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Arroyo docks Dec 2 to 5
Post 07 Dec 2021, 11:44 • #1 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
We rent this giant house on Arroyo Colorado for a new moon every winter, and invite family and friends to join us - the cast changes every year.
This year, we were joined for the first two nights by Michael (mwatson), whose company we enjoyed immensely, and were impressed with his fishing skill and persistence.
All four days and nights we had the prevailing SE - no fronts made it this far south - highs in the low 80s, and lowest low was 65 - we had a choice subtropical vacation.

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While we kayaked a bit during the day on Friday, the reason to be here is the night-time dock fishing under the lights. The drill is fish from sunset to 9 pm, take cat-nap breaks and get up again to sample the dock through the night.

Through the nights, we fished with dolphins, an alligator, a big gar which I sight-fished and wrestled a bit, pelicans, blue heron, night heron and egret.

The results varied with the bait and tide - the bait ranged from native poecilids, to finger mullet and balls of tiny glass minnows moved by the tide and wind currents.
In the apparent slaughter below, please note, every fish we filleted was a schoolie male, which travel 20 mi/day to chase bait.
Thursday sunset on the arroyo

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Michael can vouch this isn't exactly fish in a barrel, but takes stealth and skill to find where in the water column of the deep barge channel, and exactly how, the fish are willing to feed.
We honored our calendar day bag limits - starting new at midnight every night, and sticking to the 5-fish bag before the next midnight.
Michael fished hard Thursday night into Friday's wee hours, and had to release 2- or 3-dozen nursery trout that live here.
I'm not sure if we put a fish on the stringer Thursday night - bait under the lights was pretty sparse.

The house is located where the barge channel and natural arroyo diverge to opposite ends of Peyton Bay on LLM.
Friday we launched kayaks - I turtled getting in, but it was easy enough to get back in pushing off the bulkhead.

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We crossed the barge channel to fish the natural arroyo, found small specs on the first shelf, and Michael chased a slashing redfish against the bank.
Otherwise, it was a great paddle.
I overheard Lou and Michael chasing a wayward popping cork charged with a catch. Michael said he spent more than a few casts trying to snag it.

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When I drifted to it, snagged it with a double-treble plug on the 5th cast - but it turned out to be a hardhead.

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Lou's wife Susie flew into Harlingen Friday night, and Friday night was going to make up for the previous 24 hours.
Michael warming up at sunset.

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Susie and Lou added fish to Friday night's stringer, and I got up later to add four, but Michael's trip was made by this 21" male schoolie trout.

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While I added those four specs, my evening was made by an 18" snook caught (and released) on my UL baitcaster.

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This stringer became Saturday's fish fry - Susie is a phenomenal cook, and chases the rest of us out of the kitchen.

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These were caught on a mix of live shrimp, 2" tandem, 2" UL plug, and this half-ounce 3" Tackle House Rolling Bait, which let me sample deep, and was my best lure for this trip.

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Michael stayed for the fish fry, and a few more casts before heading home Saturday evening.
Everything came together Saturday night.
The bait was thick under our light - every time your line moved by the dock, 100 glass minnows jumped into the air.

Lou and I went into the evening with my single and his 3-fish remaining bag limits.
After I put my last on the stringer, I realized after casting out another shrimp, I should be done until midnight. Saturday was also my mom's birthday, and yes, I called her.
Hey Lou, if I hook up, you take the rod. Sure enough, I did, he did, and together we landed a 22" schoolie male.
Taking this one home for Mom - she loves those big trout.

It got better into the evening and after midnight.
Susie landed her lifetime schoolie spec, 24.5 inches - on XUL, and two 50-yd runs.
Guys, this was a male trout, and rare enough, the state keeps a 28" record male speckled trout.

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The fishing was good into the wee hours, and our Saturday night stringer included the biggest and thickest male schoolies we've ever caught here - 16" to 25"

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and every one a male - proof Susie's 25" trout was a schoolie male.

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First thing in the morning, the pelicans lined up for our filleted carcasses. One wise old brown didn't want the carcasses, only the rib trim.

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I think I slept most of Sunday day, while Susie enchanted the most phenomenal Waygu beef pot roast that melted in our mouths.
But before dinner, I was having fun yet with a small sunset snook.

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Lou and I agreed we would not fish past midnight, but finish our Sunday limits (1 and 2) and sleep to prepare for the pack out.
We were done by 10:30, Lou added a thick 19" stud, and I added 4 fish tacos to our ice water bowl.
We fished with good company.

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packing out Monday morning - we'll see you next year, old friend

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on the drive home, I made the good call to swing across SH 44 through Robstown and down to Water Street for lunch at Thai Spice - this only added 20 miles to our drive.
I had the shrimp and flounder

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I think my friends got tired of hearing me purr.

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December new moon was one for the books.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 17 Dec 2021, 10:43, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 07 Dec 2021, 19:11 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
Looks like a terrific trip Ron! Well done and great times!


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Post 07 Dec 2021, 23:55 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
those are some huge trouts.. nice !


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Post 08 Dec 2021, 01:56 • #4 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
The pelican photos made me smile.

The Flamingo at Everglades lodge would let fishermen bring their fillets to the restaurant. They would cook and serve them with sides and salad for $4 a head. In preparation for dinner, my father and law and I were cleaning our catch, tossing the carcasses to the pelicans. One older bird just sat sleeping on a piling next to the cleaning stations.

We didn't catch a lot, but the guy beside us only had three little trout. While he cleaned them, a tourist asked if he would sell some of his catch. When the guy turned to say he had nothing extra, the old pelican sprang into action. It was like a comedy skit. With a bounce and a couple of wing flaps, the pelican and one of the three fish were gone. I looked at the pelican victim and he looked back at me. Then we both turned to the tourist. There was no cover anywhere, but the tourist had vanished like a puff of smoke. Weird.

Fresh sea trout is good eating and we finished it all. Afterwards my father-in-law said, "I felt so sorry for that guy I almost gave him some of our catch." A pause. "Almost."


Tom


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Post 08 Dec 2021, 08:15 • #5 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
When Lou took off to pick up Susie at Harlingen AP, Michael and I had our required meal at Chili Willie's, the one and only pretty-dam-great restaurant in Arroyo City.
Their fried food is first rate, their onion rings a food group, and burgers among the top 5 I've had in Texas.
Michael had the fried shrimp basket (and onion rings) - I had to eat burger, since I eat about 3 a year on fishing trips.

But at the table next to us, the waiter placed a mountain of fried fish, french fries and onion rings.
We learned this was their catch cooked up in Willie's kitchen.

I'll also add about Jerry's bait shop across the street - they sell Abuelita's homemade tamales (she was also running the bait tanks). Unfortunately, they sold out, and we only got two dozen for our arrival meal at the dock. I told Michael these would be the best tamales he's ever tried. After he ate his fill, he told me these were the best tamales he's ever tried...

Here are those onion rings, which you eat with a steak knife.
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Fried seatrout, here's Susie's good work from last year's Arroyo trip
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Last edited by bulldog1935 on 09 Dec 2021, 09:13, edited 2 times in total.

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Post 08 Dec 2021, 08:17 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/09/10
Posts: 1355
Location: US-CA
Outstanding, Ron.


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Post 08 Dec 2021, 09:14 • #7 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Thanks guys

- gear:
All the finesse gear I've been honing got put to its first-best use and pushed hard, and my first time to try UL baitcaster here.
Noteworthy, finesse-fishing lures for big seatrout and snook, the baitcaster did the job better than spinning tackle.
Keeping the line tight on the cast was a big factor.
At least equivalent cast distance with the lightest lure (3 g), less lure fouling during cast, easier to give the right lure action, and easier to feel both the lure action and fish strikes.
The long spinning rod is still choice for using the long-leader live-bait rig and tandem rigs with 2" swimbaits.

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The 1/2-oz rolling bait lure, I fished on my inshore baitcaster moved to Lami G1000 8-1/2' MF steelhead rod.
It was also important for reaching visible fish sign halfway across the arroyo.

Keep in mind, when big fish are after tiny bait, they don't exert energy to feed, or they wouldn't gain calories.
The strikes are the lightest in-and-out sipping of any fishing you've ever imagined.
You have to be in their face, you have to tempt them to even open their mouths, and to get them to feed aggressively, you have to get and keep the attention of more than one fish.

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Post 08 Dec 2021, 19:31 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/20/17
Posts: 387
Location: Portland, OR
BD, another fantastic Arroyo trip topped off by great fishing and great weather...thanks for sharing...Susie's deep fried Trout made me drool....and her 25" on UL had to be exhilarating!

Sandman


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Post 09 Dec 2021, 08:23 • #9 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Thanks Sandman, we got acclimated to the weather - other than the fishing, the thing that could keep you there all winter.
Most cold fronts peter-out before they get there.

Coming home to 40-degrees was a shock. Stopping for gas at Mathis, spot-on halfway N-S, the north wind would steal your breath.
Even that front didn't make it all the way to Arroyo.
Washing my boat and rods Monday was strictly an afternoon chore - and gave me time to write my essay in the morning.
Good thing, prevailing SE is pushing back even here today.

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Post 09 Dec 2021, 11:21 • #10 
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Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2327
Location: US-IL
Thanks BD,those of us with ice on the ponds overnight already love to see your annual trips.3rd week of April will probably be my next adventure.


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Post 09 Dec 2021, 12:30 • #11 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
April is a great month for us because of variable winds and rising tides, but we'll keep fishing all winter.
Stevo and MA didn't make this trip because they were hauling a new travel trailer back from the TN factory.
Hopefully, we can get it parked in Palm Harbor RV park a couple of times this winter, and I'll get to use my UL baitcaster some more.

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Post 17 Dec 2021, 10:01 • #12 
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Joined: 10/09/09
Posts: 2796
Location: US-NM
Very nice..........Aurelio


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Post 17 Dec 2021, 10:45 • #13 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
thanks friend - took us most of 2 weeks to shake off the euphoria - guess it could have been the sleep deprivation, too...


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