Muddy Water Mystery

The Guadalupe River was calling my name today as I sat catching up on some paperwork this morning. After working all weekend, who was I to say no to the river.
We had close to 4 inches of rain last week and the river showed it as I was greeted with a nice flow and some off colored water. Beside taking the TFO fly rod, I took two bait casters knowing that the flow and debris would affect the fly fishing and they might come in handy. After launching I worked hard with the fly rod and a wooly bugger trying to entice a bite but none came. It seems that it would take some commotion to stir these fish up, a few casts later with a Pop-R and the dinner bell had been rung as a nice three pound largemouth smashed the topwater as it deflected off the root of the Cypress tree. As the day wore on I was able to produce the same result many times with quite a few fiesty bass coming off as they exploded into the air trying to get rid of what they mistook for a meal. The weather was great and the fishing better.

The last three times that I came up to this tree, there has been a very large watersnake hanging out and he was there again. I named him Fred.....

Safety First

I am writing this in response to a post that I read tonight from a kayaker who was fishing the San Marcos river and misjudged his ability in the current and ended up fighting for his life as he went out of the kayak in rough water without a life jacket.
I've heard all the excuses..... they are hot, don't fit right, interfere with paddlin and fishing
BULLSHIT
If you get the proper PFD you will become accustomed to it. I have three different ones that I use when fishing. In the summertime when i'm in and out of the kayak all day, the ONYX  Pike Paddle Sports/Kayak fishing vest is my PFD of choice. Plenty of arm room as well as a snug fit and pockets to hold items. In colder weather the ONYX AM/24 Deluxe Automatic Inflatable is used. It comes with a rearmable CO2 cartridge that inflates if you fall in, as well as a manual pull. Very comfortable and can be worn in any type of weather.
When I am wet wading the ONYX M24 Belt Pack PFD is used. It is a manual pull inflatable that gives me some added security as you never know what can happen while you are out on the water.

As you can see, there are a lot of items on the market that can be used for your protection and it just might save your life someday. Don't just think of yourself while you are having a good time on the water, think about what you have waiting at home.

AM/24 Deluxe Automatic Inflatable

M24 Belt Pack

Pike Paddle / Kayak Fishing Vest

Scouting Trip 3-11-12

Did my first wet wading trip of the year. After two straight days of rain and 50 degree temperatures the sun came out today and yeilded some warm weather. Went to the upper Guadalupe river which is close to my house and made a scouting trip to see if any fish had returned now that there is water back in it after the drought we went through last year. The water was flowing nice and had a good chocolate color to it from the rain, the popper was chugging as I stripped it in and had a blow-up but missed the hookset. It would turn out to be the only action of the evening but it was nice to see that water had returned to a place I like to fish, now i'll have to wait for the fish to get back to it. I was able to break in my new Keen wet wading shoes and will tell you that it was nice not to have gravel in my shoes. They were comfortable and the traction was nice on the slick rocks, I only fell once.
Here is a picture from last year....

And the same area today.....

Fly Rod is finished

Finished building the new rod. It is built on a MHX High Modulus graphite fast action blank. It's a 9ft 5wt. four piece rod. The grip is a custom poured two part foam that is wrapped and finished in carbon fiber material. Double footed snake guides to go along with the Texas Rattlesnake skin wrap above the grip. Wrapped in black thread with metallic copper trim. Complete with a rod sock and aluminum travel case.

Cheeky Fly Fishing March Madness: Road to the Final Fish

Want to have some fun and have a great chance to win over $5000.00 in prizes. All you have to do is enter the Cheeky Fly Fishing March Madness: Road to the Final Fish.
The great thing is you will be benifiting some great causes as all of the proceeds are donated to Stripers Forever, Casting for Recovery, and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.
All of the information is below, enter and have fun.

It’s that time of year again. March Madness is upon us and that means Cheeky Fly Fishing’s Road to the Final Fish is just days away from kicking off.

We’re back for the second straight year with the ultimate tournament of sport fish to benefit Stripers Forever, Casting for Recovery and the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  Thirty-two fish have been seeded in a bracket, but only one will be crowned champion based on your votes.  Fill out brackets by selecting which fish you prefer in each matchup.  Pick the winners and receive great prizes from Cheeky Fly Fishing, Thomas & Thomas, Howler Brothers, Kast Gear, Sarah Lauridsen Art, Montana Fly Company, Patagonia, Maui Jim, Fishpond, The Fly Shop, Jim Teeny, Mud Dog Saltwater Flies, Free Fly Apparel, Nomad Fly Fishing, Vedavoo and The Fiberglass Manifesto.  Enter now: http://www.cheekyflyfishing.com/marchmadness.

Bracket entry is $5 and 100% of the proceeds are donated to Stripers Forever, Casting for Recovery and the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  In 2011, the tournament raised nearly $1,000 to benefit these causes and this year we’re hoping to dwarf that number. For more information and to enter visit: http://www.cheekyflyfishing.com/marchmadness.  Remember, it’s all for a great cause!

A special grand prize: If you purchase any Cheeky Fly Reel on www.cheekyflyfishing.com from now until March 23rd, and your bracket wins the tournament, the reel is on us!

For more information please check out http://www.cheekyflyfishing.com/.  It should be a great event that will help some great causes.  Please feel free to reach out to me with any additional questions you may have.

Sample of the bracket form