Small Water Fly Fishing Experience

Red River Rendezvous

2012-01-17T02:34:00.000-06:00

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the first ever Red River Rendezvous will take place at Bonham State Park. Fly tyers from all over the nation will gather there to relax and tie flies for 3 days. You don't want to miss out on this event.

http://redriverrendezvous.vpweb.com

New Year, New Fish

2012-01-17T02:29:00.000-06:00

Well here we are 2012!!!
I have turned over a new leaf this year.
In the past I have caught and released hundreds of stocker trout.
This year I was convinced to keep some, clean them, and cook them.
I did just that. I took home a limit of 5, cut their heads off,
gutted them, removed the blood vein from the cavity, seasoned them,
and put them in the Orion. After 45 minutes I removed them and they
were fully cooked and ready to eat. You could slightly lift the skin
near the tail with a fork, hold the meat down and pull the tail which
removed all of the skin and the bones leaving nice flaky white fish.
We really enjoyed them. So, I went back on several occasions while on
my Christmas break (in January) and caught a limit, cleaned them,
and Patty put them in the freezer.

Saturday I got to take one of my 3 year old clients on a fishing trip to Bethany Lakes. He was able to catch (due to my excellent guiding skills) a bass and 2 bluegills.

Fishing last Saturday

2011-12-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

About 9 of us kayakers went to Texoma last Saturday morning to try and catch a few fish. It was very, very cold but we did it anyway. We launched at Eisenhower State Park and after getting past the boat houses we scattered like a bunch of rats. I fished the boathouse coves the entire trip. I was successful at catching a bass before calling it a day.

The other 8 folks caught 2 fish. I was pretty happy!!!

Beau & Grandpa Fishing

2011-11-18T21:41:00.000-06:00

Today I had the privilege of taking my grandson fishing for the first time.
We headed out with the intention of going to Cabelas to get bait, go to Mc Donalds for lunch, and then to the pond to fish. We got to Cabelas, looked around, found our bait, and left. Once in the truck Beau says "I want to go fishing and then go eat". Okay, it's his day so we'll go with that. We get to the pond, bait his hook, I cast it out and within 3 or 4 minutes its "fish on!!!".

Then we moved around the pond and caught several more.

It was a really fun day. At one point he said "you are a really good grandpa" to me. Yes, I choked back a tear!!!

Latest stuff...

2011-11-13T23:25:00.001-06:00

Today I fished Loy Lake with Greg. It was a windy nightmare and my first skunking at Loy. My main objective was to try out the new yak with the fish finder and anchor trolley installed. They worked perfectly.

Yesterday we went to Tish to the Blue River Trout Derby to talk fly fishing. We met lots of folks and had a great time.

We met a guy named Ted Meador who caught the biggest trout on Sunday weighing in at over 10 pounds.

(photo by Barry Shrader)

Last Saturday we had a fishing get-together at Pickens Lake with Mariner Sails.

Patty and I went to Tish a few weeks ago and camped on Pennington Creek. It is a beautiful park and the fishing is great there on the creek.

Catch up post (again)!!! :- )

2011-10-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little crazy lately so I'll try to bring the old blog up to speed.

1st - I broke down and bought a new truck. The old 2003 was tired and needed to be put out to pasture. So, here's the new baby.

2nd - I had my first "turtle" experience in the yak on the Norfolk River in Arkansas last Friday so I was then ready for a new yak.

Last week we were at the FFF SOC Conclave in Mt Home, Arkansas.
We had a great time cooking, fishing, presenting, and fellowshipping.

We are also making plans for the Red River Rendezvous.
More details here:

http://redriverrendezvous.vpweb.com/

This weeks adventures...

2011-08-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

I decided to use my days off and take me fishing.
I fished Eisenhower all three days.
Thursday the stripers blew up on top and we caught quite a few.
Friday nothing bit. NOTH...ING!!!
Saturday started out slow. No stripers, no smallies.
Then there was a blow up, I casted there and BAM.

In this heat one fish can easily make my day!!!

Latest Adventures

2011-07-31T11:44:00.000-05:00

Of course it's "hotter than a $2 pistol" here in N Texas lately.
That has really slowed down my fishing. I've been doing a few early morning trips and trying to be off the water by 10AM. The rest of the time I've been at the vise tying flies or doing speaking/teaching.

This weekend the RRFF group went to Texoma (Eisenhower State Park) to target some smallmouth bass. We launched at the lighted fishing pier with plans to fish around the cliffs at the yacht club. As soon as we got on the water the stripers exploded on top. I only had my 5wt but I quickly threw a popper on and cast that way. FISH ON, no fish (and popper) off. He hit it like a freight train and broke my 6# leader. So, I kicked around to the cliffs and started hunting for the "target species". The water blew up over there and I cast a #8 white clouser and BAM FISH ON!!! It wasn't a huge one but maybe 13-14 inches. I caught 2 smaller ones and 2 greenies before it heated up and we headed to the A/C.

Friday myself and john Fulton did a "Fly Fishing" presentation for the Preston Trail Rotary Club in Celina. They really seemed to enjoy it and asked lots of questions.

Last Saturday I met Eric at a pond and we managed to put him on some nice bass.

The poor old foam hopper was the bait of choice.
I also hooked up with a small bass on the Pearow 2WT as we were leaving.

My Youngest Client

2011-07-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

I had an opportunity on Friday to take my grandson Christian fishing.
We found a nice shady spot by a pond in Frisco, baited up his pole with a
live cricket and chunked it in.

Fish #1

Fish #2

Fish #3

He really enjoyed catching the "bluegills and boss fish".

I kinda liked it too!!!

Friday and Saturday Trips

2011-04-24T12:23:00.001-05:00

This was a busy week for me with two guide trips on my days off.

Friday I took Mike and Jeff to a new pond in Allen. It was Mike's second fly fishing trip
but his first oportunity to catch a fish on "the fly" We found bluegill on their beds and needless to say he caught his first fly fish and about 49 more before we left.

Close up of the "first fly fish"!!!

Oh yeah, Jeff caught a few also!!!

Saturday I took Anil and his TFO Finess 1wt to the same pond. He caught a few nice bluegills also.

And then he caught this guy.

We're going to say this was a productive fishing weekend.

TPWD Area Chief Meeting - April 16 & 17th

2011-04-20T07:30:00.001-05:00

I took off to Killeen on Saturday morning for our annual TPWD Area Chief meeting at Parrie Haynes Ranch on the beautiful Lampassas River. A good time was had by all and lots of information sharing and networking took place.

Saturday afternoon when all the sessions were over there were a couple of hours of free time so I grabbed my trusty TFO rod and headed to the river. The fish were not cooperating at first but then they turned on.
I caught several bass, a few green sunfish, and a beautiful orange sunfish.

Here's the whole clan!!!

If you're not a TPWD Angler Ed Instructor and want to be, get with me. We can make it happen!

Loy Lake Friday

2011-04-10T09:11:00.001-05:00

I headed out to Loy Lake on Friday to do a pre-trip scouting expedition.
The wind was still up but it was safe to fish. I first fished the dam area catching a few greenies and a couple of small bass. Then I headed to an area know to hold bedding bluegill. When I got to the area I cast an olive Cap Spider under an indicator and immediately caught a nice gill. Every cast after that yeilded me a nice bluegill. I caught and released over 100 gills that morning before heading home.

Tyler State Park Presidents Retreat

2011-04-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday and Thursday Russell (Pres of FWFF) and I took off to Lake Tyler State Park for some well deserved R&R. We got there early Wednesday morning and put my kick-boats in to try our hand at a little fishing. "Little" being the key word. Shortly after launching the wind picked up and was gusting between 30 and 35 mph. I caught the only fish before we decided to play it safe and return to shore.

We decided to run up the road and give the Freshwater Fishery Center in Athens a try. That was an interesting adventure also. The bass were on their beds right up next to the shore and would not bite under any circumstances.

Here's a 10 - 12# female and her mate.

When they ran us out at 4:30 it was time to head to the Bean & Burger for some lunch/dinner.

When we got up Thursday the wind had died down some and we fished for a few hours catching a few small bass and sunnies. Then it was time for lunch at Bodacious BBQ and to head home.

It was a good time and I look forward to the next one.

Saturday's Trip

2011-03-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

I fished with Anil on two ponds in Allen on Saturday.
He claimed to be cursed and only catch a maximum of one fish per trip.
We broke that curse!!!

Christian's first fish

2011-03-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

I took Christain fishing Friday and he caught his first (7) fish.

Catch-up post

2011-03-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I get really behind on this thing!!!

Lots has happened since the big ice storm of 2011.

March started out really slow for fishing. We traveled to Glenrose to participate in Al Crise Day II.

I was blessed by my charming and wonderful wife with a couple of new toys.

We visited Athens for Fly Fish Texas

We fished at Hagerman both in the creek and ponds and helped with their Kid Fish.

More soon...

SLEET, ICE, SNOW!!!

2011-02-06T06:39:00.000-06:00

It was a fun week around here. It all began on Tuesday with sleet. Which turned to ice on Tuesday night. So, Wednesday morning I got to drive Patty (30 miles) to work.
Oh yeah, it was icy Thursday morning too. Same scenario! Then it snowed Thursday evening and early Friday morning so... you guessed it I drove her on Friday too.

But we survived and now it is melting!!!

Sandbass-a-Palooza

2011-01-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

For the last few weeks we've been fishing the tailwaters of Lake Ray Roberts.
The sandbass have been biting like crazy. The first week I fished there I caught over 600
in 5 days. The bite has slowed a bit but spring is close so they'll turn back on soon.
I'm hearing that most tailwaters are producing about the same results.
Get out there and getcha some!!!

This is my catch-up post

2011-01-30T07:54:00.001-06:00

LOTS has happened since we last spoke!!!

We had our first RRFF meeting of the year and it went great!
We had 20 people in attendance and even signed up a new member.

We attended the Texas Fishing & Outdoors Show at Market Hall and shared a booth with Dallas Fly Fishers, Ft Worth Fly Fishers, and Texas Women Fly Fishers. The fellowship was great and we made lots of great contacts as well.

We had a fishing GTG at the Trinity River below Ray Bob. 10 members attended and several of our DFF and FWFF friends as well. Fishing was a little slow but everyone caught fish. Then we went to the Dam Store and chowed down on Dam Burgers!!!

We held our 7th Annual Texoma Tie in event at Eisenhower State Park on January 22nd. We had 25 tyers and lots of visitors. It was a fun time for all.

New volunteer opportunities for me and Patty

2010-12-11T08:40:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday myself and Patty were elected to offices in the Red River Fly Fishing club.

I am the new President and Patty is the new Secretary.
The Board as a whole is looking forward to a fun filled 2011.

Arkansas last week

2010-12-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Last week several of us fly fishing club Presidents were invited to the FFF SoC Leadership retreat in Norfolk, Arkansas. We decided to go early and book a guide for a float trip down the Norfolk (North Fork of the White) River. Ken Richards owner of Just Fishin Guides was our guide. We put in at the boatramp below the dam at Norfork Lake and floated/waded to the convergence of the White River.

Texoma 12/10/10

2010-12-11T08:18:00.000-06:00

I went out on Texoma yesterday with a guide buddy, Scott Bridgess, for a little striper action on the fly.
We motored around for a while and then I spotted a whole flock of sea gulls in an area. We headed that way and also discovered 30 to 40 loons going crazy in the same area.

Then we saw this.

And then it was hammer time.

In spite of the cold temps, damp air, and wind it was a great day on the water.

All my fish were caught on my new TFO 7wt Clouser rod.

Going to The Maker for needed changes...

2010-11-21T09:04:00.000-06:00

Friday I took my wood yak to my brother for some needed changes and touch-ups.
I have fished it really hard this year and therefore it has some blemishes and rough spots that need attention from The Maker.

When I started thinking about it I realized we all need to go to Our Maker every now and then for a little adjustment, removal of some rough spots, and a few blemishes.

We float through life for long periods of time and along the way we pick up those

things that we need to take Him and let Him smooth them over for us.

So, if you haven't taken some time lately to look at those rough spots in your life

there's no time like today to lift them up to "Our Maker". He will be faithful to make them right.

Then go fishing!!!

Latest STUFF

2010-11-02T06:47:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted vacation stuff yet but things have been crazy since we got back. We are in the middle of setting up the Reel Recovery retreat this coming Sunday - Tuesday at Joshua Creek Ranch in Boerne, setting up the Reel Recovery fundraiser at Chimy's in Ft. Worth, attempting to setup folks to fill officer positions in ye old fly fishing club, and preperation for a FFF Southern Council meeting in December. So, (breathe) having said all that you see that I've been kinda busy.

I have fished some lately. The last two Friday's I fished with the DFF at Bethany Lakes and Palos Verdes Lake. We had really good success at Bethany and caught a few at Palos Verdes.

Thursday I went with several guys from DFF to the TPWD Freshwater Fishery in Athens to fish with folks from the Plano Senior Center who had completed the Basic Fly Fishing Class. We had a blast there catching catfish and bass on the fly.

Saturday I went with Russell Husted and Les Jackson to the Nolan River near Blum and did some off-season wade fishing. It started out slow and then we discovered a bunch of big ole bluegills schooling up in a section of the river. We got on them and almost every cast yeielded a fish. It was great fun.

We left there and headed home but of course three fat boys couldn't resist stopping to eat. So, we stopped in Cleburne at the Burger Bar for lunch.

Yes it’s small, the building is about twelve foot square. Yes it’s old, they’ve been making burgers here for 50 or 60 years. According to the owner of The Burger Bar, the building was originally the office area for a wagon yard. That’s wagon as in horse and wagon. The barn burned down leaving only this tiny building which became a taxi stand then a used car lot and then finally The Burger Bar.

The grill they cook on is 100 years old and the owner credits it for the great taste of the burgers. The fries are good. Not like those fries you get at fast food restaurants that taste like they never met a potato in their life. They have sodas available in long neck bottles. I don’t know where they get them, but they looked old enough to be collectible.

The owner and her husband purchased the business three years ago to keep a long standing tradition going in Cleburne Texas. They frequently get customers in who have driven great distances just to eat in this place.

Lots of good stuff coming!!!

2010-10-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Just got home last night after 9 days on the road.
As soon as we sort through the 200+ pictures I'll post our trip.

STANDBY!!! : )

Dallas Fly Fishers Meeting

2010-10-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of speaking on "Urban Fly Fishing" at the DFF meeting last night.
It was a packed house and there was lots of good inter-action and questions.
I also broke down and became a member.

Latest on the Hairy Babies

2010-10-03T11:17:00.001-05:00

We took Merlin and Tootsie for their one year checkup yesterday. They are both in perfect health. Merlin weighed in at 5 1/2 pounds and Toots at 11.8 pounds.

Tishomingo

2010-10-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

I spent the day Friday with my good friend Earl Brewer fishing a private lake just outside of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. We yak fished with me using fly gear and Earl using conventional gear. I caught a bunch of beautiful largemouth bass and huge long ear sunfish. Earl caught a bunch of LMB and about 8 or 9 very nice crappie.

After fishing we headed to downtown Tish and ate bar-b-que ribs and bologna at the Rockin Rib BBQ. Mmmm mmmm good!!!

Oh yea, I got so excited that I jumped out of my truck into his and forgot the camera!!!

A few recent catches

2010-09-30T20:38:00.000-05:00

Bethany Lakes - Allen

Twin Lakes - Dallas

Breckenridge Park

2010-09-05T10:53:00.000-05:00

Stoney Hollow Park

2010-09-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Falcon Creek Park

2010-09-05T10:49:00.002-05:00

Bethany Lakes and Bethany Ridge Parks

2010-09-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

Lake Bonham with Jacob

2010-09-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

Jacob and his first fish of the day.

My crappie.

My long nosed gar.

His drum and my crappie.

His big bass.

Ice cream face!!! LOL

Lake Bonham Saturday

2010-06-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

In spite of the 15-20 mph wind I decided to hitch up the boat and go to Lake Bonham. When I go there the wind was fairly calm but that did not last. I launched and headed for one of my super secret spots and began fishing. I worked the shoreline tossing a slow sinking #6 spider (a Pearow creation). I hooked up with several nice bluegills and then I cast up next to a dock and BAM the fight was on. I fought the fish for a good amount of time with it running and sounding and finally got it up next to the boat. It was a nice sized channel cat that was plumb full of eggs. I released her and decided to look for a protected cove since the wind had picked back up. I went to the cove and motored back to the back of it and started fishing my way out. I caught several more big gills and channels and even foul-hooked a big ole channel in the tail which gave me a good fight until the hook came out. I then cast up next to some weeds which were under a tree and hooked up with a sweet 2 pound LMB. I was off the water before 9AM and headed home.

Texoma Friday

2010-06-13T10:14:00.002-05:00

I got up early on Friday and took the tube to Texoma for a little top water action. I was on the water at 5:50 fishing the cove by the Eisenhower SP boat ramp. I was hoping to finally catch a smallmouth bass. Well, that didn't happen. The only takers were some huge bluegills.

Fly Box

2010-06-06T16:16:00.004-05:00

I took a couple shots of my new fly box.

A little more urban magic!!!

2010-06-06T15:55:00.003-05:00

I tried a new pond in McKinney in Serenity Park.
It was not my best day on the water but I still managed a couple of bluegill.

I went out Friday morning armed with the 2 and 3wt rods to try a few of my old haunts.

Reel Recovery - Wildcatter Ranch Graham, TX

2010-05-31T16:54:00.006-05:00

April 15-17th I was blessed with the privelege of volunteering as a "Fishing Buddy" for Reel Recovery. The retreat took place at the Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, TX. We had 11 guys who were recovering cancer patients and we served as their fishing buddies for 2 days. The first day we met up with our guys and then we went to a bass pond there on the ranch and tried our hand at fly fishing for some bass. I think the pond should have been called a "bluegill pond" as that was all any of the guys caught. Here are Mike and Keith (my two guys) with their fish.

We went to the Brazos (below PK) that afternoon to give it a try. Unfortunately, the golden algea bloom on PK had the fishing "shut down". But we tried.

The next day it rained cats and dogs so we stayed inside and tied flies.

It's been a good year so far...

2010-05-30T10:32:00.003-05:00

22 bodies of water so far in Texas and Oklahoma.

My other B-Day present

2010-01-03T07:18:00.001-06:00

Hand built wooden hybrid kayak from my brother.
Life don't get any better than that.

New member of the Hamon Household

2010-01-03T07:07:00.002-06:00

We have been so busy that I have not had a chance to introduce everyone to my new baby "Merlin". He is (now) a 12 week old Yorkie and just as sweet as any dog could possibly be.

2009 Recap

2010-01-03T07:01:00.002-06:00

It was a great year.
I fished the following bodies of water:

Loy Lake - Denison, TX
Waterloo Lake - Denison, TX
Waterloo Pond - Denison, TX
Texoma - Denison, TX
Red River (below Texoma) - Denison, TX
Brazos River (below Whitney) Whitney, TX
Prosper Lake - Prosper, TX
Lewisville - Little Elm, TX
Inks Lake - Burnet, TX
Blue River - Tishomingo, OK
Lake Fork - Emory, TX
Tawakoni - Quinlan, TX
Ray Roberts - Pilot Point, TX
Bob Woodruff - Plano, TX
Dean Gilbert - Sherman, TX
Nolan River - Whitney, TX
Trinity (below Lewisville) - Lewisville, TX
6 private lakes
Lake Bonham - Bonham, TX
Prairie Meadow - Plano, TX
Russell Creek - Plano
Towne Lake - McKinney
Lower Mountain Fork River
Pickens Lake - Sherman
Bethany Lakes - Allen
Oak Point Lake - Plano
S Llano River - Junction, TX
Lake Brownwood - Brownwood, TX

33 in total with 18 of those being urban lakes/ponds within a 50 mile radius of home.
I fished 213 days and got 3 Texas Parks & Wildlife records.

I'm going to call that a good year.

New "Little House"

2009-10-08T06:47:00.005-05:00

Well actually its a Casita. But it is our little "house on wheels". After a season of camping in the pop up we decided at our age we needed a real travel trailer. We have wanted a Casita for years and just never bought one. Last week I found one that was too good a deal to pass up and now we have one.

I'm off to the Brazos in her this weekend and then Patty, Toosie, Sami, and I are off to Junction next week for Oktoberfisch.

TOOTSIE

2009-09-14T10:24:00.002-05:00

As most of you know our little girl "Mocha" died on Sept. 6th due to an infection she got after having surgery. She was a precious little girl and we have several years of very fond memories of her in our hearts.

In order to help the healing process I found us a new little girl who we named "Tootsie". She is a 6 week old Chiweenie and she has already grabbed hold of our hearts.

More soon...

FINALLY RECORDED A STATE RECORD FISH

2009-09-14T10:19:00.002-05:00

Recording a state record fish can be a real pain in the neck. The easiest way to do it is via the Catch & Release method. Well, last week I caught a State Catch & Release Record black crappie.
It was 15 3/8 inches long making it 3/8 of an inch over the minimum length.

Additionally, I have fished 28 bodies of water this year breaking my old record of 25.
And, I still have 4 months to go.

Latest adventures

2009-08-14T09:51:00.003-05:00

I've been really busy and maybe a little lazy also. Things have been kinda hectic both at home and at work. So... here are a few recent happenings.

FOOTBALL

Jacobs team "The Coyotes" have started practice and are looking forward to their first game on the 22nd!!!

Loyal fan:

FISHING

Earl and I went to Texoma on the 5th and fished with Scott Bridges.
We had a fun day on the water and caught some nice stripers on the fly.

I now have a new 2wt rod and reel. The rod only weighs 1.2 ounces and is 5 feet long.
It is very sweet.

Jacob and I took the canoe to Waterloo last week and did a little fishing.
Well, I did a little. He did a lot. I did a lot of paddling. :-)

Stay tuned for more...

MONSTER TRUCKS INVADE Fort Worth Texas...

2009-07-19T11:27:00.013-05:00

and we were there!!!

Friday night Jacob and I went to Texas Motor Speedway for the monster truck races. He had never been so it was quite an experience for him. When we got there they had all the trucks, quad runners, and tough trucks on the track by the finish line. We were able to go down on the track and see them all up close.

Here's Jacob trying out one of the jumps.

He got a little air going the other way. Whoops!!!

Then the "wheelie contest" started...

Then quads and tough trucks.

And then... MONSTER TRUCK RACES

Two trucks racing against each other over jumps and crushed cars.

And then there was Dirty Dingus McGee who walked around with a live chicken on his head, drove his little monster truck "Pond Scum", rode a little motorcycle, skied on the dirt behind a four wheeler, and then came out in a little car which started smoking like it was on fire. He bent over to put out the fire and his drawers fell down.

It was a really good time for both of us.

KID FISH @ ESP July 11, 2009

2009-07-12T11:23:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, July 11th Eisenhower State Park along with the Red River Fly Fishers sponsored a Kid Fish event on beautiful Lake Texoma. Approximately 60 kids were in attendance and a good time was had by all.

Big Bass Friday...

2009-07-05T09:54:00.003-05:00

I went to Prosper Lake on friday with Don and some friends to do a little yak fishing.
I fished with my fly rods and did real well on the 2wt but only got a few "pecks" on the 5wt fishing a 4"lizard or a 4" metal flake worm. So, I decided to just fish the 2wt and catch some gills and redears until I wound up catching a 2 1/2 inch bluegill. Then I got the bright idea to hook the bluegill with the worm hook on my 5wt and cast it out. I paddled around the lake for a while with the bluegill swimming and tossing my 2wt when BAM !!! The 5wt bent double and the fight was on. I fought it for approximately 8 to 10 minutes before it took a jump so I could see what I had on. It then sounded for a while and I was finally able to get her to the top and lip her. She measured a little over 22 inches and we guesstimated her to be right at 5 pounds.

RIVER MONSTERS

2009-06-21T13:34:00.002-05:00

People keep asking me if I watch the TV show "River Monsters" and I keep telling them "no, I catch river monsters, why would I need to watch that show?"

Well this week was no exception to that statement. I fished The Red River Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and slaughtered the stripers. The biggest I landed was in the 26 inch range. I also caught a blue cat in the 6 pound range, a small channel cat, and a couple of gizzard shad.

Thursday I hooked into a fish (that I never saw) and it took off like a rocket. It was stripping my line off the reel and the reel was singing. When it got into the backing I decided that I better try to turn the bad boy. When I put pressure on the line it snapped at the connection to the backing. I could still see the floating portion of the fly line so I'm running (in 2 1/2 foot of water on slippery rocks) after that fly line. I would run a few feet and fall, run a few feet and fall, and then I lost sight of the fly line.

Bye bye Mr. River Monster.
I'll hook you again one day.

TBF Get Together at Ray Bob

2009-06-07T13:21:00.003-05:00

We loaded up and took off early Friday morning for Johnson Branch State Park on Ray Roberts.

The event was the 2nd Annual Texas Best Fishing Forum get together. The event officially started on Saturday morning so we had all day Friday to do what we wanted. We got there and immediately got bad news. I had overlooked calling for a reservation and they were completely booked. Therefore, we were forced to make a decision to leave or camp in the overflow. We chose to camp in the overflow. The overflow is a parking lot with picnic tables and a fire ring for each space.

Oh, did I mention NO electric or water?

We setup and it started getting HOT.

So, we went to Sanger and bought an 8x8 canopy which helped a bunch.

It was then time for some dinner. I fired up the charcoal and when they were

hot I put the potatoes in the coals to begin baking. Patty seasoned up the steaks.

After the potatoes had been in for a while I started the steaks. They turned out

great. Tender and juicy with just the right amount of seasoning.

I got up Saturday morning really early to get on the water at sun up and the wind

was blowing around 18 to 19mph and gusting to probably 23-25mph.

The bass tournament started at first light so I decided to give it a shot.

You know, of course, that I'm fishing from my yak and using my fly rod. :-}

It was tough but I managed to ease back into a creek and avoid most of the wind.

The fishing was slooooowwwww with me only getting two blow ups on a topwater

popper and no hookups. After about 2 1/2 hours I decided to throw in the towel.

I went back to camp and we started preparing the chicken, sausage, and dutch

oven apple cobbler for the group luncheon.

We tore down our camp, packed up, and headed to the pavillion for the afternoon festivities.

There was tons of food and prizes. It was a great time. Patty won some very nice prizes

(which I better not receive as Fathers Day gifts) and I won some good stuff too.

We headed home after lunch to get a little R&R (yes, camping is not always R&R).

New Toy for our collection...

2009-06-04T09:24:00.002-05:00

Early this week I sold our little Heritage kayak.
I then beat a path to Academy to buy a canoe they have on sale.
It is a 15 1/2 foot Pelican Dakota.

I took her out to Waterloo Lake yesterday for the maiden voyage.
She's a very sweet boat and I was impressed at how sweet she paddles.
I used a single paddle but have decided that when solo I need to use my yak paddle.

I took my Tadpole fly rod and did a little fishing. I caught several members of the sunfish
family and a decent sand bass.

Here's the whole fleet ready to go camping.

Our N2Us Pop Up

2009-05-10T07:14:00.003-05:00

A few months back we bought a pop up camper. Well, some dummy got it home and immediately broke one of the lift cables. Therefore, it sat in the drive for a period of time awaiting repair. I ordered parts to repair it and they said they would be in in two weeks. It was 6 days until our vacation (45 days after parts were ordered) and no parts. I got nervous and decided to see if I could repair it myself. Fortunately, the repair maunal was posted on the Pop Up Portal website. I read through the manual and jumped into the repair with both feet. Approximately two hours later the repair was done and we were ready to get her loaded for vacation.

Here's a before picture

And here are the after pictures

Patty has named her "Patches".

My new flyrod...

2009-05-08T22:36:00.002-05:00

I've been fly fishing now for nearly two years and I've wanted a custom rod for a long time. I was able to afford one so I ordered one from Gene Bethea "pearow". I wanted a 3 wt fiberglass so he made me a Tadpole which is typically a 4/5 wt rod. He offset the ferrules which lowered it to a 3/4 wt. I tried it out first with 3WF line and it cast really well. I then tried 5WF with less successful results so I went back to 3WF. I am sooooo happy that it is a 3 wt.

Here it is (bottom rod in first two pics)

here are the first fish

Longhorn Caverns

2009-04-21T11:54:00.002-05:00

We got up Sunday morning and packed up all our stuff and headed home. Well, we took a few detours one of which was to Longhorn Caverns.

We got there early and were the first ones to pay for a tour. When it came time for our tour we were the only ones there so we got a private tour. Bobby was our guide and he was a very nice young man. He showed us a lot of things that a normal tour don't get to see.

When we left there we stopped in Burnet and had chinese buffet for lunch.
We stopped in West and visited the kolache shop (what a circus) and then headed home.

Inks Lake

2009-04-21T11:31:00.002-05:00

Patty and I hooked up the trailer and fled to Inks Lake for three days of relaxation.

We had a wonderful time. The weather decided to cooperate which made it even better.

We fished, cooked, ate, hiked, kayaked, and just generally did whatever we wanted, when we wanted. Cell phones didn't work there and neither of us took a watch with us.

We sure hated to leave all that and come home. Oh well, we'll go back SOON!!!

More fishin news

2009-04-12T12:48:00.002-05:00

I have now fished the Red River, the Blue River, the Brazos River, the Nolan River, the N Fork Trinity River (below Lewisville), a private lake in Van Alstyne, and Dean Gilbert Lake.

We are off to Inks Lake next week for some fun fishing and geocaching adventures.

More details soon...

BRAZOS RIVER FLY FISHIN FUN @ the Spring Glassic 2009

Still Alive in 2009

2009-01-19T08:25:00.002-06:00

We've been very busy with work and of course Christian's birthday (he's 1 year old now).
I have done some fishing this year. To date I've fished Lewisville, Loy Lake, Waterloo Lake and Pond, and Texoma. The weather has not been very cooperative but I've managed to get some fishing in anyway. Here's a pic of my "football" white bass from Texoma.

We also have bought a pop up camper. We should be picking it up tomorrow. You know what that means... more and longer fishing trips. Woo hoo !!!

Red River this week

2008-12-21T11:17:00.003-06:00

A group of us went to the Red River this week and had a great time.
Only one of us caught fish and that one was "ME".

We could not have asked for a better day.

Here's the sunrise over the river with the fog rolling off of it.

Here's my bro fishing with his balloons.

Sally

Aaron and Jim

My first fish.

Both fish.

I hooked something that pulled me around for a while with my rod bent double and then got off. I never saw what it was. I suspect it was a big ole catfish.

It was a great trip with family and friends. Looking forward to doing it again soon. :-)

I've been a little busy. So...

2008-12-16T20:34:00.002-06:00

Dance along until I post something new.

STRIPER MANIA !!!

2008-12-04T21:29:00.002-06:00

Went to the Old Red River today and fished for stripers. It was a very productive day. I caught 50+ stripers with the two biggest being 22 and 24 inches. I also caught a 3+ pound drum that was a bronze color and a small catfish.

Here's the big'n

Maybe tomorrow will be better. LOL

Another week in the life of TCF

2008-11-23T20:52:00.003-06:00

I was off all week for Thanksgiving (I know it's next week but that's how my schedule worked out). I was sick most of the week but managed to get a few things done anyway.

I replaced our broken dishwasher (and Patty is very happy about that).
I cleaned up my man cave. :-)
I built a drying wheel so I can make epoxy flies.
I tied a bunch of epoxy head clousers.
I tied a couple of epoxy spoon flies.
I went to the Red River and fished on Thursday and caught a big ole flathead catfish on the fly.
I helped Patty rearrange the dining room and living room.
I layed on the couch like a big dog with the two little dogs.

Now I'm back at work for 3 days, off 3 days, work 2 days, and off 7.
Wooooooohooooooooooo, what a rough life I live.

Latest TCF news...

2008-11-16T22:14:00.002-06:00

Last week I went fishing at Lake Fork with my brother. When we got there he opened the back of his truck and showed me a fly tying desk. He asked what I thought of it and I replied that it was "very cool". He said "good because it's yours".

Oh, and he caught all the fish that morning.
I caught the proverbial

I recently went to the Red River to take a look at the water level. When I got there the level was GREAT and I observed a guide boat on the river wearing out the stripers. Well, I couldn't pass that up so I grabbed my fly rod, 2 clousers, and my vest and off I went. I waded out about knee deep and began casting. On my second cast I hooked up with a nice striper.

Please excuse the quality of the pic. This was an unplanned trip so the camera was home. I used my cell phone in a pinch.

This weekend I signed up for a jig swap so I had to get it in gear and tie 20 jigs. I got them all done and even made a custom jig/fly box to ship them back and forth in.

I'm off tuesday through Saturday of next week so stay tuned for more misadventures of Ole TCF.

Tying at the Van Alstyne Autumn Fest

2008-10-26T20:53:00.002-05:00

Myself and Jeff Tomlinson setup a table and did a tying demo at the Van Alstyne Autumn Fest this last Saturday. We had quite a few folks come by and check out what we were up to. Jeff was tying his boogie board hoppers and I was tying my noodle bugs. We couldn't have done it without Patty's help setting up and tearing down everything. Of course, you know I'm crippled without her.

Post - Oktoberfisch 2008

2008-10-20T23:48:00.003-05:00

It was grrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat. We had such a good time.

Here's our campsite

Mocha ready to go yakin'

Breakfast on Saturday

Patty-n-Mocha

Mocha loves momma :-)

Shots around the campground

Wildlife

Fishing Sunday. I forgot the camera Saturday.

Warming by the fire on Sunday morning with my honey.

Miss Mocha wore out and ready to be home.

Leaving tomorrow night for...

2008-10-15T21:35:00.001-05:00

Oktoberfisch!!!

Next post will be post-Oktoberfisch!!!

3 days until...

2008-10-14T04:42:00.001-05:00

Oktoberfisch 2008!!!

4 days until...

2008-10-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

Oktoberfisch !!!

5 days until...

2008-10-12T20:07:00.002-05:00

Oktoberfisch !!!

FALL GLASSIC 2008

2008-10-05T20:00:00.002-05:00

Well another notch in the old fishing belt. I attended Glassic 2008, an event made up of folks from the Fiberglass Flyrodders Forum. We met on the Brazos River near Hillsboro for a weekend of fishing, eating, buying/selling/trading, and maybe even a little BSing. A good time was had by all. I was lucky enough to catch a few fish while there.

I also picked up a vintage fly rod that I am very excited about. It is a Garcia 2536 Conolon.

Now I'm really pumped about Oktoberfisch!!!

It's almost here...

2008-09-28T21:07:00.002-05:00

I'm getting sooooo excited. This week I'll start getting all of our camping, fishing, and kayaking gear in order for our trip. Patty has never been to Junction and I cannot wait for her to see it. More details soon...

Great loss to our family this week...

2008-09-21T19:15:00.007-05:00

This week one of the sweetest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing went to be with the Lord on Saturday morning. Patty's mom Margaret "Swamp Jumper" passed away at approximately 8:30 yesterday morning. I can honestly say I had the best mother-in-law in the whole world. I'm not sure why, but she loved me so much it wasn't funny.
Margaret, we will miss you but we also know that one day we will see you again. We are rejoicing in the fact that you are with Jesus and no longer are suffering. Keep an eye out for us and always remember "it's hard to be humble".
We will always remember and love you,
Hambone

Texoma striper fishin on the fly...

2008-09-12T17:51:00.002-05:00

I went fishing today with Scott Bridges, a Texoma striper guide. We were fly fishing and hoping to break my current record (15 inch) striper. We got on the water early and the fish were being very evasive. They were not surfacing anywhere. Scott began scouting his favorite spots and soon found some deep schooling fish. He began "calling" (don't ask, you have to see it to believe it) the fish while I began casting and stripping with his TFO 6wt a clouser and a sinking tip line. I had never cast with sinking tip line so it was quite an experience for me. After about six casts I was stripping the line in and got a bump. I did a strip hookset and nothing so I kept stripping. On the second strip I hooked up and the fight was on. It was a strong fish and I could tell it had some size to it. I continued to fight the fish and soon got it near the boat so Scott could net it. It was a fat fish that measured around 18 inches. We caught several other stripers and sand bass. It was a very fun and educational trip. Thanks Scott for a great trip.

Weekend on the Brazos River

2008-09-07T08:35:00.009-05:00

We loaded up Friday and headed to Rainbow, Texas for a weekend of camping, fishing, and yaking on the Brazos River.

We stayed at Camp & Fish a primative little campground right on the river. We got there around 9 o'clock Friday night and setup the tent in the dark. The sky was full of stars and the only noises were the crickets and the sound of a pump on a gas well in the area. We sat and looked across the river and the beautiful night sky for quite some time. Knowing that we had to get on the river early to avoid the heat we started around 6:15 Saturday morning. I prepared the breakfast, instant coffee and chocolate donuts or a cereal bar (I ate the donuts).
Here's our camp:

The paddle was very eventful. We started out paddling upriver so we could float back with the current. We paddled for several hours stopping and fishing and Patty searching in the shallow flowing water for rocks. She even found a blood red heart shaped rock.

On the return trip the fun began. We paddled against a 15 to 17 mph wind (so much for using the current). We crossed several shallow areas. Patty floated right across one so I tried it too. NOT!!! So, I get out and drag to an area deep enough to get back in. When I went to get back in I stepped into the yak, slipped, and SPLASH I was in the river. Oh well, off again. We paddled for a while went through some light rapids and then came to a swift running spot. I went through first and got sideways and almost went under a tree. Then Patty came through and wound up under the tree. Her rods were in the rodholders sticking up and got hung in the tree. She immediately tried to turn around and untangle them. I saw her doing that and started to tell her don't do it when KERPLUNK she flipped the yak and went in the drink. She popped up, flipped her yak back over and grabbed hold of it. I immediately paddled to her to help. I got over there and was holding onto her yak and sitting sidesaddle in mine with my stakeout pole holding us. THEN my stakeout pole came out and we were moving quickly with the current. And then it happened (since I was sidesaddle and floating backwards I didn't see it happening). Remember George of the Jungle "look out for that TREE" it hit me in the back of the head and KERPLUNK I was in the drink with Patty. Fortunately it was only about 4 1/2 feet deep. We grabbed our yaks and waded to the sand bar to take inventory.
Items lost:

digital camera

rod holder

seat pad

cereal bars

fishing pliers and holster

and we later realized Patty's hat

We paddled a little further down river and there was Patty's hat. It had floated up into a tree so I went over and rescued it. Then I attempted to catch up with "Speedy". She had paddled way down river. I caught her and gave her hat to her. Then she took off again. After paddling for about two miles I told Patty none of the things we were seeing looked familiar. I asked a guy on the river which direction to Camp & Fish and shonuff we had passed it. During most of our trip back we had a buzzard flying over us. Patty blamed him for not helping us find our takeout point. On the return he landed and began walking around on shore at the takeout place.
Here he is:

After getting back to camp we put on dry clothes, packed up, and headed to the Loco Coyote for some lunch/dinner and then headed home. In spite of the loss of the camera we had a great time on the river. Now we're looking forward to Oktoberfisch on the Llano next month.

Big Bream Action

2008-08-28T22:59:00.003-05:00

I decided to do something different today so I took the yak and the fly rod and went to Loy Lake. The lake was full of grass so I didn't know how good I was going to do but I was there and on the water so I said "what the heck I'll try it". I paddled to the west side of the lake and cast my hopper up next to a lilly pad and BAM caught a nice bream. Well, first cast catches a fish, that's always a good sign. I continued to catch a few little bream on that side and then the wind picked up. I decided to paddle south toward the dam. As I'm fishing my way down the rip rap of the dam I caught a few more small bream and a few little green sunfish. I made a cast and the water exploded and my line took off. After playing it for a while I brought this big boy up to the yak.

I cast right back in the same spot and here's the result.

The next cast was productive but the end result was not as good. maybe even a little embarrasing.

One more.

I caught probably 8 to 10 more before it got hot and I decided to leave.
It turned out to be a nice fishing day after all.

GREAT Texas Fly Fishing video...

2008-08-21T11:54:00.001-05:00

Fly Fishing Texas: We Fish Here Too

Yeah Baby !!!

HIS-n-HERS

2008-08-14T18:45:00.002-05:00

Negotiated a deal today and the end result was

Soon, Patty and I will be ready to go in our matching yaks.

Drop Shot for Crappie ???

2008-08-10T23:36:00.002-05:00

You bet!!!

There's no way more fun to catch the ever evasive crappie than the drop shot method.

It's real simple.

1. LOCATE THE FISH

Here's a screen shot showing the submerged structure and the crappie stacked up around it.

2. TIE ON A 1/32 JIG HEAD AND TIP IT WITH A MINNOW (lipped)

Fish the minnow just on the outside edge of the structure. You can see the large number of fish on the fishfinder.

3. HANG ON FOR SOME ACTION

I caught close to 30 crappie on Friday using this method.

TCF strikes again...

2008-08-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

The last two days have been "Crappie Heaven".
I went yesterday and caught 13 keepers and 2 channel cats.

Today I took my old buddy and gave him another lesson in crappie fishing.

That's 47 keepers incase you're trying to count them.
We got into them big time this morning.
47 keepers on 3 dozen minnows now that's fun.

Ole TCF

TEXOMA

2008-07-20T18:35:00.002-05:00

A buddy and I went to the Red River on Wednesday and it was really sloooooow.
Here I am on "The Red" in my new yak.

So, because it was so slow we decided to move to Texoma. We went to Eisenhower State Park.
We went out and the stripers decided to cooperate. Before long we were in them.
I hooked up with this big girl and the fight was on. She took approximately 75 to 80 feet of line before I got her turned.

Here she is.

Need to fish "The Red"

2008-07-14T04:05:00.005-05:00

I'm hoping that this week I'm able to meet up with some buddies and fish The Red River below the Texoma dam. Several guys have fished it recently and had really good luck. Tishkayaker gave me a recipe for clousers that are working really well so I've got to get out in the shop and tie some. On the first trip I'm going to flyfish it and then I'll decide from there what to do on future trips.

I JUST WANNA DO IT!!!

UPDATE

WOOHOO we're doing it Wednesday morning. Can't wait!!!

Ole TCF

"Fishing is what I do for fun, catching fish is a bonus." Jim Moore

Great fishin day... aren't they all?

2008-07-14T03:57:00.003-05:00

Went to Waterloo early Sunday morning to do a little flyfishing. Wound up fishing for about 4 1/2 hours. I caught a bunch of sunfish (green, redear, coppernose) and a 3/4 pound LMB. It was overcast and raining at times. It was very relaxing and fun.

Yak in the flyfishing mode.

Another great weekend...

2008-07-12T19:05:00.002-05:00

This weekend started off really good with the purchase of my new kayak.
Thursday night I picked up an Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT.
Friday morning I met my brother (at 5AM :-{) at Lake Tawakoni to take her on her maiden voyage. We got on the lake and within minutes I was hooked up with a big ole buckemouth. I fought it for a while and when I brought it near the yak it jumped and spit my bait. We fished for several hours and, as usual, with Tawakoni the wind got up. It didn't stop us from catching fish. I caught a 12 and a 15 and Don caught a bunch of 10-12" dinks and a big catfish.

Today I took it to Waterloo and played in the wind some more. I did manage to catch a crappie before the wind convinced me to go home.

What a day!!!

2008-07-06T09:39:00.003-05:00

Took a friend fishing yesterday and we had a GREAT day on the water.
As soon as we launched we saw the sand bass churning the water and headed that way.
We got there and dropped our lines in and BAM, my buddy caught a crappie.
We worked that area and caught several more nice crappie and a few sand bass.
We kept moving and catching crappie and sand bass.
Then it happened, I caught a big ole crappie.

We ended the day with a huge stringer full of crappie and sand bass. My buddy had a great time.
This picture says it all.

Ole TCF

Grumpy? Why? Go fishing, it is impossible to be grumpy and fish at the same time.
Thank you Lord for good friends and time to fish.

Carp Expedition ?

2008-06-15T21:42:00.002-05:00

Well we didn't catch any carp (that would be me and Aaron) but we sure had fun.

Here's Aaron fishing "side saddle" from the yak.

Here I am taking off for "points unknown".

Here's one of my five "BIG FISH" !!!

Here are me and Aaron "chillin" at lunch time on a rock.

It was a fun day. I caught 3 bream, a green sunfish (the big one above), and a bass.
Aaron caught..... a sunburn :-).

Trying something new...

2008-06-04T18:30:00.003-05:00

On the 13th and 14th I'm going to a gathering at Grapevine to learn the fine art of carp fishing. I've never fished for carp or buffalo on purpose. The guy who is heading it up says "learn to catch fish like this".

Would that be cool or what?

Anyway, I'll spend Friday night and Saturday learning the tricks for catching big carp. Oh, did I mention "from the kayak"?

Should be lots of fun. Watch for the reports and pics.

Ole TCF

"Are you grumpy?"
"Maybe you need to do more fishin."

This weeks adventures...

2008-06-03T04:24:00.004-05:00

I was off Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, and all day Sunday and got lots of fishing and kayaking time in. I fished every one of those days at Waterloo Lake and cleaned up on crappie, sunfish, and sand bass. Thursday night Aaron and I got into the crappie just as it was getting dark and caught one on every cast. In fact I trolled back to the boat ramp and had to stop at least twice and take big ole crappie off of my line.

I did some modifications to the 9.5 ft yak last week and I have fallen back in love with it all over again. It now has a permanently mounted fish finder as well as a 360 degree light in addition to all of it's other accessories. The 14 footer seems to be better suited to Aarons height and build anyway so it is becoming the "buddy yak" and the 9.5er is my go to boat now.

Here's how she looked Sunday at Waterloo.

Is that sexy or what???

Okay, I've gotta get back to work.
Until next time, keep your lines tight.

Ole TCF

"Stop bein so grumpy and go fishin. You'll be happier and so will we."

Crappie WOOOHOOO !!!

2008-05-26T05:17:00.004-05:00

Aaron and I went fishing Saturday and I caught mega crappie. I also caught a number of sandbass, green and redear sunfish, and LMB. It was a great fishing day. Of course, I whooped Aaron. He says "let's go to the river so I can beat you again". He beat me once at the Red River and now it's "beat you again?" . Oh well.
It was his first time to kayak fish and he asked me "why didn't we do this a long time ago?". Well, I, just like everyone else, thought kayaks were pretty scary. You see people in them turning over, doing eskimo rolls and stuff and it kinda doesn't make them very appealing. Fishing kayaks are not like those white water yaks. They are more stable and designed for fishing.

I also went Sunday morning and caught several crappie and sandbass before the wind began gusting and I headed for the boat ramp. I'll be off for five days starting Wednesday so check back soon for more fishing updates.

Ole TCF

"Quit being grumpy and go fishin. You'll feel better and so will we."

Fish Fear Me...

2008-05-20T04:39:00.006-05:00

... that's what my hitch cover says. Well it's true they do and in two days they'll be nervous again. I'm sooooooo ready for a few days off and some agressive fishing. Last week I worked one of my days off and then turned around and worked 12 hours on Sunday as well. Therefore, I'm ready to relax and do some fishin. I've located crappie in shallow water and they are biting really good on both hand tied jigs and on electric chicken Panfish Asassins. Most of what I have caught are still full of eggs so for some reason they have not spawned. Maybe the heat combined with the nice weather will bring them in shallow in numbers and then the bite will be on.

Good luck and tight lines,
Ole TCF

"Quit being grumpy and go fishin. You'll feel better and so will we."

Encouragement

2008-04-29T04:39:00.003-05:00

"I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm ."

From Casting Crowns "I'll Praise You in this Storm"

Thank you Lord for encouraging words when it seems that life is nothing but one big storm.

Life worth living

2008-04-15T01:56:00.003-05:00

See that smile? Anytime I talk to him that's what he does. Then he does that little "a a a goooooo" which we have determined is a laugh. This little guy has grabbed hold of my heart and not only mended all the broken parts but has put a huge amount of peace and joy in it as well. When our kids were little I worked all the time and never really experienced the joy of playing with a little baby. Now Granny and I work nights so that we can babysit Christian while his momma works days. We are loving it.

There's only one problem. I think he's trying to tell me something because I walked up on the porch the other day and this is what I found.

Three months old and already got a pole in his hand. What's a Grandpa to do?

I say "REJOICE". Thank you Lord for this little angel that has made an old Grandpa and Grandma's life worth living. Amen.

Something different for a change

2008-04-14T01:07:00.002-05:00

I decided last Thursday to do something different and went to the Red River to do a little striper fishing. Thursday afternoon I caught 20 stripers and 2 LMB. BIG FUN let me tell ya.

Striper - 3 to 3.5 pound range

Large Mouth Bass - also 3 to 3.5 pound range

Okay so I decide to go back on Sunday morning and try some more. I caught around 12 nice stripers and 1 LMB.

6.5 to 7 pound striper

another striper in the 4 pound range

Not too bad for a change of pace.

It's almost CRAPPIE SEASON

2008-04-06T23:15:00.001-05:00

The crappie should be moving in to spawn real soon. that means MEGA crappie for a few weeks. then they will move out a ways into the 8 to 10 foot water and that means MEGA crappie. The bite should be good until around November. Yes, that's a long stretch but oh the fun we will have.

Saddle up for the ride folks.

I'm Back !!!

2008-04-02T09:34:00.006-05:00

The weather has somewhat turned around and the bite is on.

A friend turned me on to a little creek and I gave it a try yesterday.

I was fishing my 3wt fiberglass and using some #8 olive wooleyboogers and red and silver swimming minnow flies. I caught 3 nice sunfish.

SPRING 2008 FISHING CONTEST

2008-03-20T21:44:00.005-05:00

It started today. Fifty seven signed up. Four of us posted entries today.

Here is my big ole fish.

If you want to enter go to:

http://txfishes.com/

We need some competition so please join in.

Spring Break

2008-03-18T21:53:00.003-05:00

Well I'm officially on Spring Break this week.

Of course we have a tsunami taking place in N Texas right now.

It is supposed to end tomorrow morning and the temps are going to get into the 70's.

You know what that means FISHIN BABY!!!

Monthly Mid-Week Yak Fish

2008-03-14T16:55:00.003-05:00

Looking for some yak fishers that work the weekends (like me) to do a monthly mid-week fish. I'm thinking Wednesday would be the best day. There are lots of small waters around the DFW area that we could fish that have little or no power boat/jetski traffic. Those lakes are full of big ole bass and crappie. I've posted this on TFF and TKF so I'm hoping for some responses. We could start it week after next (avoiding Spring Break) or next month.

If you're interested send me an email at:

texascrappiefisherman@netzero.net

or PM me from TFF or TKF.

Let's go yak fishing.

Words to live by

2008-03-12T23:22:00.003-05:00

"Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs"

Recent incidents have reminded me of those words.
In addition to teaching all the basics of safe and ethical angling, the program combines long-term mentoring and positive life skills with conservation education in one powerful and adaptable package.

Here's how it works:

Angling Skills
Children learn all the skills necessary to fish safely on their own in a variety of settings, and the ability to teach others. Long-term mentors provide ongoing social support to motivate children to adopt fishing as a wholesome pastime, and encourage them to enjoy it regularly with their friends and family.

Conservation Ethics
Children take an active role in conservation in their own communities and develop ethical attitudes about the outdoors.

Social Skills
Children are empowered by a new, fun activity and positive life skills, such as creative decision-making, problem-solving, goal setting, patience, and camaraderie. Shared experiences with friends and family help children better communicate and interact with each other. They gain confidence and find a new sense of respect and responsibility for themselves, their friends and family, and their community.

I know adults and have met adults recently that need to get back to a program like HOFNOD. We as adults need to be a shining example to todays youth. If your hooked on some kind of drug or abusing alcohol what kind of example are you setting for the children around you?

Let's step up to the plate and become that example that the youth of America need to see. What better way than through the most enjoyable hobby in the world FISHING !!!

Lord,
I pray right now for those individuals that are struggling with the horrible addiction of drugs and or alcohol. Please reach out Your healing hand and release them from that terrible addiction. And Lord, please watch over the youth of our country and let them see the need to get Hooked on Fishing and not on drugs.
I pray all of these things in Jesus name.

Amen

(-: SNOW :-)

2008-03-04T01:18:00.003-06:00

It really snowed today.
I'm at work and we have probably 4 inches of snow.
Patty was stranded at work because of it and is spending the night with a coworker and praying for a thaw.
It's really pretty and I'm stuck at work until 6 AM so I don't care.
Got a good shot of the patrol car in the snow.

They are predicting 60+ degrees for later today. Imagine that.
No whar but Texas. :-)