The Shag Carp-it!

Over 9 inches of snow last week and an unexpected 5 day weekend gave me some "forced" time-off with nowhere to go and little constructive to do. So, I got to spend some much needed time at the vise and started on the carp fly needs for the upcoming season. Small Clousers, bitters, wooly worms, and Coyote Carps (the hit fly last year) were cranked out between snowball fights and other duties related to being the parent of snow-bound kids.

After a few dozen "essentials" I started messing around at the vise, letting the frozen creative juices flow, and came up with something pretty cool. Like most flies I'm sure it's been "invented" a dozen times by a dozen people but it should do the trick nicely. I was looking for something that would land soft and have lots of action (from the palmered hen hackle), sink at a slow but decent rate (small non-toxic eyes) and not retain too much water when cast (no dubbing or other body material under the hackle).

I have versions in #6 and 8 in tan, orange, and olive. Again, I think we're on to something here - look for reports in a couple of months as to what the carp think!

(btw- you know what you do when Mother Nature gives you 9" of snow? Use it as a light box!)

Blue Day on the Blue!

Chris Weatherly and I went to the Blue River this past Thursday to hit the catch and release water on a crowdless day. It was a great time for solitary fishing - mid-week, temps in the 30's and falling, a 12-20 mph north wind with gusts to 30 and rain/freezing rain/drizzle/sleet.

After the 30 minute hike in to the C&R area (far north end of the Blue River Wildlife area north of Hwy 7) we started nymphing holes and runs with the usual "Oklahoma rig"; a #14 BH Prince with a #18 pheasant tail dropped off on a foot and a half of 5X. The increasing winds made drag-free drifts difficult. After a few fish on the nymphs and several breaks to get out of the wind and warm up, we switched to streamers and spent the rest of the day catching rainbows deep.

We finally left around 4pm having not seen another soul, catching some NICE (for stockers) fish, and flirting with the symptoms of hypothermia (BTW - I'm a BIG fan of toe warmers!).

Lower Mtn. Fork (Beaver's Bend) Update

I made a trip to SE Oklahoma this past Thursday to check the Lower Mountain Fork through Beaver's Bend State Resort. The buzz has been fairly heavy about the area - message boards were filled with dread about the proposed repair to the turbines and the associated flood of water that was to be released through the spillway to moderate the lake level. Evidently "Plan B" - a solution involving repair of the turbines one at a time while allowing flow through the dam directly into the park water - is a happy compromise and will allow angling in Zone 1 for the next few months.

G. Tolle and I left Denton EARLY Thursday morning and were on the water before 9 am. There were only three cars at the lower nature trail bridge parking area when we got there - one was a hiker that headed off through the woods and another was two guys from the Okla. Fish and Game Dept. waiting on the stocking truck. The truck pulled up a few minutes later and we witnessed the transfer of trout to the pickup. It kind of like sausage . . . if you like it, you probably don't want to see it made! The stocking process is much less precise than one would think given the frail nature of trout. The OWD guys said they were adjusting their stocking placement because they could not cross the stream with the water level. So, they were going to put a few more fish upstream. If you have ever waded upstream from Cold Hole to the lower trail bridge, you might have noticed a 10" diameter blue PVC pipe on the right side of the stream. This is a stocking pipe. They back the truckdown to the other end of the pipe, attach a large hose and let'em slide. The trout get what has to be (for them) a terrifying 100' water park slide that ends with a dump into the stream.

Thursday was bright and sunny and as long as the sun was directly on the water, fishing was tough. All the fish we hooked before lunch (at 2:00pm) were holding DEEP. The water level was perfect for Spillway Creek - enough water for lots of fish cover but not too deep/fast to make wading difficult. We did not catch many fish in larger pools and, if we did, they were holding in pockets at the tails of the pools. Most trout caught were holding in smaller, deep pockets in sections with boulders or other "hydraulic" producing structure. The area downstream of the upper bridge was especially productive in the afternoon.

An interesting fact is that all of the fish we caught were large - we didn't catch a fish less than 14" and most were around 16. They were pretty beat up stockers with the usual blunt fins and less than magazine quality coloration but some of them fought very well. Glenn caught one just upstream of Cold Hole that jumped several times and took of upstream, leaping the whole way.

All fish were caught on some variation of the usual "Oklahoma rig" - an 8 foot 4X leader with a #14 heavy BH Prince and a #18 little black or olive midge as a dropper on 6X.

On another note, I fished my new 7'9" TFO Finesse 4 wt. and LOVED IT for the type of short range, "weave-through-the-woods" fishing we do at Beavers Bend (and especially on the Blue). It was just long enough to allow a good drift and was SO easy to maneuver through the tight cover along the stream. It had enough backbone to cast the nymph rig and fight the larger trout we caught (my biggest of the day was a 17" that just about "maxed out" the little rod).

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!

National Carp Day

I am hereby proposing a new national holiday - Carp Day. This will occur on April 10th and to celebrate, all one has to do is catch a carp on a fly. Simple.
No cards. No last minute guilt stops by the florist. Nada. Just catch a carp, shake fins with it, snap a pic and send it on its merry way.
We'll even have some fun with this . . . if anyone can figure out why I chose April 10th, you'll receive a carp fly selection tied by yours truly. Just post a comment to this post and first correct answer gets the flies!

The New and Improved Coyote Carp Fly

After a month or so of tinkering, I finally had the chance to put the latest version of the Coyote Carp in front of an actual carp . . . and MAN, does it work!

It took awhile to find the right combination of hook, eyes, and material to get the correct action out of the fly. I knew I wanted to use a medium bead chain eye so that I could get a decent sink rate without too much SPLAT on the water. Most of my fishing is in about a foot of water so I am more interested in stealthy presentations than a rapid sink rate. The problem came in finding a hook that was light enough to ride inverted ("hook-up") while in a #8 being stout enough not to straighten as a 8+ lb. fish is pulling on a 2X leader. With the help of a handy dandy analytical balance, I came up with a rough ratio of eye/hook mass needed to invert a fly. Turns out the eye needs to be about 2.5X heavier than the hook. Obviously, this also depends on materials and where they are placed on the shank.

Anyway, I spent a bit of time in March with an aquarium and some prototypes. The winning combination turned out to be a Gamakatsu SC-15 #6 with medium bead chain eyes (the SC-15 seem to be sized a little big - their #6 is the same size as a Mustad 3407 #8). This is an AWESOME shallow water fly; it hits soft, inverts easily, and hooks fish in the upper lip every time. A "deep" version (for fish in 18-36" of water) is tied with the SC-15 #4 and mini lead eyes. The minis don't hit too hard and get the fly down fairly quick. This should also be a KILLER redfish and bonefish fly; as a matter of fact, a handful of these are currently in the Seychelles with Brent and David from Tailwaters. I'm interested in their report - if nothing, that one of my flies is stuck in a coral head somewhere in the Indian Ocean!

I LOVE the SC-15's! At first, their thin diameter gave me caution - I've had clients straighten hooks on carp before - but, in actual "fish-testing" today they performed perfectly. I caught 7 carp on the same fly, the last two were over seven pounds each and I leaned on them pretty hard; trying to straighten the hook. Nothing except a perfect hook set right in the upper lip.

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!)

The Coyote Carp Fly

North Texas in January is a rough place for fly-fishermen. An unfortunate amount of our time is spent indoors and when we can get out, the fishing is marginal at best (usually). We pacify ourselves with trips to the Blue River or the Mountain Fork in Oklahoma for trout or maybe a desparate trip out to the Brazos below PK to see if any of the big fish are moving around. Unless you're into ducks (and the hunting has not been that great this year), our sporting chances get kind of slim in this dark corner of the year.

One thing that sustains me when I can't get on the water is fly tying. Between the utilitarian business of re-stocking various boxes that have been depleted by a busy season on the flats (and the streams of Colorado) and filling a few orders for boxes of flies for clients, I try to leave a little time at the vise to get creative with the bugs. Usually nothing comes from this except a few minutes of fun and then I razor off the hideous creation to save the hook. When I started tying I always kept a box of "maybe" flies. These were mostly goofy, hybrid creatures whose only positive virtue was "maybe a bluegill would hit it." I've learned over the years that I never used those damn things and they just sat there until they would get dumped into a raffle bin or trash can somewhere.

A few creations have stuck - my "Little Black Fly" being one (a subject for a later post - I promise), and a variation of the Clouser that REALLY fishes well is another. Well, here's another that I think might just work - the Coyote Carp Fly.

This thing just looks FISHY! The original inspiration came from a West Coast surf perch fly. It has two tan rubber legs and several strands of Krystal Flash forming a tail (or antenae if it were a retreating crawfish), a body consisting of a pinch of coyote fur, and a tan hen saddle feather palmered to the eyes for "legs." The example pictured above is on a stainless #6 with large silver bead chain eyes and should be a redfish/bonefish KILLER. I have since tied some on a #8 scud/pupa hook with small gold eyes that looks like a serious carp fly. We'll see - a handful of them are headed to the Brazos in a few days for some R & D!

Blue-22

I got a chance to hit the Catch and Release area on the Blue River yesterday in south central Oklahoma. For trout fishing an hour and a half away from home, it's not bad. Given the catch and release regulations and the fact that the area is a good 20-30 minute hike from the parking area, it's REALLY not bad.

The temperature was reading 19 degrees when I left my house to pick up Shannon. By the time we got to the Blue, it was 17. I think it MIGHT have warmed up to 24 during the day. That makes for miserable fishing if you're not catching fish - luckily, we WERE! Ice was everywhere; on the edges of pools, on the grass, on our guides - everywhere. I lost one fish when I went to put it on the reel, got everything tight and "POP" (the spool was frozen to the reel frame). Notice the ice clogging the guides in the top photo. You could only get two or three false casts before everything seized up. Tying a #18 midge pupa to 6X tippet with frozen fingers always make for fine sport, as well!

The fish were larger (on average) than ones I've caught on the lower sections of the Blue in the past. Most fish were between 14 and 17" and we didn't catch one less than 12. We ended up with about a dozen fish a piece and reached that blissful state in an angling day where catching another fish couldn't have made it any better. The majority were taken on a little midge pattern I've been tying for some time (and a few fell to the #14 BH Prince it was "dropped" from) - I'll post this pattern at a later date.

BTW - we had an interesting finale to the "Day of Ice." When we got back to the truck and started to strip off layers, we both discovered that our gravel guards were FROZEN to our boots. WE COULDN'T GET THEM OFF! Twenty minutes of heat in the car finally reduced the ice to puddles on the floorboard and we pulled off on the side of the road in Madill to finish changing. Crazy!

An Oldie but a Goodie

Cleaning out some old files and came across this one. Oh BOY!

Every year I make a special trip to Colorado to fish with these guys. We've known each other since we were little and this is usually the only time we're able to get together during the year since they both live in the Denver area. Matthew (the subject of the video - AKA "Big Daddy", "The Nube", "The Nuber", "BOOM!" and a few others) was just starting fly-fishing (obviously) when this video was shot.

That year we fished several streams in the upper South Platte drainage; Tarryall Creek, Four Mile Creek, the Middle Fork of the S. Platte, and a few others. Our base of operations during the expedition was Fairplay, CO. Unknown to us, we picked a weekend in early September when Fairplay was hosting an Alternative Music festival (the town was HOPPIN').

Anyway, after four days of hard fishing and a rough learning curve for the Nube, we decided it was time for him to spend some "not-so-quality" time with a bent rod. It was Kirb's idea (I think - might have been the PBR) to hit the trout pond on 285 outside of Bailey on the way home. For $20 bucks they'll let you fish in their "trophy pond" which is full of big brood fish from a hatchery. Kirb caught a big rainbow, I caught a BIG rainbow, and Matthew . . . well, you'll see. Make it fun - see how many things he does wrong while fighting the fish (and notice Kirb and I TRY to offer assistance).

REEL-LY COOL STUFF!

I had a chance to stop by the Tailwaters Holiday Bash this past Saturday - under the innocent plan of just swinging by to pick up a new pair of waders. What I ended up with was a bad case of the "I-wants!"

First off - the new waders. I've always had a difficult time finding waders that fit. I'm 6'1" and 175-180 lbs. with a size 12 foot. Usually, if I find waders that are long enough or have a large enough bootie, the chest is a 48-52 or so and there is SO much extra fabric in the mid-section/thighs that I can feel the excess flowing in the current downstream. Carrying/pulling all that extra drag gets VERY old after a few hours. All this has been eliminated with my new Patagonia Watermaster Lights!

In the Patagonia tradition of uber-design, these waders have it ALL! Lightweight, excellent suspender design, anatomical shaped booties, and a trim, athletic cut. I'm told that the design of Patagonia waders will change with the 2009 product line and I would have loved to get my hands on the "latest and greatest" but I needed new waders NOW. Another great feature of the Watermaster Lights is packability - they take up about as much room as a pair of jeans. Look for further product reports later.

Now for the reels! 2009 will see some great additions to an already stacked market of quality fly reels. Here's another reason to support your local flyshop . . . when you go into Tailwaters; (1) they already have the "latest and greatest" of the 2009 products (and not 5 dozen of last year's model that the home office is trying to unload), and (2) the guy that you're talking to actually went to the trade show in Denver a few months ago and talked to the manufacturer. Hell, he PROBABLY KNOWS the manufacturer. Anyway, here's example #1 - the Hatch Reel. . .

this thing is an amazing piece of machining. It's THE LIGHTEST, with the BADDEST DRAG of any reel I've seen. You have an option of colors and body styles (the "Monsoon" is pictured), and you should for a reel well north of $500. Any reel in this price range will get the job done but the thing about the Hatch is the QUALITY. Stare at that picture for awhile and see if you spot something unique . . .

Give up? NO SCREWS! The reel seat and the frame are all machined out of ONE PIECE OF ALUMINUM. Holy crap that's cool! It's going to cost you but if you are super hard on equipment or just appreciate unbelieveable workmanship, this reel's for you.

Next up, two new reels from Lamson - the updated Velocity and the new Guru. The Velocity is another awesome example of precision machining. Notice the secondary cuts in the spool; these reduce weight quite a bit while still providing that Lamson strength that has kept them at the top of the market since the LP series (of which I have three and they are still some of my favorite reels). The Velocity is the BEST reel on the market in the $200-300 price range. PERIOD. Lightweight, Lamson conical drag, excellent anodization, competitive price - it has it all.

Another offering from Lamson is the new Guru. This reel replaces the Radius in the product line and uses the same Lamson conical drag and is fully machined. Costs are saved with a less expensive finish than the "Hard Alox" anodization on the Litespeed and Velocity. Good thing is that you can get a 6 wt. Lamson reel for $189

Finally, there's something new from the geniuses at Abel. These guys have been turning out amazing products for decades. If you look back over the history of the sport, Abel was one of the FEW manufacturers that survived the growing pains. They did this by constant and thorough R&D and a dedication to craftmanship. Abel reels are just SOLID (and I don't think anyone has developed a better anodization process). They may not be the lightest, or have the most modern drag made out of the latest HD polymer; but they work, and they LAST! Look at the evolution of the "Big Game" fly reel - put an old Fin Nor "wedding cake" or Seamaster (and you know you've been around for awhile if you know what those are or can find one) in one hand and a new Loop or Hatch in the other. Totally different beasts. What's the missing link? ABEL!

Anyway, I'm sure you're aware that Abel finishes reels with all kinds of colors, patterns, and fish prints. Well, thanks to the guys at Tailwaters (and thanks to Matt Jones for the great photo)there's now an official CARP print as well. Finally, they gave a nod to a REAL gamefish!

Stop by the shop and check it out - heck, BUY it and I'll help you catch a carp to go with it!!

Golden Fall Colors

Fishing Report - Fall 2008







Well, another season on the flats has come and gone - and this one was GREAT! Excellent water levels, big fish, and quite a few guide trips (not to mention a new baby) made for a busy summer. Thanks to all my new and repeat clients . . . I hope you had a great time and I look forward to hearing from you again next spring.

Now it's time to settle in for the winter; hit Oklahoma a few times for trout, the dam at Texoma for Stripers, shoot a few ducks - we'll post some adventures as they come. Remember to support your local flyshops this holiday season when purchasing gifts; they provide us with a great service and EVERYBODY needs a new rod (or waders) in their stocking!

Here's a photo of my last trip of the season. Michael Gillman (holding carp) and his friend, Buddy booked a trip in early October - right before the strong cool front. A beautiful early fall day with clear water, no wind and super spooky fish. Fall carp are a real challenge as many of the food sources that are easy to imitate with a fly (like damsel and dragonfly nymphs or immature crayfish) have become fairly sparse. A fly really needs to be presented well with a long, fine leader.

Tight lines until next time!

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.

Rocky Mountain High

or "The One - Revisited"

I have finally returned from Colorado (and DAMN - it's HOT) - an amazing 8 days of backpacking, fly-fishing and climbing. The Williams Creek drainage in the Weminuche Wilderness north of Pagosa Springs was our target this year and it did not disappoint! I caught more wild, native cutthroat on this trip than I have in years. Usually, a high mountain drainage in Colorado will start with rainbows and browns at lower elevations and segue into brookies and cuts higher up (and you always catch more brookies than cuts). Not this stream. By the time we started fishing on the second "trail" day, we were over 3 miles above Williams Creek Reservoir and it was ALL cutthroat. Every fish we caught was clear and bright; a beautiful little gem with flaming slashes under the jaw and wild colors across the belly.

The new one weight (see below) worked wonderfully. It could hit pockets between alder bushes and shoot casts under willow "tunnels" like no other rod in attendance. A 10" cut felt like a 20" Platte River rainbow on the thing and I could feel the blank flex UNDER the handle while fishing fish - NEAT! Most of the fish were 9-12" but a few "toads" (for this stream/elevation) were landed. My largest was the 15-1/2" beauty pictured above. He was holding in a deep pool along a cliff-face in about 3 feet of water. I could see his tail periodically in a shaft of sunlight and knew he was THE FISH in the pool. My #14 Humpy was quickly replaced with a #12 tungsten beaded Prince and I flipped it upstream (sans strike indicator). On the second cast the drift abruptly stopped and the rod tip plunged to the surface. A few minutes later the fish came to hand, having maxed out the fish-fighting capabilities of the 1.4 oz. rod (at one point, I think I heard the rod whimper).

We found a few cut-bow hybrids in Williams Lake just below the continental divide at 12,100 feet, but other than that, all the fish were pure cutthroats (and the cut-bows were delicious - steamed with raisins and brandy). And to top off the trip, five days ago I was in a tent at 10,900 feet getting SLEETED on! It makes 106 degrees just a little more relative!

If you want to learn more about this amazing fishery and backpacking the wilderness area, I'll be giving a slideshow presentation at the Arlington Orvis store October 5th. More information to come.

The One

The "One" is a new, custom-made, TFO Finesse 6'9" one weight. It was made for me by Norm Goheen of Dallas and is an absolute gem!

Prospecting small, alpine streams for native trout is one of my favorite forms of fly fishing; usually in central or southern Colorado. I love backpacking up a new drainage and finding pockets of seemingly unmolested brookies and cutthroats. Traveling for 4-5 hours in the morning, setting up camp, and then fishing until dinner/dark is not a bad way to spend a day in the mountains. Make that 5-6 days in a row and you can pretty much cover two drainages - fish up one, cross a high saddle or pass, and fish down the next for a nice loop.

My rod of choice for these trips in the past has been an old Orvis One Ounce (7 foot, two piece, 4wt.). This is a wonderfully accurate little rod with the action of bamboo. The only problem is that the two piece tube doesn't fit well on a backpack . . . anywhere it is packed, it snags limbs, "clanks", or gives me the uneasy feeling of carrying an aluminum lightning rod. Also, there are many times when even a light, slow action 4wt. is TOO much rod.

I wanted a very light, medium action, 4 pc. one or two weight to play with the small cutthroat and brookies in the streams. I'm not concerned with distance; the rod needs to throw a #14 Humpy or Stimulator in a teacup at 20 feet. I noticed that Temple Fork added a one weight to their Finesse line this year. The Finesse series is a great line of rods and the BEST trout rods for the money on the market. I cast one at the TFO office in Dallas and knew it was the rod for the job - the four pieces measured just over 20 inches each. The only thing I did not like was the handle and guides. There are reasons TFO is able to bring great rods to the market at an unbelieveable price. All the Finesse rods have the same handle - from a 8'9" 6 wt. down to the little 1 wt. This made the little rod off-balance when loaded with a reel and line (and I'm a fanatic about rod balance). Also, the double-foot guides on the rod added unnecessary weight, bringing the rod to 2.4 oz. I knew this rod could weigh less than 1.75 ounces and told Jim Shulin, "I'll take a blank - and who's the best rod builder around?"

His answer - "Norm Goheen."

I called Norm and told him what I wanted . . . cork reel seat, single foot guides, minimal wraps, shave off every extra gram of weight. Two weeks later he called and said, "I have a rod for you and it's the tiniest thing I've ever built!"

And it IS TINY. It weighs 1.472 oz. on an analytical balance in my lab and balances perfectly with the little reel pictured. I ordered a custom cut 22", 1-5/8" diameter tube from REC (a "standard" 9 foot 4 pc. tube is 29" long and 2" in diameter - SEE THE PHOTO ABOVE). In backpacking terms, the difference in weight and length is amazing!

This rod will get its first trial next week, on a trip into the Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado (the exact target is the Williams Creek drainage). I have resisted all temptations to go to the local pond and try the rod out on some bluegills - this rod was made for trout and will be christened justly!

Expect a full report in about two weeks . . .

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."

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!

A Great Afternoon

Fishing Report - 5/25


I took Bart from Tailwaters out Sunday afternoon. Great day, beautiful weather, excellent casting, and picky, PICKY fish. The carp are definately on their post-spawn pattern - rooting in the shallows and grass, tailing up clams and crayfish, even taking a few damsels from the surface. Bart (an expert dry fly trout angler) pointed out a flying ant hatch and I'm sure some of those have found their way into some carp gullets.

Bart showed up with one of the new Winston Boron IImx 6 wts. Balanced perfectly by a Waterworks Force reel, it is one of the best light saltwater rods I've ever cast - it had no problem shooting a quick 70 footer and then loading up SHORT to hit a tea cup at 25 feet. WHAT A ROD! I've cast several of the "new - light" 6 wts (helios, Loomis, Sage) and this one is the top of the bunch.

Water temps are rising nicely and the lake is currently* a few inches below pool (conservation pool of Ray Roberts is 632.5 feet above sea level). The "east" flats are holding a GOOD number of fish - we easily saw over 200 carp in the four hours we fished. Clarity is VERY good for this time in May and this combined with the Memorial Day traffic led to some selective, skittish carp (more so than normal) - they wanted everything perfect. Presentation, retrieve, pattern, leader . . . it all had to be ON. We were able to stick several along with a few gar. Interesting side notes include a VERY large drum that refused all offerings, a new bird species for the "Ray Roberts list" (an Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus), and some absolutely MONSTER fish tailing at the deep edge of one of the flats. On later inspection of a photo, these had to be large channel cats; nothing else has a deeply forked, pointed, gray tail (and these tails were easily ten inches across). I don't know if they'll take anything (catfish can be tricky with a fly), but I'm going back soon with a 9wt. to try. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they were tailing in well over three feet of water. I'll let you figure out how long they had to be!


[* I say "currently" because as of this writing (Tues. evening), Ray Roberts is now over two inches high. We have dodged the bullet with the rain this spring but not this morning - the Denton airport recorded 2.88" of rain in two hours. Luckily, the Trinity River in Gainesville crested at about 2pm and is coming down - much of the water was absorbed by the relatively dry soils. The lake will be off-color for a few days with the west arm taking a little longer to clear.]

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.