I had another three great days on the Guadalupe River with good friend Steve Edwards.  Well, I should say we had two and a half good days. We drove over on Tuesday morning and had some good fishing that day with overcast skies. In the morning, I netted five fish. But I lost five on the way in and missed several others. I was a little frustrated trying to figure out why I was losing so many. After later visiting Action Angler Flyshop, examining their flies, I concluded  that I had tied my squirmy wormy flies on hooks with too small of a hook gap. So it is time to get back to the vise.

So, Wednesday morning was looking bad weather wise—thus the bad half day.  Because of the weather prediction we had decided to stay in a motel rather than our tents for this trip.  We just didn’t want to deal with all the mess from camping in a heavy rain. As it turned out, that was a good decision. Because of rain, we got a late start Wednesday morning. About the time we got all geared up, the bottom dropped out of the sky. It poured. As we had not yet entered the water, we were able to get under a shelter and wait it out—probably an hour or so before all the “waves” of storms passed by. Then it was off to the water.  

After lunch the skies stared cleared and we had a beautiful afternoon. The evening sky was radiant with color. Just a gorgeous afternoon to be on the water.  And….we caught fish!

Thursday morning was a cool, brisk morning. We caught some fish early. But as the sun rose over the hillside and came bearing down, the fish seemed to just shut down. 

Once again, it was wonderful to be in the water, breathing in good Texas Hill Country air, soaking in the beauty of the world, and engaging in conversation with a friend.

“For those seconds or minutes after a hook-up, when pure dancing electricity is coursing from the fish, through your line, and into your hand, the clock doesn’t stop so much as cease to exist. It is time outside of time. Perfect time….For even if the fish is unspectacular – just a dink – you’ve still tapped into something beautiful and natural and wild.”

—Math Labash

“Fly fishing is a philosophical pursuit. It is more an approach to life than sport. You find yourself alone on a creek. You get to thinking the river is like life, moving always and without pause to that one final destination.”

  — Richard Donnelly

Paul E. Robertson
Ph.D., M.Div., ACPE Certified Educator
“Retired from work, but not from life.”