A Day Of Firsts

Sunday was a day of firsts for me. Not only did I catch my first Largrmouth bass of 2013, but it was caught on a new LOOP fly rod and reel.

It was the first time for me to fish with a Cajun Cheerleader fly from DragonFly Angler Flies. The fly is designed to mimic a crayfish with it's moving arms and slow sink rate makes it a great fly for bass as well as trout.

This was the first time for me to fish on the new SUPerFISHal from Jackson Kayaks. A standup paddleboard that was designed with fishing in mind.

The wind was blowing hard as the SUP was slid into the water and I climbed aboard. Stable is an understatement, not once during the day did I feel uncomfortable or tippy. Sitting atop my K2 cooler to rest during the day was a breeze and I was able to sit on it and paddle when I felt like it.

Can't wait to get this SUP out on the flats and chase some redfish with it.

Here is a short video of the bass that bit the fly.


3-3-13 Guad from Robert Matthews on Vimeo.

SUPerFISHal

Had the chance to play around with a paddle board during the summer that I was doing a review on and found out that it was different but fun. During the winter, money was saved and a Jackson Kayak SUPerFISHal was ordered. Wednesday after work I drove to the dealer and picked up my new SUP.

As I headed back out of town, thoughts ran through my head of how this SUP should be rigged out. Upon arriving back home this afternoon I went ahead and added the two rod holders that come with it onto their Ram mounts and placed the K2 Cooler into the position it should be.

A few tie down straps will have to be added to keep the cooler more secure and I might add a drag chain to slow or stop the SUP when I need to. Guess a new SUP paddle will need to be saved for now.

I'll do a review on it as soon as some time is spent on the water fly fishing from it.

Trout on Glass

Yesterday I had a few hours and was able to get away for a quick trip so after gathering a few things and driving to the Guad it was time to catch some trout on the new Matthews Fiberglass rod.

This was my first time to fish fiberglass but it didn't take long to put a smile on my face. The casts were crisp and sensitive. Wading downstream I stopped and talked to a few fisherman and all had the same response, the flow is down, water is murky, and the fishing is tough. Proceeding to an area and tying on a streamer I began to cover some water without any luck so I switched over to a nymph rig and covered more ground.

With this not producing and occasionally seeing rising fish my strategy changed and a dry fly was tied on with an emerger dangling six inches from the hook. After a few casts a bow slapped the dry and missed but the next one to hit was not so lucky. After a good fight the fish was brought to hand and quickly released after a picture.

Here is the video from the take to the end shot on the Go-Pro.


Rainbow on the Guadalupe River from Robert Matthews on Vimeo.

The fight on a fiberglass rod was fun as you got to see in the video. Can't wait to fish it again.

Bonefish off the Bucket List

Cozumel, Mexico was the destination. Given only one day to scratch Bonefish from my Bucket List, we sent our wives for a day of fun and sun on the beach while myself and two friends met up with a guide to give it a shot.

 Traveling light, I took the custom 8wt and Solitude5 reel along for the adventure.

After a forty minute boat ride in some rough water we manuvered into the sheltered Lagoon and anchored the boat. Jumping over the side of the Panga we seperated with me going solo with a guide since I was fly fishing and the others going to work a different stretch of water with the guides brother.

With the fish feeding on shrimp, I was given a streamer that closely imitated the bait in the lagoon.

The wind was howling as the front approached. With overcast skies and spotty rain showers it made for a rough time trying to sightfish and spot tailing bones. Suddenly two appeared within casting range. As the fly sailed in their direction, it's direction was changed and the fish went away spooked. We covered a lot of water occasionaly spotting a few tailing bones out of casting range and dissapearing as we approached.
Then it happened. Pointing in the direction of the feeding fish I stalked within casting range. Three casts later as the fly was stripped, the bite was felt and the hookset was perfect. The bone took line and surprised me with it's power as it headed towards a grove of mangrove bushes. With all of the line out and into backing, I tightened the drag and leaned on the fish trying to turn it. After successfully turning the fish it made another run and the line went limp. Epic fail as I watched a 5-6lb class Bonefish swim away. Reeling in the line I found that the knot held but the hook had been straightened.

Tying a new fly on and covering more ground, we moved to a deeper part of the lagoon and fan casted the area. It wasn't long and the fly stopped on a strip and the fight was on. Knowing that these fish are hard to catch it put a big smile on my face as my hand slid under it's belly and the fish lifted for a picture before releasing. Success was finally mine.

The 1/2 day trip ended with me catching three Bonefish and one of my friends catching another.

Next on the list of many is Redfish......

First 2013 Fish

It's here, a new year, and the fish are still biting. The Guadalupe river is still producing nice trout and the fish have started to hit the surface. I've seen many fish rising and have been catching a few on dry's.
Wading downstream to get to a hole, I placed a cast upstream with a dry as I shuffled my feet along the slick rocks trying to keep from falling. Instintively the rod was raised high into the air to take up any slack and hopefully get a good hookset as the water exploded behing me.
Fish On, and the battle began as the bow realized the mistake it had made by inhaling what it thought was an easy meal. After a good battle the fish came to the net and was kind enough to pose for a picture.

The rain continued to fall and it got colder as the day grew longer to the point where my fingers were getting pretty numb from being wet. But I trudged on since the fish didn't seem to mind the weather.

I'm not very good at naming flies but these are the drys that have been producing. Basically my friends at ReelFly pick out what is needed and it works.

Guess i'll have to go get cold again tomorrow....
Good luck on the river...and enjoy it's beauty.

Robert