Six years ago a largemouth bass hatched in the San Gabriel River. I like to think that it hatched over a clean bed of gravel. I like to think that it made its home in a small batch of river willow, snapping up small bugs until it was big enough to chase minnows, and crush crayfish. Over the years, the bass survived droughts, floods, snapping turtles, bigger fish, herons, ospreys, and passing anglers. In six years, the bass grew from a small fry to a very nice river bass.
Johnny and I started fishing the San Gabriel River around 1998. Our first trip down this beautiful river was with spinning rods and we caught several fish in the two to five pound range. Subsequent trips were made with fly rods. This was the one river we visited when we wanted to catch large bass and carp on a fly. There are plenty of small fish in this river that are willing to take a fly, but Johnny and I decided long ago that our trips were for quality fish not a quantity of fish. To this day, the San Gabriel River is the river that gave up some of our largest fish on a fly. We have caught some huge carp on this river and some very nice bass, including an eight pound beast caught on a cool late February day.
Bass pre-release
For the past six years, I wonder how many times I was in casting distance of the six year old bass. I wonder if the bass ever followed a fly that Johnny, myself, or a client of ours had cast. About six years ago, we gained a client named Ken Prehoditch. He is a teacher and an artist in Fort Worth, Texas. Ken smokes cigarettes, drinks a lot of coffee, and he loves Texas Rivers. I have guided Ken many times, but he is more Johnny’s client. Johnny and Ken have fished and explored many different rivers and they seen rivers on the best and worst of days. Ken has caught more big fish than any other client we have ever guided, but Ken is also consistently on the river casting flies to the fishiest of places. Ken lives to hook and fight big river fish on the fly.
Over the years, the six year old bass settled in a pool a few miles downstream of where she was hatched. I do not know how the fish ended up in the pool. The pool is very nice for a big fish. There is some shallow areas to trap bait fish, deep areas to hide, and nice overhanging trees to provide shade and extra protection. Over the years, we have caught some big fish in the river. I am a beliver in fate. Like lovers, I believe that there is a big fish out there for everybody.
On a particulary fine day on the San Gabriel River, Johnny Quiroz was guiding Ken Prehoditch. Ken made a cast with a popper to a very nice looking bank. After many years of casting and floating past a fish that we never knew existed, Ken made a cast that was interesting to the fish. The popper landed in the shadows with a splat. Ken stripped line and the popper lurched and gurgled. I am a believer in fate. The stars had lined up and the six pound bass turned on the fly.
Ken and jumping bass!
