Cut Off

I may have to give up being the guide. The river was fresh again this weekend even though there was no rain. We heard that the rice farmers upstream were flushing out their fields and deduced that that was the likely cause.

I finally got the opportunity to take my friend Kevin out to McNab to chase the reds. We found plenty of water and an incoming tide so expectations were high that we would find some willing fish.

Kevin spotted a fish with some shoulders chasing bait near one of the reefs and made a great cast with the Sugar Spice Glow Jerk Shad Gulp and it was on - for a few seconds. The fish made his first run along the oyster reef and cut the 12-lb mono instantly.

This was the spot of the tragic loss.

On the way out we saw another fisherman parked in the same spot. (click to enlarge)

It seemed that the warmer temps had brought several critters out of their winter slumber. We saw lots of fiddler crabs, tiny spiders, and at least one gator in all the good spots on the way to the lake. Here is one at the Trout Junction.


When we approached the next spot I call Triple Junction near Little Lake we saw this one just splayed out on the marsh grass sunning himself.

Play this video to see how they disappear before your very eyes.





Here is a closer shot. He didn't even move as we paddled by. The sun did feel good.....

I managed to save the day with this 23" red caught while drifting the south shoreline. I could tell that spring is in the air as he really put up a good fight.


If I could get this guy to pull in the right direction my paddle out against the wind would be a little easier.

New Species

It's Saturday and the riverside rampage continues. We have caught a lot of different kinds of fish on the bank of the Colorado. Drum, redfish, trout, and snapper - ladyfish, eels, sharks, and jacks were all caught in the past year. There was still one fish that had not yet made the list.

Tracy was still catching the reds.



I managed to redeem myself somewhat with this bigger black drum.

The "Red killer" continued her run on the reds.

I finally added my own to the total.

This carp became the newest in the list of interesting species.

Tracy managed this brute which was in the neighborhood of 10 lbs and a full 24" long.

Reds on the Riverbank

It's been a long fishless winter for my fishing partner. Tracy has not been in the fish for several months but that came to a close this weekend.

Give the girl a rod and some fresh-dead shrimp and look out!

These little reds were just the thing to help get the kinks out.

I was catching croaker and an occational yellowtail or baby black drum but Tracy was hot on the reds.

She wasn't satisfied with the run of the mill red. Soon she started targeting triple spots!


The river is coming back into its own after being too fresh all winter.

Soon we'll be seeing trout!

Low Water

I tried to take a day off to get out and enjoy some nice spring weather, but got roped into a conference call that took up most of the morning. Tracy and I headed down to Matty so after lunch I took the yak out for a quick paddle.

The water was low once again and though I didn't catch any keepers I did manage to locate a couple of willing reds.

Kicking back on the yak.

Do you think the water was a little low?

Undersized red near a mud flat.

Portrait of a tough fighting fish.

Lady Bird Park

This weekend we took a trip to Abilene to watch Fort Worth Christian compete in the One Act Play competition. It was great to see Robyn and her team.

We decided to stay in Fredericksburg, so on Friday evening I took out the sticks and checked out the creek at Lady Bird Park.

I started with a crayfish pattern on the fly rod and fished below the dam.

There were a lot of Spring Breakers wandering around the park and some kids were throwing rocks into the pool - not the best conditions.


Persistence finally paid off and I had a fish on. Lucky for me my photographer was near by!

I think I may be the first to catch a white crappie on a fly rod using a crayfish pattern!

I also found some willing baby bass with the same crayfish up near the golf course.

I switched over to the WRT on a spinning rig and found a few bigger bass.

The coloration of this one leads me to believe that it has some Guadalupe Bass in him.

Remember - it's not the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog!


I finally found some sunnies. They are not yet on their beds but were willing to hit the WRT.

It was a short lived fishing trip but well worth the time.

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!