Tiny Waters: May 2012

Okay-here are some fish. Today's were all taken on a yellow Boone's frog, in a tough post-spawn period with rising water and thirty mph winds from the south. Some strikes were aggressive, others were half-hearted. No fish at all until about ten o'clock, which meant we had left some promising smallmouth waters in our rear view mirror.

Above is a view of Indian Creek, where the oldest human remains found in the US were discovered. Turns out they were Asian. We pulled in here for our lunch break, and were entertained by two juvenile spotted bass who cruised up and down nookin po nub. I had a pastrami sandwich from the Czech Stop-I would have taken a photo, but I wolfed it down too quickly. Delicious! Read about the Horn Shelter here: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/horn/

Water still a little murky from last night's release.

Two solid bass. Probably a spot and a largemouth.

A great trip, an easy drive, and a comfortable night in the Czech Inn in West, Texas. I found out that a lightweight jon boat is a more efficient way to traverse these shallow Texas Rivers, more suited to my style. Much more comfortable for my creeky old back, easier to stand in, capable of carrying more gear, much better visibility than hunkered down in my kayak.

Trusty Boone's frog, none the worse for wear.

Much like the late lamented Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, my body and soul were thirsting for clear, free flowing, life sustaining rivers of life. After a brief visit with Mom in Fort Worth, I headed down I35 to the tiny town of West, Texas, best known for the always-busy Czech Stop Ser-Sta-Gro and bakery. The Czech Inn, a nice little motor hotel just off the highway, was my home for the night. Let me say I was impressed with the friendliness and comfort of that establishment. Nice pool, nice sauna, excellent exercise room, and the "Las Palmas Taqueria" right in parking lot. I was set. The next morning, I was up early to meet Chris Shafer for a float down the middle portion of the Brazos de Dios, from just north of 2114 almost to Waco. We met at the dam, and then trailered off to a secret hidey hole launch on down the river. A group of young adults-early twenties, maybe-had found the spot and had actually camped across the county road, blocking access to the river. Chris convinced them that moving might be a good idea, before the landowner came down for his daily property check. Good thing. So, on down the green Brazos. Fishing was pretty slow, slow enough that Chris invited me back for a rematch after things settle down a little. And, to make matters worse,I couldn't seem to drive a hook home to save my life. I missed at least half of my strikes, and lost the biggest fish of the day when it dove into the weeds and pulled off. Nevertheless, I caught more than enough to be satisfied. Chris is a thoroughly interesting man, having fished the BASS circuit "back in the day", has run his own lodge, has invented tackle and lures, and even hosted a tv show for a while. Smart, capable, observant, and thoughtful, he is truly a gifted guide. After another wonderful day on a new stretch of water-maybe my favorite yet, my thirst for flowing water is quenched. My spirit has been renewed by encountering the Brazos, just as thirsty Coronado's life was saved by providentially stumbling upon these very waters. Chris has invited me back for round two sometime in June. I'll take him up on that.

A few views of the beautiful old Whitney dam.

Every afternoon, lately-there has been a significant release. The lake is full going in to the summer for the first time since 2008.

A major expedition preparing to leave from the dam. Two one-man cats, a kayak, and a two man drift raft. They fought headwinds to thirty mph all day, then got caught up in a three foot rise. Hope they had a good time!