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.

You want salad with that yak

"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...................................

Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, REDFISH

Continuing my search for a redfish on the fly rod took me back to Mississippi for a quick morning trip. I would only have a few hours to fish since the real purpose of the trip was to celebrate a friends 50th birthday.

Loaded up the Coosa and wife then hit the highway for a ten hour drive. Once in Louisiana we ended up getting stuck on the Atchafalaya Basin bridge due to three wrecks that had it locked down. The trip ended up being close to thirteen hours by the time we arrived.

After visiting with our hosts it was time to turn in and get a few hours of sleep. Not sure if I got much sleep with the anticipation of knocking a redfish off my list. Sliding the kayak into the water and noticing the incoming tide and movement of bait brought a smile to my face.

Reaching my destination I was greeted with a few tails feeding along the bank and began fan casting the area with a weighted shrimp pattern fly. Three casts into the day and the line draws tight and a strip set is applied. FISH ON...... and the first redfish on the fly rod is accomplished. Now the new goal is to land a larger one.

Here is the setup used. Loop Cross S1 8wt with Loop Opti reel and shrimp pattern fly.

While it was early it was still time to celebrate the feat.

Continuing to fish, some sounds of fish crashing the grass in the cuts were occurring so I made my way back into the maze of trails.

Spooked redfish upon entering and casted at every wake that I came across. Few follows but no takes. Then I was forced out of the area by a little gator that was looking for a handout. He didn't run me off, it was the prospect of a larger one being around that did it.

Headed back to clean up and take a quick nap before the surprise party began. When I woke up the house was crawling with people as we waited for the guest of honor to arrive.

A great time was had for such a short trip. Three days, 23hrs of driving, a small fortune in gas and food, ONE REDFISH. Success and well worth it.

First Fly Tournament

Driving towards Port Aransas had my attention filled with how I was going to be able to compete in a fly fishing tournament for redfish when I have a big zero on this species to date. If it wasn't benefiting a good cause (Casting For Recovery) I am not sure I would have fished the Lydia Ann Fly Masters tournament to begin with.

Arriving at Tarpon Shores Marina I was greeted with a strong gusting wind and high water as I waited to pay my entry fee. After talking to a few fisherman coming off the water and finding out that the fishing had been tough actually made me feel better. I tend to compete better under tough conditions because to me it levels the field. After dinner and checking into the hotel, I proceeded to get my gear sorted and tied on some new leaders for the next day. 4am was going to come soon so I hit the sack.

Having only fished this area twice before I had settled on fishing the Light House Lakes section. With its narrow trails and hidden lakes I figured the wind wouldn't bother me as much so I took my SUPerFISHal in order to navigate the area while standing and be able to see more fish.

Paddling to the back of the lakes and entering the trails, it didn't take long to start seeing reds cruising around. I was amazed at how many would come up to the fly and then turn away without inhaling it. Pretty frustrating but that's why they call it fishing.

A good effort was given and although the results weren't good it was still fun to do. The weigh in showed proof to how tough of a day it was with a lot of skilled saltwater fisherman drawing blanks as well. Listening to conversations made me feel better about my approach as many people saw and casted to fish with the same results that I had throughout the day.

This was only the third time to use the hybrid paddleboard but it wont be the last. Really enjoyed the ability to stand and cast to the fish that were easier to see because of this. It's not the fastest but it is very stable and a great platform to fly fish from. For the long paddles I just take a seat from my kayak and lay it on the deck to sit on while paddling. When the destination is reached, it is just put behind the cooler to clear the deck area for standing and poling around.

The cooler I use on it is a K2 Cube. At 30 quarts it makes a great seat to rest on and a good poling platform. It also left me with a cold drink after three days of one bag of ice in 100 plus degree weather.
Hopefully the tournament is offered again next year, i'll be back.