these
Our rivers are wet again. After a depressing four-year drought, we had a monsoon three weeks ago. The monsoon runoff blew out the hair algae, and flows are stabilizing - real flows, clear water.
Jimbo, Ewell, and I took off to one of our favorite old haunts this morning, the downriver wade from Lion's Park in Center Point.
When looking at my photos below, please keep in mind it was raining continuously, though most of it was light - mostly.
eek - I had waded about 300 yards and my beloved Keen Hood River boots came apart (you can see how clear the water is)
why won't you turkeys make some more of these?!
So back to the truck and my sandals - love these sandals, but hate to wade in them.
so I caught up with Ewell, and of course Jimbo was already way downriver
and no need to be in a hurry, because every rut in the dolomite has one of these
Jimbo waded up a side creek, and that gave us a chance to catch up with him.
They were fishing the last dolmite holes in the middle of the river right before the bend - and were pounding fish there.
But the bend was calling me - every time I make the turn and see this cypress tunnel, my heart thumps
here's why
and another, looking downriver
and a longear
you can take it to the bank, Jimbo is going to fish past me, and that's OK
redear
and on down to the waterfall
then I didn't know if I had a bass (it was Good) or a gar, or maybe a carp, bounced off the bottom
It made 3 Hardy-howling runs.
Holy cow, it was a white bass. We didn't have spring rains and the white bass spawned in February, but the first good rain of summer often brings a false run. This fish swam 60 miles over the past 3 weeks - it made it over Mueller falls in the monsoon flow, and upriver until it was pinned by this fall in the reduced flow. Amazing.
Jimbo, how did you even get down there? Don't you see the big rain coming?
Told you.
Ewell and I retreated to the truck, and of course the sun was shining when we got there, but nexrad showed more big rain moving from the south.
All good, Jimbo arrived in 20 minutes, and we headed off to some awesome Mexican food - Mague's in Boerne.
The puerco en chile colorado is to die for - everything is homemade, including the corn tortillas.
The Mole passed Jimbo's muster.
Between us we caught Guadalupe (smallie hybrid) and largemouth bass, longear, green, redear and redbreast sunfish, warmouth, catfish, and a surprise white bass.
This was a lot of fun, I think we'll do it again...
here's a few of Jimbo's photos - Ewell and I heading down from the park first thing
Jimbo's black bass of the day
me with the white bass
I lured the fish from right below the fall plunge, and its first run was back into the fall plunge, but you can see how far it took me downriver to subdue it.
The reason we were catching all dinks is about the drought and meat-fishing by the local landowners, which is perfectly legal.
Above the falls, there are two huge pools and the bass were fish in a barrel there all through the drought.
We came across this minnow bucket with 100 minnows in it, and dead gar had been thrown on the bank behind it.
So that's why we were catching all dinks, in water that has turned many 15" Guadalupes. It should improve now with good flows. The dinks will spread out in the runs and slots and beef up.
We had a blast and will do a lot more of this now that our rivers are wet again.
We got more good rains the following day, and there is supposed to be an El Nino that could keep this up all summer.
Texas Brook Trout
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Re: Texas Brook Trout
Really enjoyed your fishing photos/comment combination. If the good lord gives us dinks, that's what we enjoy until something else comes along. And fun fishing conditions even makes it better. Thanks for sharing!
- Paul M
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Re: Texas Brook Trout
Ron, your photos and stories are always a treat. Thank you!
- john elder
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Re: Texas Brook Trout
Ditto, Skinny! Looks like the biking and fishing combo is keeping you hopping! Thanks for the post, Mike!