Im just retrieving my cat's whisker
bound to be the best fish this 1933 Medalist has ever landed
and in little water - not going to tell you where it was, but I call this place the San Juan of Texas
this was sight-fishing in gin-clear water and limestone bottom - wading knee deep and fishing no deeper than waist-deep.
I wasn't the only one catching nice bass
and it was a pretty place
I'm sure it's 8 - it was 28" long. I broke off a 5-lb'er later in the morning.
People have commented before about the racy shape of our hill country bass. They're sipping damselflies, nickel-sized crayfish and occasionally get a small sunfish.
Fun fishing, though - sight-fishing to spooky fish with a BS-100 sinking line and 3x tippet.
Now I know why we haven`t heard from you lately, must have taken along time to recover from the shakes ! With a belly full of eggs she would have
pressed 10lbs., ever get to the backing ? Wonderful shots, etc.
Jack, she was twice into the backing. Four round trips from where I was standing to the far side of the pool. I was about midway near one bank, and her two longest trips (to each end of the pool) each made it into the backing.
I got out of the river and finished my cigar, letting my buddies fish after that.
I was telling them how to watch for and lead the pods, but no one else hooked up a really big fish. The flow is so low and we had no wind, so we had no cover at all from these fish. The only way to catch them was to sight fish, anticipate and lead the pods. The fish were so shy to the sound and motion of a line that if your line landed within 12' or so, the whole pod would bolt.
I was fishing a Teeny BS-100 and 3X tippet (cast Beautifully on my Vince Cummings Water Witch - it's a 7-1/2' 6/7-wt glass rod, but fly fishers used to graphite would think its a 3-wt.) I was really lucky when I caught her. My cast was already out. She was cruising up the shelf I was standing on, saw me, turned and eased over the drop, straight for my fly. I adjusted my retrieve to present to her, saw her head turn, and saw her mouth open.
So after the cigar, I got back in the river and sight-fished a 5-lb'er right away, but that one broke me off near the end of the fight. Not complaining - my day was made.
As far as not hearing from me, things have just been nutso - after 2 weeks in AK, I made it home to hit the road for 2 more weeks. I was really jonesing to fish this weekend, and took a gamble on this spot, even though I knew the fish would be very spooky.
