Fly Fishing the Flux – Rains Bring More Fly Fishing Opportunity
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The gutters are overflowing, and thunder and lightning fill the air early this morning. And until we move the regular Texas Fly Fishing Report to the new “Silver Fly Mobile Studio,” those reports are subject to “rain delays.”
If you’re in Texas, chances are you’re talking about the weather. That’s because for the first time in years we actually have spring rains. Check your lake levels if you’ve been in a coma this month.
All the rules have changed once again, and while I would refer you to the report where I talked about the new habitat difficulties faced on our local locations we roamed for carp, who the heck knows how this will all iron out in the long run? The reality is these massive rains are creating a new set of problems for those of us bound to our feet for fly fishing forays on these freshwater flats.
Where For Art Thou Water Salinity?
Moving away from the inland Texas freshwater fly fishing, toward the coast … this damn freshwater here has to go somewhere – and it is – straight to the Gulf of Mexico. I saw bayous and creeks south of Houston last weekend – ALL OF THEM OUT OF THEIR BANKS. And as of this morning’s report, the Statewide radar is showing more rain directly on the coast. If you already planned a saltwater trip in the next few weeks, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out. I don’t see how anyone could be optimistic, but then I am saying that from 300 miles inland.
Not only are the coastal bayous pouring into the Gulf, you have a situation where stretches like the Brazos below Lake Whitney is at 29-feet, a bonafide flood. It’s only a matter of days (at the current rate) until they open up Lake Ray Roberts, open up Lewisville, and set a torrent of water free to run the Trinity. They’ve held onto water for awhile at Ray Roberts, and the rains would have to keep the pace, but I’ve also seen preemptive releases in the past (preparing for more rain to come).
Higher up the chain, places like Lake Kiowa, Texas, a little private lake I fly fish, north of Ray Roberts, is over the floodway, and that hasn’t happened in years. The results? Depending on how high it goes over the floodway, imagine grass carp longer than your arm, carp, bass and more – floating down to find us on Ray Roberts.
This new water rapidly coming in certainly reduces clarity at lakes like Ray Roberts, and that’s good for we who pursue the golden bones. We will just have to see how long those particulates remain suspended before our exploding population of zebra mussels clean up the “mess.” I would estimate it will take a fraction of the time it once did for water on Ray Roberts to clear – because it’s already so clear and because of those little filter feeders.
TRY THIS IDEA
If you need an untested recommendation of where to have the best luck on the lake fly this weekend, here in the DFW area, I love the look of Lewisville Lake. Take the A Train from Carrollton to the stop at Highland Village, get off the train and walk north to the areas around the boathouses. It’s right off I35E, and taking the train will save you the insane $10-dollar parking fee at the boathouse parking lot (rip OFF). If you’re driving, take a look at the north side of that lake, and its parks, WEST OF I35E.
LOCAL PONDS – Offer Opportunities
Also, don’t forget that pond action can turn on in unusual ways during these rain events. I caught my largest catfish years ago, on North Lakes Pond nearby my house. They move up as the levels rise, feeling more confident and foraging for new food sources washing through. The added oxygen content helps activity in general, so look for the inflows and outflows as your starting points.
Our bottom line is that these rains create a lot of flux in conditions, and fish can still be caught in the flux. As these fish move around, we are more likely to see them in places we never thought we would, and if it looks like a fish, smells like a fish – CAST AT IT like it’s a fish!
Category: Adventure, Complimentary Reading, Culture on the Skids, Fishing Reports, North Texas, Saltwater Fly Fishing Texas, Texas Gulf Coast
