Streetman Ponds

Sunday, with its cloudy skies, calm winds, warm temperatures, off-and-on rain, and upcoming cold front, seemed like a good day to go fishing.  My original destination of Richland Creek did not pan out like I had wanted due to difficulties with launching the ‘yak and Lurker Creepy Dude.  So, I packed up and headed to the small community of Streetman to fish the Streetman Ponds.  (If you go to Oktoberfisch on the South Llano River in Junction, one of the Saturday night cooks is from Streetman.)

Usually, access to the back pond is almost non-existent by boat, as the water is not high enough to navigate through the chutes.  Due to the recent rains, the pond levels are up really high, and I made it to the back pond for the first time.  Bluegills with spawning colors, Largemouth Bass, and one small White Bass liked what I threw.  I got a little excited as I originally thought the White Bass was a Yellow Bass, a species I have not caught, yet; alas, it was not, but it was a caught fish nonetheless!  I only had one hit topwater on the brown grasshopper, so I went with a red and white Clouser and then switched to a jighead fly that Cody tyed with primary-colored mylar flash and pink chenille body.  Seeing as the water was the color of slightly creamed coffee, I stuck with bold-colored flies and waited for the tugs.  The ‘yak did quite nicely, and I enjoyed the afternoon.

Update, 6/11/2015:  Based upon what Brandon posted regarding the last fish at the end of the video, I asked a TPWD icthyologist for help, and sure enough, I did catch a Yellow Bass, whose front dorsal fin is taller than its second, unlike the White Bass where the opposite is reversed.  I also had a still that showed the anal fin spines #2 & 3 are the same length.  Thank you so much Brandon!

Lake Springfield, Fort Parker State Park 2015

This week is the week between college classes, so I am enjoying playing around doing the things I love but have to sacrifice.  With the weather temp high forecasted at 61˚F for the day, the only decently “warm” day for the week, Cody surprised me with an after work, fly fishing excursion to one of our favorite little lakes, Lake Springfield at Fort Parker State Park.  After catching huge Rainbow Trout in Russia and Alaska this summer, I wondered how I would feel catching the little stockers.  

While Texas does possess naturally reproducing Rainbow Trout in McKittrick Canyon at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, fishing for them is disallowed.  So, the Texas fisheries stock trout, but they are little guys.  However, fish are pretty and fun and give us great enjoyment, so today was not about size, but getting out to catch the first fish of the year some 35 days later than usual. 

Cody’s 1½ pound Largemouth Bass was caught on a GirlieBugger.  All the other fish were caught on top water flies; Cody used a Miss Prissy, and I caught my Rainbow on a black Cap Spider while the Largemouths loved a brown grasshopper pattern we bought in Montana fishing the Big Hole River in 2009.  The video captures the light but on-going hatch that made the Rainbows and Largemouths jump all afternoon. 

I liked our comments, the splashing fish, and just the sounds—minus the nearby roadway traffic—so, I added no music this time.  A great two hours of fun for us!