Warm Water Report

The warm water fishing in the Texas Hill Country has been a mixed affair of late. We have seen days when the fish will move 6 feet to take a fly, and others were you can bring a fly within an inch of a bass, only to have the fish slowly turn away. The trick for successfully targeting bass in late fall is often persistence and being at the right place at the right time.

The most productive fishing days are days when the weather pattern is stable and has been stable for at least 3 days. The quality of the fishing has also improved in the past few days, mostly due to the fact that our overnight lows are back into the mid 50s, while the afternoon highs are staying in the 70s. This is the time of year when we get our “Indian Summer” that will bring nice bass out from their stumps and snags. On the days when we are experiencing weather pattern changes the fishing can still be good, but is subject to shut down as the front moves through. If you are fishing ahead or right on the front, then the fishing can be excellent, once the front has moved through the fish often move into deeper water and will wait to see if winter is here or if the Indian summer will return. Another factor that has affected the fishing has been the rains we are finally receiving in the Texas Hill Country.

For the first time in almost two years the ground in the Hill Country is wet and so much of the rains we have been receiving, and that we are forecast to receive in the next few months, will be flowing into our rivers and lakes. With each rain event there is typically a 2-3 day window after the rains subside that the water is stained. The first day or two will put the fish down but a little stain on the water can allow you to get a little closer to the fishy spots before casting.
After the rains subside and the water clears, we have continued to enjoy nice sight casting days on both the Llano and Colorado Rivers. The San Marcos has received a number of rises coming off the Blanco River but the fish are settling back down and the fishing should keep improving as the current weather pattern holds. On the extreme end of what we see in the Texas Hill Country, on October 22, in 40 minutes, the Pedernales River in Johnson City went from 230 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 22,500 cfs and, at one point that day was increasing the level of Lake Travis by one foot per hour.

Fly patterns for this time of year are almost all streamer patterns. My best producing fly on the Llano has been in olive, and white has worked very well on the Colorado.

The forecast for the next week calls for stable temperatures (lows in the 50s, highs in the 70s) and mostly stable rain chances. Now is an excellent time to get in that last minute bass trip before trout season settles in.

Guadalupe Report

The trout season on the Guadalupe is starting early this year. Cooler days and cooling rains have brought the average daily river temperature on the Guadalupe River tailwater down to the required thresholds for the safe introduction of new fish that will soon join the holdover trout in the Trophy Trout Zone of the Guadalupe. My guiding season for trout on the Guadalupe will being on Tuesday, November 17 and continue into the spring. Flows are still down from the historic averages but Canyon Lake continues to rise, and has now gained five feet since the beginning of September. This is one of the earlier starts to the trout season on the Guadalupe in a number of years and, with the long range forecast calling for above average rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures this winter, we might finally be seeing the end of our extended drought and a return to nice trout fishing well into the spring.

Fly patterns early in the season often include smaller wooly buggers, standard nymphs such as hare’s ear nymphs, pheasant tail nymphs, zebra midges, various egg patterns and San Juan worms. There have been nice hatches in recent weeks, including caddis and some mayflies. As winter approaches the bugs, and therefore the fly menu, will change but for now, start with your “go-to” flies and then get more creative from there.

In addition to scouting for trout, I have also been looking for striped bass above the trophy trout zone. This has provided some mixed fishing days in which I have fished nymphs for trout in the runs and streamers in the pools for stripers.

All-in-all, it is looking to be another very nice season on the Guadalupe River for trout.

Got Carp?

Yes, the accompanying photos do show yours truly holding a carp and sporting a wide grin. I realize that to many, targeting carp with a fly rod is only slightly more refined than sitting on a bank with a cane pole, a can of kernel corn and a pack of treble hooks; unfortunately, the majority of the carp naysayers have never had the pleasure of seeing a freshwater fish put them into their backing. Some of the naysayers have even targeted carp, though some might not admit this fact to their friends, only to have this so called “trash fish” refuse their fly with the gravitas of an old brown trout.

The carp in the first photo was feeding in about 3 feet of water and took a chartreuse and white cat’s whisker, fished behind wooly bugger that was presented directly in front of the fish. The other carp near this fish were suspended and not feeding and any attempt to put a fly near them resulted in the entire school being spooked in a manner similar to red fish being spooked by an errant cast. This fish, however, was actively feeding and took the fly on the first drift. [Before you start your comments, yes, he was feeding on the bottom of the river, and yes there is muck and sometimes trash on the bottom of a river and, once again proving that the laws of gravity do hold true, even in a river.] The key was to get the fly in front of the fish without spooking it and on an angle that will bring the fly directly in front of the fish’s mouth. If you can make the cast so not to spook the fish and if the fly can get down along the bottom as it comes in front of the fish, the end result is quite often a good ride.

My preferred flies for carp are simple and include smaller sized (#8-12) wooly buggers in olive, brown or black, crayfish patterns and “buggy” looking nymphs in sizes #10-14. Damsel fly nymphs, hellgrammites, dragon fly nymphs, and most any other of the larger macro invertebrates common to a river or lake are good patterns for feeding carp. I keep a selection of larger nymphs in one of the streamer boxes I carry so that if I happen upon a feeding carp I can quickly add the nymph or small bugger to my line. Tippet size can sometimes be a concern in areas where the carp have seen angling pressure in the past, but I tend to fish in the 2x-4x range for carp, with 3x being what I use most often.

One of the draws to carp fishing is that you can often sight cast to a feeding fish. Sometimes described as “poor man’s bone fishing,” carp fishing requires both accuracy and delicacy in fly placement. A missed shot often results in the fish being startled and blowing up the area as the fish move quickly away from you and your fly. For those who want to sharpen their casting skills prior to a saltwater trip, carp fishing provides some very nice “game day” opportunities. And, given the size of the fish you are dealing with, it is a good opportunity to break out that 8wt that seldom gets used.

The state record common carp was taken on Lady Bird Lake in Austin in 2007 and weighed in at 43.25 pounds. The state record for common carp on a fly stands at 33 pounds, caught on Lady Bird Lake in 1999. There are many nice carp still in Lady Bird Lake and many more in the Colorado River below Austin as well.

Common carp are the most numerous of the carp species on the Colorado River below Austin seem to range in the 8-15 pound range, but on occasion it is possible to spot a fish that would easily weigh in excess of 30 pounds. Carp run in short, strong bursts and will then hold in place, often spinning in a slow circle, regaining strength for another run. Fishing from a raised platform, such as a boat or raft will make it easier to spot feeding fish and make it easier to chase down any fish that decides to run. It is still possible to get into your backing when float fishing for carp and if you are wade fishing, you are very likely to see your backing.

Carp can be fished year round, and do thrive in the colder waters of our Hill Country winters when the bass are slower to feed. While I do not typically set out on any given day to go “carp fishing,” I do keep an eye out and if I happen to see a feeding will back off the fish, make a quick fly change, tighten my drag, and get ready to hold on.