I recently had a great 2/1 overnight trip with our newest member of the TGOT Fishing Club, Steve Compton from East Texas. This trip had been rescheduled due to tropical storm Hermine and what a nice trip it turned out to be. Steve was fishing a short, soft, bamboo rod
made by Orvis and what a fun rod to fish Guadalupe bass with. Fortunately the wind stayed fairly calm and we were able to use the rod both in and out of the canoe. Fishing a short, soft rod out of a canoe in the sitting position requires proper line management and rod control because you loose leverage from using a short rod and sitting in a canoe. However the benefits are that we (the guides) can quickly move from bank to bank and hole to hole to find fish. That is our job, to give you the best opportunity to catch fish on any given day. Wild Texas rivers are not stocked with native fish. Texas did stock Smallmouth at one point but stop due to hybridization with our native Guadalupe bass. To my knowledge, they stopped stocking Smallmouth in the 70's.
Texas does continue to stock hatchery trout through the state during winter.
Anyway, all in all, a great trip with Steve.
FYI - I'm sharing some of the logistics of our trip so you'll have a better feel for how a customized trip can be arranged...
Sept. 14th
8pm - Met with Steve at Raye Carrington's on the Llano River. Steve had checking in earlier that day and enjoyed a walk down to the river to wet a line.
Sept. 15th
8:30 am - Great big breakfast made and served by Raye Carrington.
9:30 am - Steve and I run a shuttle to take out point.
10:30 am - Steve and I push off to begin our float.
11:00 am - Steve is a little frustrated with casting short, soft bamboo rod out of canoe. We stop to take a break. Steve comments on how beautiful the river is.
2:00 pm - We stop for a light lunch. Salami, cheese, crackers and strawberries. Steve has landed about a dozen fish including a couple of nice Largemouth.
7:00 pmish - We start to finish up what turns out to be a great afternoon of fishing, set up camp, and enjoy a great steak dinner. (Steak, tortellini, and cucumber tomato salad) Steve brings along a few beers. We enjoy a our steak dinner as the sunsets. Coyotes howl in the distance as the moon light grows brighter.
Sept. 16th
2:00 am - Steve and I wake up to splashing in the river. Catfish had been eating our left overs that we had throw into the river that night. The moon light had faded over the horizon and the dark sky was glittered with beautiful, shining stars. We both take a moment to admire the beautiful sky. I saw two falling stars that night.
7:00 am - We awake to the increasing sun light, have breakfast (apples, bagels, peanut butter) and break down camp. We decide to look and fish for a big Largemouth this morning.
10:30 am - We pass the only other angler seen on the trip.
12:30 pm - We find a nice big tree by the water and stop for lunch wraps. (ham and cheese with all the fixings) No big fish this morning but we continued to hook Guadalupe bass.
4:00 pm - We end our trip, load our gear and head back to Raye's. We clean up, invite Raye out to dinner with us, and head to Hill Top Cafe for a nice dinner.
