July and Grassies

Sorry for the long dry spell of posts but July was kind of a blur. If I wasn't guiding I was in Colorado backpacking and chasing trout from the Weminuche Wilderness to Crested Butte. The carp fishing in July was fantasic with several memorable outings.

I guided Wilson Jaeggli and his friend, Frosty early in July and enjoyed a grand appearance from the grass carp. Usually, these MONSTERS give us just a passing shot and a Melville-esque glimpse at a large, silver-scaled fish in a foot or two of water. Wilson had done some research and came armed with milkfish tackle and tactics for just such an encounter. Around lunchtime, we saw a grassie tail at the edge of an old road bed. While moving into position, two more tails popped up (each tail easily 12-14 inches across). AND they stayed there - tailing and moving around the area for a good 10 minutes. Wilson made several presentations with a grass fly but no takers. Someday. Someday.

The photo shows Frosty with a nice common carp. Wilson is holding the rods in the background - one of which is a 9wt Sage rigged for grassies. The other is one of the coolest little rods I've ever seen. It's a little Scott 6 wt. from their Concepts line (I think) a few years ago. It's only 7 feet long and was designed by Chico Fernandez as a light snook and redfish rod for fishing the mangroves out of a canoe. NEAT!

Things are Looking UP!

I went up to Ray Roberts late this afternoon to get more of a handle on the current conditions. The lake is (at this writing) about 11 inches over normal conservation pool. Water is still up into the vegetation that was 20 yards from the shoreline a few weeks ago - and the fish are up there as well. Actually, they're all over the place.

The carp are all but finished with the spawn and on their post-sex feed. You can actually see a slight discoloration to the water a few yards out from the vegetation line; this is from the large numbers of carp (and buffalo) that are rooting in the bottom for food. The fish in the weeds/grass are nearly impossible to hook without hang-ups but fish further out will eat with abandon! You just have to find clearer water in which to spot fish and cast before wading up on top of them. I caught 8 or 9 in the two hours I was out and they all took the flies (both coyote carps and damsels) readily. The water clarity should improve in the next two weeks as the fish spread out into their summer pattern.

Gar are still spawning and I saw several pairs and groups thrashing around in the grass this afternoon. That should last another one or two weeks depending on rainfall. I caught two this afternoon. It's kind of cool - like fishing for dinosaurs - until you have to touch one of the things. I usually carry a glove just for that purpose (boga grips are kind of tricky with gar) and grab them just behind the head in a death-grip while I get the fly out with LONGnose pliers.

No glove. No pliers. Hmmmm.

I have to admit I actually thought about cracking the big one in the head a couple of times with the boga-grip but thought that might ruin my fish-kharma for the rest of the afternoon. So I just grabbed her and hoped for the best with the very small and VERY short pair of foreceps I had. fun. I've had a shower and washed my hands a few times since and can still smell that fish (did I mention they STINK?). But, they are a ball when hooked, cart-wheeling and jumping while changing direction every two seconds.

I caught two buffalo as well and am beginning to think this fish COULD be dialed in at some point. They're still the permit of the flats - it's totally up to them whether or not they'll eat. If carp have a "strike zone" the size of a volleyball, a buff's is more like a tennis ball. It has to be RIGHT THERE, below the level of the their eyes (I've never seen one come up even an inch for a fly) but not hidden in the bottom. VERY tough. But very rewarding when you hook into a 14.2 pound monster that tears into your backing and thoroughly christens the new Lamson Konic 2 reel.

It''s just tough to take a picture of a big fish by yourself. You can go for the "lay it on the shore next to the rod" shot, BUT there's not much of a shoreline these days at Roberts. All I could do was wade into shallow water, hold the fish out with the boga, and shoot for the best with the camera in my phone. That's my TiCr"X" and new Konic just behind the fish for a size comparison (with the rod in a bush). It was a great fight - he took me all over the little cove and into the backing twice.

On another note, more rain is forecast for this weekend (at least they're not using terms like "Heavy Rain"). If we can dodge another precip bullet, and the lake level keeps dropping as it has the last few days, I believe that June is going to be PHENOMENAL! July is booking up quickly but I still have several days (both weekend and weekday) open in June. Call me and get in on some great sight-fishing!

(940)391-9480

Precipitation

Be careful what you wish for.

An age-old saw at best but very appropriate here. About a month ago I jotted down a post in which I stated that we could use more rain. I said that the lake was at a place in elevation were it would be great a foot lower or a foot higher.

Now we know which way we're going. Thanks, Lord, for the rain (did we have to get a month's worth in 12 hours?). Ray Roberts has gone up over three feet in just over 48 hours. Thunderstorms "trained" over Roberts and its drainage for the better part of 24 hours straight. This gives us a good news/bad news set-up.

Good news - the carp are going bananas right now; spawning at the edges of the flooded flats. You can hear them from 200 yards away as a half dozen males chase a female around in inches of water . . . it makes quite a racket! The ones that aren't actively spawning ARE feeding. Just like bones or reds on a rising tide, they're pushing into flooded grass after everything from ants to seeds. SD and I stopped by the the lake Friday afternoon and the carp were like pigs in slop; all caution thrown to the wind as they spawned or foraged. As I mentioned earlier, they're difficult to hook this time of year; spawners aren't interested in food, and the activity clouds the water so much that feeding fish can't see a fly (combine this with clouds and it's really tough). The trick is to forget all the commotion and focus on the edges of the flat where you'll find clearer water and maybe a large female or two on the feed. This was the case yesterday - I found a LARGE female tailing about 20 yards out from the shoreline (in about 2 feet of water). After a long battle I was finally able to land her; just under 10 pounds on Shannon's boga. Check out video of the spawning fish and the battle with the she-beast at Shannon's site, Texas Flycaster.

The lake is still below normal "pool" elevation (at this writing) and the fishing will be great as long as it doesn't get too high. The magic number is 632.5 (elevation in feet above sea level).

Bad news - with fully saturated soils, any additional precipitation will run-off straight into the lake. This is the same situation we had in 2007. Rain and then RAIN. That year we got over 4 inches in a day (on top of a previous rain that soaked everything) and Roberts went up 6 feet, effectively destroying the flats fishing. The fish were still there, tailing and feeding as always; but, who wants to catch them (or pay to catch them) bushwacking through flooded mesquite, honey locust, and floating balls of fire ants?

Needless to say, I'm watching the weather VERY closely but it doesn't look good - large storms are pushing south out of OK right now on the edge of a cool front. Hopefully they'll cross the Red to the east of the Roberts drainage!

Cross your fingers, folks!

Carp in the News

Generating quite a bit of buzz in the carp angling community was a front page article in the Wall Street Journal describing the benefits of "brownlining" - searching for less than desirable species in WAY less than desirable spots. The story focused on the S. Platte River through Downtown Denver and some guys from Discount Fishing Tackle that have set themselves up as carp fishing experts (they're even doing $50 seminars in which you too could become an "urban expert").
I have no beef with anyone making a buck off of the maligned C. carpio (it would be awfully hypocritical if I did) but this is just another in a long sequence of stories that paints carp as a tertiary species only found in sewage infested, urban waterways. Even that hallowed tome of flyfishing, The Drake, recently ran a bit about fishing for carp in the Los Angeles River.
I've caught carp in these places and, while I caught some BIG fish, it gets old fast. These fish usually just dive for the cover of depth when hooked and don't give the long runs I'm used to. Odors, traffic noises, dodging shopping carts and discarded batteries - YUCK! If you get a chance to chase carp in a clean, shallow environment (hey, like Ray Roberts!) they are a totally different animal. They spooky, cautious, picky and know what food should look like. They act just like reds on the coast and will streak across a flat when hooked, exposing backing in seconds.
I guess my point is this: before you make up your mind and file carp away as "trash", let me take you to the flats of Ray Roberts and show you my version of carp fishing. I think you'll be amazed!

A Change of Seasons

What happened to summer?!?!? Three weeks ago it was "situation normal" for late August in Texas. Football in the heat, getting ready for dove hunting in the heat, FISHING in the heat - and then BAM! I left the house yesterday morning for a run and made it to the end of the street before I realized the strange sensation in my arms and face; I was COLD! I cannot remember a cooler early September (even without the hurricane).

Ike did not turn out to be the rain producer they thought it would be, we were about 50 miles west of major downpours. Obviously, you've heard the reports from the coast. Those folks need help (please contact your local Red Cross for Salvation Army to assist). A lot of guides and commercial fishermen lost EVERYTHING - many without the means to recover losses. Flats guides that make a living off of understanding the nuances of inches of water will find their playing fields completely erased. Trash and petrochemical waste will litter the flats for years - it's going to be a mess for sometime.

As for our fishing, the cool weather has slowed some aspects but in NO WAY is it over yet. Carp are still cruising the flats and the water clarity is as good as it gets. Water levels are holding at about 10" low (http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=fwd&gage=rrlt2&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 )With water this clear, a long fine leader is needed for consistant hook-ups (especially if there is no wind). Hoppers can usually be used this time of year but really need a hot, dry SW wind to get going. Not much of that lately!

The sand bass are really confused. They're still around and "schooled up", but not surfacing as much as they should in September. This is usually the time of year when we fill the freezer with the evening sand bass bite. They can be caught deep - holding off structure - with slab spoons and jigs. Not what you would call fly rod fodder.

Tales of Tailwaters

Fishing Report - 6/18

I had an opportunity for a "guide's day off" and went fishing Sunday with David, Bart, and Travis from the Tailwaters Fly Shop in Dallas. Great guys, good times, and FISH! The meadow we cross to get to the south side of the flats is currently ablaze with color (Coreopsis and Brown-Eyed Susans - I think) - it's amazing to watch it change from the bluebonnet and paintbrush colors of April to the brillant yellow of mid-June.

As for the fishing, the east flats are beginning to show signs of stress/pattern change as we saw about half the number of fish I've seen in the past few weeks. By the end of June, it will be time to hit the westside areas as hydrilla will make most of the currently fishable flats almost impossible. Presentations and retrieves have to be spot on . . . they are not giving any "freebies."

What the . . .

I'm always amazed at the things we see during my guide trips. Many of the flats that we fish are far from the "beaten path" on Ray Roberts - sometimes the only footprints I see are those that I recognize as my Marlwalker prints from the previous week, month, or even season. I've walked up on feral hogs, deer, bass anglers sleeping in their boats, snapping turtles, dopers tending their "weed" patch, TPWD biologists, one VERY angry skunk, more drunk red-necks than I can count ("Hey Bud! Check this dude out. He's fly fishin'. Ain't no trout in here!"), and one couple performing an amazing feat of biology and balance on the back of a WaveRunner.

But for shear "Freak Factor", nothing has topped this. I was out with a client two summer's ago and stumbled across this snake (a nonpoisionous Diamondback Water Snake - Nerodia rhombifer). Surely he did not chase down this catfish but he was giving it his all trying to swallow it. We watched him for a good 4-5 minutes and finally got too close for his comfort; he spit out the fish and swam off about 8 feet (all this in just a few inches of water). We left him alone to continue our fishing and when we returned - there he was - lying in the water with a 9 inch, catfish-shaped LUMP a few inches past his head. Obviously too stuffed to move, he chose to stand ground and do his best Cottonmouth impression (we weren't fooled).

A New Season

Greetings All!

A new season of flats fishing at Ray Roberts has begun! After the literal "wash-out" that was last season, this summer looks to be shaping up nicely.

For those of you that don't know, we had the flood of the century last Spring. Ray Roberts went up about 8 feet in two weeks - effectively killing the carp fishing last summer. The fish were still there, doing their thing, but it just wasn't fun trying to catch fish in the flooded vegetation. The bright side is that the flats received a needed scrubbing and look great. I scouted one of my "afternoon" flats this past Sunday and counted over 200 happy carp - and caught 6 in about 30 minutes.

The carp have finished their spawn and are started to feed in a usual pattern. Gar are in the middle of their spawn and are sharing the flats with the carp. They will take a fly now and go absolutly NUTS when hooked - and nothing's more fun than trying to get your fly back from an upset gar! I began to get the black buffalo dialed in last August and will be on them again as soon as they show a predictable pattern. Water temps are warming nicely and the fighting ability of the fish is increasing proportionately. At this writing, Ray Roberts is about an inch above normal conservation pool.

We have dodged some bullets with the last few rounds of thunderstorms/rain. Everything has either gone just north and fallen in the Red River drainage or into the Brazos/Trinity to the south.

Keep your fingers crossed, folks. This could be one to remember.