slack in the line and interfering with a good set. In general, I’ve found that sharper and thinner wire hooks with micro barbs set better than heavier wire, large barbed hooks, all other things being equal. Thin wire, un-forged treble hooks like that are OE on Corkies can get pretty mangled by better redfish, though. Bass Assassin jig heads use forged hooks. Others do as well. Forged carbon steel hooks have flat sides and are normally much stronger and less likely to bend out.
Anyway, nice bunch of fish. Enjoyed the report. I’ve still not made a saltwater trip in 2019. These reports are giving me the itch.
I carry with me a tiemco ceramic hook file. Won’t rust out in the saltwater environment like many others will. True, sharpening removes any anti-corrosion plating or coating. In my experience, even on fine wire hooks like the fly hooks I use, the hook can be sharpened many times before becoming too thin to use. It the point struck something hard and bent, just a few quick strokes with the file can fix the damage. If there’s a little surface corrosion, just a couple of strokes with the file will remove that.
Are you using braid or monofilament line? It can be harder to set the hook with monofilament. I used braid and still do on the rare occasion I fish my baitcasting reels. I tried to keep a pretty tight drag for the set and back off quickly for trout. Better trout were and are harder to keep on than redfish, for me anyway. I sometimes will do another hook set or two on a redfish if I feel like the first one wasn’t a good set. Sometimes, redfish hit the lure coming towards you creating some slack in the line and interfering with a good set. In general, I’ve found that sharper and thinner wire hooks with micro barbs set better than heavier wire, large barbed hooks, all other things being equal. Thin wire, un-forged treble hooks like that are OE on Corkies can get pretty mangled by better redfish, though. Bass Assassin jig heads use forged hooks. Others do as well. Forged carbon steel hooks have flat sides and are normally much stronger and less likely to bend out.
Anyway, nice bunch of fish. Enjoyed the report. I’ve still not made a saltwater trip in 2019. These reports are giving me the itch.
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
https://vmcpeche.com/hook-terminology
https://www.sportfishingmag.com/techniq ... ion#page-5
I think hooks and hook choice gets somewhat overlooked in fishing when in fact the design, shape and other attributes are critical to getting a good hook set and keeping the fish on all the way to the net. I’ve definitely seen some jig heads sold out there that have what I think are terrible hooks. Weak, dull, giant barbs, small gaps, uneven and rough finish, all the things you don’t won’t in a hook.
https://www.sportfishingmag.com/techniq ... ion#page-5
I think hooks and hook choice gets somewhat overlooked in fishing when in fact the design, shape and other attributes are critical to getting a good hook set and keeping the fish on all the way to the net. I’ve definitely seen some jig heads sold out there that have what I think are terrible hooks. Weak, dull, giant barbs, small gaps, uneven and rough finish, all the things you don’t won’t in a hook.
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Awesome trips...I'll second lucky guy having a wife to fish on days like this, let alone fish anytime. Can't tell if you are in a yak or small vessel. Do you mind sharing where you went? Launched? I'm from Round Rock and want to get down to the Aransas Pass area this spring.
-Roy
-Roy
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BlessedAngler
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Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Appreciate the advice you all are giving me.
As for the location I was fishing, it was Mexiquita Flats between South Padre Island and Port Isabel. The closest launch site I know of is from Isla Blanca park boat ramp. Can get rough when the wind picks up. I believe there is another spot on the Port Isabel side but don’t know where it is.
As for the location I was fishing, it was Mexiquita Flats between South Padre Island and Port Isabel. The closest launch site I know of is from Isla Blanca park boat ramp. Can get rough when the wind picks up. I believe there is another spot on the Port Isabel side but don’t know where it is.
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Looks like there's a ramp where Garcia St crosses the channel to Long Is. on the Port Isabel side.. Prolly more protected.. Have you tried the South Bay flats? I here of the occasional snook sighting.
Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
Here is my thoughts on hooks and line type.
Thin wire and treble hooks you probably want a spongier type line, like mono or soft floro. The thin wire and trebles cut a trout's soft mouth if your line doesn't have a lot of give, then it's pretty easy for them to get off from there.
Thicker wire seems to like stronger line (braid etc), or mono with a more firm hookset - the bigger wire hooks too seem less likely to cut trout's mouth since there is more surface area.
I realize you lost reds but the idea might be the same. Actually maybe you didn't use enough force on the hookset and only barely had them hooked? And of course, maybe they just happened to bite the tail and missed the hook. Hard to tell even if we had been there
Seems you figured something out though when you changed to the swim bait hook w/ DOA shrimp weight combo.
Thin wire and treble hooks you probably want a spongier type line, like mono or soft floro. The thin wire and trebles cut a trout's soft mouth if your line doesn't have a lot of give, then it's pretty easy for them to get off from there.
Thicker wire seems to like stronger line (braid etc), or mono with a more firm hookset - the bigger wire hooks too seem less likely to cut trout's mouth since there is more surface area.
I realize you lost reds but the idea might be the same. Actually maybe you didn't use enough force on the hookset and only barely had them hooked? And of course, maybe they just happened to bite the tail and missed the hook. Hard to tell even if we had been there
Seems you figured something out though when you changed to the swim bait hook w/ DOA shrimp weight combo.
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TroutSupport.com
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Re: 3 Consecutive Days of Fishing
I like the Hogie and Norton Screw locks jig heads a lot. There's lots of good ones and lots of bad ones.
spot on above is fishing with a sharp hook even if that means sharpening it yourself, even through the day if need be. That's the most important thing, and also what Karstopo said about design. there's some real crap out there.
spot on above is fishing with a sharp hook even if that means sharpening it yourself, even through the day if need be. That's the most important thing, and also what Karstopo said about design. there's some real crap out there.