It was one of those days. I had to get away and out of the home office, so I loaded up the kayak and hit Ray Roberts. The thing about Ray Rob is it still has the feel of an undiscovered location. Even though you can expect it to be slower on Thursday than the weekend, it was incredibly devoid of boats and people.
I even found one little cove with drainage coming into it that was loaded with Carp. I parked and got out to work the shoreline, fully expecting to see beaten down trails along the edges, footprints and abandoned bait containers. I was pleasantly surprised to find only the flotsam typical of any lake, no footprints and aggressive Carp. The water in that area is still pretty muddy and recent rains are still draining into the lake there.

After that, as the day was winding down, I anchored and waited for the typical schools of Sand Bass to surface in an area I had been at recently during a small feeding frenzy. Although they did not pop the surface, I did manage to catch about ten fish on topwater. For those of you who haven’t seen or experienced a Sand Bass chasing topwater, it really is amazing to see them chase and chase and virtually never give up on their pursuit.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from around the state on the status of Stripers below the Denison Dam, and went to the best source for accurate information regarding the status of things there – professional guide Scott Bridgess. Bridgess’ analysis of what is going on at Texoma and the Dam reads as follows; “I talked to a guide that fishes the river quite a bit. He said it’s been real slow. He is not even taking trips on the river right now. He is telling his customers to wait until October. The water coming out during generation is very stinky, low O2, water. This is a result of the decay form the high amounts of organic matter in the lake. (Mostly alge.) The same type of problem is destroying the shrimping grounds in the gulf. High amounts of nitrogen from increased corn production is causing an alge bloom. When the alge dies bacteria break it down and consume all the oxygen.” From some recent posts, Bridgess continues, “My buddy caught 8 fish on pencil poppers in that spot. (He had three customers) 3 were close to 30 in. 1 – 27 in. and the rest were 24 to 26 in. They destroyed two push button reels, 2 lures the hooks pulled out and one broke off. All this happened in a 15 to 20 min. Oh well, live and learn … Several areas you can fish on Lake Texoma right now for Stripers. (About 1 to 1/12 hours north of DFW) Around the dam, Eisenhower State Park, The islands located by Highport Marina. There are many other areas, but those will give you a good start. Fish are blowing up in the early mornings and late evenings. Be careful it’s a big lake with lot’s of power boat traffic. When the weather cools down you will find good action below the Denison Dam on the Red River.” I hate to disappoint, so here is an old photo of a Striper I caught during cooler days.

OK, so I have been catching some heat for the long entries on the Conejos. Admittedly, the detail was a little long, but I am guessing that anyone with zero knowledge will appreciate the detail over getting lost! If I had been more on my toes at tracking down resources in the area, I would have made it out to the outfitter I learned about from the fly shop in Pagosa Springs.

Here is the Cliffs Notes version:
Weather – beats the heck out of Texas 50 lows and 80 highs with very low humidity. Rain daily in early afternoon and potentially all afternoon.

Fish – yes. Quick mood swings. Some pressured – Hike to those that are not.
Water – cold. This time of year – waders, but no insulating layers as the air is quite warm. Watch the flows. If you have to go to plan B, go to the reservoir and including where Conejos flows into the reservoir. My guess is the stockers are all gone from the secluded high lakes and ponds by the end of summer because they are so easy to reach.
Flies – Golden stone fly and many,many more. Bring everything and try it all. Fish in Reservoir will go after almost anything.
Guide – Recommended. Try Conejos River Anglers. If you’ve got the money, they’ve got the time. They have access to what looks like a vast amount of fantastic private access waters.
Gear – 3-5 weight rods with a stout 4 perhaps the perfect choice. Net. Backpack or vest with big back compartment for long hikes.
Clothes – Waders for sure. No heavy layers this time of year. Hat. Rain gear used every day. Hunker down or ride it out.
Medical – WATER. WATER. WATER. This is high altitude fishing, and that means adjusting to less oxygen, needing more water than usual, and unforgiving rugged water access (for the most part). Aerobic conditioning necessary. Strength helps, but be ready to go long distances. Try not to go alone. I took three real falls in one day.
Communication – No Cell phone. No radio. Pay phones. Modest supplies at the Skyline Lodge. Make a friend, and take a friend – you’ll both be safer.

We really don’t take political sides on this site. After all, I currently work in two atmospheres – the liberal-leaning arts, in photography, and in the oil field where things just lean. Anyone who knows me knows I will play edge-of-the-coin devil’s advocate to just about any issue or politician on any side. I enjoy the mental gymnastics too much to bring a closed mind to issues confronting the broader public consciousness.

With that, and in the political year of 2008 winding down, let me throw out the first pebble and see if it ripples.

We have all seen the No Pebble Mine stickers on our fly friend’s SUV’s and as for me, I have wondered what that was all about – never being so bold as to put a sticker on my car not knowing what it means. Just the words pebble and mine go a long way toward rallying sides of the Pebble Mine Project in Alaska. In Texas, if we want “pebbles”, we may take a bunch of big rocks and grind them into … little rocks, or “pebbles”. Apparently that is not the case in Alaska. Now the word “mine” has all the bad things one could possibly conjure going against it – not many people would want to be inside a mine, have one cave in on them, live near one, or be subject to its side effects. So the word “pebble” is a little more abstract, while the word “mine” brings a lot of baggage.

LET THE RESEARCH BEGIN

On the periphery, and at such a great distance from Alaska, it is easy to say it’s “not in my back yard” (NIMBY), and / or that’s too far away to really concern me or get involved with. The question that struck me today is, “What if? What if I wanted to fish in the area affected by this mine?” I don’t have my plane ticket, but realistically – I could get there some day, and what will be waiting when we step into a place that has been impacted by the mine?

First, a “pebble mine” is another name for a mine dedicated to the extraction of metals such as gold, copper and molybdenum according to the wikipedia entry under “pebble mine”. This is one topic that does not suffer from lack of internet coverage, so rather than detail the sites, here is a trailer for a video by Felt Soul Productions.

If you want to look past the video, have a look at The Trout Underground, maps of Bristol Bay, and a plethora of organizations including:
Alaskans For Clean Water
Save Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay Alliance
Stop Pebble Mine

Look. Read. Be informed.