Good Loops

All those trips with the kayaks have taken a toll on the old Ford Explorer.

I got a chance to fish bamboo for the first time this past weekend at Damon's Seven Lakes. Clarke has me auditioning a 4wt Montague Fishkill so I tied on a Miss Prissy and went to work catching bass and sunfish.

At the same time Joel Hubscher, maker of exquisite nodeless bamboo rods, let me try out a 3wt. There is a significant price point difference between the old Montague (my price point) and the Redstripe. The 3wt Redstripe was an incredible tool. Asked to cast ten feet no problem. Asked to cast 30-plus feet with a popper no problem. I broke off a large bass with the rod literally doubled over. Not bad for a tool designed to fish dry flies to picky trout on a small freestone stream in Pennsylvania. Check out Redstripe Rods .

Camping in the Hill Country always includes some minor challenges. The photo to the left shows what can be waiting at your usual campsite. It might get you to change your plans.

Back up to the Llano for some late summer fishing. The temps have dropped to the point that camping is comfortable. The river flow was on the low end of its range but the fish didn't seem to care. They were focused on the grasshoppers that were everywhere. The fish above was caught with a Club Sandwich Hopper cast along the edge. Click on the photo to see a blowup of the same image. Two things about the image to note: the "teeth" on the mouth of the Guadalupe and the hopper that it was in the process of sucking down when it latched onto the Club Sandwich Hopper. Another great trip to the Llano. Guads, largemouth, bluegills, and longears all took flies eagerly. My next trip I plan to target the big carp, so if you have any advice or favorite flies let me know.

We should all be so lucky to have had a grandfather that arranged for our fly casting instruction in Houston and then took us to Montana and the Blackfoot for our first trout. At ten she is one youngest clients I have worked with. Determined to fish with her grandfather, she developed a basic cast in just three lessons. The sponsor of all this said recently "Thanks for all of your great teaching that got her off to a great start."

Got a chance to fish a small stream in Maryland recently with my brother and his boys. Spectacular setting for wade fishing a small stream that sees little if any fishing pressure. A 2 wt was the choice for the day, Here is a picture of one of the smaller sunfish caught that day.

The Friends of the Devils River sponsored the first annual "Run for the River" raffle benefiting the Nature Conservancy of Texas and Dolans Falls Preserve. I didn't win first place prize - a three-day Gerald-Bailey-guided trip down the Devils - but check out the photo of the custom paddle that I did win. It's a beautiful paddle, so will I be able to take it out on the river?

Two trips to the Llano in May and this is one of the fish caught. But I don't exactly know what it is. Click on the picture to get a better look. If you can identify it let me know by e-mail.

The river has finally come down to fishable levels after the rain in late April so I took my first trip of the year to fish the Llano. Not sure I have ever seen so many wildflowers. The Guads and sunfish were as cooperative as ever.

The picture shows Ron with one of the bass caught on a recent Saturday at Damon's Seven Lakes. Ron bid for and won a year long Seven Lakes membership at the TFF Auction. To get a jump start on fishing the Lakes, the auction item came with me guiding to show him the ropes along with some coaching to improve Ron's casting.

I will be at Bass Pro Katy for the Spring Fishing Classic on Saturday and Sunday the 27th and 28th of February. On Sunday I will give a presentation on selecting flylines covering the basics of fly line construction and the right lines for use in various fishing situations.