Trout time on the Guadalupe

It's that time of year again. The leaves have been falling and the temperature is dropping, and the trout stocking in the Guadalupe River has begun.
A good weapon of choice is a 4wt rod with a 3X or 4X leader. For tippet, try using 5X fluorocarbon. Flies to use are woolly bugger in size 12, San Juan worm, nymphs in size 16/18,thread midges in 20/22, and egg patterns. You will need strike indicators as well as BB shot.
Most of the fishing is subsurface, though on some days dries and emergers will work best, most often at dawn and dusk. The trick is having a fly you can see, parachute patterns are good for that with a good size being 12-16.For fish in riffle water, a dry with a midge dropper is killer.
I can't wait to get out an experience some of the trout fishing that the state has to offer.

Avoiding the lines

Avoiding the temptation to stand in the long lines to save a few bucks, I launched the kayak as most people were waiting for that special deal. Gliding through the water you could lose yourself in the beauty of the changing scenery as winter approaches. With some of the trees starting to shed their leaves and the cypress needles starting to choke the waterway, it made for a rough day with the fly rod as more time was spent removing debris from the fly than fish. Numerous fish were caught on the day with the majority coming on an ant imitation fly, no pictures of bass were taken since every one of them went airborne and politely gave me back my fly. Water temperature is starting to drop as I didn't see any fish cruising around or hanging out in the shallows.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and look forward to the Christmas season.

Fly Rod 002

Started building a new fly rod a few weeks ago and put the final touches to it yesterday. It's a 9ft, 4wt, 4pc built on a TFO Professional series blank. The guides are wrapped in orange with gray trim rings. Won't get to use this one since I built it for someone else. Matched the rod with a Konic 1.5 reel.

After following The Fiberglass Manifesto for the past six months reading up on the growing popularity of glass fly rods, i've decided to build a 3wt out of glass. I have been in contact with Mike McFarland who is a custom builder as well as a custom blank maker. He is going to be making me a glass blank which I will make into a nice stream rod. Can't wait to get started on it

Black "fishing" Friday

While everyone else will be obsessing over the deals that are taking place after 11:59 pm on turkey day, I will be drifting off into dreamland as the visions of bass hitting the popper on a cool fall morning float through my head. Every year the start of Black Friday gets earlier and earlier, yet my internal alarm still awakens me at the same time. While you are standing in the long lines, I will be easing the kayak around the next bend in anticipation of the next explosion. Don't worry about me, i'll still be able to find the deals as stores will continue to drop the prices on the items that will need to be bought.
I just hope the fish aren't out shopping........

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully, There Is No Cure.

What a great slogan that SAGE is using for 2012. After talking with them for the past couple of months I took up an invitation to go spend the day at the Sportsman's Finest in Austin,TX to meet their rod designer Jerry Siem and regional manager Mark Shelton. After a short two hour drive I arrived in time to sit in on a lecture by Diana Rudolph of Reel Women Fly Fishing Adventures as she discussed the tactics and gear that she uses while pursuing her fly fishing passion all over the world. After she was done I introduced myself to Jerry Siem who has been designing rods for SAGE for the past eighteen years. It was fascinating to listen and learn about all of the steps that go into designing a blank to be used in one of their rods. Each rod is hand designed and tested by him using new technology to develop a lighter and stronger rod that will keep you fresh even after a long day on the water. Also learned that each blank is designed from the tip section down toward the butt and how the new graphite and resin Konnetic technology being used today is making lighter, stronger, and more accurate casting rods. Later in the day I was able to get out on the casting pond and watch a casting demonstration by Jerry as he showed the accuracy and distance that he is able to get out of his newest creations, also managed to get some casting advice as well as some instruction from him which you always take advantage of when you can. Next up was a nice conversation with Mark Shelton from SAGE as we discussed the many applications of two of the newest rods that have been introduced. The ONE from SAGE with it's new Konnetic technology did everything as described. As I spent some time casting it, you could feel how easy the transfer of energy loaded this rod with less effort and it is extremely accurate as described. The new Bass II rod is a very versatile rod. I can see this one being a great addition for kayak fisherman who fish both fresh and saltwater as it has the capability of turning over some large flies with ease.
I'm looking forward to using these rods on the rivers and coastal waters in Texas giving them a workout and doing some reviews on each one.
If you get a chance stop by your local SAGE dealer and check out some of the latest and greatest creations.
See you on the river,
Robert