Cody Ranch Group Trip was outstanding!

Oct 04 2016

Zach Milwood

Fingerling

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
52

As has been the case since we started doing these group trips to Cody Ranch, this one was as outstanding as the others!  What an excellent time fishing, eating good food, and enjoying fellowship with our PWF members and guest. 

We had 8 total go on this trip, including one amazing 12 yr old named Jack who surprised all of us with his fishing skills!  Everyone arrived Friday around noon and hit different lakes.  We had a 6-6 come out of Upper Hart, and a 6-7 out of South Twin.  Not a bad start to the trip!  Lots of lily pads and grass to work.  We finished off the evening with some amazing Angus burgers grilled out and plenty of fixins. 

Saturday morning was the most perfect morning imaginable.  Perfect temps, completely overcast, and a light 5mph breeze, just enough to breakup the surface of the water.  Young Jack, myself, and guest Bobby hit Peach Creek that morning, and the topwater bite was insane!  Jack was throwing a hollow body frog, I was throwing a brand new Whopper Plopper, and Bobby a hard bait similar to a Pop-R.  In just over 2 hours, we had boated close to 60 fish between the 3 of us.  In fact, the biggest fish of the trip honors went to Bobby, who caught an 8-2…on a topwater bait!  However, he lost a fish even bigger than that right at the boat.  You can almost hear the slow motion "Noooooo!" as you look at the picture.  Other members were at South Twin and Lower Hart, and did not have nearly the topwater action we had.  By the afternoon, the bite had slowed down considerably, but we still ended up boating quite a few. 

Saturday night we had our traditional fish fry, and man was it good.  Hush puppies so good there was not a single one left!  Great time of getting to know each other and swapping fish stories!

Sunday morning saw some of our members leave, but dad and I decided to hit Moonshine.  We stayed in The Cabin so it only made sense since the lake is right outside the front door!  Having fished Moonshine each time I have been to Cody Ranch, I honestly had no expectations.  Last April 100+ fish were culled from there, and this lake is not known for the size of its fish…yet.  My second fish of the morning yielded a beautiful 7-15 hawg, caught on a white fluke with a chartreuse tail.  Just 3 oz off of the big fish of the trip, something my friend Bobby keeps reminding me of!  We caught several that morning, including many in the 2-4lbs region.

Observations:

Lakes were down about 1-2', making some launches difficult.  Several of us drove up to Crabtree to launch there, and there was no way to physically do it.  We backed the truck tires to the edge of the water and the boat was still fully out of the water.  Launching at Peach Creek was challenging too because of the mud.  We still managed obviously, but trailers and trucks alike looked like they had wrestled a pig. 

The fish were HEALTHY!  This was especially true at Moonshine, a lake that has traditionally had skinnier fish.  Proof that harvesting is effective, and is important to the health of the lake.  Out of the hundreds of fish we saw, all appeared to be healthy.  While there were of course small fish, there were no skinny fish that I saw.

We saw several boar while there, as well as rabbits and turkeys.  The sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking, but the night sky was absolutely gorgeous.  We had two moonless nights, so I decided to try my hand at getting a night timelapse of the stars.  It turned out amazing, and I will post on my YouTube channel once I get it the way I want it. 

Approximately 200 fish were culled this weekend; 20 from Moonshine, 60 from Peach Creek, and the remainder from Upper and Lower Hart.  Top 4 fish were 8-2, 7-15, 6-7 and 6-6, all caught at different lakes by different members.  Thanks to Mr. Cody and Steve Alexander for putting together this package deal.  We will return in the Spring, probably mid-to-late March, so keep your calendars open - no excuses!!!

Zach

Posted By: Zach Milwood

Oct 04 2016

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1124

Great Report. Loved all the smiles. That fish coming out of the water looks like a true  GIANT.

Oct 04 2016

Zach Milwood

Fingerling

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
52

It was a moose.  I was paying attention and when she jumped, I saw what a bucket mouth she was.  Bobby's reaction was priceless though.  :-)

Oct 04 2016

Larry Maupin

Keeper

Member Since :
2012
Number of Posts :
284

Thanks for the great report, Zach. I appreciate the info as I'll be up there soon.

Oct 04 2016

Chris Casner

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2012
Number of Posts :
220

.  Some good size fish being pulled from all the lakes including Moonshine - wow. Sorry I missed a great trip, had a wedding we had to go.

Oct 16 2016

Robert Cauthen

Fry

Member Since :
2016
Number of Posts :
17

Amazing trip with amazing people. Thanks to all the men who showed my son Jack what real men are all about.  I look forward to meeting more of you on different trips.  Thank you Zach.