Paul Robertson

After a week of cold and rainy weather, Tom Strawther and I were ready to get out on the water.   As part of our work with Reel Recovery we are connected with the Aggie Land Fly Fishing club. Their members work with us in providing retreats for men with cancer at Camp Allen in Navasota. So, when we heard they were planning an outing for Saturday, January 11, we were all in. 

We left our homes in time to meet up at Buc-EE’s in Waller and then with the club members for lunch at Yankee’s Tavern and Grill in Anderson. To our surprise about 22 folks showed up—a good turn out.

After lunch we headed to a private pond. The weather was great. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 50s. There was some wind, but nothing that couldn’t be managed. The water was a little cloudy, but not too bad.

When we got there we gathered for instructions from Alan King, the outing leader. We learned that the part of the purpose of the outing related to pond management. We were instructed that any bass less than 17” was to be harvested or left for the raccoons. We were even given a measuring tape to use! Sunfish larger than your hand were also to be harvested.  I was curious about harvesting the larger sunfish, so I asked about that. We were informed that the bass were able to eat the smaller sunfish easier and the goal was to grow larger bass.

That information tells you about the quality of fish in the lake. I don’t know that anyone counted, but a lot of fish were caught. I saw quite a few nice bass (I saw a couple in the 5 lb range) caught and returned to the water.  In addition, some larger sunfish and smaller bass were harvested. Quite honestly, it was little hard to throw fish on the ground when you are a “catch and release” fly fisher person. But there was a rationale for the guidelines.

A good way to end a week—fishing with a good friend and making new friends.

“The solution to any problem – work, love, money, whatever – is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.” 

            ~John Gierach