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.

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.

 





Take a Hero Fishing

There is a great feeling that comes with giving back. Whether it be something that seems easy to you or something that is a task, if you go about it the right way it will be rewarding regardless.
Driving into the Hill Country with storm clouds up in the sky sets your mind racing to the events that will occur during the day as I was volunteering my time to take a Hero fishing.

This would be the second time this year that I was able to assist on one of these events and just as much fun as the first one done in the spring. After arriving we started getting all of the gear rigged up for the many people that would join us to fish today. The joy of it was watching and helping children of these soldiers catch their first fish.

The event was successful and everyone of them caught fish on this day.

The bonus came later in the day as we were allowed to slip the kayaks into the water and fish the same water.

With the wind blowing and rain falling I worked a grassy shoreline surrounded by deep water that had bass exploding on the top hitting dragonfly's as they landed on the grass. Tying a popper on I began to throw into the grass and began to catch and release one bass after another, with the occasional very large perch exploding on the popper as well.

After the storm blew through I paddled over to a tree filled area and again worked the popper with better results as I landed some four pound bass and lost a few larger ones due to leaving the net at home.

Can't say enough about how much I enjoy being able to give back to the people who do their best to protect our freedom.

 

See you on the water......

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.