"You want salad with that yak"
If it wasn't for friends this trip would have been miserable. Spent a week flipping through old pictures from past trips that we did each year on this same stretch of river. The anticipation was killing me as I tried to sleep the night before while my mind continued to count the number of nice bass caught on each trip.
It took two hours to reach my destination on the Colorado river just outside of Austin. Thirteen miles were to be paddled and fished over the next two days. Upon reaching the river I was greeted with a sight unlike anything ever seen there, water was being released at a rate of 4,000cfm and had pushed all of the Hyacinth that had been growing and floating somewhere upstream our way.
With the water getting muddier and choked with this floating vegetation we decided to proceed and make the best of it. This annual trip started a few years ago with some friends getting together and camping out for the weekend. With an open invite it grew to a total of 24 people, many that have already fished together and new ones that were intrigued.
Quickly when trying to paddle through the floating water plants you come to realize that you might as well relax and just go with the flow. Trying to paddle through it was like trying to paddle through sand.
Most of the day was spent floating and trying to fish any pocket of open water that we could find. Good thing there was College football to listen to and cold beer to quench the thirst as only three fish were caught before we reached the island where we would call home for the night.
We spent the night back in the woods in hammocks while the rest of the group set up tents out in the open area.
Dinner was sausage from the meat market and baked potatoes.
Waking up and eating the leftover sausage for breakfast, we broke down camp and hit the river for the remaining five miles. The water was still off colored but the floating hyacinth was not as bad as the day before.
While the fishing was the hardest ever on this river, it was still a good time as it always is when you are in good company.
See you on the water...................................
Determined to catch Redfish on a fly rod this year. I set out to meet three friends along the Texas coast for a weekend of fishing. A cold front had passed through the area on Thursday and had the water a little off color from the rain and high winds.
We arrived Saturday and unloaded gear then prepped for an afternoon launch. Launching the kayaks we were met with strong winds and low waters.
Using the afternoon to explore and fish, we came across some reds in the low water but they were spooked. Seeing one cruising to my right, I laid a cast with a shrimp clouser in front of it's path and patiently waited as it approached. When it came close to the fly I made a short hop and started stripping it in only to have the red boil on it but missed hooking up. This would be the best chance that I had for the rest of the day due to the setting sun.
After a night of good food and laughs, we woke up to a wicked wind and decided to wait awhile before hitting the launch.
The wind finally died down (some) so we headed out to continue the search. The water was still low so we made the most of it by catching some small crabs and rigging them up and testing out the channel. This proved to provide some action as we managed to bring in a few fish.
I took my SUPerFISHal out the next morning and paddled the flats searching for reds. Saw a few but no takers but I did run across quite a few rays which put a reminder to slide my feet when wading.
Always a great time hanging out with friends, no matter what the fishing is like. I will catch a redfish on the fly soon.
As 2012 comes to an end and I look back on what was a fantastic fishing year. I'd like to highlight some of the trips with family and friends taken during the year.
The year started off with a freeze trip down the Colorado river with a group of friends for three days. Being caught unprepared happens occasionally in Texas, as the weather can go from one extreme to the next in the blink of an eye. I've never been so cold in my life. There was ice on my sleeping bag when I woke up, my waders which were hanging over a limb to dry were frozen. I had to take my boots into the river to thaw them out in order to put them on, but we caught fish and had a great time.
I spent most of the winter months fishing the Guadalupe river and learning about trout fishing. There is a lot to learn, but worth it when you hook into a good rainbow.
Sometimes it's hard to find someone to fish with due to conflicting scheldules. When you do, it makes for a great day on the water. Especially if it's your daughter that takes time out of her day to join you.
As summer approached, the heat drove me to the rivers where the water is cooler and the movement makes the oxygen content greater and the bite a little better. Spent the weekend on the Colorado with a friend from Houston and fought the 100+ temps and mosquitos to catch a lot of quality bass and have another great time.
As we got deeper into the summer I made a trip with fifteen other people close to the Mexico border in search of Snook. It was an incredible weekend and many new friends were made.
My first speckled trout on a fly rod came from this area as well.
Vacation was spent with some family in Mississippi and a number of fish were caught on the fly rod but the redfish that I was after still eluded me.
Three trips were made to the coast with two different sets of friends and each trip resulted in limits of fish being caught and a lot of stories being told.
A trip with a couple of my friends who guide on the Guadalupe river resulted in the best day i've had catching rainbow trout outside of Colorado.
And the best day had on the river for the year was when my nephew visited from Houston and I took him to the river for his first wade trip.
As you can see, there were a lot of good times spent fishing in 2012.
Thank you for reading my blog and following me as I fish.
Maybe someday we can fish together.
For 2013 I plan on spending more time at the coast in pursuit of the redfish on a fly. Almost forgot, I leave for Cozumel in a few weeks.
Have a great 2013......
Robert
After the trip we took to Aransas Pass in July, the three of us decided that we would meet again before Thanksgiving and give it another go. Soon, three became four and we headed South and met up in Copano Bay to spend four days of fishing and hanging out telling lies.
After unloading we made the short drive to Lighthouse Lakes and were greeted with a roaring wind. Soon we were on our way across the channel and into the lakes. It was cold and the water was up and moving. We fished hard and caught a few when the wind died some as darkness approached.
We reached the grocery store and gathered supplies needed for the next three days. Returning to the house Chuck began to prepare dinner for the night, chicken fried backstrap with pan gravy and mashed potatoes. We ate till we couldn't eat anymore and divided the rest that we would eat for lunch.
Friday morning started off the same. Alarm went off at 5am and walked outside only to be greeted with heavy winds and duck hunters. We gave them some space and proceeded to fish the channel on the other side of the highway. We didn't do any good but stuck it out until the afternoon hoping the wind would die down and we could hit the lakes again. Paddling to the lakes was a chore and you wondered to yourself if any ground was being made.
Once again the wind slowed down and the fish seemed to turn on some. Wading and looking foe tails was a task so it was pretty much cast and hope. Soon we had a few and headed back for a night of food and listening to the high school football playoffs going on.
Saturday we slept in until 7am and went out for breakfast. The whole time trying to fool the wind, figured if it thought we weren't going out then it would die down. Not working. Headed to Light House and decided to stay in there the whole day. The fishing again wasn't happening so we explored Mangrove trails and just kicked back taking in the sights of the massive amount of ducks moving through the area.
Soon as the sun began to fall, I tied a popper on and found some tailing reds. Three massive explosions later and no fish hooked, they were blowing it out of the water. As it got darker I paddled back to the group and found Derek hooked up with his first redfish.
After cleaning the fish the pit was lit and we were soon eating grilled fish and potato chips.
A great time was had again. The fishing was not the greatest but the company of great friends made up for it. Looking forward to doing it again.
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