Fish for Four and Four for Fish

Fine fishing business on the water, today!

Beginning our day a little earlier, we met up with the Fords on their pontoon boat, picked up Bradley, and headed upstream to the Trophy Area.  Bradley talked about a gravel island he'd fished before with another Texas buddy, so we set off in that direction.  However, the abundance of fish along the way hearkened our names, so we fished.  Bradley and Cody nymphed and I fished the CodyBugger, and not long after wetting our lines, Bradley and I hooked up for a double.  Ahh, those Rainbow Trout sure are pretty, spots and blended colors of teal, turquoise, pink, and white. 

A water body paints many colors.  Catching fish is the only way to see her canvas.  We slowly worked our way up to Bradley's island, hooking up with fish along the way.  Unfortunately, when we reached the island, a family with a pontoon loaded with little kids beached before us, and with all the splashing they made, there was no hope of even casting to these easily spooked creatures, so we continued to drift back down the river. 

Last night, Bradley and Cody had tied CodyBuggers, and Bradley wanted to learn to fish streams on a sinking leader, so we gave just a few pointers, and tight-looped casting commenced.  A fish nipped Bradley's fly on one cast, while, after a perfect cast to a gravel bed, Bradley's CodyBugger had a chaser.  Even though the dam gates opened at noon, today, fishing was fine business. 

Just about the time we began our float down river, Stephanie phoned to tell about the unique Rainbow she landed.  The Missouri Department of Conservation heavily stocks Lake Taneycomo, because they swear the fish are not reproducing.  I say some Mizzou grad student needs to come confirm that, because with the weird in-breds we are seeing and catching, MDoC is wrong!  Steph caught a Rainbow, brilliantly colored, but all of its fins were rimmed white--exactly like a Brook Trout.  Another one of the "non-breeding" crazier in-breds we have seen, is this albino carp.  Unable to catch, I'll just describe it.  Looking at it from above, the fish's right side is completely white.  On its left side beginning at its pectoral fin and going back to its tail fin, the fish is completely white.  On its left side from its mouth to its pectoral fin and from its spine to its belly, the fish is purplish-gray!  Weird and ugly; we saw two of them.  MDoC needs to do more than just stock!  

Boys being boys, Bradley and Cody were hungry, so with fast-moving waters, we docked the boat, came off the lake, drove to Branson's Landing, and ate at Bass Pro Shops' White River Fish House.  Everyone's meal was delicious and the sweet tea was outstanding.  This town has excellent sweet tea!  We visited BPS's fly shop, helped Bradley purchase some fly-tying materials, then headed off to two other fly shops to round out his material list.  Buying fly material is always good; yes, it is a little pricey up front, but tying flies for personal use saves $$$ when compared to having to buy the fly time and again.

We all chose to drift with the current this evening before the foggy fog misted upon us, and the Fords netted two and Cody netted two. 

Cody and I pack up camp and head to Mountain Home for some White River fishing in Arkansas.  The single best day of fishing I ever had was on Arkansas' section of the White, so I am hoping for a repeat performance.  I do have my pink rod, pink reel, pink & purple line, and pink San Juan Worm, so Fly Fshr Grl is r-e-a-d-y!  Learning the multi-personalities of Lake Taneycomo has been a great vacation; one Cody and I would do again!

Learning Curve Mastered

Still beginning the day at 9:30, Cody and I mastered the learning curve, yahoo!  We motored back to the Trophy Spot but headed even farther upstream.  Still using my 4# rod, 150 grain sinking line, and the CodyBugger, I was able to hook up with some nice Rainbows.  Watching those fish give chase and then take the fly is fun business.  I'd buy a ticket to watch it, but that's me.  Cody's CodyBugger wasn't working for him, so he tied on a nyphming rig, which is what most of the fly fishers are doing in the section, and Cody Bell slayed those 'Bows!  We have found a section of the Trophy Spot that looks almost like the Green River in its density of fish.  Today, those fish did not move out of the way of our flies.  It was great fun!!  Tomorrow, we are heading out but earlier, because the fishing is good for about 30-40 minutes after the dam horn sounds signaling open gates, rising water. 

The wildlife along the river provides another scenic venue.  Just as we crossed the Trophy Spot demarcation line, a flock of eight Canada Geese flew over, and then another 20 feet downriver, a brood floated carelessly, as a cat stalked them along the shore dreaming of dinner.  Herons also line the banks and seem to be a good indicator as to where the fish are located, since fish are a huge food staple for them.  We did have an unwanted visitor, today.  I was fishing off the back of the boat towards the shore, so my back was to the main body of the lake.  Cody calmly says, "Look what's coming toward you."  Now, Cody's voice maintained its composed timbre, so I was not expecting the Copperhead that swam from one side of the lake to the other.  The camera rested on the boat's floor, so when I picked it up to snap that snake's photo, the lenses and the lcd fogged immediately (a great tell as to how cold the water is and how hot the air is).  Rather agitated, Cody kept telling me to get the picture, because that snake was swimming in the boat if Cody didn't troll out of its way.  I got two photos and watched as it made shore and slithered up the steep, hilly, and rocky shore.  You know snakes didn't slither until they misbehaved; darn snakes!  

On the first day, Bradley told Cody about a bar-b-que joint that served excellent ribs.  Cody, being the supreme bbq connoisseur that he is, wanted those ribs, so off to the Rib Crib we went.  Excellent fare, I must say.  Cody ate the ribs, of course, and either that was one big pig or they served Cody two racks.  I ate chicken, and of course, southern Missouri is in the South, so the tea was sweet and quenching.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Fords to tie some flies.  Bradley learned to tie the CodyBugger; we cast some fly rods; Stephanie worked on her book, and the river took on its evening personality with the foggy fog descending on the water.  Overall, another excellent day on the water!

Lake Taneycomo

Today we fished Lake Taneycomo, and since neither Cody nor I have ever fished it before, it was a learning lesson.  The boat only had three fish for the day, so it was a hard learning lesson.  We motored to the tail end of the Trophy Spot, and began casting.  Fish swam everywhere!  I think I could have dipped the net in the water and landed two dozen fish, easily.  They followed the boat; they swam with the boat; the zoomed out of the boat's path.  Finally, fishing from the back and watching at least 15 fish give chase, nudge, and nip my CodyBugger, a beautiful 13.5" Rainbow Trout inhaled my fly and turned to swim off downstream.  It was great fun watching it all happen.  I used my new Sharkskin sinking line on my recently repaired 4 wt. rod, the last rod I completed at Norm's.  Oh, it was great fun!  That fish would run away pulling line out, which Sharkskin line has a nice zinging hum as a fish pulls line off that reel.  Then, he would rest, and I'd reel him in, and he'd catch his second wind and zoom, off he went, again.  This see-saw action lasted for about three or four minutes, before Cody netted that pretty little fish.  Fishing the same way, I caught another Rainbow about 30 minutes later, but this guy was a hair bigger but much fiestier.  He jumped twice, once about three feet wide and the second time about two feet in the air.  Getting this fish to pose for a photo presented a problem, but master photographer Cody Bell got the shot, in spite of my weak attempts to hold the fish.  Cody fished two flies spread along his leader, and nymphing, he landed a "Golden Bonefish" (carp) on a fly he tied.  The carp here do not act like carp elsewhere.  Gorging themselves on scuds, they don't make fast or long runs.  Cody gave this carp a run, though.  Cody teased that fish right off the river/lake bottom, made it take line, and netted that goldie.  Seeing as those carp are super slimy, Cody posed with him in the net, but before Cody put him back in the drink, that fished pooped all over the net and the inside of the boat.  We don't keep our fish, so they shouldn't behave so badly.

We are staying at Cooper's Creek RV park.  Nestled precariously on a caliche precipice in slot 50, we have not been able to level the RV, even with blocks, but we are in the shade.  Great selection of cable channels but poor reception.  Yes, CC has free WiFi, but only at the office area.  Ambient water temp is 90 degrees, so we don't really need to turn the water heater for the showers.

This area is climate crazy.  Off the water, the humidity is around 60-70%, and yes, we are in the Ozark Mountains; on the water, sometimes it is non-existent, and then, a pocket appears.  We do not arise early because the foggy fog (Scooby-Doo days) hovers over the water at least 6 feet high.  Fishing really doesn't begin until about 9 a.m., but even then, the fog is present.

The water flows from east to west.  Until around 1 p.m., none of the Table Rock Dam floodgates stay closed, which means at times, we are in 20" deep water or shallower.  Afterwards, the floodgates make the water flow around 6-7 mph.  We used a chain this evening to keep us straight and to slow our float, but at times we were drifting at 5 mph--very difficult fishing.  Areas that were ankle-deep this morning, were 16 feet deep this afternoon.  Also, the fog starts rolling in ever so slightly, but present nonetheless, around 4:30.  The sun shines brightly and heatedly but hit a pocket of misty fog and the temperature easily drops 30 degrees or more.  Move out of the fog pocket, and the temps rise immediately back into the low 90s.  All the while, the water maintains a trout-happy 49 degrees.  Limestone bottomed, the rainbows, browns, and carp are easily visible, so visible that watching the fish move aside to let a fly pass by, then move back in their little niche frustrates fishermen of all types.  The title of lake is a misnomer, because this water body looks like a river, moves like a river, and fishes like a river, never wider than 50-60 yards.

We have really enjoyed meeting up with the Fords, my friends from Corsicana High School teaching days.  This has been their family vacation spot for over 26 years.  They bunk at Lilley's Landing, about four or five boat docks up river from our spot.  The area is beautiful with tree-lined, steep cliffs.  We did not fish, yesterday, because we hooked up the RV, put the boat in the slip, rigged up our rods, and just settled in the area, Mr. Ford took Bradley, Stephanie, Cody, and I down river 7 miles to the smallest Bass Pro Shop and to the Branson Riverfront Mall.  Traveling by boat is much better than traveling by car.  Think of the River Styx; Highway 76 is its equivalent.  Mr. Ford gave us some backroads, yeah!, to drive around, so we could meet them for lunch, and the backroads are the way to travel in this city.  Otherwise, its just one extremely long parking lot.

Fishing the morning hours until early afternoon is going to be the way to catch fish.  Then, being tourists in the afternoon and evening is how we can make the most of our stay.

Branson's Lake Taneycomo

Cody and I headed for Branson to meet up with the Fords.  We took two cars--Cody is pulling the RV, and I am pulling the boat.  We made it to Fayetteville, Arkansas where we stopped at a rather remote RV park with awesome WiFi connections. 

When we travel with two cars, Cody and I pack the walkie-talkies, so we can communicate rather easily.  Cody provided the entertainment for the day.  Pulling the RV, Cody's car gets about 12 miles per gallon, which equates to about 160 travel miles before needing to gas up.  Our tanks were full when we left Palmer.  Cody gassed in Sherman, Savanna, OK, and totally pushed his luck to get to Fayetteville, and not just any where in Fayetteville, oh, no!  We passed at least two gas stations, and then Cody comes on the walkie-talkie as he is coasting through the yellow-lit intersection, "I think I've pushed my luck.  I think I'm out of gas."  Of course, I got caught at the red light, but I watch the RV coast up the road two blocks to Wal-mart.  Cody couldn't gas anywhere, only at Wal-mart, which was pretty cheap.  After four warnings, he had 0 miles left until he ran out of gas.  Cody is one of the luckiest people I know.

Cody is rigging up my 4 wt. Sharkskin sinking line (thank you TailWaters), and putting a sinking line on my brand new Ross 6 wt. Evolution LT reel (Thank you Travis at TailWaters).  We read the Lilley story Bradley shared on his fb page, and we are excited about catching some trout.  I want some Big Browns, but of course, will be happy to have anything, but carp, on the end of my line.

We make Branson and Cooper's Creek RV park, tomorrow!   

Lake Amistad NRA, San Pedro Canyon

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:  because that in it he had rested from all his work which God had created and made" Genesis 2:2-3 (Scofield Reference Bible, 1909).  As it was with the first sabbath, on this sabbath the fish rested, save one Bluegill...until 2 p.m.!

We put in at San Pedro Canyon, a new destination for Cody Mood Bell, but reading the map's "hot spots," it looked like it would produce fish.  When Ken Burns created his Lewis and Clark:  The Corps of Discovery documentary, at the end of the part one, he said Lewis and Clark were about to learn the difference between mountains on a map and mountains in real life.  Today, Cody and Julia fully comprehended Burns' words and learned the difference between hot fishing spots on a map and true hot spots.

We saw fish, had fish turn to look at our flies and nudge our flies, and even watched several inhale and promptly spit out our flies, but catching them eluded us dramatically.  We should have known that the day was going to be difficult when Cody hung his fly on a submerged tree.  We trolled over, as we always do, and Cody attempted to free his fly from the tree.  Unfortunately, it was too wrapped around the branch, so Cody decided to break off and sacrifice the Creek Crawler fly to the waters.  When Cody went to tie on a new fly, he realized that the rod's tip section was missing and had become separated when he broke off the fly and his line popped through the guides.  Well, Cody tells me he's going snorkeling, and as soon as he turns his back, that TFO 7# tip section bobs up in the water--tip down.  We have to be very careful trolling to it so that the water wake does not flood the open end.  Gratefully, Cody is able to pinch that tip and retrieve it from the waters.  Cody switches rods, and we continue fishing the San Pedro Cove--with no luck!

We had made a deal before beginning to fish, that if neither of us liked where we were fishing, we had to tell the other, and we would move to a new spot.  With no fish to our credit and well in to our second hour on the water, we headed to the flats, which were supposed to be hot for Largemouth's from May - October.  No nips, no hits, no fish--the flats were cold regardless the season's temperatures.  Thus, Cody ate and in my desperation, I tied a beautiful blue dragonfly pattern to my floating line in the attempts to catch one of the many carp that constantly crashed the surface.  (Those who know my fishing preferences have just been given CPR to read that I deigned to fish for carp; I strongly dislike carp, regardless of the fact they are nicknamed the golden bonefish and give an excellent fight; I do not like carp!)

We gave up on San Pedro Canyon, even though there were several coves that looked like the Texas shoreline of Lake Texoma, and motored to Rough Canyon.  We knew the day would be exceptionally crowded, but NPS needed to have a traffic officer directing boaters.  Cody got sprayed and drenched by one show-boating wakeboarder (due to me snapping his photograph, eging him on), and Cody had a few choice words for the ole boy, which can not be repeated here--not curse words, but not acceptable for print, either. 

We worked our way around other boaters in Big Canyon to a nice rocky cove, and four hours after putting in, we started to catch fish.  Bluegills, and small ones at that, but fish nonetheless began to eat our flies.  The curse was off and the good karma flowed.  It took a lot of different flies before we found the ones that would land fish.  For Cody it was the CodyBugger, red lips, and me, the Bonefish Bitter, brown.  By the time I quit fishing my bitter, the head was the only thing left, but fish kept taking the fly, so I didn't change it until absolutely necessary.  We worked on casting, calling shots, and calling fish, but we kept catching the little fellows.

Tired and watching the sun begin to wan, we made our way back to San Pedro Canyon, at least an hour's boat ride.  Now, in all fairness, Cody's flats boat is only equipped with a 25hp Mercury motor, which equates to about 15 mph, as long as someone sits on the casting platform, which Cody did while I drove.  We both decided the Texoma-esque shoreline proved too tempting, so we fished the boulder-lined coves until our arms fell off.

Not wanting to call it quits because there were still fish to catch, we fished a big, beautiful cove just west of the U.S. 277 bridge.  We tried poppers and Miss Prissys to no avail.  Cody tied on a CodyBugger, and I a Swamp Monster, and just as the sun dipped behind the canyon, Cody landed his second bass for the day--a 1.75lb Largemouth.  Thankfully, God gave us Bluegill; otherwise, the boat's fish count for the day would have been two!

I have not checked today's weather history, but I can tell you that a front moved in or something else caused the barometric pressure to drop.  I have heard it said by old men, that if the cows are sitting, the day's not fit for fishing.  I should have remembered that saying/lesson, and we could have snorkeled even though the waters were not clear like the previous three days--another sign of the changing barometric pressure.  We head home, Monday, and with the freeways being congested with Memorial Day travelers, it looks like it is the backroads (I am happy) for us.

Lake Amistad NRA, Box Canyon

What an adventurous day; we fished, we explored, we followed the map locating interesting points, and we visited old places.  We started the day fishing a nice little cove teeming with Bass, Bluegill, and Carp.  Cody landed four bass and two bluegill in about 10 minutes.  We made another pass and caught a couple more bass.  Then, we motored to another cove which was crystal clear 14 feet deep.  We watched the fish reacting to our flies and began to call which one we would catch to make that catch count.  Cody ate and I fished, but the wind kept wreeking havoc with the boat alignment, so I decided to eat.  Well, just like Thursday, first cast, Cody catches a 2 lb. bass.  Cody decided I needed to eat more often.  Knowing the lake so well, Cody took us to a nice little cove that was stocked with some fat Bluegill, who out-weighed the bass!  With CodyBuggers tied on our lines, it was Fish On! until we decided to stop fishing. 

The wind would not cooperate, so we decided to cool off by motoring to some unique sites.  Lake Amistad's development began in 1968.  According to the initial reports presented to Congress, Mexico stated that they owned all the land that would become the Mexican shoreline.  I don't think that was necessarily true due to the evidence of towns and buildings which existed at the time of Amistad's construction and which are still present today--underwater.  We wandered over to Mexican waters to view the Catholic church, whose steeple just nudges above the waterline.  Closer to the present-day shoreline, the map delineates many buried but existing structures.  However, we did not have a Mexican waters pass, nor did we feel like having to go through US Customs once we returned to shore, so we didn't snorkel the area. 

Even though the winds picked up and created white capping, we boated northward looking for the Good Enough Springs site, which we found marked with a boat tie-off buoy, but the springs exist 130 feet below.  Cody then moved on to an area where they used to camp when he was young.  Being the trendsetters Nonna and Pa Bell are, we saw four families camping in the same spot with their boats parked on shore!  Cody fished the area for old-times sake.  Cody, the supreme gadget guy, marked buoys 15, 16, and 21 on his GPS before we headed back.

Trying to escape the high winds and spotting a great-looking cove, we headed in to what turned out to be some of the best fishing.  We studied the cove on the map, and since it looked like an anchor and had no name, we dubbed it Anchor Cove, and boy did it produce bass!  We tossed CodyBuggers and Creek Crawlers on 300 grain sink line, and we could set the hook just as soon as we saw the flash.  We must have pulled 10 bass out of that hole alone.

With much calmer waters we began heading back to the boat ramp, but we decided to fish the cove where Cody hammered the fish during last year's trip.  It proved fruitful again.  Cody fished a popper that the fished loved, and I fished a pale Creek Crawler, which the fish loved.  Aching, tired, and fast losing sunlight, we left the cove and made the short trip to the boat ramp.  It was a fine day at sea, regardless of the high temperatures.  Tomorrow is fisherman's choice (we'll study the map and look for the "hot spots" on paper).

Lake Amistad NRA, Diablo East

Phew, 10 degrees hotter and the fishing tailed off drastically compared with yesterday.  However, seeing as these are Cody's home waters, he did not disappoint--bass, bass, bass, then bluegill for the afternoon.  We went up to Castle Canyon, found a beautiful cove, and began fishing it.  Cody caught two bass, but as pretty as the waters were, the lack of structure proved a lack of fish.  The two Cody caught were hiding under a nice boulder.  Castle Canyon serves more the boaters, skiers, jet skiers, and divers than fishermen.  We did take our snorkel gear, but did not take the opportunity. 

The CodyBugger proved to be the hot fly again today.  Still, TailWaters receives my thanks.  One of their .25 cent flies I purchased at their birthday bash Saturday landed me a 1.25 lb. bass.  Unfortunately, it was my only fish of the day, but I'll take it.

We tried some different fishing strategies today.  There are many coves across from the dam.  As we approached the rocky shorelines, we dragged the SeaAnchor and let the wind push us across the rock beds before entering the coves to fish.  Waters were so clear and various hues of greens and blues, at times, it looked like we were fishing saltwater, not freshwater.  The coves offered rocky beds with deep drop-offs which we could clearly see to the bottom--10 feet below. 

We worked hard today, so we called it quits a little earlier than normal.  We stocked up on KFC for tomorrow's lunch, and with temps projected in the mid-90s, we may be snorkeling more than fishing.

Lake Amistad NRA, Rough Canyon

Day 1 turned out to be pretty good fishing for both of us, except neither of us was hot when the other was.  Cody caught 10 fish in the first 20 minutes; I had fish nibble my fly and turn off.  Lake Amistad amazes us each time we fish it.  Its waters are so clear, we watched our flies and saw how the fish reacted to them at 8 feet below the surface!  We caught small, fingerling fish, which were absolutely as beautiful as some of the bigger fish, and we caught 2+ lb. largemouth bass.  Cody ended up with 29 fish, and I had 13.  Lake Amistad yields the prettiest bluegill, even when they are the p-i-g HOG sized ones. 

The best fish story of the day occurrred at 2:30, when I decided to have lunch.  Cody had a TailWaters Creek Crawler fly tied to his 7#, asked if I minded if he fished while I ate, to which I gave him the go ahead, and Cody says I think I'll catch me a bass, and he did!  First cast, barely finished declaring his intentions, and 2lb. bass was fish on!  Now, if anyone had driven by at that time, they would have thought we had ShareLunker #500; we do love catching our fish!

In Satan Canyon, we found a cache of vultures--a little more than 100 (I really don't know what a group of vultures is called)!  Let me just say, I am glad that I was not injured, because they could have picked me clean by midnight there were so many of them, and in Satan Canyon they stayed.

Four Poles turned out to be a Bluegill haven; those fish just loved the CodyBugger fly, regardless which one of us was throwing it.  Regardless the wind's contrariness, we fished that hole for two hours, landing fish about every fourth cast.  The sun began to sink, so we headed back slowly to Rough Canyon.  We fished a new shoreline, which yielded some fish, but, what we began to see were the fish crashing the surface.  At sunset, we stopped to fish a Smallmouth shoreline.  Cody caught a largemouth on topwater, and I called last cast.  Fortunately, it was perfect, and we ended the day with a small largemouth on the fly just as the sun was sinking and before the full moon rose.

The fish are so active, there is no reason to kill ourselves getting up at the crack of dawn, so we'll hit the water, Friday, when we hit the water, and with our great selection of flies, we hope to have another high fish-count day!

Lake Amistad NRA

It is time for our annual trek to Lake Amistad, and we are excited!  Del Rio just received seven inches of rain, Monday, so we will see what the fishing holds for us.  I will be taking my 8# sinking, 6#sinking, 5#, 4#, and 2# floating rods.  Of course, the boat will be a little crowded, but it will be fun, because pristine, clear waters await.  We are also taking our snorkeling gear, hoping to get some up-close views of fish habitats, and see some springs.

Cody and I finished the repairs to my 4 weight rod, and I must admit, that for the first epoxy job without Norm's tutelege turned out pretty good.  Of course, I could hear his instructions from rods past, so it wasn't completely without Norm.

Like my neighbors to the east and west of me, we got the yard mowed and weed eated, tonight, and as I was finishing watering the plants on the front porch, Mr. Snake lay across my front door threshold.  I hollered, was grateful Cody opened the side door instead of the front door, and Cody pushed him off the porch, as I pulled the furniture away.  I do not know from where he came, but I hope he goes away and leaves the baby birds alone.

More to come from Del Rio and Lake Amistad NRA.  Happy Memorial Day weekend to all!

Lake Fork Marina, Bass On The Fly Fishing Tournament

Well, the 1st Annual World Championship Bass on the Fly Fishing Tournament is in the books.  As excited as I was, as many flies as I tied, as positively as I thought, I caught one fish, a nice Bluegill but that was it--one fish, no bass.  For the tournament, our boat did not submit a bass, so needless to say, we didn't win.  Don't let your sympathies start, though, because Cody Bell cleaned house!

I was the one who wanted to participate, and Cody just entered, so I could.  Yet, Cody won first place in the Distance Casting Competition for which he received a shirt, 1st place in largest Bluegill for which he received a check, he won a raffle item which he choose another shirt, and Cody won the grand prize--an ADG Titanium 7/8# rod!  Oh, I forgot to mention, the Bluegill--it is a Fly Fishing Water Body Record for Lake Fork, weighing in at .54 lbs., 8" long, and 8 11/16" in girth.  We completed the paperwork and will be submitting it and pictures to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department!

Not a bad day fishing!

1st Annual World Championship Bass on the Fly Fishing Tournament

Cody and I have returned to reality since coming home from Belize.  We do have our eyes on the Lake Fork Fly Fishing Bass Tournament next Saturday, and since this is designed strictly for fly fishers, we are excited that fly fishing is getting an opportunity to experience a tournament for trophy bass.  The DFF outing happens to be this weekend, so we could enter as a team, as well.

Arranging our bass boxes, we need to tie some bass flies!  We added some Creek Crawlers from Tailwaters, but I need some CodyBuggers, black SMPs, and Swamp Monsters.  Floating lines and sinking lines are ready, as well as the reels and spools.  The boat is ready, but being a flats boat, there is no live well.  That conundrum will be our focus for the week.  Getting that problem solved and we will be good to go.  Can't wait for the tournament and I hope the week does not crawl slowly.

Landed, DFW

We slept in, finished packing, Antonio prepared our lunch, and we left El Pescador around 12 noon, Belizean time.  We waited in the San Pedro airport for about 30 minutes and boarded our Tropic Air flight for Belize City.  In air, I was able to see a mudding sting ray and three large tarpon circling a flat.  We picked up our bags, checked them in at the AA counter, and looked for the air-conditioned area in the airport.  While there, many Belizean soldiers came through and then, four U.S. Air Force personnel came through as well. 

Our flight left a little early, had few passengers, and arrived about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.  One thing that I thought was particularly fun on the flight was seeing my house and Mom and Dad's house from the air.  We were able to spot it rather easily. 

After arriving at D/FW, we waited for our gate to clear so our plane could dock; we disembarked, and began the hardest part of the trip--re-entering American soil.  We cleared the border check, and walked on, when the beagle sniffed my bag.  From my El Pescador lunch, I had left over three cantaloupe slices and a honeydew melon slice.  Since I did not get to finish them, I just put them in my purse, and did not declare them on my Customs form.  We proceed to the customs check through, where are bags are x-rayed, and my passport is withheld.  After scanning my bags, I had to have each individually searched.  The Customs guy was nice, but he told me that even though I had accidentally forgotten those four pieces of fruit were in my bag, a first-time, non-declaration of items is a $300.00 fine.  Of course, they let me go, and we were on our way to Chick-Fil-A and sweet tea!  We had a great time, added to our species list, and fished new waters, but Dorothy was right, "there is no place like home!"

Belize, Day Seven

We fished Belizean waters for the last time today. Decidedly so, it was the day for Tarpon. Luis guided us in the Preserve waters, and immediately, we saw tailing Permit and some big Jack Crevalles. After briefly casting to them, to the Mangroves we motored. Luis knew several tarpon holes, but his honey-hole lagoon paid off. Those young tarpon rolled in the water flashing their pretty greenish and silvery scales at us, so Cody took the platform. Using a pretty chartreuse bunny that Cody tied himself, he began stalking those rolls. Eventually, the stalking paid off, and Cody landed an 8 pounder. We snapped some good photos with Cody and the King Tarpon, and Cody even managed to obtain a Tarpon scale. For the picture, Cody tried to lip that baby, and its mouth ripped Cody's thumb into several layers.

My turn. I tried several flies in several colors, but was not having much luck. Eventually, Luis stood on the casting bow with me, and while I casted at the 9 o'clock position, Mr. 13 ft. crocodile suddenly appeared at the 12 o'clock position. It startled me and the tarpon, because they stopped rolling. Luis told us that crocodiles eat tarpon!! As a result, we left and headed out to a much shallower and clearer lagoon. Being at low tide, we had to push the boat in and out of the lagoon, which produced no fish. As a result, we headed back to our original tarpon-rolling, honey hole lagoon.

This time, I brought my A+ game. My casting was perfection, but my flies were too small. Finally, Cody and Luis tied on a Black Death and second cast, a 30-40 lb. tarpon aggressively swam out from under the Mangroves and took my fly. Tarpon have a bony mouth, so setting the hook is important. I had forgotten to slip-set the hook until Luis reminded me; that done, the game was afoot. I jumped him once, and then Cody said reel in line not to just strip in line. I jumped the tarpon a second time, and Luis moved the boat back to keep the tarpon out of the Mangrove roots, and Cody videotaped. I jumped him a third time--King Tarpon did a one-and-a-half back flip--and I being an overly excited subject had my fingers pinching the line against the handle and I did not bow. When you don't bow to the King, you get punished. I did not land that tarpon, and Cody has it all on video. Being overly excited and wanting a second chance at that beast, I began casting for him and fell off the casting platform in to the boat. Somehow, my rod did not break, and even though it landed outside of the boat, the drag precariously balanced it on the outside of the gunwale. I beat my arm, knees, and chest up, but Cody managed to save my 8 wt. rod, the first one I built at Norm's, sporting my beautiful, purple Nautilus reel.

I wish Mulligans existed in fly fishing. This King Tarpon was my first hook-up and will haunt my mares for many years to come.

Belize, Day Six

A non-fishing day for us, we toured the Lamanai Mayan Ruins in Orange Walk, Belize. We traveled by airplane from San Pedro to Orange Walk; then, we took a boat up the New River for 28 miles. Along the trip we saw Spider Monkeys, Iguanas, Fruit Bats, Cormorants, a baby crocodile and a 11/12 ft. crocodile. We watched the Jesus Christ birds on the water lilies. People were fishing for what looks like rainbow bass, but that they call snook (freshwater version). An osprey flew overhead and raced us, as did red-winged blackbirds. There are a number of Mennonite colonies located along the New River, as well.

We toured the ruins and opted not to climb the Jaguar or the main temple, due to the extremely high humidity. Howler Monkeys hawked out their grunts and marked their territories. Cody recorded them on his iPhone for anyone to hear, should they desire to do so. We saw wild okra, the nut and tree from which Imodium AD is made, banana orchids, spider cactus, and many other beautiful plants and palms. It was a wonderful trip, but in-country Belize receives almost no wind, and the chopping and production of cane adds a kind of sickly-sweet odor in the air. A Texan owns a ranch near the cane mill and rum factory, and he has a herd of water buffalo. With the exception of them, the cows here are very, very skinny. At its width, we were told Belize is 67 miles wide (almost my one-way drive to work)!

A wonderful trip, barring the humidity.  Cody and I are both glad we took the day off from fishing to go take this tour!

Belize, Day Five

What started out as a rough day, turned in to one of the finest saltwater fishing days for Cody and me. Being in a humid climate whose facilities only provide salt water with which to bathe, cleaning clothes, getting them aired out, and smelling somewhat civilized becomes a chore. Needless to say, we bought a shirt from the gift shop, so we wouldn't offend. Due to the extra-curricular shopping, breakfast was light and rushed.


We load up the Panga and aren't 30 seconds from shore, before my visor blows off my head and takes a drink. We retrieve it, but now our socks, gloves, and hat are wet, wet, wet. Cody and I are both thinking this is just not the way to start a good fishing day. We were wrong!!!

Head to the Permit flats--three boats are already there and no Permit. Head to the Bonefish honey hole and hook up with six. Move over to a beautiful reef flats where Erlindo poles us through. We see two nurse sharks and a black tip, in addition to some really big Bonefish. We cast, and I ended up with a Barracuda and a Mojarra. Cody caught two Barracudas and promptly dropped one in the boat. A flailing 'cuda with gnashing teeth is more excitement than I wanted. I just wanted to catch a beautiful little Nurse Shark is all.

 Erlindo moves us back towards the Permit flats, but there are no fish there, so we cut through the channel, and lo and behold, Erlindo spots Permit and Jack Crevalle swimming together in a rather large school. Cody and I casted to them but no hook ups. We follow them around the channel for a while but decide to throw anchor for lunch, which is interrupted by spotting the school several times. Cody and Erlindo talk about the school, when I spotted two at 11:00 from the bow. I shoved Cody out of the way, stripped out that blue Rio line, and cast that size 2 Gotcha, and the prettiest, but small, Permit chased and ate my fly. Then, "the girliness" came out. Yes, Cody caught it on video, but I caught my saltwater dream fish today, and that was the prettiest, little Permit.

Okay, so my heart finally settles down, as the reality sinks in that I caught my desire, and Cody's on the casting bow. We had to hunt down that school, but again, they came in really nice at 11:00 off the bow. Cody casted and caught another pretty Permit, as well. Cody's Permit was slightly larger than mine, but two Permit for the boat is a wonderful day! Cody decided to cast again, and this time, he hooked up with a pretty Jack Crevalle.

Cody wanted the grand slam for the day, and while we looked for Baby Tarpon, we could find none. We ended the day bonefishing.

Day 5 grand total: 3 Barracuda, 10 Bonefish, 1 Jack Crevalle, 1 Mojarra, and 2 Permit. An excellent day at sea!

Belize, Day Four

Day 4 turned out to be a day of size, not numbers, and new species. We marathon waded for big Belizean bonefish, of which we caught six--Cody 4 and me 2. We arrived back at the boat to move to the Permit reef. Erlindo found one, and Cody cast to it, but the Permit swam on the outer edge away from our casts. Cody then decided to use his Permit fly to catch a Barracuda. Thankfully, the Barracuda kept the fly intact. Of course, that made me want to catch one too. I tied a pretty Needlefish fly before we left and was dying to get that on the end of my line. Erlindo graciously took me to a great Barracuda spot, and sure enough, I caught, jumped, and landed that bad boy! Cody's cuda was bigger, but it is a new species for me--#31.


Tomorrow--we'll see what the tides hold.

Belize, Day Three

Well, we had a little trouble with Internet connection, yesterday, so there were no posts available. Temps are humid, but we are right on the eastern shore of Ambergris Caye (pronounced key) about two miles north of San Pedro, so we receive a nice ocean breeze, which also keeps the mosquitoes away. Crayola Crayon must have come here to develop their aquas, greens, and turquoise colors. We boat over green turtle grass, white sands, and small coral beds.

El Pescador provides good food and nice accommodations, but I have learned what "being green" means in a lodge. We have desalinated water in our showers and sinks, which means the water is salty. That is driving us nuts, because we never feel like we are getting completely clean, but our skin is soft. Also, toilet paper can not be flushed; instead, it is thrown away. Personally, I like my little ole' aerobic septic system, even if I have to pay an annual maintenance fee.

Our guide is Erlindo, an older gentleman, who has put us on fish both days. Cody and I have fished for tarpon both mornings, and while we have seen and cast to them, no tarpon for the boat, so far. We each will add to our species list--Cody caught a Ballyhoo, today, and I caught a Needlefish, yesterday. Mine was foul-hooked but landed nonetheless. All our other fish have been bonefish.

We eat breakfast around 6:15 and are in our Pangas (a fishing boat that has an Adirondack chair for us to sit in while we are not fishing) by 7:00. We usually come off the water around 3:30, eat a snack, and have dinner at 6:45. Our lunch is prepared for us, and we take it out on the Pangas.

Erlindo showed us the tree from which gum is made; he also showed a tree that is poisonous, like Sumac. Needless to say, I gave that tree a wide birth. Mangroves abound down here, and the Mangrove channel cut we pass through that takes us from the east side of the caye to the west, was cut by the Mayans. It used to be a tollway, but now it is not. Blog is quirky, so no pictures, now, but they will be available on our Rods n' Reels site. More, tomorrow.

FlyFshrGrl

Landed, Belize

Well, we made the very quick 2 hour and 25 minute flight, gathered our belongings, and loaded on a smaller plane for a 16 minute flight to San Pedro Island.  Jason got to ride as co-pilot.  Eight members comprise our Tailwaters crew.  Strong winds, blue and turquoise water, white sands all make for a great beginning.  We will head out at 7:00 a.m. for 8 hours of fishing.

Belize in two days!

Have tied most of the flies we'll need, but organizing all of them is another task, itself; bought some new clothes for the trip; washed and folding clothes and packing; making the list and checking it again and again (yes, that is right, I'm making a list; the last list I made was in April 2009 for the Seychelles, so a list is a big deal); copies of passport are made and am excitedly waiting to clear customs to get to the lodge and fish!! Have taken my reels in to Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. to make sure lines, reels, spools, and knots are ready to handle Bonefish, Permit Tarpon, Jacks, and a Barracuda or two, and maybe even a Nurse Shark! We are very excited to be fishing the salt again!


Here's to bent tips and happy days,

FlyFshrGrl

Loy Lake

Not wanting to get "out of fishing shape," Cody and I participated in the DFF's club outing to Loy Lake 10 April 2010.  Being the cold-temp sissy that I am, I talked Cody in to waiting to fish in the afternoon, warmer temperatures.  It paid off--bluegill, white crappie, green sunfish, redear sunfish, fingerling largemouth bass, grass carp, and two 2+ lb. largemouths.  Black was the color for the day, and with the exception of a bluegill on a Miss Prissy popper, all were caught on the CodyBugger!

The waters were crystal clear, a good thing, since catching the cursed carp caused my archaic BlackBerry to fall in the lake, where it remained for approximately seven minutes.  Having to strip down to my sportsbra and skivvies, I entered the four foot deep (cold) water, slid my left foot under the phone, right foot on top, pulled my legs up, and grabbed the phone, which was vibrating madly.  Cody immediately took the battery and SIM card out, and we shook, dried the phone, and let it bake in the sun inside the car.  All our efforts worked and so does the phone.  Pay homage to the BlackBerry, 2006!  I dried off, doned all of my fishing clothes, and fished on!  The big bass came afterwards, so a good decision to fishon! 

Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center

The DFF volunteers with many organizations with members donating their time.  Of course, I don't see it as donating my time; I see it as another opportunity to play.  The second week in March finds five fishing clubs helping out at the TFFC for the annual Fly Fish Texas event.  Cody and I volunteer to fish the ponds, so guests can see that fish are indeed caught on a fly rod and anyone can do it. 

This year, I was targeting this three pound bass that kept skirting along the reeds and brush of the catfish aquarium.  I didn't get what I wanted.  Instead, I hooked up with five catfish, all weighing 20 lbs or more.  Of the five, I only landed one, but with a minimum of 25 minutes to fight each fish, it was a blast.  Break off #3 (after viewing the video, click the browser back button to return to the blog) was truly the one that got away.  I was getting ready to lip it, so Cody could help me pick it, when it finned the leader and swam away with my fly!

I thought the craziest experience of all was that the fish were taking a size 10, Skip Morris pattern, black SMP and a size 8 Kevin Hutchison, Swamp Monster, both of which I tied.  Cody hooked up with five as well using a size 14 flashback pheasant tail!  Unbelievable if I had not seen it myself. 

However, ultimately, I landed the largest fish of my career--a 20lb. Channel Catfish.  While holding that bad boy, I could not decide which of us was more tired.  With the exuberance he used to swim away, I think I ended up the worse for wear, but not too tired to grin!

Photo and video by Cody Bell

Good Meeting with Dave Hughes

Our fly fishing club was treated to a great evening with author Dave Hughes.  Mr. Hughes spoke to the club about matching the hatch, and really had some sage pieces of advice to offer.  Afterwards, members and guests had the opportunity to purchase some of his books and have Dave autograph them.  If only I had known 1/10 of what Dave suggested tonight before I spent last summer in Montana, I would have caught even more fish.  What a wonderful treat!

Fly Fishing in Spring

Old Man Winter has finally loosened his choke-hold on North Texas, so what better way to celebrate spring than going fly fishing?

Now, where to fly fish? 

April will find me chasing saltwater species from tropical spots.  Last year, the Seychelles, this year Belize.  I caught a nice bonefish in the Seychelles, so from Belize, I really, really want a Permit.  Trying to decide what flies to tie for the trip to catch those Permit is another issue altogether.  I have read Dick Brown's book, taken the lodge's fly selection in to consideration, and received valuable advice from David at Tailwaters FlyFishing Co.  However, with all this advice, many "go to" flies do not cross-reference with one another.  As a result, I have tied two different "go to" flies from each source, and then, tied tried-and-true classics.  My fly boxes are expanding in the hopes that there will be many new species added to my species list!

Happy New Year 2010!

We celebrated New Year's a little differently this year. On Wednesday, we headed to the ranch for a Bell family get together for three days. New Year's Eve, Miss Donna, John, Celeste, Mary, Kristi, Allison, Kevin, Cody, and I met up with Uncle Macyl and Glenna and ate at the River City Grille. On New Year's, Cody and I left Kristi and headed southeast to fish the GRTU section of the Guadalupe River. We camped at the L&L campground and fished our favorite spot for two days. The River was crowded, but we were able to get in our spot, and we even entertained some other fishers with our catches. We break in the New Year fishing to create good karma for the year, and with our catches, we anticipate 2010 to be as rewarding as last year.


Happy New Year to y'all!

Norm Goheen

Our dear, dear friend, Norm Goheen, passed away Sunday, at approximately noon, after a 5½ month, courageous, and hard-fought battle with cancer.

We cherished the Wednesday nights spent at Norm's, building rods, sharing stories, making friends, and having Norm's always high expectations subtly instilled in us. We have not begun to comprehend the absence Norm's passing has created, nor how will we get through a Wednesday without him or our friends.

I have a rod that is unfinished, and I don't know if I can finish it. In all the rods that we have built, there is something of Norm in each one. I can not decide whether to retire those or continue to fish with them. Breaking one of them would be like losing Norm all over again, but not using them would be like putting Norm on the shelf.

We will miss Norm and Brother Mike and their stories of fishing and childhood memories.

Casting For Recovery 2009

Diane recruited many members from the DFF to work as river helpers, and Cody worked as a photographer capturing the day for all. We thoroughly enjoyed helping the women have fun and experience a new, positive adventure in their life. Most of the pictures contained the participants, so we can not post those, but there are some where it is just the DFF doing what we do best...sharing our sport, graciously.

Annie's Wedding

Well, Annie and Ray did it. They took the plunge in antebellum style. With beautiful weather, costumed guests, and loving friends and family present, Annie and Ray exchanged nuptials and rings at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. We all feasted prior to the ceremony on some excellent BBQ brisket and chicken. Sunday, Diane, Richard, Cody, and I had a high time on the lake, finding a flats that protected this year's earlier bass spawn. We caught small, healthy baby largemouths until we tired of catching them. I even managed to video Richard with a catch.

Lake Texoma

Heading north for some bass action, Cody and I chose to fish Lake Texoma. We fished Saturday evening with Cody catching sunfish, stripers, and a largemouth bass. After seeing the generation flowing heavily below the dam, we decided to fish the lake again, Sunday. Catches varied and ran high, and we even had a butterfly mascot as we fished Butterfly Coves. The fall colors premiered well along the Eisenhower State Park cliffs.

Oktoberfisch 2009

Jason, Cody, and I enjoyed perfect fall weather, a beautiful river, and lots of fish on the end of our fly lines!!! The accomodations were different, but we did have hot water, a flushing toilet, and beds in which to rest. Did we ever need rest. GPS is great when it is accurate. Cody's GPS showed our cabins north of CR 160, which meant a lovely, leisurely float n' fish to the South Llano River State Park. However, the cabins ended up being 9.3 miles from the park. The Fredricksburg Fly Fishers treated us to an excellent grilled ribeye, baked potato, salad, and cake at the end of the day. With friends, fishing, and fine food, who could ask for more. Mark your 2010 October calendars--third week for Oktoberfisch 2010!

Leaving Montana

Friday 7 August Grant-Kohrs Ranch bade Cody and I good-bye. We pulled out of Deer Lodge at 8 a.m. Saturday heading for Idaho. We stopped for petrol in an extremely small station whose speciality was selling opals, which are goregeous and mined in various sizes and colors. We continued on through Idaho traveling through a lava bed, along part of the Oregon Trail, and in to Wyoming. We passed through Kennemer, WY, home of the first JC Penney store and stumbled upon Fossil Butte NM. Once a lake, now it is a bed of fossilized creatures I would have loved to have caught and feared. Continuing on to our final destination for the evening, Dutch John, UT, I saw wild mustangs roaming the Flaming Gorge NRA. All the driving was worth it for Sunday, where we fished the Green River, home of America's greatest trout trophy waters, averaging 10,000 trout per mile. Monday found us reaching Moab in the late afternoon. Since Arches NP stays open 24 hours, we visited some of the most famous arches, Cody took excellent sunset pictures and astromnomical photos. Tuesday, we headed out for Navajo Dam, NM. Along the way, we stopped at Mesa Verde NP and spent the day walking all around the remains. We ended up at Navajo Dam that evening, buying our licenses for the San Juan River. Wednesday we fished with Robert, who was one of the hardest working guides with whom I have ever fished. We saw the ET rock, fished with worms and nymphs. The highlight of fishing, besides watching Cody catch one of the most beautiful rainbows on a grasshopper, my tan elk-hair caddis helped me coax a fish to take the dry. Fabulous fun! Thursday found us tooling down the boulevard to Rankin, Texas, where we spent a couple of nights with Miss Donna and Pa Bell. Saturday found us coming home from a great summer. I miss the mountains and mountain air and the headwaters of great rivers, but there is no place like home.