Jimbo
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The real problem is the number of access sites we can lease. More sites mean more room and more memberships we can sell. We’ve had as many as 20 during my tenture, but we have lost sites for various reasons over the years, the most appalling is LAP member misconduct. And once we loose sites it is very hard to replace them (think: Kanz, Beans, Cypress Bend, 6B, Whitewater, Hideout, JDL, Horseshoe, Gypsy River Resort, and others… just think what access would be like if we still had those sites) . Many of you think we could rent more sites if we wanted too, but that is not the case. Myself and now Dan have been trying to increase sites for the LAP all the time. Most private owners don’t want any part of it (or neighborhood coventants against them) and we have talked to every commercial outfitter even after they have told us no in the past. This is not a matter of money it a matter of limited sites and some that flat don’t want us anymore. It’s something we are going to have to live with. So nothing is perfect.
We have strived to do the best we can to provide everyone with the best possible experience fishing the river. In some cases our problems are the product of doing an exceptional job. When we started stocking Big Trout and the news got out everyone wanted to fish the river, even those who had never considered fishing for Trout. This has led to many more sportsmen wanting to fish for Trout, wanting in GRTU’s LAP, and competition for those memberships going through the roof.
As far as the system in place to handle the demand, the servers will be ready when registration opens up, we have had Justin address these concerns and tested the system. Last year’s system lock up will not be repeated this year. So wake up early, get your membership, and buy day passes for your friends who may not be able to get their own.
Jimbo
If we had passes for weekends, or weekdays, or any other differentiation in LAP Memberships…. Who would we get to enforce these rules?
We would need someone in authority to patrol all lease sites full time and visit them many times everyday to maintain order. It would lead to a nightmare or “I forgot” and “Who gives you the aurthority” confrontations that are not what we are trying to achieve here. We want everyone to come to the river and enjoy their time on the water fishing without the need to police other members and their actions. Adding additional conditions would just complicate what we are already doing. Even as simple as things are today we still have people violating rules, usually innocently, but there always few bad apples that come along every season especially early in the season to make life difficult for all the good members who do it right everytime, all the time.
Jimbo
The Board of Directors has voted on this matter. We will have 1000 LAP memberships this coming season. There will be no early memberships before the October 1st opening of registration for the resons suggested here. There will be an e-mail blast coming soon about this matter. This was not a unanimous vote. The main reason is that we can not be seen as an exclusive club and giving priority to those who have previously been members or those who have volunteered for stocking, TroutFest, and other in-stream projects. If we did give such an advantage to those were previous LAP Members or volunteers, then soon we would see memberships available to new members or members who can not volunteer time dindle down to a number that approaches zero over time. (Because if such an incentive was given we would soon have more people eligible than memberships available.) I know that some will view this decision as a disappointment. I myself do not. I will be up early on October 1st taking my chances like everybody else. If I get a membership great! If I don’t, then I will make due will the public access available and spend my time wading to the waters I like to fish. Remember, GRTU is a conservation organization first and foremost. We have this Lease Access Program primarily to fund our ambitious stocking programs for the Guadalupe River giving all Texans an opportunity to fish for Trout. These stocking for the benefit of all Texans brings us public recognition and support for all our programs.
Jimbo
The GRTU Board is aware of these discussions and we are talking about alternatives to the present system. The breaking up of membership passes to 7 day, Mon-Fri, and Sat-Sun, would be very hard to monitor and enforce. Some things sound good on the surface but are very difficult to affect in the real world. Anyway proposals have been put before the board and voting will be at our next board meeting in September.
Jimbo
Water temps are still marginal to fish for Trout right now. I would wait till at least the beginning of October (If flows remain the same) before going back and trying to catch a few. Restraint now will mean more hold-over Trout swimming around for the coming season.
Jimbo
Remember when we didn’t sell out all of the available memberships? I do and those days are gone. Even with Ron’s plan of allowing those with 5 years continuous membership first shot, this will lead to a smaller and smaller number of open memberships available to everyone else over time. Everybody wants to renew, but the LAP can not seem like a legacy for the old guys in the chapter and the new members will just have to wait for someone to move out of state or die. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think the program can go down that path. Even if that means I don’t get a LAP membership and I have been a member for over 35 years and I ran the program for 12. If I don’t get mine then I use the public access sites and wade further and buy some day passes and bother my friends who do get their LAP membership.
By the way, thank you everybody. Everything you have said is really a complement that we have been wildly successful building the LAP and a fishery that everyone wants to enjoy. It is a testament that we have moved the fishery to a place where it’s a disaster when you can’t get to every foot of it.
Jimbo
I hate to say it, but during the summer when we don’t have sustaining flows not many are signing on to the forum to see what’s happening. I have read the suggestions and I see a down side to what is suggested. I don’t know many members of the LAP that don’t want to renew their membership. I can see the legacy members buying up all the memberships and no new members can get in the LAP. If membership was not limited it wouldn’t be a problem, but since we have only so many sites, that can reasonably handle only so many people, membership needs to be limited. If all those memberships are bought by last years members, it begins to sound like a old boys exclusive private club. We can’t have that. The only way we avoid this is to have equal opportunity for everyone that wants to sign up to do so at the same time and roll the dice.
We are taking steps to make the sign up process better with changes in the platform. It probably won’t crash this coming season. These suggestions should be going to the V.P. of Fisheries and the V.P. of Membership directly. Their e-mails are on the contact list, so shoot they a suggestion.
Jimbo
No matter what we do, we are pretty much maxed out considering the number of leases and number of parking spots they make available right now. We need more access spots and parking spots before we increase the maximum number memberships available. We have gone from about 550 memberships just 6 or 7 years ago to almost 900 all toll, and we’ve lost a few sites. We’ve heard from many members saying there are already too many memberships sold. It’s between a rock and a hard place no matter what we do.
So until things change,… my recommendations,… be like Jimbo. Get up at the crack of dawn on Oct 1 and sign up in the first minute it’s open. I’ve had no special treatment all these years of signing up and I’ve been a continuous member since the 80’s.
I wish we could just solve all these problems by leasing every site we’ve ever had, but some have been sold private, or bridges were burned because of violations. This is not as easy as just calling every outfitter and getting them to sign on, many don’t want any part of anything which is not pay per day at their office. V.P. of Fisheries is “NOT” an easy job. Dan Cone is carrying on in a fine tradition, doing a great job, and we are Lucky to have him! He’s even added to aspects like Trout feeding during late spring through fall. Soon we will have a better Brown Trout (genetics) and in stream river restoration.
Jimbo
Guys
I will pass along your requests to Dan Cone and the Board for consideration.
I understand where this request comes from. Who ever thought, way back when, that we would have to limit the number of memberships that can be sold? I guess Bill Higdon and myself are partly responsible with the change in emphasis on stocking larger Trout and the attention this brought to the fishery. We still need to address many problems we see in the Guadalupe River, and it’s habitat, for the long term solution to maintaining the fishery, but the larger Trout sure brought a spotlight to the Guadalupe and it’s Trout Fishery.
Jimbo
Ron and Alex
The Board is working on all of this and more. Spring meeting was canceled because of COVID concerns. There will be a TroutFest 2022, Dakus’ Flyfishing Camp for kids, and getting back into river restoration. There will be yet another updated website. LAP will probably be a mad dash for membership signup again, but again this is very popular for a reason. So be ready on the morning of October 1st. I’m up in Pagosa starting my annual Summer Trip in the Rockies. I fished the Los Pinos in Trujillo Meadows yesterday. Monsoons have their firm grip in the Mountains here and Northern New Mexico. It rained on me most of the day, chased off by hail after only about 45 minutes fishing in the light rain. Funny thing about this stretch of water, it could be a great place restore Rio Grande Cutthroats, but they keep messing a good thing up. The lake went dry because of drought and agricultural demands a couple of years ago. Before that it was mainly Browns between the falls and the lake. Then it dried up and they put Rio Grande Cutthroats in it,… Yea !!! They were generally small things but abundant. This year it’s mainly back to Rainbows as they seem to only want to stock Rainbows in the Lake… Too Bad… Boooo !!!
Yes that’s rain….
Yes that’s Hail
The “All in One” was the Dryfly of the day….
Jimbo
Humm…
An early season tropical wave is developing in the Bay of Campeche….
Possibilities are out there….
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit
Jimbo
I sure was hoping for the rain to continue, but it’s really slowed down and the lake is 3 feet short of 909’msl. About the only thing that will bring that kind of rain, this time of year, is a tropical storm coming ashore and settling in the right place…
So maybe I should change my style a little and consider bringing the singing frogs to the forefront….
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit….
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit….
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit….
Jimbo
Wet Flys and Soft Hackles…..
You know I like those flys and have caught my fair share on them over the years. I’ve got boxes and boxes dedicated to soft hackles and Dave’s Red Squirrel Rubber legs. I need more standard wet flys though. I remember several speakers at TroutFest over the years, including Dave Whitlock himself talking about fishing wet flys and soft hackles Wotton style !!!
Jimbo
It’s the casting stroke that opens the loop. It is very simple, just swing the rod through a greater arc. This will create a larger loop. The larger loop will keep you flys and leader apart if there is still enough velocity in the flyline. Slow it down too much and you will find those trailing loops again tangling things up.
Jimbo
The lake is headed for 906’msl. Upper river has above average flows for this time of year. The soils are saturated, we need just 1, maybe 2 more weeks of wet weather, and we could hit 909’msl and get the sustaining summer flows. There are still good numbers of Trout swimming around in the river and that of course would be a fabulous thing for the Trout Fishery and the coming 2021-22 season.
So my job is to beat those drums and ask for just enough rain in the right places to get the lake past 909’msl.
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Jimbo
