I was excited to be going on a fly fishing float trip with the Texas FlyFishers Club (TFF) on the Llano River above Junction, TX. I spent a good bit of time on Tuesday and Wednesday, thinking through, gathering, organizing, and packing for the trip. Part of the fun of any fly fishing trip, for me, is preparing for the trip. I was so excited that I left early Thursday morning and arrived at the campsite around noon—several hours before anyone else arrived. So, I had set up my camp and was resting and soaking in the surrounding as others arrived. That afternoon, I headed down river to the CR 150 crossing to do some wade fishing. I was looking forward to just being in the water, experiencing the push of cool water on my legs, breathing in the fresh air, observing nature, and maybe even catching a few fish. After all, “down at the core of every fisherman’s heart is the belief that on any day something wonderful and unlikely could be made to happen. And that if you’re careful and patient it could happen to you.” (John Gierach) I had a good inaugural outing and caught 15-20 sunfish in a few hours of fishing. I felt my mind clearing, a peace in my soul, and I had a lighter step walking back to camp.

There were 14 of us from the TFF, some with rafts and some with kayaks. It was my first time to join the club on this annual trip in several years. It used to be held in June, but the heat got to be too much for me so I had to quit going. Then, it was moved to April which is much cooler. But I had to miss the last few years for various reasons. So, it felt good to be with the fly fishing gang again. We had community meals each evening—lots of good food and and story sharing. There was enough bragging to cover us all in a thick layer of BS.

Tom Strawther and I had decided to tent camp on the bank, right above the river. We could hear the river gently flowing behind and below us. Several others joined us. A couple of guys had a really nice Airstream camper. Most of the group stayed in cabins.The nights were cool enough (around 70) and dry enough to get a good night’s rest in our tents. It was soul-cleansing to get up in the morning, enjoy a cup of coffee, listen to the sound of water, watch the sun rise, and anticipate a day on the water.

Friday was to be our first of two float days. Tom and I had a challenging day. Tom had brought his newly re-configured (including new tubes) two-person raft for us to use. As soon as we went down the first shallow run (I had to get out and drag us through the top of it) we realized it was going to be a long day. To make a long story short, the frame was not situated well on the tubes for weight balance and the noses of the raft tubes were digging into the water. Thus, the oaring was tough and shallow runs were almost impossible to float through. There was a lot of me dragging the raft and Tom fighting with the oars to get us through the shallow runs. Mid-float we were able to slightly adjust the frame and put more air in the tubes—that helped a little. Let’s just say, we were both exhausted at the end of the float. Nevertheless, we enjoyed being on the river and the fellowship. The water was slightly cloudy and the flow was up a little, following the rains the prior weekend. As we floated along, I recognized bends, pools, runs, and rock formations from prior year’s floats—it felt like greeting old friends. Quite a few fish were caught between the runs. Lessons were learned! It’s back to the drawing board for Tom on how to re-configure the raft for a more balanced ride.

“There is a great deal about living that rivers can teach us. They teach us how to bend and flow over, under, and around obstacles. Rivers know that the form and function that they embody today might not be the same tomorrow. Rivers understand that change is as inevitable as it is magical. They adapt and re-create themselves in such a manner that no matter the circumstances encountered, they remain true to their original nature – they continue to flow.” (Steve Ramirez, Casting Homeward)

Saturday we decided not to take out the raft and instead do some wade fishing. I fished up river, above and below the “first crossing.” Tom fished above the CR 150 bridge. I noted the water seemed just a little clearer and slightly lower than the prior day—a reminder that we made a good decision to not take out the raft. I was very successful with an olive green Rio Getter on a hopper/dropper rig, until I lost it. As I didn’t have any more Rio Getters, I switched to a BBB and continued to do well, landing around 40 fish.

Sunday was a pack up and drive home day. There was a heavy dew that night, so we took our time as we waited for the sun to dry everything. I drove home with a deep sense of gratitude to God that I am still able to get out in Nature and have these adventures. I reflected upon the fact that I was the oldest one in our group. That’s becoming a theme of many of my fishing trips. It seems to come with living with more years. Ha! Ha! I am blessed.

“At its heart, fly fishing offers an intimate connection to the natural world. That’s a blessing for anyone who believes that modern society suffers from too much chaos and too much stress. Standing knee deep in a gorgeous river is both a respite from the turmoil of modern life and a balm for the soul. Trout live in beautiful places and fly fishing offers an opportunity to explore that beauty on a more substantive level. In a very real sense, fly fishing is an immersion — a baptism — into nature. Then there’s fly casting, which, as fly fishing guru John Juracek once noted, is ‘a pursuit both graceful and elegant.’ Good fly casting combines the fluidity of Tai Chi with the poetry of a bird in flight, while skilled casters have been known to slip into a moving meditation. (Todd Tanner, The Hatch Magazine)