Springtime in the Marsh

Looks like the "fast" is past.
I haven't caught a fish in the marsh all winter but now that spring has sprung my luck may have turned.

The water level was as low as I have seen it when I launched after lunch.

I fished the first corner without any success but when I reached Trout Junction, the reds started hitting the dead shrimp I was fishing along the bottom of the channel.

These fish weere too small to keep but plenty big enough to put up a fight. They also sported the familiar blue tail that is a distinctive feature of these beautiful creatures.

I paddled all the way back to the lake and almost got too shallow. All the fish were caught at the same corner but before long they will be chasing bait in the main lake at all the old go-to spots.

I can't wait!

Speed Fishing II

The work schedule in Salt Lake City left little room for another trip to Heber, but I finally managed to break away on Wednesday afternoon with enough time to get in a little fishing time before heading back down to the valley.

Tracy and I had plans to attend Bible study with the Mid Valley Church of Christ in Sandy UT later that evening.

We worshiped with this group of Christians on Sunday and were glad to see that they are doing well in the Lord.

Some may say that driving up Parley's canyon and back just to fish for 40 minutes in the winter is a little extreme but my philosophy (borrowed from Kevin Wilson) is that you fish when you can not when you should.

I was glad to find some hungry browns and a few feisty rainbows which made the 1.5 hr round trip well worth it.

This was the first fish and it was a beautifully colored brown. Click on the picture and check out the red outline of the fins and tail.

After searching the upper end of the pool, I found a nice pod of rainbows near the tailout.


This brown had a silver sheen and was a fine jumper - something I've seen before on Snake Creek.


The rainbows weren't huge but were healthy and put up quite a fight.


I spent my short time at the big swirly pool and just a little downstream where I found this nice 15"er. I was hoping to get down below the trestle but that will have to wait until the next trip.

God surely blessed me with this trip and many others like it to this spot. I could have stayed longer and probably would have caught more fish. Instead, I left with enough time to have dinner with Tracy and to attend the services of the church where we studied about the Revelation of Christ given to the apostle John.

God gives me His best every day. He deserves my best efforts to serve Him and to grow in the knowledge of His word and the understanding of His will.

Dreaming up a Brown

It's been too long since I've been tickling a white roostertail across the big swirly pool on Snake Creek in the Heber Valley of central Utah. As the work meeting was to start on Monday, Tracy and I made the trek out on Friday. We spent most of the day Saturday driving on some scenic drives around the areas north and east of Salt Lake City and somehow ended up in the Heber Valley!

I was dreaming of brown trout all day and the time had finally arrived to see if there were any left in the creek.

It never hurts to spend some time on your knees before, during, and after a fishing trip.

Looks like a little stealth and a well placed WRT paid off once again.

This healthy brown was the answer to a prayer and really made my day.



Many fish have been pulled from the depths of the big swirly pool, but each one deserves a picture and reminds me of the first time brother Paul and I found this spot.

I was thinking about Paul today and since he was unable to make this trip, I figured the next fish I caught would be for him. I cast a few more times and suddenly hooked a BIG trout.

Thanks to my personal photographer and a long lens I am able to post this series of action photos showing the fight and landing of the feisty Snake Creek brown.

I didn't put a tape on this fish but my conservative estimate is that it was easily over 20".


Here is your fish Paul! I put her back so next time it will be your turn!

Flounder for a Friend

On Monday after Tracy's BD, it was too windy for a boat ride.

The little cold front that blew through in the morning demonstrated why the awning manufacturers recommend that you roll them up before the storm arrives.

Suffice it to say that we learned the hard way that even though it may be dead calm, some cold fronts can arrive with a bang and this one did just that.

After removing the remains of the destroyed awning, Tracy and I bundled up and went down to the boat slips to see if we could catch a flounder.


Some say flounder are not the prettiest saltwater fish but I find them appealing. They have cool green eyes and their mouth is shaped in a permanent sneer as if to say "Yeah - I'm cool".

Their skin is blotched and spotted for camouflage against the sandy or muddy bottom where they lie in wait for their prey to swim by. They love the shallows at night and when they are still are almost invisible.

With both eyes on the same side of their head and a mouth that works sideways you wouldn't think they could see or catch anything but when they decide to eat something, it rarely gets away.


I only managed to catch one flounder all afternoon and Tracy got skunked.

This one wasn't nearly as big as the one Tracy caught on Friday but was definitely big enough for a nice meal. Since we got to enjoy Edie's version of stuffed whole flounder for dinner, I gave her and Tommy this one for them to have after work.

Sharing fresh fish with friends makes the effort worthwhile.

Flounder on Deck and Reds in the Box

Tracy's birthday weekend promised to be better for fishing as the rain had cleared out and the weather was beautiful. We were out of town all week and it was good to come "home" to Matagorda.

After supper at Spoonbills, we headed out to the PPRV boat slip for a little night fishing under the lights. I tagged a few trout and Tracy caught this beautiful 20" flounder.

Guess what we will be having for dinner? Monday night we took the flounder to Spoonbills and Edie stuffed it with crabmeat and served it with a nice salad and grilled asparagus. I think we both ate until we were the ones that were stuffed and enjoyed the meal and the special dessert.

On Saturday we headed up river to our usual spot and even though the trout didn't seem to be there, Tracy caught this nice redfish on a live shrimp.


On the way back down the river we spotted a pair of bald eagles waiting for a fish to rise.


We moved to a spot in the diversion channel halfway between the ICW and West Matagorda Bay and the fun really got going. We caught several redfish and though most of them were undersized, we were able to put four slot reds in the box.

Here is Captain John with a nice slot red. I was fishing lower in the water column and seemed to have the luck of the bigger fish in my corner for a while.


These fish are aggressive fighters and catching them in an anchored boat is different than catching them in a kayak where you can let them pull you around.


This was the big fish of the day. He already had a belly full of mullet when he took my shrimp.

This black drum put up a good fight but was released to grow some more.

Tracy has "fish on" and keeps the rod tip up (just like I taught her!).

Don't horse him!

The shoreline of this river delta is littered with tree trunks and logs. This white ibis was feeding nearby.




Here is the catch of the day at the cleaning table. Four reds is plenty!

South Texas Critters

I like to photograph animals no matter how strange they may seem.

On my way out the door to hit the road for a work trip to South Texas, I nearly walked into this guy.

This wolf spider had stretched her net from the tree to the Jeep and to the house. That would have been quite a shock had I ended up with this big girl down my neck!


While giving a tour at one of our facilities, I noticed something under the right side of this CP rectifier.


A closer inspection showed that had we not been paying attention we might have payed a price!

Some say the mosquitoes are the state bird of South Texas. This "Purple Rain" variety was captured before I needed a transfusion.

One of our facilities sits on the Upper Laguna Madre just outside of Corpus Christi. This fine looking whitetail poses in front of the old CPL facility adjacent to our site.

Down in Falfurias they grow beetles big enough for a meal. They do make your fingers stink though!

Coaching

A three day work trip to South Texas ended up with lunch at Kings Inn on Baffin Bay.

After lunch it was time for the manager to do some "coaching". I had brought along some fishing gear and promised to play guide for some new anglers.

We were properly licensed, and had purchased some fresh-dead shrimp. The weather was beautiful and the fish were willing!

The crew heads down the plank on the pier at SeaWind park.

Here is Alexandra with her first croaker. Now you know why they call them that!

Dharma caught this whiting and I think she also caught fishing fever.

Dharma's redfish thought he was a speckled trout.

Here we are with a triple - I had a small speck, Dharma had a whiting, and Alex had silver perch, aka yellow tail.

These guys are a pretty fish no matter what the size.

We all caught our share of reds. This little guy is showing off his spot.

Dharma even managed to hook the ultimate bait stealer - the pinfish.

We caught seven different species of fish and though they were small everyone had fun and caught fish. I'd say that would qualify it for a successful coaching session.