Monello
Well-known member
I've been in the San Antonio, TX area for 3 weeks now. I've been out twice for trout without success. I finally decided to use a guide.
I've used guides in the past with mixed luck. I've had good days fishwise but some times the guide and myself wasn't a good fit. I've been misled when I asked specific questions with a yes answer when the answer really should have been yes, but......
And then there is the cost. But like anything else cost is relative. So I have to determine if my daily enjoyment is worth $350 +/-. Well on Tuesday it was, so I booked a guide. He said he had everything we needed so I just had to show up ready to fish. While I have some gear with me, this option was exactly what I was looking for.
I don't like to fish weekends if I can help it. I realize that's the only time a lot of people are free to get out on the water. I'm more than glad to let them have their weekend without me being there to add 1 more person to the mix. So mid week worked out well. Weather was looking OK for the most part.
I had an early wake up. Our meeting spot was a 60 mile drive for me. Gotta go where the fish are. Not too many drivers on the road in the early AM. It was 37 degrees when I left. I was dressed warm and had brought a few extra items just in case.
After doing the vehicle shuffle we are on the water. The guide sets me up with what is without a doubt the tiniest flies(22s) I have ever fished with. For me, a size 14 is small. I normally fly fish for trout with 10s & 12s. My bass/panfish flies are in the 2-8 size range. But he's the guide and it's his home waters.
We shove off and he proceeds to row upstream. I'm not sure why and I don't ask. After a few minutes he hands me a rod and says to try here. Tied on are 2 very tiny flies that I can barely see in the low light. I cast towards the bank and within a few tugs I see the indicator twitch, so I instinctively do a hook set. The line goes tight and the fight is on.
Most of my trout fishing is done in still water in lakes. I have fished for them in moving water but I'm not very good at it. The currents give me fits, always having to mend line. That and the places I've lived I had more opportunity to fish still water. That said, I was pleased to see the difference in how a river trout reacts compared to a lake raised trout.
The fish made several mad dashes for freedom. The guide mentioned that this was the first time he had a client hook up on the first cast. As we got the fish closer I noticed it was a silvery rainbow somewhere between 14 and 16 inches. Not the biggest fish in the river but big enough to put up a decent fight on the other end of the line.
After a few attempts to net the fish, it managed to pull free. I was amazed that the fish stayed on as long as it did given the smallish size of the hooks. The day looked promising for sure. The guide was wondering which fly the fish went for but that mystery would remain unsolved.
Not much longer I got a fish that I was able to bring to the net. The fly that fooled the fish was a Bert's emerger. We took a few pictures then set it free to possibly fight another angler in the future.
The Guadalupe is a scenic river in the Texas hill country. It goes through mostly private property with a few businesses and public access areas along the way. In the warmer months it's a mecca for tubers that lazily float down with their friends. The evidence of this is the few beer cans that were noticeable in the water. Not many but just enough(more than zero) to annoy me. I often wonder how people can be so clueless on the impact of their actions or inactions.
Sometime before noon we stop at 1 of the access points. There's a bathroom there so it's a good idea to take advantage of it. When we get ready to head back down the river, the guide suggests that I make a few cast. I proceeded to hook 4 fish without us moving the boat. The trout must have been stacked up in there like cordwood. I even got a coveted brown trout. The markings on this brown were slightly different that what I'm used to seeing on the German import. The interesting part was that there were 5 people fishing from the banks in this area. Also the trees close to the river are littered with hooks, bobbers and assorted pound test line. Lots of angling goes on in this area and somehow I get to fool 4 fish that get a lot of pressure.
The rest of the day was somewhat uneventful. We didn't see too many othe anglers. I saw 3 other fish caught. I didn't have any luck the last 2 1/2 hours of the day. At some point I was just going through the motions. In 1 of the calmer parts of the river I saw the shadow of what had to be a 4-5 pound trout. I pointed him out to the guide. We both tried to entice him but without luck. That was the only time the guide fished. I was hoping that fish would take his streamer. If I couldn't catch that fish, I was hoping that someone fishing with me would catch it. We gave up then headed downstream.
Final tally was 8 fish hooked. 3 made it to the net. Just one pulled off before we got a good look at it. If you ever find yourself in the New Braufels area of Texas, give this river a try. The local trout unlimited and Texas fish and game both stock the river on a regular basis.
I'd post some pictures but currently I'm over my limit. If I can get that problem resolved I'll edit this post with some pics. If you are still reading this long into my saga, thanks for taking the time. Peace
Links to pictures in a different forum
first landed fish
fish1
Guadalupe brown
Brown
River view
river
Rainbow closeup
fish2
I've used guides in the past with mixed luck. I've had good days fishwise but some times the guide and myself wasn't a good fit. I've been misled when I asked specific questions with a yes answer when the answer really should have been yes, but......
And then there is the cost. But like anything else cost is relative. So I have to determine if my daily enjoyment is worth $350 +/-. Well on Tuesday it was, so I booked a guide. He said he had everything we needed so I just had to show up ready to fish. While I have some gear with me, this option was exactly what I was looking for.
I don't like to fish weekends if I can help it. I realize that's the only time a lot of people are free to get out on the water. I'm more than glad to let them have their weekend without me being there to add 1 more person to the mix. So mid week worked out well. Weather was looking OK for the most part.
I had an early wake up. Our meeting spot was a 60 mile drive for me. Gotta go where the fish are. Not too many drivers on the road in the early AM. It was 37 degrees when I left. I was dressed warm and had brought a few extra items just in case.
After doing the vehicle shuffle we are on the water. The guide sets me up with what is without a doubt the tiniest flies(22s) I have ever fished with. For me, a size 14 is small. I normally fly fish for trout with 10s & 12s. My bass/panfish flies are in the 2-8 size range. But he's the guide and it's his home waters.
We shove off and he proceeds to row upstream. I'm not sure why and I don't ask. After a few minutes he hands me a rod and says to try here. Tied on are 2 very tiny flies that I can barely see in the low light. I cast towards the bank and within a few tugs I see the indicator twitch, so I instinctively do a hook set. The line goes tight and the fight is on.
Most of my trout fishing is done in still water in lakes. I have fished for them in moving water but I'm not very good at it. The currents give me fits, always having to mend line. That and the places I've lived I had more opportunity to fish still water. That said, I was pleased to see the difference in how a river trout reacts compared to a lake raised trout.
The fish made several mad dashes for freedom. The guide mentioned that this was the first time he had a client hook up on the first cast. As we got the fish closer I noticed it was a silvery rainbow somewhere between 14 and 16 inches. Not the biggest fish in the river but big enough to put up a decent fight on the other end of the line.
After a few attempts to net the fish, it managed to pull free. I was amazed that the fish stayed on as long as it did given the smallish size of the hooks. The day looked promising for sure. The guide was wondering which fly the fish went for but that mystery would remain unsolved.
Not much longer I got a fish that I was able to bring to the net. The fly that fooled the fish was a Bert's emerger. We took a few pictures then set it free to possibly fight another angler in the future.
The Guadalupe is a scenic river in the Texas hill country. It goes through mostly private property with a few businesses and public access areas along the way. In the warmer months it's a mecca for tubers that lazily float down with their friends. The evidence of this is the few beer cans that were noticeable in the water. Not many but just enough(more than zero) to annoy me. I often wonder how people can be so clueless on the impact of their actions or inactions.
Sometime before noon we stop at 1 of the access points. There's a bathroom there so it's a good idea to take advantage of it. When we get ready to head back down the river, the guide suggests that I make a few cast. I proceeded to hook 4 fish without us moving the boat. The trout must have been stacked up in there like cordwood. I even got a coveted brown trout. The markings on this brown were slightly different that what I'm used to seeing on the German import. The interesting part was that there were 5 people fishing from the banks in this area. Also the trees close to the river are littered with hooks, bobbers and assorted pound test line. Lots of angling goes on in this area and somehow I get to fool 4 fish that get a lot of pressure.
The rest of the day was somewhat uneventful. We didn't see too many othe anglers. I saw 3 other fish caught. I didn't have any luck the last 2 1/2 hours of the day. At some point I was just going through the motions. In 1 of the calmer parts of the river I saw the shadow of what had to be a 4-5 pound trout. I pointed him out to the guide. We both tried to entice him but without luck. That was the only time the guide fished. I was hoping that fish would take his streamer. If I couldn't catch that fish, I was hoping that someone fishing with me would catch it. We gave up then headed downstream.
Final tally was 8 fish hooked. 3 made it to the net. Just one pulled off before we got a good look at it. If you ever find yourself in the New Braufels area of Texas, give this river a try. The local trout unlimited and Texas fish and game both stock the river on a regular basis.
I'd post some pictures but currently I'm over my limit. If I can get that problem resolved I'll edit this post with some pics. If you are still reading this long into my saga, thanks for taking the time. Peace
Links to pictures in a different forum
first landed fish
fish1
Guadalupe brown
Brown
River view
river
Rainbow closeup
fish2