Living Waters Fly Fishing

Tucked away in the Historic downtown section of Round Rock is Central Texas' best kept secret. Started in 2006 as a fly fishing guide service, Chris and his wife opened the doors to the only fly shop in the area in 2008.

Chris and Matt

This was my second visit to the shop. I went there to pick up some Pole Dancer flies that Matt was holding for me that I plan on using on the next redfish trip. What impressed me the most about this place, is how comfortable they make you feel.It's like I have been going there for years. The abundance of equipment that they provide for the fly fisherman is easily noticed as well as the amount of items needed to tie whatever fly you desire in stock.                                                 

Living Waters also hosts events every month, with the highlight being the fly tying night every Wednesday.
Although I didn't see a shackle around his ankle, i'm pretty sure Matt spends a lot of time at his fly tying station. How else can you keep winning the employee of the month award.

If you happen to be in the area stop by and introduce yourself. They are willing to help you anyway possible.

Fall on the Guad

Hearing rain drops tapping on the window took me by surprise. Wondering what the water looked like upon reaching the river was the second one of the morning. Stepping into the water as I waded to the dam with kayak in tow reminded me that the dog days of summer are over.

Not sure if it was the river turning over with the new season upon us, or the earlier storm that had the fishing slower than normal. Started the day out tossing a Zazzy Pop tight against the bank. I laughed out loud as the perch blew the popper out of the water only to be eaten by a small Guadalupe bass that was just bigger than the popper itself.

What I like about exploring this river is the beauty that is found around every bend. Whether the majestic Bald Cypress trees or the sight of fish as they dart through the rapids as the kayak crosses their path.

The last few trips the river has given up a bonus to me. Pound for pound I think the Rio is one of the hardest fighting fish that I have come across in freshwater. They sure put a bend in the fly rod.

Days like today also serve as a reminder of why I wear a PFD all of the time. It took one missed rock in the set of rapids to spin the kayak and flip without a chance to correct myself. Luckily I didn't lose anything on this day except for a little pride.

Hopefully around the next bend, on the next adventure I will get into some of the deeper pools that are known to hold some hefty smallmouth.

Until next time, be safe on and off the water.

Bone Boards "walk on water"

While fishing on the Guadalupe river one day, a group of people paddled by me on stand up paddle boards. Watching them glide along, my mind began wandering at the possibility of fly fishing from one. Arriving at the casa, the laptop was pulled out and a search brought me some results and even a local company close to me in San Antonio. After reviewing the board from this new company, I sent an e-mail to the owner with an inquiry to test one out and in return I would do a review. The next morning their was a reply from Bone Boards and I was able to pick a board up and use. 

The Bone Board is built from a rigid closed cell foam that gives it strength and keeps the weight down. Design Specs.
Looking over the board I was impressed with the detail and thought that was put into it.
With a length of 12 feet and width of 32 inches it was stable for it's size. It came with a marine grade aluminum rack that incorporates two rear rod holders and a side paddle holder. The rack is also fitted to hold the Igloo 14 can cooler that is included with the package and a  carbon fiber paddle that comes apart and has an internal steel stake out pin that goes through a hole in the board to keep you in place.

 I was a little hesitant at first to take it on the river because of the abundance of rocks. After a few trips out on the river I don't think you would have a lot of issues unless you are careless and run it into the rocks at high speed. With the light weight, I was able to carry it whenever I had to portage and was surprised at how tough the laminate on the bottom was with the rocks that it did scrape against.

Standing was fairly easy and at 250 lbs I felt stable enough to fish and paddle the board as it was designed. 
Paddling the board was a little bit of an adventure. The board would get nose heavy but it was due to my weight. After talking with the designer they are in the thought process of designing a second board which will be over 13 ft in length and have a wider stance to help out someone like myself. I was able to paddle it at a good pace once I adjusted the trim by backing up some on the board.
Rack, being collapsible and made out of marine grade aluminum it was light and fit perfect into the recessed holes incorporated into the board. The rack was then held in place by a buckle tie down like you would find on a casting platform on a boat.
Paddle, built 100% from carbon fiber, it was light and had the appropriate blade angle that allowed you to really dig when you wanted to cover ground or you turned it around when using it to position for a cast. It also comes apart by pushing a pin and inside is a metal stakeout pin to be used to anchor yourself in place when fishing a flat or if you want to get off and wade.

The standing area of the board is recessed and fitted with a nice foam pad that allows you to stand comfortably for a long period of time. The cooler is a nice addition when using the rack which has a recess that holds it perfectly. I was also able to leave the rack at home and just use my K-2 cooler as a platform to sit on when I wanted to take a break or paddle around.

Overall I think the design is great and functional. Some suggestions I would make would be to add grab handles to make it easier to carry, offer it in other than black. I realize that it was designed primarily for fishing the flats in Saltwater but I was impressed with it's ability to take on the river. I'm looking forward to seeing a larger model and wish them luck with the board.

Obsessive Fishing Disorder

At least that's what they are calling it these days.....

It began as an opportunity that day on a stream in Colorado. A first for me,catching a slam my first time fly fishing. What followed has been an obsession,the fly rod is always with me as I travel because you never know what lurks in the water you just crossed............

To say I will go to great depths to catch fish is an understatement, sometimes I almost get in over my head. But we live and learn as we go.........

Being fortunate enough to live in an area with so many rivers within short driving distance feeds the hunger, if you don't run into me fishing from the kayak........

you will probably see me stalking my prey as I slide through the water dropping a fly at any fishy looking spot I see.......

An extra benefit to my obsession has been my dabbling with photography and writing. What started as trip reports on a few fishing forums has turned into (with the urging of friends) a blog that has been very enjoyable to do and read by many.

Where will it all lead......I really don't know but i'm having a whole lot of fun finding out.

Another Snook Trip

The title  is a little misleading since this was my first time to go fish for Snook. The trip resulted from an invite to head down with a group of fifteen other fisherman to South Padre Island on their annual trip. For such a large and diverse group the trip couldn't have gone any better....well, except for the weather.
The adventure began with me hitching a ride with a group from Austin, all whom I had never met and ended with me making fifteen new friends as well as fisherman who I would be glad to fish with any day.
There were a few bumps along the journey to get there.

We ran out of gas upon reaching Corpus but were rescued by a couple of fisherman who were fishing the river where we pulled over at. We were then pulled over an hour later for a lame excuse just to check us out.
Upon reaching the house at 2am, greetings and introductions were made with the rest of the group and a plan was put into motion for the next morning. Getting up after three hours of sleep, we were greeted with a steady rain and howling winds. When it started to clear up we made our way to Holly Beach and were welcomed with some calm water. It would soon change again. 

Upon reaching the island we started to catch some trout and a few Redfish before the wind came back making the paddle back to the beach tiring.

Back at the house we waited for the weather to let up.

The rain let up again but the wind was pushing thirty easily. A few had fished the Jetty in the morning so we took a ride and tried our hand at some of the Tarpon that had been rolling earlier. 
How often do you run into a clown fishing the Jetties, not very often....but I did.

I had the pleasure of getting to fish the Jetty with Austin Orr an extremely talented fly fisherman as well as an accomplished instructor. He went out of his way to answer any question that I had as well as help me with my casting in the wind, thanks again Austin.

The next morning was the same. We woke up to rain and wind and waited it out. Around 11am we drove to a flat and waded while the door was open. The wade resulted in multiple reds and trout, with Austin catching a nice one on the fly.

That evening some went back to the flat and the rest of us chose to put the kayaks over the bulkhead and fish the lighted docks trying for Snook.

The fishing started slow with a few trout caught, then Jeremy hooked a large ray on the fly rod.

 After getting it into the net we paddled over to a restaurant and grabbed a bite before heading back out. It was pretty funny watching all of the people looking at us as we docked and entered to eat.

Finally, I caught my first Trout on the fly rod, along with Skip Jack and a few Croaker. Still no Snook for me though.

The trip was great and i'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Jeremy for the invite as well as putting it all together.

Enjoy the slideshow.