Jimbo
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Alex, I waded around the island at W.W. yesterday and thought of you. I looked for your rod as the water was ultra-clear. I will tell you that the water is so deep at the top of the island it’s one of the only places I couldn’t see the bottom. It must be at least 7-8 feet deep now from the recent high flows. I looked and probed around but didn’t see it. I think when it gets a bit warmer maybe I could done a swim suit and a mask to find it.
By the way, two of the gear bags that always come with me now contain: a full change of clothes, extra thermal underwear, extra socks, rain jacket, spare wading belts (seems my friends leave these most often back at their homes), fleece, wool fingerless gloves, knit cap, extra hat, extra waders, and a towel. You never know when your going down and I am always prepared now. I also think if you don’t have it, you’re “MORE” likely to need it somehow. I also believe it you have this backup, it somehow limits the times you’ll actually need it. It’s like some kind of inside joke of which I am the unsuspecting subject.
It’s also why I bring extra rods, insurance against the breakage of my primary choice.
Jimbo
Hey we were there, Mike and myself, but by the time we arrived there were already 2 vehicles in the parking lot. We did come back to it after a late lunch and worked the same water. We caught mostly smaller fish, I guess you and Alex sore lipped all the big ones. Right at dusk some fish started rising. Mike pulled out a LYS I gave him several years ago and hooked several fish, including and nice Brown. I didn’t have anything close myself and couldn’t entice one to bite on top. We still had fun. I love that water…..
Jimbo
I miss read your post, and thought you wanted a picture ID. Like I said in my first post we are looking at increasing the size of the personal badge to make it easier to see from a distance. It will probably be the same material we used this year, plasticized and weatherproof.
Jimbo
Well putting everyone’s picture on their particular badge is a great idea, the implementation of that plan would require every LAP member to report to have their individual badge created. Can you imagine the cost in money and time it would take to convert over to something like a DMV office to accomplish this and then get every badge to the correct person? I don’t know the true cost of printing unique tags for everyone, but I sure it would be thousands of dollars, and we don’t need another added expense to the LAP with prices of fish and leases going up so fast.
Jimbo
Ron and Ron, we are looking into larger personal tags for next year. This smaller size was not reviewed before they went to the printer. We went to a flat tag because mailing the buttons in the envelopes were causing problems for the automatic mail sorters. So we went to something flat that would go through the mail easily.
Jimbo
Sounds good to me !!!
Jimbo
Here you go……
So Ron McAlpin have been flyfishing together for more than 25 years. We’ve stomped not just in the Guadalupe below Canyon Lake, but just about every Hill Country river and stream on the map. The last few years he has been consumed with his daughters and especially the youngest as she became involved in women’s wrestling. And she was a contender in every match she participated, winning many.
He called me up a few days ago and asked if we could fish together?
Absolutely my answer !!!
So we met up at Little Ponderosa this last Tuesday. We were lucky and very few anglers were on the river that day, so we had our pick of the waters! We began, where almost everyone does, in the “Money Drop”. I stuck one right off but he escaped being netted. Ron’s turn resulted I in a few more hookups.
As you may notice, Ron is fishing a bamboo rod. This one was built by mutual friend Floyd Burkett. Ron fishes mainly bamboo and fiberglass with classic British built fly reels. He knows how to handle them and makes everything look easy. I stuck another little guy myself…..
From there we went upstream towards what is now known as “Used to be Pink Houses”……
Great water, with many hidden secret pockets that hold Trout…..
I concentrated on the Iron Pier Pool and Ron kept moving upstream towards Summit. My first taste was something fairly big sucking the strike indicator in a very audible slurp. That had me wondering just what tried to eat that indicator: a monster Trout,…. more likely a Bass was looking for supper. I moved across to the other side and started working the run and pool from there,… And it worked……
I also had a Brown on that came off again 1 foot short of the net, in a “In your Face” moment. I caught another as Ron headed back downstream to fish the runs between there and the island. I told him I was going to fish it a bit longer here and ended up landing 5 Rainbows in this spot…..
I left this one with a bloody lip…..
Nothing big, but all these fish are fun, especially when they can use the power of a current tongue, concentrating the flows. As I was removing the hook from the last one I heard Ron from down below, “I’m hungry, Let’s get some BBQ ! ” So I hustled on down to his position and he showed me the picture of the Big Rainbow (at the top of the page) he caught down there,… very impressive !!!
So we went to Real Pit BBQ for lunch. Chopped BBQ sandwich and Pecan Pie for him, a Rib Plate with double slaw for me. Very tasty indeed !
He said he had to leave about 5pm. From there we went to a Super Secret Location. I know,… I know,… everybody wants to know where these Super Secret places we are catching all these fish are, but sometimes it just has to be kept secret ! It’s too bad most will not recognize this spot, but secrets are secrets you know !
sic…..
Well maybe some will recognize it, OK,… OK,… everybody knows this spot. But it is still special. The habitat, the runs, the pools, and the Ospreys tell the story. While he worked the weir I moved downstream. I caught a dink right off. Most of the day had been overcast or partly cloudy, well now the sun broke out in the late afternoon, and it was getting down right warm. I had a full set of thermals on and the one under my Simms shirt was really too much. The big fish from the hole was Brown.
Smile for the camera…..
Will someone tell that guy on the left, please don’t crowd the subject?
Ron came on down to enjoy the games. And he did in the best way possible…..
Hooked up…..
Backing up…..
It’s in the net !
I caught another before slipping further downstream, at this “Super Secret location”.
I caught this one as seen in Ron’s photos at the top again.
The close up of that same fish.
After that we worked around different reaches without another strike. Ron said it was time to go.
So I delivered him back to his vehicle. There was still about 1 and 1/2 hours of daylight left. So I headed to another ‘Super Secret Spot” that the owner allows me access. It’s good to be well known and loved. When I arrived, something very unusual, not a single other angler was seen. Usually this Super Secret Spot is covered up, but not this evening. Count me Lucky !
I decided to move up and fish what I call Mallard’s Run first.
This piece of water has really changed from last season. Last time I tried to fish it at 500+cfs I thought I might end up swimming for it trying to get off the limestone slab. This time at 300cfs I could easily fish all of it. The first customer came from the usual spot.
Another nice fat 15-16″ Rainbow. I kept fishing around this spot seeing if the changes in the river bottom opened up new holding spots.
The answer was,…
“Yes it did !”
The first fish was a beautifully colored Rainbow…..
But it was the second one out of this new spot that really surprised me.
It was a solid 18″+ fish…..
And these two out of a little channel spot that rarely yielded any fish. But it is deeper this season and most of the main current now comes down it. I will fish it again for sure. I headed up to the Island Hole.
I caught another average fish there.
The sun was starting to kiss the horizon and time to head back to this “Super Secret Spot’s” main pool. I often wonder how many fish are swimming around in the bottom of this pool. But they all have a PHD in fishermen and their offerings. Now it can be easy sometimes, but some of the time, because of the constant pressure, it can be humbling, but not this evening.
I had about 45 minutes before dusk. Time to get busy…..
God was in a giving mood. This one was all of 19″. These springtime Rainbows are dressed to impress!
Almost a decent shot, but I don’t have Odom’s camera man following me around either.
Then there was his little brother….. A picture that did not come out at all because of my camera’s aversion to half-light. There were several more Rainbows in the bottom of my net that evening. I turned on the flash and caught few more…..
The turkeys were calling and gathering to fly up to their roosts. Time for one more…..
The turkeys, now high in the Cypress, were the signal the day was over…..
On their prompt, it was time to head up the hill, and back to San Antonio. It was a good day, but then it always seems better than average when you can fish with an old friend. I hooked 21 and landed 17, and I will take that anytime. I am still looking for those 30+ fish days (had one, but that was 2 days after a stocking), but with spring coming early I expect it won’t be long.
See you out on the river…..
Jimbo
I thought he was talking about the on-line auction. That is the only one with a possibility of remote bidding. It’s also one of the perks of people to coming to the banquet.
Jimbo
Wow,…. pictures of me fishing on the Guadalupe. Those are about as rare as snow in San Antonio ! Thanks Ron,… we had fun yesterday didn’t we! I wish you could have stayed till sunset, the bite seemed to really pick up. I guess it time for me to load a few pictures and tell the story tonight.
Jimbo
We are in the presence of a Polar Bear !!! Anglers are on notice !
Jimbo
Man, so many anglers are loosing so many things this year !!!!
Jimbo
Contact Bill Marshall, Lise Lozelle, or Michael Racis. Your payment should have been automatic through your credit card once the auction was closed if you won. Then you were supposed to show them your phone showing you won right after the auction was closed to pick up the item. From what you are describing sounds like you got outbid by someone else. Are you sure you never received a text saying you were outbid?
Jimbo
Nope it worked. You had to text 52182, and then you would receive response to open the link to the online auction website, then you needed to provide credit card information. Then it would allow you could bid online. You would get an e-mail when you’ve been outbid, so would you have the opportunity to increase your bid. The bids were closed at around 8pm. I won the Scott Radian 905 bidding this way.
Jimbo
Whitewater Amphitheater charges $10. We will strive to lease either Whitewater Camping or Whitewater Amphitheater again next season. We are always looking for new spots for the Lease Access Program. But as you have seen over the years, when members aggravate the land owners, by not adhering to the rules set down, we lose access sites. I do my best trying to mitigate the damage, but sometimes they are just fed up and don’t want to renew access at any price. That is why it is so important to pay attention to the details and rules associated each LAP site. We have had several parking violations this year with too many cars parked at parking limited sites. We have also had people even lending their parking pass to non LAP members, and some trespassing by the general public. All these things make my job as V P of Fisheries and manager to the LAP sites very difficult and frustrating. If I could have all the sites we have lost during my tenure we would have 8 additional sites (and others have been lost before even I took office too) Think about that for a minute….. 8 additional excellent sites to help alleviate crowding. I can only do so much, it is really up to all the individual members and their conduct as to whether we will maintain the sites we have and whether I will be able to add to that number in the future. To address some of those problems we will have to modify the LAP orientation again this summer. There are also other changes we think are prudent.
As the V P of Fisheries I have tried to think where is the best habitat for the Trout and especially good habitat above Whitewater. The reason for that is the water up there is almost always cold enough to have fish carry over to the next fall (even when we have 55cfs). And that is a primary concern, keeping the population as high as possible in the river, while still offering LAP members access to most of it. There are three places: JDL, Kanz, S Turn Rapids, that we regularly stock that anglers don’t have direct access. You could even say that about Ingram’s Bend above Rocky Beach too. These places offer more seclusion if your are willing to put in the work with a little extra wading.
There are other things we are presently looking at to help the fishery. We may start a supplementary feeding program for the Trout during the heat of the summer. We need more regulation signs. We are also considering expanding the Whitlock/Vibert box program using Brown Trout eggs. More information will need to be gathered and of course the approval of the GRTU Board and TPWD. Many things still to come like habitat improvements in the river itself. I do not think this fishery has reached it’s final potential yet. It will take research, cooperation, money, physical work, and time to accomplish our goals.
Jimbo
You can also cross above the rapids feeding into Whitewater’s main pool(watch the ruts). Once you get across you have a good stretch up to the island on that side. Then it gets tricky depending on the flows. You can manage up the house side in flows to about 200cfs. Much above that the water gets ribs deep. You can also cross back over to the Whitewater side about 80′ below the island and move up the edge till you get to the spring creek. Then It gets deep again. You should be able to use the wall to go further up the river without hassel. But don’t walk any distance away from the river.
Jimbo
