The ‘not so’ dog days of summer?
Usually about this time of year we are starting to talk about Fall being right around the corner. Don’t get me wrong, Fall is my absolute favorite time of year to fish but let’s talk about the right now a bit.
So far, the fishing on the Lower Colorado has been absolutely amazing this summer-well relatively absolutely amazing I suppose. Many years ago, way before All Water Guides, summer time wasn’t so bad. Sure it was hot as hell, but the fishing kept us engaged with numbers that almost don’t seem real anymore. Then, the drought set in, and it got bad. Then, bad got worse. The drought ‘ended’ and we rumbled amongst ourselves about when will it come back around…it has to come back around…right? And slowly it did. We’ve seen the ‘old river’ through changing windows. Windows that were inconsistent, confusing and frustrating to us as guides. Privately, I wondered “what if it never recovers?”
We have had some great fishing over the last few years since the drought. But, the last piece of the puzzle has been the summer time fishing. It just hasn’t been there for us. I think we’re seeing that come to an end and we’re seeing the river coming into its own again. As a paramedic, there is a time after a patient experiences cardiac arrest when we have regained pulses where we just have to sit and watch. It’s the longest few minutes I can barely explain, and then only to those who have experienced it too. You sit and watch with your hands in your pockets to see if they can hold their own without intervention. When they do, the tone changes dramatically. I kind of feel that the summer time fishing has been those few minutes we’ve needed to see if the river can hold its own. And in these last few weeks we’ve seen a river busting with life, cool clear water and some great fishing.
As I sit and type this, we are coming off some really great time spent on the water. Some weather moved in yesterday that gave the watershed a good flushing and as always there will be a recovery time, but I’m excited and optimistic about what August and September have in store for us. The name of the game will be as it has been: start early and fish hard until the heat has sucked the life out of you.
I know football is less than a month away but from a fishing stand point I’m looking forward to seeing how this summer pans out.
See you on the water.
Winston
Trout or Bass? We Got That
January in Texas is not like most places. One day can be in the 30s and the next day can be in the 80s. The good thing for us fishermen is that we have good fishing opportunities no matter what the weather does.
Trout are stocked on the Guadalupe River through January and February. With the current good flows the trout season should continue well into March. Cold and cloudy or rainy days also offer a chance at some of the Guadalupe River Striped Bass. The current state fly rod record Striped Bass was caught in the Guadalupe River by John Erskine one of our guides.
Winter and early spring are one of the best times to catch some large bass on the Colorado River. Both largemouth and Guadalupe bass will be putting on weight in anticipation of the spawn. The current world record Guadalupe bass was caught on the fly in February of 2014 in the Colorado River. Largemouth bass over 5 pounds are a real possibility this time of year as well.
Fall is Here!
Fall has finally arrived in Central Texas. With the cooler weather come some of the best fishing of the year. Due to a very rainy year, most of our rivers are in better shape than they have been in along time.
Bass fishing has slowed down on most our local streams. The Colorado River is the exception. We are still picking up some nice bass by fishing deep and slow. The Colorado River fishes well all winter, the key is to fish during a warm period. Two or three warm days in a row is all it takes to get the bass in a feeding mood. The numbers of fish caught this time of year will not be as great as the warmer months, but the chance of catching some really large fish is better during this time of year. The current state record Guadalupe Bass was caught in February of 2014 by one of our clients.
Trout fishing in the Guadalupe River is best from now through March. Unlike the bass on the Colorado, the trout fishing can be good even on the coldest days. Texas Parks and Wildlife and Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited will be stocking the river through February. Cold water flowing from the bottom of Canyon Lake dam creates the southernmost trout fishery in the United States. Like most other tailwater fisheries, strike indicator nymphing is the most productive way to fish the Guadalupe River. Most of the fish in the Guadalupe will be between 12 to 14 inch range. Fish over 20 inches and larger are caught every year. Bundle up and get out on the water!
Mid-December Fishing Report
December means the beginning of trout season and midway through the month the Guadalupe River is starting to deliver. The El Niño weather pattern has meant ample rainfall this past summer and fall — in addition to the floods of late October — have given us higher than normal flows (500+ cfs) than we have experienced in recent seasons. This is a good thing!
These high flows will also benefit the aquatic insects that sustain our trout, which in turn will help our trout survive the summer. The last several seasons were plagued by extremely low flows (50cfs t0 150cfs), which was hard on the fish and the anglers—not to mention guides who ended up dragging their rafts for long stretches of the river. We have been guiding the Guadalupe for close to two-decades and can remember flows averaging between 300 and 900cfs in the 1990’s and up until 2007.
With the higher flows has come off-colored water, which continues to improve every day. The river’s water temps are in the low to mid-60s allowing our trout to acclimate to the river. The TDPW and GRTU completed multiple stocking so there are plenty of fish in the river for fly anglers. Every trip out we are hooking and netting more and more trout per trip. Clearing water and more stockings by TDPW and GRTU in January will only improve the trout fishing. We still have a few opening in January and February so don’t miss out on what is shaping up to be one of the best seasons in a long time.
What’s been working is mostly large attractor patterns like worms, eggs, and rubber-legged nymphs. That’s not to say that we aren’t getting bit on imitations of natural, like Trico emergers, PMD emergers, RS2’s and BWO nymphs in size 18-20. Darker patterns with flash and beads seem to help as well.
As important as fly selection is, getting your rig set up correctly — long leaders with plenty of split-shot — is super critical. Additionally, we prefer larger Thinga-ma-bobbers to float heavier rigs and 3X and 4X leaders—higher flows and off-color negates “leader” or “indicator” shyness. Multiple drag-free drifts in the same area is the best way to target the trout. Most of our hooked fish come from the tenth or twentieth drift in the same area—be patient and methodical!
A note of caution: During the last two weeks our guides have watched more than our share of waders and kayak fishermen having mishaps due to the high flows. The Guadalupe River at 400cfs and above is no joke — it is difficult and hazardous to wade. Many of the GRTU lease areas are wader friendly below 400cfs, but for now please use great care and commonsense. As for kayak fishermen, please wear your PFD at ALL times. We have watched kayaks flip while attempting to navigate the Weir below fourth-crossing, Ponderosa rapids and the Devil’s Playground.
Our guides are experienced in white water rowing and respect the power of the Guadalupe insuring safe trips for our clients even in high water flows. So when choosing a guide service, remember, to select a guide who has decades of experience of rowing and catching trout in fast water — choose All Water Guides!
It's Not Winter Yet Still Getting Some Colorado River Bass
Despite the recent cold and rain we have still managed to catch some nice bass on the Colorado River. It has not been fast and furious but good enough to keep us interested. We have been catching some quality fish as well. Winter is one of the best times to catch some of the biggest fish in the river. The current state record Guadalupe Bass was caught in the Colorado River in February a couple of years ago. As temperatures continue to cool, watching the weather will be important when planning to fish the Colorado River. After several warm days fishing should be pretty good. The slowest fishing will be right after a strong cold front.
Guadalupe River 11-10-15
I got out on the Guadalupe River the other day with Chris Jackson AWG guide and owner of The Action Angler. I hadn't been on the Guadalupe River since before the big rains this fall and I was curious to see how things were looking. I was also wanting to catch a few of the striped bass that had ended up in the river after the high flows coming from Canyon Lake. Flows were just under 1,000 cubic feet per second and the water still had a green tint to it but had a couple feet of visibility. It was great to see the Guadalupe with some water in it after so many years of drought. Chris and I were both just happy to be able to row the boat and not have to get out and drag it through the shallows. The fishing was good as well. We caught a handful of nice stripers and even got a really nice smallmouth as a bonus fish. We also saw quite a bit of flood adamage that was a real strong reminder of what the the power of water can do. At the moment it looks like the high flows will continue for a while. The river is definitely not wadable at this level. The good thing is that all the fish in the river tend to do a lot better at higher water levels. This winter should be one of the best trout seasons we have had in years, and the warmwater fishing should be good until the trout get going.
Llano River 10-29-15
HL Bluffs on the Llano River
It has been a long time. We used to fish the Llano almost weekly during the fall, spring and early summer. The drought has made it really hard to float the last few years. Recent rains in the hill country have brought the water level in the Llano to near normal flows for a few days here and there before they get too low again. The tricky part is timing your trip. Go too early and the water will still be high and off color. Wait too long and you end up dragging more than floating. Ron Linehan and I had a trip booked on Wednesday. I was watching the river flow gauge at Mason and it looked like we might have perfect flows for our trip. I drove out to the take a look at the clarity and we ended up going on Thursday instead. Fishing was slow in the morning , but things started to get going after lunch. We did get a few fish on top but the most productive patterns were weighted wooly buggers in a few different colors. We did have to drag the boat in a few spots, but all in all it was a pretty good float. For now at least, the Llano seems to be holding at a little below normal. Additional rains this fall could keep flows up through the rest of the season.
Three Rivers, Three Species of Fish, and Three Weeks of Great Fishing
Springtime is always a welcome in the Texas Hill Country — the sites, the sounds, and of course the great fishing. This spring is no different except for the rain that has started to put a dent in this horrible drought that won’t loosen her grip. With the rain have come better flows or as I like to say, “new water” which seems to awaken the fish along with the rivers. Unfortunately, sometime this “new water” takes time to clear up before the fish think about eating streamers. This cycle of good fishing, rain, muddy water, and waiting has taught us to be resourceful and patient.
That resourcefulness paid off because we were able to to incorporate three rivers and three species of fish into three weeks of awesome fishing. While the rains took the Lower Colorado River (LCR) out of commission we focused on species number one: rainbow trout on the Guadalupe River.
The Guadalupe River to fish well with good catches on midge patterns and sucker spawns. The fishing pressure is down so the fish are eating well and in great shape. On weekends we are starting to see the annual “tuber hatch” so planning a trip during the week is the way to go. And if catching trout on the fly isn’t your thing than species number two might interest you: the annual Llano River white bass run is on for the next two to three weeks.
So far, every trip to the Llano River has resulted in clients catching double digits of white bass on Clouser Minnows and other assorted minnow patterns. The white bass are leaving the deeper waters of the lower Llano at the mouth of the Colorado River and working their way up to the more wadeable waters upstream. After a rainy start to our March the LCR had cleared up and we were concentrating on species number three: LCR Bass—largemouth and Guadalupe bass.
The fishing has been really good on the LCR and we are enjoying fishing with out of town guests visiting Austin for SXSW and spring break. Though the subsurface bite has been good, we are starting to catch increasing numbers of nice bass on top. The big producer on top has been Cohen deer hair divers (www.rusuperfly.com) and assorted foam popper patterns. March and April are two of the best months for fishing the Lower Colorado. We have already caught several largemouth bass over 6 pounds and a near state record Guadalupe Bass.
One of the Best Times of the Year
Fall Colors on the Colorado River
Fall has arrived in Central Texas and with it comes some of the best weather and fishing of the year. After a long hot summer, fall always gets us fishermen in a frisky mood. Luckily for us the fish feel the same way!
Cooler water temperatures mean some great bass fishing on the Colorado River below Austin. Right now the Colorado is cool and clear and after recent rains we have had good flows all fall that will most likely last into the winter. We are fishing close to 100 miles of the river and most of these sections of the river see very little fishing pressure.
The Colorado River is home to some of the largest river bass in the state. Catches of Largemouth Bass over 5 pounds are not uncommon. As water temperatures continue to fall, the numbers of Largemouth Bass caught will decline. At the same time the average size will increase. This time of year the best tactic for Largemouth bass is fishing slow and deep with big streamers or crawfish patterns.
The Colorado is now hands down the best place to catch large Guadalupe bass. Last winter one of our clients caught the new state and world record Guadalupe Bass on the Colorado River. Fall and winter are one of the best times to catch a huge Guadalupe Bass. The same flies and techniques used this time of year for Largemouth Bass will work for the Guadalupe Bass. The Guadalupe Bass will usually be found in the faster moving sections of the river with more moving water while the Largemouth Bass prefer the slower water.
Check out some recent pics of the action on the Colorado River.
The Dog Days Of Summer
Bachelor party LCR style
Well now that the boss is back from Vail I think it’s a good time to update the fishing report.
Mid day Gwad from the LCR
The dog days are upon us here in Central Texas and the fishing has been tough. With the summer heat comes warmer water, lower Do2 (dissolved oxygen) and lots and lots of vegetation. The fish get lazy. As it goes when its this hot we tend to do a little more fishing and less guiding. We’ve been sticking (or trying to at least) to half days having the best fishing right at sunrise. That said, it’s been really inconsistent as to when the fishing is good. I recently spent the afternoon with a friend for what was going to be more of a boat ride than a fishing trip as we both were locked in to other stuff till about 11 o’clock. What we thought was the absolute worst time to be fishing turned out to be a pretty productive mid day fishing trip instead of just a boat ride.
We’ve been spending our time on the San Marcos River and the Lower Colorado River as well as some of the local lakes. The Lakes have been productive for us and are a great “plan b”, when the LCR doesn’t look all that great because of the wonky flows and water clarity that is seen this time of year.
Matching the hatch LCR style
We’ve also been all over the map on what’s been working. Surface and subsurface have both paid off without rhyme or reason. Needless to say we’re all looking forward to what’s just around the corner. We had an unbelievable fall last year and we don’t see any reason why this fall should be any different so book a trip now as were already filling up November.
So, in a nut shell, It’s tough out there but we’re still catching fish.
See ya on the water!
AWG
Family and friends coming together to share their love of fishing.
This holiday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) proved to be very busy and very productive for All Water Guides. Alvin, Shea, Winston, and Jeff were all out on the Colorado River working all weekend and the fishing was nothing short of amazing. The river has been on a steady clearing pattern after recent rains and this combined with a warming trend after the season’s coldest weather has put the bass in the mood to eat.
Small fish, big fish, white bass, largemouths and Guadalupe bass were out in force and and our clients reaped the rewards. Several clients caught multiple species of bass while others caught personal best with the largest fish of the weekend topping the scales at 6 pounds 8 ounces! The one common thread was that every guide and guest noted quantity and quality fish coming to the net.
What's so amazing is the fact that we are bass fishing in late November and early December! As in past winters we were throwing crawfish patterns and classic streamers like Clouser Minnows, which always seem to work well. Additionally, all of us have perfected a number of new crawfish and streamer patterns that all produced well with black, chartreuse and orange/brown being the top producers. This great fishing should continue all winter as long as we maintain our typical Central Texas weather pattern of cold fronts followed by warm days—hopefully without torrential rains.
This holiday weekend was priceless with family and friends coming together to share their love of fishing and the great outdoors with AWG. We enjoyed spending time with all of our guests and are looking forward to a repeat next season. The only folks smiling more than our happy clients are their guides who collectively had a BLAST this weekend and for that we are grateful!
Thanks again from AWG!
Autumn Splendor Returns to The Guadalupe River
Lately we have been splitting our trips between the Colorado and Guadalupe Rivers. Warmer weather and clearing water conditions have produced incredible bass fishing on the Colorado River, however, the leaves are starting to fall and the coldest weather of the year is headed our way. We all know trout love cold water and lousy weather, which is the forecast for the next several days on the Guadalupe River.
This week the fish started acting more like trout — eating and moving on well-presented flies — and less like lost tourist visiting the river for the first time. We caught good numbers of fish between 14 and 17 inches. Two notable catches were the huge hook jawed males that came out of the same riffle giving angler Jeff Robuck great fights and even better memories caught on camera.
As for what is working for us — it’s the usual suspects. Tandem nymph rigs using a 4X 7-1/2’ leader with a larger attractor and a small (size 20) midge tied on a 16” 5X tippet dropper under a small Thingamabobber. Top attractor patterns included eggs, stones, and pheasant tails size 12-16. Midge patterns included CT trico emergers, RS2s, and zebra midges in sizes 18-20.
Additional stocking will continue throughout the winter and the fishing will continue to improve along with our colder winter weather. Flows are low but consistent and with the recent rains the river is in excellent shape. All in all, the Guadalupe River trout season is off to its anticipated splendor.
When it rains, it pours!
As I sit here writing this report it’s raining—AGAIN! It’s rained more this October than any October I can remember. Not complaining — all this rain is a blessing and the entire Texas Hill Country needs lots more rain. Our rain to date has given the aquifer a good shot and the flows on area rivers are slowly coming up. This in combination with cooler temperatures — water and air — have got the big bass eating top-water flies like there was no tomorrow. I have been hitting the San Marcos and Colorado Rivers — in between torrential rains — and the fishing has been excellent.
I began the month with a father and son outing on the lower San Marcos River with Brent Davis (father) and Nate Davis (son) of Liberty Hill Texas. I knew the 9.5 mile trip would be long and with a flash flood a week prior to the trip there would be plenty of new river hazards to add to our adventure. The latter was to hold true as the flash flood had downed plenty of old growth pecan trees that offered up some exciting rafting. The fish must have not had good meal in several days — courtesy of the flash flood — because we started hooking bass right from the get-go. I can’t recall a recent trip where we caught the quantity and quality of bass as on this trip. Nate ended the day with a personal best — a monster large-mouth that was fooled by a well-presented diver-frog pattern on a Mystic 5wt rod. Having two very accomplish fly-fisherman on board and a river full of eager bass is my idea of Utopia.
Well, the rain has been consistent, which means guiding has been a little less frequent. With water clarity just a few days away we should put together some epic bass trips before all attention turns to rainbow trout on the Guadalupe River. Looking forward to just a few more monster bass on poppers before the holiday season closes out our bass fishing until spring.
Happy Halloween everyone and please remember to go through your kid’s candy and taste test them all just to be safe. Here's a tasty treat for your eyes that I like to call "bass-candy-corn".
