Changes

(or "Reason to Hire a Guide #137)

The flats of Ray Roberts are dynamic spots. Two weeks ago the lake was three feet low and crystal clear; carp were on their pre-spawn feed, happily eating craneflies and seeds after a long winter of minimal food. All folks could talk about was the drought and "when will it rain."

Well, it's rained. And RAINED. As of this writing, the lake is half a foot over conservation pool which means it's come up almost four feet in a week. Spots where I caught fish on a month ago are now waist deep and the fish (and shoreline) are up in the grass. And that's not all that's "up."

The top photo shows one of the hazards that can befall a careless wader when the water's up. Fire ants "ball up" when their mounds flood - usually on a piece of floating debris and create a mass of ants that drifts through the shallows. Hopefully, they make it to dry land and do their "ant thing" again. If not, they take shelter on a young willow or cattail. These are not happy ants (if you could imagine a fire ant in a bad mood) and if you accidently touch or brush against the ball, they will attack in mass. It's not pleasant. REALLY. It's nice to have someone with you (like a guide!) that knows what these things look like and can help you avoid them while you concentrate on fish.

Gar are just beginning to spawn now and will be a great fly rod target for the next three weeks or so. The middle photo actually shows four fish - three males harrassing a larger female. Despite the conventional wisedom, you CAN hook these fish with a regular fly (if it's tied correctly) and get them in. It just takes a little finesse. And they are a BALL on the fly - if you've ever hook a barracuda, they fight much they same way . . . cart-wheeling across the surface and changing direction every other second. The fish in the lower photo is a spotted gar that went about three pounds. FUN!

BTW - July is booking up fast but there are still several days open in June (which is usually the best month). Give me a call at (940)391-9480 to book a trip.