Back and Forth in North Texas
It has been a rare summer and early fall where temperatures dropped earlier than usual, and have been rebounding fiercely in between days. And it can make for some early fall pattern action, as you saw in the post – Fall Patterns and Tips For Fly Fishing North Texas Lakes – .
Some action abounds on local lakes regardless of weather. Sand bass are finding their way nowadays, with evenings proving to be a fun time catching all the sand bass you want, virtually every cast. The youngsters are schooling and learning the school mentality – gathering by the hundreds and corralling abundant baitfish, and driving them into shallows and up onto ledges where they gorge, regurgitate and gorge some more. Fun stuff! These are the opportunities that provide a chance to get youngsters fishing and more importantly catching fish as quick and often as they can cast. Sand bass were swimming between my feet at one location one evening last week!
Besides the abundance of sand bass, it can also be a good time to find largemouth bass headed back into the shallow water now that it is cooling off a bit. As for Lake Ray Roberts, those shallows are changing. Why?
We are going through a stretch of dry weather, and the lake is dropping pretty fast. As it drops, what were once flats are now drying mud flats, the shoreline moves out, and new flats form. In fact, when we approach these levels, new structures begin to show up, and some that we’ve been wondering about are exposed for all the world to see. It’s a good time to photograph these dry areas with your phone, take notes to help you remember what you saw and where you saw it. It will pay huge dividends later.
And if you are a kayak fly fisher, you can actually take advantage of these same patterns, but with even better results.
Be sure to contact me if you are interested in a guided trip to learn these patterns – either walk-in or kayak fly fishing. I know many of you are still surprised at what can be done on a big lake with a fly rod, but once you dial it in, you may surprise yourself!
NOTE – Reports are coming in fast and furious from the Texas Gulf Coast as fall action there kicks in as well. There will be a two part story on Larry Haines, based at the Tip of Texas – Port Isabel-South Padre Island, Texas. This one’s written by Immanuel Salas, and is very informative. There’ll be more sandwiched between, but that has yet to reveal itself to me.
Category: Fishing Reports, North Texas
