Alright folks I am still in Port Aransas but unfortunately the weather has taken a downward turn. I was prompted to look at the weather in Austin and saw there was some rain coming through. A few notes on what the rain means for the Colorado tributaries....
Water levels will obviously go up. Most of the rain will be funneled in one way or another into the types of watersheds and drainages discussed in the blog. As the water level rises fish will chase the water. In other words more water in the creeks means more fish swimming up the creeks in search food. This is generally a good rule to follow. Obviously I wouldn't go after them in a torrential rain or even a few days after the rain because the water color will be stained for a while BUT after a good rain look for some spots to carry more bait and more fish.
Another note is storms cause fluctuations in the barometric pressure. Both in Hunting and Fishing there are all sorts of theories on the affect of things like lunar tables, wind, pressure, water temp etc. but to my mind the STRONGEST predictor of "the bite" is the barometric pressure. If a storm is coming in the pressure will be rising and that is usually when I find the most productive fishing. Steady pressure can be considered "normal fishing" and falling can be very good or very not so good.
Long story short. In Texas summers we are in real danger of some of the creeks drying up completely. Rain this time of year is always a good thing. A few days after a rain you should be fishing. Higher water levels. More fish. (Be careful of flash floods and always know what the dams on the Colorado are doing!)
------Prospecting-----
Alright lots of spots to hit. Hoping these will be the next few posts.
Onion Creek - no reason this shouldn't be great fishing. Mckinney falls state park or a small park just south of the airport should provide suitable access.
Barton Springs (upriver) - Barton Springs as it comes into town lake is always a great spot to find some fish and a buddy has been telling me that upstream it gets even better. This will be the part of Barton just to the West of Tarry town.
Bear Creek - where it crosses Burleson rd. Saw a youtube video of some folks fishing there and seemed up my alley so to speak
Boggy - People keep telling me that I went to far downstream on Boggy so I am going to try and find some access further upstream which I think puts me more or less in the middle of east austin....
May 17, 2017
May 14, 2017
On the Coast
On the gulf fishing saltwater. Will be back before too long.
Good buddy fished Boggy ABOVE the location described in my post and apparently found some fish. Also had a buddy go to Bull Creek with good reports after last week's rain.
Tight lines!
Good buddy fished Boggy ABOVE the location described in my post and apparently found some fish. Also had a buddy go to Bull Creek with good reports after last week's rain.
Tight lines!
May 8, 2017
Boggy Creek...
...is aptly named.
A buddy of mine went on a scouting adventure to explore the lower reaches of Boggy Creek. Boggy flows through the eastern part of Austin before dumping into the Colorado about 6 miles from Webberville. Creeks this time of year have been productive and with the navigable waters rule (that we admittedly use readily) all that one needs to do is find access.
On this particular day we met at 8001 Delwau Ln. which is technically a parking area for the Walnut/Boggy Creek greenbelt. The spot is little more than a pull off in front of what looks to be a dilapidated old power/water plant or some such thing. When you park you should be facing the old steel structure. Access can be found by walking down the road to your left (as you are facing the structure). Keep following that road until you come across a relatively well traveled trail that breaks off from the road to the right. I marked the trail head with a stick on top of an empty water bottle. I doubt that marker will stick around and I regret leaving a plastic water bottle on the ground but moving past my carbon footprint transgression I hope the marker helps.
The trail will wind down the hill. Stay left on the trail - if you don't you will end up in a healthy reed patch. Follow the trail around to the left and it will drop you right at this cool little spot where a spillway of some sort comes into the river. There were fish hitting left and right at this spot when we were there (evening). There were also a ton of carp that you could sight fish to. I am working on trying to figure out how to catch these beasts on a fly but more about that later.
Fish the spillway spot. Both my buddy and I caught a few bass on poppers. Apparently there is an old City of Austin dumpster in the middle of that section of the river that holds a ton of catfish as well but we were ill equipped for the whiskered fish.
After the spillway spot we moved around to the central part of the river where Boggy actually comes into the Colorado. Again, I've been having a lot of luck in creeks so I waded up the creek all the way to the Delwau bridge. The report is as follows:
The day we were there the mouth was pretty muddy. Muddy enough to visibly affect fishing. BUT if you keep going up the creek it clears out and there are some pretty nice little holes that hold bass larger than one might think. The more interesting part of the walk is the flats you come to. Obviously the water level is going to fluctuate with the coming and going of the spring rains but when I was there the flat was just deep enough to cover the numerous carp and gar I spotted while walking.
You CAN catch carp on the fly and actually the sport itself has been gaining popularity in the states. Naturally the Europeans were way ahead of us on this particular adventure. Apparently Carp have a brain the size of a walnut, dwarfing the brains of every other fish in the stream. You must find a school that is feeding. You can tell because the will leave a mud trail and if you are sight casting you can actually see them working the bottom like a vacuum. Often times you will come across a school of carp in suspended animation. These carp will not take. Just move on. BUT if you can find a feeding school and put the right fly in front of them - they fight. Hard.
Again I have, as of yet, not managed to accomplish this particular angling feat but it is only a matter of time. Recommended flies include trout nymphs (bead heads, copper johns, etc.) but apparently crayfish patterns and/or the right color wolly bugger will also work. I will keep everyone apprised of my journey to land a carp on the fly.
Any way it is a nice walk and while there are definitely some good holes I think this spot will yield much more action after a good rain when the water level goes up just a touch.
Regardless any day on the water is a great day on the water and this day was no exception. Tight lines folks.
A buddy of mine went on a scouting adventure to explore the lower reaches of Boggy Creek. Boggy flows through the eastern part of Austin before dumping into the Colorado about 6 miles from Webberville. Creeks this time of year have been productive and with the navigable waters rule (that we admittedly use readily) all that one needs to do is find access.
On this particular day we met at 8001 Delwau Ln. which is technically a parking area for the Walnut/Boggy Creek greenbelt. The spot is little more than a pull off in front of what looks to be a dilapidated old power/water plant or some such thing. When you park you should be facing the old steel structure. Access can be found by walking down the road to your left (as you are facing the structure). Keep following that road until you come across a relatively well traveled trail that breaks off from the road to the right. I marked the trail head with a stick on top of an empty water bottle. I doubt that marker will stick around and I regret leaving a plastic water bottle on the ground but moving past my carbon footprint transgression I hope the marker helps.
The trail will wind down the hill. Stay left on the trail - if you don't you will end up in a healthy reed patch. Follow the trail around to the left and it will drop you right at this cool little spot where a spillway of some sort comes into the river. There were fish hitting left and right at this spot when we were there (evening). There were also a ton of carp that you could sight fish to. I am working on trying to figure out how to catch these beasts on a fly but more about that later.
Fish the spillway spot. Both my buddy and I caught a few bass on poppers. Apparently there is an old City of Austin dumpster in the middle of that section of the river that holds a ton of catfish as well but we were ill equipped for the whiskered fish.
After the spillway spot we moved around to the central part of the river where Boggy actually comes into the Colorado. Again, I've been having a lot of luck in creeks so I waded up the creek all the way to the Delwau bridge. The report is as follows:
The day we were there the mouth was pretty muddy. Muddy enough to visibly affect fishing. BUT if you keep going up the creek it clears out and there are some pretty nice little holes that hold bass larger than one might think. The more interesting part of the walk is the flats you come to. Obviously the water level is going to fluctuate with the coming and going of the spring rains but when I was there the flat was just deep enough to cover the numerous carp and gar I spotted while walking.
You CAN catch carp on the fly and actually the sport itself has been gaining popularity in the states. Naturally the Europeans were way ahead of us on this particular adventure. Apparently Carp have a brain the size of a walnut, dwarfing the brains of every other fish in the stream. You must find a school that is feeding. You can tell because the will leave a mud trail and if you are sight casting you can actually see them working the bottom like a vacuum. Often times you will come across a school of carp in suspended animation. These carp will not take. Just move on. BUT if you can find a feeding school and put the right fly in front of them - they fight. Hard.
Again I have, as of yet, not managed to accomplish this particular angling feat but it is only a matter of time. Recommended flies include trout nymphs (bead heads, copper johns, etc.) but apparently crayfish patterns and/or the right color wolly bugger will also work. I will keep everyone apprised of my journey to land a carp on the fly.
Any way it is a nice walk and while there are definitely some good holes I think this spot will yield much more action after a good rain when the water level goes up just a touch.
Regardless any day on the water is a great day on the water and this day was no exception. Tight lines folks.
May 3, 2017
Heaven (it's real and not too far away)
Alright so I found a spot unlike any other I've visited thus far. Bigger fish. Small water. Mostly sight casting.
Here's the deal, this blog is supposed to be a helpful resource that directs you to some good fishing. BUT I also know what it is like to have a spot get blown out by traffic in a week or two.
If you are interested in said spot comment and I will reach out with specifics. From here on out this spot will be referred to as Heaven #1. Obviously I am hoping this wont be the only time I run into a relatively obscure spot with fantastic fishing.
Here's the deal, this blog is supposed to be a helpful resource that directs you to some good fishing. BUT I also know what it is like to have a spot get blown out by traffic in a week or two.
If you are interested in said spot comment and I will reach out with specifics. From here on out this spot will be referred to as Heaven #1. Obviously I am hoping this wont be the only time I run into a relatively obscure spot with fantastic fishing.
May 1, 2017
The Mighty Colorado
...was not so mighty today but a few friends and I had a great day on the water.
The spot (also known as secret beach) is essentially a ways downstream from the Pleasant Valley dam. Not too far below "secret beach" you'll run into the 183 bridge. Today we fished the stretch from 183 to the beach. It rained last night (29th) and we were worried about water clarity etc. but it turned into a beautiful day in water as clear as I've ever seen it.
This post is a bit different from my others in that this is big water. You fish big flies for big bass. We came across a few gar which were fun to see. Gar can be caught on the fly and lord knows we tried but today we were unsurprisingly unsuccessful.
We did tie into a few bass. No big fish and honestly I was hoping to catch a few more but it was a nice change a pace from the small water I usually fish. A front came through last night and we caught the tail end of which is historically not a great time to be on the water. One of the guys I was fishing with today was kayaking the same stretch the day before. He told me every fisherman he passed had a fish on.
It was also interesting to scope out the Pleasant Valley Dam. I'm not above putting the flyrod up for a day or two, buying some stink bait and hoping for some gargantuan catfish while enjoying iced beverages. It's a pure form of fishing.
Anyway the water was great today. If you go walk downstream from secret beach to the 183 bridge and fish upstream. Skip the beach portion. Lots of dog traffic. Tight lines.
The spot (also known as secret beach) is essentially a ways downstream from the Pleasant Valley dam. Not too far below "secret beach" you'll run into the 183 bridge. Today we fished the stretch from 183 to the beach. It rained last night (29th) and we were worried about water clarity etc. but it turned into a beautiful day in water as clear as I've ever seen it.
This post is a bit different from my others in that this is big water. You fish big flies for big bass. We came across a few gar which were fun to see. Gar can be caught on the fly and lord knows we tried but today we were unsurprisingly unsuccessful.
We did tie into a few bass. No big fish and honestly I was hoping to catch a few more but it was a nice change a pace from the small water I usually fish. A front came through last night and we caught the tail end of which is historically not a great time to be on the water. One of the guys I was fishing with today was kayaking the same stretch the day before. He told me every fisherman he passed had a fish on.
It was also interesting to scope out the Pleasant Valley Dam. I'm not above putting the flyrod up for a day or two, buying some stink bait and hoping for some gargantuan catfish while enjoying iced beverages. It's a pure form of fishing.
Anyway the water was great today. If you go walk downstream from secret beach to the 183 bridge and fish upstream. Skip the beach portion. Lots of dog traffic. Tight lines.
April 29, 2017
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.
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.
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.
April 18, 2017
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.
---
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.
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.
---
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.
----
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.
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