Austin Fly Fishers April-June Newsletter

Seychelles COSMOLEDO ATOLL

by Nils Pearson

Australia

Far North Queensland

by Austin Orr

During the height of the Global Covid-19 Pandemic, social distancing was the norm. The sport of fly fishing could not have fit this edict more perfectly. After all, fly fishers often go solo and when in groups they don’t crowd each other usually staying 100 feet or more apart when fishing. Their preferred water is undisturbed stretches far away from the general public. Learning to cast effectively can consume long hours of isolated practice as the skill is acquired.

Now that the pandemic has subsided, fly fishers have begun to compliment these distancing practices by participating in the social aspects of the sport. The Austin Fly Fishers has seen a much larger turnout at our monthly club meetings. There is increased interest in group outings. Traveling to fishing destinations is back. All of these activities that promote social bonding have returned making the sport feel whole again.

I encourage you to join the Austin Fly Fishers and return to the activities we all enjoyed before the pandemic.

Happy Fishing!

Kathi

Officers:

President

Kathi Harris

Treasurer

Jim Robinson

Past President

Dave Bush

Conservation

Keith Mars

Education

Austin Orr

Merchandise

Shawn Riggs

Membership

Kevin Cloonan

Newsletter

Nils Pearson

Outings

Juan Shepperd

SKIFF

Dave Hill

Manuel Pena

Webmaster

Brandon Rabke

Directors at Large

Doug Kierklewski

Jeff Hoelter

To contact officers:

Info@AustinFlyFishers.com

Austin Fly Fishers

Cosmoledo Atoll in the Indian Ocean

by Nils Pearson

Far North Queensland, Australia

by Austin Orr

Conservation by Keith Mars

Club Outing to Colorado Bend

by Kathi Harris

SKIFF –Soldiers Kids Involved in Fun Fishing

by Bob Maindelle

CFR –Casting for Recovery

by Susan Gaetz

Treasurer’s Report

by Jim Robinson

Club Photos by Jim Gray and Carol Olewin

Fly Fishing Destinations

Cosmoledo Atoll, Seychelles

by Nils Pearson

For the past few years, I’ve taken week-long fly fishing trips to many distant locations that have included Alaska, the Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, and Mexico. As a resident of central Texas, each and every one of these destinations has been an exotic fly fishing adventure. Fortunately, my fishing buddy Brandon Rabke is usually up for whatever fishing plans I come up with, or he may be the one who comes up with a destination idea. Either way, we have a shared enjoyment of fly fishing wherever our trips take us. One place that has been a blip on my fly fishing radar screen forever is the Seychelles. However, I have never made plans to go there. The reasons for my reluctance are the steep price for a week of fishing and the complicated travel arrangements necessary to get to a faraway atoll in the Indian Ocean.

It all changed when I got a phone message from Justin Spence at Big Sky Anglers.

Justin had heard from his friend Nick Streit that I was interested in fishing the Seychelles. Some guys had dropped out from a group and that left slots for two people to fish Cosmoledo Atoll in late February. Nick told Justin about my interest because during a fly fishing trip to Cuba I told Nick that if he ever put together a trip to the Seychelles to count me in. Nick mentioned this to Justin during one of their get togethers and Justin reached out to me. After I received the message, I contacted Brandon about the trip and sure enough he was up for it. As it turned out, Brandon not only joined me on the fishing adventure but he added a safari experience in Kenya before traveling to the Seychelles and a visit to Barcelona on his way home. The guy knows how to travel!

Where the Heck is the Cosmoledo Atoll?

Cosmoledo Atoll is located in the Indian Ocean about 200 miles north of Madagascar and 500 miles off the east coast of Africa. Because of its remote location, Cosmo’s white sand beaches and clear turquoise water are completely unspoiled. The small islands that form the lagoon are covered with small green shrubs and mangroves. Roosting red footed boobies, frigates, and sooty terns abound. Because the boobies have had little contact with people they have no fear of humans. Brandon and I watched as our guide held out his push pole parallel to the water and boobies landed on it. There are more species of turtles than I could possibly name traversing the clear blue waters. The islands’ sandy shorelines are imprinted with flipper tracks that lead to large depressions dug by nesting turtles during the night (see photo). Because of its remote location and lack of land-based predators, Cosmo is a natural preserve for marine life and birds.

As you might guess, getting to this unspoiled paradise is not easy. I started my journey in Austin and flew to the following airports or landing strips: Dallas, Doha, Mahe, Alphonse, Astove. The final leg was a boat ride from Astove to Cosmoledo. On my way to the fishing destination of Cosmoledo, I spent two days in Mahe. This provided an extra day cushion in case my flights or baggage was delayed. Most importantly,

I needed to make sure that I didn’t miss the weekly flight from Mahe to Alphonse and Astove.

The group of six fisherman in Justin’s group also included two fly fishers from Denmark and two divers. We left Mahe on Thursday morning and flew to Alphonse. After a short stop we reached the landing strip on Astove Atoll. We took the final leg of the journey by boat. After about 45 minutes cruising across the Indian Ocean we entered the lagoon at Cosmoledo Atoll. The guides and staff greeted us as we walked up the beach. Brad, the site manager, called out our names and assigned our cottages. He also told us that the guides would be available to help us set up our gear for some DIY fishing for the remainder of our first afternoon.

What are the accommodations like on Cosmo?

The Alphonse Fishing Company https://alphonsefishingco.com/ has set up outposts on Alphonse, Cosmoledo, Astove, Farquhar, and Providence Atolls. To appreciate the difficulty in setting up lodging on these atolls, keep in mind that these places are built on raised coral sitting on dormant volcanos. Most of the atolls have no permanent residents or infrastructure. Everything from generators to desalinization plants has to be brought in to each atoll and maintained over time. To their credit, the Alphonse folks have made a concerted effort to have as little impact on these pristine environments as possible.

The accommodations on Cosmo were first class. Two fishermen shared an air conditioned retrofitted cargo container that was transformed into a comfortable bedroom with a front deck and a canopy that provided shade to the entire structure (see photo). It had an outdoor toilet and shower with hot and cold running water. A housekeeper cleaned the room and laundered clothes daily. An ample morning breakfast was served buffet style and a packed lunch was stored on the Guide Boats. Fresh caught fish was available every evening and was prepared on a level that any premier restaurant can only hope to achieve.

It’s the Fishing

Fly fishermen don’t travel halfway around the world for the wonderful accommodations or great food, although they won’t turn them down. On these atolls, it’s all about giant trevally, triggerfish, bonefish, milkfish, and pacific permit. Cosmo, in particular, is the feeding station for Giant Trevally (GT) or “Geets” as the guides call them. This atoll is ranked as one of the best places in the world to hook one of these trophy fish.

To quote Yellow Dog Fly Fishing “If a perfect saltwater fly fishing species were to be created, a Giant Trevally, also called GT’s or Geets, could top the list. GT’s are aggressive, fast, powerful, and willing to eat a well-presented fly”

After unpacking our gear and setting up a couple of rods, Brandon and I approached the large green tent that will serve as our covered dining and relaxation area during our visit. Brad checked out my equipment; he put on a 9-foot 100 lb leader with a beige mullet fly. He also warned me that the tide was out but it would return very quickly in

a couple of hours and to make sure to get to the shore when the tide starts to rise.

Bandon and I set out from the tent and decided to walk along a meandering sandbar that headed toward the middle of the lagoon for our afternoon fishing. About a quarter mile down the sandbar, we began to see big disturbances in the water covering dark turtle grass to the right of our path. Not knowing anything about this new environment, we began to cast in front of the wakes. Brandon immediately hooked up a GT and not long after I landed a GT also. Landing two GTs, while fishing on our own just after arriving at the camp was quite an accomplishment for us.

In our excitement, we kept casting toward the dark shapes and waded further into the lagoon. Before long, our sandbar had disappeared and the water was up to our thighs. At that point, we begin to wade to the nearest shore about 100 yards in the distance. Unfortunately, the rushing tide was pushing against us and flooding the lagoon very rapidly. When we got about 50 yards from the shore, the water was chest high. Fortunately, one of the guides, Gary, had been watching us this whole time. By the time he picked us up in his boat, I was treading water. While smiling at our misfortune and loading us into the boat, Gary said he had been watching us for a while and that if we had started leaving the flats about 20 minutes earlier we could have made it to shore. If not for his watchful eye, we might have been swept out into the Indian Ocean.

Tidal flow and locating fish

In this part of the Indian Ocean, tides oscillate between a high and low about every 5 ½ hours. High tides bring in a large surge of water from the ocean into the flats. After the tide has peaked (high tide), there is a period of slack tide with no flow, and then the water recedes from the flats until the bottom of the low tide is reached. The reference point for measuring high and low is the Mean Tide Level (MTL) or average height of the tide in a given area. A 2 foot high tide is 2 feet above the MTL and a low tide of -2 feet is 2 feet below the MLT (see chart).

When fishing the flats, tidal flow is very important to understand because during incoming tides fish enter the flats as they fill with water to forage for food. Fish exit the flats on out going tides as the receding water gets dangerously low imperiling their safety. This means that during incoming and outgoing tides, fish are concentrated in the channels leading to and from the flats.

The height of a high tide and the depth of a low tide are strongly influenced by the positons of the Sun and Moon in relation to the Earth. When these celestial bodies are in line (i.e., Sun, Moon, and Earth, or Sun, Earth, and Moon), the tidal flows are the greatest and called Spring Tides. When the Sun and Moon are perpendicular to each other, the tidal flows are the lowest and called Neap Tides.

During Spring Tides, fishermen can position themselves along the

channels leading to the flats during tidal flows to catch fish traveling in and out on the water highways. The group that preceded us at Cosmo was there during a Spring tide. They had a high tide of +14 feet at 6:02 am, a low of -9 feet at 12:17 pm, and another high of +13 feet at 5:46 pm. That is a lot of water flowing in and out of the flats. In contrast, our group was fishing during a Neap tide. The highest tidal flow we experienced during our stay was on the first day and marked the end of the Spring Tide. From that day on, the tidal flow quickly diminish for the remainder of our stay to almost no tidal flow at all. On our last fishing day, we had a high tide of +4 feet at 10:07 am, a low of -0.2 feet in the afternoon.

The tidal flow staying very close to the MTL during our stay meant that there would be enough water on the flats to allow the fish to stay in the flats all day. With no need to enter or exit, the GTs can spread out all over the flats as they roamed in search of prey; as a result, we couldn’t target fish as they entered and exited the flats. The most common strategy our guides deployed when prospecting for GTs in these conditions was to search for stingrays as the guides polled the flats. When feeding, stingrays suck up sand from the bottom in search of crabs, clams, and shrimp. During this process of excavation, debris that arises often contains edible bottom dwelling crustaceans which can easily be snagged by GTs.

Spring tide

Neap tide

Catching GTs on the Flats

As mentioned previously, the small tides kept the flats deep enough to allow the GTs to remain on the flats. Some of the flats we fished were quite expansive, in some cases stretching almost as far as the eye could see, and the high water meant that the GTs could be very scattered and hence more difficult to find. If the sky was clear, the sun penetrated the water and the guides could scan the sandy bottom in all directions looking for stingrays or cruising GTs. Unfortunately, the angler on the bow might stand there for hours before a GT was located. Because sightings of and encounters with GTs were few and far between, once a GT was located, you did not want to make a mistake because this might be your only shot at a GT that day.

The techniques for successfully casting to and hooking a GT are like nothing I had ever experienced before. When the GT was within casting range, the fisherman is instructed to cast the fly two rod lengths in front of the fish and strip line back in as fast as possible. Any slow down or hesitation while stripping will cause the GT to turn away. If you were lucky enough to hook one, the next step was to set the hook. Doing so entailed gripping the line tightly with your gloved stripping hand to create as much drag as possible until the loose line on the deck was all gone and transferred onto the reel as the GT runs. Even though your fingers start to burn, you have to hold the line. Then, once the line is on the reel, check to see that your drag was just short of locking and wrestle the GT to the boat.

When fishing near structures it was imperative that the drag be almost locked, otherwise the GT could quickly swim into the reef and break off. All of our GT fly lines had 75 lb cores tied to 100 lb leaders just so that we could apply maximum pressure on the fish.

Dredging the Channels

When the fishing on the flats became particularly slow, many of the guides would head over to the channels that lead into the atoll. Sinking lines were dropped to coral and rock structures on the bottom and a wide variety of colorful (and sometimes large!) fish were caught. Wayne gets credit for the most spectacular catch. He hooked a bright red lyretail grouper. While he was bringing it up to the boat, a giant potato bass came up and swallowed it (see photo). In the process of swallowing the smaller fish, the potato bass dislodged the hook from the lyretail and hooked itself. With assistance from both the guide and Justin, Wayne was able to land the largest fish of the entire trip and get a photo of Justin holding it.

Milkfish, Bonefish, and Triggerfish: Neighbors of the GTs on the Flats and in the Channels.

Milkfish

In my opinion, the milkfish were practically impossible to catch. They are regarded as the most challenging fish to catch in the Seychelles. They are algae eating fish with two sets of gills. Our striped mullet found on the Texas Coast are also algea eaters, but milkfish grow many times larger and, reportedly, put up a terrific fight.

They are typically caught when they are traveling in schools along the surface in deep water with their mouths open scooping up algae. As far as I can tell, they are caught by pulling the leader across the milkfish’s mouth and snagging it with a tiny green fly while it is feeding and gently setting the hook. Once they are hooked, the fisherman cannot exert much pressure because the tiny algae fly will likely bend. In addition, the two sets of gills allow the fish to acquire plenty of oxygen when struggling at the end of the line and take forever to tire.

Given all of the difficulties in catching a milkfish, our Danish companion Rasmus Ovesen gets credit for landing the impossible (see photo). He, his fishing buddy Martin Ejler Olsen, and their guide all worked together to catch a trophy milkfish. Here’s Rasmus’ account

These milkfish are spooky. Precise and delicate casting is need-

ed. You leave the fly out there and just keep tension on it hoping that the milkfish will scoop it up. This was the 12th milkfish I hooked in a total of three trips (Alphonse Island and Cosmoledo). Many people spend anywhere from 1-2.5 hours fighting these fish. It took about half an hour to land the fish. It would have taken less time if we’d had the big net on board our guide boat. The hook almost straightened out because I applied a lot of pressure during the final stages of the fight.

Rasmus and Martin have had numerous opportunities to pursue milkfish and almost every other fish that you can catch with a fly rod because they publish In the Loop fly fishing magazine. As part of gathering material for their publication, they travel all over the world and write about their adventures. The proceeds they receive from advertisers pay for their adventures. If you are interested, check out their free online publication https://issuu. com/intheloopmagazine.

Bonefish

Bonefish are often referred to as the grey ghosts of the flats for their stealth and speed. Brandon and I had a fair amount of experience with bones in other locations. However, these guys were a lot bigger than anything I had ever seen. In fact, Brandon landed a bone that was estimated to be 9 lbs (see photo). I also landed a couple of bones of good size but lost a big boy when it broke my hook.

Triggerfish

Both yellow margin (picture right) and moustache triggers (cover photo) are common on Cosmo. We always had a rod rigged and ready to go for whenever we came upon one. The The yellow margin triggerfish’s rainbow-like markings and toothy grin make it look like a Disney cartoon character. These creatures scour the bottom and even bite into coral in search of crustaceans. We often found triggers in shallow areas within the lagoon. If we didn’t immediately spook one, we usually got to throw a small crab or bonefish fly to them. We were both fortunate to catch one.

Final observations

The Seychelles are no longer a blip on my fly fishing radar screen. Looking back on my trip, I am grateful to be healthy and well off enough to have been able to take advantage of this unique opportunity. While on Cosmoledo Atoll Brandon and I caught agressive, fast, and powerful GTs off the coast of Africa on a pristine atoll in the Indian Ocean. The guides and accommodations were first class. For evening entertainment, I often sat by Justin and Rasmus and listened as they played a friendly game of one-upmanship as they described their experiences in the many far-off fly fishing destinations they have fished. I hope to be able to visit some of the exotic fly fishing destinations they discussed.

Far North Queensland, Australia

by Austin Orr

When Americans think of Australia, deadly critters, friendly locals, kangaroos, and the Great Barrier Reef are things that come to mind. I can confirm, all that is true.

As I started to research for my trip over there, I started coming across references to plenty of different fish species that I’d never even heard of. This in itself was not surprising, but when I came across jungle perch, I knew I’d found something special.

Jungle Perch, or JPs as the locals call them, were formerly widespread up and down the Eastern coast of Australia. Like many fish around the world, habitat loss has negatively impacted their range. These days they are mostly concentrated in the continent’s northeast corner.

It is there that they reside in the clear, rocky streams that tumble out of an ancient jungle that coats the slopes of the low mountains in Far North Queensland. For 300 million years, monsoon rains have shaped this landscape and these fish. Since the rivers and creeks are so short, with their headwaters in the hills and their flows quickly finding the sea, they don’t have much time to build up a high nutrient load. There are no massive fish to be found here, but they pull hard and can often be tempted into eating a topwater. For those anglers that enjoy pursuing bass and sunfish in beautiful, clear-running streams in Texas and throughout the Southeast, you’ll feel right at home. The cover is the same, the fish hold in the same spots, and you could easily just bring your typical loadout of streamers and topwaters. If I went back, I’d bring a 6 weight, 10 foot leaders tapering to 10lb test, and various topwaters between size 8 and size 2.

The same rules that govern fishing these streams also hold true. The farther you walk away from the access point, the more likely you are

Although it looks like the middle of nowhere, this creek flows through a greenbelt area

area similar to Barton Creek. We caught a couple small JPs here, but what a gorgeous afternoon hike.

to find fish willing to eat.

What’s different, at least for folks that’re used to bass and sunfish, are the surroundings. The jungle is dense and vibrant, hiding a multitude of birds chirping and squawking throughout the day. A sudden rustle and wingbeat announces the presence of orange-footed scrub fowl, while the occasional color burst of rainbow parakeets screech overhead. Each breath brings a scent that you’ve never smelled, and each step could bring you closer to seeing a cassowary around the bend.

If you’re close to the mountains, the jungle tends to be thicker and the creekway is filled with boulders and rubble. The creek flows amongst the stone, forming pools and falls that skirt and plunge. The water is clear and the fish are spooky - your best chance is the first cast in each pool. Where jungle perch are found there are usually also sooty grunter. If JPs are analogous to a guadalupe bass, sooties are the redbreast sunfish of the local systems, aggressive and eager if you’re stealthy enough. If you don’t mind a bit of a walk and wade adventure, you can pretty easily DIY yourself through multiple creeks and explore each system over multiple days if you like. As the creeks wind their way down from the highlands into the farms and gently dropping slopes, they leave most of the boulders behind and gain a soft bed of gravelly sand. Half-sunken trees now form most of the fishy cover, and a weather eye is kept for any of the smaller crocs that might have patrolled up this far from the main river. Australians are incredibly laid back about An example

example of what the creeks look like up near the mountains; large boulders, small pools and small fish.

A jungle perch that followed a topwater for probably 30 feet downstream before commiting.

most of the dangers that exist on their continent, but they take saltwater crocodiles extremely seriously and I did too. It definitely changes the fishing mindset when you’re in croc country and limits what you can accomplish on foot.

There aren’t enough calories to sustain the truly dangerous crocs up high, but as the creeks meander their way down into the farmlands and continue to slow down and spread out, it’s no longer a good idea to wade. Barramundi now join the target species, along with mangrove jacks (Lutjanus argentimaculatus), a cousin to the mangrove snapper (Lutjanus griseus) that we are familiar with here. Farther down towards the salt, we start encountering juvenile giant trevally, queenfish, australian tarpon as well as other interesting species you’ve probably never heard of. At that point you’ll need to be in a boat and you lose a bit of the freedom that comes from hopping in and wading. I recommend you seek out a guide or befriend a local for that kind of fishing.

I was lucky enough to spend a full day on the front of a boat throwing 8 inch bendbacks for barras in lilly pads and big poppers for queenies with one of the local guides up there, but that’s a

As the creeks flow farther

farther away from the mountains they slow down, spread out, and have gravel and sand for easy wading.

The largest sooty grunter that I caught while over there, but far from as large as they get.

Outings Colorado Bend State Park

by Kathi Harris and ChatGPT

In March, six avid anglers from Austin Fly Fishers camped, fished and enjoyed Colorado Bend State Park over a six-day period. Despite poor conditions for white bass fishing, the group still managed to catch an array of fish, including carp, freshwater drum, crappie, and a few white bass.

The weather was generally good during the trip, but it was fairly windy for four out of the six days. Nevertheless, we all found fish while kayaking, wading, or bank fishing.

A side benefit of the low water conditions was being able to see the stunning rock formations that are typically hidden behind waterfalls. In the evenings, we enjoyed happy hours and camaraderie around the campfire.

Overall, the Austin Fly Fishers’ outing to Colorado Bend State Park was a fun trip. Despite the less than perfect conditions, everyone was able to catch fish and enjoy the natural beauty of the park.

Carol Olewin

Gary Heintschel

SKIFF Soldier’s Kids Involved in Fishing

Jack Peet landed this 18 inch hybrid striped bass with a 3/8 oz. white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab

Fun

by Bob Maindelle

As March came and went, my recently repaired left rotator cuff continues to improve. I was able to take on a fairly normal schedule in March, which included the traditionally very busy “spring break” season which spans across three weeks with all of Texas’ many school districts’ calendars considered. I did not conduct any SKIFF trips in March as I sought to focus on my “for profit” trips in order to bounce back from those trips missed during my surgery and recovery.

Thanks to Mrs. Denise Igo, administrator of the locally popular Fort Hood Area Events Facebook page, and Killeen Daily Herald columnist Brittani Sodic, SKIFF is now receiving regular free advertising, representing SKIFF as a wholesome, safe outdoor experience for military-connected families.

Ms. Sodic’s most recent article, First weekend of April to bring plenty of fun to the Killeen area, was the impetus for SKIFF’s next commitment. On April 11, we plan to treat all three kids of the Schreiner family of Salado to a spring fishing trip targeting white bass on Lake Belton. Mrs. Tiffany Schreiner learned of SKIFF through Ms. Sodic’s article.

Additionally, now that daylength is increasing, I have also placed Tuesday and Thursday afternoon slots on my calendar to allow for after-school fishing trips which would run from ~4pm to 7:30pm.

CFR Casting for Recovery

by Susan Gaetz

For over 18 years, the Texas program of Casting for Recovery has hosted outdoor retreats for survivors and thrivers of breast cancer with a simple goal — to enhance the lives of women with breast cancer by connecting them to each other and nature through the therapeutic sport of fly fishing. The retreats are provided at no cost so women from all walks of life have equal opportunity to benefit from our healing retreat model.

Casting for Recovery (CfR) began with two women fishing – a professional fly fisher and breast cancer reconstructive surgeon. They believed that women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer could benefit physically and psychologically from the gentle sport of fly fishing. They also believed that a program like CfR would appeal to many women who aren’t drawn to more traditional support groups.

The vast majority of women who attend a CfR retreat have never tried fly fishing, and between 65-70% have never attended a breast cancer support group. So we know the program has an appeal, whether it’s the excitement of trying something totally new, like fly fishing, or being connected/reconnected to nature among a supportive group of peers.

Since 2005, the CfR Texas program has held 36 retreats serving close to 500 women. The retreats are open to women statewide and are typically held near Dallas/Fort Worth and

Recent participants Photographer:

CfR Texas recently held its first retreat exclusively for women 40 and under. This young women’s retreat was held on a private ranch in Terrell, TX, about 35 miles east of Dallas. The schedule included lots of fly fishing activities (casting instruction, fly tying, knots

in the Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio.

participants of CfR’s first Young Women’s retreat in Texas

Photographer: Missy Sprouse

and equipment, safe handling and releasing of fish), support from oncology medical and psychosocial facilitators, and of course time to bond with each other in a beautiful and relaxing environment.

On the final day of the retreat, each woman fished with her own guide on the property’s very well-stocked pond. Many sunfish, large

mouth bass and striper were caught.

The impact of the retreat is best expressed by one of the participants: “Meeting local area survivors who were around my age, in varying phases of treatment was helpful to me as I’ve felt so alone in my battle with cancer.”

www.castingforrecovery.org

Conservation Report Record Snowpack and your Summer

Head North and Advocate for Sound Water Management!

by Keith Mars

Winter 2022/23 brought record snowpack to the mountain west. It was a long, persistent, and cold winter across the Rockies that have the usual Texan summer getaways sitting pretty as those states prepare for the spring runoff.

Austin area fly fishers heading west for the summer will hopefully find cool, clean water in your favorite Western creeks and rivers. Snowpack in Colorado as of late April has the state well positioned for summer and fall fishing. However, let’s take a closer look at what seems like water a plenty.

Water demand across Colorado is extensive and is only growing. Potable and irrigation water is increasingly rapidly and is only growing as the Colorado front range population expands.

So, what can you do as a traveling Texan fly fisher that cares about fish, their habitat, and the water that is the lifeblood of fish and watersheds? First, support Trout Unlimited (TU) and their painstaking work on innovative, collaborative water management in Colorado. Specifically, TU is working on:

1. Funding modernization of irrigation.

2. Compensate for un-diverted water and water rights.

3. Increase funding for stream management plans.

Homing in on southwest Colorado, also known as greater Texas in the summer, TU is doing fantastic work in the San Luis valley working hand-in-hand to support healthy streams and communities through water release schedules and irrigation supply transfers to keep more water in headwater creeks, particularly those that support the native Rio Grande Cutthroat.

If you head west this summer take in the landscape and know that flyfishers like you are making a difference in keeping the west wet and trout happy.

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home

KeithMars@conservationonthefly

Summer Plans

Club Photos

Jim Gray, with a common carp caught while fishing the urban bayous of Houston. Jim has been making occasional trips with club members Ben Patrick and Jeff Hoelter, chasing grass carp, smallmouth buffalo, tilapia and common carp. These concrete drainage offer one of the most consistent opportunities surface feeding grass carp. The fishing can be challenging. Most of the fishing is done from the top bayou, 20 feet above the water. The steep sided concrete drainage can be treacherous, but if you are you get some great sight casting to big fish.

making buffalo, to find top of the are careful,

Carol Olewin wins Longest Bass at the April 29th Bud Priddy Any Fly Tournament on the Nueces River in Camp Wood, Tx. A great weekend of fishing the pristine waters of the upper Nueces River. She caught her bass on a Swamp Monster tied by Jeff Hoelter. Bass measured 11 1/4”. Carol thinks it was a small mouth bass, but she is still learning to identify her bass. The Alamo Fly Fishers hosted the event which is held on the first weekend in May.

AFF Financials

by Jim Robinson

Cassio Silva – https://www.cassiosilvaflyfishing.com Central Texas Fly Fishing Guide

Aaron Reed – https://flyfishingaustin.thelocalangler.com/author/aaronreed/ Author Fishing Guide

Austin Orr – https://www.elevateflycasting.com Certified Casting Instructor

Ted Mendrek – https://sportsmansfinest.com Sportsman’s Finest Fly Shop

Chris Johnson – http://livingwatersflyfishing.com/ Living Waters Fly Shop and Central Texas Guide

Capt. Eric Glass – http://www.captainericglass.com/ Fly Fishing South Padre Island

Capt. Rus Schwausch – http://www.epicanglingadventure.com/ Fly Fishing Southwest Alaska

Nick Streit – https://taosflyshop.com/flyguide/main New Mexico and Southern Colorado

Justin Spence – https://bigskyanglers.com Fly Shop and Guide Service West Yellowstone, Montana

12434 Bee Cave Road

Austin, Texas 78738

512.263.1888

Monday: 9AM-7PM

Tuesday: 9AM-7PM

Wednesday: 9AM-7PM

Thursday: 9AM-7PM

Friday: 9AM-7PM

Saturday: 9AM-7PM

Sunday: Closed

https://sportsmansfinest.com

onlinesales@sportsmansfinest.com