Fly Line
I’m tapped out on Fly Line. That’s today’s topic for the Everyday In May challenge and I’ve come up dry. And even in spite of writer’s block, (if you can call it that in place of insufficient creative writing skill) its still been fun. So an hour past the deadline I submit to you this post. In honest effort I’ll say it’s not easy to blog 30 days straight. However it has inspired me to get out there and do more. Because if I had- surely I’d have more to say. So what are you doing to grow your voice?
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Fly Line is a prompt from the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Fly Rod
Here is a remix to an old song from the John Wayne movie Rio Bravo.
My Fly Rod, Pickup, and Me
The sun is sinking in the west,
a hatch going on down the stream.
A Largemouth settles in its bed,
it’s time for an angler to dream.
Tight lines in the riffles,
that’s where I long to be.
With my three good companions,
my fly rod, pickup, and me.
Gonna hang one more leader,
on the limb of a tree.
Coming home Sweetheart-Darling,
just my fly rod, pickup, and me.
There’s a Smallie in the riffle,
outta reach of my cast you see.
Riding down to the pool now,
just my fly rod, pickup, and me.
No more fish to be netting,
no more hatches will I see.
Round the bend she’ll be waiting,
for my fly rod, pickup, and me;
For my fly rod, my pickup, and me.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Fly Rod is a prompt from the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Mother’s Day Misfire
Today’s installment of the Everyday in May challenge: Mother’s Day Misfire at Mansfield Dam.
Apologies first for this not being a touching Mother’s Day post. Did you check the name of the blog though? Mother’s day operations having been completed (like a good son) I found myself with half a day out on the water.
The night before I received the recommendation to hit Mansfield Dam at the top end of Lake Austin. For reference for those unfamiliar with Texas Hill Country lakes- we don’t have any. We take rivers, dam them on both ends and call it a lake. Lake Austin then is really just the Colorado River boxed in between two dams. (That’s dam being said 5 times so far those counting.)
What did not come with the recommendation to hit the dam was intel on the condition of the water. With recent rain all our rivers were pretty much blown out so I was looking for somewhere new. When I hit the water boy was it cold! I felt like an ice cube in my float tube. Additionally, there was a lot of weedy-algae-spounge-like under growth everywhere. When I made my first gripe report back to my “source”, he informed me he had never been there before and to nut up.
So I did. I bounced around in tube but with not much to show. With the weeds below my Flying Cat arsenal was out of the fight. A chartreuse popper had no effects but a cypret minnow finally got the skunk avoiding ping. Hey fingerling bass count but the Redear made me feel better.
With morale low I bumped down to Bull Creek at the lower end of the lake. So far the dam was a misfire, but that wasn’t the biggest one to come. Long story short I lost a decent sized bass. Still not the misfire… wait for it. I lose plenty of fish; bad hook sets, spitting the hook, I mean it happens. Never before have I lost the hook in a fight. That’s the first half of this misfire. The second half is when I saw the same bass cruise by later. How did I know it was him? Because he was holding my Flying Cat like a Joe Camel in his mouth. True story! Misfire!
The water was clear enough for me to see it plainly and painfully. Which, by the way, makes it a good hook set. There was no immediate action drill I could do to recover from this. I wanted to take a picture- but as good as the iPhone camera is (near all my blog photos are take with my iPhone), it just wouldn’t have happened. So in reflex and in vain I sight cast to him. Yeah, I think he was done for the day. And so was I. Keep marching to the sounds of the guns!
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Mother’s Day Misfire is a modified prompt of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Over Watch Lizard
Something completely different was the intended post topic for the Everyday in May challenge today. I may have missed the mark on the suggested intent- but I think I’m dead on in a literal sense. What’s more completely different than a lizard in over watch?
This little guy was observing my fly angling operations the other day on Red Bud Isle. There is a fair amount of concrete in the area near the base of the bridge with sparse random bushes and sapling trees. I don’t know what drew my attention to him other than my grunt sense of being watched. But not the spied on kind of watched. But like I have you back kind of being watched. Paratrooper over watch are the guys covering you while you move. You know- like in the movies. Well I felt he had my back and it was a good day fishing.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Over Watch Lizard is a modified prompt of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Tejas Waders
Waders? We don’t need no stinking waders.
Except for the span of about two weeks- that’s a true statement. I hear comments like leaky waders, and while I understand the premise, I just don’t get it. Waders are not really a requirement here in the lower southern states. Don’t get me wrong I actually own a pair- because I was visiting out-of-state for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, Sonic Pro waders were not on the market when I was in the market. I’m a gear junky and those are just cool. Moving on…
To be fair I’m actually going to do an honest write up on the topic. Cargo shorts are typically what I wear most. I have an old pair that I use for this because the nicer pairs I don’t want to ruin. So Pro grunt tip number one: Chose something expendable.
Swimming trunks may be better- but who likes built in under-roo’s? So rather than dealing with a wedgie I opt for the water absorbing cotton. Ideal? No, but does it have to be?
When the heat cranks up they work dual purpose redneck fashionable as well- both in and out of the water. Not some kind of neoprene shrink wrap “I’m a fly geek” statement. (No offense Matt.) But more of a functional and fashionable statement.
Lastly, pockets where you want them and you don’t have to worry about them leaking because you’re already wet. I say that’s a win all around. I will ask however you ignore my post yesterday about near hypothermia in May. Our weather can be crazy and like I said- I’m claiming a two week alibi on this. So I still have 13 days left.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Tejas Waders is a modified prompt of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
D-Day plus 26 (D+26)
Conservation shift fire! Shift fire! We’re shifting fire again from today’s Everyday in May topic prompt- standby for a Texas Hill Country Mixed Bag tourney battle tracking update.
Confirm or Deny was the name of the game today.
The weather forecast was 40% chance of rain.
-Deny. There was no chance of rain. It was guaranteed at 100%.
I was skunked on the Guadalupe River hunting trout, yet again.
-Confirm. No comment.
Shifting to the Blanco is a good plan b to avoid the skunk.
-Confirm. This worked a second time. Even in crummy conditions I still hooked up with good size fish. This river is quickly becoming my favorite. When you know what you know- it’s a good feeling. Confidence is always a game changer.
70 plus degree weather in Texas isn’t cold enough to make your hands go numb.
-Deny. I knew it was time to go and was keenly aware of hypothermia settling in when I started insistently laughing at the fact that fishing today was probably a dumb idea. Not ideal conditions to say the least.
You can troll flying cats and hook up with good sized fish.
-Confirm. This was the only method that caught me fish today. With a drop from recent temperatures, a rise in the water table from decent amounts of rain, and a dropping barometer meant the fishing techniques/tactics had to be switched up. I had no idea how to mitigate these conditions but I was determined.
At first I was trying to hit the banks to no avail. Then something odd thing happened. While transitioning from one spot to the next in my float tube I didn’t bother to strip in my line. Feeling lazy I threw a good cast out and let it drag as I flutter kicked away. But, that’s not what was odd. In route I felt a tug.
Its a good idea to get into a float tube the day after an Army Physical Fitness Test. You won’t be sore form head to toe from the day before.
-Deny. Everything hurt! The APFT isn’t that grueling- but when you give your best, as any good trooper will, you’re going to feel it the next day.
Crying in not authorized.
-Confirm. I’ll stop whining now.
After toolboxing around on the Blanco I hit my favorite pool. Tired of working the banks with no luck I decided to try trolling again. This worked! I lined up with the center of the river, cast out and kicked away. Repeatedly, I got hits on my fly. The best catch that up’ed my point standing was the Red Breast sunfish shown above.
Getting skunked on the Guad twice in a row indicated a big fail!
-Deny! I worked hard both times after having my fly reel handed back to me by the Guad. I am not done yet and will come back until I get it right. What it did do for me was make me push hard to figure something out- on both days in very different conditions. It made me exercise what I know and learn to rely on it. It was all about knowing what you know, and knowing what you don’t know. It was all about playing confirm or deny.
I can catch fish. I can win this contest.
-Confirm. I can. Win or lose I’ll do my best and I’m having fun doing it. What games do you play on the water? How do you push yourself when fishing?
Today’s topic of D-Day plus 26 (D+26) is a deviation of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
FishArt
Today I am stepping outside the Everyday in May topic prompt list to talk about FishArt. If fly fishing isn’t part art form and science combined, then I don’t know what is. I hate the term warrior poet so I won’t point to it here- but I did find some interesting information. I was researching the Outdoor Blogger Network (OBN) and going thru some FAQs. I ended up looking at the directory of outdoor blogs. Click fishing blogs and there is an interesting number- almost 50% more fly fishing blogs to just fishing blogs.
Why?
Because we think we are all warri, no I’m not saying it- we have a creative streak in us in addition to the outdoor drive. So we write about it, we draw the fish we catch and take pictures of them. I like this. I may not be any good at it- but it draws out something inside of me I almost once lost. As a kid there was nothing more I liked than to draw. In high school I was into photography. Somewhere along the road of life I let that go or thought I grew out of it. Maybe I thought it wasn’t any good or it wasn’t good enough. Now, I just don’t care. Now I pick up pen and paper, I shoot iPhone photos with iPad filters, and have this thing called a blog.
So with this Everyday in May challenge, I challenge you do do something creative and something expressive. Reach way back into your tool kit bag and find that piece of you that you may have hidden away. Then share it because I bet it’s something special.
Click the FlyArt/FishArt categories on the “In the Scope” in the side bar to see my work. Good or not I’m proud of it and had fun. Thanks.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of FishArt is a deviation of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Hatch
Purists- earmuffs! I believe there is more to fly selection than just matching the hatch. Some streamers I throw look nothing like any one fish prey alive. In fact most of them look like all the fish prey alive if they were morphed together into one. The end result is they look like nothing at all. But I don’t care- they catch fish. So do you have to match the hatch?
The principle at work is that they look close enough to resemble a food source- or even better, look “near-enough” to multiple food sources. Is being close enough to all fish food really matching the hatch though? It doesn’t matter- because what does matter is that it incites in fish a need to strike. Winning. That is the whole intent in match the hatch anyways.
We call this maneuver a feint in the Airborne. We pose or use deception to indicate one movement and when the enemy strikes- we have a different surprise waiting. In this case its a hook. But the point end of that barb is we have reached a decisive point in the fish fight. The hook is set! (Please crush your barbs.)
One thing that I do care about is preserving the art and skill of fly fishing and fly tying. I’m not taking the purist route here, but there is no significant skill in tying an egg pattern. But egg patterns you must admit do match the hatch. Fly fishing and fly tying is my chosen pursuit I hope I never perfect least it become boring. So I like to try new and or complex patterns. If I wanted to drop a worm on a hook I would do that and not a fly. Accept a challenge, tie a fly, stalk a fish, match a hatch (or not), and have some fun.
When out on the water I like to use what works balanced with something I made. Those are the most rewarding catches to me regardless if I matched the hatch or not. So it’s not all about matching the hatch. It’s about doing what makes you feel accomplished. That’s what I do, that’s why I fly.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Hatch is prompted by the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Working
In the television memory reel of your mind flip back a channel and rewind to the show “Married with Children“. Remember the theme song? “Love and marriage, love and marriage.”
This is what my mind races to when I think about work and fly fishing. What/how? Try this, instead replay the song like this, “Work and fishing, work and fishing.” I know the knee jerk reflex is to say that the two don’t fit together like a horse and carriage. But, this I tell you brother, you can’t have one without the other.
Consider this, don’t they mutually support the need for the other? I mean nothing I do in the sport- even if it is cheap (relatively speaking) is really cheap after all. We say we tie our own flies to save money, and maybe we do. But is spending less money really saving? So how do we fund this sport? We take it out of hide and flip the bill to feed the additiction provided by our jobs. It’s ok, laugh anytime you agree.
Secondly, consider your work. Your foxhole in the office, job site, whatever. We may lie and say I love my job. But we’re fisherman which makes us liars by default.
“It was the biggest fish I had ever seen.”
“Man, that fish must have been this big.”
“I don’t care if I get skunked, I just like being on the water.”
“Honey, I won’t be out long.”
Need I go on? Look, not to say there aren’t any honest men among us (or ladies), but we can all easily admit- I’d rather be fishing. So save the I love my job speech for the boss. It’s not needed here. But if my job was as pleasant, scenic, and stress reliving as fly fishing- I probably wouldn’t need to fish to decompress. And how sick is it that fly fishing is decompression? I mean really?
Standby for run in sentence.
Ok, I’m going to spend hours at a vice to tie flies of which I will mostly lose, wake up before any living thing on earth, throw on waders to be in freezing waters, wave a stick in the air to fight the wind, in hopes of tricking a fish that my dead animal hair is really his favorite bug of choice/next meal, and then toss him back to do it again. Seriously?!
I mean seriously!?!
We do it to show the guys at work. The two need each other and feed off each other; they are mutally supportive. They are for me anyways- AirborneAngler. Need I say more?
If you display symptoms described in my run on sentence above, you really are sick. It’s called Terminal Angler Syndrome (TAS). It’s reel and effects lots of people. Seek help at any local fly shop, the doctor is in. How do you feel?
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Working is prompted by the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
D-Day plus 20 (D+20)
Murphy’s Law of Combat states, no initial plan survives initial contact intact. This is a true statement. The night before my intent was to hit the Guadalupe River early and hunt some late season Rainbow Trout. Texas spring in the Hill Country feels a lot like summer for most and anything after sun up is pushing it for trout. Unfortunately intent is not defined as action. Having completely overslept the morning in I was finally boots on ground at the Guad about 3 hours late. Fail. I say again, massive fail, over. The view was nice but the water was ugly and cold. I couldn’t keep the algea bottom growth of my fies to save my life. It was floating everywhere. After about four hours of misfires and no fish to show- it was time to shift fire.
Like a wise little grunt I’ve bookmarked every place my Battle-Buddy Dave (aka Fish Drill Instructor) has taken me. I’ve got the intel plugged in and save on my iPhone. I needed to make a quick move and fast before the BOB (big orange ball) dipped over the horizon and I was running blackout (no light) ops. So off to the Blanco I went.
Transitioning over was easy. A quick leader and tippet swap/re-rig drill and I was ready. Right off the bat I had a hunk of a Rio in hand- sort of… I held the line not the fish. This guy was 9″ and took new new arsenal of self tied Flying Cats (as did all the others) I reloaded on the other day. He also had some funky blistering going on. It was nasty- Medic!!!!!
Following in trail was a green sunfish. It bears to note this guy did not want his picture taken and fought it well. I won.
Next to hand was my war face painted warmouth brother. Pretty fish. I have not seen a lot of these fellas before but I have been running into them a lot lately. This was the first one to hand to meet the contest minimum and came in at 8.5″.
Bringing up the rear was a 15.5″ largemouth bass. He wouldn’t sit still either but it always makes my day when I get a decent bass. This was a nice final touch to add points to the board. All in all it was the best thing to get skunked on the Guad that day. Sometimes you have to just know when to shift fire.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
PS
I wanted to mention the yellow lab that sat in overwatch nearby whom I suspect is part German. He didn’t have any Shepard markings but his half hour psy-op (deterring psychological operations) barking rant screamed to me in accent “Alarm! Alarm! Alarm!”. Like Samuel L. Jackson said in Pulp Fiction dog- “Be cool honey bunny, be cool.”
-AA
The AirborneAngler 