Made it back to Lavon Sunday for more cast net fun. Was working the beach area at Brockdale. Was able to wade further out until the water felt cooler and cast.
Caught smaller Shad compared to the ones caught at Highland. Did shift to Highland and was able to add more Shad, filling a Ziploc bag.
Was using an 8ft diameter cast net that we repaired. Did get the chance to try a fishing buddy’s 14ft diameter cast net earlier in the week.
It’s heavy but sure covers lots of water!
Had a tough time catching shad for bait Thursday at Highland Park on Lake Lavon. With Charlie watching things and urging us on… was able to net enough Shad to fill a Ziploc Bag… in only 37 casts! At least it was a good workout!
Did observe windy conditions, and the water was unusually warm as if you were in a bathtub. This may have impacted the Shad and their wanting to tend to a windward shoreline. Spot we tried has been a consistent producer of Shad in the past.
Caught some nice size Shad; just took a lot of strikeouts to finally get enough to fill a pint size Ziploc bag.
No worries… bait will come in handy for upcoming fishing trips!
Mixing things up with the catch and cook recipes. This time going to cook the Catfish we caught Sunday at the local lake using a Blackened Fish Recipe.
Recipe calls for the following:
Pan fry preferably in a cast iron skillet using a 1/4 stick of butter and olive oil. Cook 1″ to 2″ for thin fillets, 3″ to 4″ minutes for thicker fillets on high heat. Fillets are done when white and flaky. Cook in 1″ increments each side if fillet does not flake with a fork.
Do try it out first chance you get… it’s tasty!
Posted an earlier video that shows the items we like to keep at the ready in our kayak fishing jacket.
As a follow-up, decided to grab the jacket and show the items we currently have pocketed away like… a whistle, extra line, multi-tool, etc!
Do check it out!
Been missing the kayaking sandals but finally found the replacement pair – Columbia’s Ridgeway!
Water shoes were not cutting it; this will be our fourth pair of Columbia Sandals – First two were Santiams (I think), third one was the Riptide, and this one is a Ridgeway.
Columbia is our favorite for fishing shirts and kayaking sandals…. will see how the Ridgeway works out this season and on!
In the past, the sandals stay secure, can get wet but not slippery, and makes a cool tan line when you take them off!
Do stay tuned for more kayak fishing videos… and be on the lookout for the Kayak Fishing Sandals!
Made it to Lavon for a chance at an evening round of kayak fishing the point at Brockdale Park. Another hot day but luckily not too hot to stop us from fishing!
Arrived at the boat ramp with only one other boat at the park. Quick launch and was on the lake trolling shortly after.
Fished a couple of hours without a strike, then shifted to the back paddling technique where we paddle the kayak backwards, and let the slab and jig rig bounce bottom. Managed to avoid a strikeout by getting one Yellow Bass.
No worries… best thing about kayak fishing, can always get a workout in at least!
Posted video of the trip, and then added past video from a trip last year that shows more details on the back paddling technique. Do check it out!
Monday made the run late in the day to Bethany Lakes. Was trying the Bennett’s Lunch fishing fly we picked up in Gruene a few weeks ago. Late start because the temps were hot that day… in the 100s, opted to wait till just before dark.
No takers on the Bennett’s Lunch, will have to keep trying as we know it is a great pattern for Stripers and Bass. Did catch a couple of Bluegill on the Foam Spider using the Discount Switch Rod – Maxcatch Fly Rod, Orvis Fly Reel, and Rio Trout Max.
Throw back Wednesday to celebrate “Hump Day” and get us through the midweek blues… how about a catch and cook of trout we caught last season?
Froze the trout in ice, and they stayed as fresh as the day we caught them last Winter. Used a Rubber Legged Near Deere to get them to strike!
For cooking, decided to try a new recipe – Pan Fried Habanero Trout!
Ingredients:
Directions:
This round we provide another update on the Team’s fishing activities this past week! Temps are in the 100s but somehow we have made the effort to continue fishing or at least do things related to fishing.
We started out making much needed repairs to our Cast Net, broken braille lines and temp fixes were hindering our abililty to use fresh shad for Stripers, Gar, and Catfish!
Next, the GoFish Camera arrived, have started fish scouting local ponds with some promising results. Hope to twaek our rig to get better action shots and clearer video of the fish.
And then, the Saturday trip to Lake Lavon made for some fun times catching Catfish on juglines for the Beer Batter Fish Fry that evening… plus a nice Gar went for one of our lines; fun time playing with that one before finally releasing it.
Have more things – fishing things, to do this next week. Do check back for another update!
Took the new GoFish Camera out to City Complex Pond in Murphy, TX for some scouting… fish scouting for Bass!
Used to do this in the past with the Water Wolf Camera but our efforts were on hold since we lost the camera last year.
After several hits and misses using the GoPro Hero (older model), took advantage of the price drop of the GoFish Camera and ordered one.
After a few oops in setting the camera, able to put a live bluegill on the hook and observe the underwater action.
It was mainly bluegill and a little bass “eyeing” the live bait, and then it was turtle avoidance after the turtles started showing up and taking the bait!
Did get a brief glimpse of a bass. Looked like one of the bigger bass that we used to see in pond in past years.
Unfortunately, the pond’s clarity was not as good as it normally is. But, after tweaking the video settings and slowing the speed, we were able to see the outline of the bass.
Good to know there is a nice size Bass still in the pond… now, if we can get the turtles to leave our bait alone long enough for a Bass to take it.
Oh well, till next time!
Short notice quick trip to Lake Lavon at Highland Park for a chance at catching a fish or two kayaking one of of the points.
Windy conditions and some waves to deal with, else no issues other than no fish on our hooks.
After fishing a double rig using shad for bait, switched to trolling a slab and jig rig. Neither had a bite, so headed back to the boat ramp.
Good thing we were able to catch some Shad else the trip would have been a strikeout!
No worries, one of the reasons why we like kayak fishing… if no fish, can at least get workout in!
This podcast we recap the July 4 Weekend’s activities where we headed South to New Braunfels and Gruene to fish, kayak, and tube a river or two as well as have some tasty food and have a margarita or two or three or more… LOL!
Key items this round:
Been trying various cameras and rigs or underwater fishing videos like we did when we had the Water Wolf Camera. Ended up losing it last year, so have made several rigs for an old GoPro Hero.
So far, able to observe fish and their reaction to treated and untreated Scud patterns as part of our test of the Gulp Garlic Marinade. Plan to continue “testing” as our results are inconclusive.
Did get the itch to try capturing a live bait strike with a Bluegill… no luck this round, but did find old video from the Water Wolf Camera as a consolation.
That said, since no Water Wolf Cameras are in stock, and learned GoFish – with a wireless feature, has cameras in stock. Placed an order!
Do check back, plan to do more “testing” of the Gulp Marinade and live bait action shots!
GoFish Camera: https://amzn.to/3gBYgsj
Second test of the Gulp Garlic Marinade. Another inconclusive test that requires us to continue testing to answer the question… Does Gulp Garlic Marinade work?
This round, it appeared the fish liked the Gulp when initially treated with scent, but once diluted after soaking in the pond after several casts, it was not certain if it made a difference to the fish.
Lesson learned… need to reapply the Gulp often. Will try this next round!
