Jimbo
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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
And now again we will see a week of rain and increasing flows into Canyon Lake…
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Tom tom tom tom…..
Jimbo
The period/season for the Leases Access Program begins November 1st and runs through October 31st. Enrollment in the upcoming season opens up October 1st most years.
Jimbo
The answer is “The Loop Hole” in the Trout regulations…
The direct answer is anyone can use bait or artificially scented baits (like powerbait or artificially scented products, including any scented soft plastic imitation) and say they are targeting other species like Bass, Perch, Stripers or Catfish, regardless of whether they are actually targeting Trout or not. The regulation says that “no Trout maybe retained using bait or artificially scented products”. So if they catch a Trout on bait or artificially scented products, and release it: live or dead, they are within the fishing regulations for the Guadalupe River. And that is the loophole in the regulations. If TPWD were to say no bait or scented products maybe used to catch Trout (thus hooking and fighting a Trout would be illegal even if it was not retained), that would make it illegal to use bait or scented products anywhere in the Guadalupe River where Trout could be present. Although a no “bait or scented products” was considered, many local residents, most riverside property owners, said that would mean their small children, who are not skilled in casting and using artificial lures and flys, could not use bobber and bait to fish for other species right out their own backyard. This was said often enough at these public opinion meetings that the no “bait or scented products” was scratched as a possibility in the regulations. Of course if they are using bait and actually keeping any Trout in the 2 Special Regulations Zones (no Trout can be retained using bait or artificially scented products, all Trout retained must be caught using artificial lures or flys, 1st: From 800 yards below the dam to the eastern most bridge on 306, all Trout from >12″ and <18″ must be released, Bag 5 Trout, only 1 fish in the bag 18″ or longer the rest 12″ or less, 2nd: from the eastern most bridge on 306 to the second crossing on River Road, only 1 Trout maybe retained and it’s minimum length must be 18″) then they are in violation of the Fishing Regulations for Trout and can be cited by Texas Game Wardens. Of course they must be caught in the act by a Game Warden to be cited. So if you see this going on, you can call a game warden and let them know where it is happening and describe the individuals doing this. Also know that any time you approach an individual who is violating the fish and game laws, even though they are violating the law, they can say you are interfering with their rights to fish or hunt and can sue you. This is why it’s best to call and game warden and let them handle it. (Also note: Outside these Special Regulation Zones: any form of legal fishing, including using bait and artificially scented products is allowed, bag limit 5 Trout, any size)
Jimbo
Congrats
Looks like another real “Jack of all Trades” attractor dryfly!
I’d fish it !!!
Jimbo
I glad you remembered that fly. I discovered it about 12+ years ago and it has served me well in rivers and streams everywhere and for all species. It’s almost the woolybugger of dryflys. I wish I had been there this spring for the dryfly bite that has been fairly dependable on the Guad for the last 6 years or so. I’ve been looking for some Trout out here in California between surgeries. What I have learned from my limited opportunities is the better Trout fishing is hours away from Bodega Bay. I’ve found the coastal streams around here are open only in the winter, mainly for Steelhead, and very poor Trout waters. I found lots of good water around Redding and some around Truckee. These California waters are really restricted as to when and where you can fish them. I know of many good rivers along the ridges of the Sierras and their eastern slopes, but those are all overnight trips to get any time at all on the waters. I should be back in Texas about the middle of May. So I am guessing unless ya’ll get some real significant rains these next few weeks, I’ll be warm water fishing till it’s time to head to the Rockies for my summer trip. I am planning a very long trip this summer to make up for last summer. I can’t wait to start running up those little blue lines and chasing Cutthroats again.
Jimbo
