2019 Fishing - Bent rods and tight lines

[troph 24781]

6 hours ago, Drunk Stoner said:

Why do you have to kill things?

I misspoke - release for sure but some die and she barely tolerates the hunt/chase/hook whatever it is. Doesn’t matter I’ve got boys to raise.  

[El Diablo 4232]

14 hours ago, wd40 said:

non-Colt is correct.

Pulaski, NY, last fall.  mostly king salmon, but a few steelhead.  guide said my rig was way too light, and he wasn't wrong.  smoked my drag on the first day.  had to palm it, after that, which made it more fun, esp on the steelies.  going back this fall, with a new reel.

I spent a night in Pulaski about 30 years ago during the salmon run. Truck I was driving had broken down and the only place to stay was some beat up fisherman's lodge in downtown. It was one helluva sight, guys in waders shoulder to shoulder along the bank of the Salmon River right there in downtown Pulaski. Seeing them drag their catches up the sidewalks, eggs streaming from the gravid females made for a great memory. IIRC there was no skill involved in what they were doing, they'd put a salmon "egg" on a hook but were basically snagging the fish. The egg was just there to keep the game wardens appeased. Would still be a lot of fun.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

took a recent trip up to idaho to fish the snake and henry's fork. floated 3 different sections...unbelievably beautiful, wild country. we caught some nice fish, but the scenery stole the show. 

sight fished these two on small dries, which is better than sex in my book.

 

threw streamers on the south fork of the snake one day...water was cold and the fish were lazy, but we found some that wanted to play.

 

the last day we floated an isolated stretch that required us to drag the raft about a 1/3rd of a mile down a hill. it was the prettiest, wildest stretch of river i've ever seen. i've never floated 12+ miles of water and never seen a sign of human existence anywhere...not a pipe, not a piece of metal, nothing. i've been in some REALLY remote places chasing fish and always see signs of humans. not on this stretch. the fishing sucked, but it will go down as one of the most memorable days i've had on the water.

[4th and 5 4914]

Amazing picture

[Brisketexan 105071]

16 hours ago, Ollie Slatt said:

Virtually every river in the hill country is worth fishing with a fly rod.  The hill country has several species of fish -- Guadalupe Bass and Rio Grande Cichlids -- that are great fly rod species but tend to be ignored by guys who fish conventional gear.  I frequently fish the San Gabriel, Bull Creek, Brushy Creek, and the Blanco.  The Lower Colorado can also be phenomenal at times if you have a kayak.  For west Austin, check out Reimers Ranch. It is popular in Feb/March for white bass, but you can fish it year round.  i would bet there are some great spots on Barton Creek as well. 

As for gear, you could cover most hill country fishing with an 8' 4wt.  Later add a 7 or 8wt for fishing the coast.  Folks at Sportsman's Finest can point you in the right direction.  I also really like the Living Waters shop in Roundrock -- those folks are very helpful and have developed some great fly patterns for fishing this part of the state. 

 

This.  One of my favorite days is to hit the Llano late afternoon.  Go to Coopers for a late lunch, and make sure you over-order and get a huge ice tea to go.  Then hit the river around 4:00 (lots of good places upstream from town to get in).  Fish till it gets dark enough to make you get out.  Fish little poppers for sunfish, wooly boogers and similar for bass.  I've had 20-30 fish days on the river (I've also had 2-3 fish days).  The bite picks up right around sundown.  

It's hot outside, you can wade wet, submerging yourself completely at times to cool off.

Then, when the day is done, get back into the car/truck, and drive home under the hill country stars, eating leftover BBQ with your hands, and drinking the rest of your cold beverage.  Life is good.

[wd40 1976]

7 hours ago, El Diablo said:

I spent a night in Pulaski about 30 years ago during the salmon run. Truck I was driving had broken down and the only place to stay was some beat up fisherman's lodge in downtown. It was one helluva sight, guys in waders shoulder to shoulder along the bank of the Salmon River right there in downtown Pulaski. Seeing them drag their catches up the sidewalks, eggs streaming from the gravid females made for a great memory. IIRC there was no skill involved in what they were doing, they'd put a salmon "egg" on a hook but were basically snagging the fish. The egg was just there to keep the game wardens appeased. Would still be a lot of fun.

just curious, what do salmon running upriver to spawn eat?  

sure, you're not 'matching the hatch', but you still have to execute.  you still have read the water, put the fly on target, at the right depth, then wrestle 20+ lbs of fish to the net with a fly rod.  I would absolutely love to get back out west and do the kind of fishing Colt's doing.  but this definitely had it's own challenges and aesthetic appeal.

 but you're right.  downtown is a circus.  we fished the DSR, which has controlled access to keep it sane.  much nicer area down-river, closer to the estuary.

downtown

DSR

Edited June 16, 2019 by wd40

[troph 24781]

This.  One of my favorite days is to hit the Llano late afternoon.  Go to Coopers for a late lunch, and make sure you over-order and get a huge ice tea to go.  Then hit the river around 4:00 (lots of good places upstream from town to get in).  Fish till it gets dark enough to make you get out.  Fish little poppers for sunfish, wooly boogers and similar for bass.  I've had 20-30 fish days on the river (I've also had 2-3 fish days).  The bite picks up right around sundown.  

It's hot outside, you can wade wet, submerging yourself completely at times to cool off.

Then, when the day is done, get back into the car/truck, and drive home under the hill country stars, eating leftover BBQ with your hands, and drinking the rest of your cold beverage.  Life is good.

 

I can do this. Maybe not as much bbq, gotta keep my tennis body going but I’m going to do this exactly. Drove over to sportsman finest today - right when we got back from two days of driving home - only to see them closed Sunday and Monday. Will see what’s up there this week.

 

Side question - and gotta help a girl out here - what about snakes?? I’d be worried about them here - water moccasins - not sure what’s up in Colorado but I just pretended it was me and fish in the water or that my waders would protect me. Standing in the water without waders sounds creepy, tbqh. Tell me how I get over that part.

[Brisketexan 105071]

Just now, troph said:

 

I can do this. Maybe not as much bbq, gotta keep my tennis body going but I’m going to do this exactly. Drove over to sportsman finest only to see them closed Sunday and Monday. Will see what’s up there this week.

Side question - and gotta help a girl out here - what about snakes?? I’d be worried about them here - water moccasins - not sure what’s up in Colorado but I just pretended it was me and fish in the water or that my waders would protect me. Standing in the water without waders sounds creepy, tbqh. Tell me how I get over that part.

 

How to get over it: get over it.  That's really it.

You may well see snakes.  It's a Texas river.  99% of the time, they'll be diamondback water snakes, totally harmless.  Just keep your eye out, and if you see one that looks scary, steer clear.

It's not any different than getting in any other Texas river tubing or something like that - nobody tubes in waders.  Hell, where I'd be most careful is walking through high grass GETTING to the river.  Watch your step like any good Texan should, then get in and fish.

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, wd40 said:

just curious, what do salmon running upriver to spawn eat?  

sure, you're not 'matching the hatch', but you still have to execute.  you still have read the water, put the fly on target, at the right depth, then wrestle 20+ lbs of fish to the net with a fly rod.  I would absolutely love to get back out west and do the kind of fishing Colt's doing.  but this definitely had it's own challenges and aesthetic appeal.

 but you're right.  downtown is a circus.  we fished the DSR, which has controlled access to keep it sane.  much nicer area down-river, closer to the estuary.

downtown

DSR

That looks nice. As I said, my one brief visit there was around 30 years ago and from this article it may have still been legal to snag salmon at the time, or had recently been outlawed.

https://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/2017/09/dec_11_sure_ways_to_get_a_ticket_while_salmon_fishing_on_the_salmon_river.html

[wd40 1976]

the article is accurate.  rules on leaders, hook size, etc.  you say snag, but I think what you really mean is foul-hook.  

here's how we hooked up.  

to me, this is snagging because they're not feeding.  you're hooking them in the mouth, but on the outside.  maybe they react to the bright color, but not because they're hungry.

[El Diablo 4232]

I've said "30 years ago" twice now and the article mentions the laws changing roughly 30 years ago. That was my experience then, I can't change that. Nobody is accusing you of doing anything. 

[bmbmd 1027]

On 6/15/2019 at 3:59 PM, davidg said:

 

 

Look at fishing the Colorado River below Austin for bass in early spring on the fly. There are a few guides that specialize in it then head back to Colorado/New Mexico for the summer trout season. Look up Alvin Dedeaux youtube or instagram

 

 

Alvin is one of the best guys with whom I've shared a boat.  Longhorn through and through, patient, witty, and a hell of a guide. Highly recommend. 

[Masshole Horn 769]

Alvin is awesome, so is Kevin Hutchison. Can’t go wrong with either.

[troph 24781]

Alvin is one of the best guys with whom I've shared a boat.  Longhorn through and through, patient, witty, and a hell of a guide. Highly recommend. 

 

How can you not love a guy that does this...?

 

 

Watched some of his other videos and shit I got the butterflies watching catches and wanting to catch myself on a fly reel. Fuck I’m in deep trouble.

 

I’m emailing / messaging him tomorrow.

 

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

Allwater Guides (Alvin's company) is an Orvis endorsed guide service. All his guides are awesome. Hollywood and I fished with his wife Lenee a couple months ago, and she did a great job. 

A note on the Llano. The flooding last fall did a number on the fish population. It was a much needed flush of the river, but by all accounts it did a number on the fish populations. It will take a while to return to what it once was as a fishing river. Hopefully TPWD will stock some Guads to kick start the process. 

[hornbri 1396]

Was up in Alaska last week and got to fish on the Kenai for some Sockeye. It was snag fishing for no bait - had never done that before, fun to catch and river was just beautiful. Plus these were really good eating. 

[Ollie Slatt 289]

16 hours ago, Masshole Horn said:

Alvin is awesome, so is Kevin Hutchison. Can’t go wrong with either.

I have not fished with Kevin, but I have his book on fishing the Hill Country.  Very useful for anyone looking to explore the area.  It has gps coordinates and descriptions of areas to publicly access most Hill Country rivers.  

[BearSchlong 8083]

@hornbri Where on the Kenai?  One of my best buds is a guide at the Lone Moose Lodge in Soldotna.

Edited June 17, 2019 by BearSchlong

[Johnny Sack 8397]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 11:57 AM, justhookit said:

Yup, wahoo is far and away my favorite fish to eat.

Same.  Tastes great raw or grilled.

[troph 24781]

I have not fished with Kevin, but I have his book on fishing the Hill Country.  Very useful for anyone looking to explore the area.  It has gps coordinates and descriptions of areas to publicly access most Hill Country rivers.  

Man y’all are bringing the good stuff. Will find and buy.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

17 minutes ago, troph said:

Man y’all are bringing the good stuff. Will find and buy.

Any chance you’d be willing to start a google sheet tracking your expenses and share with us? I can’t muster up the courage to do it, but would be fun to watch in real time. We could even have a separate column with assumed costs of cocaine given a certain daily usage amount and current street values.

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

17 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Any chance you’d be willing to start a google sheet tracking your expenses and share with us? I can’t muster up the courage to do it, but would be fun to watch in real time. We could even have a separate column with assumed costs of cocaine given a certain daily usage amount and current street values.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

1 minute ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Boat - $32,000

Boy that escalated quickly

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

1 minute ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Boat - $32,000

Boy that escalated quickly

sheeeeeiit...you must be buying used. 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

3 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

sheeeeeiit...you must be buying used. 

“Sweetie, look how much I saved finding this steal of a deal!”

[Ollie Slatt 289]

I would not want to confront the hard evidence on my fishing spending.  I don't even know how many fly rods I have -- I am scared to do an exact count but suspect it is north of 20.  I cleaned a closet recently and found several cool reels and spools I had totally forgotten about.  

[Masshole Horn 769]

I would not want to confront the hard evidence on my fishing spending.  I don't even know how many fly rods I have -- I am scared to do an exact count but suspect it is north of 20.  I cleaned a closet recently and found several cool reels and spools I had totally forgotten about.  

 

You should probably get new lines for each reel and spool. You know... just in case.

[Sbbruin 21829]

30 minutes ago, Ollie Slatt said:

I would not want to confront the hard evidence on my fishing spending.  I don't even know how many fly rods I have -- I am scared to do an exact count but suspect it is north of 20.  I cleaned a closet recently and found several cool reels and spools I had totally forgotten about.  

Same for my saltwater collection.  I took 8 reels in for a complete tune- drag washers, lube, etc- and new line on each, including flouro leaders on most.  I have every conceivable sized rig from 12 lb- 80 lb; plus a couple spinners for the kids to have fun with.  Granted it has been a lifetime acquiring this shit, but it is way more than I would ever need.  

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

I'm at a spot where I can give my older gear to my son and buy myself new stuff and not even feel bad about it. 

[hornbri 1396]

1 hour ago, BearSchlong said:

@hornbri Where on the Kenai?  One of my best buds is a guide at the Lone Moose Lodge in Soldotna.

We put in near Cooper landing (about 5 miles passed it), went with Jake from Angle45. 

[Jerry Callo 8698]

4 hours ago, Ollie Slatt said:

I have not fished with Kevin, but I have his book on fishing the Hill Country.  Very useful for anyone looking to explore the area.  It has gps coordinates and descriptions of areas to publicly access most Hill Country rivers.  

Great book.  

[crash_davis 23101]

vibrio, or the reason i won't fish the texas coast from the late spring to early fall.

i wish they had 2018 data.  i don't know if the increase is because of better reporting or if the shit in the water is getting worse.  maybe both.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/IDCU/disease/vibrio/Vibrio-Infections-Data.pdf

this poor dude stuck his foot in the water and got the shit.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/texas/article/Man-undergoes-life-saving-surgeries-after-13972901.php

i always read that it affects people with already compromised immune systems but then i also read about perfectly healthy people getting it.  last and the previous summers, i would get all kinds of worried if i got any nicks or cuts kayak fishing on the coast.  i would wash the area well with soap after i loaded the yak and got off the water, also soaked in half bleach, half water solutions when i got home, but the nicks/cuts would continue to be red, sensitive to the touch or even burn for a few days.  always worried the shit out of me.  and i'm an extremely healthy guy, or at least i think i am.

summer fishing the flats sucks anyway because usually by mid morning, the heat drives the fish off the flats or has them lock jaw and lethargic.  since i'm making a same day, back and forth trip from austin, that's a long ass drive for a small window of fishing. that combined with the vibrio shit, i decided to take off this and future summers   i'm storing the poles until late september.  imo, not worth the risk.

am i being too big of a pussy?  

 

 

[Ollie Slatt 289]

14 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

vibrio, or the reason i won't fish the texas coast from the late spring to early fall.

i wish they had 2018 data.  i don't know if the increase is because of better reporting or if the shit in the water is getting worse.  maybe both.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/IDCU/disease/vibrio/Vibrio-Infections-Data.pdf

this poor dude stuck his foot in the water and got the shit.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/texas/article/Man-undergoes-life-saving-surgeries-after-13972901.php

i always read that it affects people with already compromised immune systems but then i also read about perfectly healthy people getting it.  last and the previous summers, i would get all kinds of worried if i got any nicks or cuts kayak fishing on the coast.  i would wash the area well with soap after i loaded the yak and got off the water, also soaked in half bleach, half water solutions when i got home, but the nicks/cuts would continue to be red, sensitive to the touch or even burn for a few days.  always worried the shit out of me.  and i'm an extremely healthy guy, or at least i think i am.

summer fishing the flats sucks anyway because usually by mid morning, the heat drives the fish off the flats or has them lock jaw and lethargic.  since i'm making a same day, back and forth trip from austin, that's a long ass drive for a small window of fishing. that combined with the vibrio shit, i decided to take off this and future summers   i'm storing the poles until late september.  imo, not worth the risk.

am i being too big of a pussy?  

 

 

Look at the county by county data in the link you posted.  Looks exceedingly rare in the coastal counties most of us fish.  Highest incidence were Bexar, Hidalgo, and Harris counties, so I don't think the spike in vibrio cases has much to do with fisherman contracting it on the coast. 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

2 hours ago, Ollie Slatt said:

Look at the county by county data in the link you posted.  Looks exceedingly rare in the coastal counties most of us fish.  Highest incidence were Bexar, Hidalgo, and Harris counties, so I don't think the spike in vibrio cases has much to do with fisherman contracting it on the coast. 

Counterpoint: look at the dude’s foot.

[troph 24781]

I’ll track my expenses and while I’m a bit afraid to I think I’ve got some limiting factors - already have a boat, don’t have that insatiable urge to collect gear, and I have a lot of hobby interests that might make it lower. Tennis is already costing me crapload. But probably famous last words. If the cost of vacations count and if an airstream used to take those trips when cabins and airfare aren’t in the plans - and a new (to me) truck to haul the thing - then we will be at $100,000 within 2-3 years. Dayum.

 

[Texaus 377]

Can’t give a rec because I don’t do the fly fishing, but there is a new(been here 1 year) place in Wimberley called ReelFly. Orvis dealer and other nice stuff, advertises guided stuff.

[Dry Elbows 142]

16 hours ago, troph said:

don’t have that insatiable urge to collect gear

 

Famous last words. 

[BearSchlong 8083]

On 6/15/2019 at 11:42 AM, BearSchlong said:

Water still high and fresh in the marsh near Johnsons Bayou. Wind howling straight up the channel so took refuge in the marsh.

 

Poor guy put a very nice Turner boat onto the top of a submerged piling and got it very stuck. My 2 buddies happened to be the closest boat and pulled him off.

 

My dad and I were right in front of him and tried to wave him off to no avail.

 

If no other boats were there he probably would have gone through on plane and then were talking serious damage and injury, plus would have hit his lower unit on the 350 hp motor.

 

75% of the time the pilings are exposed and anyone who has been there at least once can navigate through them when they are submerged. I had gone through about 1 hour earlier, before this guy arrived, with a trolling motor and the big motor raised and still lightly bumped one.

 

I'm about to contact Louisiana fish and wildlife and figure out a way to get these pilings marked as a hazard. There hasn't been a bridge in about 80 years. . .

 

Mindbottling how they havent been removed or marked yet.

 

Of course I took a video.

 

 

Of course my buddy who used his boat to pull the Turner off the piling is obsessive compulsive, so he tracked the guy down via facebook.  Here are the "after" photos of the hull.  Ouch.

[Brew 3049]

That left a mark. I’m obsessive about running ultra slow in water I don’t know well, but shit still happens. Every day just about you can read a story about someone hitting an unmarked piling, broken pole, shoal, etc, so I guess I would rather hit slow than fast if I’m going to hit something one day.

[ChickenSandwich 9828]

I need a trolling motor. 

[BearSchlong 8083]

Just invested a few minutes in a phone call to the USCG and sent them the video, photos, and GPS coordinates and asked them to mark the hazard.  We will see.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

11 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Just invested a few minutes in a phone call to the USCG and sent them the video, photos, and GPS coordinates and asked them to mark the hazard.  We will see.

is it uncouth to just wrap a pole around it and secure an old life jacket to the raised pole? seems like it would take about 10 minutes of someone's time. 

[BearSchlong 8083]

Bit of a larger issue than that. . .the waterway is 153 feet wide, and the navigable slot/area with no bridge piling is less than 20 feet.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

7 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

is it uncouth to just wrap a pole around it and secure an old life jacket to the raised pole? seems like it would take about 10 minutes of someone's time. 

People mark them with PVC pipe and zip ties all the time.  I don't think it's uncouth.

[BearSchlong 8083]

3 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

I need a trolling motor. 

Exactly.  When in doubt pull the big motor stand on the bow and look alert.  Minn Kota props are $30.

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

3 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

Just invested a few minutes in a phone call to the USCG and sent them the video, photos, and GPS coordinates and asked them to mark the hazard.  We will see.

Good luck. There was a main channel marker in the ICW in POC that was laid so far over it was hard to see on a high tide. Damn thing was less than 200 yards from the Coast Guard station, and it was like that for over a year...shit, it might still be that way. I haven't been up that far since last August, and it was still there then.  

 

Also, those Turners are nice looking boats, but I'm surprised Yellowfin hasn't sued them yet. Looks just like the YF24. 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Pescado_Rojo

[BearSchlong 8083]

I'm not optimistic.  Just found out my dad attempted the same exercise but with the Sabine Natl Wildlife Refuge folks in Hackberry.  We will see.

[Sbbruin 21829]

Yikes.  Not sure if you need to be registered on Bloodydecks to read this (figured some of you are anyway) but damn.  40' Betram was fishing at San Clemente Island, headed to Catalina (maybe 20-30nm away), Capt put the boat on autopilot and then fell asleep.  You can guess what woke them up.

https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/40’-bertram-on-the-rocks-at-cat-6-15-19.719384/

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

That's going to be a fun call to the insurance company. Seems like several times a year boats hit jetties on the gulf coast doing the same thing. 

[troph 24781]

looking at airstreams this morning. 

"hey babe, is there storage for fishing gear in that thing?" 

shit could get real in the coming weeks.

Edited June 20, 2019 by troph