Beautiful Sky - Scary Fish!

I have not added a Sun Set in a while - thought you'd enjoy. Under this calm beautiful sky and water lerks some big MONSTERS! (NOTE: in the next picture the "monster" is on the right!)

YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!
This is a three foot Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus Oculatus - Greek for bony scale and provided eye). These fish can live up to twenty+ years! Fresh water alligator gars can reach 9-10 feet long and weigh 300+ pounds!! They put up a really good fight - all gars are hard to catch because of their sharp teeth and bad attitudes.

"When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem."

Most of the time she loves standing up on the front of the USS Sassy. This morning was no exception... She has a calm way of leading us back to shore.
BUT, being the Captain of the Ship is never easy... Sas finds a way to deal with Rick and Me everyday. To kinda quote one of my favorite Authors... "I've seen a look in Sassy's eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically Sas thinks’ both Rick and Kevin are NUTS."

Harry - Sassy - Calm Water and some Catfish!

I would have to say that the calm waters are always a good “get away” for me. It is better when I have Harrison join me and Sassy.

Here is a 3 pounder caught on a hot dog by a hot dog!

He has the magic touch.

He showed me up again – not that I was worried – I am still 1.5 inches taller than him!

WINDY start to March!!!

"No one appreciates the very special genius of my conversation as much as Sassy does!"

Not too sure who said it - but it is true… There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. This has to be true because NO ONE in their RIGHT mind would have gone out with me and Sassy on Lake Belton in 22 MPH winds… Barnie and Rick did!

We caught 6 keepers.

It is hard to tell from this picture - but, the waves were big. The aft of the boat was almost underwater a few times. Lake Belton and Lake Waco are going to get a reprieve from me and Sassy… The wind can be very dangerous on the lakes! See you in a few days!

Beautiful Morning - No Fish!!!!

There is something special about being out on the lake early in the morning.

You get a lot of picture perfect mornings if you pay the “get up early” price.

This is Lake Belton this morning. I have my Dad and Grandpa to thank when it comes to getting up early… Its a great time to collect your thoughts for the day ahead. PLUS,there is hardly ever anyone on the lake! It has to be my favorite time of the day. Leni on the other hand would like mornings better if they started later!

Sas would never dream of missing an early morning on the lake! Even if the fish do not cooperate - we released two keepers today... but, we caught some great photos!

It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years!”

ON THE LAKE BY MYSELF!

Not too sure why I have this look on my face... It could be because of the short story that follows... Last night I was sitting on my favorite Old Chair watching Blue Bloods when I heard my beautiful wife's voice from the kitchen.

"What would you like for dinner? Chicken, beef or lamb?"

I said, "WOW! I get a choice - thanks Len, I'll have chicken."

She replied, "You're having soup, Dork. I was talking to Sassy."

That is why I love to come out on the Lake BY MYSELF early in the morning.

FISH SCHOOL - W/Kev!!!

Not everyday - but, a few times a month I will get questions about Cat Fishing in Lake Waco and Belton. I am much honored to be asked fishing questions - I love to fish - but, I will admit now - I have no degree in Fishology. Not sure if there is a Fishology - maybe I could start a "fish school" <--- that was not funny. But, I wanted to pass on an email I received today from a blog friend - who wanted a little Catfish help - maybe it will help you...

In a message dated 2/21/2011 7:39:51 P.M. Central Standard Time, David writes:
hello, im David and i would like to bother you for a few tips. i dont have no boat but do some shoreline fishing, usually off Baylor Camp Rd, where the bridge is located. ive never had luck fishing in a lake or river, help me please. im using worms, go all year, and usually feed the small tiny fish. six reels and nothing but killing time. aint caught 10 lbs fish in 1 year, LOL. dont tell nobody, LOL. just ran across your site trying to find a fishing forecast. could really use some advise. cant afford a tour :( thanks for your help. nice blogs, i usually dont read stuff like that, i enjoyed it, ty

My reply... hope it helps!

Thanks for your nice comments David. I too learn a lot from talking with people through this blog... Every good fisherman will tell you- "Fishing" is more than just "catching" - it is a learning process. As I have gotten older I have become aware of the many things that go into the overall "Fishing" process. I use to fish all the time with grandpa and I can tell you, as a kid, sometimes IT WAS BORING - but, I love fishing with my dad and other friends!!! I always learn something - not always about fishing! ANYWAY, here are a few basic techniques/tips that I hope will help you...

FIRST, we have to go where the fish are!!! Sounds obvious - but, many times people do not look for the premium spots. Find an area that you THINK fish will be feeding in. This could be near downed trees, grassy areas, near big submerged rocks (near the dam is always good), where two streams meet or near a drop off on the rivers edge... These are VERY GOOD spots - if you can find them!!! Also, take a friend I usually take my dog Sassy. Your friend will love it!


SECOND, bait out the spot... some fisherman think this is UNSPORTSMAN like. I disagree - we are feeding the smaller ones and soon they will be bigger ones!!! Baiting out these spots with maze, cotton pellets, and/or dog food OUT of the can - use gloves for this - open one end of the can and punch a hole in the other end the dog food will drop out - throw a few can full’s into your spot - not the can. Usually the cheapest dog food stays in the cans shape longer! (You do not want the can dog food that is mostly liquid). If you take your dog - be strong during this process - they will pour on the "I'm hungry" face.

THIRD, be consistent. Make sure you bait out the same area for at least seven days -about the same time of day. I fish VERY early in the morning or late in the evenings. So, bait out about the time of day you plan to fish. I would not fish this area until the seventh day. If you do take a human friend - make sure they love the art of fishing - like my friend Rick!


FOURTH, mix up the bait you use on your hooks. I use different size shad - threaded from the tail to the head onto a number four hook... you can try different hook sizes - this one works best for me. If they do not bite on the shad - I will use hot dogs. Worms are GREAT - but, for some reason I usually catch only small cats in Lake Waco on them... that is not to say they do not bring in big ones - on a fishing charter a few Saturdays ago Josh brought in our biggest catfish that day - 7lbs with an earthworm! If all that is not working - I will get the stinky dough bait...USE PLASTIC GLOVES to put this bait on your hook – or you will not have a friend for weeks!! When I use this stuff - Sassy goes to the back of the boat. Key is to mix the baits - but, again be patient. I give the different baits at least 30-45 minutes - then try a different one. Be sure to try different depths - a foot or two off the bottom is usually the depth for me.


AND FINALLY, whether you take a friend or just go by yourself - BE THANKFUL YOU HAVE THE TIME TO GO FISHING... Remember, it is called FISHING not CATCHING!!! You will have a good time every time if you find a way to appreciate what we are given. Throw back the small ones... here in our Texas lakes you can keep the catfish that are 14 inches... to me that is too small. I prefer the 18+ ones. That is just my opinion - my grandpa would turn over in his resting space if he knew I told you that. Fishing to me is a GREAT way to connect with our God given environment - we owe Him the "thank you" of keeping our waters clean and fish abundant for the next generation of Fisherman.

Fish on!
Kevin Foster
TightLine Fishing
http://tightlinecatfish.blogspot.com/
254 709 3058

Their Biting - Where are YOU?!?!?!

We have a very full schedule this March and most of April - BUT, if you'd like to reserve a spot on a TIGHTLINE fishing trip - give us a call. Usually we make very early morning or late evening trips. We promise fun and fish to take home! You cannot go wrong - I will even get Rick to bait the hook for you!!!
Most of the time you can bet on a little wind and choppy water – but, today was beautiful. The water is cold - 47 degrees and the boat ride to the fishing spots can be a little chilly - but, no one is complaining.
I was in rare form this morning - I caught 17 and Rick caught 7 - together we kept 7 fish.
By far the luckiest day with our super secret bait (HOT DOGS!) – we had glass smooth water and an ice chest full of fish before 7:30am.

BREAK IN THE WEATHER!! WATCH OUT KATS!!

Hard to tell the size of these guys sometimes - this is a regular size cooler and this Kat filled the lid...
Here is a mess of Kats - within 45 minutes we had this bunch... I guess they were waiting for us...
This was one of the first of Five big Kats we took out of the water yesterday. If I told you the bait - you would think I was telling a fish story... HOT DOG! That’s right - It took Rick less time to bring in this Kat than it did for Sassy to convince him that she needed the bait more than the fish...
Sas - doing what she does best - begging without begging, looking cute without trying and being a friend!

Great Evening - New Ideas...

One of the coolest things about putting together a blog like this is reading the emails and blog comments from our friends - A LOT of people want to see more picture’s of SASSY – easy enough - consider it done! A lot want to know about the numbers of fish we catch each day... How about the exact number … from January 18, 2010 to today Jan 7 - we have caught 599 KEEPERS weighing in at 1249 pounds! There is no telling how many we release (too small/too large) – I bet we send back half! On the right hand side of the blog I will do my best to keep a public record of the catfish caught – each time we go out...
ANYWAY - Rick has been sick and Sassy has had a few friends over the past few days - so, now we are back out there (Until it gets really cold)... Here are a few pictures of Sassy, Lake Gulls, and a Honey Hole Tree...

You never know who is watching you - I am sure this gang of Gulls is critically assessing our fishing ability... OR, as Rick said, they are betting on which one of us will catch the first fish - I told Rick, I am pretty sure that the one on the far Right will soon PUT EVERYTHING HE HAS ON YOU!
We have seen hundreds of Lake Gulls… There is something about seeing these things flying around that bring back great memories – maybe it is the time my dad read the book “Jonathan Living Sea Gull” from start to finish in ONE EVENING – I think it is weird the things we remember!!! I have never read a book in one evening - unless craming for a test - nor, have I ever stayed still that long EVER!
EVERYONE wants a fishing hint – well here it is - this a Lake Tree... If you can find this tree on Lake Waco - tie up too it and wet a line – there are PLENTY o CATFISH – you are at one of Sassy’s honey holes!!!!!
The water is VERY calm for a January evening - I guess that is to Sassy’s advantage - she can sniff them out better than anyone...
Sas never likes to take credit - we could not do it without her - Let me just put it this way – she is the Master of finding Honey Holes…she has put us on a BUNCH of catfish!!!

CARPE ANNUM!!!!

I had the GREAT pleasure of spending Jan 1 and most of today (Jan 2) in a workshop with my Tennis Official friends from all over Texas in Dallas.
So, we did not get to go out fishing today and I can tell you right now - Sassy and Rick are having horrible angler-withdrawal symptoms!!! They will recover tomorrow morning - we will be out there at 5:30am!!! Rick and I made it out to Lake Waco yesterday morning and caught a nice Carp. Here are a couple of CLASSIC Rick pictures...for y-our entertainment....

Here is our first catch of the day - a 14 pound CARP! THUS, Carpe Annum - Seize the Year!

Here is Rick kissing the Carp - just before we threw her back...