2019 Fishing - Bent rods and tight lines

[Pescado_Rojo 19,429]

a month ago there were pods of reds with their backs out of the water on the sand between the Arroyo and Mansfield. Go N/NE from Green's and run until you aren't sure you could get the boat back up, then get out and wade until it's ankle deep and wait. We were in them from sun up to about 9:30, then again from about 5:30 until sunset. 

[capnamerca 572]

15 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

a month ago there were pods of reds with their backs out of the water on the sand between the Arroyo and Mansfield. Go N/NE from Green's and run until you aren't sure you could get the boat back up, then get out and wade until it's ankle deep and wait. We were in them from sun up to about 9:30, then again from about 5:30 until sunset. 

That doesn't seem sporting ...

[Pescado_Rojo 19,429]

1 minute ago, capnamerca said:

That doesn't seem sporting ...

Sorry, I forgot the part where we had to get them to eat a fly in a 15-20 mph wind. 

Wait, you don't think we were catching them by hand or something, do you? 

[capnamerca 572]

3 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Sorry, I forgot the part where we had to get them to eat a fly in a 15-20 mph wind. 

Wait, you don't think we were catching them by hand or something, do you? 

Well, I had my concerns.

[Sam Lin 3,561]

Noodling for reds? That's a thing, right...?

[Llano Estacado 1,257]

Noodling for reds? That's a thing, right...?

Coast of Oklahoma is the Red River. Believe that’s unrelated though...

[Sbbruin 21,892]

So the boy and I sailed up to Channel Islands Harbor on Monday.  And yesterday we chartered a boat out of Channel Islands Sportfishing with him and 14 other buddies and their dads (16 total people due to Covid).  Everyone kicked in their share.  Fishing was very spotty, but got into a good bite of ocean whitefish and California sheephead in the early afternoon.  
made some tasty ceviche and fish tacos out of the whitefish tonight.

 

[4th and 5 4,915]

Limits in POC today. We were croaker shaking in Matagorda bay. 

[fattyflattie 4,638]

2 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

Limits in POC today. We were croaker shaking in Matagorda bay. 

Taking the family down for a weds-fri trip in 2 weeks. Was thinking some croaker or shrimp would be good around the wells?   I haven’t fished bait in a looooong damn time. Don’t want to mess with the jetties because the kids are pretty small and my gunnels are about 6” - not particularly worried but don’t want to freak them or the wife out.  But if I can get them on a few fish before they lose interest we’ll be in great shape. Might hit the big platform too, a buddy takes his kids there in the dead summer and seems to always find something to stretch their lines (and catch shade).   The goal of the trip is hang out near the pass and let them play, anything above and beyond that is gravy.  

[Sbbruin 21,892]

California sheephead (totally different from Florida sheephead) have a diet exclusively made up of crustaceans.  The meat has a shellfish flavor, but really doesn’t taste good grilled or sautéed like other fish.  But made crab cakes out of it and they were outstanding.

Trippy fact about this fish- they are all born female and morph into males as they age.  

Edited July 3, 2020 by Sbbruin

[Mac8111 2,116]

Limits in POC today. We were croaker shaking in Matagorda bay. 

Nice. We threw some croaker today in Matagorda as well. Had the wife and oldest boy wade with us today. Was a really slow morning bite but I finally found some trout out on a drop off and I got them over next to me so they could get out in on the action.

I think it finally broke through to the wife that she can’t fish knee deep water the entire trip.


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[4th and 5 4,915]

We hurt them again today in Matagorda Bay. All around 20 and thick  

We got out of the water at 10 AM and headed southbound

trout caught in Matagorda Bay will be fried up tonight in South Padre

[Mac8111 2,116]

Send exact GPS coordinates.

Just kidding. No way we are putting the boat in the water tomorrow.


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[Mac8111 2,116]

There was an implied invitation to repost said pics.

The pic finally popped up on FB memories.

22” 4.5lb flounder stuffed with crabmeat mixture.






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[Braff Zacklin 13,664]

Glorious. Thank you.

[fattyflattie 4,638]

7 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

I think it finally broke through to the wife that she can’t fish knee deep water the entire trip.

I do my damndest to stay as shallow as I can. It works out pretty good because my main fishing partner loves to get out to his shoulders.  Our red to trout ratio is as you’d expect for the most part, but it works out. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by fattyflattie

[Sbbruin 21,892]

4 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

The pic finally popped up on FB memories.

22” 4.5lb flounder stuffed with crabmeat mixture.






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Looks outstanding.

[4th and 5 4,915]

16 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

Send exact GPS coordinates.

Just kidding. No way we are putting the boat in the water tomorrow.


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Exact gps coordinates sent

[Mac8111 2,116]

Exact gps coordinates sent

If I plug those numbers in and it doesn’t take me to The Men’s Club, I will be disappointed.


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[troph 24,910]

Easy to guess spot today....




Caught a small tiny guad and one of these ?



These work ...



Caught 2 in the net, 2 others couldn’t keep on the hook. Found them all in one spot just below the concrete there.




And I apparently and the queen of a lot of things including catching tiny fish. I know mid day for warm water fish isn’t great but even wet flies and sinker types didn’t work well.

Is that normal or do I just suck? I’d like to catch some bigger ones soon.

[Cousin Strawberry 1,263]

1 hour ago, troph said:

Easy to guess spot today....




Caught a small tiny guad and one of these ?



These work ...



Caught 2 in the net, 2 others couldn’t keep on the hook. Found them all in one spot just below the concrete there.




And I apparently and the queen of a lot of things including catching tiny fish. I know mid day for warm water fish isn’t great but even wet flies and sinker types didn’t work well.

Is that normal or do I just suck? I’d like to catch some bigger ones soon.

On that river I have done really well with small yellow poppers against the banks. Not sure I have fished that part of the river though.

[4th and 5 4,915]

Quick Stop jumbos, scissor down the shell, devein, leave shell on!, olive oil, Tony’s BOLD CREOLE, lots of Fal butter. Quick cook on grill. 
 

It’ll change your life. 
 

 

[troph 24,910]

On that river I have done really well with small yellow poppers against the banks. Not sure I have fished that part of the river though.

We used green/yellow poppers but they didn’t work. I need to work on my skill with them and make sure I’m using them right.

We used crayfish flies - nope. and wooly boogers too - nope.

We were going to go farther but flat tire in our truck so we had to take the EV and there are no chargers out there.

[troph 24,910]

Quick Stop jumbos, scissor down the shell, devein, leave shell on!, olive oil, Tony’s BOLD CREOLE, lots of Fal butter. Quick cook on grill. 

 

It’ll change your life. 

 

 

Gonna do this soon - looks crazy good.

 

 

[Cousin Strawberry 1,263]

10 hours ago, troph said:

We used green/yellow poppers but they didn’t work. I need to work on my skill with them and make sure I’m using them right.

We used crayfish flies - nope. and wooly boogers too - nope.

We were going to go farther but flat tire in our truck so we had to take the EV and there are no chargers out there.

Did you throw an olive/white clouser?  If the popper and the clouser weren’t catchin’, the fish were turned off.

[4th and 5 4,915]

11 hours ago, troph said:

Gonna do this soon - looks crazy good.

 

 

Finished product. We also boiled 3 pounds with baby taters. And a piece of fresh trout for one of the group. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,429]

11 hours ago, troph said:

We used green/yellow poppers but they didn’t work. I need to work on my skill with them and make sure I’m using them right.

We used crayfish flies - nope. and wooly boogers too - nope.

We were going to go farther but flat tire in our truck so we had to take the EV and there are no chargers out there.

I know Sportsman's Finest is close to you (and I'm totally jealous), but if you ever find yourself in or near downtown Round Rock, stop in and talk to Chris at Living Waters. Local rivers are his jam, and he's extremely knowledgeable about the what, when, and where on all the CenTex rivers. Marcus is his head guide and I believe Asst Manager of the shop, and he's especially good with the happenings on the Llano. Also, the Llano might still be in recovery from the floods last year. I know for a while there, Living Waters wasn't even bothering to post Llano reports because no one was fishing it.  

[troph 24,910]

That’s really good to know.

 

Might try the Colorado next weekend then.

 

SF has good intel it seems, but they didn’t steer us away from the Llano. It’s hard to tell conditions versus total noob skill - it’s quite possible we are fishing our lures all bassakward (pun intended). Maybe both.

[Masshole Horn 777]

Llano bug and Llanolope are good terrestrials designed for that river. I believe Living Waters stocks both.

[Lhorn 4,964]

Wondering if you guys can recommend a trout fly assortment for a fishing trip to the Yellowstone area at the end of this month. First time fly fishing. I want high yield stuff for this particular trip, not the 120 flies for $15 with flies you’ll never use or stuff that falls apart on your third cast.
Also gonna bring the spinning reel stuff too to fish with the kids. In Yellowstone it’s flies and lures only, no bait, plastics or scents. My thought is Panther Martins, Rooster tails and Castmasters. Any other recommendations?

Thanks

[Johnny Chimpo 479]

I would think your Best bet would be to visit a local fly shop up there Once you arrive and ask them to sell you a small assortment of what is hitting. You can also try to look up hatch charts but those are always kind of wacky for me because the hatch mix depends so much on the temperature and conditions in the last week or so, etc. 
 

Regarding the spinners sometimes I really find that fish home in on a particular color. You’re on the right track with the lure selection. I would be sure to get an all gold panther martin and an all silver one along with a few other colors for variety. Don’t be afraid to go small too. Maybe 1/16 or 1/32 on up. 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Johnny Chimpo

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

1 hour ago, Lhorn said:

Wondering if you guys can recommend a trout fly assortment for a fishing trip to the Yellowstone area at the end of this month. First time fly fishing. I want high yield stuff for this particular trip, not the 120 flies for $15 with flies you’ll never use or stuff that falls apart on your third cast.
Also gonna bring the spinning reel stuff too to fish with the kids. In Yellowstone it’s flies and lures only, no bait, plastics or scents. My thought is Panther Martins, Rooster tails and Castmasters. Any other recommendations?

Thanks

Always, always, always visit a local shop for fly suggestions.

[Chewbacca 7,786]

Always, always, always visit a local shop for fly suggestions.

And buy shit from them. Have done this my whole life. I'm technically very proficient at fly fishing. I can put the fly wherever i want. But i stuck at identifying what I'm throwing because i don't care enough. This is where the local shop comes in.

DNHC can kill me now. My secrets are laid bare.

[Damor 1,237]

15 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I know Sportsman's Finest is close to you (and I'm totally jealous), but if you ever find yourself in or near downtown Round Rock, stop in and talk to Chris at Living Waters. Local rivers are his jam, and he's extremely knowledgeable about the what, when, and where on all the CenTex rivers. Marcus is his head guide and I believe Asst Manager of the shop, and he's especially good with the happenings on the Llano. Also, the Llano might still be in recovery from the floods last year. I know for a while there, Living Waters wasn't even bothering to post Llano reports because no one was fishing it.  

I'm a very beginner fly fisherman, but I stopped into Living Waters a couple weeks ago for the first time, and it was a great experience.  Very helpful and tolerant of my noob questions, and gave me some great tips on flies for my local spot.

Also picked up this book while I was there:


I don't know if that's a well-known resource, but the little I have read so far is very informative and entertaining.

I've tried to stay out of this thread for a long time for the good of my wallet, but we're heading out on the road for Colorado in about 2.5hrs, and feeling totally stoked as well as terrified that I won't be able to resist upgrading my rig while I'm up there.

[3shot 139]

On 7/4/2020 at 9:12 PM, troph said:

Caught a small tiny guad and one of these ?

That's a small bluegill.  Like anything else, keep doing it and you will get better at it.  I'm sure you are using the popper's correctly, as it's an easy thing to do, but when in doubt, check out YouTube to see how other people are doing it:

   

Also, I don't fish below the bridge anymore...pretty scenery, but I've never caught many fish in that area.  As a general rule, the further you get from public access points, the better the fishing.  I figure you know this, but just in case.  One more piece of advice: the best time to fish is whenever you can, but you will be much more successful in the heat of the summer if you are fishing at first light or late in the evening.  In April or May, it's not that big of a deal, but on the lower portion of the LLano, the water gets really hot and it's harder to get them to eat after, say, 9:30?  

Where on the Colorado are you going to fish?  I'm partial to the upper portion of the river from the Montopolis bridge down to 130.  Check on the water release situation before you go.  It's a great place to fish and very different from the Llano.

 

22 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Also, the Llano might still be in recovery from the floods last year.

I've fished the river multiple times this year from Telegraph to just above the city park.  For whatever it's worth, the fishing has been good, but it's definitely different than it was before the October 2018 floods.  I haven't caught a single largemouth, or even seen one.  Now, I don't spend much time fishing the flat water and deeper pools that they live in, but I would say they are still in recovery.  I'm also not catching or seeing as many sunfish as before the floods, and the ones I'm catching are small.  However, I'm catching about the same numbers of guadalupe bass as in the past, maybe a few less, but size seems the same to me.  In fact, I've caught more big fish this year than usual, with multiple guads over 2 pounds.  

The river itself is very healthy.  Lots of minnows, frogs, hellgrammites, etc.  The vegetation is back as well, though not as choked up as it was in some places. 

[troph 24,910]

Good stuff.

I know about the heat of the day, early mornings suck and it was the 4th so fireworks. Eh. I think we are going to look at fishing early evenings the rest of the summer.

How do you fish non-public spots without kayaks and rafts? Is that the trick question - time to invest in river mobility?

I get the practice part. I’m glad we are catching at all at this point.

[3shot 139]

31 minutes ago, troph said:

How do you fish non-public spots without kayaks and rafts? Is that the trick question - time to invest in river mobility?

Yes, that's the trick question.  But, you don't HAVE to paddle to get away from the public a bit.  Get the book referenced above by Damor for some spots to walk in.  And when you are at those places, like below the Llano dam, don't be afraid to walk a long ways; just be familiar with Texas river public access laws.  It's not uncommon for me to walk/fish over a mile when I'm walking in somewhere on the Llano.

However, kayaks will open up a ton of water for you around CenTex, and it's great just paddling and experiencing our rivers in that way.  You don't need to spend a lot of money to buy a couple kayaks that will get you where you want to go.         

[conVINCEd 21,469]

10 minutes ago, 3shot said:

Yes, that's the trick question.  But, you don't HAVE to paddle to get away from the public a bit.  Get the book referenced above by Damor for some spots to walk in.  And when you are at those places, like below the Llano dam, don't be afraid to walk a long ways; just be familiar with Texas river public access laws.  It's not uncommon for me to walk/fish over a mile when I'm walking in somewhere on the Llano.

However, kayaks will open up a ton of water for you around CenTex, and it's great just paddling and experiencing our rivers in that way.  You don't need to spend a lot of money to buy a couple kayaks that will get you where you want to go.         

Have you not seen the RV thread?  Spending a lot of money is kind of what Troph does.

Edited July 6, 2020 by conVINCEd

[troph 24,910]

Gf said we’d probably have kayaks by next year. I think it may be two years. That seems like a lot of new variables I’m not ready for. I just got past the cinch knot and fear of snakes and going without a guide on any given Saturday.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,429]

52 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Have you not seen the RV thread?  Spending a lot of money is kind of what Troph does.

I've found just the thing...

[fattyflattie 4,638]

Had a friend with one of those. Was pretty bad ass, but not really useful. I remember thinking they would be great to throw on the bow and take across Aransas, then use to access the really backwater stuff my rig wouldn’t think about touching. But they are pretty heavy. 

[troph 24,910]

Have you not seen the RV thread?  Spending a lot of money is kind of what Troph does.

Foolish if you ask me.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

6 minutes ago, troph said:

Btw I’m not afraid to work for a long time and die young or broke or both so don’t follow me unless those ideas are ok with you.

I find you very entertaining.  There was absolutely zero criticism in my comment.

[Braff Zacklin 13,664]

9 hours ago, 3shot said:

Like anything else, keep doing it and you will get better at it.

As a general rule, the further you get from public access points, the better the fishing.

Impossible to give better advice than this.

[troph 24,910]

I find you very entertaining.  There was absolutely zero criticism in my comment.

I deleted it after a few minutes because I thought it too direct. Didn’t come out right. Too lazy to retype it. If you take off the edge and hear just someone waxing poetic about what does retirement really mean and is it worth it then it might sound more like what I meant. One life, not a dress rehearsal yada yada yada. Live as large as you can. No ragrets. Thanks for your comment, made me smile.

[Brisketexan 105,351]

Had a good day today. Escaped town for a family trip to Virginia Beach (never been to the area).

My daughter is a fishing fool, has been since she was 9. She’s always wanted to hook into something truly awesome offshore. And today, she did.

[Brisketexan 105,351]

....a 50-55 lb yellowfin tuna for her. She got it all the way to the boat, but was too wiped to get it up the last bit, and get it up over the gunnel, so her cousin grabbed the rod for the last 45 seconds of the fight. But she brought it all the way, and fought as hard as I’ve ever seen her fight something.

[Brisketexan 105,351]

And on our way back in, hitting a last stretch that looked promising, we got our last fish of the day:



White marlin, our boat’s first billfish of the season. And, my first marlin ever.

We’re freaking tired, but a good day.

[troph 24,910]

....a 50-55 lb yellowfin tuna for her. She got it all the way to the boat, but was too wiped to get it up the last bit, and get it up over the gunnel, so her cousin grabbed the rod for the last 45 seconds of the fight. But she brought it all the way, and fought as hard as I’ve ever seen her fight something.

 

That’s so awesome ! And congrats on the marlin still waiting on my first ! Shut up [mention=2744]justhookit[/mention]

[conVINCEd 21,469]

30 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

....a 50-55 lb yellowfin tuna for her. She got it all the way to the boat, but was too wiped to get it up the last bit, and get it up over the gunnel, so her cousin grabbed the rod for the last 45 seconds of the fight. But she brought it all the way, and fought as hard as I’ve ever seen her fight something.

No boat sushi?