17" Catfish On Doughbait And A Surprise Guest At Bethany Lakes This Evening!

Went back again with another variation of the Homemade Doughbait to test.  Caught more Catfish with the largest going 17" in size.  Had a late start, so ended up fishing in the dark.  While fishing noticed several Water Snakes chasing fish close to shore.

While unhooking the 17" Catfish, looked up and saw a four foot Water Snake had worked its way out of the water and was about 2 feet away from me eyeing the Catfish.  Surprise, surprise, surprise.... First time had one actually come out of the water for a fish!

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

New Season Is Near....

A new Hunting Season is near as September 1 approaches!  Have to take care of a few admin things to prepare for the upcoming Season.

• Hunting License


• Duck Stamp


• Local Lake Permit (Lake Lavon is requiring a Hunting Permit for 2010/2011).

That said, hope this Season is good one.  Last year was tough with record rain and lake levels!



Good luck and good hunting!

More Catfish At Bethany Lakes On Doughbait....

Went back to Bethany Lakes this evening to try out a homemade Doughbait.  Worked well... caught several Catfish with the largest going just over 16"!  But, did lose a Bruiser that broke the line.  Not a bad outing; really like the Circle Hooks I picked up while on the coast.  Getting a lot more hook-ups and no deep-hooked fish!

More Catfish At Bethany Lakes On Doughbait....

Baited Hook, Doughbait, and Circle Hook

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

Catfish At Bethany Lakes On Dough Baits...!

Fished Bethany Lakes this evening and caught several Catfish on Dough Baits.  Fun stuff on light tackle!  Even had a few Bruisers, estimating a couple that went 17"+!

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

One Way Slide Rig

While surfing the net noticed a fishing tactic used for fishing piers and other elevated locations....

Tactic calls for casting a heavy weight for distance, then attaching a "Slide Rig" (also called a "Trolley Rig") that holds the bait.  The bait then slides down the line until it reaches bottom.  Works well for heavy baits that are too heavy for casting and "fragile" baits that may break up on the cast or on impact with the water.

After checking a few sites online, managed to construct a "One Way Slide Rig" using materials on hand.  Then, tested it out at Bethany Lakes.  Worked well for fishing "fragile" dough bait; however, next test will use a heavier weight. 

Also, the key to using this rig is elevation; higher elevation allows the bait to slide more readily down the line.

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

Two Bass and a Turtle At Kroger Park This Evening!

Fished Kroger Park this evening and caught two Bass and a Turtle on a Black Bead Head Leech Streamer.  First Bass hit the fishing fly on a slow retrieve; second Bass struck immediately after the fishing fly landed in the water.  Second Bass was the larger of the two, measuring just over 12.5" in size.  Not a Bruiser but enough to take the lead in August's One Fishing Fly Challenge!

Two Bass and a Turtle!

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

A Few Surprises At Bethany Lakes' Feeder Creek!

Stopped by the feeder creek that runs into Bethany Lakes this morning.  Noticed some surface activity despite the shallow water.  Tied on a Bead Head Leech Streamer and soon after landed a little Bass.  Then, lost a bigger Bass, then caught some Bluegill and Sunfish.  Surprised the shallow water held so many fish.... A lot of small ones but there were a few bigger ones mixed in as well!

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

A Few Fish Right After The Rain Storm Passed Bethany Lakes.

Caught  a few fish - Sunfish and a Bluegill, right after the rain storm passed Bethany Lakes.  Fish seemed tough to locate and water was murky from the rain runoff.  Managed to find a few fish lurking in the shallows but no Bruisers!

Click-on 2010's COAF Fishing Leader Board to checkout top fish caught this year by our readers. Also, click-on One Fishing Fly Challenge to checkout the Field Team's flyfishing informal contest. Feel free to join; it's simple!

Squidoo Lens Article - "Bob Hall Pier Fishing"

Check it out when you get a chance....

Our Squidoo Lens article, "Bob Hall Pier Fishing" that offers fishing information about the Pier located on North Padre Island.

Recent trip brought back memories from when we fished the area on a daily basis....

Packery Channel and Sea Turtles Closeout The Coast.

Checked out Packery Channel - North Jetty to closeout the trip to the Coast.  Observed a number of Sea Turtles swimming about.  Pretty cool to see them; saw very few if any back in the 80's.  Looks like they are coming back to the area!