Browns, a ten year wait

It has been nearly 10 years since brown trout have been stocked in the Guadalupe river below the dam at canyon lake.
The first time I fished for them was a trip to Colorado years ago and what I remember was how aggressive they were and how hard they fought. On that trip everyone I caught came on a streamer stripped below the surface.

This was a beast caught in Colorado.

After the fish were stocked this month I waited a week to give them time to settle down and get adjusted to their new home.
Using a wooly bugger I started my pursuit. After numerous bites without a hookup I added an emerger about eight inches off the hook of the wooly and immediately had a hookup.

My first brown trout in texas had been landed and set free. The day ended with twenty one browns landed and all caught on streamers.

The color on these fish is just beautiful. Ive fished two other times since that day and had great results each time. Looking forward to see if they survive the summer and are there next winter.

HOT HOT HOT

Reaching the river after driving through a rain storm it makes you wonder how a Weatherman keeps his job with all of the technology available to them. The day called for high temperatures busting 100 degrees and clear skies with no chance of rain.
Looking at the river it became clear that we would be in for some tough fishing conditions. A week earlier thirteen fisherman had to be rescued by helicopter due to a flash flood that sent the water rising over five feet during the night. The water had not cleared as much as I had hoped and visibility was less than a foot.

The rain stopped as we slid the kayaks into the water and the heat came out. The first few hours time was spent tossing a popper and a clouser. Neither was producing. Then it happened, tossed the clouser into a tangled cluster of grass and root ball to feel a thump and strip set. The fight was long and nervous but the reward was sweet.

As the temperature rose during the day, the fishing remained tough as only three more bass were brought to hand.

Upon reaching the island that we camp on it was evident that with the flood from the week before and all of the washed up debris would make for a hard time trying to find an area capable of hanging the hammocks. Finally found a few downed trees and a tree that had floated to the island that offered enough strength to hold the hammocks for a nights rest.
Lighting the coals as the sun set, we sat around and told stories from trips past and reflected on how freaking hot it had been today and wished that the wind would start blowing. It would have helped with the mosquitos and made for a cooler evening.

Dinner consisted of garlic sausage, jalapeno sausage and some elk sausage. Washed down with a little whiskey to take the edge off the day.

After a night of very little sleep, we heated up the leftovers and ate a quick breakfast before hitting the river for the last day.

The heat was to stay and the fishing was just as tough but I managed to catch a few on the day.

A great time was had with my friends but we came to an agreement that we will wait until it's cooler before the next trip.

Before the Storm

It's been dry here. For three years now the rivers have either had no flow or have been completely dry. With the river overnighter being called off due to the approaching storm that was to include some flooding, a river day trip was in order before the storm.

The morning greeted me with dark skies and wind. Rain would begin to fall thirty minutes before the destination was reached. Loading the Coosa and gear into the 4X4 we headed to a private section of river that can only be accessed by permission from a nice rancher. Rain was pounding as we drove across the river bed and into a pasture where the kayaks would be launched.

After launching the kayaks we approached the river alternating working each side. Throwing a popper started producing a few bass along the grass marking the edges of the bank.

 

Finding a small creek and slipping the kayak through the narrow entry it opened up after ducking through the overhanging branches. Tossing the popper at the edge of a grass bed and seeing a large shadow dart out knocking the popper out of the water before retreating back to the safety of the grass, making the popper explode in the water changed the fish's mind as she turned around and exploded on it. Fighting a large bass on a 5wt was insane. I had to let the drag on the Opti reel wear down the fish before easing my hand into its mouth and lifting it up for pictures and a quick release.

 



The rain quit and after a short lunch we launched again with the sun high over our heads.

Putting the popper away. I took out my 8wt Loop Cross S1 and tied on a Cajun Cheerleader to imitate the crawfish that I knew were lurking down below. What a good move it was as the bass were holding tight to cover. This set up produced quite a few more fish to close out the day.

Thanks Chuck for the great day on the water.

Always a great time fishing with a great friend.

Spring Break Bassin

During Spring Break most people are hitting the beaches while I'm searching the shallow water for any sign of the spawn. With the weather being very inconsistent here in Texas and figuring it was still a few weeks away before the beds are inhabited. I paddled around on the SUP to get a better view from a standing position while throwing poppers and Cajun cheerleaders to the nearby flats.

 

 

It didn't take long to figure out that the bass were not shallow so it was time to move to the deeper trees and toss a crawfish imitation fly into the brushy depths.

 



With no success in the deeper water, tactics were changed again and I started fishing the outer edges of the grass and its drop offs. This was the pattern that I was hoping to find as buck bass were caught followed by some fat females that were bulging with eggs.

With the wind picking up I paddled to a cove and took a quick lunch break and a stretch it was time to get back at it.

 

 

With the weather warming up I was looking forward to some larger females moving up to the break line. I wasn't disappointed as the first one was lifted from the water for a picture.

 

 

 

After catching a few more it was time to paddle in and get out of the wind.