Cedar Bayou Saltwater Fishing Report 4/28/2015

[Pferox]

I finally got to Cedar Bayou for some Saltwater Fishing.  As Y'all know by now, my part of Cedar Bayou runs next to Roseland Park in Baytown, Tx, which is a nice place to spend some time wetting a line.



Weather was nice, the partly sunny skies kept you warm, while the breeze kept you from getting overheated.  Water seemed cool, and was quite muddy, but that didn't stop the fish from biting.  I fished from about 9:30 AM to about 2:30 PM and with the exception of the last half hour, the bite was slow, but steady.

It was a double edged sword kind of day, I did catch some fish, got to test a couple of my brain storms, but discovered that I lost my cutting forceps on the previous outing, and had a corrupted picture that forced me to reformat the chip on my phone.  Fortunately I was able to salvage a few pictures from text messages and Facebook postings.

The Blue crabs were in full feeding mode.  One of which, my first catch of the day, an almost keeper size got itself hooked in the foot allowing me to bring it in as proof.



Next up was an impressive for the Bayou specimen of a croaker.  I wish I could say that was a few feet long ninja sword in the picture, but alas it was just a 8 and 1/2 inch long bait knife.  I also caught another dozen or so of them ranging in size from 4 to 9 inches.  In the picture you can see a couple more uses for pool noodles that I tried with good success.  I'll post about them later.



I got to test those new bait runners I got and was quite impressed with them.  I had a few runs with no hookups on one rod, and analization came to the conclusion that the hook gap on the #1 Mustad circle hook was too small for the fish that picked the bait up, and pulled out of it's lip after the added pressure of the drag.  It is a pretty awesome experience seeing the rod tip doubled over and the spool spinning letting out line the same way a shark does, but with much smaller fish.

For some reason, croakers won't pull drag, but instead do short jerks against the rod until you put pressure on them like reeling them in, they the fight is on.  They seem pretty content just hanging near the weight with a hook in their mouth waiting to be reeled in.

The last fish of the day was the most impressive, and was probably the same species that was making those spectacular runs on the other rods.  This one was caught on a 1/0 Eagle Claw circle hook baited with a mullet head, something that takes the crabs a lot longer to eat in comparison to the other baits I was using.  The 5.?:1 Pro qualifier reel and 15 Lb bullbuster line just outmatched this fish, although he did pull some drag for a while, and forced me to actually use a landing net for a change. 



A 16 and a half inch gafftop is a good size and makes great table fare to boot, but to he got a reprieve since all fish were returned to fight another day.  Hopefully tomorrow when I go back there, the Good Lord Willin'.

[Smallie_Stalker]

Excellent report. 

Thanks for the pictures. I need to learn to identify as many species as possible while I plan my journey into the salty side. 

[Pferox]

Thanks Jim.

Check with your State DNR, or whoever licenses Y'all, they usually have a brochure of the laws and their website should have an identification page.

As an example, in Texas, here, there are actually two fishing licenses, one for Freshwater and one for Saltwater, there is also a combination option which is at a cheaper rate, somewhat.

Texas also has an App that is available for iPhone and Android that has identification for both fresh and saltwater, and has all the laws listed so you can reference it through your phone.

You might want to check with your state to see what they have to offer also.

[Smallie_Stalker]

We have the same license deal here. Since I already have my freshwater I will have to pay the full price for a saltwater license - a whopping $10.    My son's licences are free for one more year.

Since I don't have a smartphone at the moment I will check the MassWildlife site for laws and species ID. My nephew has a book he is going to give me on saltwater species. I just have to wait for him to get off his butt and take the 30 minute drive to come visit.

[Pferox]

Both here and in Florida they had this plasticized card that had all the species listed relative to the state.  I bought one in Florida and it was reasonable then.  I just saw one at a salt water shop around here and about fell over at what they wanted for it here and now.

Then again that place stops my heart many times when I look at the price tag.  You think Bass Pro is high, just check the prices in some of these saltwater speciality shops.   

[bassadict69]

I have found myself hooked on saltwater and am dying to get back down to the coast somewhere! Too bad it is a 5 hour drive at the shortest to get down there!

[Pferox]

Yea, I'm hooked too.  I would be pretty hard pressed if I had to go back to freshwater fishing, but then there are times I miss crappie and bass fishing.  But not too often. 

You are in a good spot, the deltas around there are some great killer inshore action, and the blue water fishing is great too.