Three of us made it to the campsite and fishing ground.

Friday the wind was gusting up to 30 mph, making the attempt at fishing futile. 30 minutes of paddling against the wind, Ken and I gave up and packed the kayaks onto the trailers and went back to camp.

Ken, Robert and I , Sitting around the campfire, waiting for the lasagna to finish cooking, we went over our plans for Saturday. Fish the generation canal in the morning, and if it wasn’t hot and heavy, move over to coldwater.

Saturday morning we were able to get on the water about 30 minutes after sunrise, and immediately worked our way up to the rocks. Very little wind, and the current was only 260CFS. On small Kentucky came to hand, so we went downstream a mile, fishing as we went. Some of the log jams yielded bites, and a couple of fish, but nothing earthshattering.

Ken had a hard stop of noon, so we made our way back to the “improved” boat launch. It is easier to back the trailer down and load kayaks than it is to drag them up that rocky hill with a kayak cart.

Robert and I went over to coldwater, and it was a much easier launch. But honestly, the fishing was not much better.

Total landed, 8 white bass, 6 Kentucky, and 4 sunfish. Not the best catch ration, but the weather was perfect, and the kayaking was easy. At camp the cabins were clean, comfortable, affordable, and complete.

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Sabine River, Generation Canal, 29-31st October 2021

Our next in person meeting of the Texas Fly Fishers is Tuesday October 26 @ 7:00 pm. Doors are open ~6:30 pm for fellowship and swapping fish stories.

This month we are glad to welcome Taylor Guest our Saltwater Outings Chair. Taylor’s will focus on skinny water redfish on the upper coast. The upper coast, specifically Port Author to Freeport, is not traditionally considered a premier destination for fly fishing for skinny water reds. This is largely due to the soft mud substrate making it difficult to effectively pole a skiff. If you’re up to the challenge and know where to go, sight casting for swampy reds can be some of the most exciting and rewarding redfishing available. If you’re willing to explore this style of fishing, you’ll find yourself alone in the marsh, something we all seek in the ever growing sport of fishing. 

Taylor will focus on techniques for targeting skinny water reds along the upper Texas coast. Topics will include pre-fishing (desktop) intel, effective gear, and most importantly, on the water tactics to find, pursue, and land a swamp red on fly.

There is no charge for admission and all are welcome at the meeting. This will be an interactive discussion and Taylor and others are happy to share their experiences. You will not want to miss this presentation.

So, if you are interested in learning more about the fly fishing the upper coast for redfish, watching some fly tying before the meeting, or are just interested in socializing (and telling some whopper fishing stories) with a friendly group of fly fishing men and women come to our October 26 meeting monthly meeting.  We would be glad to have you and look forward to seeing you at the meeting. 

Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 

Time: Meeting Time 7-9 pm (socializing and fly tying starting ~6:30 pm)

Place: Mendenhall Community Center  

1414 Wirt Road

Houston, Texas 77055

Mid November is just around the corner and the perfect time for your holiday shopping. This charitable auction makes it easy on you to give the perfect gift and support the club too. Please be generous in your bidding as this is the only source of funds for the club.

The On-Line Auction runs from November 6-14^th

Our Hosting Site is Eventgroove, follow the link to preview items

https://texasflyfishersofhouston.eventgroovefundraising.com/712260

Items will be added until the start date, so check frequently…

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Reel Recovery held a retreat for 11 men at Camp Allen near Navasota, Texas on October 15-17. Camp Allen has a conference center set on a 50+ acre lake. Over the course of the weekend, the men engage in Courageous Conversations about living with their cancer and they fly fish. Many have never fly fished before and they receive personal instruction and guiding from a Fishing Buddy. The weather cooled off and was beautiful for the weekend. The fishing was great and the catching was good. The men participating left with new friends and new skills.

A number of club members put on the retreat including, Tom Strawther, Drew Cox, Paul Robertson, Steve Tomlinson, Paul Acksyn, and Steve Edwards. We all left feeling blessed for the experience.

The next Texas retreats will be in spring 2022. Reel Recovery is always looking for participants. The retreats are free to the participants. We are also looking for volunteers to help put on the retreats especially for Fishing Buddys. If interested, please let any of us know and we will be glad to help.

Reel Recovery is an organization that provides fly fishing retreats for men living with cancer. In a normal year, Texas hosts six retreats, three in the spring and three in the fall. Due to the Covid pandemic, all retreats in 2020 and spring 2021 were canceled.

With the addition of Covid protection protocols, Reel Recovery held its first retreat in Texas in more than 18 months at Camp Capers in Waring, Texas September 17-19. Typically, retreats host 10 to 15 men. Because of a variety of factors including last minute cases of Covid, we hosted 7 men. Camp Capers is on the Guadalupe River west of Borne near Comfort, Texas. The weather cooperated, the Guadalupe River fished well and the men had a rewarding weekend. Camaraderie develops between the men because of their shared experiences with cancer and fly fishing.

Several club members participated in putting on the retreat. These retreats are just as rewarding for those of us working at the retreat as the actual participants.

All Water Guides is sponsoring a clean up of the lower Colorado River on November 13. For those who have fished the Colorado below Austin, it is beautiful and a great fishery. The details for the clean up and how to volunteer are here.

On Saturday, November 20, 2021 the club will be holding a class to teach a casting technique known as the “double haul”.  The “double haul” is a technique many equate with distance casting; however, it has several other benefits which are applicable to fly casting and fly fishing in both salt and freshwater environments. This class would be appropriate for those who know nothing or little about the double haul and for those who are interested in reviewing the fundamentals of the technique.

There will be no charge to Texas Fly Fishers members for this class.

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