Christmas Dreaming

It's that time of year again, when you start thinking about some gear that you went all year without and would come in handy. While I won't get a fraction of the gear that will be listed here, there are still a few items that would come in useful as I paddle and wade myself across this state.

While we don't get extremely cold for a long period of time, we do have the occasional three to four day front that comes in dropping the temps and making fishing miserable for a while. One thing that is lacking would be a good wading jacket. It would have to be warm but flexible to be able to take while fishing from the kayak or while wading the river.
The KAST  Velocity jacket would be my choice for this since it offers the functionality that i'm looking for.

Another item needed is a new pair of wading boots. Currently I wear a pair of hunting boots over my waders. While they have worked they are not made for wading. The boots that I am looking at are made by Korkers footwear and come with interchangeable soles to change for traction assistance.

When wading I try to pack as light as possible and should be able to save weight and take the important items with me by utilizing a Tightlines Sling Pak by Vedavoo, and it's made by hand in the USA.

 

 

A good pair of nippers comes in handy and the best of the best would be made by Abel Reels. Yes it seems like a lot for a pair of nippers, but if you take care of them I think it would be money well spent judging by the feedback that I get from people who have been using them.

 

 

One can never have too many hats and I like the hats that Howler Brothers offer.

 

 

 



My Lifeproof case has started to wear at the perfect time. I guess putting it in and taking it out of the life jacket case has taken its toll on it. Looking around at my local fly shop and seeing the Lifeproof case by DeYoung Canvasfish has me hoping Santa puts one of these in my stocking.

 

When you wear Buffs on every outing. It doesn't hurt to have a nice variety. Original Buff has been making some that are exclusive to fly fishing and have some cool designs by Bug Slinger.

 

 

 

Since I like to fish glass the list wouldn't be complete without a new hoodie from The Fiberglass Manifesto.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed looking at my list to Santa. What's on yours........







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.

 





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...................................