Where's Waldo... Texas tour report

[Gavin]

Looks like a great time! Thanks for the reports.

 

[Ham]

After the first slough, we ran up river and started long pole jigging brush tops. I’m not sure if John had done this before or is just a really quick study. Heck, maybe I’m a Good teacher. 

We wanted to catch all we could and keep a handful for Supper. 

We got a Dinner Double from the first Top we tried. Some tops were a fish or two. Some tops were 10 lost Jigs and no fish caught. Dome were a few fish. 

[Ham]

[Ham]

So, I have lots of hours jigging tops for crappie on Big Cypress Bayou. John is a few hours in when he Jigs up this monster. 

I have exactly one crappie in my life bigger than that one. 

[Ham]

One of my favorite things to do at Big Cypress is throw a buzz bait. It was working. 

I caught Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Chain Pickerel, and a Blue Cat on buzz baits. 

Pretty Spotted Bass

[Ham]

[Ham]

[Ham]

So, let’s talk about my quest for a Swamp Musky. Seems simple right. Choupique are dopey. Aggressive biters when found. Easy peasy right. Wrong. 

Day 1.

We go to a slough near our rental cabin. I’m throwing a little 1/4 oz Spinnerbait. BIG bite. Hookset. Bowfin comes up to the surface. Big thrash. Bait cones out. 

We work our way around the slough and I hang another one close to the boat when a branch is whacking me in the face. I could not keep it hooked. 

Day 2 

i missed a bite or two that I am pretty sure was a Bowfin. I saw one clearly very close to boat. I flipped a bait near him and he took a half hearted nip at it and eased off. 

I made a move to Black Cypress Bayou. I flipped a Chain Pickerel and a chunky LMB. John jigged a Crappie in a unlikely place and on the way cack by the same top looking for a second crappie and instead hooks a Bowfin. Long Battle in tight quarters with 8 lb line and a Crappie jig pole. 

So Day 3 I’m pressing, but still hopeful. Back to the slough that I hung two Bowfin on Day One. Working along. Trying a Buzzbait for Bass and a Bowfin blows and misses it. Later, I see another one resting near a stump. 

We work our way around the slough. I’m catching bass on my spinner bait, but still looking for my Swamp Musky. Johnny Bowfin strikes again. Spinnerbait this time. He had hung one previously, but it shook off. Not this time. John played it well and we netted it up. 

Weather is starting to go south ; windy, temp dropping, and rain getting worse. I worked through various sloughs just hoping against hope. A long cold run to Little Cypress Bayou. It was shallow and dingy. But we were picking up a few bass on Spinnerbaits. We are both soaked to the bone and temp is in the 40’s with a chilling wind. I decided this was my last spot and worked my way back out. Spinnerbait gets crushed. Heavy fish. Heavy rolling. It came up and threw itself hard left and was Gone. Heartbreaking. 

I resumed fishing hoping against hope. I started flipping a Zoom Z Craw. Got a hard tick and fish swam st me. I set hard and fish flashed a little, but was not hooked. I’d bet $100 that was another Bowfin. 

That’s fishing. Sucks. I’ll keep trying. 

 

[Ham]

And yeah while I was trying to catch a Bowfin. I caught a 23 inch Largemouth on one of my Dad’s home made Spinnerbaits. 

My biggest bass in years. Truly a Big Ole Bass.  

[Ham]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:54 PM, Johnsfolly said:

This made me sad. Story later

so Day Two is winding down. I stop on a flooded tree top and we are. Both whacking lots of keeper crappie. BIG FUN!

It eventually slows and I was just about to leave when “Big Fish John” strikes again. Gets a Thump and sets into a creature.

His Jig Pole is bent back to the handle and fish fish is trying to change Zip Codes. Well Heck, I have a 24 Volt Trolling Motor for a reason. We chased it upstream and downstream. East to West and back again. 

John did a Great job with line management and kept as much pressure as he dared. You have to make the fish work or you will never catch them. 

Slowly BFJ got line back . Net is ready. Staring into the murky water for first glance of the beast. And then the hook pulled/failed.we were like 15 minutes into the fight. 

a fish that will haunt John forever was gone without ever being seen by us. I’m confident it was a > 20 lb Blue Cat.