# Predict the weight contest



## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

I know Whitebassfisher was joking about another contest, but I have been considering this for a while. His post just gave me the nudge in the right direction. 

Predict the weight of the largest catfish I will catch on my next Lake Conroe juglining trip on 5/20 or 5/21.

Here are the details of the fishing trip for which you will be making the prediction:
- I will be fishing with my 21 year old twin sons.
- We plan to set out 40 jugs with 5 hooks each (200 hooks total).
- We will be fishing all night unless unforeseen circumstances make us leave early.

Contest details:
- Guesses will be whole pounds only.
- Guesses will be made via replies to this thread.
- One guess per person.
- If two people guess the same weight, the post order will be used to determine who gets that weight. The other person will be allowed to guess again.
 - Nearest guess without going over will win.
- Deadline for entry is noon on 5/20/16.

Prize will be a Friday night or Saturday night jugline fishing trip on Lake Conroe for you and a guest.
- I will supply the boat, gas, juglines, and bait for the trip.
- Date will be mutually agreed upon by me and the winner.
- If the winner decides not to take the trip, the person with the next closest guess without going over will be selected.
- We will CPR all catfish weighing 10 pounds or more.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

42 lbs


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## lx22f/c (Jun 19, 2009)

35 pounds is my guess!


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## Mako-Wish (Jul 10, 2011)

38


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

27 lbs


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

46


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## CroakerSpit (Feb 21, 2016)

51 #


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## Mike S. 11 (Nov 10, 2009)

Cool contest. I'm in at 29 lbs. 

Mike


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## 1fisher77316 (Oct 30, 2004)

41#'s 1fisher77316


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## Chunknwind (Jul 28, 2015)

25 lb#


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

22.5 pounds.


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## meterman (Jan 2, 2011)

32.5 pounds


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

30


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## DU SPOUS (Feb 1, 2010)

*My Guess*

13.5# But a lot of 3.5#


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## Ducktracker (Aug 1, 2011)

20# good luck


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Cool contest!

What will be the official weighing method?


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

A 2Cool giveaway! For many years I have heard of good cat fishermen doing very well jugging on Conroe at night.


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## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

28#


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

sgrem said:


> 22.5 pounds.


Entered as 22 lbs


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

meterman said:


> 32.5 pounds
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Entered as 32 lbs


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

DU SPOUS said:


> 13.5# But a lot of 3.5#


Entered as 13 lbs


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

SwampRat said:


> Cool contest!
> 
> What will be the official weighing method?


I have a certified 110 lb scale. The certification is good until October 12, 2016. If the fish is large enough that I use a fish gripper to pick it up, I put the gripper on the scale and zero out the weight first using the TARE button on the scale. Once the weight stabilizes, I press the hold button. I will post a picture of the fish and the weight shown on the scale. Here is a picture of the scale.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

Can you give us a hint what was the largest cat you caught recently before i put my guess in :blush:


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## Champion22 (Jan 18, 2008)

31


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## Sac-a-lait Trey (Jun 10, 2015)

37

This is very generous of you! Green to ya!


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## lowensome1866 (Sep 13, 2010)

21 lbs


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## travis0611 (Dec 22, 2015)

36lbs


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## Old sailor (Mar 30, 2014)

23#


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

brucevannguyen said:


> Can you give us a hint what was the largest cat you caught recently before i put my guess in :blush:


I don't think it would be fair to the 20 people that have already guessed to give out too many clues after they have guessed. I will say that the weights of my last 2 CPRs have already been taken.

Here are the weights that have been taken, so far:

13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 46, 51.


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## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

My little girl turn 18 teen this year so I say 18 pounds. But I got a feeling you are gonna catch a monster cat.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

200 hooks - 44lbs


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## jtdorsch2000 (Mar 15, 2015)

*67*

67


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## FishingMudGuy (Aug 13, 2014)

47


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## dk2429 (Mar 27, 2015)

32# for me!


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## CFKBig57 (Apr 18, 2013)

33 pounds for me!


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

I'm in for 39#!!!!


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

dk2429 said:


> 32# for me!


32# is already taken. Please guess again. Here is the complete list that is already taken:

13, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 46, 47, 51, 67.


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## dk2429 (Mar 27, 2015)

24# for me


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## roundman (May 21, 2004)

57


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## NitroNX898 (Apr 7, 2009)

34#


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## nofishndpond (Jan 2, 2008)

48 lbs


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## AirbornXpress (Sep 27, 2006)

40 biggins


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Updated list of guesses so far:

13, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 47, 48, 51, 57, 67.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

28.82#


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

V-Bottom said:


> 28.82#


28 and 29 are both taken already. Please guess again.


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## Reel Time (Oct 6, 2009)

26


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## BenFishing62 (Jun 16, 2012)

24


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## firedog4$ (Aug 24, 2004)

73# Good luck.


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## Need2BFishin (Mar 24, 2016)

53#


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## UT_Armyguy (May 26, 2011)

*Weight taken?*

24 taken so 19


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

BenFishing62 said:


> 24


Sorry, I missed adding 24 to the list of weights that were already taken. Please guess again.


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Updated list of weights already guessed.

13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 47, 48, 51, 53, 57, 67, 73.


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## fishonkev (Jan 28, 2011)

43 lbs.


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## Tightlines1984 (Mar 28, 2014)

17 lbs


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## ranger374v (Dec 23, 2010)

50.5


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## DJ77360 (Jun 10, 2012)

Well, I suppose I might as well take a shot in the dark too.
I speculate the catfish will weigh: SIXTEEN POUNDS and not a pound more or less!!


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

ranger374v said:


> 50.5
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Entered as 50 lbs


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## TexasTom (Mar 16, 2011)

15

Late to the party, expect you will double that or more!


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## fishinganywhere (May 20, 2014)

14


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## ripalipman (Dec 4, 2015)

12


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

42 entries so far. Here is the updated list:

12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 53, 57, 67, 73.


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## BenFishing62 (Jun 16, 2012)

cwhitney said:


> Sorry, I missed adding 24 to the list of weights that were already taken. Please guess again.


Well that sucks. I'll take 45.


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## BenFishing62 (Jun 16, 2012)

BenFishing62 said:


> Well that sucks. I'll take 45.


And 11


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

BenFishing62 said:


> Well that sucks. I'll take 45.





BenFishing62 said:


> And 11


Only 1 entry per person. I put you down for 45, so 11 is still open for someone else.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

I think 49 is open...Fun Green for you


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## Sac-a-lait Trey (Jun 10, 2015)

Here is my attempt to list the weights that are still AVAILABLE:

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, ---,
(see note below about 49*),
52, -, 54, 55, 56, -, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, -, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, -, 74 and above

*Note: Not sure if cva34 was choosing 49, or simply pointing out that it is still available.


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## MadMike (Mar 21, 2008)

52

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## tpool (Aug 21, 2005)

58!!

T-bone


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## eyef1shin (May 16, 2014)

I'll take 54... looks like it's still open.

Wanted 47 as that's the size we caught... but too slow on my side.


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## Doceaglekat (May 15, 2016)

56


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

A total of 48 people have entered so far. Since the list of available weights is smaller than the list of what is taken, I will post what is available:

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 55, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74+


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## Dirt Daddy (Sep 11, 2004)

250 pound


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Dirt Daddy said:


> 250 pound


I think I'm gonna need a bigger boat.


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## HAYWIREZ (Aug 9, 2006)

27


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

HAYWIREZ said:


> 27


27 is already taken, please guess again. Here is the list of what is already taken:

12 - 54, 56 - 58, 67, 73, 250


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## StinkBait (May 31, 2004)

11


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## fishonkev (Jan 28, 2011)

When are you fishing?


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## archersfin (Aug 31, 2005)

55

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## reba3825 (Feb 28, 2013)

26#


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## HAYWIREZ (Aug 9, 2006)

62


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

fishonkev said:


> When are you fishing?


I will be fishing Saturday night, 5/21/2016, with my sons to see who wins the contest. For the prize, the winner and I will find a mutually agreeable date.


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

reba3825 said:


> 26#


26 is already taken Please guess again. Here are the weights that are already taken:

11 - 58, 62, 67, 73, 250


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## nofishndpond (Jan 2, 2008)

What will you be using for bait?


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

reba3825 said:


> 26#





cwhitney said:


> 26 is already taken Please guess again. Here are the weights that are already taken:
> 
> 11 - 58, 62, 67, 73, 250


Per your PM, I have your guess at 60#.


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## MrsTroutsnot (Sep 14, 2005)

I'll take 49...


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

MrsTroutsnot said:


> I'll take 49...


49 is already taken. Please guess again. Here is the list of what is already taken:

11 - 58, 60, 62, 67, 73, 250


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Contest is now closed to entries. A total of 53 people have entered their guesses. Since MrsTroutsnot attempted to enter but picked a weight that was already taken, I will give her time to enter an alternate weight that has not been taken.

I will answer a couple of questions that came up during the past week. 

Bruce asked about my last CPR catfish. It was 42.3 pounds and I caught it on April 2. The first entry by JFolm took this weight. Was it luck or did he look back at my previous reports?

My personal best is 60 pounds (the one in my avatar picture), so if someone who guessed higher than 60 wins, that will mean a new personal best for me.

nofishndpond asked about the bait I plan to use. I will be using an assortment - gizzard shad, carp, buffalo, shrimp, and beef heart. I have caught CPR quality fish on all of these baits.

One other thing that crossed my mind. The lowest guess is 11 pounds. If my largest fish is under this weight, everyone's guesses will be too high. If this happens, I will select the winner using a random number generator.


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## fishonkev (Jan 28, 2011)

Good luck and stay safe.


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

3.5 lbs is the biggest one so far...


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

cwhitney said:


> Contest is now closed to entries. A total of 53 people have entered their guesses. Since MrsTroutsnot attempted to enter but picked a weight that was already taken, I will give her time to enter an alternate weight that has not been taken.
> 
> I will answer a couple of questions that came up during the past week.
> 
> ...


Just a random guess!


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Surely there was a double digit fish pulled last night.


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## Sac-a-lait Trey (Jun 10, 2015)

Agreed, SwampRat.

Regardless of the outcome, cwhitney, this has been a fun thread to follow, and it's very generous of you to hold the contest.


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Nate, Nick, and I got the boat launched around 7:00 Saturday evening. After getting our 40 jugs set, we made our first run checking them. Out of 200 hooks we only caught 5 fish. The largest one was only 3.5 lbs. The second run got us up to 17 keepers total, but 3.5 lbs was still big fish. We headed to shore so we could fillet our catch and got a gallon of fillets. We decided that was all we would keep for the night. The bite for keepers improved and we picked up a 4.2 lb fish on the third run. Around daylight, we started picking up our jugs and were on the road headed home by 9:00 am. Our final count was 45 catfish (we released all but the 17 we kept) and the big fish was 4.2 lb.

While we were hoping for some big fish, we still enjoyed the night on the water. Since the lowest guess in the contest was 11 lbs, I had to select the winner at random. I used a random number generator at random.org. The number returned was 19, so UT_Armyguy is the winner. I will contact him via private message so we can arrange the fishing trip. 

I had fun putting on this contest. Thanks to everyone that participated.

Here are pics of the 4.2 lb fish, our 17 keepers, and a screen grab of the random number generator result.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Congrats on a good trip. Thanks for putting the contest up. It was fun to keep up with.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

thanks it was a fun ride


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Thanks for the contest! And good luck!


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## Chunknwind (Jul 28, 2015)

It's been a blast watching. Thanks for having it.Enjoyed the enthusiasm everyone shared.


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## BenFishing62 (Jun 16, 2012)

It was a fun contest cwhitney. Hopefully it's something that happens from time to time.


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

It has been a while since this thread saw any activity, but I did not forget about it. UT_Armyguy has had a busy schedule so it has taken a while to get together for his trip. He had a free weekend so we agreed on Saturday, July 30 for our all night jugging trip on Lake Conroe. He brought David (his uncle) with him. We got on the water around 7:00pm. With a few widely scattered thunderstorms in the area, we were concerned about the weather, but the rain stayed away. We did get some gusty winds, so it made for a choppy start to the evening. Eventually, the wind and waves calmed to a more enjoyable level. After the clouds cleared, mother nature gave us quite a light show with numerous meteorite sightings throughout the night.

We set out 25 jugs in 25-30â€™ deep water with 4 hooks each. UT_Armyguy wanted to target big fish, so I brought bait suitable to the task - gizzard shad, cut buffalo, and cut gou. After getting our jugs set, we backtracked through them and noticed that most of our jugs were flagged. The problem was that there were not any fish on most of them and no bait was missing. The wave action was causing most our jugs to flag. We did pick up a couple of eating size fish on the way back to the ramp to offload the empty storage containers for my jugs.

On our next run through the jugs, we got to the 8th jug and noticed a boat having trouble. His motor would not start. Knowing that it is a bad feeling to be on the water at night with boat trouble, we went over and asked if we could help. He tossed us a rope and we towed him back to the boat ramp.

After returning to where we left off running our jugs, we picked up a few more keepers and this 8.9 pound blue. UT_Armyguy already had fish in the live well and said it was close enough to 10 lbs that we should release it. We took pictures and let it swim to be caught another day.



About an hour later we got to play a bit of hide and seek with one of the jugs and ended up with this 23.0 pounder for our efforts.





Our 3rd pass through the jugs produced a couple keepers, but no CPR worthy fish. After this run we decided to clean what we had kept. We had 10 fish up to about 4 pounds that produced a gallon of fillets.



We started our last round at 5:30am. With the wind and waves calming down, we had very few jugs flagged, so we made it through them pretty quickly. We waited until around 6:30 to start working our way back toward the ramp as we picked up our lines. We caught a few keeping size fish, but released most of them. We did have a 6.5 lb fish that was hooked in the corner of the mouth as usual for circle hooks, but managed to get hooked deep in the throat when it flopped just as the hook came loose. With the damage to the fish we tossed it in the livewell to see how it looked after we finished. We also picked up this feisty 11.8 pounder.



Just as UT_Armyguy picked the fish up to weigh it, the fish decided to do some major flopping and his uncle took a fin in the calf of his leg. I keep supplies in the boat for situations like this, so after a little cleaning with an antiseptic wipe, applying antibiotic ointment, and covering it with a bandaid, we resumed picking up our jugs.

When we got to the ramp, we checked on our injured fish and he was floating belly up in the livewell. UT_Armyguy noticed that another boat had launched and asked if they wanted the fish. One of the 3 men in the boat came over and gladly took the fish. Then he started bragging to his buddies that he had big fish of the day so far and they needed to get with it if they wanted to beat him.

I had an enjoyable night on the water with UT_Armyguy and his uncle. We caught a few fish and they kept all they wanted to clean and take home. I hope they enjoyed the evening as much as I did.


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## UT_Armyguy (May 26, 2011)

*Thanks CWhitney*

I can't say enough thank yous regarding the trip last weekend. We caught some nice CPRs and more than enough "eaters" for my uncle and I to keep for our families. The evening was a success, and armed with photos to rub in co-workers face the trip to Houston was well worth the 3hr drive. I learned that flagging jugs are far superior to my old way of jugging. The typical buoy works fine, but knowing if you even need to check a line saves lots of time when running lines. I will use what I learned on my local lake and hopefully be able to return the trip to CWhitney and see if the Hill Country Cats provide him as much fun.


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