MONTHLY MEETINGS: 700-900pm (social hr from 6-7), Last Tues of the month. The Pit Room; CONTACT US via email: texasflyfishers@gmail.com WHY JOIN: Dedicated to the promotion of fly fishing education, conservation, and outdoors ethics. Detailed benefits below.
Last week, I had the privilege of spending 4 nights and 3 days in the Minnesota Driftless Region attending a faith-based fly-fishing retreat conducted by ALTAR Fly Fishing in cooperation with Fly Fishers at the Crossing. ALTAR is a non-profit that conducts multiple fly-fishing retreats each year all across the United States. Their focus is the mental, physical, and spiritual renewal for individuals, clergy, and business leaders through Bible study and fly fishing. Fly Fishers at the Crossing (FATC) is a large, faith-based fly-fishing club headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been to several ALTAR retreats and have been a member of FATC for a little less than 2 years. A finer bunch of Christian fly fishers could not have been found!
Our friend and guide, Jud Cole with Rio Anglers, is sponsoring a new event for Saturday, June 14th, 7am-12noon, at the Rio Guadalupe Resort. Sounds like a great function, lots of fun, and plenty of information. The attached brochure gives all the info that you need to know to sign up and compete.
Early in January, as I looked ahead at the weather patterns, as well as my social and medical calendars (both of which seem to be full these days), it looked like a few possible days to get away to the Guadalupe River would be January 15-18. I reached out to a few of my fly fishing buddies to see who was interested and able to go. Tom Strawther indicated he could make it for the first three days.
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.
The weather is getting much colder, and the bass fishing on the Guadalupe River…and just about everywhere else in the Hill Country… will turn off after a couple of freezes. Fortunately, the Trout Season has opened up with GRTU already completing the first of 4 Guadalupe River stockings. So far, they have stocked from Horse Shoe Bend Lodge downriver to L&L Campgrounds. The initial stocking of the remainder GRTU Lease Access Points should be completed in the near future.
If you want to try out the trout fishing, I personally suggest the following guide services. Both Jud Cole and Ryan Schaper will deliver you a great float.
Yesterday, Steve Edwards and I fished the San Marcos River with Ryan Schaper (p. Shopper) owner of Go Outside Expeditions. We fished from the weir dam at Staples down to the bridge over Tollway 130, with this float of about 7 hours being completely new water to both of us. The river level was way under normal elevations and flow rates, but the water clarity was rather good. The weather at 8AM was shirt sleeve cool and became progressively warmer during the afternoon. Wind was moderate most of the day but enough to keep everybody fairly comfortable.
The bite was steady all day long with 60+ fish brought to the boat. Most fish were Guadalupe Bass along with a mixture of large mouth bass and sun perch. Several Guadalupe’s were 1-2 lbs with one fish being approximately 2.5 lbs. Guadalupe’s are known for being aggressive fighters, and every one caught proved up to their reputation. It was a little strange, but bright colored, small poppers (Boogle Bugs and Pultz Little Fatty) were the flies of the day. When we hit a slow spot, we changed out to various streamers but always went back to the poppers. Steve used a Sage 5wt, and I fished an Orvis 4wt all day. Both rods fit well with the fishing.
It was just a marvelous day of fishing and floating new water on the San Marcos. This area is Ryan Schaper’s home water, and his knowledge of the river was tremendous. We also admired Ryan’s coolness when we had to all get out of the raft and hump it over a strainer log in the river near the bank. A very, very large cottonmouth had taken up residence under the log and decided not to move away from home. She reared her big head and eyeballed us the whole time from less than 3 ft away but did not get aggressive and allowed us to quickly exit the area. It surely got our adrenaline flowing!
I encourage you to book with Ryan if you want to fish with a guide on any of the Hill Country rivers. His contact info is:
The mission of Reel Recovery is to help men cope with the impact of cancer by introducing them to the healing powers of the sport of fly-fishing, while providing a safe, supportive environment to explore their personal experiences of cancer with others who share their stories.
What a fun time with TFF members! Ten of us made the outing to Spivey Crossing RV Park on the Brazos River near Aquilla, Texas, this past weekend. Jerry Hamon was the host along with his friend and neighbor “John”. That made twelve folks in all who camped, fished, ate good food, and swapped stories …..along with some lies around the camp fire each night. 😊
It was a pure pleasure to see several of our “younger” members show up and to enjoy this event with us older guys. I hope this trend continues so that our club can grow and prosper. If you missed this trip, then you missed a great outing.
Weather:
The weather was great for this outing with warm, sunny days and nights in the mid 60’s. Nobody got overheated during the fishing day and all slept cool during the nights. There were neither mosquitos nor biting flies which made things even better!
Camping:
The RV Park and camping area was in an old growth tree bottom with plenty of shade and grass underneath the feet. We used 2 expanded RV spaces to camp that were adjacent to Jerry’s RV with water and electricity available. This reminded me of a Boy Scout encampment with all the tents set up. Wildlife was in abundance with coyotes, deer, and furry ground critters. We also had some Hereford cattle that shared space with us. They were quite gentle and just part of the landscape.
Food was provided by the members each night, and we didn’t go hungry. Plenty of good food to go around, and everybody helped out with the cooking and serving. There were no slackers on this trip.
Fishing:
We had access to about 1.5 miles of the Brazos River. The water craft access point was fortunately up river at “John’s” private residence where we could easily launch our boats and safely park our vehicles. We usually paddled upstream during the light flows in the morning and then drifted back down to the takeout. Evenings was wade fishing below the RV park where the water was shallow with many riffles. The fish count was well over 300 fish with nobody being skunked. Small bass and panfish were the usual targets. No large fish came to hand on this trip. The only real downer to the whole trip was that the river algae was in bloom and came up around noon through the evening. We still caught fish, but it was a little tedious to keep your fly and line clean.
The End:
Puck will be adding another post on this trip with many video links and several topics that we discussed.
A very special thanks to Jerry Hamon for being our host and sharing his many stories with us. Jerry is also having surgery this week and please remember him in your thoughts and prayers.
*Weather forecast is still sunny with highs in the low 90’s and night time lows in the mid 60’s. Light winds.
*Puck’s Excel spreadsheet for meals and supplies is still needing some items. (Refer to his email that went out to the participating members.
*You can come tomorrow the 3rd if you choose. Tent sites have been arranged.
See you there. Safe travels and tight lines.
Tom
The Brazos River Outing with Jerry Hamon is fast approaching, and this post is to provide detailed trip information. We are also sharing some good news that Jerry’s surgery has been postponed, and he will be more involved in the event.
Date: Thursday Oct 3 through Sunday Oct 6. The dates are extended as some of our members have indicated that they will be going over a day early on Thursday, the 3rd. There is no problem with this plan as the camping spots are available, and Jerry and I will be there on Thursday, also.
Registration closed on September 21st. The following 12 members are registered;
Tom Strawther, Puck, Steve Edwards, Paul Robertson, Larry McCarver, Antonio Torrealba, Grant Farrelly, Robert Cowan, Joshua Hare, Howard Finley, Benjamin Smith, and Scott Fossum.
Jerry Hamon is a TFF member and will be the Host. He indicates that he will be bringing a fishing buddy to help with the outing.
Cost: There are no event costs to the TFF members. You will need to pay for your tent spot in either cash, check, Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. I will collect the money, and Jerry and I will pay the RV Park owner directly.
**Jerry is a licensed professional guide and works closely with Patriot Anglers, a veteran support group. TFF will be compensating him for his time, but any voluntary donations from the attendees would also be appreciated.
Location and Directions: Spivey Crossing RV Park, 151 FM-1304, Aquilla, Texas 76622.
This is northwest of Waco and on the banks of the Brazos River. GPS will get you to 151 FM-1304. At that location you will see 2 gates side by side. The gate on the left is marked “151”. Go through this gate and follow the dirt road until you come to another gate with a “STOP” sign posted. Continue through this gate and follow the road until you see the RV park on the right. Headquarters will be at Jerry’s RV location and should be evident to everybody.
!!!! The FM-151 gate should be open, but the second gate should be closed behind you upon entry. Make sure the second gate is left closed as cattle run in that pasture.
This location is also a TPWD Lease Access Point. If my directions are a little vague, you can go to the link below for waypoints and further directions.
Weather: Current forecast has sunny days, highs in the low 90’s, and lows in the mid 60’s. Sounds like perfect camping weather.
River Conditions: Jerry reports that the water quality is great, and the flows are moderate. The TPWD link has up to date water flows, currently at 67.8 ft/3s. That is more than adequate to get up and down the river.
***Howard Finley and Robert Cowan just recently fished the Brazos on a float trip and added this comment with good info to the last newsletter update….
Scouting Report Robert Cowan and I made a trip along this section of water with guide Shane Davies of River Run Guide Service 17-19 September. Here are my observations and opinions. • Turn-off to camping site coordinates: 31.796528, -97.299428. Look for sign: McCready • Water better suited for paddle kayak than pedal • Topwater flies floating line better than bottom flies due to algae • Weedless conventional using 5” Yum dingers rigged 1/0 hook will catch a lot of LMB • I’m looking into flyfishing with short plastics 9’ 6 wt • Message me if you have questions
Headquarters: Jerry’s RV spot will be headquarters. He has a fire pit, grill, and tables. Bring your own chairs!
Lodging: This is a private venue with RV and tent spots with either electricity and water or tent spots without electricity. All of you have already requested your preference in tent spots so that will be honored. The park is tree shaded.
Spivey Crossing RV Park
Food and Beverage: You are responsible for your own breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Evening meals will be a group activity onsite with Puck organizing the details. He has already sent out a spreadsheet so that you can indicate your contribution to the food fest.
*TFF will provide water bottles and some ice. You should also bring your own water, ice, and personal beverages.
Facilities: There is only a pit toilet on site and no shower facilities. The toilet has been recently reworked and should suffice. Hint…bring your own toilet paper!
Fishing: This will be primarily an opportunity to wade fish for the numerous species of game fish in the Brazos River. 5wt to 8wt rods recommended. Floating lines and the usual assortment of fresh water poppers and streamers are needed. (Carp are also in abundance in this river and tend to be large.)
There is a takeout 2.2 miles downriver if you prefer to float the distance downstream. We can figure out shuttling when we get there.
Equipment Suggested: Kayak, canoe, or oar-powered inflatables. These craft are mainly used to get up and down the river to access deeper holes and wading opportunities.
Safety Items: Bring your PFD if you will be using a water craft. Also remember all the stuff that you will need for warm/sunny days, and cool nights.
Additional Info:
Jerry is an accomplished fly tier and will be tying some of his favorite flies for this part of the Brazos River. If you want to join in with him, then bring your own vise and basic supplies. He has material to share.
We have 12 members signed up for this outing so far. Registration is limited to 15 people and closes on September 21. Everybody has indicated that they will tent camp at the Spivey Crossing RV Park. We will began keeping an eye on the weather and night temps and advise if circumstances change. Puck will be organizing the shared meals and will reach out in the next few days.
**Of special note…..Host Jerry Hamon is undergoing surgery next week, but he is hopeful that he can still attend the outing as planned. I assured him that he would have plenty of help on hand.
More info coming soon in another update.
September 3 update:
RV and Campsite pricing is attached below. Reminder to advise trip leader, Tom Strawther, of what you will need. Jerry will make the reservations and monies will be collected at the outing.
Spivey Crossing RV Park
September 1 update:
Host and Guide Jerry Hamon has kindly provided a list containing the preferred fly selection as well as the fish species that we can expect to encounter. If we can’t catch fish…..it will be our fault!
Kreelix Clousers Cap Spiders Stealth Bomber Double Barrel poppers Wooly Buggers Carpit Bombs Foam Spiders Damsel Flies in blue and red Almost every topwater works great Briminators
Any others that will catch 🔽🔽🔽🔽🔽
SPECIES
LMB SMB White Bass Hybrids Stripers About 7 varieties of sunfish Carp Smallmouth Buffalo Longnose and spotted gar Freshwater Drum – Gaspergoo An occasional crappie
Jerry Hamon Team Lead Patriot Anglers EFRT (214)457-3407
**This is a preliminary overview of the upcoming weekend fishing event hosted by Patriot Angler Guide Jerry Hamon for the Brazos River on October 4-6. Please review the information and leave a comment if you have either an interest or a solid intention of attending. The Official registration and a full description for the event will be in a 2-week window of opportunity beginning September 1 and closing around September 14. The early registration is needed to confirm the number of attendees and the number of RV sites and tent camping spots that will need to be reserved.
Date: Friday, October 4th through Sunday, October 6th.
Location: Spivey Crossing RV Park, 151 FM-1304, Aquilla, Texas 76622.
Lodging: This is a private venue with RV and tent spots with electricity and water. This isn’t an over night float trip. We will launch and finish each day at the RV park. Jerry will be on hand to lead the expedition and provide guidance.
River Access: River access is located onsite and is a TPWD Lease Access Point.
Fishing: This will be primarily an opportunity to wade fish for the numerous species of game fish in the Brazos River. 5wt to 8wt rods recommended. Floating lines and the usual assortment of fresh water poppers and streamers are needed. (Carp are also in abundance in this river and tend to be large.)
Equipment Suggested: Kayak, canoe, or oar-powered inflatables. These craft are mainly used to get up and down the river to access deeper holes and wading opportunities.
