The Guides of Texas

Fly Fishing the World Television Show

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:56:00 +0000

From left to right: Brad, Conway, Marcus, Jesse and Jake.

Marcus and I were fortunate enough to host the crew from Fly Fishing the World for three days of fishing on the Devils River.
The show is currently airing on the Sportsman Channel. (315 for Time Warner - 605 for Direct TV)

Air times are:
Sunday @ 1:00 am
Monday @ 1:00pm
Wednesday @ 3:30 am
Friday @ 4:30 pm
Saturday @ 10:00 pm

If you miss it I'm sure they will post it on their website at some point.
http://www.thesportsmanchannel.com/programming/descriptions/description.php?ID=277

Special thanks to Rick and Mary at Ryes'N Sons Ranch.

Thank you for your support!
Johnny Q

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The Roadrunner

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:14:00 +0000

The Bluffs at Homer Martin Ranch. Photo by Johnny Quiroz

I paddled the canoe to the lip of the small rapid. I made a draw stroke to position the canoe into the deepest part of the rapid. The best line to the pool below was only inches deep and barely wide enough for the canoe to fit through. A canoeist, whether he is in a deep, dangerous boulder strewn rapid or in a shallow spit of a river in the Texas Hill Country, must always pick the best line for his canoe to go, to avoid any mishaps or embarrassments. I immediately realized that I picked the right line as the canoe shot down the shallow rapid, over a gravel bar and into the deeper pool below. We were on the Llano River, below Homer Martin Ranch. It is at this point, where a large red bluff blocks the river and turns it sharply to the left.

As my client and I plunged into the pool, I made a quick stroke to position the canoe so that we could begin fly fishing the hole. A flicker of movement at the top of the bluff caught my eye. I scanned the bluff, looking for the source of movement. A roadrunner, sat on a small outcropping in a clearing of cliff side sage, cedar, cactus and yucca. We fished the hole and caught several small fish. Throughout our time in the hole, the roadrunner stayed in the clearing and appeared to watch our every move. After a few minutes, we pulled over onto the shore to eat lunch. The bird would disappear into the brush, but would always return to the outcropping to watch us.

After lunch, we pushed off down the river. I looked up at the top of the cliff to see the bird still watching us. I like to think that as the roadrunner watched angler and guide on a clear ribbon of the Llano River, it became slightly envious. Envious…wishing it could change its name and be a river runner too.

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Fly Fishing for Bass on the San Marcos River

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:50:00 +0000

Ray and I fly fishing for Largemouth and Guadalupe bass on the San Marcos river.

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Fly Flinging in the Rain

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:02:00 +0000

All of Texas is in the grips of a tremendous drought. At the time of this writing Central Texas is about 15 inches below normal precipitation levels. There are however a few rivers that are flowing nicely and fishing well. All of these rivers are within a 1-2 hour drive of Austin or San Antonio.

On Friday September 16, 2011 I met up with client Bill Balch (http://tinywaters.blogspot.com/). I last guided Bill on the Llano River in April of 2009. From what I remember, the fishing on the Llano was pretty good. We caught quite a few fish, but nothing of great size. It is nice however, to share a river with somebody who gets fly fishing and appreciates all of the little things that make fly fishing in Texas a very special thing.

I had decided to fish the stretch of the San Marcos River between Staples and Fentress. When we arrived at the river, we met fellow Texas river guide Alvin Dedeaux (http://www.alvindedeaux.com) and one of his clients. Great minds must think alike, because I learned that Alvin had also planned to do the same stretch. Sometimes, two guides meeting on the same stretch of a small river presents a slight problem. The San Marcos River however has a very healthy fish population and there is no reason that two guides and two clients cannot share in the catching of a few fish. With areas of fishable water dwindling, many of us guides may be stacked up like Guadalupe Bass at the few remaining river crossings. That’s the nature of the beast, I guess.

Bill and I pushed off into a hard sprinkling of rain. We paddled through the pitter-patter of rain. The sound of the raindrops bouncing off the canoe and the surrounding riverside landscape, seemed to shush our nerves and give us the quiet confidence to shoot the rapids between strainers and sweepers and place flies exactly where they needed to be. We both enjoyed the cooling rain. After many-many months of not seeing a drop, we were content in letting the rain splash and cool us. Throughout the day we paddled in and out of rainstorms. I think being able to fish in the rain, during this terrible drought was just as much of a treat as catching a few fish.

For many hours Bill and I meandered through nine miles of creation. I paddled, while Bill made casts at fish looking spots. The morning was slow, but we did manage several fish. As the sun started to peak through the clouds between rainstorms, the fish became more active. The fish struck flies with abandon. We fished streamers and poppers and had good luck on both. During our last trip on the Llano, Bill had mentioned that he had never caught a Rio Grande Cichlid. I made it a point to try and get bill hooked up to one of these feisty fish. One of Bill’s first fish was a Rio and in his words it was a “fine representation of the species.”

We had a good time. We saw some neat things as we made our way down the river. We saw deer jump across a shallow riffle, we saw a lot of hogs, a couple of cottonmouths, and a cruising bald eagle to round out the day. The day was comfortable, and the paddling and the fishing was fairly easy. The fish were cooperative and they would hit almost any well placed fly. The fish we caught were on average bigger than what we had caught on the Llano River. The top water fly fishing was fantastic. Bass would explode out of the water to inhale flies. It was a comfortable day and a great day to be on the water.

Fly Fishing like cooling raindrops can be revitalizing to the soul.

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A Few Pigs on the San Marcos River

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:55:00 +0000

The shadows cast by the riverside cypress, pecan and cottonwood trees were dark and deep. Despite the oppressive heat of the day, the shadows offered shelter for fish and anglers from the scorching sun. I turned th3 canoe to give Jarid Malone owner of Urban Waters Guide Company(http://www.urbanwatersguidecompany.com/) a proper casting angle to the deepest shadows along the riverbank. Jarid cast a large deer hair popper and it landed with a splat next to the bank. A couple of feet below the popper was a tangle of brush and downed trees. Jarid stripped the fly
line as soon as the fly hit the water. The fly pulsed and pushed water. Immediately a nice three to four pound largemouth bass exploded from the water and took the popper in its gaping maw. The fish had jumped in the direction of the canoe and caused just enough slack in the line to keep Jarid from getting a proper hook set. Jarid stripped line quickly and tried to catch up to the fish. I made a couple of quick paddle strokes to help
catch up to the fish
, but in a couple of seconds, Jarid’s fly line went limp and the popper shot out of the water. Even though it was the second strike of the day, I was upset that we did not get the fish to the boat. Jarid however, he was ecstatic. He hooped and hollered and said that the strike was awesome. Immediately, he put his rod down, reached back and shook my hand. Jarid is a fly fishing guide on the Texas coast. He guides the area between Galveston and Port O’Conner and he explained that river fishing was to be a new and exciting change of pace. He was on the river to learn a few things, catch a few fish. To have a nice fish, explode on a popper was more than he ever wished for. An angler like Jarid in the front of the canoe is all that any guide can ever wish for.

We did a nine mile float on the San Marcos River. I chose this float because, the river is low and the fish would be concentrated in certain areas. This particular float is long and it can be fairly daunting to the casual angler. The guides on the river float out of rafts, so it is not a stretch of river that they normally take their clients. I knew that this particular stretch would be pressure free and we would not see another angler for the whole day.

The fishing was slower than normal, but we hooked and landed many fish. Around mile four, we came to a stretch were we heard a high pitched squealing. I paddled towards the source of the squealing. We found five pitch black piglets on a short vegetated cut bank with a slight root filled undercut. Feral hogs are becoming a very real problem in Texas. Anybody who spends time in the outdoors will see wallows and uprooted landscapes that hogs frequent. I parked the canoe and waded over to the small trembling mass of piglets. I grabbed the first piglet and immediately saw that it still had some of its umbilical cord attached. I put the pig in the canoe and it immediately made its way to the back of the boat and rooted itself under my life jackets and coil of rope. I picked up the piglets one by one and placed them in my boat. We decided that something must have scattered the pigs up on the bank and in their bid to escape, the piglets fell into the river. My brain told me that I should have left the pigs to die, but I could not in good conscience keep from saving them. As I started getting back in the canoe, Jarid told me that we had done our good deed for the day. I paddled downstream and looked for an area of flat land where I could place the piglets. I figured the mother pig would find the baby pigs by the end of the day. I placed the pigs on the bank and they walked a few feet and then huddled up tightly in the tall grass. I wished the pigs luck and I pushed off downstream.

Jarid and I worked out a pattern for the fish. We fished any breaks in the current and were usually successful with strikes and fish landed. We switched from the popper to a wooly bugger and did just as well on the small streamer. About half way downstream we came to a small area were the current hugged a low bank of bunch grass and willows. I positioned the canoe and told Jarid to make a cast. Jarid’s casting is awesome and he easily made a 15 foot cast to the low bank. The current was pulling the canoe downstream and into a fallen tree that could be a dangerous strainer in normal river conditions. I looked back to see how much space I had before being sucked into the tree. I took a couple of paddle strokes to keep us positioned properly. I was looking downstream, but I felt the familiar thump of an angler strip setting the hook into a nice fish. Jarid immediately whooped and hollered as the fish left the slower current near the low bank and into the faster current mid river. The fish swam into the heavy current and then jumped out of the water. The flat, but swift water exploded and the fish somersaulted and tried to dislodge the hook. Jarid fought the fish expertly and brought it to the boat. The fish went about three pounds. Jarid immediately thanked me and shook my hand. We took a few pictures and admired the fish. Jarid unhooked the fish and let it slide from his hands into the cool slow moving water. We watched the fish as it swam slowly into the depths of the San Marcos River.

Jarid and I had a great day on the river. Jarid even paddled me a few miles and let me cast and catch a few fish. He also had figured out a pattern and he called out to me where he knew some fish would be staged. The fishing was slower than I thought it would be, but again we managed many fish. We had some really big explosions on flies throughout the day. The San Marcos River was good to us. We had a great paddle, caught a few pigs, and the fishing wasn’t bad either.

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A Couple of Miles on the Llano River.

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:19:00 +0000

Ruin of an old Homestead at Raye Carrington on the Llano River.

Today I guided a little half day trip on the Llano River near Mason, Texas. I had not been on any of the Mason sections since early April. I was curious to see what the drought had done to this section of beautiful river. My clients wanted a half day on the river. They had never fly fished. Before the trip, I explained that the river was going to be very low and the river would be fairly warm. I told them that we would catch a few fish. However, trying to teach fly casting and trying to get a few fish into the boat in only a few hours is quite the challenge for angler and guide. I decided that I would make the trip an on the water lesson. We would go over basic casting, line management, stripping the fly, fighting fish, and hopefully landing a fish or two.

I met my clients at the quaint bed and breakfast, Raye Carrington on the Llano River. Raye had called me the evening before and told me that the river was very low and that she believed that the best fishing would be from her place down to Worrell Rapid. She stated that even though the river was low, anglers were still catching fish. Raye’s fishing report gave me more confidence that the trip would be a success.

I met my clients Butch and Carol about thirty minutes after sunrise. We went down to the river and I gave a basic overview of fly fishing. We put our fly rods together and we started to practice our casting. The couple started casting well, so I decided that we should get in our boats and try our luck at catching fish. Butch caught the first fish, a very small sunfish. Soon after, Carol caught a small sunfish and then a small Guadalupe Bass. Most of the river is covered in weed and there were only a few channels in the weed that allowed us present flies properly. There were many fish, but I did not see anything of size. We floated and fished and as usual, our time on the river passed us quickly. All in all the trip was a success. My clients had never touched fly rods before, yet they were able to learn to cast and catch a few fish.

After the trip, I decided that I did not want to drive all the way back to San Antonio after just a few hours of guiding. I wanted to do a little fishing on my own. It was high noon, so I went into downtown Mason for a nice lunch, hydration, and to kill a couple of hours before I hit the river again....

When I arrived at the river, I decided that I would only float a mile or so, then turn around and paddle back to my truck. The section of river I decided to float was of course very low, but it offered several deep holes with beautiful mats of hydrilla and very fishable lines. As I prepared for my short float, I realized that it was darn hot! As dangerous as the Texas heat may be, I also find it to be Heavenly. There is blessedness in the heat. When folks seek the air-conditioned comforts away from the sun and its brutal rays, I seek the sunshine, heat, and skin chapping breezes. As the heat shrinks the beautiful Llano River, I know that it is only part of a natural cycle. Soon enough, clouds will block the heat of the sun, and rain (lots of it) will fill the river up to its banks with clean clear water and the river will flow strong again. I know this, like I know there is a dusk and a dawn and stars fill the night sky.

I had brought my Hobie Cat 75 on this little half day excursion. I decided that for a short float, it would be the perfect vehicle to do a little fishing. I had in my mind that I wanted to catch a large fish on a popper. I strung up a TFO TiCrX six weight and I tied on a very light popper with a craft fur tail. The reel I used was an old Ross Colorado which I consider the best fly reel I have ever owned. I decided also to bring a spinning rod. I had not cast a spinning rod in a long time, so I brought one along for grins. I used a GLoomis (GLX) 7 foot light action rod, a Gamakatsu offset worm shank (size 1), Spider Wire (6 pound diameter), and one Zoom Fluke in a baby bass color. The reel on the spinning rod was a Shimano Stradic. I just took the one popper and the one fluke, because I wanted a short float and just the popper and the fluke would ensure that I would not be tempted to stay on the river more than a couple of hours.

I fished the popper first. I had tied the popper a few nights before the trip and I wanted to test it out. The popper was very light and it moved a lot of water. After a few casts, I was confident that I would catch fish. I caught several bream on the fly within the first several minutes. The fly would land on the edge of the bank with a light plop and the bream would smash the fly immediately. The first bass to strike the fly was a nice pound and a half. He rose slowly to the fly and sucked it up. I was very happy with the bass and figured it would be the biggest of the day. Across the river I could see a small cove of water. I paddled across the river and squared myself and the boat with the bank. I cast the popper to the edge of a clump of water willow. I made a cast. The fly landed at the edge of the water willow. I pointed the rod tip at the fly and kept the tip close to the surface of the water. Me, the fly rod, the line, and the popper were perfectly aligned with the bank. I stripped line and the popper popped, skipped, spit and gurgled. "Pop, Pop, Pop." I lifted the line off the water and flicked it into a backcast. The rod loaded and I made my forward cast, stopping the stroke just above the horizon and following through to my intended target. The popper landed again at the edge of the clump of water willow, but this time about two feet downstream of the first cast. "Pop, Pop, Pop." Again I lifted the popper out of the water, backcast, forward cast, and followed through. "Pop, Pop, Boom!" A very nice bass struck the popper with a fury similar to the burning sun that beat me upon the head and shoulders. Being that I had been aligned and like a trap ready to spring, I hooked the bass immediately and easily. The bass fought brilliantly and I laughed out loud. After a minute or so, I brought the tired largemouth bass to hand.

After the nice bass, I decided that it was time for me to start paddling back to my truck. I looked downstream and realized that there were a couple more fishable coves. I put the fly rod up and picked up my spinning rod. I made a few casts and I was confident with the action of the lure. I neared an exposed boulder with bunch grass growing from it. The boulder was surrounded by deeper water that ran from three feet to about six feet. I cast the lure to the base of the boulder. Immediately the water seemed to open up as a large bass took the lure deep into its gaping maw. I was not ready for the strike. I reeled and reeled to try and catch up to the bass. When I finally felt tension on the line, I set the hook hard. The bass screamed off towards the bank and then shot up and exploded out of the water in a somersault. I realized that the fish was at least four to five pounds. The fish then dove down into a mat of river weed and I could no longer make him move. I paddled over towards the clump of weeds and pulled the fish the opposite way that he had swam in. The fish came up and perfectly towards my waiting hand. The fish was large, but very skinny. It measured out to 22 inches and was a perfect river largemouth bass. I took a photo and released the fish back into the river.

It was a great day to be on the river.

Fly Fishing Intuition

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:23:00 +0000

Peaceful scene on the San Marcos River.

I spent ten days in the month of June in the small town of Ozona, Texas. The town is located in the scrubland of West Texas and it is quite quaint. In fact, the town used to have the most millionaires per capita within the whole United States. I was in town on business, and most of my time was spent confined in a hotel off of Interstate 10 and on an oil pad on the outskirts of town. I missed my family and I missed my rivers. The ten days out of town put a damper on my guiding. I was fairly close to the South Llano River, Devils River, and the San Saba River and many of my daydreams involved me casting a fly into the depths of one of these beautiful rivers. While gone, my two oldest daughters would call me on a daily basis and they would ask me if I could take them fishing after I returned home. I told both of them that if I was going to go fishing, they would be more than welcome to come with me anytime. On my last day in Ozona, I could not get packed fast enough. Even though Ozona is a quaint little town, the best thing about it… is seeing it in the rearview mirror.

Even though I was away from rivers for ten days in June, I was still able to guide and fish several days. My travels took me to the South Llano, Devils, San Marcos, and Frio Rivers. I was able to get a few pictures from some of these rivers. While on the Devils River, my camera went ka-put. I took one picture of my client and his father driving through the gate of Rye’s and Sons Ranch. I fished the Frio and the South Llano
, but due to the ka-putness of my camera, I did not get any pictures. Finally, I was able to get some pictures with a client on the San Marcos River and of course get some pictures of my daughters and myself on a couple of trips on the same river.

It is my hope that my daughters have a good fly fishing intuition. I have this intuition and many in my circle of fly fishing friends also have this ability to know where to find fish and how to catch them. Spend any amount of time on a river and you can almost smell when the fishing will be great. After finding a pattern, a good guide or fly fisher can call the spot where a nice fish will be caught. I have decided that I want my daughters to be able know where to find fish and how to catch them.

I always tell my clients that if they can cast 20 feet with accuracy, we will consistently catch fish. My daughters are learning how to fly fish. My oldest daughter Aurelia (8 years old) is beginning to cast well and her fly fishing intuition is starting to develop. There were several areas where she called a fish and actually hooked up. My middle daughter Ava (3 years old) needs help casting. I took her down the San Marcos in my kick boat and held her hand in mine as we cast. I would help her strip and set the hook on fish. After hooking up I would let her fight the fish. I was able to get in on the action as well and practice my fly fishing intuition. I made a kick boat trip with my wife Angela. She was willing to kick alongside me and take photos of the fish that I caught. I had three beautiful days on a river that I love with three girls that I love. I still need to take my youngest girl Angelina (1 year old), but I think she will have to be satisfied with a float.

Please enjoy the rest of the photos. For those of you who can cast 20 feet with accuracy, give me a call and let me put you on some fish.

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It was the end of times, it was the best of times....

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:59:00 +0000

On May 21, 2011 the world was supposed to end. The prediction was made by a man of religion and this fine fellow’s followers, helped to spread the message across the land. Apparently, massive earthquakes were to shake the world and the good would be swept up to heaven and the people left behind would have to endure hard times for the next several months, until the actual end of times. Depending on one’s point of view, the good news is that the rapture did not happen. The bad news is…the rapture did not happen. This weekend, Johnny Q and I guided Harold and Marc Willis. We decided to fish Heaven on Earth located on the lower San Marcos River.
We fished for two days. We figured if the world was going to end, it might as well end with us paddling down a beautiful river.

The weather for both days was cloudy for the most part, but we experienced fog, light rain, mist, sunshine, stifling humidity, and finally cool breezes. The fishing was pretty good. I would say that each boat caught at least 20 fish on each day. We used a multitude of flies and lures. Johnny guided Marc who was most interested in fly fishing. Johnny told me that it was nice guiding Marc as he actually figured out early where he needed to cast and how to cast and work a fly. It seemed that every time, I looked towards Johnny and Marc’s canoe; Marc’s fly rod was bent under the weight of a fish.

I guided Harold who was more interested in using an ultra-light spinning rod. Harold is a fine angler, and he is the splitting image of former Vice President Dick Cheney. I was very glad that we were fishing together and not shooting quail! We fished a Bass Assassin with great success. I had Harold casting into swift water and watching bass shoot up and gulp the lure in an instant. We had great fun, especially because it was a bass fishing concept that was foreign to Harold. Many people do not expect to find nice bass in swifter, deep water, but Guadalupe Smallmouth Bass Hybrids are a breed of their own.

Our last weekend on earth ended up being beautiful. Alas, our last day on earth became just another day. We spent what could have been our last hours, carefree and casting at cut banks and shadows. The end did not occur, but we four (a troop of boy scouts and at least 20 other paddle racers) spent a day on the river, living it up, and meandering creation.

Author’s Note: It has been reported from the depths of the San Marcos River, that several fish between Martindale and Fentress, Texas experienced a partial rapture from their watery world. All fish were placed back into the river, unharmed.

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Flowing with Jack and John on the Devils River

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:22:00 +0000

The Guides of Texas offer the only guided canoe trips down the Devils River. Many folks who visit this beautiful and wild river only get a small taste of what beauty, adventure, and great fishing the river has to offer. This river is not for the person who likes to take it easy and stay clean for a trip. The river can be treacherous, with mean rapids, brutal winds and
fierce sunlight. After a trip down this river a person usually feels like he or she has been severely beat upon the head and shoulders, but feels a satisfaction that they have seen and experienced a truly wild Texas landscape.

Jack McGuire, seemed to fit the bill for a Devils River adventure when he called us a few weeks ago. He stated that he would like to book a trip down the river for himself and his son John. Jack stated that he was in very good shape and had spent 75 days this past winter skiing in Montana. Jack stated that he had good wading boots, a wading staff and a couple of fine rods to bring the Devils River. Jack stated that he wanted to see the river, catch a few fish, and otherwise had no major expectations. Folks like Jack and John are dream clients. They have fished all over the world and they enjoy the whole package a trip has to offer. They understand that wind sometimes blows hard, and the sun can beat a body. They also take great satisfaction in holding a nice fish or sitting back and enjoying a sunset in a river where the Texas Hill Country, the Tamaulipan scrub, and the Chihuahuan Desert all come together.

A trip down the Devils River is all about logistics, logistics, logistics! This trip was no different, but in this particular trip, we added new gear, and new place to stay and a few other small tweaks. Johnny and I live 250 miles apart, so it takes great cooperation, and careful planning to pull off a trip in the Texas wilderness. Our home base is our canoes, and everything that is needed to make the trip comfortable, safe, and memorable, has to packed into these two small crafts. Once we push off, there is no turning back. As much as a trip down the Devils River is about logistics, it is also about being able to simplify, simplify, simplify! We have it down to a science to what each person needs and how and where to pack it in a canoe. It takes a lot of thinking, but it is something we enjoy doing and it makes us proud that we are able to provide everything to make a trip down the Devils River (or any other river) safe and enjoyable.

A week before our trip with Jack and John McGuire, I sat at my fly tying table. I wanted to tie a large fly, but something that looked very natural, but sank very slowly. I had visions in my head of a fly pulsating in waist deep water and nice bass coming out of the depths of the water to inhale the fly. I tied a few bulky flies using natural and olive colored rabbit zonkers, olive and white bucktail, olive schlappen, and large silver bead chain. I tied that the fly and was very satisfied that it would work on the river. A week later, we all stood on the banks of the Devils River. Jack and John put their rods together, and asked what flies they should use. I tied my schlappen and zonker fly to the end of Jack’s tippet. We jumped in the boat and floated down the river. We decided not to start fishing for at least a mile from the put in. We started fishing where the river starts to braid and form small ponds. Jack caught a couple of small bass right away. The bass seemed to be holding in waist deep water right on the edge of rocks and water willow. Jack and I had separated from Johnny and John for a little while, but soon the pair came up behind us. They asked if we had caught anything and I reported that we had two small bass to the boat. About the same time, Jack made a cast to a rock covered in bunch grass. I told him to let the fly sink for a few seconds then make a strip. The fly sank out of view. Jack made a strip and suddenly the end of his fly line pulsated. I told Jack to strip into the fish. All at once the line went taught and the fly rod bent in the early morning sunlight. The fish stayed deep. It swam towards the boat. I turned the boat, and the fish raced upstream about 15 yards. The fish a very nice bass then exploded into the air, somersaulting and trying to shake the feathers and fur from its gaping maw. Jack fought the fish expertly and even let out a “yahoo!” for good measure. After a couple of minutes, Jack brought the fish to the canoe. We all congratulated Jack for a fish well played. Jack sat back in the canoe seat and looked around at the scenery. The sky was smoke filled from the fires in Mexico and West Texas. There was a slight smell of wood smoke in the air. The sun shone pink through the haze. John took a deep breath and said, “Not even an hour into the trip and it is already a success.” I was happy, because a fly that I had pictured in my head worked exactly like I had dreamed.

There were several similar instances during the trip for both parties. The nice thing about Jack and John is that they were also very willing to paddle and simply enjoy the surroundings. We had a very good time on the river. The weather was very nice, but the wind was brutal. We had a few stumbles down the river, but all in all it was a safe trip. We ate well and slept comfortably. We all worked hard. We used our muscles and our minds and enjoyed each other’s company. For three days we were allowed to flow along with the Devils River. And flow along we did.

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The April Fools Day Float

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 07:20:00 +0000

Text from Facebook March 3, 2011.

Michael Dreyspring landing a very nice Guadalupe Bass.

Michael Dreyspring: Marcus, In Fredricksburg all day March 31 and Friday, April 1. Would like to fish all day either day. What do you recommend? Can you pick me up in Fredricksburg?

Marcus Rodriguez: We would have to go on April 1st… it would be foolish if we didn’t  We can fish the Llano in Mason and I can pick you up in Fredricksburg and drop you off.

Michael Dreyspring: Well, I ain’t no fool, so April 1st it is. I’ll let you know as soon as the wife settles on where we’re staying (should know by tomorrow). Looking forward to it.

Marcus Rodriguez: Perfect!

A small giggling trickle of water gave away the entrance to the small backwater. The water flowed inches deep over granite sand and poured into the small backwater that was formed by the river bank, and two jutting peninsulas of granite. I nosed the canoe into the entrance, which was barely wide enough to squeeze the boat through. I hopped out of the canoe and pushed Michael Dreyspring (all 6’8” of him) and the boat over the lip of sand into the deeper water of the cove. The water was crystal clear and river weed sprouted from the bottom and towards the surface. Here and there throughout the weed bed were small clear spots where I was certain, that bass would hang and hit a well presented fly. We had been using a small rabbit zonker and schlappen fly, but upon entering the backwater, I had tied on a small white popper with a craft fur tail. I took a couple of paddle strokes towards the deepest section of the pool. Along the bank was a small willow tree that cast a small shadow upon the water. I told Michael to make a cast. Michael made a cast and the small popper landed just beneath the tree and along the edge of a weed line. As the popper hit the water, a bass that I had not seen turned and swam 10 feet to the fly and struck it with a fury. Michael made a quick strip and a set, but missed the fish. The fish disappeared into the weeds. Michael made several casts to where he thought the fish might be, but that particular fish had our number and did not make another appearance. I told Michael that we would let the fish rest. I told him that we would leave the backwater and re-enter after thirty minutes or so. We left the backwater and pulled several more great fish from the river with the popper.

We had already had a very successful morning. It was one of those days where every good cast was rewarded with a strike from a fish. Mike had hooked, fought and landed several bream and bass. We had been using a zonker and schlappen fly to start the morning, but once we started fishing the popper, the size of the fish became bigger on average. Again, almost every good cast was rewarded with a fish striking the fly. The nice thing was that most of the fish were very nice largemouth bass. I paddled Michael down a few more holes and we caught a few more bass. Then we stopped to stretch and have a light lunch. After lunch, we paddled back to the small backwater.

We entered the backwater with a push and a pull of the canoe. The wind was howling, but the protected little lake had only small chop on the surface. As I jumped back into the canoe, I stood up to scan the water. About 40 feet away, I saw the shape of a fish facing downstream and towards the river bank. I paddled quietly and slowly towards the fish to get a better casting angle for Michael. I told Michael not to make a cast until, I instructed him to. I turned the canoe slightly and Michael made a cast. The popper landed a few feet in front of the bass. Michael made a strip and the popper gurgled to life, the bass made a quick, but haphazard lunge for the popper. I told Michael to make another cast. He cast to the bass, but the bass had no reaction to the fly. I grabbed the other fly rod in the boat that had the zonker and schlappen fly. I handed the fly rod to Michael. He unhooked the fly and pulled out a length of fly line. He made a quick back cast and laid the fly down about five feet beyond the fish. The fish turned immediately and zeroed in on the fly.

“Let the fly sink,” I whispered. The bass swam quickly towards the fly. “Strip, strip, strip!”

The bass pounced on the fly. I saw its gills flare and saw the end of Michael’s fly line twitch on the surface. Michael stripped into the fish and set the hook. Immediately the shallow water roiled and boiled as the stuck fish tried to shake the hook. Michael fought the fish perfectly and was able to keep the fish away from several obstructions in the water. After a couple of minutes, Michael brought the fish to the boat.

It was a glorious day to be on the river. It was April Fool’s Day and I was very glad to be a part of fooling several fish on a beautiful day on the Llano River.

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

Two Days Two Nights

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Q) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Testimonial from Dave & Emily Whitlock:

Dave Whitlock and Marcus Rodriguez
on the Llano River

I was so impressed with the Llano's unique sandstone structure and how the river has shaped it and winds it's self thru it... And as it does there seem endless nooks for it's Guadalupe and Largemouth bass to ambush surface bugs from. Gosh we raised alot of beautiful fish and they attacked the bugs so well!
- Dave Whitlock

$1820 for two includes lodging, all meals, shuttles, two days of guided fishing on the Llano River.

The Guides of Texas and Raye Carrington on the Llano River are pleased to offer two days of guided fishing and lodging for two. We understand that many of our clients do not have the time to set up all the details for a two day get away. We have taken care of all the planning. Our guests only need to pack clothes and a sense of adventure.

Bill Seals on the Llano River

Each person has his/her own guide and canoe.

Taking a break on the river.
We at The Guides of Texas are ready to introduce anglers to a beautiful little peice of the Texas Hill Country. Raye Carrington on the Llano River gives us the perfect home base for fishing over 100 river miles on 3 different rivers. Depending on weather and conditions, we can be on the Llano River in minutes or on another river within an hour. We have many...many years of experience in exploring this part of our fly fishing world. We look forward to putting anglers on great fish and showing off some of the most beautiful sites that lay off the beaten path. Join us for two days of fun and adventure and see why the Texas Hill Country is a jewel of an angling destination. For more information please contact Marcus at 512.665.3261 or email at theguidesoftexas@gmail.com

Ray Johnson with a
Llano River Largemouth

Basic Itinerary
(This is only a basic itinerary. We can customize a trip according to your wants, needs and schedule. Please call or email us anytime so that we can customize a trip down the beautiful Llano River for you.)

Arrive mid morning at Raye Carrington on the Llano River and check in.
Settle in then get ready to go fishing.
The Guides of Texas will meet you at Raye's, run a shuttle, and start the fishing day.
Lunch on the river.
Finish the fishing day. All trips will be between 6-8 hours.
Arrive back at Raye Carrington on the Llano River, clean up, enjoy dinner, wine and conversation.
Bedtime
Breakfast at 8:30 AM coffee on at 7AM.
After breakfast, run a shuttle and start the fishing day.
Lunch
Finish the fishing day.
Arrive Back at Raye Carrington on the Llano River for dinner and a beer.
Bedtime
8:30 AM Breakfast
Make arrangements for departure.

To learn more about Raye Carrington on the Llano River visit www.llanoriver.com

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

The Calm Before the Freeze: Fly Fishing the San Marcos with Old Uncle Hugh.

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 06:41:00 +0000

I awoke as little yellow slivers of light kissed the eastern horizon. I loaded up two canoes, four fly rods, life jackets, fly boxes and lunch for four while stars still hung in the early morning sky. My plans were to meet a good friend Old Uncle Hugh Gardner and his Godson Morgan Jordan for a short day of fishing on the San Marcos River. Hugh is from the Denver, Colorado area and we met several years ago, after he spent a several days with Johnny Quiroz, Joey Lin and me for a fly fishing and exploration jaunt in the Texas Hill Country.
Johnny and Joey had met Hugh in Argentina, when he flew down to write a story about the un-tapped fly fishing opportunities that Joey and some of his Argentine friends had discovered. The story featured Johnny and Joey and several other folks as they floated a beautiful wild river and caught many large and uneducated
rainbow trout.

My cousin Joseph Martinez was kind enough to take up a paddle and guide Morgan for the day. Joseph is not a stranger to fishing the Hill Country. He has been exploring and fishing rivers since he was a young boy. Joseph is a fly fishing guide for Epic Angling Adventures located on the Alaskan Peninsula. He is also a hunting guide for trophy white-tailed deer in South Texas. We have spent countless hours and days exploring rivers and little creeks since we were very young children.

We started our trip on the outskirts of San Marcos. Here, the river is narrow and fairly swift. There are no major rapids on this stretch, but it is full of sweepers and strainers that can dump a careless paddler. This stretch of river is 72 degrees year around and an angler can usually find willing fish on the hottest and coldest days. Our day was on the slow side, but we did catch at least twenty fish. The bream were the most active of the fish, but they mostly smaller than hand-sized. The bass fishing was almost non-existent. There was a major cold front due to hit us the following day. I thought that the approaching front would put all fish on the feed, but it seems that the bass in the river were hunkered down while the bream were more willing to chase and snatch a fly.

I had a great time on the river with Hugh, Morgan and Joseph. It is nice to cast and catch wild fish in the dead of winter. I look forward to more fishing as the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer.

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

Matt's Bug

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 07:26:00 +0000

My favorite fly is called Matt's Bug. It was designed by a good friend of mine named Matt Jennings. I first learned about this fly back in the early days before Johnny and I started guiding. The fly has become the official fly of The Central Texas Fly Fishers in San Marcos, Texas and it has caught at least a hundred different species of fish including bass, bream, trout, speckled trout, redfish and even tarpon. I had heard that Orvis had shown some interest in the fly, but as of now I have no idea if it is something they will start providing to the fly fishing
public.
The Matt's Bug is the smallest fly I use to fish for big bass. It is a wooly buggar variant, tied with bead chain eyes and a body material called lite bright (instead of chennile) It is a fly that is easy to cast, and it has just enought bulk to make it look interesting to a cruising
bass. The fly is murderous on bass that inhabit ultra clear rivers such as the Nueces, Devils, Sabinal and others. The fly is also very nice on more turbid rivers such as the San Marcos, lower Guadalupe, and San Gabriel. I have caught many bass over five pounds on this particular fly and it can be finessed, stripped, or dead drifted for awesome results.
I normally tie this fly in sizes 4, 6, and 8. The fly is normally an olive color, but I have seen it tied in orange, brown, black and several other colors. Many folks at Central Texas Fly Fishers are also tying the fly in very small sizes for trout on the Guadalupe and they are having amazing results. I believe that anglers should use the very best hooks available. It is my opinion that Gamakatsu has the best and sharpest hooks available. The hooks are a fairly light wire and they are sturdy and super sharp. I like to use "stinger" hooks for their wide gap, which is often beneficial to me for hooking larger fish.
I decided for this particular blog post, that I would give some basic instructions for tying this wonderful fly. I honestly think that this is one fly every angler should have in his or her fly box, especially if they are fly fishing in the Texas Hill Country.

The following instructions are mainly for those who already know how to tie flies, but for any beginners out there who are interested in tying this fly and need more details, please feel free to contact me. In the following pictures, I used a size 6 Gamakatsu Stinger Hook. I wrapped the hook shank with several wraps of olive thread. I then tied on large black bead chain eyes. I used x-wraps to secure the eyes onto the shank. I like to use the largest bead chain I can find that does not overcrowd the hook. I like my flies to look as natural as possible and for the most part, many of the critters that fish eat have fairly large bulbous eyes. There are colored beadchains out there, but I find that black beadchain works in just about any situation. I tie the beadchain securly onto the shank.

I then wrap lead wire or lead tape to the shank of the hook. I feel that lead tape works better than wire because it can be cut in a triangular shape and used to build a tapered body. On this particular fly, I had run out of tape so I used lead wire. I wrapped the lead wire over itself to help create buldge in the middle of the hook shank. I like a tapered body on most of my flies. To me it gives a fly a more natural look. I also use about as much lead to equal the weight of the bead chain eyes. This causes the fly to sink uniformly throught the water column. A uniform sink is nice when I am dead drifting a fly, but it is also nice when I am actually trying to finesse a fish into biting.

After I wrap wire or tape onto the shank of the hook, I also put a few wraps around the wire or tape to secure it and also build up the body a little more. Sometimes it is hard to wrap around lead wire as the threat is usually very thin and it falls through the gaps of the wire. It normally takes many wraps for enough threat to build up the body. It also takes many wraps to secure lead tape. The thread tends to slip off the lead tape surface, so a few light wraps around the tape should cause enough friction in the later wraps. Also take care not to tie the thread in too tight around the lead tape as the thread will cause the taper in the body to flatten out. Again, light wraps and then a few harder wraps will keep the taper intact.

After the wire or the tape, I add a small tuft of marabou. I tie the marabou about a shank length off the back bend of the hook. If my body taper is not satisfactory to me, I will normally tie in the marabou over the wire or tape to give more shape to the fly. After I tie in the marabou, I also tie in a couple of strands of crystal flash. There are several different colors of flash, but I tend to stick with anything that flashes in a chartruese color. Many of the baitfish that I seen in the rivers I fish have flashes of chartruese on their bodies and tails. I do not know how important having chartruese flash is, but I would rather use it and it gives me confidence in my flies.

After I tie in the marabou and the crystal flash, I tie in a hackle. There are many types of hackle that an angler can use for this fly. I use a wooly buggar hackle that is not very fiberous. The hackle if fairly stiff and I feel that it pushes a lot of water in front of the fly. I also feel that a stiff hackle will allow for the fly to sink quicker. For the body I use lite brite. The light bright is nice, because it allows for the tyer to be able to add more or less material to build up and keep the taper to the body. I normally tie in the lite brite from the tail up to the eyes and over the eyes. I find that tying the lite brite over the eyes really secures them and keeps them from spinning while I am fishing. After I build up the body with the lite bright, I will secure the lite bright with the hackle. I wrap the hackle around the shank of the hook. The hackle will will hold down the lite brite and then I tie down the hackle and secure it just behind the beadchain eyes.

The resulting fly looks like the following picture. It is a nice fly and in the water it imitates several things that a fish will eat. An angler can dead drift the fly like a damsel fly nymph. An angler can strip the fly back quickly like a minnow trying to flee a persuing fish. An angler can also let this particual fly sink to the bottom and hop it over rocks to immitate a crayfish or any type of bottom dwelling critter that fish like to eat.

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

Fly Fishing in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Here are a few pics from a couple of fly fishing trips on the San Marcos River. These trips were in late November and the first and second day after two seperate cold fronts. The fish were not jumping in the boat, but there is a lot to be said for steady fishing action in the
winter. Out of the four days spent on the river, only one day proved to be
very hard fishing.
My two clients, Matt Polster from Dallas, Texas and Harry Daley
from Colorado came down for some fishing on the San Marcos River. They brought the cold weather down with them. I took Matt the week after Thanksgiving and Harry the following week. Morning temperatures were
just below freezing
, but the afternoons warmed up and the so did the fishing for the most part. I took Matt on a lower stretch of the San Marcos, figuring that we could fish big flies and slower water just out of hard current. It was a great bet and we caught some nice fish throughout the day. The following day, I took Matt on a stretch just below the headwaters. The water was still warm and I figured that the fishing would be even better than the fishing far downstream. The fishing was not even lukewarm. I had told Matt that I wanted to bring a spinning rod, just in case the fishing was slow. Sometimes after a cold front, fish do not react well to flies. I brought the spinning rod with us, so we could punch a few small, but heavy jigs into cover where fish might be holding. I also brought along some finesse baits...bass assassins, sluggos, and some flukes. The fish were not reacting to flies at all. I had Matt throw a small 3 inch Albino Fluke and he ended up getting the hook-up of the trip. He cast the fluke into a big foam covered eddy and the water exploded beneath the lure. Matt set the hook and fought the big fish for a couple of minutes. The fish was large as it actually pulled the front of the canoe around. As I was backing Matt and the fish back into the middle of the river, the line went slack and the fish swam away unseen by client and guide.

We continued to use the fluke and had some tremendous strikes from nice bass in the two to three pound range. Not many fish were brought to the boat on Matt's second day, but it ended up being a couple of very nice days to spend on the river. We ended both of our days getting off the river early to make the short drive to Luling, Texas. In Luling, there is a nice little bar-b-que joint called City Market. There is something about spending the day with a great client and friend on a river, then ending the day over a nice pile of bar-b-que.

Harry's two trips ended being more productive, though Matt's two trips scored bigger fish. I decided to take Harry on the headwaters, just outside of San Marcos, Texas. It is the headwaters of the San Marcos River where Johnny and myself learned how to fly fish. If you can learn to fly fish on the headwaters of the San Marcos River, you can fly fish anywhere in the world. We started the trip with a small vanilla wooly buggar. Instantly, we saw fish chasing down the fly to suck it down. Within a few minutes we had caught several nice hand sized bream.
Before, the trip, I had asked Harry if he had any small nymphs that he normally uses in Colorado. He stated that he may have a box and was able to come up with a box Copper Johns and a wide assortment of no-see-ums. He tied a dropper to the wooley bugger and from that moment on, he had a strike on almost every cast for the rest of trip. I started to notice that even some fairly nice bass, were striking the small Copper Johns which were about a size #18. I like to throw small flies, but these flies are several sizes smaller than the flies I normally throw. I will have to experiment with very small flies on larger bass, especially in the headwaters. It is the upper stretches of the San Marcos River that get the most pressure from anglers. I think that with a very small fly, presented where bass hang out or presented to cruising bass will produce strikes. I remember speaking and guiding a fisheries biologist who conducted many studies on the bass in the San Marcos headwaters. He stated that upon pumping bass stomachs, he found that they along with other warmwater species actually key on pill bugs.

I am going to have to make a couple of trips down the river to see if I can get some large fish to strike on some very small flies. Thank you Harry for jogging an old memory and actually teaching me a couple of trout tactics that will also come in very handy for bass fishing on the fly.

For those interested in taking a winter fly fishing trip on the San Marcos River with me, please give me a call. Bring your short rods, small flies and lets catch a few fish.

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

Christmas Gift on the River

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:04:00 +0000

GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA!

If you are thinking about that special and unique gift for your outdoor loving family member or friend, what about a fly fishing lesson on the beautiful Comal or San Marcos river or a half day fishing trip in a canoe down one of these jewels of the Hill Country.

Half Day (4 hours)

$300 - 1 or 2 person / 1 guide

*Second person in kayak or pontoon boat.

Fly Fishing Lesson (2 hours)

$150 - 1 or 2 person

For more info please contact Marcus at 512.665.3261

or email at theguidesoftexas@gmail.com

We would greatly appreciate your recommendation of this blog post. Please utilize the buttons provided below. Thank you! TGOT

17 inch Guadalupe bass caught in the Texas Hill Country

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Q) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Ken Prehoditch hooks the largest Guadalupe bass of his life! All on his new TFO fly rod. It was the first fish of the day!

For those not familiar with the State fish of Texas, the Guadalupe bass, it is typically a small fish averaging 6-10 inches.

This video was posted back in the Fall of 2010.

TGOT

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:09:00 +0000

Welcome to the new and improved Guides of Texas website!

The 13th October

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:28:00 +0000

Marcus, Tony, Frank and Johnny

The San Marcos River below Martindale Dam pours into a deep pool of froth and heavy current. Downstream, the river pinches into a narrow channel and shoots under a one lane bridge and immediately

opens up again into a short pool, with the majority of current through the middle and eddies and softer water near each bank. Immediately past the bridge there are two canoe flipping boulders. The boulders are brown, rough and calcified and they often remind me of

the trolls in the fairy tales I read as a child. Like old gnarly trolls, the boulders wait just beyond the bridge for beginner and professional paddlers alike to make the mistake of not following the correct current line. Like old gnarly trolls they are also merciless, they do not take lives, but they will crush canoes, snatch gear, and are ruthless slayers of pride.

Frank and Marcus

Just downstream of the bridge, heavy current and calcified trolls we began our trip down the San Marcos River. Our clients were Frank Turner and Tony Oviedo from Clear Lake, Texas. I stood in the heavy current near the right bank and held the canoe for Frank. Johnny and Tony stood on the bank, getting their rods strung up and lures tied on. Frank got into the canoe. I handed him his spinning rod. I let the current pull the canoe downstream and I jumped in. I made a quick draw stroke on the left side of the canoe and it was pulled into the middle of the river. We floated up to a fern covered bank. Frank made a cast and the lure skipped up to the bank and over a small elephant ear plant. The lure, a Bass Assassin hung over the plant, with only the very tip of the tail touching the water. "Reel the lure up slowly." I instructed to Frank. He reeled up the lure until it was less than an inch from the stem of the plant. "Now, give it a slight pull and let it fall into the water." Frank did as I instructed. The lure fell into the water. Immediately, there was a large boil of water. "Set the hook!" I instructed. Frank reeled in his slack and set the hook. Immediately, a nice largemouth bass went air born. Frank fought the fish and brought him to the boat.

Frank Turner has a big-big laugh. Though the fishing was not as spectacular as I was expecting, there were many instances when Frank would hook or miss a fish and his laughter would fill the river bottom. Frank and Tony mostly fish in the Galveston area. River fishing and fishing from a canoe was different and very challenging for the two. There is a lot of finesse and accuracy that goes into fishing a river. Whether an angler is fly fishing or spin fishing it takes good rod and lure control to be successful.

Tony and Johnny

Later in the day as I paddled down the river, I looked back to see Johnny and Tony a few yards behind me. Johnny had Tony positioned to fish the right bank. I had Frank positioned to fish the left bank. Both anglers made casts at the same time and almost immediately both anglers received vicious strikes. It was at this time, when I realized that Johnny and I started the Guides of Texas thirteen Octobers ago. We were young college kids back then and with the exception of a guide or two, the only couple of dudes on the river. The San Marcos was not so popular back then. Most guides stuck to the Blanco, Llano, and of course the Guadalupe. Johnny and I have lasted as guides longer than most people have lasted in marriage (which is kind of weird!) We have had a part in the catching of thousands of fish and we have paddled literally thousands of miles. It was funny to me that our last clients in October were spin fishers. Our very first clients thirteen Octobers ago where spin fishers as well. Looking at our two clients hooked up to fish, I realized that thirteen years had come full circle.

Frank landed his fish and his laughter filled the river bottom. Tony lost his fish on a jump and he just shook his head. I looked back at Tony and Johnny who started to laugh as Frank's big voice filled the woods. "He is normally like that," Tony stated to all of us. Frank unhooked the fish and let it slide back into the water. He reared his head back and laughed even louder.

Here is to thirteen more years of great guiding, great folks, great fish and even greater laughs.

Guadalupe Smallmouth Hybrid.mov

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Llano River Experience

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:22:00 +0000

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.

Hill Country Tour

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:52:00 +0000

It was Tuesday morning, May 25th, day one of fishing with Bob Steenrod. I had driven all morning to get to South Llano State Park to meet Bob. When I arrived, Bob stepped out of his beautiful Airstream trailer to greet me with surprising news.

“The park ranger came by and said it had rained 12 inches overnight

just South of here. The road in and out of the state park will be closed soon. What should we do?”

I drove over to the ranger station to get the latest news on the very rapidly developing drama.

“The river is 18 feet high in Telegraph” the park ranger said, “that’s only 15 miles upstream. The flood will be here soon! You can stay but the road will be uncrossable for a least a couple of days.”

Wow! This sounds serious! And it’s all happening so quickly!

I drove back to discuss with Bob. There was no telling when they were to close the road, only that it would be very soon. We decided to leave the trailer behind and just get out of the park. We safely made it across the road.

I had only met Bob 45 minutes ago, it had been a reveting morning...

Two days later, we came back to pick up the trailer.

Bob had originally set up a Devils River trip with his son Mac but due to work related issues, Mac had to cancel. Bob, a little peeved about the last minute unfoldings, made the drive from Colorado to fish our Texas rivers anyway.

I’m glad he did.

We fished for 8 days on 6 different rivers. I ended up putting 1,784 miles on my truck and 46 miles on my canoe. We caught big fish, little fish, catfish and a whole lot of sun. We enjoyed a beer each night and discussed fishing, photography and life. Mac was able to make it down from Baltimore however we were not able to float the Devils. We found other local rivers to float while trying our best to avoid the Memorial Day weekend crowd. I believe we succeeded. We saw just a handful of canoes and kayaks with only half of them fishing in the three days Mac joined us.

It was nice to see a father and son join together and fish some Texas rivers with Marcus and I. We all shared beautiful rivers, nice lunches, and great dinners. We all felt very natural together. Like family. Uncle Bob and cousin Mac from Colorado. We appreciate y’all making the journey down to Texas and fishing with us.

17 inch guadalupe bass.mov

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Fri, 07 May 2010 06:20:00 +0000

Any Texas Hill Country river fish that is 17 inches would be considered a nice fish. A 17 inch Guadalupe bass however, is considered a great fish. This 17 inch Guad was caught on a recent two day Hill Country trip by Ken Prehoditch. Ken is one of our more frequent clients and over the years he has hooked into some large fish. This Guadalupe bass is his biggest to date. Ken has already booked two days for June.

Trophy Guadalupe Bass.

We Need Sponsors...

noreply@blogger.com (TGOT) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:01:00 +0000

Johnny (left) and Marcus (right) with The Guides Of Texas.

This morning I shrugged into my Patagonia Capelline under shirt. I then put on a long sleevedPatagonia flats shirt, Patagonia fleece vest, and then a Patagonia Rain Shadow Jacket. For some weird reason I was wearing

Fruit of the Loom boxers and Royal Robbins travel shorts. I had on my newChaco Sandals which I strapped into my Force Fins. I sat down in my Hobie Cat 75 pontoon boat. I listened to the birds in the forest and I took a picture with my Canon point and shoot camera. I pulled Sage Smallmouth Fly Line through the eyes of my new Sage Smallmouth Rod. When I got the line through, I pulled my Cortland Bass Leader and I tied on a fly which I tied my self with Whitting Farms Hackle and Spirit River Lite Brite. I laughed at myself because I was using an Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor Reel. I checked all of my C&F Fly Boxes and made sure they were secure in my Fish Pond chest pack. I grabbed the keys to my four door Toyota Tacoma and pushed the lock button. I was pretty sure my Yakima rack was locked and secured. I felt bad because my truck was very dirty, especially my new BFG tires. I kicked off into the river, happy that I was well outfitted. I then thankedGod that I am a man of very few needs...