DFW Flyfishing

Willow slurpers

2009-07-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

I fished with Darren McDonald last Wednesday and we had another interesting day on the flats. The Hex hatch was beginning to wind down but a few adults were clinging to willows around the edge of the lake. Bass were still up shallow but moving around with much more urgency than before - as if they knew the easy food was thinning out and they wanted to make as much of the remaining calories as possible.

Darren was treated to another day of glaring sun (at the beginning) and wind that made spotting and casting conditions rough. As the wind finally let up after noon, the atmosphere "popped" and storms bubbled up from the broth of heat and humidity. You can see the storms percolating in the background of the photo. The one big storm in the area sat right on top of us as we left and pounded the area with rain and wind.

Interesting side note . . . the willow trees have "seeded" and the carp were up sipping the fluffy seeds. They look much like Cottonwood seeds and form floating masses of fluff in back eddies and coves. At one point we could hear a large carp slurping the seeds off the surface; it sounded like someone dropping pebbles in a fountain. We looked around and saw a huge pair of orange lips working on a "seedline". Darren did his best Blue Heron impersonation and after an agonizing several minutes (the carp kept moving every 5-10 seconds), put the fly right in the fish's mouth. After a good fight, the carp pictured above was brought to hand.

(BTW - notice the Hex adult on Darren's elbow!)

Hexes!

2009-06-27T14:53:00.002-05:00

The annual Hexegenia hatch is on at Ray Roberts. Everything that swims in that lake (with the possible exception of sand bass) is up cruising the shorelines for an easy meal. Every willow within 30 feet of shore will have dozens, if not hundreds, of the large mayflies on it. Shake a branch and they'll flush, scattering in the breeze. If any land in the water, a nearby bluegill or bass will gladly take the offering.

Bart Larmouth (from Tailwaters Flyfishing in Dallas) was at the lake yesterday and shot some video of the hexes. Check it out here.

The carp will feed on top as well. If you can find one that looks like it's surface-feeding, it probably is. Put a #8 Hex dry right in front of it on a long 3-4X leader and see what happens!

(photo by Bart Larmouth)

Fishing Update - 6/23

2009-06-23T08:30:00.005-05:00

Great fishing at Ray Roberts this past weekend. The lake is only about 2" high now and still dropping (100+ temps this week will help) and clarity is near optimal. The weather difference between Sat. and Sun. created two completely different angling experiences.

I fished with Roger Crandall (top photo) Saturday and he ended up with 6 carp and a catfish. It was a typical June day on the flats - windy, partly cloudy, and warm. The fish were on the move and beginning to chase Hex nymphs that were moving in the flats. This includes the cats which were tailing large carp just like jacks on a ray. Roger put a fly right on the money in front of one BIG carp and a 2 pound catfish raced forward and nailed it before it sank 4 inches. Impressive.

Sunday was a different story. The high pressure system that was centered over central Louisiana had moved to north Texas bringing with it the first day of bright sunshine in three weeks. The fish were spooky and wanted everything "just right." I fished with Eric Burnett that day and we had to WORK for every fish. Eric has a great little Scott Warmwater 6 wt. that could straighten a leader at close range and still throw a couple of "Hail Mary's" to bass at the edges. We also saw 4 HUGE grass carp trailing across one of the flats. It's a little unnerving to see well over 100 pounds of fish swimming in two feet of water. Alas, no takers yet on the grassies!

Bass Attack

2009-06-16T08:12:00.002-05:00

I had a great trip with Mark Levock yesterday on the flats of Ray Roberts. The weather was less than cooperative with 10-15 mph sustained winds (that kept changing direction just enough to be annoying) and high cloud cover that did not burn off until after noon. We made the most of the conditions and searched for tails, "muds", and bubbles in shallow water just off the edge of the grass.

One thing that stood out was the number of bass that were in shallow - and I mean SHALLOW. I believe these fish are up chasing Hex nymphs that are beginning to hatch. Mark caught two nice bass (both around 2 - 2.5 lbs.) that hit Snap Dragons without a moment's hesitation. The second bass he caught was in a gang of 6 bass that were scouring some flooded grass in about 8 inches of water. When he made the cast, there was actually a large piece of grass on his fly - clearly visible as it landed and he began to strip it in front of the small school. It didn't matter as the first fish accelerated and nabbed it. I've never seen that many "large" bass so close together in such shallow water!

Carp were up feeding aggressively as well; as a matter of fact, the first carp that Mark caught was about as "active" a take as you can get from a carp. This fish turned and nailed a fly 10-12" away after coming out of a small mud it was creating. The carp then proceeded to burn all the fly line off Mark's reel as it headed across the flat.

G's Bluegill

2009-06-11T07:25:00.001-05:00

First fly-rod caught fish ON A FLY HE TIED HIMSELF!

(see post below)

A Day of Firsts

2009-06-10T21:09:00.004-05:00

June 9th will live as a day of firsts in the Hays household.

It all started quite innocently yesterday afternoon as I sat down to work on some holes in my fly box. The Snap dragon has been the hot fly over the past two weeks and I was down to three in my possession (a recipe and photo for this fly will be the subject of a later post). Anyway, I was about 10 minutes into it when my seven year-old walked into the garage and asked what I was doing.

"I'm tying some flies that I've been meaning to tie."

"I want to tie a fly."

Now, I've always been one for not pushing our hobbies onto our kids. Luckily, my son loves to fish and is quite skillful at the use of his small spinning rod. When it comes to anything "fly" he's been mildly interested but would much rather catch fish with a rod he can cast himself (he DOES like to fish with a fly behind a casting bubble most of the time). But this was genuine excitement and interest - a "teach-able" moment had arrived and I wasn't going to let it pass.

"OK, bud, let's tie you a fly!"

I showed him different hooks and what they were for as well as thread and tools. We picked a good #8 all-round hook and stuck it in the vise. Next we learned the intricate art of the bobbin and thread tension. I laid out an assortment of fur, feathers, hair, chenille, yarn, etc. and he chose materials and color. First, a gold bead because even a seven year old has noticed that the vast majority of nymphs out there are bead-heads these days. Then a pinch of olive rabbit for a tail (it obviously took a few "trys" but he eventually got it wrapped down). Peacock-colored flash chenille for a body was wrapped up to the bead. I was about to whip finish it for him when he said, "What about a feather? A fly needs a feather."

So I tied in a olive barred saddle hackle and he spun a little "collar" and tied it off. I told him it was a great addition and would look like bug legs to a fish. A drop of head cement and his first fly was done - the Gman Bluegill Fly!

It was quickly decided that it must be tried IMMEDIATELY. We jumped in the truck and were off to a local pond that has a pretty good bluegill population (as well as a few nice bass). I always keep an old four weight and some tackle in the truck just for emergencies and we were soon rigged with the new fly at the edge of the pond. The only problem was that the wind was blowing a steady 20 mph - no time for one's first casting lesson. So, I cast the little rod as far as I could into the breeze, dropped the rod tip, made a few strips and handed him the rod. It only took a few casts and he had the idea. Keep the rod low, line through the right finger against the cork, strip with the left hand.

On the fourth cast I noticed the flyline jerk and yelled for him to lift the rod.

"I got a fish!", he yelled; grinning ear to ear. In came a respectable bluegill and out came the camera. With the great sense of compassion that he has he wanted the fish released quickly (Dad was busy snapping photos and hoop-ing it up). Amazingly, he looked up and said, "I want you to catch one now." I managed an eight inch bass and told him to get ready to catch another one. Several casts later the rod almost jerked out of his hand. The old rod bent right down to the handle as he stripped in what turned out to be a GOOD, hand-sized bluegill. More photos and a quick release

The wind continued to increase and we had to call it quits. In the space of an hour my son had tied his first fly and caught his first fly rod-caught fish (OK, I cast it for him but who cares!). Pretty impressive! To add to the firsts, an hour later at the grocery store he announced that he wanted steak for dinner. This from a kid who's usual meat consumption is chicken breasts, burger or maybe a hot dog (and fried sand bass!).

"Really buddy? You've never had steak before."

"Nope. But I want to try it now, Daddy."

He loved it (medium - with a side of ketchup).

Wind and Sun

2009-06-07T21:22:00.002-05:00

I had the pleasure of guiding Scott Posavitz today and we had a great day on the flats. The forecasted wind of 10 mph with gusts of 20 was more like 15-20 with gusts to 30 out at Ray Roberts. Even in a secluded cove, the wind made for tough spotting and tricky casting (Scott mastered the wind-assisted "long dapple").

Scott made the most out of the situation and ended up with five carp, a gar, and a nice bass. The bass was actually tailing in about 10" of water like a carp. At first all I could see was the tail and couldn't for the life of me identify the fish. Scott made a quick cast and dropped a snap dragon right in front of the fish. Just one strip and the fish accelerated, identifying itself when that bucket mouth opened to suck in the fly. A couple of jumps and we had a nice 2.5-3 lb. bass in hand.

The lake is right at 6" high and still dropping. The wind yesterday and today has not helped the clarity but that has still improved over the last 3 weeks. We found some amazingly clear water on a few flats today and were able to spot and cast to fish 40-50 feet away (most, however, were MUCH closer).

Another interesting note . . . I spotted a VERY recently hatched hexagenia dun today. If these large mayflies get cranked up in the next several days - IT'S ON! Everything in that lake (with the possible exception of sand bass) eats hexes. A hex emerger or even just a large, unweighted, soft hackled pheasant tail will draw strikes from bass, bluegills, carp, gar - even catfish! Just look for a willow or other small tree close to the water. If it's branches are covered with large mayflies, hammer the water all around. If you want to REALLY have fun, tie on one of the hex adult patterns (or a #10 Adams) and try to get a carp to take on top. It takes some work, and a fish that's looking up, but it's a ball!

Great White Buffalo

2009-05-31T07:35:00.003-05:00

Strange events on yesterday's trip to the flats.

First of all, the lake is recovering nicely from the May rains. At this writing it is 9" high (@ 633.23' above sea level - normal pool is 632.5) and the Corps has maintained a steady release of 373 cfs from the dam since May 21st. Water clarity is improving daily and is now back to where it should be for this time of year.

The carp are finishing their post-spawn feeding frenzy and settling into a "normal" summer routine. We're wading the outside edges of shoreline vegetation to target fish tailing in calf-to-knee deep water. Large numbers of smaller carp can be seen along the flooded shorelines but they are impossible to cast to without hanging up. We probably saw 200 fish yesterday and had shots at about 50 (that we actually eating and not cruising). The "deep" version of the CoyoteCarp was the fly of the day - it could get down quickly in the 18" or so of water but still not land with too much SPLAT.

Smallmouth buffalo are all over the outer edges of the flats and we had several good opportunities. The more I target these fish, the more they live up to the analogy of the permit of the freshwater flats. They're SPOOKY, tough to hook, and when (or if) they eat is totally up to them. If the carp has a strike zone the size of a volleyball, then the buff has one the size of a golf ball! That fly has to be RIGHT in front of their face (actually a little under their face given the shape of their Hoover mouth). The fish pictured went just over 13.5 lbs.

Now for the "strangeness." The picture of the scale on my dear, old, trusty boga is the last image of it in my possession. I knew this was a LARGE fish - worthy of some kind of state or maybe IGFA record so I dug out the boga, weighed and measured the fish, and had a few pics snapped. At one point I had the boga in one hand (attached to fish) and held the fish with my other hand under its belly. One big FLOP and all those 13.5 pounds went on the lanyard which was around my wrist. The jaws must have pierced the skin because when the fish hit the water, he was still attached to the boga but the boga was not attached to ME! By the time I realized what had happened, the buff was swimming off the flat. I noticed that he stopped and tailed (as if rubbing something off his face). We searched for some time with no luck and clouded the water so I'm going back soon to search again. If you happen to catch a large buff with a 15# boga grip hanging off its head, please send it back - I'll reward your efforts with a box of flies!

July is almost booked but I still have several days open in June - call or email to reserve a date (940)391-9480

Things are Looking UP!

2009-05-21T21:04:00.004-05:00

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

Changes

2009-05-10T12:00:00.007-05:00

(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.

Precipitation

2009-04-30T22:19:00.005-05:00

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!

Choices

2009-04-25T09:05:00.002-05:00

Well, springtime is in full swing here in north Texas - doves are nesting, the wind's blowing 30 mph, and clouds are soaking up the gulf moisture. Thunderstorms and "heavy rain" seem to be on tap for the foreseeable future (at least according to the National Weather Service). This is not good sight-casting weather which is OK becuase the carp have started spawning anyway. They're still "catch-able" during their reproductive antics (and we usually catch some LARGE females this time of year), but the weather and turbid water make things even more challenging than usual.

So, what do you do with yourself over the next few weeks until optimal stalking conditions arrive? Chase bass for starters; this is prime bass-time on area lakes and ponds. Cover a lot of shallow cover with flashy streamers or large buggers and you'll find something (or SOMETHING as in the case of SD with his potential water body record fish). Ditto for sunfish that are gorging now in preparation for their randiness in May.

If you need any angling paraphernalia or just a good excuse to go hang out in a fly shop, there's free beer at Tailwaters today.

For non-angling pursuits, this is Arts and Jazz fest weekend in Denton (downtown in Quakertown park). Good times and GREAT music for all!

Happy Carp Day!

2009-04-10T12:30:00.003-05:00

You didn't think I would let Carp Day pass without a "quickie", did you? This guy was convienently located on the flat by the Ray Roberts marina and I had him spotted, stalked, hooked, fought, shot, and finning happily away in 15 min.

Looks like we're in for rain/storms this weekend and as soon as the next "warm-up" hits I believe the carp will start the spawn. This is an interesting time; the carp are difficult to catch but gar will join them on the flats and love to eat a fly. Makes for a nice little diversion while waiting for the REAL flats action to start in early May.

(BTW - If you want to book a weekend guide trip in May, call soon! Dates are being reserved and going fast. 940-391-9480)

Brother Isaak and "The Queen of Rivers"

2009-04-09T23:49:00.003-05:00

We have a winner in the National Carp Day riddle (see below). Our local dry-fly purist turned rubberlipper, Colgate grad., and angling historian, Bart Larmouth, scored with the random quote from The Compleat Angler. It seems Mr. Walton, while obviously a trout and salmon kind-of-guy, spread the love to some other species. Pike, Carp, perch, and even eel are given fair due in the standard tome of angling (was Sir Isaak the original "brownliner?"). Here's a few tidbits from Chapter 9 . . .

"The Carp is the Queen of Rivers, a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish . . ."

"Hops and Turkies, Carps and Beer/Came into England all in a year."

"And my first direction is, that if you will Fish for a Carp, you must put on a very large measure of patience."

"But first you are to know, that it must be either early or late; and let me tell you, that in hot weather (for he will seldom bite in cold) you cannot be too early or too late at it. And some have been so curious as to say, the 10 of April is a fatal day for Carps."

Sir Isaak even goes as far as to give us a glimpse of his foodie nature with a recipe for carp . . .

"Take a Carp (alive if possible), scour him, and rub him clean with water and salt, but scale him not, then open him, and put him with his bloud and his liver (which you must save when you open him) into a small pot or kettle; then take sweet Margerome, Time and Parsley, of each half a handful, a sprig of Rosemary, and another of Savoury, bind them into two or three small bundles, and put them to your Carp, with four or five whole Onyons, twenty pickled Oysters, and three Anchovies. Then pour upon your Carp as much claret wine as will onely cover him; and season your claret well with salt, Cloves and Mace, and the rinds of Oranges and Lemons, cover your pot and set it on a quick fire, till it be sufficiently boiled; then take out the Carp and lay it with the broth into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter of a pound of fresh butter melted and beaten, with half a dozen spoonfuls of the broth, the yolks of two or three eggs, and some of the herbs shred, garnish your dish with Lemons and so serve it up."

(I think I'll just keep releasing them!)

Bart, your flies will be in your hands shortly. Have a great Carp Day everyone and let me know how you do. Send photos and we'll post them later.

National Carp Day

2009-04-05T21:30:00.003-05:00

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!

No Foolin' ! (we need more rain)

2009-04-01T23:39:00.003-05:00

I had the same response from two different fishing amigos today when I texted them about catching fish.

"Is this an April Fools? In this wind?"

No joke. The carp are up on the flats and feeding prior to the spawn. The wind was a bit of a hindrance today but at some point it actually helps. Once the wind gets over a sustained 20-25 mph, the ripples get the tops blown off and you can actually see fairly well (if there's sun - it was partly cloudy today). The fish can't see crap above the surface and the noise allows for some less than stealthy wading. Don't get me wrong - it's a bitch to fish in and I would much rather have a nice 5 mph breeze just to help cool off - but it's April in North Texas. The wind blows. A lot.

The lake is more than 3 feet low and weird stuff is starting to pop up in strange places (like the V8 engine block I found today). Some of the flats have disappeared while others have expanded. Water clarity is very good for this time of year. I probably saw two dozen fish in two hours today in less than perfect conditions.

The good thing about fishing the pre-spawn bite is that this is when we sometimes catch the largest fish of the year. I caught two today that were easily over seven pounds (I didn't have the boga-grip) and several over five. The downside to the early bite is that water temps are still a little low for carp metabolism - you won't get the same fight out of them. Those 7 pounders would have been in my backing after Mother's Day. As it was, I could easily turn them and I think the longest run was about 20 yards.

Highlight of the day . . . being about 50 yards away when a Northern Harrier (one of my favorite raptors) nailed a Meadowlark. Impressive.

The New and Improved Coyote Carp Fly

2009-04-01T22:54:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-03-21T07:58:00.004-05:00

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

2009-03-21T07:08:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-02-21T20:59:00.002-06:00

Here's a series of photos I shot several summers ago on one of the flats at Ray Roberts. Depicted is my good friend Malcolm, one of the first anglers I ever took carp fishing at Ray Bob. You will notice Malcolm's 10 foot Mowdy flats "scooter" in the background of some of the photos. There's not a better boat for accessing shallow water and it sure draws stares at the boat ramp. Imagine two guys decked out in "fly gear" with a couple of fly rods in the middle of all the bass boats launching on a typical summer morning. Oh, we get lots of jokes . . . "You guys are about 400 miles too far north. yuk. yuk. yuk." "What are ya'll fly fishin' for? CARP? Shit. Ed, did you hear that? These guys are fly fishin' for carp in that liddle biddy boat!"

Anyway, you'll also notice that Malcolm is seriously under-gunned for the carp he caught. If you know your tackle, you'll realize the rod is an old Orvis Superfine (not the beefiest stick around) - and it's fitted with a little Ari T. Hart reel. I can still remember the protest that reel made during the fight, the trout-inspired click drag barely keeping up with the fish. As a matter of fact, you'll notice that Malcolm checks the remaining backing at one point!

And, last but not least, the FISH! This was a great example of a Ray Roberts carp; bright gold (nothing like the dingy "sewer rats" caught elsewhere), vivid orange tip to the tail, muscular and strong. About 5 pounds of reel-clearing power!

Images of Summer

2009-02-13T21:33:00.002-06:00

I was going through some of the excellent images Shannon shot last summer on "Location C" - MAN! What a fishy looking spot. If the lake ends up about a foot low in May and the wind comes out of a certain direction . . . it's ON!

Introduction to Fly Fishing Class

2009-02-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

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!)

Getting Skunked

2009-01-22T21:55:00.000-06:00

You know . . . every once in a while it just has to happen. Despite the best plans, equipment, info., "signs", weather - WHATEVER - you just get blanked on a fishing trip. Zippo. Nada. Goose-egg.

Such was our experience last week on the Brazos below PK. It's just rough in this dark corner of the year to get excited about any fishing around here and unless you're willing to drive a few hours to Oklahoma to catch stockers (or several hours to try for a "real" trout in Arkansas). Even then, if the weather is remotely decent, every other angler with cabin fever in a 300 mile radius is crawling over the spot. It's kind of disheartening to spend a few hours on the road only to pull up to a parking area filled with Tahoes and witness a close range Gore-tex hatch - especially when, at best, you hope to catch a few fish that look just like the "Rainbow Trout" on ice at Kroger.

In years past there's always been the January solution of the Brazos. Now, I know, they stock the area below the PK dam with trout in the winter but that's not why I go. I go for the BIG fish. I'm sure you've heard the stories of the stripers that cruise the waterway below the dam; growing fat on a nice, TPWD supplemented diet of stupid trout. You might have had the idea (or even done it) of tying a few "big trout streamers" to snag a few for yourself. I know I did. Spent quite a bit of time in the winter of '97 chasing those things and caught . . . two. Actually, the largest striper I've ever caught on the Brazos hit a #8 olive wooly bugger I was throwing with a 4 wt. on an early summer canoe trip for bass and sunfish. Crazy thing was in maybe 3 feet of water - at first I was sure I had snagged a gar. Fifteen minutes later and many prayers for the health of a very old and very tired Orvis Superfine, my friend lipped the fish. Weird.

Anyway, the reason I go to the Brazos this time of year is to take advantage of the usually clear and relatively low (more on that later) water levels to sight fish for LARGE carp, drum, and buffalo. I've had good luck in the past and it's tough, challenging fishing. I would much rather spend the day catching one 12 pound fish than mindlessly drifting #20 gnats over stockers that last ate a pellet of Purina TroutChow.

Last week, however, it was not to be. We tried. Good coffee, conversation, and music on the way. Saw some good "omens", too: a flock of turkeys crossing the road by Wizard Wells, a kingfisher, roadrunner by the parking area, an osprey NAILING a trout just above the Hwy. 16 bridge (I'm into birds). Perfect weather for sight fishing. Just two other vehicles at the parking area and both were folks that were after trout. BUT WAY TOO LITTLE WATER!

I've never seen the Brazos that low in January. Areas that I've fished in the past were several feet above the water line. The large side channel and flat down stream at the bend were seriously reduced. The water was just too skinny - what fish we could see could see or sense us long before we started casting. This is usually the point when someone pulls out the old bit about "that's why they call it fishing and not catching" (and don't you just want to bitch-slap'em when they do).

The low water levels looked to be helping the trout population, however. I've never seen as many rises in broad daylight as I saw that day. Midges were everywhere! My guess is that the low water levels increase sunlight penetration and allowed more vegetation to grow (check out cool video at Texas Flycaster). More plants mean more dissolved oxygen (good for trout) and more nutrients for midge larva. Heck, I even saw two carp holding in a fairly fast current making the EXACT same fluid yet determined motions that trout do when they're eating nymphs. I even tried drifting a #14 zebra midge-like fly (the smallest I had) to them on 4X fluoro. They would have none of it. I finally snagged a trout that hit the same fly; not much of a battle on a stiff 6 wt. Strange.

So, unless something better comes along I just might have to reduce myself to taking the 1 wt., 6X and a thimble full of zebra midges for a road trip. I know a great place!

The Coyote Carp Fly

2009-01-11T22:00:00.000-06:00

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!

A New Year and Old Memories

2009-01-04T20:54:00.002-06:00

My first fishing trip of 2009 was a blast. Probably not what you would expect on a fly-fishing blog; no exciting bush flight to get to a wilderness outpost, no passport required, no exotic species, heck - not even a fly rod (this IS north Texas in January - we have to get creative to find good, predictable fly-fishing)!

Nope. My first trip of 2009 was to a local pond in Denton with my father and son. The pond has been stocked with trout for the winter and it was a good chance to get everyone out of the house one more time before the weather window slams shut on north Texas. Yes, they were stockers . . . in town . . . with people slinging bait right and left . . . who cares! Sometimes what you catch on a trip isn't fish.

The outing brought back some great memories as I watched my Dad fishing with his grandson. We spent every summer in Colorado when I was growing up (I was 17 before I went through my first Texas summer!) in a cabin half way between Creede and Lake City. I started learning to fly-fish when I was 6 (the same age as my son) by swinging wooly worms and muddler minnows "across and down" on the Rio Grande. Fly-fishing was for "fun"- something we did for kicks in the river for a few hours before we settled down to the real business of catching trout for dinner. My father was a product of the depression and WWII and free protein was not something to be dismissed by such a noble idea as catch and release. All of our "river fish" were released in the name of sport but when it came time for dinner, the action moved to the lakes - fly rods went back in the cases and out came the spinning tackle. Rito Hondo, Continental, Browns Lakes, Road Canyon, etc. were our targets and we hit them with deadly precision. Dad, along with being a management professor, college dean, aeronautical engineer, and superb wing shot, was also a retired Air Force pilot (as well as still-serving Air Force Reserve hospital commander) and would slip into "strike-mode" upon arrival at the lake.

His deadly trout catching secret came from a lake outside of Denver in the 60's. Dad was on leave from some Air Force activity and decided to go fishing. At the lake, he soon noticed NO ONE was catching fish except for two older gentlemen. After questioning the pair as to their success, they finally fessed that they were retired surgeons and still liked to fish on their "day-off" - and they passed on to Dad "THE SECRET."

And, it works. Boy, does it work. I can remember countless times driving up to a lake, setting up our rods, and reeling in fish after fish for 30-45 minutes until we had a mess - often while folks on either side caught nothing. To this day, even with the arrival as such things as Berkley Powrbait, THE SECRET still outfishes everything (notice the bent rod in the above photo - my son caught more fish in an hour than anyone around had caught all day).

Dad was like the Pied Piper of Colorado; he would soon have kids surrounding him wanting to catch a fish. If you know my father, you know that no man has a bigger heart and Dad would walk over to these kid's parents and show them how to catch fish. Usually he would just adjust their tackle; a smaller line size, a longer leader, less weight, new bait, etc. Sometimes he would totally re-rig them with some of our equipment (always refusing offers of payment - just happy to see kids catching fish). And a few times, when nothing else would work, he would pass on THE SECRET. Many times we would be down in Creede on an errand or at dinner and hear "Mommy, mommy - that's the fishing man!"

Now, thirty years later, my son fishes with his grandfather the same way. He's already a Colorado lake "veteran" - having caught his FIRST fish in Lake Erwin outside of Crested Butte. And, yes, he's starting to cast a flyrod but still prefers his little spinning rod. As a matter of fact, he got a new "big-boy" spinning rod for Christmas . . . one "just like Granddaddy's."

So, what's THE SECRET? Not much, really. Just a combination of leader design, bait preparation, and trout behavior. Contact me and I'll pass it on.