A note on the water...(via Shoal Creek)

Alright those of you that read my earlier Shoal Creek post will know that this post is largely a follow up. Lots of fish. Plenty of time.

I parked in front of St. Andrews again. A soccer game was well underway but parking was easy enough along Shoal Creek to the south of 34th. If you walk in directly across the school you will reach the trail and the creek bottom which at times is much easier navigating than the trail itself.

In my last post I went downstream (pic below) and I repeated that if only to take a picture of some of the pools you find along the shoal creek watershed. I caught fish downstream just like I did several days ago but it was upstream where I was really interested to fish and the water didn't disappoint.

a downstream hole

One thing you find upstream is the room for a back cast is almost nonexistent. Downstream is great for beginner flyfishermen - plenty of open space behind you and few trees to impede your progress. Upstream (from the 34th st. bridge) the water was a little wider and deeper but the stream took up the entire bed meaning you are dealing with a lot of overhanging branches and trees. Still pocket water fishing and lots of bass is never boring and well worth the few embarrassing snags I dealt with while folks were strolling by on the trail.

Alright before we talk fish I want to highlight the type of water I am fishing just to be clear. 
The two pools above are a perfect example of what I am looking for. Deep, open and a part of the normal stream bed. Still these are, as you can see, SMALL. Would it surprise you to learn I caught 9 out of these pools? Mostly small bass believe it or not. All on poppers. Tons of fun.


A long ear and small bass. Both out of the pool above. Bass took it like a freight train which is always fun.

But look at those pools and you can see the space allowed for casting along the stream bed. Contrast that with this water upstream. (Look beyond the fish below.) Tight spot! That being said the fishing is doable upstream and a spinning rod with a small spinner or mephs would do well in this environment. The stretch between the bridges (34th and 35th) is deceptively long and had the most bass of any of the other stretches I fished. Small poppers and streamers again are the go to. You don't ever want to have more than about 10ft. of line out. Otherwise you will be fighting trees most of the way. There are also a lot of Rio Grande Cichlids in this stretch. Not a native fish but they do fight like hell and typically will take sub surface flies.

Anyway should be fishing later this week. In the mean time tight lines.

Waller Creek

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! Good. Great. Wonderful. Ok to business.

Waller is a puzzle to say the least. More than any other waterway I've had the pleasure to explore Waller suffers the most from drastic water level fluctuations. But there are a few reliable holes if you know where to look.

One spot that is literally overlooked is the pool right outside of Ironworks BBQ on Red River and Cesar Chavez. Don't be afraid to wave a flyrod in front of bystanders. There are plenty of fish and a not just bluegill/sunfish. Some good sized bass roam this pool and lurk under the overhanging concrete ledge on each side. Do be careful not to hook a passing patron.

Fish bigger flies. Big buggers, bigger poppers, even some streamers. If you stick to big flies you have a better chance of hooking some bass but you won't deter the larger bluegill either. Remember this is several feet from where Waller empties into Town Lake. Also remember that when it floods fish will follow the water inland so it is likely this spot receives regular population supplements.
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Moving upstream a bit is what I call the University stretch. For our purposes this is the stretch between MLK and Dean Keaton (although the park just north of Dean Keaton has some tempting pools as well that I have yet to fish). There are some great pools in this stretch of water not to mention it's always fun fishing through academia. If you want to fish this spot I would keep it to early morning and late evening. More than any other spot I fish across Austin it is in this stretch that I get people asking what I am doing and if I go to school there (sidenote I do and that helps a lot). A couple of times the parking attendants have asked me what I was doing etc. etc. but over the course of this blog you will discover I prefer to ask forgiveness rather than permission. Plead the 5th. Ignorance is bliss. Especially if ignorance keeps you fishing.
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The next spot is Hancock Golf course. Go in the evening so as not to bother the golfers. I find after 5:30PM or so the golf course becomes more of a dog park. Pretty Austin. Park on 41st but fish the holes closest to 38th. There are a few dams and bushes that present some classic riffle situations that are great for throwing small poppers and dry flies. I had a small dave's hopper pattern on the other day and I could not keep them off the hook. If you are a beginner to fly-fishing then I'd really consider trying this spot. You are on a golf course so back cast is clear and unencumbered by trees, bushes etc. Moreover, it is very difficult not to catch fish here. Get a small hook. Tie a piece of thread around it and you're in business. Remember though, small hooks as these are very small fish. Have not seen bass in this spot.
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Further north spots are pretty iffy. The "creek" becomes more of a "drainage ditch" and I love fishing as much as the next guy but somehow fishing in a ditch loses its romance. To be fair though I haven't explored much past Hancock. Too much water. Too little time.

Bull Creek Park

Mt. Bonnell road to 2222. Take a right on Lakeshore right across from County Line BBQ. Down the road a bit there is a nice little pull off for parking.

Everything below (downstream of) the bridge is private water but upstream is a nice stretch of hill country creek, complete with a bedrock shelf that makes for easy wading.

Walk upstream a bit. There are some great deep holes right at the entrance but they get a lot of swimming pressure this time of year and I imagine those fish get hit hard. Take the trail to the right upstream but bee careful. If you go too far you will go up in elevation from the creek and access becomes a problem. To eliminate all problems take some wading shoes.

Fish upstream to the dam. Below that damn I hammered some sunfish and even pulled out a couple bass. Above the damn there are some real fish. I caught plenty of perch but I needed a larger fly or popper to tempt some of the bass I saw swimming around. Further upstream of the damn the creek opens up into some huge boulders similar to the ones you see at the entrance to the park. I didn't get a chance to fish this area but I wont lie - I was yearning for a spinning rod and a crankbait. In sum there are some fish to be caught here. I will return.

There are more areas to be explored in this region. Standby for further exploration of Bull and Boggy Creek.

Shoal Creek

Green sunfish (above) male with spawning colors.

This is one of my favorite spots. Park somewhere (residential streets across the creek from Lamar) and walk down under the 24th st. bridge (near the volleyball courts). Start under that bridge and work your way up stream. What you will find is mostly a dry creek BUT every now and then along that walk you will come to some nice deep holes where are all the fish have gathered. There are a TON of larger than you would think green sunfish, long ears, bluegill and a few bass.

Keep working upstream and you will find a really nice little spot that as the crow flies is right in front of St. Stevens School. While fighting a smaller sunfish I had a bass come up and flash at the sunfish. The fish must've been 15 inches but he isn't going anywhere as the creek is dry on both sides but the coming rains may change that situation.

One spot that I have scouted but not seriously fished is a small little hole along the trail that runs from the 34th bridge up to the 35th street bridge. The water looks slow and it could be one of the deeper holes in the creek but I just haven't had a chance to take a look. I imagine starting there and walking upstream with a flyrod would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. If someone takes that walk before I do...please report!

Long-ear male hit like a freight train. 

183 and Braker

Pond #1

Mopac north - just after you cross under 183 exit breaker. Pull off towards Mimis Cafe and go as far South in the lot as you can which will put you behind an autozone. Walk down the hill and you will see a drainage pond. Believe it or not - loaded with fish.

This pond is a place I saw driving to one of my other spots over by Highland Park High. It looks insignificant and frankly it is but god bless Texas because most of these drainage ditches are close to or serve a particular watershed which in this case means fish!

When you go down there go to where the spillway enters the pond on northwest side closest to Mimi's. That is really the only area that allows for any sort of backcast BUT fish it slow and take your time. With patience I was able to pull a dozen small bass and bluegill out of that spot on a small wooly bugger but these fish aren't picky.

If you have a kayak or a float tube this is your spot! Bank access is limited by some enormous reeds and cat tails. Also the pond has a pretty vibrant weed cycle. I was there Sunday last and there were still some good clear spots in the middle but if you are spinning think weedless and if its a fly approach I might try dragging a popper through some of that grass.

I am not sure about the size potential in this little lake. I have only had smaller bass up to about a foot take my panfish flies but I don't see why there wouldn't be some larger fish swimming around. There is plenty of space and the bluegill and minnow populations are healthy.
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Pond #2 (recent discovery)

If you walk south the railroad tracks on the opposite side of the pond (there is a berm with an old road you can walk on easily) you will come to a spillway into another pond (across the railroad tracks) that is adjacent to some soccer fields.

I first saw this pond on the map a while ago but haven't explored it until just recently. There is a nice little trail around the pond but bank access like before is tough. Especially for a fly angler. I found a few spots where I could manage a roll cast and was disappointed. In the main pond the action is usually fast and furious. In this pond I wasn't even feeling the nibbles of the smaller bluegill.

Right as I was about to give up something inhaled my bug, tore into the weeds, wrapped me around a tree limb and broke the tippet. I've been fishing for a pretty long time and this wasn't a small fish but to be fair it didn't have to be too big to take advantage of my 3wt. Point is - larger fish.

The second pond is split by a muddy landbridge and the larger of the two parts seems very interesting. I did catch one bluegill but the pond itself is a simple circle with not too much structure but for the landbridge. However, in the bright sun with my polarized glasses I couldn't see the bottom more than a couple feet from the bank. I think this pond is deep - much deeper than the main pond but it also doesn't provide too much structure.

Someone get out there with a float tube or a kayak - sit in the middle and work the banks. I have to think there are some big fish in there. Also kind of a cool note there are wild blackberries all around the perimeter of the pond.
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All the places mentioned above are super easy to find on google maps or earth.

Back in ATX!

Restarting this blog now that I am back in Austin. My last post was in 2012 right before the convergence of some family drama and a rough spell at work. In 2015 I moved to DC to work and have just returned to Austin to pursue a graduate degree. All that is wildly irrelevant but there it is.

Fishing-wise I am without a kayak and finances aren't such that would allow for such a luxury. I do have a boat down at the farm but as far as the Austin area is concerned this blog will now have the following specific focus: urban fly fishing opportunities in and around Austin.

The Colorado divides the town but it also sets the stage for the myriad of creeks, runoffs, drainages etc. that all hold fish. At the very least I hope this will help the intrepid urban angler uncover some of the spots in Austin.

Unless in the colorado or fishing a private tank most of the fish I am catching are under 12 inches. Small fish means I am almost exclusively fly fishing for two reasons: first, smaller fish are easier to catch on a fly, second, it doesn't take a large fish to put a 3wt noodle flyrod to work. I caught a bluegill the size of a cereal bowl the other day and the damn thing nearly broke me off twice.

So in sum. Austin fly fishing. Small fish. New spots. Good stories.