Water Wednesday “It Always Rains”

texas fly fishing oklahoma

I had a business portrait to do Monday, and the new customer wanted to do it at their home. On my arrival, they showed me in through the garage. All along the back wall were bass trophy plaques and framed news clippings about bass tournaments. You know I regularly bring photography into fishing, but this time fishing conversation found its way into the daily photography life.

The slightly older woman who I would be photographing was a team competitor with her husband in the bass world. Imagine that. As we talked about and around fishing, he wanting to learn to cast, and so forth, she brought one thing in focus that I have been mulling over for awhile. Our conversation turned to the drought.

“I’m old enough to have lived through the ’50’s. One thing my Daddy said was; It always rains,” she said. “It’s gonna’ rain,” she said in an encouraging tone. “But when? We’re two years into this thing, and it could be two, three five years,” I replied. “It alway rains,” she got the last word on that.

And I think that’s what everyone who’s been here long enough, been alive long enough, believes. I’ve been in North Texas since 1980, except for a few years in California in the late ’80’s, and I certainly have seen surplus and and drought in that short timespan. There are a combination of things at work during this dry run.

First, there are more people in this part of Texas than ever before, so a drought has a larger effect on people. Second, I am of course more focused than ever before on water supplies because of my hard driving outdoor pursuits and a growing environmental interest.

If you’re young, and your environmental awareness is rising, or if it is tempered by having lived a few more years than myself, I think the balance of concern (as of this writing) is right about in the middle. For the older generation, yes “It’s gonna’ rain,” and for the younger of us, I say, “yeah, but when?”

SERENDIPITY

On another photo shoot this week, I came across a young man working at a business I was photographing – who spotted the flies on the dashboard and stickers on my truck. “So you fly fish?” he asked. I just love it when an “innocent bystander” opens that pressurized can of worms. As we talked, I realized this guy really has done some fishing. Tarpon on a worm hatch, twenty mile floats in Montana and a family home in New Mexico near the Cimarron. He walked in on Ray Roberts and caught a carp earlier this year, and (shameless plug) has read this site. I made sure I opened the line of communication and we went our own ways. What a nice surprise in Denton, Texas.

That said, I certainly appreciate those of you who read and take the time to say so. I also appreciate honest feedback on what you read and see here. If you love it or hate it, just say so. Ideas? I’m always looking for new ones.

REPORT: FLY FISHING ON TEXOMA FOR BLITZING STRIPERS

CK phoned in and said they had plenty of luck catching all the stripers they wanted in the 1-3 pound “dink” class on Texoma last Friday. If you remember, CK is into bigger pulls – See the Story on Jack Crevalle – and we’re both eyeballing that TPWD lake record pretty hard during the blitz season, so his consideration is to fish even deeper and get below the “dinks.” This has “GREAT STORY” written all over it, so if you take up this pursuit, please let me know (and ride along for photography and story purposes)!

REPORT: OKLAHOMA ABOUT TO TURN WET and GET HOT

If you are a weekender looking for some Oklahoma action, this is the time to pull the trigger. Bad weather generally means good fishing in Southern Oklahoma, and it looks like we will be getting some of that beginning late Friday. It doesn’t have to be sleet, snow or driving rain. It can just be that heavy grey cloud cover that gives the wiser trout the impetus to come out and play.

Weather used to dampen the crowds in Oklahoma, but every report I have received says that’s not the case anymore. It’s crowded during the week and in bad weather – know that before you go.

Category: Science and Environmental, Texas Water Conservation