It's aTrout time

After retrieving my sling pack that was left in the jeep after the Devils River trip with the crew at Reelfly, and picking up some new flies for trout. Decided to hit the Guad up today and see how the trout bite was doing.

 

 

Slipping into the water I was worried about the cold since the waders were left behind and I chose to wear shorts. With the hot weather that we have had lately the water felt good until you got waist deep. Wading a few hundred yards over the slippery rocks and limestone ledges, my destination was reached and I began to cast a Girdle bug upon the cypress needle covered water. Working the fly just below the surface and feeling the bend of the custom glass rod as I gently stripped and lifted the rod to set the hook. Fish on and after a short fight I worked it into the net for a few pictures and a release.

 

 

 

Another bonus that occurs this time of year is the changing of colors as fall arrives in Texas. We are not in an area that has extreme changes during the different seasons but when we do, the beauty is magnified.

 

 

 

The day was productive for the few hours that were fished. Occasionally a trout would rise but I had no takers on dry's. Most of the fish caught were on a girdle bug in black with white legs. Had a few followers when throwing a booger in black and green but the size didn't appeal to the fish.

 



 

 

 

 

See you on the river..........

 

 







Row...row...row...your raft

Locking the oars in place after settling into the seat. Steam rising from the water, the aftermath of the cold front passing through during the night. Today, the fourth day on the water I am greeted with sore muscles in my back and neck and a burning in my arms as I expel energy to get the raft with all it's gear moving forward to start the day.

The trip began with me stopping into ReelFly Fishing Adventures to say hello and welcome them back home after taking the summer off to guide in Utah to get away from the heat here in Texas.
Before leaving the shop I had agreed to row a raft with a cameraman, his assistant, and all of their gear down the Devil's river. The most remote and dangerous river in the state along with being the most beautiful.

How often do you actually get to scratch something off your bucket list with the demands put on you these days. When the chance arises, you sometimes have to go for it. Going into this I knew it would be very demanding since the Devils river is one of the most remote stretches of river in Texas. The majority of its land is private and once you put in you are a good three days from taking out. Besides being picturesque with its fall colors and crystal clear waters, it is home to some serious class II and III rapids along with a 15ft waterfall. .

 

 



The drive there was like sitting around a campfire as I listened to stories of rugged terrain and large fish being discussed from trips taken before. It seemed to take forever to get to our destination as it usually does when you are ready to start any adventure. Turning off the highway and onto a dirt road that made its way through cliffs and washed out creek beds just made the anticipation grow. Turning that last corner and seeing the beauty of the river for the first time made it all worthwhile.

 

 

Sleeping on the small islands that nature had provided made for peaceful nights as you listened to the sound of water moving over rocks as the wind gently rocked the tent hammock that we each slept in. The bugs were kept at bay with the mosquito netting and full rainfly to keep you dry during the night, My only wish would have been to have a skylight to enjoy the stars in between the storms.

 

 

 Two cold fronts passed through our area days apart keeping the fish at bay for most of the trip. Fish were caught, but it took many casts to entice the take. The natural beauty of this place made the scarcity of hooking up seem irrelevant as you drifted by engrossed in the sights.From the deep crystal clear pools of water to the rugged cliffs, it was like being in an old Western movie.

 

 

The river offers up a variety of fish species. We were fortunate to catch Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, and a few Carp with most falling for Clousers stripped at a medium pace.

 



 

 

 

 

This will go down as a trip of a lifetime and thanks again to ReelFly for the invite.

 

 

Some of the pictures taken on the trip.

 





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

Merry Christmas

I wanted to say Merry Christmas and to thank all of you who read and follow my blog as well as my Fly Fishing Texas page on Facebook.
Thanks to my friends at ReelFly Fishing Adventures and DragonFly Angler Flies I was able to do my first annual Christmas giveaway.
Thanks to all that participated and I hope the winner enjoys the 1/2 day guided trip on the Guadalupe river fishing for trout with the dozen trout flies that were included.

The random number generator has spoken and congratulations to Larry Byers on winning the giveaway. Larry, contact me at yakntx@yahoo.com and I will mail you the flies and certificate. I hope you enjoy the trip.
Robert

Fly Fishing Texas

ReelFly Fishing Adventures

Dragonfly Angler Flies

1.       Mark Morgan

2.       Jerry Watson

3.       Seth DeLuna

4.       Eric Pence

5.       Paul Childress

6.       Terry Scott

7.       Paul Fowler

8.       Roger Lampman

9.       Zackery Duane Orr

10.   Juan Ramirez

11.   Joel Rose

12.   Andrew Lane

13.   Paul Melmann

14.   Terry Sanchez

15.   Joe Roberts

16.   Larry Byers

17.   Cody Young

18.   Aaron Furguson

19.   Terry Scott

20.   Michael Lammers

21.   Kris Ayers

22.   Damon Fogel

23.   Joe Herndon

24.   John Slough

25.   Aaron Rickels

26.   Miles Mcrae

27.   Rechell Szetela

28.   Chris Holley

True Random Number Generator Min:Max:Result:16Powered by RANDOM.ORG

CHRISTMAS in the Hill Country

As a thanks for reading the jibberish that is sometimes written here, a few friends of mine have been kind enough to donate some items for me to do my first and hopefully annual Christmas giveaway. Afterall it's all about giving. Thanks Brent.
The first item is from Reel Fly Fishing Adventures and consists of a 1/2 day guided trip for Rainbow Trout on the Guadalupe river right here in Texas. If you would like to update it to a full day you can for a fee. If you want some info about the trip, check out the report I did after a trip with them earlier this month.
http://texasflyfishingadventures.blogspot.com/2012/11/after-rain-bows.html

To help make it a successful trip Dragonfly Angler Flies chipped in with a dozen assorted flies for you to use when chasing trout. Thanks John.

How do you win:
1) You must like my Fly Fishing Texas page on Facebook.
2) You must like Reel Fly Fishing Adventures on Facebook.
3) You must like Dragonfly Angler Flies on Facebook.

Drawing will be held Christmas Day

Thats it. Thank you again for allowing me to post my ramblings and photography.
Merry Christmas,
Robert

Fly Shop Friday ( ReelFLY)

I've been working my way around visiting all of the fly shops in my part of Texas in order to give myself and you a better perspective of these companies and the services offered by them to the fly fishing community.
This week took me to ReelFly Fishing Adventures in Sattler, TX almost a stones throw away from the Guadalupe River.

 

Walking into the shop is just like entering your front door, it's just that comfortable. As usual I had a lot of questions about trout fishing and they were great at answering them. So don't be afraid to ask for help or advice from them.

About ReelFly

The store opened in 2011 and is owned by Captain Brent Hodges who has been guiding on the Guadalupe river since 2006. Since opening, the variety of product in the shop has expanded to include  mosteverything you would need for freshwater and saltwater fly fishing. And it's the only place i've ever seen with .99 cent flies.


The Shop

Currently they offer guided trips on the Guadalupe and Colorado rivers for freshwater, and fly fishing the flats in Port O'Connor for saltwater. The shop also offers waders and fly rod rental as well as casting lessons. If you are looking for lodging when fishing the Guad they can help out with that as well with TheCreel B&B.

If you are up around the Guadalupe river and would be interested in a guided trip give them a call. Or if you just need to warm up with a cup of coffee after a morning wade, stop buy and swap some fishing stories.
It's always better on the river.........

After the Rain-Bows

I'm off Tuesday, let's go catch some trout on the river.... Those were the words that filled my ears while visiting with Brent from ReelFly Fishing Adventures Fly Shop in Sattler, TX last week. It began when I wanted to learn more about fishing for trout on the Guadalupe river. I didn't Google it. I just walked up the stairs and opened the door to my local fly shop and asked how the guide trips on the  river have been. Turns out when you are as busy guiding other people, you don't have time to get on the water for fishing and relaxing yourself. I'll chalk it up to right place at the right time, and it would give us a chance to talk about the custom rod design we are working on for the store.

I was greeted in the morning by Ryan, a friend of mine who guides out of the shop and would be joining us on the day . I have fished with him before and always enjoyed the company. After launching the raft and completing the shuttle we were soon on our way.

Anchoring the raft we proceeded to hop in the river for a wade. Working the current that was going through the washed away limestone, it didn't take long for me to connect with my first bow of the day.

The water was off colored from the rain that came through the night before with a cold front and the winds had filled up the water with needles from the majestic cypress trees that line the banks making the presentation pretty hard and the fishing rougher.

As the day progressed we were able to bring many trout to the net and shake off quite a few more. The knowledge that I learned on how to read the river and patterns to use on the trout can't be found on the web. Priceless.......

Thank's again to Brent for offering to take a friend fishing.

and to Ryan for not only tying those small fly's on my line but for all of the paddling he did during the 5 1/2 mile trip.

If you are looking to catch some trout on the Guad. Give the guys at ReelFly a call and you will be completely satisfied and come away with a better understanding of this great fishery.

Enjoy the slideshow and thanks for reading,
Robert