Texas Light Tackle Adventures

Dear Santa,

My Christmas wish is simple. My order is not tall.  If you grant me this one wish, you wont stress out at all. Just send me magic through the air and give my fly casting a little flair. Make my loops perfection, my presentations look real, and I will be a happy dude as I put some fish to reel.

If you can’t give me this OK- perfection is not what its all about. Just work your magic and let me fish a river full of trout. I’ll cast dry flies all day, no worries about hatches. What ever I cast, I will assume that it automatically matches.

Oh wait..Santa I tell you what…just send me a little luck. That way I will know that I’ll catch fish wherever I may go. No, wait…thats not what I want. The thrill of fly fishing is not the catch its the beauty of the hunt. I like the chance that I’ll mess up, it makes the fishing fun. I know that there is a chance that the fish will take or run.

So Santa, I guess it all boils down to this…

Just let me be happy and have a few opportunities to fish.

Let me have some fly fishing adventures in the future.

Allow me to visit my adventures past

Allow me health and happiness

and just a few more casts.

Merry Christmas!

Marcus Rodriguez

The Guides of Texas

This morning I shrugged into my Patagonia Capelline under shirt.  I then put on a long sleeved Patagonia flats shirt, Patagonia fleece vest, and then a Patagonia Rain Shadow Jacket.  For some weird reason I was wearing Fruit of the Loom boxers and Royal Robbins travel shorts.  I had on my new Chaco Sandals which I strapped into my Force Fins.  I sat down in my Hobie Cat 75 pontoon boat.  I listened to the birds in the forest and I took a picture with my Cannon point and shoot camera.  I pulled Sage Smallmouth Fly Line through the eyes of my new Sage Smallmouth Rod.  When I got the line through, I pulled my Cortland Bass Leader and I tied on a fly which I tied my self with Whitting Farms Hackle and Spirit River Lite Brite.  I laughed at myself because I was using an Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor Reel.  I checked all of my C&F Fly Boxes and made sure they were secure in my Fish Pond chest pack.  I grabbed the keys to my four door Toyota Tacoma and pushed the lock button.  I was pretty sure my Yakima rack was locked and secured.  I felt bad because my truck was very dirty, especially my new BFG tires.  I kicked off into the river, happy that I was well outfitted.  I then thanked God that I am a man of very few needs.

While I love writing on this blog, I do find it hard to find the time to type my thoughts.  I will start taking an hour or two every night to keep up.  I have been busy guiding, being a full time father, and starting another project that I have been able to get some payment from. 

Anyway, for you three or four people who visit my blog here is a picture of my daughter with a fly caught fish on a river here in Central Texas.  My daughter cannot cast a fly rod, but she can reel a fish in.   I will make a visit here tonight with more pics and stories. 

Aurelia is the best fly fisher.

It has been a while since I last posted.  I have been guiding, fishing, and spending time with my family.  With the three above things going on, it has been hard to sit down at the computer.  I guided Ken Prehoditch last Friday and Saturday on the Llano River.  Ken is our most religious clients, meaning that he spends more time with us than at church.  Ken is a fly fishing crazy and it is always a pleasure to guide him on Texas’ rivers.

For those of you who may not know, Central Texas in August is hot!  Ken had been in the cool weather of the Wyoming Mountains for a month before calling me.  He told me that he did not want to go out in the heat, but he was having fly fishing withdrawals.  I know much about fly fishing withdrawals, so I was very sympathetic to his plight.  The weather called for sunny and hot (1o1 degrees!) and the solar lunar tables that Ken depends on said the fishing was going to be a 30 out of a possible 100.  I decided that the Llano River would be a good bet for catching some fish.

Both days were hot.  I had vowed to myself that I would not get dehydrated or burned.  I packed plenty of fluids and I covered myself head to toe.

Dorky but unburned.

There was plenty of shade on the river and we took several breaks.  We also kept dunking ourselves in the river.  There were several times during the day when we were actually shivering.  All in all it was a comfortable trip.

The first day we caught plenty of fish.  On his first cast, Ken hooked and caught a nice 14 inch Guadalupe Bass.  I did not get a picture of the fish, but I considered it a nice way to start the day.  For a few hours the fishing was hard.  The fish were following the flies Ken presented, but not taking them.  We took a long lunch break under the shade of a pecan tree.  We started fishing again about 2pm.  The fishing really picked up after lunch.  We caught most of our fish on the last half of our trip.  We used a foam Clouser popper most of the trip and did well with it.  I included a picture of it as it proved itself pic worthy.  The popper is very light and it can be pulled through and off of snags easily.  The popper can also be very subtle and then it pops great when the fishing calls for a more aggressive style.  This popper is a great fly to have in one’s Hill Country arsenal.  I told myself that I would order some of these flies or at least get the materials and tie some myself. 

Clouser Foam Popper. www.clouserflyfishing.com

On Saturday we celebrated my daughter Ava’s first birthday party.  As the party was winding down, my brother in law Rick Munoz asked if I wanted to go fishing.  Of course I agreed and we decided we would meet up with each other at 7 AM the following morning. 

At 7:30 AM my phone beeped with a text message.  I opened my eyes slowly and looked around my room.  Suddenly, I realized that the room was very light and then I realized that the text message was most likely from  Rick.  I looked at my phone.  There was two text messages.  The first one was sent before 7 AM and it stated ” I am ready.”  The second text, which I awoke to stated “do you still want to go?”  I shot out of bed and immediately called Rick.  I told him that I was sorry and that my alarm did not go off.  I told him to give me thirty minutes to get dressed and load up my gear.  I loaded the things I needed and I was off to the river.  I called Rick and told him to meet me at the HEB Grocery in Seguin, Texas. 

We met at the store, ran inside to grab a few Gatorades, jerky, and granola bars.  We were not going to do a long float, but the temperatures were going to be over 100 degrees.  It would be a good idea to stay hydrated.  We drove to the take out and dropped off Rick’s truck.  Rick grabbed his gear and transferred it to my truck and we were off.  I drove to the put in and the river looked beautiful.  We talked to a man and a daughter who were fishing at the bridge.  As we were putting in, the man told us that there have been a lot of snakes and that we better be careful.  I told him thanks for the warning and shoved off.  When there are fish to be caught, snakes are the least of my worries. 

The first hour was tough fishing.  The hits were few and far between.  I would cast to a likely spot and I would not  get a hit.  I would cast to an unlikely spot and get a surprise hit.  I missed most of the surprise hits.  I did not land a fish until about an hour into the float.  I had several flies that I could use, but I was stubborn and refused to change.  Rick fared a little better than I did, but he too admitted that the fishing was slow.

Bass during the slow part of the day.

The river was very low.  About 1 PM we stopped for a drink and some jerky.  We stopped at shallow rapid.  There was a small tree that had fallen into the rapid.  The bottom of the river next and beyond the tree was about a foot or two deeper than the rapid were we rested.  There were many small bass swimming and chasing bait.  We sat and watched them and commented that it will be nice to meet up with them in another two years.  Rick decided to throw his fluke in the current, and let it drift under the fallen tree.  He ended up catching three nice fish in a row.  After the third fish I decided to break out the camera and try and shoot a short film.  After several attempts with no fish, I put the camera up.   Of course as soon as I put the camera up, he catches another nice fish.

The fourth fish from the riffle.

After our lunch break the fishing really picked up.  It was the hottest part of the day and we were able to pick up fish from the few shaded areas we found on the river.  I caught several Guadalupe Bass and Spotted Bass that were about fifteen inches.  I was using a small popper and the fish would fly out of the water to attack it.  Many of the fish hit larger than they really were.  There were a lot of grasshoppers on this day, which is something I have not seen in a couple of years.  I tied on a black foam hopper, even though the grasshoppers I was seeing were a pale yellow.  I started getting strikes on almost every cast.  I was also seeing that catfish were coming up to inspect the fly.  Catfish are wonderful sport on a fly rod.  When a catfish comes up to inspect a fly, they mill about on the surface.  If they spot the fly, they will take it.  Sometimes they do not see the fly right away.  Gently, pick the fly up off the water and place it back where the fish are milling about.  Sometimes it will take several casts for a catfish to take the fly.  I came to a shady spot with some fallen logs.  There was a good current through the logs.  I cast the fly next to the stick up and a dark shape rose from the depths.  It was a catfish!  The fish had seen the fly and there would be no need to make another cast.  The catfish sipped the fly as delicately as a trout.  I strip set the hook and the fight was on.  Normally, I can beat catfish fairly quickly, but this fish had other ideas.  It stuggled on the surface for a while, then it headed downstream and I had to chase it.  After a few minutes, the fish tired and I was able to get a picture with it.

Fly caught river cat.

Soon after I caught the catfish, Rick hooked into what we both thought was a monster bass.  Rick’s rod was bent double and he was doing a great job of fighting the fish.  The fish broke the surface and it was not a monster bass, but a prehistoric monster a gar.  Rick had never caught a gar and he was excited.  He unhooked the fish and I took his picture. 

It was a great day of fishing.  There is still fishing to be had all around Central Texas.  The weather is very hot, but if one can take the heat, there are fish to be caught.  I am looking forward to the tropical storm (Eduardo) that is supposed to hit the Texas coast on Tuesday.  Hopefully it will cool us down and add some water to our rivers. 

Rick and his first gar.

We had a productive trip.  We caught many fish.  When we pulled out of the river there was a small group of kayakers putting into the river.  Hopefully, they had as good a trip as we did.   I have some short films that I took during the day.  I may post them later as soon as I figure out how to do so. 

M.

Off the wall bass.

After Gerardo caught his fish, we switched off.  I traded my paddle for a fly rod.  I was using a Scott 3 weight and casting very small flies.  I had come to the river to catch large bream and Guadalupe Bass, but I wanted to do it with small flies.  After catching several fish that were slightly larger than a postage stamp, I decided to throw a bigger fly.  I decided on a small East Cut Redfish Popper.  It was the smallest fly I had that I could cast with the small 3 weight.  I ended up catching some huge bream that were bigger than hand sized.  I would cast the popper under overhanging limbs and watch at the fish would cruise up slowly and then stop just underneath my offering.  With a slight twitch of the popper, the bream would suck the fly off the surface and dive back into the shade.  After catching a few bream, Gerardo told me to switch to my spinning rod.  I am for the most part a finesse fisherman.  I use all types of lures, but my favorites are small Bass Assassins and Slug-go’s.  If I cannot catch a fish on these baits, then I would almost rather not catch anything.  I love being in control of the bait and watching a fish react to it.  Normally, if I can spot a fish before it spots me, I can put the bait near the fish and get a strike.  We fished a deep pool and I did not get as much as a follow.  As we neared the end of the pool, Gerardo positioned the canoe to sneak through a pinch of boulders and river weed.  The main river flowed right and along a small cut bank.  I cast the bass assassin and watched as a black colored streak raced to the bait and inhaled it.  The bass took the bait and kept swimming towards us at a fast rate of speed.  I reeled several times to catch up to the fish.  For a few seconds, I thought that I had lost the fish.  Finally, I felt some weight at the end of the line and I set the hook.  The fish jumped and it was a very nice river bass.  I did not think that the fish was hooked well and I expected the hook to be thrown at any second.  I was using a light action GLoomis rod and there was nothing I could do to stop the fish.  The fish drove into the surrounding weeds and then it swam under the canoe.  For a moment, as I tried to fight the fish from under the canoe, I thought my rod was going to snap in two.  Finally, I was able to get control of the fish and bring him to hand.  It was pure luck that I had been able to keep the fish on the line. 

Bass caught with a little good luck.

We fished and caught several nice fish.  Gerardo decided that he wanted to spin fish as well.  He hooked two really nice bass, but lost them at the boat.  Finally, we decided make our final paddle to the take out.  I told Gerardo that I was going to keep my spinning real handy just in case I spotted a bass.  As we came up to another rapid, I noticed a nice bass in the current.  I made a cast and the lure landed a few inches behind the fish.  The fish turned and inhaled the lure.  The fish ended up being bigger than it looked.  I had to get out of the canoe to get control of the fish.  After about a minute, I brought the fish to hand.   “Hey bro, that was a great cast.”  Gerardo said to me as I was unhooking the fish.  “That fish is bigger than I thought,” he added “can I hold him.”  I handed the fish to him and he moved the fish up and down trying to gauge its weight.  Gerardo gave me the fish back to release.  I swished the fish back and forth in the water.  “Man, the first fish I caught was pure luck.” I said.  “This second one however was pure skill.”   We both laughed.  I got in the boat and continued to paddle to the take out.

Bass caught with a little bit of skill.

The early morning of July 4, 2008 was foggy.  My headlights stabbed through the fog and the purple colored dawn.  I had decided to go fishing the previous evening and I had not gone to sleep until about 2 AM.  5 AM comes mighty early after only a couple of hours of shut eye.  I drove, wide eyed and excited about the coming of daylight  and feeling the pull of the Guadalupe River.  I pulled up to the river and was greeted by the sound of rushing water and a chorus of frogs.  The sun had just risen and the early subdued light shined through the still cottonwoods than lined the river.  The fog was starting to lift.  The sun reflected off the fog and cast the river in a yellow-pink shroud.  I pulled my kickboat out of the truck bed and I looked downstream.  Soon, I would be wrapped in the yellow-pink shroud and making fly casts to the steep cut banks that were just becoming visible in the distance.

A wonky picture of fly rod and kick boat.

I strung my fly rod.  I tied on a large bass popper.  I was looking to pull a large Guadalupe Bass off one of the downstream cutbanks.  Many discourage a large popper, as it limits catches of smaller fish.  I was looking to catch a large fish.  I have caught many fish in my life.  I am at the point where I do not care if I catch a fish at all.  When I fish, I look for one or two nice fish and then I am ready to go home.  I slid the kick boat into the water.  I strapped my Force Fins onto my feet and I pushed off into the river. 

Downstream view.

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.  There is something about the day that makes me proud to be an American.  I feel lucky, that even with high gas prices and a “bad” economy, I am still able to get out in the countryside and enjoy a beautiful morning on a river.  I also look forward to the evenings when fireworks are blasted into the sky.  Fireworks are so romantic to me.  They rise in the air, explode into different colors and their reverberations are heard in the distance.  I always plan to check out a fireworks display on the 4th of July.  I love the usual hot Texas night, a spattering of lightning bugs, and watching fireworks blast off into the sky and explode. 

I came to the first cutbank.  It appeared as if the land on the east bank had just fallen off the earth.  The bank started off low, but then it rose to 15 feet in height.  As far as I could see, the cutbank went downstream and around the next bend.  When cut banks are steep, and there is good depth and flow, Guadalupe Bass and their hybrids lay in wait for morsels of food that fall into the water.  When fly fishing or spin fishing an angler should put a lure exactly where the bank and the water meet.  A well placed bait will be inhaled as soon as it hits the water.  The cut bank was perfect.  I was suprised that my first few casts did not get anything as much as a rise.  There was a large hatch of small mayflies coming off the surface of the water.  The mayflies rose off the water and then fell softly like snowfall back to the water surface to spin and lay eggs.  I looked down stream and a small herd of deer were grazing.  Everything was perfect, yet no fish.  There was a small section of of cut bank that was cut just inches deeper than the rest of the bank.  This allowed for a small pocket of calm water where a nice bass could stay out of the main current.  I made my cast.  The popper landed on the water with a nice bug sounding splat.  The Guadalupe Bass, like the fireworks I so dearly love blasted into the sky.  There was an explosion of water, silver, brown and green.  I strip set the hook and the large fish swam downstream.  I stripped line in and the fish made several jumps and flips.  Finally, I brought the tired fish to hand.  I unhooked it, admired it’s beauty and let it back into the river. 

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. 

Guadalupe Bass on an Umpqa Bass Popper

Bass and cut bank

Pre-release

Take Care,

M