Fly Fishing Arroyo Colorado
ZONE 3 Up Close
Well, this is it for the fly fishing coverage of the Arroyo Colorado by me – for now! Don’t get your hopes up that I will let this sleeping dog lie down for long; I’ll be back down to the Arroyo among other spots I missed, this time during PRIMETIME of the season for fly fishing the Lower Laguna Madre region of the Texas Gulf Coast.
The Zone 3 episode runs from near the mouth of the Arroyo back into town, and as I said before, those “zone” lines are blurry in my vision of things. In fact, I reach again for the sweet spot I showed you in another video – before heading back downriver toward the Laguna Madre and the salt that mixes with sweet.
Along the way, I point out our old house on the Arroyo, we pass Dos Rios, and you can see one of the fishing piers in Adolph Thomae park as we pass by.
I am especially glad I was able to get a drone shot from the boat launch looking back up the River and sweep around for a 360-degree shot that gives you a sense of where things are, and where we (you and I) were for this video.
If you are after a lot of information? You are in the right place. If you are after a lot of fish porn? What can I say? INSERT EXCUSES HERE: I guess I could say it was April and the season had not yet picked up to the pace I see it at now – as I release this video in June 2023. The fishing down at the Southern Tip of Texas is literally OFF THE HOOK this year! I am not sure why, but I have a pretty good idea why*, the size and quantity of gator trout I am seeing on social media in 2023 – is incredible.
While I am catching a little bit of heat for one of my previous Fish Camp South videos, and what they “reveal,” I will just say; I am no expert! Heck, I barely know as much as I did when I left the Borderlands 43-years ago. But I hope you will take that with a grain of salt, and see if there is something you learn as I learn too. And if you have something to teach us? We’re all eyes and ears here!
My hope is, these kinds of videos should serve to plant some seeds. It’s up to you to go and water them, let me know how wrong or right I am … I love hearing these things! As for the few vocal locals who don’t want to share the love? My first question has always been, “Why?” These are tidbits that are easy enough for anyone to find and track, and maybe you invented these spots and this information? But if not, how did you get to this knowledge?
While I don’t think I am blasting any loudspeaker announcements (ever), this video is especially open to more details … which I plan to bring in the future. What is interesting to me is that the locals put more pressure on the habitat, day-in-day-out, than any momentary visitors to the Borderlands ever will.
And, add in these guys who burn the flats, on 300-hp barges – all over the Lower Laguna Madre – with zero concern for safety or the disturbance/pressure they put on the fish? Those guys are the ones who need to be called out – by locals – every single time.
Did you know Florida guides are starting to refuse to guide people who are locals? That’s right! One of the first questions some Florida guides are asking is, “Where are you from?” And if they are local? A guide won’t even book them … seems pretty smart to me. How about you?
ADOLPH THOMAE, Jr. PARK
In the Zone 3 video, I mention the great park on the Arroyo, the Adolph Thomae, Jr., Park just outside Arroyo City. This is a great park. Well kept facilities (restrooms, fish cleaning stations, etc …), and good ramps and lighted fishing piers for fishing at night – and they usually have room at night on weekdays. That short video on the park is coming soon, and I will add the link to it when it drops. If you have a trailer, or want to camp, you might consider staying here, but it does GET HOT in summer, and there is plenty of wildlife that doesn’t necessarily play well with humans. Adolph Thomae Park is a Cameron County Park, and entry fees are different.
*My idea for why the trout fishing and fly fishing has been so great? I think it is because of the new limits and slots imposed on the Texas Gulf Coast. Think about it, and feel free to debate amongst yourselves … and get back to me on that one!
Category: Adventure, Backcasting, Conventional Spinning Rod Reel Fishing, Destination Fly Fishing, Equipment, Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing for Trout, Fly Reel, Lower Laguna Madre, On The Water, Prospecting Conventional Gear, Saltwater Fly Fishing Texas, Spinning Rods Reels, TECHNICAL, Technique, Texas Gulf Coast
