2019 Fishing - Bent rods and tight lines

[Mac8111 2107]

One day I will tell you guys about the story about guide that was going to “slip in behind the storm”.


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[Damor 1236]

Took the family on a guided fly-fish on the Arkansas today.

I feel like John Kinsella: "Is this Heaven?"

[troph 24787]

That’s beautiful. Yeah I think it is heaven.

[tx 3 putt 76928]

that's beautiful !

Edited July 20, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76928]

On 7/6/2020 at 5:01 PM, Pescado_Rojo said:

I've found just the thing...

 

lulz ive fished that cut 

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

On 7/18/2020 at 11:07 PM, fattyflattie said:

Yeah I’m not going to lie, I got a bit shallower than I wanted once or twice Thurs afternoon. Nothing I couldn’t tilt up and putt off of; saw one big Blue Wave with no water under it.  They got off shortly after, somehow (I couldn’t stop where I was, or restart if did, rather)  I’m talking high and dry and in the middle of a hump with like 5-6 people onboard. High tide Friday AM had me borked at the ramp (Clark’s ramp already sucks for my boat) Was all around funky tides.  
 

We got off the water around 1330 and we were only lounging.  Wife wants a place in the sanctuary (yeah no shit honey), we found 6 full sand dollars (haven’t found a full one in 20 years) and the kids had a blast.  

Are they still practically giving away interior lots? For a while there were a bunch on the market for $5,000. I thought about buying one just to use their ramp and amenities, but the HOA dues are kind of steep if I recall. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

11 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

y'all get caught out by the rain today? We did. We were surrounded by fish at 9:00 this morning in the south cove of twin lakes, then we lost the sun...then I looked up and there were a bunch of big, fast boats hauling ass North. I looked back south and it was a wall of black. I got the boat up in the back of the cove (I'll pray for forgiveness for what I did to the bottom) and headed South. Big thunder clap and a few raindrops caught us, but I managed to outrun it. We were home in Georgetown by 3:00. 

Negative.  Took the girls out to the pass to swim and social distance.  Nary a rod on the trip.  2 night stay, and had a blast watching them find shells and build sand castles and whatnot.  Amazing amount of boats out for a Thursday.

[fattyflattie 4639]

1 minute ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Are they still practically giving away interior lots? For a while there were a bunch on the market for $5,000. I thought about buying one just to use their ramp and amenities, but the HOA dues are kind of steep if I recall. 

Yeah, from a quick glance; I believe we've had this conversation before on this thread.  The amenities would be awesome, but I want to say the yearly HOA is several thousand bucks?  Oh, and every local down there has a pass code so the pool becomes the defacto public pool, which would irritate me if I was paying.  But the ramp is really nice, safe parking, etc.  She's determined she wants a place, but having studied this for the last 15 years, I don't think shes gotten to the negatives yet.  For once, I got to play the voice of reason, ha!  What I really need is a long term relationship with a rental on the water.  Clarks is nice enough for me, but pretty sure the linens are originals etc.  But very very hard to beat $135/night with a slip on the water, lockable storage, elec and water avail for boat.  

[fattyflattie 4639]

10 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

lulz ive fished that cut 

I'm sure there's a hundred that look similar, but it reminds me of coming out of Parkers cut in matagorda.  Maybe not wide enough though.  It's been a loooong time since I've drug a kayak over the Colo gap to fish that though.  But the redfishing is outstanding.

[Brew 3049]

9 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Yeah, from a quick glance; I believe we've had this conversation before on this thread.  The amenities would be awesome, but I want to say the yearly HOA is several thousand bucks?  Oh, and every local down there has a pass code so the pool becomes the defacto public pool, which would irritate me if I was paying.  But the ramp is really nice, safe parking, etc.  She's determined she wants a place, but having studied this for the last 15 years, I don't think shes gotten to the negatives yet.  For once, I got to play the voice of reason, ha!  What I really need is a long term relationship with a rental on the water.  Clarks is nice enough for me, but pretty sure the linens are originals etc.  But very very hard to beat $135/night with a slip on the water, lockable storage, elec and water avail for boat.  

Personally, there are a ton of pros to having a place if you can comfortably swing it. Your own beds, linens, fishing/beach equipment stored instead of carried back and forth, etc really add up. There are negatives for sure, but the positives can definitely outweigh them.

[Mac8111 2107]

Hitting the surf in the morning Prediction is 2 mph NE wind in Port A. Already have a super spook tied on one rod and a tandem buck tail / Gulp rig ready to go on the other.

The fishing gods will be good to me tomorrow. Y’all check back in tomorrow afternoon for pics of my personal best.


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The fishing gods are are cruel and fickle.


No wind this morning but waves were stacked. I was casting by 5:45. No luck on top water or my tandem rig. As the sun came up I saw how dirty the water was. Like milk chocolate. Thought I would try a gulp and popping cork. That netted me a skipjack and a small shark. My buddy got him three gafftops.


So this is my personal best today ....




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[Braff Zacklin 13561]

1 minute ago, Mac8111 said:

The fishing gods are are cruel and fickle. 

No wind this morning but waves were stacked. I was casting by 5:45. No luck on top water or my tandem rig. As the sun came up I saw how dirty the water was. Like milk chocolate. Thought I would try a gulp and popping cork. That netted me a skipjack and a small shark. My buddy got him three gafftops.

After your predictive boasting in post #1744, first thought was that negcannons should be set to full auto. But then followed the realization that my catches of late have been pretty humble, too.

In all seriousness, looks like a tasty beer. Hope the gods are kinder next time.

[Mac8111 2107]

I have made a career out of under promising and over delivering. But given that fact that I have never ever had success at fishing from the surf, I felt like if I stuck my nuts out there on this one I could maybe wish my prediction true.

Fuck it. I’ll go look for some flounder tomorrow night. They love me.


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[troph 24787]

So is central Texas fishing (fly fishing rivers) just a completely stupid idea right now? Free weekend and we can only lay in bed naked for so long.

[fattyflattie 4639]

3 hours ago, Brew said:

Personally, there are a ton of pros to having a place if you can comfortably swing it. Your own beds, linens, fishing/beach equipment stored instead of carried back and forth, etc really add up. There are negatives for sure, but the positives can definitely outweigh them.

We do well enough that we’ll have a place someday.  I’ve got plenty of friends that grew up with them, I pretty well understand the pros.  But she needs to realize that it isn’t always roses.  Like how I would be sick to my stomach every time a spaghetti model showed a chance of disaster, for one. Just the proper upkeep and maintenance.
 

You seem to stay in yours for long periods of time; I can’t imagine a scenario where that would be the case for us.  Until the time comes, I’m more than happy to rent my little spot with slip for 135/night and be jealous of you guys that can swing it, and use it proper. 

[tx 3 putt 76928]

26 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

I’m more than happy to rent my little spot with slip for 135/night and be jealous of you guys that can swing it, and use it proper. 

 

you would get plenty of bites here 

Edited July 21, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[troph 24787]

After your predictive boasting in post #1744, first thought was that negcannons should be set to full auto. But then followed the realization that my catches of late have been pretty humble, too.
In all seriousness, looks like a tasty beer. Hope the gods are kinder next time.

I’ve got an aquarium full of tiny fishies from my unsupervised outings.

[Ollie Slatt 289]

2 hours ago, troph said:

So is central Texas fishing (fly fishing rivers) just a completely stupid idea right now? Free weekend and we can only lay in bed naked for so long.

Not a waste if you get on the water early enough and realize the bite may be over by late morning.  I would also try to avoid hot, stagnant water by fishing a creek/river with good flow and/or springs nearby.  

BTW, since you are new to fly fishing, here is some unsolicited advice:   I wasted way too much fishing time over many years fixated on things like casting form and fly selection while not paying enough attention to presentation and covering a lot of water.    Practice your casting in your backyard, and try not to think too much about technique while on the water.  Pick a few all purpose flies that are proven patterns for the hill country and then stick with those (something like a Brushy Creek streamer would be a good starting point for this).  Once you have removed some of those variables, use your time on the water to focus on presentation (speed of retrieve, depth, etc.) and reading the water.  Try to identify what looks like good water, make one or two quality presentations, and then move on to the next spot.   If you focus on reading the water and cover a lot of river, it should significantly speed up the learning curve on identifying where fish are likely to hold in the river, which is the skill that will make the most difference in terms of catching fish.  

[fattyflattie 4639]

9 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

you would get plenty of bites here 

Phrasing. “I’m more than happy to continue renting my current spot at 135”.    Sorry. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

On 7/20/2020 at 10:06 AM, fattyflattie said:

Yeah, from a quick glance; I believe we've had this conversation before on this thread.  The amenities would be awesome, but I want to say the yearly HOA is several thousand bucks?  Oh, and every local down there has a pass code so the pool becomes the defacto public pool, which would irritate me if I was paying.  But the ramp is really nice, safe parking, etc.  She's determined she wants a place, but having studied this for the last 15 years, I don't think shes gotten to the negatives yet.  For once, I got to play the voice of reason, ha!  What I really need is a long term relationship with a rental on the water.  Clarks is nice enough for me, but pretty sure the linens are originals etc.  But very very hard to beat $135/night with a slip on the water, lockable storage, elec and water avail for boat.  

yea, I couldn't remember if that was here or TOS. FWIW, I traded emails a while back with one of their brokers. Those small interior lots ($5K) require an 1800sf Stucco and Stone construction. He said average build out was around $400K and the cheapest one he'd seen built was $350K. HOA was $2100/yr. 

[RMac5 1551]

Colorado a couple of weeks ago, headed back his weekend. So much to enjoy in Colorado. Hook ‘em!

[fattyflattie 4639]

8 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

yea, I couldn't remember if that was here or TOS. FWIW, I traded emails a while back with one of their brokers. Those small interior lots ($5K) require an 1800sf Stucco and Stone construction. He said average build out was around $400K and the cheapest one he'd seen built was $350K. HOA was $2100/yr. 

Friend of friend picked up a nice foreclosure for 375k 5 years or so ago.  I don’t remember specifics but it was quite a bit more than 1800ft^2. Only thing I recall is it was a pretty solid deal at the time. 

[Brisketexan 105108]

Not a waste if you get on the water early enough and realize the bite may be over by late morning.  I would also try to avoid hot, stagnant water by fishing a creek/river with good flow and/or springs nearby.  
BTW, since you are new to fly fishing, here is some unsolicited advice:   I wasted way too much fishing time over many years fixated on things like casting form and fly selection while not paying enough attention to presentation and covering a lot of water.    Practice your casting in your backyard, and try not to think too much about technique while on the water.  Pick a few all purpose flies that are proven patterns for the hill country and then stick with those (something like a Brushy Creek streamer would be a good starting point for this).  Once you have removed some of those variables, use your time on the water to focus on presentation (speed of retrieve, depth, etc.) and reading the water.  Try to identify what looks like good water, make one or two quality presentations, and then move on to the next spot.   If you focus on reading the water and cover a lot of river, it should significantly speed up the learning curve on identifying where fish are likely to hold in the river, which is the skill that will make the most difference in terms of catching fish.  

Great post. I used to fish the llano a LOT (life has gotten in the way, and I hear after the flood, the fishing is tough).
I used 3-4 patterns at most. Loved a sneaky Pete, and used to nail 10 inch class bass on a crystal minnow. But the key was absolutely finding the time and place the fish were. In the summer, I’d like to do a late lunch at Coopers (like 3:00), then hit the water by 5:00 or so. I’d spend a couple of hours working up and downriver, finding the spots that looked best that day, seeing where the fish were hanging, even if they were deep and not biting. Then, about a half hour before sunset, the bite would start. And I’d fish till it was too dark to keep fishing. Then eat some cold leftover bbq in the truck for dinner on the way home.

[troph 24787]

That’s what we did the last time up there. Except no late night snack on the way home. The evening up there is amazing.

[atomheartbevo 89656]

On 7/9/2020 at 10:42 AM, crash_davis said:

As stated above, Europeans especially the British and Germans LOVE carp fishing. They used to have tourneys in Town Lake with dudes coming from all over the world. They used big ass heavy tackle and electronic line sensor shit which I though was overkill.

I remember the tournaments, and they appear to still be going on, and carp fishing is still a big thing in Austin - https://www.facebook.com/AustinCarpAngler/

Today I learned there are multiple fishing magazines devoted solely to carp fishing.

[Masshole Horn 770]

They use artificial corn. That cracks me up for some reason.

[crash_davis 23107]

2 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

They use artificial corn. That cracks me up for some reason.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

2 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

They use artificial corn. That cracks me up for some reason.

I'd have to try and swallow a handful of that and wait to see if it's, you know, authentic.

[4th and 5 4914]

On 7/19/2020 at 10:33 PM, Mac8111 said:

One day I will tell you guys about the story about guide that was going to “slip in behind the storm”.


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Do it.

 

I was wading a bar along the ship channel with my buddy and our kids. A small but powerful storm was rolling up on us. We were catching some nice trout so I was not using my best judgment. We jumped back in the boat at the last minute, took off trying to outrun the storm but could not. The kids were hiding underneath the console and I was running toward what I thought was SPI. It was so bad I could not see and we were getting pelted with the heavy rain. I completely lost my bearings and after 10 minutes of trying to get out of the storm, I ended up running the boat up on the same bar we were fishing before. A perfect circle. The storm blew thru and we got back out and caught some more trout.

[Braff Zacklin 13561]

4 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

I was wading a bar along the ship channel with my buddy and our kids. A small but powerful storm was rolling up on us. We were catching some nice trout so I was not using my best judgment. We jumped back in the boat at the last minute, took off trying to outrun the storm but could not. The kids were hiding underneath the console and I was running toward what I thought was SPI. It was so bad I could not see and we were getting pelted with the heavy rain. I completely lost my bearings and after 10 minutes of trying to get out of the storm, I ended up running the boat up on the same bar we were fishing before. A perfect circle. The storm blew thru and we got back out and caught some more trout.

[wd40 1976]

On 7/21/2020 at 12:47 PM, RMac5 said:

Colorado a couple of weeks ago, headed back his weekend. So much to enjoy in Colorado. Hook ‘em!

that's not the Arkansas River, is it?  looks a lot like a spot a little ways downstream from Salida, especially with that brown she's got there.

[Chewbacca 7776]

that's not the Arkansas River, is it?  looks a lot like a spot a little ways downstream from Salida, especially with that brown she's got there.

Looks like the Lake Fork of the Gunnison to me. Near Lake City.

 

Ever since whirling disease killed off the rainbows, we seem to have mostly brownies in our rivers.

 

[wd40 1976]

looking at it now, water's flowing the wrong direction vs that rock.  wishful thinking is a hell of a drug.  I had plans to get back up there, this year.  oh well.

leave some in the river for me.

[RMac5 1551]

Lake Fork of the Gunnison it is, we were just outside of Lake City.  Headed to Pagosa Springs tomorrow, hope we can catch more fish. 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

On 7/22/2020 at 9:10 PM, atomheartbevo said:

I remember the tournaments, and they appear to still be going on, and carp fishing is still a big thing in Austin - https://www.facebook.com/AustinCarpAngler/

Today I learned there are multiple fishing magazines devoted solely to carp fishing.

some of you might know about Jeff Currier...fly angler that travels the world trying to catch new species of fish...think he has north of 450 species checked off his list. his favorite fish to chase on the fly is....carp.

[Masshole Horn 770]

some of you might know about Jeff Currier...fly angler that travels the world trying to catch new species of fish...think he has north of 450 species checked off his list. his favorite fish to chase on the fly is....carp.

Carp on the fly is awesome. I caught a couple at muleshoe bend on Travis and the San Gabriel River years ago. The ones on the San Gabe were on a 3-wt and were 25” long. Amazing battle and watching the take was so cool.

There’s a Walker’s Cay Chronicle episode with Flip and Dave Whitlock catching them on Lake Michigan. WCC online episodes

Posting on tapa, hope that link works.

[davidg 4036]

IMO, Walker’s Cay Chronicle might have been the best TV fishing show. Jose Wejebe’s Spanish Fly a close second.

[HouTex 1867]

Carp on the fly is awesome. I caught a couple at muleshoe bend on Travis and the San Gabriel River years ago. The ones on the San Gabe were on a 3-wt and were 25” long. Amazing battle and watching the take was so cool.

There’s a Walker’s Cay Chronicle episode with Flip and Dave Whitlock catching them on Lake Michigan. WCC online episodes

Posting on tapa, hope that link works.

Joe Doggett, the old Chronicle outdoor writer, wrote that they are fairly easy to catch in Braes Bayou in the summer on flies made with coffee beans. They look like June bugs.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

7 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

Carp on the fly is awesome. I caught a couple at muleshoe bend on Travis and the San Gabriel River years ago. The ones on the San Gabe were on a 3-wt and were 25” long. Amazing battle and watching the take was so cool.

There’s a Walker’s Cay Chronicle episode with Flip and Dave Whitlock catching them on Lake Michigan. WCC online episodes

Posting on tapa, hope that link works.

They are indeed. Sight fishing big fish in skinny water. Watching the eat. Oh Lawdy.

 

[Brew 3049]

Been a blown week with the tropical system passing us by. Rain, wind, and shitty water quality every day since I got back on Saturday meant a whole lot of no fishing. Sucks, but I did inform my wife I would be back down sometime in Aug/Sept by myself for a week when the conditions lined up the best to make up for this shit week. 

[Chewbacca 7776]

Lake Fork of the Gunnison it is, we were just outside of Lake City.  Headed to Pagosa Springs tomorrow, hope we can catch more fish. 

I had a beaver scare the fuck out of me in that very hole. Swam up behind me and slapped his tail on the water. It sounded like someone shot at me. Scared the hell out of me.

[Mac8111 2107]

Billings Bait under the JFK Causeway.


I am supposed to fish a vendor charity tournament on Weds down there.






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[Lat22 4013]

On 7/24/2020 at 12:47 PM, davidg said:

IMO, Walker’s Cay Chronicle might have been the best TV fishing show. Jose Wejebe’s Spanish Fly a close second.

I agree. We’re running out of days with Flip and Jose had to go out and act like an idiot. 

[tx 3 putt 76928]

Indianola Marina - Bait Shop / Patio / Peir has burned down. Rising waters caused an electrical short. 

 

https://goo.gl/maps/v6Hzf6QLRmmfhziU8

Edited July 25, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 76928]

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Coastal Parks Director Scott Cross tells KRIS 6 News that a portion of Bob Hall Pier has collapsed at Padre Island.

The pier has been closed for a few days.

Bob Hall Pier is one of the most popular piers on the Texas Gulf Coast.

We just spoke to Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales who tells us she plans to assess the damage tomorrow.

She said the county will do everything in its power to rebuild it.

[Born to Run 6569]

Indianola Bait Shop / Patio / Peir has burned down. Rising waters caused an electrical short. 
 
https://goo.gl/maps/v6Hzf6QLRmmfhziU8

I'll have to find me another

Indianola....

Fished Poc Sun-tues. Sat was a complete shit show when we rolled in.
Sun Fished west matty and got limits of trout and a few reds. Solid, no pigs this time. Had to grind. Probably caught 150 15" trout. They were every where including a little lake with 18" of water in it. Good outlook for the fishery after trout got a little scarce a few years back.
Winds were unpredictable. Tried to fish Cotton's area Mon with a slick Bay at dawn and got blown out by the north wind by 830. Picked up some reds in the marsh later. Scattered trout also and hooked a jack that nearly spooled me before I cranked the drag and pulled the hook. No way I was landing him wading.

Found em Tues outside the lagoon with a west wind.

Only way I'd fish Sat anymore is if it's slick calm and I can run to a leeward shore or fish the Wells or spoils. Assholes burn every shore.

[4th and 5 4914]

SCB running the ICW at midnight ran into the wall at Sanctuary, one dead multiple hurt. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

16 minutes ago, 4th and 5 said:

SCB running the ICW at midnight ran into the wall at Sanctuary, one dead multiple hurt. 

Yeah I’m friends with his neighbor. Hearing the fatality was his best friend, mid 30’s with two kids under 3.    I got the pics early this AM.  Prayers to them all. 

[BearSchlong 8087]

That sucks. . .where is sanctuary?

[fattyflattie 4639]

51 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

That sucks. . .where is sanctuary?

Few miles west of POC on ICW. Between POC proper and Charlie’s.  They have bulkheads that extend into ICW. Also ALOT of docks in that area.  Pics showed lightbar on the boat.    Those piers and the breakwater in West Matty scare the shit out of me.