Arkansas River

Caddis Hatch on the Arkansas River

Cody and I headed northwest to Cutty's RV park on Hayden Creek in Coaldale, Colorado to fish the spring pre-runoff Caddis Hatch.  I was attending a Sisters on the Fly event, the 6th annual Caddis Hatch event hosted by Michelle Cummings, and Cody and I planned to go to Eagle's Nest, NM for Pike afterwards.  Weather prevented our trip to NM, but we certainly enjoyed fishing both the Arkansas River and the smaller but equally fun Texas Creek.  The Arkansas' cut through glaciation geology takes fly fishers through a majestic beauty backdropped by snowcapped Rocky Mountain peaks.  While not big fish, the Arkansas boasts some excellent dry fly fishing, partly due to the ongoing caddis hatch.  Not yet warm enough to move the fish to depths of the river, we casted to and caught fish in some pretty skinny water, skinny enough that we could see their flashes as they turned on to and took our flies.  Seeing the resilience of these trout was pretty amazing, especially how healthy one particular Brown Trout was seeing a bird of prey's talon had harpooned it previously.  We enjoyed our guided trip with Matt from Ark Anglers, as he put us on many trout, a total of 27 boated for the picture-perfect day.

The next day we took our very small rods and headed to two creeks, Hayden Creek at Cutty's RV Park, and then farther east to Texas Creek.  Regrettably, the slope of Hayden Creek was a little too steep, and the water flowing through it was too fast with almost no pools that would allow trout to hold in the creek.  So, we moved farther east to Texas Creek, where we learned is not at the Texas Creek Recreation Area, which is where Texas Creek confluences with the Arkansas.  Instead, we headed down Colorado State Highway 69.  Using the 4WD, we made our way down a dirt road to a nice meadow parking area.  Encompassed by shrubs meant wading in the creek, and moving upstream provided great access to small, wild trout who greedily ate size 12 Elk Hair Caddis flies.  Aggressive fish, regardless the size, offer amazing fishing on small weight rods, an experience which I always enjoy.

Hayden Creek

Upstream on the Texas Creek

Downstream on the Texas Creek

Astove Island, Seychelles

Indian Ocean S 10 3.527' E 47 44.818'

2017 DigitalGlobe Google Earth Image

     

Head guide Kyle Reed tying a Bimini Twist knot

Joining Tailwaters on another trip to the Seychelles, Cody and I chose to fish the Astove/Cosmoledo/Alphonse itinerary, new to Tailwaters' customers in 2017.  We flew from Mahe to Alphonse, where some passengers disembarked and our plane refueled before continuing southwesterly to Astove.  The Alphonse Fishing Company constructed Astove's new lodge on the existing foundation of the home belonging to a family who once inhabited the island in the early part of the 19th century.  We enjoyed outstanding hospitality from the staff and chefs, and the guides set to work helping us rig our rods, because two-and-a-half days of fishing would come and go quickly.

 
My first cast of the whole trip was to a Giant Trevally, aka Jeet or GT.  While guide Dave Marshall explained many aspects of GT fishing, I still failed to completely grasp what it meant to fish for GTs.  Failing to keep the fly moving, I missed my only opportunity at an Astove GT.  We fished the lagoon, blind-casted in the channel, walked the surf, where a few opportunities arose to cast to Bluefin Trevally, my favorite Trevally species, and attempted some dredging.  However, I was utterly unprepared to fish the surf, as I had no experience punching a 12# cast into the wind.  We caught nice Bonefish and other species, Tomato and Honeycomb Groupers, and had Triggerfish chase and then turn off our flies.

Astove demands that anglers be in good shape physically, to hike the island's perimeters searching for Permit and GTs, as well as superior casting shape to fish the surf well.  It is a beautiful island full of Giant Tortoises, many different bird species, and a rich and varied history, even if limestone pools attract and hold pesky mosquitoes, whose bites are minimal.

Pauley's Island at low tide

Pauley's Island at high tide

Giant Tortoise among the palms

Grey Heron (leeward side)

Regim Maris

If the lion is the undisputed "King of the Jungle," then, the Tarpon has to be the undisputed "King of the Sea!"

Traveling to Cuba's Jardines De La Reina, Tarpon was a highly targeted species for Tailwaters' 11 fishing guests aboard the Avalon II and certainly the favored species among her guides.  For several of us, this beastly king was an accomplishment for our species bucket list, too. Fly fisherman Camilo regaled us with his first landed Tarpon on Thursday 25 June 2015.

On Monday of that week, Bill and Will Seals and Cody and I fished for the Kings of the Sea from the same, deep-water hole. Being the courteous and respectful friends that we are, we each took turns. Bill first, me second, Will third, Cody fourth, and then, we repeated the sharing again exactly as in the first time.  Those sea beasts were strong and beautiful.

Bill Jumps and Lands Tarpon #1

As I had done on the first and only Tarpon I had ever hooked previously (April 2010), I again forgot to pay homage to the king, and so, my second  hooked Tarpon slid over into the "Jumped" category. However, Keko was an excellent and patient guide, and not too much time elapsed before I had my third-ever hook-up with this might warrior.  This time, I paid my respects, and I was allowed to land this Tarpon and two more Tuesday 21 June 2015.  They are exhausting creatures with which to do battle, and so I had to resign myself that three landed kings were all I could muster.

My First "Landed" Tarpon

Will Bows and Lands Tarpon #3

Cody Lands Tarpon #4, a PB, as Keko Looks On

My 2nd Landed Tarpon

Cody's 2nd Landed Tarpon of the Day

My 3rd Tarpon of the Day

One of Cody's Five Jumped Wednesday Tarpon

On Wednesday, Keko again put us on Tarpon.  Cody masterfully jumped five Tarpon that morning; two were on back-to-back, long and perfect casts.  As graceful as Cody's bow was, creating slack in his line, those stubborn Kings battled and won the jousts that day.

My 4th Tarpon of the Trip

As others had done, I decided I wanted to catch Tarpon on the flats, so Keko tied on a beautiful purple and pink Tarpon Toad, spotted one Tarpon chasing sardines, and told me to cast at the 11:30 position.  It wasn't long before that 10# TFO TiCrX bent double.  It took a little longer to land this Tarpon, but landed it was.

In the afternoon, Cody decided to experiment with angle shots using his new GoPro Hero 4, and so he laid down on the bow in front of me and videoed and photographed my last Tarpon from beginning to end.  It was also my personal best, weighing a little more than 40 pounds and fighting for almost 25 minutes.  I was grateful for the 12# and calmer waters than Tuesday.  All-in-all, it was the Tarpon trip of a lifetime, as I jumped eight Tarpon and landed five of them.

My 5th and Final PB Tarpon

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!

Red River Rendezvous 2015

The Red River Fly Fishers hosted Red River Rendezvous 2015 in Broken Bow, Oklahoma at Beaver's Bend State Park.  Since I have returned to college while working full time, Cody and I are having to be pretty selective about where and when we get to attend fly fishing events.  However, this is an event that we have enjoyed in the past, and since it headed north across the border for the first time and to one of Cody's favorite rivers, the Lower Mountain Fork, I took the books with me and off we went.  I struggle to catch fish here, but I do enjoy the beauty of the southern range of the Ouachita Mountains.  Cody tied his infamous GirlieBugger pattern, and since he is asked about it, a lot, (since it catches salt and freshwater species, large and small), here she is, tied on an Orvis 8808 4x Streamer...

The Colorado with Kevin

Hill Country Flyfishers.

That is a great statement!  It's also the name of Kevin Hutchison's fly fishing business.  Cody and I love the Hill Country.  Cody and I love fly fishing, and we love to fish with Kevin Hutchison! 

Having previously fished with Kevin on the San Marcos, we decided to fish the Colorado in Bastrop.  The day was overcast, the winds were mild for the majority of the day, temps were in the upper 60's/lower 70s, the company was excellent, and the fishing fabulous!  

We fished top water flies in the morning, large, sub-surface flies mid-morning, top water after lunch, and sinking flies in the afternoon, and fish took everyone of the flies we offered.  We landed Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Guadalupe Bass.  One of the observations Kevin made was the number of ingested crawfish we'd seen in the fish we had caught, which was really cool to view.  I have heard Kevin talk many, many times, and he has always advocated looking inside the fish's mouth, because it's a great indicator as to what flies might be successful.  True to his teachings, Kevin tied on a rust-colored, beadhead fly for me, after Cody had been fishing it succesfully. Yield?--glorious results!  

Cody's catches outnumbered mine, even hooking into a Gar, and catching a fair amount of Bluegill--rare lately on the Colorado, but I got to catch the largest Largemouth Bass of my career; she tipped the Boga at 4 lbs!  I also landed a 2 lb, very hefty girl.  I only caught one Bluegill, but it was a pretty fish.  Unfortunately, the Rio Grande Perch eluded us, this day, but the snakes did not.  It's mating season, and the snakes were numerous, including the dreaded Cottonmouth.  We sacrificed a couple flies when those slithering fellows were too near.

I have fished with many guides, but never have I fished with a person who is more gracious, more giving, more knowledgeable about his fishing environment, and generally likes people, as much as Kevin does.