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......

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.

Mississippi Mayhem

Taking my redfish quest to Mississippi for a few days I was greeted with thunderstorms while driving through Louisiana. Rain had been scattered throughout the area for a few days and it would continue during my stay.

The morning greeted me with some decent weather as the brackish water was flat and the sky cloudy. Slid the kayak into the canal and made the paddle to try out some of the grassy cuts. This trip was all about catching a redfish on a fly rod and I was well equipped for the task.

Lightning would end up running me off the water as the storms increased. Since there was a craving for some mudbugs the opportunity presented itself and many would be eaten.

Heavy storms rolled through the area overnight and the morning was no different. Waited for the bigger ones to pass then headed out to try my luck in the muddy water.

After about an hour another storm blew in and ran me off. Guess it was time to head to the Big Easy and see some sights.
Had to stop by Café Du Monde and grab a snack.

Had to stop by and visit Uptown Angler and check out their fly assortment and fly shop. Nice place.

The evening was spent shooting pool and just relaxing.

Last day, last chance. Again rain and lightning is in the area and I have to wait it out.

After watching the last Batman movie and with some of the bigger storms rolling out with lightning in the distance, the kayak is slid into the water.

The tide had fallen and this was the first time for me to see any fish activity in three days of trying to fish. Casting a fly that resembled a shrimp into every cut and grass line I am still fishless. About 40 yards from me in a small cut, I see a wake come out and baitfish scatter. Being as quiet as possible I approached and laid a cast into the cut with no takers. Studying the bank and making a cast to the clump of grass on the point the fly laid down and was met with a take. Setting the hook and the kayak being turned from the bank to deeper water, I took it easy and let the drag do its job. Pulling out the net and trying to turn the red around it happened, the line went limp as the tippet came loose from the leader. So much for celebrating that first red on the fly. This would be my only take of the trip and the fight was well worth all of the frustration that the weather presented. As I paddle back the sky cleared and the wind was gone which made for a beautiful sunset.

Waking up in the morning I could only shake my head as the road back to Texas would be wet. Sure wish I could take some home with me.

SUPerFISHal

Had the chance to play around with a paddle board during the summer that I was doing a review on and found out that it was different but fun. During the winter, money was saved and a Jackson Kayak SUPerFISHal was ordered. Wednesday after work I drove to the dealer and picked up my new SUP.

As I headed back out of town, thoughts ran through my head of how this SUP should be rigged out. Upon arriving back home this afternoon I went ahead and added the two rod holders that come with it onto their Ram mounts and placed the K2 Cooler into the position it should be.

A few tie down straps will have to be added to keep the cooler more secure and I might add a drag chain to slow or stop the SUP when I need to. Guess a new SUP paddle will need to be saved for now.

I'll do a review on it as soon as some time is spent on the water fly fishing from it.

The Fish Of 2012

Put together a collage of some of the fish caught this past year.
Hope you enjoy,
Robert

2012 year in review

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