Getting Skunked

You know . . . every once in a while it just has to happen. Despite the best plans, equipment, info., "signs", weather - WHATEVER - you just get blanked on a fishing trip. Zippo. Nada. Goose-egg.

Such was our experience last week on the Brazos below PK. It's just rough in this dark corner of the year to get excited about any fishing around here and unless you're willing to drive a few hours to Oklahoma to catch stockers (or several hours to try for a "real" trout in Arkansas). Even then, if the weather is remotely decent, every other angler with cabin fever in a 300 mile radius is crawling over the spot. It's kind of disheartening to spend a few hours on the road only to pull up to a parking area filled with Tahoes and witness a close range Gore-tex hatch - especially when, at best, you hope to catch a few fish that look just like the "Rainbow Trout" on ice at Kroger.

In years past there's always been the January solution of the Brazos. Now, I know, they stock the area below the PK dam with trout in the winter but that's not why I go. I go for the BIG fish. I'm sure you've heard the stories of the stripers that cruise the waterway below the dam; growing fat on a nice, TPWD supplemented diet of stupid trout. You might have had the idea (or even done it) of tying a few "big trout streamers" to snag a few for yourself. I know I did. Spent quite a bit of time in the winter of '97 chasing those things and caught . . . two. Actually, the largest striper I've ever caught on the Brazos hit a #8 olive wooly bugger I was throwing with a 4 wt. on an early summer canoe trip for bass and sunfish. Crazy thing was in maybe 3 feet of water - at first I was sure I had snagged a gar. Fifteen minutes later and many prayers for the health of a very old and very tired Orvis Superfine, my friend lipped the fish. Weird.

Anyway, the reason I go to the Brazos this time of year is to take advantage of the usually clear and relatively low (more on that later) water levels to sight fish for LARGE carp, drum, and buffalo. I've had good luck in the past and it's tough, challenging fishing. I would much rather spend the day catching one 12 pound fish than mindlessly drifting #20 gnats over stockers that last ate a pellet of Purina TroutChow.

Last week, however, it was not to be. We tried. Good coffee, conversation, and music on the way. Saw some good "omens", too: a flock of turkeys crossing the road by Wizard Wells, a kingfisher, roadrunner by the parking area, an osprey NAILING a trout just above the Hwy. 16 bridge (I'm into birds). Perfect weather for sight fishing. Just two other vehicles at the parking area and both were folks that were after trout. BUT WAY TOO LITTLE WATER!

I've never seen the Brazos that low in January. Areas that I've fished in the past were several feet above the water line. The large side channel and flat down stream at the bend were seriously reduced. The water was just too skinny - what fish we could see could see or sense us long before we started casting. This is usually the point when someone pulls out the old bit about "that's why they call it fishing and not catching" (and don't you just want to bitch-slap'em when they do).

The low water levels looked to be helping the trout population, however. I've never seen as many rises in broad daylight as I saw that day. Midges were everywhere! My guess is that the low water levels increase sunlight penetration and allowed more vegetation to grow (check out cool video at Texas Flycaster). More plants mean more dissolved oxygen (good for trout) and more nutrients for midge larva. Heck, I even saw two carp holding in a fairly fast current making the EXACT same fluid yet determined motions that trout do when they're eating nymphs. I even tried drifting a #14 zebra midge-like fly (the smallest I had) to them on 4X fluoro. They would have none of it. I finally snagged a trout that hit the same fly; not much of a battle on a stiff 6 wt. Strange.

So, unless something better comes along I just might have to reduce myself to taking the 1 wt., 6X and a thimble full of zebra midges for a road trip. I know a great place!