Three Daze Gone – Guide Time on Ray Roberts plus Tailwaters Birthday
Get a load of this cat. That’s Aaron with his cat catch, and I have caught cats on fly almost every outing lately.
It’s still foggy, at least in my head. Friday started with a full day guiding two on Lake Ray Roberts with kayaks, finished with guiding one all day yesterday, and sandwiched in the middle, Saturday, was the Tailwaters 5th. Birthday party in Uptown Downtown Dallas.
Using kayaks to spot hop is a good way to cover water.
Friday’s weather played a significant role in the time we had, as temperatures had dropped about ten to fifteen overnight, and the wind went strange as well. At least the east wind wasn’t carrying rain. It was substantially windy at first, but things did calm down, and by the time we relocated, the wind was not a factor. Rather than fishing from the kayaks, we used them to do some spot hopping which worked very well. Carp were less plentiful, but still where I expected to see them, but for all intents and purposes, the bass action was virtually nil (as predicted).
Turn that frown upside down Mr. Carp!
Sunday, with a huge heat up, was very productive, and carp were starting to “feel their oats” just a bit as we hit some flats that were (thankfully) left untouched by the hoards. Water is still in the grass at Ray Roberts and you can see lake levels any time by visiting the Army Corps of Engineers site. Murky water made things tough, along with the action being in the grass, but Ryan is a veteran fly fisher of the Deschutes, and his casting, presentation and reaction times were very good. We did some blind bassing, but for all intents and purposes the bass action has apparently spread far and wide with the added water area. The most problematic observation over the past couple of weeks is the maturity of hydrilla on Ray Roberts. The hydrilla is way ahead of schedule for this time of year as are the grasshoppers. I wonder just what plague is next out there?
Bent rods and nice carp were part of Sunday’s action on Lake Ray Roberts.
I will put together a full blown post on the Tailwaters party (because that is what it will take) to come out Wednesday, or thereabouts. The pace has definitely quickened, and there’s plenty to say about new vendors, and some surprising fly rods I got my hands on at Tailwaters – specifically the Hardy saltwater rods.
Category: Culture on the Skids, Eating and Drinking, Fishing Reports, Fly Shops, Guides, North Texas
