Herald-Zeitung Fishing Column Every Sunday

Welcome to another week of Anglin’ with Austin. This has been a very interesting week for this angler/wrangler.

Just a normal fishing trip

On Tuesday evening, Skip and Robyn Gladden from the Baytown area joined me for a guided night fishing trip on Canyon Lake. I picked them up at the Cranes Mill Marina, a great place to fuel the boat up, grab some drinks and snacks, even rent a boat. After getting everyone on board we headed up to the north end of the lake to catch some cats and crappie, but little did we know what the evening would bring.

It started off as a real normal night of fishing for us. Windy conditions forced us to relocate to several different fishing spots up in the river. One good thing about a winding river is that you always have a bend in the river to hide behind, out of the wind.

We caught a few catfish early into our adventure and after night fell, we fired the lanterns up and commenced to crappie fishing. We talked about family, Skip and Robyn’s lives back in Baytown and fishing — no set agenda in mind, just fish till they fall asleep…and that we did.

We caught crappie all night, around 100, with about 18 good size keepers in the box. The three catfish in the box made for a nice fish fry for their family and friends back home.

There’s something out there

During the trip they asked me if there were any gators in the Guadalupe and I responded with a stern “NO” that probably sounded like, “are you crazy? There aren’t any gators in this area.”

Skip was the last angler standing that night when we wrapped up around 3 a.m. and poor Robyn was passed out in the comfort of the bench seat and a beach towel, probably just resting for the real work ahead.

We picked anchors and lanterns up, untied from the trees, and headed back with headlights blazing through the star covered sky when we saw a strange animal swimming about fifteen feet in front of us. I couldn’t see much from behind the console of the boat and asked Skip to tell me what the heck it was.

This is where the fun began.

Skip returns to me with the definition of the weird swimming critter…Gator. He did not even skip a beat when he said it either. I laughed and asked again, “Really, what is it?”…same answer. I began to believe him.

Let the games begin

Monster alligator wranglers reporting for duty.

Ok, not exactly a monster at 52 inches but still a rodeo with two amateur Steve Irwin wannabees in the boat.

Instinct always makes me reach for the big net on the boat whenever something is coming out of the water longer than 24 inches. I tell Skip, “Here, catch him in this net” but I never made it past the point of, “what then?” Skip responded with no words just a blank stare. You know, the kind you see from people when you’re telling fishing stories.

He obviously had the same sleep deprivation that I had because the message reached his hands before it reached his brain. He swooped down with the net and missed on his first pass. The gator was ducking and diving and Skip was falling all over the boat.

Robyn woke up with terror in her eyes. Her fishing companions had gone nuts while she slept. If only I could have read her mind at the point that she realized that we were trying to catch an alligator. Was she thinking that it would be fun to actually catch it and put it on the deck of the boat with her? I don’t think so.

Gator Wranglers

Again, we miss the gator with the net, but he comes back up 10-feet away and we go after him. My only intent was to catch him and have him relocated to an area with other alligators and away from my fishing hole.

Alligator removal and replacement is not easy when there are big teeth involved and alligators are naturally afraid of humans and rarely stay around long enough for humans to get within 50-feet. There is an interesting link written by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. You can Google Texas alligators and the link is right there to teach you about the mild attitude that gators carry around. We were the aggressors that night and probably deserved to get a pearly white in the buttocks but everybody had all appendages attached at the end of the night…excuse me, morrrrning, yawn.

Pursuit continued as Godzilla made his way into his lair under a rock. I extended the net into the hole and in runs an alligator.

Well, now what, Cletus?

There was a weird, spontaneous reaction as I put the gator on the floor of the boat. Skip and Robyn’s leg muscles retracted simultaneously as they inched up the seats. Somehow we managed to put a towel over his eyes and taped his mouth shut — because that’s what the Crocodile Hunter would do.

Not sure about my options at this point, I left a message for the game warden and began the 45-minute trip back to the marina. About five minutes out from the marina, the game warden calls back and he asks me to release it back to the area where we caught him. Very valid point. This paragraph was taken from the alligator information page on the TPWD website:

Alligator-human conflicts are rare in Texas. No human fatality attributed to alligators has been recorded in Texas. Good judgment on the part of humans can reduce incidents to a minimum.

Catching one in a net, snapping pictures with no tape on his snoot, riding back out alone to release him in the dark, carrying him in my lap at one point was probably not good judgment…duh.

The trip back out to what I now refer to as HIS fishing hole was interesting.

To make a long story short, the knot that we’d tied came loose from the net, unknown to me of course. Out of the corner of my eye, I see what looks like a lizard climbing a wall…yep. He is on his way out of the boat with tape still on his snoot. When I removed this alligator from his habitat, he didn’t have tape on his mouth, so I don’t want him to go back in with the tape wrapping up his only avenue to eat.

I gently tackle him and placed him on my lap for the last quarter-mile of the trip to his lair — actually snapped a picture of the two of us in our cozy seat.

Upon arrival, I laid him on the floor and unwrapped the tape from his mouth and let him run out the door of the boat to freedom.

A rare occurence

I have spent a lot of nights on that river and have never seen an alligator — until now.

In my opinion, this was probably a pet that someone couldn’t handle anymore and irresponsibly released into the wild.

Fishing on Choke Canyon, I’ve enjoyed observing the big 10-foot-plus alligators in their natural habitat. They’re fascinating creatures and getting to meet one like this was a gift that I’ll never forget.

I’ve named this one Larry. In the future, Larry and I will be battling for the same fish but never each other. This is his place. If I ever see him again, we’ll probably exchange a wink and a smile and go on doing what we do best — fish.

Fishing Report

Canyon Lake — still low but fishing remains good. Largemouth bass excellent on watermelon colored soft plastics. Smallmouth fair on spinner bait and wacky worms. Striper slow. Whites fair on live minnows on points and around submerged timber. Crappie excellent with live minnows after dark around timber. Blue catfish fair on Big Marvs punch bait and cut shad. Channel cat good on punch bait along rocks. Yellow cat good on live perch in coves.

Lake Dunlap and Placid — level. Largemouth bass good on seven in red shad soft plastic worms. Blue catfish and channel catfish slow on punchbait and cut shad. Yellow cat slow.

Tip of the week

Summer is here and the thermocline has kicked in, shallow is where it is at. Fishing deep now will yield very few fish due to oxygen depletion. Deepest you need to fish for any type of fish should be around 10 feet.

One thing I do want to harp on is checking the boat out ahead of time. I had a couple of buddies from one of the online fishing forums I frequent, plan a night out on the lake fishing. They hit the marina the day of their trip and discovered the navigation lights were out on the boat…trip cancelled. That stinks!

I just wanted to remind everyone to check the basics prior to your outing for any unwanted guests prior to the ramp. Can you imagine the shock in that rats eyes when you go to turn your keyswitch on and he is still gnawing on that hot wire from the battery. The raccoon that has been storing those pecans and winter offspring in your livewell might be a little upset when you open the door to his new condo and place that record book tournament bass or catfish in there.

Check the bearings on your trailer and have them repacked. The locknut on the trailer sometimes becomes mysteriously loosened while parked at a boatramp therefore causing you much grief and pain in the pocketbook. I spent two days in South Texas last week fixing my trailer and I was tickled to death with my new tan on the back of my neck.

First of all its expensive! I know this because while fixing the mysterious locknut turned to bearing nightmare my low priced child laborer was nowhere to be found. When I finally located him he was tossing a purple worm at a dead tree in the lake…screwy. This tree must have been a cast member of Narnia. He would reach out and grab all of the lures that my son would throw near him. If there was a record for trees caught in one day, I know the winner, I sponsor him. That day we had a heart to heart and I gave him his options, college or bass fishing.

I can remember when a Zebco 202 was the all around rod and reel combo and a little plastic worm would be your choice of artillery. Very affordable and haul in the biggest of bass. Things have changed a bit.

This is an expensive habit from the rods that go for hundreds of dollars to the reels that cost more than most of us make in a week. There are reels that actually have computer programmed chips in them…what the heck are we fishing for R2D2?? Walk into any sporting goods store and check out what they are getting for some of those sleek hot rod lures, checkbook look out.

The rods are usually as limber as jump ropes and can hold a 747 at takeoff. They come in any length and strength you want. They have rods made specifically for the type of lure that you are going to throw at your scaled enemy, do what????. Now bass anglers are switching rods instead of switching the lure??? All of these rods are available for spinning, casting, and spincasting reels.

The new reels are strong enough to winch your boat up on the trailer and small enough for the livewell raccoon to catch his own meals. There is a baitcasting reel that actually can be electronically programmed to fit your casting style. What happened to the spincast reels we grew up throwing in Grandpas pond? They want to make it easy for a price…hand Roland Martin a spincast reel and lets see him ratnest it, I wont. You hand me a fancy spinning reel or a Calcutta baitcaster and I will hand you a nest that a condor could raise its young in.

I swear they are creating lures in body shops now. The glitter, shine, and aerodynamics resemble those of a hot rod corvette and almost as pricey. They have one hour infomercials set up specifically for lures now? They even have a lure that resembles a snake…and there have been record book fish caught with them. I open my tackle box and have anything that resembles a snake in there Ill rearrange my boat with a paddle and need a new tackle box in the process. Soft plastics, hard plastics, divers, cranks, spinning, spoons, jigs, Carolina rigged, Texas rigged. Creativity trying to fool a black bass, crazy.

The bass boats are a different story altogether. These boats are now hitting the fifty thousand dollar range, equipped with a 300 horse outboard motor and more deckroom than the titanic. I have never seen any fish much less a bass caught at eighty miles an hour. These are the boats that the fishing sunglasses are designed for, just to look at them during the day you have to have shades on. Big, bright, shiny and fast. Speed is for starting the tournaments and getting to the honey hole first and getting back to the weigh in in record book time. Some of our local boat dealerships like Waypoint Marine and Tex-All Boat and RV have some great selections for all varieties of bass anglers.

They are creating an environment of expensive fishing but, can be attained with the minimum also. The old fashioned plastic worms and zebcos still work fine and catch bass. Bass anglers love their sport and are going to great lengths to ensure that the sport and the fish are around forever for our grandkids to enjoy. I really like what they have accomplished and achieved, heck I entered my son and I in the Fish for the Cure bass tournament on Canyon Lake on fathers day, I did ask that they give me a head start before the rockets launch. My boat will not qualify for a shotgun start…maybe a bb gun start in bass tournaments is a good idea.

Tournament reminder- Canyon Lake Fish for the Cure is this coming Fathers Day. If you have not entered the tournament do so, it will be fun and serving a great cause. Email Travis Smith at Travis@CanyonTackleBox.com or call him at 830-935-3414 for more information.

Canyon Lake- Largemouth Bass excellent on Carolina and Texas rigged soft plastics, crankbaits, spinning baits…heck, pick a lure out of the box or throw a soda can with a hook…their hungry. Smallmouth bass working on their diet, slow. White bass fair on jigs and live minnows. Striped Bass slow. Crappie excellent at night on minnows and fair during the day with minnows and jigging. Blue cat and channel catfish fair on Big Marvs punch bait and cut shad. Yellow cat slow.

Dunlap and Placid- Largemouth Bass good on soft plastics and crankbaits around docks and trees and timber. Crappie slow. Blue catfish fair on live perch and punchbait. Channel cat fair on punchbait. Yellow cat slow.

Tip of the week- Crappie fishing at night. Fish around trees and timber. Bring a lantern or two but do not hang them on the boat BUGGGGS GALORE, hang it in the tree prior to anchoring the boat. Anchor the boat about ten feet from the tree where you can reach the light with your cast. This will keep the majority of bugs away from you and the boat.

Email me with your stories or send me a picture of your trophy to use in my column at Ray@TopCatFishing.net.

Good Sunday to everyone. I hope your weekend is full of rods and reels and not lawnmower or weed whacker reels.

Start preplanning your trips and making reservations for your summer getaways. Out-of-towners book accommodations around our local lakes and rivers far ahead of time – you should too. There are hundreds and hundreds of beautiful cabins, resorts, hotels, bed and breakfasts in the area to take care of you on your journeys. I recommend Googling and/or the local Chambers of Commerce for information.

Saturday I drove past the river on the way to Canyon Lake and noticed that there were people walking up and down the road with huge toobs on their shoulders. They were actually climbing into the frozen tundra they call the Guadalupe and riding these toobs in the freshly thawed water. I noticed some anglers down on the bank and wondered what the record is for the biggest toober caught on the Guadalupe. Fishing for toobers is good right now - schools of them everywhere. Seriously, we are being invaded from all sides - toobs on the river, jet skis on the lakes - What’s next? Riverboats on grandpa’s farm pond??? Welcome to summer. There’s room for all of us.

It seems as technology increases, our fishing spots decrease. Most fisher-type-people have experienced the wake and waves from the pleasure boats and small watercraft as they buzzed our favorite fishing coves. As you’re grumbling, keep one thing in mind. It’s all about fishing and not so much catching. It’s about spending time away from your job, de-stressing and decompressing from bad news and daily demands. That whopper you bring in will be talked about for a few days and then forgotten - until you bring it back up, of course. That’s a good memory to go back to whenever you’re overloaded. There are head cleaners for vcr’s and laser cleaners for dvd’s. For humans, I believe that water can be the best head cleaner of all. Sit back in your chair on the bank or, on the boat, and just take in the beauty of it all. Fish, swim, or cruise, frustration should never come into play on the water. Wave to the wave-makers – they didn’t mess up your fishing – they just made it slightly more challenging.

New No Wake area on Canyon - We have received some help in the past two weeks on Canyon Lake. Michael, a Game Warden on Canyon, told me that the three No Wake buoys, that stretch south from Cranes Mill park across to the north side of the channel, include the entire area beyond. This means if you are going upriver plan a little extra time into your trip. You will be cruising all the way in a No Wake Zone. Pass the word on to your friends that fish this area from the boat. This is a large No Wake Zone and I like it. I hope this slows the traffic down on weekends and allows us to have a little peace and quiet on the West end of the lake. He also asked me to mention that No Bottles are allowed on the lake.

Lake Dunlap and Placid are still rockin’ and rollin’ lakes. Lots of wake on weekends. I am sure the anglers that fish it are well practiced in the art of casting and rocking. I noticed a sharp increase in the number of ski boats and a decline in the fishing boats on Dunlap this past weekend. This is a great lake to fish during the week and if you are brave enough to go for it on a weekend, be very careful. There are lots of skiers falling everywhere and you must stay on guard the entire time you are moving. You’ll see the same buoy marked low spots and the same stumps that were marked last year – they’re still visible. I recommend putting a waypoint on your gps marking these spots. If you have to navigate after dark it will be good to know where these huge stumps are. The ramp under I35 is going to be jam packed for the next three months so plan ahead. If you bank fish under the I35 bridge, be prepared for the steady stream of boats while you are trying to fish. The docks and lily pads are still a haven for bass and the shallows in the evening will be bringing in some nice catfish.

TPWD Increasing Rates
On May 29^th, Texas Parks and Wildlife announced it will be increasing rates on a few of our marine activities. Fishing packages will increase by $2. The resident freshwater fishing package increases from $28 to $30 and the saltwater fishing package increases from $33 to $35.

The biggest increase in license fees approved by the commission affects lifetime licenses. The resident lifetime fishing and hunting licenses will increase to $1,000 and the lifetime combination license increases to $1,800.

"We have not increased the cost of a lifetime license for 12 years," said Gene McCarty, TPWD deputy director of administration. "Frankly, these licenses have been undervalued and could represent significant lost revenue over time if not adjusted."

Boat owners in Texas will also see increases in boat registration and titling fees. Boat registration, valid for two years, for vessels less than 16 feet in length, will increase from $30 to $32 and those in the 16-26 foot range go from $50 to $53. Larger boats will also see fee increases.

Tournaments: Fish for the Cure needs more entries to encourage additional sponsors and prize money for this year and next. What a great Fathers Day present! Enter your “Dad” in the first annual Fish For the Cure bass tournament on Canyon Lake. Travis says this event is “to honor the man who brought fishing into my life – my Grandfather… Rudy Kirchoff died of prostate cancer and all of the proceeds from this event will go towards the Prostate Cancer Foundation.” For more information call Travis at 830-935-3414 or go to www.canyontacklebox.com .

Fishing times for the upcoming week will peak at 6:30 am and stay good throughout the day with another peak around 8:30 pm.

Canyon lake- Largemouth good on 6” senko worms, Carolina rigged and Texas rigged soft plastics, crankbaits in 1-10’ water along timber and points with submerged timber. Smallmouth bass fair on grubs and spinnerbaits along rock ledges. Striped bass slow. Bluecatfish and channel catfish fair on cut shad and Big Marv’s Punchbait. Yellow cat are slow on live perch. Crappie excellent on live minnows at night and fair jigging along timber during the day. White bass are fair trolling jigs and on live minnows upriver.

Lake Dunlap and Placid- Largemouth Bass excellent on watermelon and pumpkin soft plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits along docks, timber, and submerged grass and lillypads. Bluecatfish and channel catfish fair on punchbait in shallow water 1-7’. Yellow cat fair on live perch.

Tip of the week- Bring along an ice chest and leave the stringer at home. Fill the ice chest halfway with ice and, as you catch the fish, put them in the ice. When cleaning them, remove one at a time. If you remove them all at once, they’ll look deader than a doornail then Bam! They thaw and start flopping. You jump, the dog barks, the wife screams… very funny unless you happen to drop the electric filet knife under the running water.

I would love to use your pictures and stories in my column. Email me at ray@Topcatfishing.net.