Jimbo
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Do not use any of the LAP lease sites with anything but this year’s parking tag. It is not so much for the other LAP members to know who is a current member as it is for the land owners to easily identify who is legally parked there. I know this may sound harsh being you paid for this season and just forgot your current tag, but we must make it easy for the land owners or we could loose those lease sites. I was called several times in past years with owners complaining about vehicles parked using expired tags. Do not be the guy that gets an owner mad at GRTU and we loose that site. This is a “NO EXCEPTIONS” Rule.
Jimbo
SHHHHhhhhhh…….
Jimbo
Thanks for understanding everyone.
Jimbo
Thanks Chris for posting your find! Gene was all perplexed yesterday trying to figure out what happened to it.
Jimbo
Even when we post the stocking locations exclusively on the LAP forum, it still seems this information makes it to the general public more times and sooner than we’d like to admit. I usually don’t know who is doing this, but I would guess a few of our LAP members must be talking to their friends who are not LAP members to help them out. (A couple of years ago I found an LAP member posting times and locations on another site to non-LAP members.) Then again it could be somebody who is not an LAP member just watching our every move and ready to blab it to anybody, I’m just not sure in every instance. I know these locations are very important during the first 2 stocking because some years there is just no holdover in many locations. So fishing those locations with no holdover would be an exercise in frustration. But like I said after the second stocking we have usually stocked all the locations we are going to stock in a given season. And again after this 4th stocking I wanted to give something to those few volunteers that did show up to work, something special for their time and effort. That is all and it was not to punish those who didn’t show up.(Now you have another reason to show up for these 3rd and 4th stockings)
Now myself I like to explore just for the stake of discovering some new place that fish are holding where they didn’t last season (and they are out there especially after extended periods of high flows). I am self-reliant and motivated to find those out of the way places holding Trout even if it means catching fewer Trout than hitting the perennial hot spots like the “Kanz Weir, the Kiddie Pool, or Barking Dog Pool”. I also know there is a number of fishermen lack the skills and time to fish. They just want to jump in and fish those locations with the highest numbers of Trout so even they can catch a few. I would suggest to that crowd that it would be more satisfying to work on your; techniques, take some lessons, or hire a guide. This improvement in those skills will allow you to can catch some almost anywhere at anytime. I also know people who like to get into one of these spots the day after stocking, just so they can brag about a big number they caught. And I don’t find that is what the sport of angling is all about. I am not trying to sound elitist but instead trying to motivate anglers to work on improving their skills no matter what level they are at. There will not always be easy Trout in front of you to catch. That way when they go somewhere else to flyfish for wild Trout, say in the Rockies, they too will be capable of fooling some fish with these new found skills they have developed. I have always said luck always finds fishermen with skills.
Jimbo
Let’s talk,…
Why don’t we make stocking days public knowledge?
Because the hatchery quits feeding the Trout for 5 days before their trip. This keeps the amount of waste they produce to a minimum during the 12-14 hour ride in the truck. They are also very crowded in the individual cells on the truck which causes fighting and stress during the trip. 4,000 pounds is a maximum load for the largest hatchery truck they use. So we would like to give the fish time to recover, start eating, and spread out, before people start hooking and fighting with them. If we announced the stocking dates ahead of time we would see increased pressure on them the day they hit the water, resulting in more mortality from swallowing the hooks deep (they are very hungry not eating for 6 days) and more delayed mortality from lactic acid build-up because the lack of nutrition they had the week prior. This increase in mortality would result in lower numbers for Trout per mile in the river. (Remember GRTU is a conservation organization.) Giving them just 24 hours helps greatly in keeping the Trout alive to be caught and released over and over again by all anglers.
Why do we only give notice of the upcoming stockings to LAP members?
Because: 1) these anglers are the ones who actually pay for these fish through the Lease Access Program, 2) They pledge to catch and release all Trout on the Guadalupe, 3) we ask LAP members not to fish for the Trout for 24 hours and they generally give us the voluntarily compliance we are looking for, 4) we have 800 members in the LAP program and normally we get enough volunteers to handle the stocking. We generally need 40 volunteers to make stocking easy. 30 is really the minimum to get the job done, but they will be making numerous repeated hauling of the buckets to the water, so it wears everybody out. Plus with the low flows we are having right now, many places require bucketing, that if we had say 200cfs, we could shoot them directly into the river cutting down on the volunteers work load.
Notice about upcoming stockings?
We will put a topic on the forum (Lease Members) about the upcoming stocking date and send out an e-mail blast to LAP members at least 7 days before the actual date. Most stocking dates fall on Saturdays when most people have days off. (We have in the past had some Friday stockings to help lighten heavy angling pressure the day of stocking.) Now if you can’t make arrangements in that amount of time, I don’t know what to tell you. We also ask that people attending the stocking check in on the Lease Forum and let us know you are coming. This gives us a head count and know ahead of time if a secondary e-mail blast is necessary. We did send out a secondary e-mail blast this last stocking date. And yet we had only about 25 people show up plus Dan, Ron, and myself. Now we all know that on the first stocking dates we usually have more people than we can really use. Excitement is high about getting Trout into the river as the new season opens. As stockings go by and the season wears on, we get less and less numbers attending the stockings, but the work load is really the same for any 4000lb load.
Why don’t we post information about the sites stocked?
Again as much as we would like to keep stocking days secret, that information gets out before the actual date. If we can’t totally keep the date a secret, at least we can keep the locations secret. And when the Hatchery truck is spotted the day of delivery, the local internet lights up, and still we often see anglers waiting at sites for the fish to go in river. Now again we can not tell the general public to not fish for them the first day because once the touch the water they are the property of the citizens of the State of Texas and all anglers with valid fishing licenses can legally fish for them. Many of them just don’t understand how much mortality increases fishing for them right when they go in the water. (Did you notice the numbers of dead fish in the river this year?) They are very hungry from their fasting and tend to swallow anything deep to fill their stomachs, causing injuries that can result in mortality. That is why we ask our members to give them at least 24 hours to adjust to their new surroundings and get a little in their stomachs without a hook, so they can gain their strength back, and tolerate an encounter with a fisherman that much better. Catch and release tactics don’t work if the fish still dies from delayed mortality.
Why did we not post the sites stocked this last time?
After we have the first 2 loads of 4000lbs of Rainbows we will have stocked every site we are going to stock. This year we did that on the first day for the first time ever. Water conditions, especially the water temperatures, where favorable for such a mass stocking. Many years the lower river has not cooled off enough and air temps are too warm, to allow stocking the lower leases without significant loss due to those high temperatures. So we do a second 4000lb load later in the season giving the lower river time to cool off for better survival. Subsequent stockings (3 and 4 this year) only add Trout to sites already stocked. So it’s not like we put fish in new places, we merely added to the numbers already there. So there is no real need to announce these locations that are stocked in the 3rd and 4th stockings. The only exception is when we stock Brown Trout. We have stocked them in some places that we have not stocked before (like the regular Rainbow Trout stocking locations) usually at the request of TPWD and their objectives for the fishery. Again, this last time (4th stocking of Rainbows) merely fortified the numbers at locations we’d previously stocked. And with such a low turnout of volunteers and them working so hard to get the Trout in the river, we thought to reward their efforts by not telling everyone else where we stocked them right away.
Remember GRTU is primarily a conservation organization. Most TU chapters fish over wild fish, with no stocking necessary, unless it’s a restoration project. When TU chapters do restoration projects those places are often closed to fishing for some time to get those fish established. GRTU is a very usual chapter in that our fishery normally requires stocking for any significant numbers of Trout to be in the river. Thermal impacts on lower leases can result in 100% mortality during the summer. We also still have significant harvest and delayed mortality which limits the numbers of Trout that could potentially holdover in the upper river to the following season. There this breaking point is depends on flows, water temperatures, and fishing pressure.
We are not trying to punish those who did not attend this last stocking, but in fact give those who did, a reward for their hard work. If you fished the river anytime after the first 2 loads of Rainbows were stocked, you already know where the Trout are that can be caught. We merely put more fish in these same locations. I have never heard so much whining about the locations we stocked in all my 15 years working directly with VP’s and being V P of Fishery than this last time. I have attended every Trout Stocking over the last 25 year period except when I had a heart attack 2 years ago and I was still in intensive care. Generally I see the same faces over and over again. I would say the people I see at any one stocking, have helped with at least one stocking, if not 2 of the stockings per year, every year. There are many LAP members I have never seen at any of the stockings. To those who have never attended a stocking I would suggest you do some time, especially these later stocking dates when we really need the help. It was very surprising to see so few members attend this last stocking when we now have 800 potential members who receive stocking information ahead of time. Myself I have not fished yet. I have been suffering from a painful spinal condition and I aggravated it during last Saturday’s stocking. I can’t even sleep on my own bed because of pain radiating down my legs and into my feet (two weeks of sleep deprivation have also taken a toll). I was warned not to do this, but I felt obligated because 1) I may not be VP of Fishery anymore but I am on the Fishery Committee and GRTU Board, 2) I saw the low response on the 4th stocking announcement and knew we would need every set of hands we could get. 3) And I really enjoy seeing these fish go in the river. So I went and now I am on pain meds and waiting for a MRI and it’s results. Now I am not trying to shame anyone about this I’m just saying when healthy people and numbers don’t show up, others have to pick up the slack and that is disappointing for a volunteer organization with so many members.
Jimbo
Fine looking Brookie !!! Get that Orvis rod tip replaced and back in the action?
Jimbo
There are a lot of LAP members that owe more than a little thanks to those that did show up this morning. We came up a little short of the number of hands we needed to get this extra load of Rainbows into the water easily. Those that did show up, worked hard, carried buckets to the water over and over again, and finished the job without complaint. Remember when I told you that we had some very large fish in some cells and some regular sized fish in others. We stocked these different sized fish in different locations. Those that worked this morning know where they are. I would normally tell everybody else where we put the better ones, but this time I think I will stay quiet on this matter. Those that put them in the water deserve at least that advantage.
Jimbo
We have another real good chance to catch some much needed rain on the upper Guadalupe the next couple of days. Let’s hope Mother Nature decides to add some water to our recently stocked Trout…..
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
I’m praying for a gully washer !
Jimbo
We are getting real close to Saturday and we will need many more hands to accomplish this last Stocking of the season. I appeal to you who are sitting there trying to decide whether to come and assist us. We will need a good 30 volunteers to get the job done. It is work, but it is also a lot of fun watching these fish go into the river. Plus you will get to see some really BIG Trout this time and where we put them. Trust me on this. Come and join us this Saturday at 8am at Rio. Bring your waders, boots, jacket, gloves, and dress for the weather. See you there !
Jimbo
There has been some rain in the upper basin. It has been keeping the Guadalupe flowing into Canyon lake around 85-120cfs, 91cfs right now. So GBRA has been bouncing the releases around to reflect the inflows. What we need are some really big rains over the upper basin to get the lake up to 909’msl. for the May 15th trigger and sustaining summer flows.
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Tom tom tom tom….
Jimbo
That would be Lise Lozelle. May I ask are you wanting to donate something or want to know the auction itself is conducted? I know last year some items were auctioned using an APP on your phone to place bids. It is how I won the right to purchase a Scott Rod.
Jimbo
Dan Cone is doing an outstanding Job! We are so lucky he volunteered to do this job. It takes many more hours than most can imagine and yet he does the job without complaint. I want to thank him for taking on the job that many turned down and going the extra yard to make sure it is done right.
Jimbo
We are not getting Browns this year. The hatchery that we use to provide the Browns spawns the fish out before delivery. Browns are fall spawners and we get them after they have completed that task. This year the fish which are understandably combative during the process developed a fungus inflection because of that fighting. The fungus spread through the population and the hatchery could not clear up the infection in time for delivery anytime soon. TPWD will not allow the introduction of any fish that have an ongoing disease or infection at the time of delivery. We don’t have another readily available alternative source of Brown Trout so we asked Crystal Lake Fisheries, the hatchery we get the Rainbows from, if they could provide another load of Rainbows in the sizes we utilize. They were able to accommodate that order and we will make an announcement when they are coming. We will be stocking Brown Trout again next year short of some unforeseeable future problem like we did this year. The good news is we will be receiving another 4000lbs of Rainbows. This will be the 2,000lbs more of Trout than we have ever stocked in a single season (16,000lbs of Rainbows versus the previous high of 12,000lbs of Rainbows and 2,000lbs of Browns).
Woo Hooo !
Now there are still holdover Browns swimming around in the river. There are harder to catch even if the populations were equal and they are not. So any Brown Trout you catch is an accomplishment in itself. I have heard of Browns being caught this season from the Tubers Loop all the way down to Bezdeks. It is very surprising to me that Browns are all the way down at Bezdeks right now. Did they survive the summer down there? Or did they migrate down there after the river cooled off? It is an interesting question that will not be answered with any certainty this year.
Jimbo
