Spring in Our Step

hickory creek hybrids state fly fishing records

I woke up this morning, sat up, and the sun was in my eye. Now at first glance, you may say, “Big freakin’ deal”, but if you are tuned into where the sun dips to in the winter, and its trek back to northern latitudes, it is a big deal. To me, the shortest day of the year is reason to celebrate – from that point forward, days get longer and eventually warmer.

Needless to say, many of us try to force the issue in the waning days of North Texas winter, force fishing action that isn’t there, and worry about the drought that is. Salt is still a potential salve for all of our winter ego wounds, but the distance to salty salvation is always a problem. Those with more means, and less worry about ways, make their way to the only game on during the doldrums – salt, and they post their boasts on the boards for all to covet and curse.

The drought woes promise to alter what was a very exciting spring exercise last year – chasing Hybrids (or Wipers if you like) in the shallow creeks near Lewisville Lake, near Denton, Texas. I was doing some satellite spying on one creek and its connection to Lewisville Lake this past week, and found what looked like a sure spot for fish to get blocked up if the waters do not rise. Ground research revealed what appears to be a new bridge or road that completely obliterates simple access to the location and could have actually changed the water in that spot. All this research goes forward in an effort to make sure those who got in on this action last year, get a taste again this spring. It is a short sweet run, and the action is as ferocious as anything you can find anywhere inland.

Today’s long walk to the mouth of that creek revealed a construction dam and what looks like a low bridge going in to the south shore of the Lake. I made a few casts up in the curves of the creek where the wind was not a factor just to see if there are any early visitors. There was no action, but it is blatantly a gauntlet. It is lined every few feet with branches strategically broken and stuck into the ground their perfectly natural V’s to hold poles in anticipation of another beer.

Yesterday, I was looking at a bunch of images from last year, and discovered a couple of things quickly – my pocket camera images were everywhere, and there were a lot of images from last year! It is public knowledge that I will be documenting a records quest by a couple of anglers this year, and that is mostly due to the fact that a) there are bushels of records that aren’t being filled out b) not only did JH have a tippet class IGFA record last year – another guy had a Texas State Record for Catch and Release – Largemouth Bass (24 inches), never registered and broadcast here with little fanfare. That image is below, and if you have an opinion on records chases, feel free to chime in – or forever hold your peace. In the Tao of fishing, the fine line of respecting the fish, being the fish and sharing the fish’s grandness, can suffer a few wind knots when records get involved. Just because nobody knows, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Maybe it is simply that these record hounds take the time to actually fill out the records, and jump through the hoops. Be assured, if records to come, you will read about them nowhere else but right her at Texas Fly Caster.

Tags: seasons

Category: Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing for Largemouth Bass, Life Observed, North Texas, Writing