Fishing Is an Exercise in Patience

Wait for the bite...be patient.

Feel the nibble...be patient some more...then set the hook and reel.

Show off your catch...be patient (with the photographer this time)...and smile.

Release the undersized fish...wait for a bigger one...be patient.

Just in case you're wondering, John caught one keeper-sized trout. We had to buy some freshly caught black drum at the store in town to have enough for a delicious fried fish dinner for two.

Colorado Bend State Park

The hiking trails through the canyon lands of Colorado Bend State Park are rugged and beautiful. 

Scenic Overlook at Colorado Bend State Park

We had big plans to hike a few of them, especially the one to Gorman Falls, but it turned out to be a cool, rainy day, and I had a sore throat, so we saw what we could from the vehicle.

Our lunchtime view of the Colorado River. 

Parked within view of the Colorado River, we ate our lunch (Schlotzsky's sandwiches that we brought with us) while the rain fell.

John stands on the banks of the Colorado River in Bend, Texas.

Yes, this is our river—the same river that runs by our trailer in Matagorda—only, the scenery is so very different! 

The Colorado River ends in Matagorda where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Here in Bend, we were on the northern end near the headwaters. 

Fishermen at Colorado Bend State Park

Even though we didn't get to do the things we planned, what we saw has us looking forward to our next visit. We bought a Texas State Parks Pass, so our admission is already paid for.

Living on Tres Palacios Bay

Wouldn't it be great to live on a bay in a small town and have a little dock to fish from anytime you wanted? 

To live in a beautiful spot like this?

Keith (John's coworker) and Tina live here, right on Tres Palacios Bay in Palacios, Texas. They invited us over to fish one evening last week. 

We arrived just as the sun was going down. I snapped a couple of pictures and then got busy fishing. The wind was cool and breezy, the air salty and refreshing. 

Living on the bay would be a delight, I think. John says he would be worthless, spending all his time fishing...yeah...I can see that. 

No one caught any fish to keep, but that didn't matter—at all. A beautiful evening on the bay and good company overrides a stringer of fish any day!

One Evening on the Colorado River

John was fishing for flounder. One small one was caught, but the big ones were elusive.

The air was cool and dry--the first time it really felt like fall. The smell of woodsmoke drifted over from the fire pit across the way.

The fishing lights on the dock were turned on to attract bait fish which in turn attracts larger fish. John began catching small sand trout.

Occasionally he switched up his lure to find the one the fish liked best.

John continued to fish until he was sure he wasn't quitting too soon, and...

the mosquitos began to bite more often than the fish.

(Photographed last Friday evening at Pelican Point Boat Slips in Matagorda, Texas)

My Lucky Day

Me and My Flounder (photo taken by John)

I felt lucky to catch this nice flounder on Saturday. It was actually the third time that day that I'd had this feeling, but this was the only keeper fish I caught. 

Let me explain...

We were fishing at the Redfish Hole.

There are all kind of logs under the water here and it's easy to get hung up on them, especially when fishing on the bottom like we were doing. I've gotten pretty good at getting loose when that happens, but this time I was stuck tight and it wasn't budging. 

Just as I was handing my rod (the pretty blue one, my favorite) to John to see what he could do, something pulled it from my hand and it went sliding across the boat. Lucky for me, John grabbed it before it went overboard (Lucky feeling #1).

Was it a fish after all?

Well, not exactly...

I was an alligator! I didn't see it when I cast, because it was under the water. It surfaced when John was trying to get my line unstuck (Okay, right at this point I wasn't feeling very lucky, just weak in the knees). 

Can you see the gator in the water?

Here's a closer look...

Yes, he's big. Maybe 6 to 8 feet long. I'm very sure he never knew he was hooked, and he didn't seem aggressive, but that didn't matter to me. I was ready to leave.

I persuaded John to cut the line and move the boat to a new fishing spot. Whew! (Lucky feeling #2).

And then I caught that flounder (Lucky feeling #3).

I do believe it was my lucky day.

One Fish, Two Fish

Redfish

Blue Fish Flounder

God blessed us with safety on the water, beautiful weather, a good time spent together, and one fish each. 

And, that was plenty. It was more than enough, with blessings to share. 

We fried up the redfish for dinner and gave the flounder to friends from church. 

Thank you, God, for a lovely Saturday.

Our Big Catch

John works a topwater lure in the area where we saw a fish feeding.

I'd like to tell you that John caught a big fish at the spot we named the Redfish Hole, but he didn't. If fishing was only about catching, then we would have given up a long time ago. Our big catch of the day was being together and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I don't think it could have a more gorgeous day!

Fishermen in Silhouette

I don't think these fishermen caught any trout either. And they certainly didn't catch a shark.

Let's Go Fishing

We'll fish from the beach in Matagorda. The surf is calm which usually brings the trout close to shore to feed. I've heard reports that people are catching their limit of five trout in an hour. This should be good.

No bites that first hour, but finally some action. Whatever is on the line is big and putting up a good fight. All we need is one good sized trout for a meal.

What is that? Is it what I think it is?

Yep, it's a shark, hooked in the side. Hey, be still shark. I want to take your picture.

Remove the hook carefully and let's put him back.

And take one last picture.

Matagorda Beach Sunrise in Three Snaps