South San Gabriel River 9-23-09

Went down to the in laws for the night because the wife had a meeting in Austin. A cold front was supposed to hit North Texas on Monday that was going to bring some storms. I weighed in the idea of going early Teal hunting or fishing the river. I chose fishing because of the recent rains and it is mainly wade fishing, before long it will be getting to cool. Monday night I watched the electrical storm from the back porch that was amazing. I new the front would hit here sometime in the early morning. Sure enough about 4AM it hit pretty hard and rained for over an hour. I got up at 6AM with a flashlight to see if the water was high and muddy. It seemed OK, but the radar was showing a good coverage of rain still. I made the call and had the wife drop me off about a mile and a quarter downstream. I hopped in and the air temp is about 63 degrees. Not that cold, but for this time of year in Texas, that is freezing and while still raining and wading, I was chilly. I did not expect to much, but couldn't help passing it up. I jump in and trekked up stream. I used a fluke exclusively on this trip, I have never stuck with one bait the whole time here. I noticed a few small fish chasing at the first hole and that made me feel positive. A few casts later I had a small Largemouth on. A couple casts later I caught a Big Ole Red Ear, never caught one on this river before. Headed to the next hole, this one has big fish potential. I catch a small Largemouth and on the next cast I feel a good thump and I miss it. I am mad because the rain was coming down pretty good and I thought that was my chance of the day. I scare off a nice bass wading through a nice section of ledges and spot another one about a pound or so and cast to him and he hits. Got him, but no more from this hole. The next hole is really shallow so I don't expect much. Second cast I pull in a small Guadalupe. Next cast, I stuck a real nice Guadalupe, lil over a pound. I head to the next hole and expect a couple of decent fish. Nothing at all from the good spots, the last flood changed the river some. I get to the end of the hole and the flow coming into the hole is kinda fast, but shallow. I make a cast into the riffles and stick a small Guadalupe, as I get him near the bank a 2# Largemouth came from the shadows and tries to eat him. It was cool to watch. So I watch where he goes, I release the small fish and here he comes again and dang near eats the Guadalupe. I pitch my Fluke out and he follows it, I stop it, let it fall to the bottom and he is watching it. I twitch it really fast and he nails it. Easy pic-kens, but a fun episode to witness. On the next hole I catch a few more Guads and a decent Largemouth. I reached the last hole and catch a Largemouth about 2.5# about 4 ft in front of me while wading. I am convinced fish are not really scared of you wading in the water and it is Gin clear. All in all, a much better day than expected and landed about 15 fish, it was 50/50 between Guads and Largemouth which was nice to see.

Early Teal Season Duck Hunt

Picked up Judd and headed for Sanger to hunt some Teal. We arrived late because Judd is slow and half way there Judd realized he forgot the gate key. By the time we arrived it was 45 minutes after legal shooting time. There were no birds on the tank and none came in. There was a storm a few days before that I thought would push the birds out and it did.

9-8-09 Brazos River (Possum Kingdom)

Went to the river this morning and was expecting it to be crowded. When I pulled up, the parking lot was empty. I was so happy! Got their at sunrise, which means I left a 4:45 AM, and started fishing. Started throwing a topwater and caught a couple in the first hole up to 2#'s was expecting more since no traffic on the water, but I'll take it. Just ahead of the first riffles I threw a top water out and within an eye blink of it landing, an explosion on the surface, with the fish going airborne, I was thinking that has to be a Smallmouth. One jump later my plug was sent back by airmail. I say to myself again, I think that was a Smallmouth! There are Smallies in Texas, mostly down in the Hill Country and in Southwest Texas. Up near Dallas, you don't expect to catch them except for lakes like Bridgeport, Texhoma and Whitney. I have seen pictures of Smallies from North Texas rivers (Yaknyota), but haven't caught one before. I know they have been stocking them in the river for the last two years, not to mention Possom Kingdom has some in it, so you know the river has a few too! At the top of the first riffles I make another cast, my plug is crashed and a fish is on. To my pleasure it is a Smaliie! It was a small one, but that is great to see in a fishery so close to Dallas, as I love Smallmouth fishin. I proceeded down river to catch a few more fish and saw a pack of Hogs. When they saw me they scattered and you could hear them for miles it seemed. As I started heading back up river, a canoe went by, first human sighting all day, that is great, to many though. I ended up seeing one ore kayak and that was it. I head to a few of my favorite spots, with current. I can say now that I have caught multiple fish from spots with current, I am figuring out current with rocks. O hooked one nice fish and it had another one following that was real nice. All in all, it was a great trip. I am now insearch of that 5# Texas Smallmouth!

Brazoz River 8-8-09 (Possum Kingdom)

Made my first trip in a Yak that I own. I got there at 08:30 AM and 8 trucks were already parked and in the water. I started out with a Spook and nada, I didn't throw it for very long. Wind was howling and I switched to a Super Fluke. I noticed small Sandies all over it but were to small to take it. Made it to the first set of rapids and landed my first fish. I switched to a Senko and caught 3 more. Hit the next hole with the big rock and people were fishing and canoeing all over. I managed one off a deep boulder. Made it to the next hole and didn't fish very much. I made an effort to explore the water and the structure to see what type of baits I should try next trip. Made it to the set of rapids and pulled a few more fish on whacky rigs with a nail in the head. Now I am a mile and a half or two and realize I haveto paddle back against the current and wind on this section of the river. I paddled back on the opposite side of the river to check out the bank structure. I made it back to the big rock pool and managed a fish off a deep boulder on a whacky rig. I head up the last rapid before the bridge and the air boats fly down in ankle to knee dep water like no one else is on the river. There were people swiming and canoeing, I was wade fishing, and it is not very wide. I am sure they are guides, but they do not own the river and I will start letting them know my feelings from here on out. They were very unsafe and I would like to see their faces when someone runs wide open while they are fishing just 20 feet away. I head back to the last pool and start targeting the head water of the rapid and caught some fish letting the whacky rig drifting in the current. I am start looking for logs and stick a small fish and he had a larger fish trailing, what I call friends. You should always have a rod ready when friends are trailing (I didn't). I was being blown by the wind towards the log and had to back up and retie. I casted back to the log knowing the friend was there and she was. I head back to the last current and threw the whacky rig and caught a few more. I never really fished current except on the Devils River, I kinda feared it because I am not used to it. I have learned the fish are there and will hit any kind of bait while it drifts on by. I learned a few things on this trip which is important every time out. I ended up with 12 fish and a rec Yak that is a fish'n machine now. By the way, I will never do this river on the weekend again, at least while school is out. Too many people and they are tearing up the water. I would love to try a night trip though!

Brazos River (7-14-09)

What a day, last night I loaded my canoe on to my truck, didn't like the way it was riding so I almost cancelled my day of fishing. It is late and I realize that I may not get another opportunity for a while. You would think being laid off would increase fishing chances, with 3 kids it doesn't! I want to go fishing really bad, but I just have this bad vibe, I already scratched an dented the top of my truck trying to bear down on the canoe. That doesn't faze me, I can take my float tube, I need some fins but it is midnight, Walmarts open, no fins. I get in bed by 2 and set the alarm for 6. I head out towards the Brazos knowing I still need some fins. The Walmart in Weatherford does not carry any! I spotted a Target at the exit, surely they will have some, but they don't open till 8, another 30 minutes. I knew I should have stayed in bed! 9:30 I make it to the river finally. I am underway and fishing within 10 minutes of arriving. In the first 15 minutes I have caught a large Green Sunfish and a small Largemouth about a pound. I am feeling much better now! There are 2 guys ahead of me in tubes also, they were cat fishing. I make several casts to a log that has to have a fish on it, nothing, so I make another cast just past the log to the undercut at the bank. I feel a thump, and assume I bumped a log, I see a large fish swimming towards me and think Carp, there are tons in here, then I realize that is a large Bass with my bait, set the hook and have a 6lb 8 oz Largemouth! Now I'm stoked, biggest river fish of the year for me, I'm so excited I forget to take a photo and release her. I go about 3/4 mile down river and realize I have to kick back against the current. There was by far the best looking water ahead of me, but I didn't want to fight the current in 106 degree heat, I head back. I have a 4 lb'r hit a top water twice and then she gives up. Other bank I have a 3 lber blow up on top and that one misses. I switch to a Bass Assassin and slow it down and watch a 5lb'r swim below my bait but does not take it. I catch a few more small ones then catch one that weighs 2lb 11 oz, I decide to take a picture and unroll my water-proof bag, only to find some water in there. My Canon DSLR now will not turn on. That is an expensive sacrifice to the fish Gods, therefore I have no photos to post and will not have any future ones either, for a while. A very bitter sweet trip and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! My fish were caught on Bass Assassins, Senkos, Wacky rig and big girl was caught on a Gene Larew Salt Craw on a stand up jig head. I have to give many thanks to Siler for giving some insight on where to fish. I need to yak this river with you dude!

I went to the LLano yesterday, and the heat kicked my butt! I don't get to fish a ton and I planned on fishing all day Thursday, then head to the Guadalupe on Friday and float with a buddy and head home Saturday and hit the South San Gabriel before heading towards Dallas. I did not come close to my plans. I made it to the LLano River Thursday morning in Castell by 9:30 AM. Before hopping in, I met Randy, the store owner there in Castell (Nice Guy). I hoped to fish 4 or 5 hours then go to another section of the river. By 11:15 I was back at the store in Castell eating a burger. I can't remember the heat kicking my butt while fishing like it did that day (105 degrees/ 110 heat index). I did catch a few nice Guads and a Largemouth wading, it is a difficult section to wade very far in each direction. I did not take any pics of the first few fish, thinking I would catch a few more, mistake! So I headed over to Hedwigs Hill to wade. I caught 4 Largemouth up to a pound and 6 really small Guadalupes. Easier to wade, but full of what looks like Coontail all over. I brought my float tube, but never got it out of the truck, due to not being able to take fishing outside the shade from the bridges. Then, after another couple of hours, I went back to the truck and checked phone messages. My buddy was unable to go float the Guad on Friday. Defeated, I headed back to my in-laws place near Georgetown. It was only 102 degrees by this time, so I decided to stop at the South San Gabriel River. I proceeded to catch a few small fish and went about 3/4 mile upstream. I switched baits and caught a 2lb 7 oz Largemouth while working the same waters I had just fished on my way back. I was spent, done, finished by now. I planned on returning home on Saturday night and made it home Friday morning. For someone who doesn't get to go fish like that very often, it hurt coming home early, but the decision was helped by the high temps. I did go explore some more of the South San Gabriel River and found a deep hole section that would be awesome with a yak, I can't wait to fish it now, when the temps start to drop!

South San Gabriel

On May 9th, 2009 I was able to go fish fish the river. The previous two trips were unsuccessful ones, during the spawn, go figure. I did not catch a single bass on those two trips, but I did have a couple of chances. I lost 4lb fish on both trips, I don't know what happened! This trip was to be much different though. I caught a few on top water, that is always fun. The Green Sunfish and Red Breasted Sunfish were going nuts over that Strom Grass Hopper Popper. Then on the deep hole I caught a 3 #r on top and saw a bass that would go close to 5#'s. That was the biggest bass I have seen on the river, ever. Then I switched to the craw on a jig head and caught some nice fish. I then lost another 4#'r. F*CK! I went to my favortite hole and did'nt scatch anything. Last hole was slow until I hooked a 4#'r and had another following it. It broke me off on 8# TEST. MOTHER F*CKER! That is the way my fishing has gone this year. I do have a few pix though.

Been A Long Time...

since I have posted. I haven't been fishing a lot and then not much to report. I did take Barrett out to the Duck Pond on May 12th for some fishing. He did catch a Green Sunfish with a jig and bobber.

Camping at Purtis Creek Sate Park

Well, I took the kids (Barrett & Maddie) camping this past weekend by myself. At first, I thought it was going to be an adventure, the wheel on the wagon fell off 20 yards into a half mile hike. So we had to leave the cooler behind. Along the way other things would fall because the cooler was my anchor. I had 3 piles along the trail I had to go back and pick up. Barrett and Maddie were troopers and helped out. Camp finally got setup up and we roasted hot dogs over the fire. We were all tired and went to bed. We woke up as the sun rose to the sounds of Canadian Geese. A couple lfew right by the campsite, that was neat. We cooked some sausage and made toast for breakfast. It was then time for a little fishing. After about 20 minutes Maddie hooked up with a 2lb Bass. We decided to go to the pier and try our luck, nothing. Then we went to the playground so Barrett could get some play time in. Now it was time to go to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. We had a good time seeing all the fish there. While there you can fish for free in a pond that has Catfish, Bluegill and Rainbow Trout. I saw a few nice Bass cruising around too. Barrett landed a few Trout, while Maddie struggled at first. Maddie then started landing some Catfish. We headed back to camp for a Critter show for the Kids. They played Bingo with animals and fish on the boards and talked about the different kinds of animals in the park. The park ranger had hides from beavers, raccoons and oppossums for the kids to touch and feel. Maddie and Barrett also got to make Plaster of Paris molds from animal tracks. maddie chose a Bobcat while Barrett picked out a raccoon. Barrett had started to destroy his before it started drying. One more night of camping and then we started packing up the next morning. We were tired, but relly enjoyed the weekend.

Drive By

I drove by the creek that runs into Whiterock to see if any fish were in there after the cold rain we had last week. I must have rained enough that the fish did not stay in the creek, the water was off color and really cold. I didn't even try to fish, it was the first 70 degree day since the cold snap.

North Dallas Pond #2

I had to run to the drug store and on the way I decided to look for a few fish. Not likely with the cold front that came through last night. It is cold and rainy, light to moderate rain and it was 36 this morning and now about 40 at 4:05 PM. I found a Bass still on a bed. So it is true, that if fish are bedding before the front they are likely to stay there during the cold spell, HUH! Last Saturday I had a 5 fish best stringer on my scale a 4lb's 7oz. Four days later it sits at 13 lb's 11oz. What a difference a few days can make.

Barrett's Battle With Some Pond Bass

It was 5:50 PM and I was waiting for Barrett to get home so we could go fishing before it got to dark. I new we would have about an hour if he would just get here. We left 15 minutes later. We made it to the pond in North Dallas as some light rain was moving in. I didn't mind the rain, but Barrett, he thought the thunder would come get him. I assured him we are fine and to go feed the ducks, while I try to catch one for him to reel in. He fed the ducks and I had one that went 2lb 7 oz. on a Watermellon Beaver Tail, which I dipped in Hot Pink Spike It so I could see it. I called him over to reel it in and I had to help him, this fish was fighting. He was happy! There was a family that came running over to see what we had caught, I guess they weren't catching any. They told me some guy had caught a big one and took it home. That sucks, because these little ponds can get fished out pretty easy. We walked a little ways down and caught another. It started pouring down rain and Barrett was freaking out so we drove by the other pond. I realized he did not have the screwdrivers in his hand anymore that he was playing with. I went back to find them and found a bass I wanted to go after and about 3 minutes later I hooked up with a 4 lb'r. That was it, a front is coming in tonight and it will be cold for the next few days.

Whiterock Lake 3-9-09

I hit Whiterock today in hopes of landing a few fish. I started out at the Garland Rd. bike bridge and not a thing. The wind was 25+ again and the water was off color. There was some one fishing on the Lawther side of the cove. I packed up and went to the Big Weedbed and the wind was howling there too. I made it half way down before I called it quits. As I passed by Winfrey Point I thought about stopping , but I moved on. I went and checked the creek on the West side of the lake and the Bass were all over on beds. I don't usually mess with bedding fish but I went after the biggest one I could find and it went 3lbs 6oz. This small creek had plenty of fish spawning out, this is good to see. I went by the small creek towards Buckner and saw a 1 lb'r swim off. I decided to go by Dixon Branch and walked 50 yards or so and couldn't see because of the wind. I went to the last creek there and it had a few beds with fish on them. I wanted to stay and fish, for it was one of the few times I could get away during the day with no kids or honey do's, but I had to check on a fax I was waiting for. My buddy Judd called me and said he caught about seven off the north side of Winfrey Point, I had driven past it a few hours earlier. Oh well I will get another chance later.

South San Gabriel River Fishing

On way down to Leander, TX. my buddy called and told me he was catching them at Whiterock on tube jigs. It's about time! I fished the South San Gabriel River Saturday morning at about 11:00 AM. It was about 74 degrees when I started and 25+mph winds, it was rough! I had the wife drop me off at the New Ronald Reagan bridge and headed west. I started out with a 1/8 jig head and a 3.5" Gene Larew Floating Salt Craw in a Green Pumpkin w/ bright yellow claws. Before I hit the water, my goal was to get 5 fish totaling 8lbs. I know it doesn't sound like much, but the river has not seen any kind of flow in over 6 months, the deeper holes are drying up and are filling in with silt. I new 8lbs would be tough under these conditions, but you have to shoot for something. 10 minutes into the day, I felt a tick, looked down and saw a swirl and a mouth open, i set the hook, but was to late! I knew that would hurt on the total weight because that one would have gone 3 or 4 lbs. I have never caught a good size fish out of the first hole and still haven't. I only got one other bite and that hole was done. Next hole I missed a real small fish and that was it. Nothing on the next deep hole, it was real muddy from the carp and/ or wind. Nothing on the next hole, way to shallow. The following hole looked nice, a little shallow but has some grass (hydrilla) growing. make a hard left and the water in 4ft deep and some nice boulders. I fish it hard and nothing, I turn around to head up river and there is a nice bass swimming near me. I toss the craw out , it swims over and picks it up, I set the hook and nada. I can't believe it, I flip it out in the direction and he comes back and I stick him. 1st fish of the day. One step later, another bass swims by and I flip out the craw, he swims over, picks it up and I set the hook and miss. WTF! I'm questioning the setup I'm using, but I feel it should work. I walk about 10 yards and cast up to a tree overhang and nothing. I cast a few feet over and as I hit the shallow grass I see out of the corner of my eye some movement near my bait. I lift and feel weight and let'er rip! A 2lb 1oz largemouth, hell yeah! A little under 6 lbs to go. Nothing for the rest of that hole. 2 holes left and they are my money holes. My favorite and deepest hole w/ plenty of boulders, I hit the first few and feel one tick. Huh, I move on and don't see anything. Near the end, I cast under a bluff and land a 1 lb'r. I move on to the last hole. I start out with a small Guadalupe and see a 2lb'r come over and check out my bait and swim away. I land one more small bass for a grand total for 5 fish of 4 lbs 3oz. The last hole is to silted in and very shallow to fish. I was way short, but I did have the fish on to make weight, I just couldn't land 'em. That is fishing, and that is why you keep going back! The next day Barrett and I went to the dam and caught a half ponder and I missed one other. His was an a crappie tube jig and mine was with a salt craw. I am going to give Whiterock a try tomorrow to see I I can bring in a few.

NADA

Went by Whiterock today and did not see much. Went by the small creek, gin clear, nothing. Went to the Buckner Creek and on my first pass I saw a bunch of empty beds. Most looked small like they were from Bluegills. On my way back to the truck I spotted 5 bass in a school underneath a tree. They were probably bucks and went up to 2lbs. I only made a few casts, then the wife called and needed me to take care of the baby, wasted trip. Again it was in the middle 80's and winds up to 30 mph.

No Fish On Beds Yet

I went by the ponds in North Dallas to see if the fish were bedding yet because it was in the upper 70's today. Not yet, I saw a few empty beds, but no fish anywhere in sight. I will give them a look tomorrow as it will be 80 with a strong south wind.

Barrett & Maddie at The Duck Pond

Well, it was cold and windy today, about 48. There was no fishing, but the kids did feed the ducks and find a turtle. It is supposed to get warm again this week so maybe it will get the fish turned on, I'm ready.

Nearly Skunked

I made it out to Whiterock today and didn't catch squat! The fish have not moved to the shallow grass yet. I didn't spot any fish in the creek except for a 10" bass. It was about 86 today and sunny with a strong south wind. I did go to the pond near my house with Barrett and managed a small bass caught on a small white tube jig Texas rigged. I let Barrett reel him in, he likes that.

February 25th 2009

It's been a month and a half since I have been laid off work. I don't see any signs of getting back in the business of drilling for oil/gas. During that span I did add one more beautiful daughter to my legacy of great looking offspring. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to go and experiece the best time to be fishing. The spawn of the Largemouth Bass should be in full swing now. Actually I did go to a small pond in North Dallas and caught a 4lb bass on a Florida rigged Yo Mama in Sapphire Blue.