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

They're Back!

The Spring bite is ON! My son and I took a little hike around the lake yesterday and saw dozens of carp - all cruising in inches of water and feeding. This is a limited time thing as they are gorging on the first "real" food (craneflies, dragonflies, tree seeds, etc.) before they begin the spawn. Once the spawn starts in a couple of weeks, they lose interest in food and muddy the water with their randy antics. They can still be caught but it gets tough. A good side note is that gar will join them in the shallow spawning fest and they WILL eat. Catching a 10 pound gar in a fooot of water makes for an excellent April diversion while we wait for the carp to go on their "summer" pattern (usually the first of May).

Anyway, I caught four fish in quick succession yesterday. The low level and clear water made for long, tough presentations but they ate - and two where 6+ pounds! (and how about those photos . . . not bad for a 6 year old!) Give me a call if you want to get in on it - (940)391-9480.

Obviously, as you can tell by the photos, the lake is very LOW (just over 3 feet to be exact). Some flats have disappeared and others are emerging. If you fished with me last season, you might remember the "hog pen" from the above photo. It's now 20 yards from the shoreline. We need RAIN! The precipitation we recieved last week just soaked right in with very little run-off. The lake went up a whopping 1.5 INCHES after two straight days of rain. We also need more flow to kick off our sand bass/hybrid run. It was a BLAST last year and we could all use some bent stick this time of year!

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!

Introduction to Fly Fishing Class

I will be teaching an Introduction to Fly Fishing class through the City of Denton Parks and Recreation department in April. The course will meet two Wednesday evenings at South Lakes Park off Hobson Road in Denton.
The first evening will focus on different equipment, the basic fly cast, types of flies, and the roll cast. Folks will then have two weeks to purchase their own equipment (TFO rods and reels are provided for the class) and/or try their hand at fly fishing on their own. The second class will focus on knots, fine-tuning equipment/techniques and places to fly fish in the north Texas area.
The registration fee is $90 and class size is limited so sign-up early. Register at the above link or call (940)349-PARK. This is a great introduction to fly fishing for a friend, spouse, or other potential fishing partner!
(and remember - fly fishing is like skiing . . . it's MUCH BETTER for your relationship if you pay someone else to teach your significant other how to do it!)

Clearly Better Fishing!

Many people ask me if the fishing at Ray Roberts is as good as I make it out to be (this is BEFORE they go on a trip). People find it hard to believe that there are miles of clear flats just an hour from Dallas or Ft. Worth. "Is it REALLY like fishing on the the coast?", they will ask, adding "I've seen Ray Hubbard (or Lewisville, Lavon, Lake Worth, etc.) and you can't see a thing in it."

Well, sorry for the cliche, but we'll let this picture say a thousand words. I took this two years ago on one of the west-side flats (the camera had a UV filter but NOT a polarizing filter). I was standing in about a foot of water, the angler is in 5-6 inches - the shoreline is 75-80 yards past him. This flat extends about a quarter mile down the shoreline and takes us two to three hours to fish. On a good day we'll easily spot 150 fish on this flat - "SPOT" being the key word.

Roberts is a VERY clear lake by North Texas standards. It is a newer lake so it doesn't have 50-60 years of silt and sediment to get stirred up. It also has a limited upstream drainage and large areas of rocky shorline. All this adds up to a lake with amazing clarity. We even spearfish in parts of it!

So, the answer to the question is "YES, it's really like saltwater flats fishing." Big fish tailing in clear water, tricky presentations and reel-clearing runs. Give me a call and I'll show you . . . (940)391-9480!