Texas FlyFishers of Houston Event:  Nueces River outing
When:    21st February 2018
Where:      George West, TX

Here is how it went:

6 of us (Mike Q., Ken K. Kelly H. John P., Don H, and Puck)met at 8:00 AM Wednesday at the boat ramp, had coffee and breakfast, before getting on the water well before 0900, and after one last radio check.

5 kayaks and one pontoon boat powered by a 40lb trolling motor made up our flotilla.

Air temp was about 70°F at launch time.  It had rained 2+ inches around midnight and the river was already high and off color with only about 6″ of visibility.  It was still drizzling when we launched and continued to drizzle and rain all day.

We made our way upstream easily for the first 2 hours before the battery in Don H’s pontoon boat starting losing power.  He continued to fish as we promised to tow him in when we came back downstream.  5 kayaks made it past 3 miles bere noon without getting to the “rapids” where the fish were supposedly holed up.

Catching was slow, but all parties caught fish.  9 white bass,  catfish, and one shad, came to hand on flies.  There was no one pattern, or presentation, that worked better than others.

At 1230 the kayaks started back.  At 1300 the cold front came in and the temperature dropped 20° in less than 5 minutes.  The wind had also shifted, giving us a nice steady breeze at our backs, making the journey back much easier than we had expected.

We kept looking for Don’s pontoon boat as we made our way downstream, only to have home already there at the boat ramp.  He had gotten a tow in from some helpful anglers.  And of course they continued to fish as they towed home to the boat ramp.  Not one to miss on opportunity, Don also practiced his casting and hook setting skills.

Directions to the launch site