Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing

Victories for the Llano River

2023-10-27T07:31:00.001-07:00

The health of our rivers in Texas are constantly threatened by human activity. In my opinion, the greatest threat to our rivers (especially in the Hill Country) is increasing demand for water from human consumption. But, beyond that, our waters are under constant attack for all different angles. Pollutants, invasive species, overharvesting, and dams.

Recently, the Llano River has actually won a two victories against one of those threats...Dams.

An illegal dam on the James River, a tributary of the Llano River (read article on the dam from KXAN here) in Mason County, has been ordered removed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Click image to read full PDF cease and desist letter

And, another proposed dam, further upstream on a tributary of the South Llano, has been stopped before it began, as community concern and pressure has lead to the landowner withdrawing his permit for constructing a dam that would have impeded the natural flow of water into the river that so many of us love to fish.

The South Llano is home to beautiful, native fish like this Guadalupe Bass

Dams not only impede the flow of water in our rivers, they also change the ecology of the stream and can lead to an increase in invasive species. You can read more about that here: The Importance of Current to the River and the Impact of Dams

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

LoCo Trash Bash - October 28, 2023

2023-10-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

So many great things happening. If you are free on October 28th and care about the waters of Texas or if you fish the Colorado River, you need to make it out to the LoCo Trash Bash.

When: Saturday, October 28, 2023 - 7 AM - 3 PM

Where: Several Locations

Bank Cleanups - 4 Sections
Cleanup On the Water - 7 Section

Who: All Water Guides + Cleanup the Colorado

Come for as long as you can!

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Brazos River Cleanup - November 11

2023-10-19T09:36:00.002-07:00

From TFFF member Grant Ingram:

The Brazos Cleanup Project is hosting its 4th annual River Cleanup on November 11, 2023 from 12-4pm at the PK Bridge below Possum Kingdom on HWY 16.

We will have plenty of trash bags, gloves, refreshments, and giveaways for our volunteers. Our mission is to create an atmosphere of comradery and fun while doing our part to keep the public access area free of trash and debris. Following the cleanup, we will host an after-party at PK General Store with complimentary pizza and award ceremony with plenty of amazing prizes sponsored by Orvis.

We will supply trash bags, gloves, refreshments, and giveaways for our volunteers during the cleanup. We are encouraging anyone who has a passion for keeping this sacred stretch of water beautiful to come out and join us in our efforts. It takes each and every one of us to do our part for the betterment of the Brazos.

You can find more information at our Facebook or Instagram page, or contact Grant Ingram at brazoscleanupproject@gmail.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Llano River Communities Fight Former Oil Executive’s Plan for a Private Dam

2023-10-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

There are a few rivers that are especially important to me. The South Llano is one of those. I spent a few years living in Rocksprings and Junction, and have fished that river for countless hours. As little as I get to get back and fish there and as much as each flood changes the river, I still find these waters familiar and comforting.

Climate change and human water usage are the greatest threats to any river in our state, but intentional, man-made changes for personal benefit, just seem pretty selfish and devastating to me. I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

Here is the article from The Texas Tribune:

Llano River communities fight former oil executive’s plan for a private dam

By Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune

Oct. 17, 2023

"Llano River communities fight former oil executive’s plan for a private dam" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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JUNCTION — Linda Fawcett's ancestral home in this West Texas town holds a 6-feet-by-4-feet oil painting depicting her biggest fear: the Llano River going dry.

The painting features a waterfall cascading at the top, an hourglass marking the passage of time in the middle, and a barren desert with a skeletal figure below, symbolizing life when a body of water disappears.

"In my mind, we are transitioning that way. The skeleton represents death," Fawcett, a 68-year-old artist turned activist, said of the canvas she painted in 2003. “I've long worried about us running out of water.”

The Llano River begins in Kimble County, where the North and South Llano rivers meet, then flows roughly 100 miles eastward, passing through Mason and Llano Counties before feeding into the Colorado River.

About 60 miles southwest of Fawcett’s home, Greg Garland, the former CEO of the Houston-based energy company Phillips 66, is seeking permission from the state to dam the South Llano River on his ranch in Edwards County.

Five years after Garland filed an application for the dam — which would create a pond roughly equal to six olympic-sized swimming pools — the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is evaluating the proposal. At a public meeting about the application that TCEQ held in August, Garland said the pool’s purpose was to promote more wildlife and fish on his property. He did not respond to requests for comment.

The TCEQ said earlier this summer it would schedule a second meeting for residents to share their opinions about the proposed permit, but has yet to pick a location, date and time for the meeting. Concerned residents can still submit public comments to the agency.

And lots of people are concerned. Residents living along the river, environmental advocates and local officials are fighting the dam permit, which they say would set a precedent that could start a domino effect of property owners building more private dams, which could alter the river's natural flow and send less water into the Highland Lakes.

“The river is literally life blood to the community,” said Fawcett, who’s also the president of the Llano River Watershed Alliance. “This could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

A water tower near the South Llano River in Junction. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

Linda Fawcett stands in front of her painting, “Water Witch,” in her dining room in Junction. Named after the moniker for a person who uses dowsing rods to search for water underground, the painting depicts Fawcett’s biggest fear of the Llano River going dry. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

Buck Lake at South Llano River State Park. The oxbow lake was formed from a meander of the South Llano River that was cut off through geologic change. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

The state already has thousands of private dams, including five on the Llano watershed, all built before 1980 for irrigation. The watershed also has four public dams used for recreation and to supply water to local residents. But Garland's would be the first private dam built on the Llano River and its main tributaries since 1976 — and the first built for recreation purposes like swimming, boating and fishing.

Garland's application through Houston-based Waterstone Creek LLC has requirements that ensure the environment is not harmed, said Victoria Cann, a TCEQ spokesperson.

Fawcett has been visiting Junction since she was a little girl — she remembers riding horses along the river with her father — and moved into her parents’ former home three years ago.

In her monochromatic blue-gray outfit, Fawcett says she’s been driving her four-wheeler to the river to fill jugs to water her garden and watched the ongoing drought taking its toll — the Llano is lower than normal, with puddles along the bank that mark where the river has retreated. In August, the North Llano near Junction had no water flow, while the South Llano River at Junction was flowing as low as 26.7 cubic feet per second, about half its natural flow.

At the same time, more people are moving to the rural parts of Kimble County, buying ranches or lots in rural subdivisions and adding to the number of properties drawing water from the river.

That’s created some tension between longtime residents and newcomers.

Left: Linda Fawcett in her garden in Junction. Fawcett is the president of the Llano River Watershed Alliance and has expressed serious concerns about the proposed construction of a private dam along the South Llano River. Right: A golf course in Junction borders Cedar Creek, a tributary of the South Llano River. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

“You need the chaos of nature to keep things the way they are meant to be.” Credit: Linda Fawcett, president of the Llano River Watershed Alliance.

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“I’ve come to resent the outside people that want to bring wherever they lived with them, instead of accepting this area the way it is,” Fawcett said. “People that have enough money are used to control things and they dam up rivers.”

About 32 miles northeast of Fawcett’s home, Richard Taylor lives on the 832-acre Blue Mountain Peak Ranch in Mason, which he bought in 2001 after working in the tech industry. Two enormous longhorns greet visitors at the entrance and deer roam freely through its wooded, rolling hills. The ranch is located about four miles from the Llano River, where Taylor and his partner take frequent kayak trips.

Taylor says he’s against the private dam because he fears that it will slow the river’s flow and impact the entire Llano watershed.

"Leave things alone, especially rivers and creeks and streams, [that] will be the best thing for everybody," he said.

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More than half of Texas dams are privately owned

Texas has about 8,000 dams, according to the TCEQ, and about 62% are privately owned. Of the private dams, nearly 600, or about 12%, are on the state’s 14 major rivers such as the Rio Grande, Colorado, Pecos, Nueces, Brazos, Trinity and Guadalupe; the Llano River is considered a secondary stream by the state.

Some of the first private dams in Texas were built on the Nueces River in 1911 for irrigation purposes. Since then, about 21% of private dams built in Texas list recreation as their main purpose.

Before approving a new private dam, the TCEQ’s role is to determine whether the proposed dam would affect residents or the nearby environment. Although a final permit has not been issued, a state draft permit for Garland’s project shows that if it’s approved, Garland’s Waterstone Creek LLC would be allowed to take up to 12 acre-feet of water per year — or nearly 4 million gallons — from the South Llano River.

Garland’s Waterstone Creek LLC has entered a contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority, a nonprofit that manages water resources in the lower Colorado River watershed, that would charge it $155 per acre-foot of water annually.

Clara Tuma, a spokesperson for the LCRA, said a contract is required because Waterstone Creek would take water that would otherwise flow into the Highland Lakes. It would only take effect if the TCEQ approves the permit application.

Garland would need to check the stream flows of the river each season and if the river's flow is too low he would need to let some water out of his pond, according to TCEQ’s draft permit.

But Nathan Glavy, a technical director at the environmental nonprofit Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance said the TCEQ doesn’t check that a private dam owner is actually releasing water when they should.

“We’d have to put our trust in him,” he said.

Cann, the TCEQ spokesperson, said the agency isn't required to regularly inspect private dams and their water flow, but does inspections "as needed, typically in response to complaints."

Left: A natural spring on Blue Mountain Peak Ranch in Mason County. Right: Rancher and conservationist Richard Taylor on the 832-acre eco-ranch dedicated to increasing water recharge into the area’s aquifer and local species diversity. He fears the proposed construction of a private dam along the South Llano River will slow the river’s flow and impact the Llano watershed. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

“Leave things alone, especially rivers and creeks and streams.” Credit: Richard Taylor, rancher and water conservationist.

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All along the Llano River, local officials have been speaking out for years against the possible privatization of a section of a public river.

Kimble, Mason and Llano counties, which all rely on the river as their water source, passed resolutions in 2022 urging the TCEQ to deny the dam permit, citing the ongoing drought. A private dam “will seize the flow during sustained dry periods” and “have an adverse effect on the downstream flow of the river,” the resolutions said.

“Anything that could possibly impede the flow of the water in the rivers is a big concern to Kimble County residents,” Kimble County Judge Hal A. Rose said in an email.

Llano Mayor Marion Bishop said that his city, which also gets its water from the river, “cannot endure such diversion of water along the Llano” because the river’s flow has continued to slow — especially during the past two years of drought.

Llano County experienced the seventh driest August on record this year since record keeping began in 1895. The past two Julys, the river’s flow dropped below 5 cubic feet per second; its average flow in 2022 was 75 cubic feet per second.

Taylor purchased the ranch in 2001 and quickly began to remove all of the over-grown Ashe Juniper trees, which are considered invasive when they take over damaged range land, in an effort to restore his land to its native state. Since the completion of the restoration, Taylor says multiple natural springs have emerged throughout his property, each of which feeds to the Llano watershed. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

A customer exits West Bear Creek General Store in Junction. A sign outside of the store reads “Pray For Rain” as local residents endure an ongoing drought. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

From left, Linda Fawcett, Art Mudge and Glen Coleman walk a portion of Fawcett’s property in Junction that was used as a hunting ground during her childhood. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

“Life on the river is just different than what it used to be.” Credit: Art Mudge, rancher.

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Bishop said the city’s more than 3,300 residents were asked to conserve by watering lawns only once a week this summer and not using water to wash vehicles or refill swimming pools. He said the city used an average of about 800,000 gallons per day this summer, nearly 50% less than it used more than a decade ago.

He said the city can’t ask citizens to cut back on water use and support putting a private dam on the river.

"One person may be benefiting from that dam,” he said. “But how many thousands of people down the river are being deprived because of it?”

Back in Junction, South Llano River State Park, known for spring-fed waters that the LCRA says are among the "most pristine water bodies in the state," attracted about 63,800 visitors last year, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 2018 the park generated $809,000 from non-local visitors, according to the agency’s economic impact study.

The river is “central to the identity of the park and the area. It is what sustains the park,” said park Superintendent Cody Edwards, who lives with his family in a rustic home built in 1877 at the park. The agency spent years stocking this part of the river with 700,000 Guadalupe Bass, the state fish, which helped restore the species’ numbers in the Llano River.

Left: Cody Edwards, superintendent of South Llano River State Park, at the park’s headquarters in Junction. “The Texas identity is unique and I think that our natural heritage is an integral part of that, so protecting [the Llano River] is protecting who we are,” Edwards says. Right: The South Llano River at Boone’s Crossing in Kimble County. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

“The South Llano River is what sustains the park.” Credit: Cody Edwards, superintendent at South Llano River State Park.

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TPWD doesn’t take a stance on proposed dam permits, but informs the state on the potential impacts on natural resources. In this case, the agency said lower flow in the river can increase water temperature and harm fish habitat.

Edwards said preserving the river's flow is important for protecting the bass and the entire river ecosystem.

“The Texas identity is unique and I think that our natural heritage is an integral part of that, so protecting [the Llano River] is protecting who we are,” he said.

Victoria Stavish contributed to this story. Greta Díaz González Vázquez contributed visuals and audio storytelling.

Disclosure: The Lower Colorado River Authority and Texas Parks And Wildlife Department have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/17/texas-llano-river-private-dam-tceq/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

If you have information on this, please contact texasfreshwaterflyfishing@gmail.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Iron Fly Competition - Honey Hole Angling

2023-10-09T07:11:00.002-07:00

Our friends at Honey Hole Angling are hosting a cool, fundraising event. It is an Iron Fly Tying Competition. What is that? Think Iron Chef meets fly tying.

They are raising money for Reel Recovery, a national non-profit organization that conducts FREE FLY FISHING RETREATS for men living with all forms of cancer.

Here is a link to sign up: Iron Fly Sign Up

Here are all the details:

When – October 21, 2023

Where – Faust Brewing Co. – New Braunfels Tx.

What – Iron Fly (Fly Tying Competition) – With Beer, Food, Live Music, Silent Auction, Raffles, Tattoo Artists, and Film.

Who – Anybody Can Come. It’s a party!

So head on out and have a great time!

Peace out-side, y'all.

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

San Marcos River Invasive Fish Removal - Winter Polespear Tournament

2023-09-27T09:19:00.003-07:00

We don't normally promote shooting and stabbing fish here at Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing, but in this instance we most certainly do!

Atlas Environmental is hosting the 18th Biannual Polespear Tournament from October 27th through November 12th. The goal of this tournament is to remove as much invasive biomass as possible from the San Marcos River. Tilapia, Armored Catfish, and Invasive Snails are all part of the tournament. Prizes and more will be given!

Get out there and have fun, while helping the environment and winning prizes! Registration begins Friday, September 29th.

Check out all the info at here: San Marcos River Polespear Tournament

Lone Star Beer Supporting Texas Parks and Wildlife (That's Purdy Texas if you ask me)

2023-03-15T08:26:00.006-07:00

Lone Star Brewing and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation celebrated Texas Independence Day by announcing a Texas-brewed partnership to honor our beloved home state. As a toast to the “best views in Texas,” Lone Star has launched a limited-edition merchandise collaboration with Texas-based artist Emily Eisenhart. All proceeds from the merchandise sale will benefit Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

“We are thrilled to partner up and give back to the foundation that works hard to conserve our state’s parks and wildlife for Texas Independence Day,” said Lone Star Brand Director Brandon Kieffer. “Texas is unlike anywhere else, so naturally we wanted to give a toast to the best views that Texas blesses us with every day. Our ambition is to celebrate Texas by showing off the natural beauty it provides us and encourage folks to go outside to enjoy it, but also do our part to help keep it beautiful for generations to come. We are thankful to have a partner like Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation enabling this to happen."

To Purchase the Merch and support this, click HERE

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

TFFF News of the Week (March 4 - 10, 2023)

2023-03-11T05:00:00.007-08:00

Hey, everyone, I want to try and keep up with a new segment. I want to be able to share news and stories from around the Texas Fishing World, the Fly Fishing World, and similar things that might interest you (but might not necessarily be directly Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing.) So, to kick us off, here is the news from last week:

News from the Texas Fishing World

ShareLunker Caught Landed on Possum Kingdom (March 7, 2023 - Possum Kingdom Joins the 2023 Toyota ShareLunker Fold, from Texas Parks and Wildlife)

TPWD Seeks Input on Texas Freshwater Fishing Regulation (February 21, 2023 - TPWD Seeks Input on Texas Freshwater Fishing Regulation Proposals for 2023–24, from Texas Parks and Wildlife)

How the ongoing drought impacts the Hill Country (February 28, 2023 - How the ongoing drought impacts the Hill Country, from NPR)

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is holding a public hearing on three well permit applications at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 21 (March 9, 2023 - Groundwater district to hold public hearing on permits March 21, from DailyTrib.com)

News from the Fly Fishing World

Middle School Fly Fishing Club in Powell, Wyoming (March 9, 2023 - Mentoring students one fly fishing rod at a time, from Powell Tribune)

Fly Fishing's Changing Demographics (March 1, 2023 - Meet Three Women Changing the Face of Fly-Fishing, from MidwestLiving)

Other Related News

I Am Sorry.

2023-03-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

I have to write this post to apologize. I am sorry.

I have neglected Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing for the last few months and only kept up with the bare minimum to keep it running. I haven't written, I haven't shared, I haven't done much to manage the Facebook Group. Heck, I haven't even gone fishing.

And for all that, I am sorry.

For years, Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing was growing and improving all the time, and I was working hard to make it even better. I was on a roll there for a while. I was burning with fire, doing everything I could to make TFFF become a better group for everyone around. I had plans, big plans.

But last year, toward the end of 2022, everything just hit me all at once. I was trying to write articles daily, make fly tying videos, keep up with Instagram, TikTok, and more. Trying to keep up with all the fly fishing headlines, trying to run our group contests, trying to manage the group, trying to host get-togethers, and more. And it all caught up with me, making me feel like a failure.

I was tired, mentally, physically, emotionally. Not just tired from working, but mostly tired from not seeing the results I really wanted to see. Contests and competitions did not have the the number of participants that I was hopping for. People were visiting the site in record numbers, but not reading the posts that I thought were the best. It was probably selfish of me, but I was just feeling like I was giving way more time, energy, and effort, to something that just wasn't giving much back at all.

I was still constantly trying to settle arguments between members who were upset with each other, or even mad at me for one reason or another. It felt like everyone was just joining the group to take, take, and then take some more, with very few people giving back to it in any real way. Uhhggg...yes, I was definitely selfish.

But selfish as those thoughts may have been, they still wore me out. I couldn't do it anymore. I had people offer to help run the website and group, great people, but I still couldn't do it.

I need to apologize to those people that did offer to help. I really appreciated your efforts, I was just in a bad place. I had these great things I wanted to do, but I was so down that I couldn't even talk to anyone on the phone. Heck, my social anxiety is bad enough with-out the added stress and dark-feelings of feeling like I was failing running the group.

I need to apologize to the great people that reached out for some collaborations, that probably felt like I just ignored them. I guess I really did ignore you, and I am sorry for that, but it wasn't because I thought I was better than you, or don't like you, or anything like that. It was only because I was not feeling worthy of collaborating with you at that moment in time.

I need to apologize to all the loyal readers of the website/online magazine/blog. The burnout lead to me feeling not worthy of writing articles anymore. I wasn't fishing, so how could I write about it?

And I need to apologize to everyone in the group. A group that lacked a good moderator for the last few months. And, I am sorry for all you new members that were waiting a LONG time for me to let you in.

All that said, I have taken some time away, viewed TFFF from a distance, and am ready to get back to it! I hope you haven't given up on me. I will be working harder and harder again to bring you as much great content as I can. Afterall, I didn't create Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing to take from y'all, I created Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing to give back to you!

Thanks for being loyal while I was down. I am sorry.

Peace out-side, y'all.

-Pat

Winter 2022-2023 Texas Parks and Wildlife Trout Stocking in Texas

2022-11-22T06:40:00.003-08:00

Yep, it is that time of year again (love it or hate it.) Texas Parks and Wildlife released their Winter 2022/2023 Trout Stocking Schedule. All together, they are planning to release 337,169 trout in Texas' waters.

They might not be the ultimate in fly fishing opportunities for many of y'all, but they can be a great way to get young kids into fishing. (If you are planning on fly fishing for these, here are the flies that I would suggest: Flies for the Guadalupe River)

So, here are the important links to your 2022/2023 Trout Stocking schedule:

2021/2022 TPWD Trout Stocking Schedule

TPWD Rainbow Trout Stocking Map

Directions to Stocking Sites

Peace Out-side, Y'all

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Flies for Trout Fishing on the Guadalupe River (Answering Your Questions)

2022-11-02T07:56:00.003-07:00

The Guadalupe River as a trout fishery is unique, frustrating at times, and always seems to be a controvercial topic. I mean, they don't call it the Dramalupe for no reason. That being said, it is here now and here to stay, so you might as well take advantage of it!

Every year I get asked the same questions. So in this series (Answering Your Questions) I am providing the answers, and the info you need, to best put yourself in postion for success this on the Guadalupe River this winter.

The first, and most common question I get is, "What flies work best on the Guadalupe River?"

What flies do I use?

More than any other question, I get asked "what flies do I use for trout on the Guadalupe River?" So, here are the flies I have found to be most successful:

Zebra Midge

The Zebra Midge is a popular fly on the Guadalupe River. It is popular because it catches trout there. But, because it is popular, at times, every fish in that river has seen it! Because of those two things (it works but if fished often) I carry three color patterns of the Zebra Midge when I head to the Gudalup3: black and silver, red and silver, and olive and gold.

Zebra Midge: Black and Silver

Zebra Midge: Olive and Gold

Zebra Midge: Red and Silver

Buy you Zebra Midge here.

CDC Elk Caddis

You always should carry an Elk Hair Caddis to the Guadalupe River. And many people do. I know some that only fish this fly. I really love to fish the CDC Elk Caddis version. I believe the CDC (cul de canard feathers) add a touch of "realism" and by addinging some extra buggy-ness and by holding tiny little bubble under the water. This fly produces. I really like fishing it in Dun, but Black and Tan color patters work well in the right conditions also.

CDC Elk Caddis: Dun

CDC Elk Caddis: Black

CDC Elk Caddis: Tan

Buy your CDC Elk Caddis here.

Wulff Hairwing

You need to carry a Wulff Hairwing wing fishing the Guadalupe River for Trout. Dry fly fishing for these fish is less common, but that can make it more successful in the right conditions. The Wulff Hairwing is high floating and micics any number of "flies" that can be found on and around the river. I prefer to fish the lighter color on brighter days, and the darker color on cloudy days or in darker conditions.

Wulff Hairwing: Black

Wulff Hairwing: Blonde

Buy your Wulff Hairwing here.

Hare on Fire

Talk about a fly that will stand out from the rest and attact attention, the Hare of Fire will shine above the rest. It might sound weird, but on those high pressured days, sometimes a fly that stands out is the way to go. The Hare of Fire will certainly stand out and catch fish. I specifically love to fish the Hare on Fire when the water is moving fast.

Hare on Fire

Order your Hare on Fire here.

Wooly Bugger

The last "must-have" fly for fly fishing the Guadalupe River is the classic Wooly Bugger. I prefer to fish a Bead-Head Wooly Bugger, but a regular wooly bugger works great too. Olive is my go-to color, but black, white, and brown, can all be successful color patters as well.

Bead Head Wooly Bugger: Olive

Order your Bead Head Wooly Bugger here.

So, I hope that helped to answer your question! Yes, many people fish other flies, and you can too, but these are the flies that I have had the most success with (and I know other have also!) So, make sure you stock up on these flies before you head out to fly fish the Guadalupe River for trout this winter.

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Join the Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Team

2022-08-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing has grown larger than one person is capable of managing and running by alone. If this was all I did, I would have time. Problem is, I have a full-time job and a family (well, I say problem, but really those are both blessings.)

Anyway, long story-short, Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing is looking to bring 1-5 people onto the team to help run and grow Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing. If you are interested, please take the time complete this form:

Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Application

There are several different roles that need to be filled. These positions can be filled by 1 or more people, so do not let the amount of time you have to help work on TFFF be the factor for deciding not to apply.

Feel free to also email anything else (resume, cover letter, etc.) that would me get to know you to texasfreshwaterflyfishing@gmail.com

Full Circle

2022-06-13T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is a post about my journey in fishing. I know some may disagree, and I know there may be people that don't complete the full circle, or skipped a step, but this is my circle, and I've gone all the way around.

I truly believe each and every angler has a journey they follow, a path that they walk. I believe that path is a circle, and where they go on that path is ultimately up to them. Almost all anglers start at the same place, but many get derailed and sent off course for one reason or another.

Observation

That starting point, the point were you become an angler, is being around others that are fishing. Observing what is going on. As a young kid that would watch my dad (who doesn't really fish all too often) fish. He was just fishing for something to do, usually with some sort of bait (live or dead), and I would hang out and watch him.

That's little me sitting there in a diaper.

Once you have gone full circle, the observation stage might be different. Maybe you do watch someone else fish, or maybe you watch the birds, or the deer drinking water. Maybe you watch the fish swimming instead of trying to catch them. Maybe you water the water flowing or maybe you watch nothing and instead you just feel.

Worm Stage

After the observation stage, an early stage angler migrates into the sunfish/panfish worm stage. This is the stage where they get really get hooked on fishing. Sunfish/panfish (whatever you want to call them) are like a gateway drug. They are easy to catch, in almost all bodies of water, and provide entertainment for those with shorter attention spans.

Young me with what looks like a bluegill.

Once you have completed a full circle, this worm stage might be you taking a younger generation out to catch fish with worms. Maybe, if you don't have someone else to bring along, you bring yourself back to worm stage and just enjoy catching these sunfish again. Or maybe this worm stage only means you've stopped judging how others are fishing and you begin to realize everyone is on their own journey.

Getting my kids hooked on fishing

New Challenge

The progression past the Worm Stage is the New Challenge stage. In reality, this is part of an inner "repeating cycle" that could go on for a while. The first go-round in the New Challenge stage is usually artificial lures. You might start throwing a beetle-spin or a rooster-tail to catch those panfish and the occasional bigger fish (for me it was bass, for you it could have been anything). And it is those occasional bigger fish that can progress you to the next challenge.

Big Bass from a Kayak

You can be easily caught in the new challenge phase. The inner loop, the second, third, and fourth, or more times around might be catching big fish, fishing new waters, or numbers of fish (in any order.) But, each time around is a new challenge that puts you back into the loop. I went through the following "new challenges."

Artificial
Numbers
Big Fish
Competitive/Tournament Fishing
Kayak
Fly Fishing

Once you have completed your full circle, this phase might be a give back phase. Somewhere/somehow, you give back to this circle of fishing. Maybe that is continuing to teach the next generation something new, or maybe you give back and protect the environment you have grown to love.

Re-Set

The last phase before you come full circle and repeat the journey in a new way, is a Re-Set. This might feel like a New Challenge at first, but you will later realize it is not when you realize that it is no longer about solely about catching fish. Sure, you are out fishing, but that isn't the goal anymore. You will know the feeling when you feel it. You will get to the point where you don't really care so much about catching the fish, just enjoying the beauty, you will find yourself just watching (yep...you have hit the observation phase again.)

This Re-Set is what brings you full circle. You really begin to enjoy the small things again. This is when you really start to care.

Peace Out-side, y'all.

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

DONT MISS OUT: June is PACKED with FUN!!!

2022-06-10T07:46:00.001-07:00

There is so much happening right now! So much so, that I need to update everyone on everything that is currently happening in the month of June for Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing. So...here you go:

The BIG Year TFFF

The BIG Year TFFF is continuing to run throughout 2022. You can still register to fish this "tournament" (if you want to call it that.) Basically, it is a contest to see who can catch the most species of fish throughout the year. Each month has a winner also! There are great prizes each month and overall, and numerous chances to win for a low entry fee. Sign up for the fun now!

The current yearly leader is at 22 species.
The current monthly leader is at 2 species.

June Four-Fish Fiesta

The June Four-Fish Fiesta is a month-long, fish-anywhere in Texas, virtual fly fishing tournament. There are four categories that you can win, and you can earn points in each category to win the overall prize as well. Again, it is super cheap to enter, super fun to fish, and there are great prizes to win. Don't miss out on this one, sign up today.

Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Get Together

Our first ever, official, get together is being held on June 30th, from 4:00 - 8:30, at Red Horn Brewery and Roastery. I would love to see you all out there, and it will be a great time for all that can make it. We will have door prizes, some fly tying, great conversations, vendor booths set up, and much, much, more. We will also be announcing our June Four-Fish Fiesta winner at the event! Be sure to make it out! It is FREE to attend.

I would LOVE to have each and every one of you participate in each of these events. Your participation helps support TFFF and keep it running. Let me know if you have any questions. Even if you cannot participate in any of these events, spread the word and help TFFF grow.

Peace out-side, y'all!

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #6: The Therapeutic Effect of Casting

2022-05-30T03:30:00.001-07:00

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #6:

The Therapeutic Effect of Casting

(read: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5)

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

The therapeutic aspects of fly fishing are well documented at this point. A couple of the most widest known examples of its application are the retreats and mentoring offered by organizations like Casting for Recovery, Reel Recovery, and Project Healing Waters. If you haven’t checked out those organizations, please do so. Consider supporting them financially or with your time.

Bring up any of those organizations to fellow anglers and they’ll say things like “yeah, that’s so awesome,” or, “I think it’s great how they help those people.” Yes, it is. And if you own, or can borrow, a fly rod, you have access to that very same support. Excuse the wordplay, but it’s just a cast away.

The activities associated with fly fishing offer ample balm for body, mind, and soul…wading, fishing, spending time in nature. But they are all, I wager, eclipsed by the moving meditation that is fly casting. The motion, the rhythm, the flow… the fact that when one is focused and connected with the cast, everything else effectively disappears.

You don’t have to wait until you go fishing to tap into that zen. In fact, it would likely help your angling game as well as your mental state if you didn’t wait. Casting, to me, is almost its own pursuit. Even before I was training to become an FFI Certified Casting Instructor, I kept a reel spooled up with some “lawn line.” Not just to practice a particular casting style in preparation for a planned trip, or to work on casting in windy conditions, but as a stress-reliever.

And now that so many of us work remotely, it becomes possible to access this support just about any time. Look at it like a modern-day “smoke break,” only without the health risks. If it’s not something you’ve done before, it might feel a little strange at first to stand on the lawn making casts. And if you do it in public, it can take a little time to get used to the occasionally annoying but good natured “Hey there, you’d have better luck if you cast that into the water,” or “Um, you know there’s no fish there, right?!?” But I promise you, it’s totally worth it, and learning to chuckle along with the peanut gallery is its own zen practice.

Cari Ray has worn many hats. Her primary vocation for years was as a performing singer/songwriter touring nationally solo and with percussionist, Dionne Ward, as “Cari Ray & The Shaky Legs.” While no longer her sole focus, music is still happening. More info on that can be found over at cariray.com.

You can add to that resume graphic designer, creative director, successful entrepreneur, marketing/business consultant, photographer and writer. If there isn’t a guitar in her hand, there’s likely a fly rod. She lives in the Texas Hill Country just west of Austin. And while Hill Country Rivers are her home waters, she can often be found traveling the contiguous US hiking into backcountry parts unknown to chase wild, native fish on the fly. And then telling the tale right here on Fisher of Zen.

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Inaugural Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Night

2022-05-29T14:19:00.005-07:00

I am excited to announce, that Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing will be holding its first ever, official get together and I hope to see you there! You don't want to miss this one.

When

June 30th, 4:00 - 8:30

Where

Red Horn Brewery & Roastery

1615 Scottsdale Dr., Blg. 1, Ste 110

Leander, TX 78641

What

June Four-Fish Fiesta Finale

Fly Tying

Fly Fishing Talk

River or Creek Cleanup Plan Discussion

Beer and/or Coffee

More to be announced

We will have fly tying (more info soon), fly fishing conversation, discussion about a "river/creek cleanup, beer and/or coffee, and more!!! Don't miss this event!!!

Feel free to come and hang out, weather you are tying flies with us or not. Come for all or part of the time.

Here is the Facebook Event Page: Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Night

Peace outside, y'all...and cheers!

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #5: Fly Rod as “Mood-ometer”

2022-05-25T06:00:00.003-07:00

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #5:

Fly Rod as “Mood-ometer”

(read: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4)

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

I’ve long said that a fly rod, and more specifically a fly cast, is the best barometer for my state of mind I’ve ever found. I’m a casting instructor, for heaven’s sake, and some days I swear I couldn’t land a fly in a kiddie pool at 10 paces. Among other things, a fly cast is so much about proper timing. When I’m tense, by rhythm goes to pot. My loops get ugly, my flies land ugly. I may even (for shame) throw a “wind knot.” Isn’t it cute how we like to blame our casting mistakes on the wind. Hard to tie knots without opposing thumbs, I say. And in those instances, if I’m not careful, my mood gets ugly…which makes my performance even more dismal.

But here’s one of the great things about a fly rod. In addition to being a good measure for your level of tension, if you’ll let it, it’s also a good tool for releasing tension. And that effect is compounded when you put a slower-action rod in your hand…one that commands you to take your time. To wait. To relax.

Job number one in this situation is raising your awareness enough to realize that you, not the fly rod, are both the problem and the solution. Then you have the opportunity to choose. You can stay tense and stressed, or you can choose to use the tools at your disposal to help you find your way to a balanced state of mind.

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #4: Going with the Flow

2022-05-23T06:09:00.005-07:00

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #3:

Going with the Flow

(read: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3)

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

I was guiding a couple of folks from Houston for trout on the Guadalupe this season past. They said they wanted to learn how to become better independent fly anglers, and I believe a wade trip is the one of the best ways to do that. So we made the plan and met up bank side. We had just begun to practice the modified roll cast I like to teach clients for indicator fishing. As they practiced the cast and learned to anticipate the mends necessary to manage a good drift, one of them (who was doing quite well, I might mention) was growing frustrated at an apparent lack of perfection and confessed that they were really competitive and often hard on themselves.

“Okay,” I said, “let’s just stop for a second and look around at the beauty that is all around us. Take a deep breath. There’s nothing to worry about here and now. You’re doing better than you think. But either way, if you make this trip all about perfecting fishing techniques and landing fish, you’ll miss out on a lot of what’s available to you. The river can both soothe us and teach us if we’ll let it. In your case, I encourage you to focus on the flow. Just flow with the river today. The rest will come.”

And it did. Both clients landed their personal best rainbow trout that day, but more importantly, they let go of their attachment to results and allowed themselves to be immersed in the moment, to go with the flow. And in choosing that, they were going to have a great day on the river that had nothing to do with

counting catches.

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

It's a Bass-Eat-Bass World, Take Advantage of That!

2022-05-18T08:09:00.002-07:00

Black Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Guadalupe, etc.) are opportunistic feeders and will take advantage of the food sources that are plentiful in their waters. Bass often seem to key on the food source that is most abundant and/or easiest to target at that moment in time. That is why certain times of year throwing a crawfish pattern, or a frog pattern, or a bluegill pattern, can be so much more effective than other fly patterns.

Our waterways can be filled with baby bass in the late spring and early summer. Once bass have spawned, moved off their beds, and quit guarding their young, these massive schools of baby bass are now on their own. Making them an easy target for these larger opportunistic bass to key on. That makes this time of year (late spring and early summer), an excellent time to fish baby bass patterned, streamer flies.

Here are my favorite "baby bass" flies:

1) Improved SMP

Improved SMP - Baby Bass color pattern

The Improved SMP just might be my favorite "baby bass" pattern fly. The olive "legs" give the appearance of a lateral line and provide a little more movement and water pushing vibrations as it swims. I typically fish these fast, higher in the water column, over grass and around any cover/structure I can find.

2) Bucktail Clouser Minnow

Olive over White Clouser Minnow

The Clouser Minnow is a fishable fly for almost any species, in any water, any time of year. But when Bass are preying on baby bass, an olive-over-white Clouser Minnow can be highly effective. I love to fish the Clouser Minnow when I want to fish slightly deeper in the water column, or especially when I am fishing in stronger currents. The weight-to-material ratio allows the fly to fish deeper and the bucktail stands up better to the moving water that does the marabou on the other flies.

3) Marabou Clouser

Marabou Clouser - Baby Bass Color Patter

In clear water, with little to no current, I will often tie on a Marabou Clouser first. When fished slow, the movement of the marabou is very enticing to predatory bass looking for an easy snack. This fly can be fished fast and high in the water column, or slow and low. Both can be effective. However, in stronger currents the marabou doesn't hold up as well as the bucktail of a traditional Clouser Minnow.

I hope this info helps you in your pursuit of bass on the fly! Good luck out on the water.

Peace out-side, y'all.

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

June Four-Fish Fiesta

2022-05-16T07:18:00.007-07:00

June is my birthday month, wooo-whooo! So to celebrate, Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing will host the June Four-Fish Fiesta, an online Texas Fly Fishing tournament.

Rules

You must register for this event. You can register by signing up for just this June Four-Fish Fiesta, purchasing a full 2022 Membership to Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing, or by signing up with one of the other Membership Options. Registration for this even will close June 15th, 2022.
There will be four (4) categories of fish that you can earn points in. Each category will have its own points system/allotment.

Black Bass
Panfish
Trash
Other

Each category will have its own winner, and an overall winner will be crowned with totals from all four categories.
Fish must be handled and photographed with care. Fish must not be foul-hooked, and must appear to be uninjured from the "catch and fight." Any fish submission that shows clear signs of harm (bleeding from the gills, covered in dirt or laying on the ground, broken jaws, or anything else deemed "too harmful" by Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing to the fish) will not count toward your points. IF YOU SUBMIT A FISH THAT IS CLEARLY, INENTIONALLY MISTREATED, YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE TOURNAMENT WITH NO REFUND.
For a picture to qualify as an entry:

The fish must have been caught by the angler submitting the picture.
The picture of the fish must have YOUR secret-code visible in the image at the time the picture is taken.
The fish must have been caught using an accepted method of fly fishing. It must be caught on a fly rod, using fly line (yes, Tenkara will count, but no, a spinning reel attached to a fly rod will not.)
The fish must have been caught during June of 2022.
The species of fish must be clearly visible in the submitted picture.
The "length" of the fish must be clearly visible, as well as the the measuring device (measuring board, tape measure, etc.)
The fish must be measured with the mouth closed, and follow Texas Parks and Wildlife's Measurement Tips. Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing reserves the right to make measurement adjustments (reduce measurements) as deemed necessary to ensure fair competition as best as possible.
All the attached info (Angler Name, Angler Email, Date, Location, Species, and Length) must be correct and submitted along with the photograph showing the fish, measurement, and secret code.
A hybrid species will count (except as a white bass), but the species it is submitted as must be specified and clear to determine from the submitted picture. For example, if you catch a hybrid Longear Sunfish x Bluegill, that catch can be submitted as either a Longear Sunfish or a Bluegill, as long as the information is correct and hybrid species are fairly obvious (TFFF will make this determination.)
The fish MUST be caught in a freshwater body (river, lake, stream, creek, etc.) of Texas.

Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing reserves to right to deny and/or adjust any submission based on lack of either of required elements, inability to distinguish the fish species or length, or for miss-handling/mistreating of the fish.
Fish should be caught, measured and photographed, and released as quickly as possible to reduce the stress and trauma to the fish.
Submissions MUST be received on or before 7:30 pm central time on June 30, 2022, to be accepted.
This June Four-Fish Fiesta event is meant to be for fun and to challenge you to do something different! Don't lie, cheat, or steel from your fellow TFFF members/competitors. This is an event based off of the honor system. Don't screw everyone over for a a cheep, fun, event. Help show off how great fly fishing and fly anglers are here in Texas! If it is found out that you are cheating, and this can be proven, you will be revoked of your title and banned from any and all TFFF events in the future.
Goals of the June Four-Fish Fiesta

To encourage you to fish new waters and for new species. New experiences in life.
To encourage you to target some BIG fish.
To display the quality of species we have swimming in the fresh waters of Texas.
To have fun!
To be able to brag about your accomplishments.

Protect the fish! Please do everything you can to protect the life of the fish you caught. Please return the fish to the water as quickly as possible. If the fish is caught in a small body of water or where numbers are low, do everything you can to protect and release the fish with as little damage as possible. If the fish is caught where that species population is stable or overpopulated, it is legal, and you feel like consuming the fish, go for it.

Submission Agreement

To release the rights to your pictures to Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing for the use of the June Four-Fish Fiesta and other promotional items, including, but not limited to: the Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing website, social media and marketing materials.

That winners are responsible for all taxes associated with prizes.

To abide by all contest rules, agreements and guidelines.

If you have any questions regarding contest rules, please email texasfreshwaterflyfishing@gmail.com

So, go SIGN UP, plan your strategy, and get out there and fish!!!!

SIGN UP HERE

How to WIN!

The Grande Champion of the June Four-Fish Fiesta will be the contestant that obtains the most points possible overall. Points will be earned in the Four, Fish Categories. In the event of a tie, the contestant to first submit their pictures will be crowned the winner.

Four-Fish Categories

Micropterus: Contestants earn points in the "Black Bass" category by submitting one of the following:

Submit a Largemouth Bass - 1 point per inch
Submit a Smallmouth Bass - 1 point per inch
Submit a Spotted Bass - 1 point per inch
Submit a Guadalupe Bass - 2 points per inch

Lepomis Category: Contestants earn points in the "Panfish" category by submitting one of the following:

Submit a fish in the Lepomis Genus. A fish is worth three (4) point per inch (calculated as best as possible to the quarter inch)

Bluegill
Dollar Sunfish
Green Sunfish
Longear Sunfish
Orangespotted Sunfish
Redbreast Sunfish
Red Ear Sunfish
Redspotted Sunfish
Warmouth

"Trash" Category: Contestants can earn points by submitting another species of fish (outside of a "panfish or black bass."

Submit a fish in the "other" category. A submitted fish in this category is worth the following points (calculated to the quarter inch)

Common Carp (any variant) - 1 point per inch
Asian Carp (any species) - 1 point per inch
Gar (any species) - 1 point per inch
Bowfin - 1 point per inch
Buffalo (any species) - 1 point per inch
Freshwater Drum - 1 point per inch
Other Suckers, Redhorse, and Carpsuckers - 1 point per inch
Catfish (any species) - 1 point per inch

Other Fish Category: Contestants can earn points by submitting a species of fish outside of any of the previous categories.

All species NOT listed will be worth 1 point per inch
Listed species will be worth the following:

Rio Grand Cichlid - 4 points per inch
White Bass (no hybrid), Yellow Bass, Crappie (any species) - 2 points per inch

If you have any questions or concerns, please email texasfreshwaterflyfishing@gmail.com

Peace outside, y'all.

So, go SIGN UP, plan your strategy, and get out there and fish!!!!

SIGN UP HERE

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #3: Practicing Self-Control

2022-05-16T06:40:00.007-07:00

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #3:

Practicing Self-Control

(read: Part 1; Part 2)

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s a windy day. Maybe there’s a high bank, or a tree, or brush, or sometimes it’s a single blade of grass. And it seemingly snatches your backcast out of mid air. You look back, and not only are you snagged, your tippet has wrapped and tied itself around that snag no fewer than 800 times. For folks who live in places where the vegetation is “tender,” perhaps a little twitch or tug will free you up. But we don’t live in one of those places, we live in Texas. Things that grow here are tough. A necessary quality if they are to thrive, or at least survive, in the often harsh environment. Which is another metaphor worth pondering…another time.

So you’re quite convincingly tangled. Maybe for the umpteenth time that day. If you want to save your flies and not risk snapping your rod tip, you have no choice but to wade back and/or climb over to the tree-bush-thistle-grass (or, if it’s the Llano, maybe the granite) to take care of business. Once you get there, you have a couple of choices. Option A, you can cut the tippet, pull out the flies, and re-rig. Or, option B, you can attempt to untangle the nest of tippet until you either succeed or resign yourself to the fact that it is beyond saving and circle back to option A. But it’s not really those external choices that hold the most valuable opportunity.

If you’re anything like me, by this point, your temperature (literally and figuratively) is starting to go up along with your level of frustration. If you raise your awareness, you can notice it, feel it. And in that moment you are given the opportunity to make a truly valuable choice. Behind door number one, let it overtake you, and maybe build to ruin your entire outing. Behind door number two, a slightly less damaging choice, to do what needs doing, get over it, and get back to fishing. But lingering behind door number three is the kind of choice that, made frequently enough, can start to rewire the way you go about your entire life.

That choice it to turn the entire experience on its head. It’s to decide that this happening is not an interruption of your relaxation, your zen. It’s part of it. The mindless, and meditative, if you’ll let it be, activity of twisting and threading, of weaving in and around until you have freed your flies can do the same for you. To put it a little more succinctly (not my strong suit), it’s a “so what, now what?” mentality. What you decide it all means to YOU makes all of the difference. Mastery is never about your relationship to anyone or anything else, it’s always between you and you.

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Three Tethers to Life and Living: A former child of abuse, U.S. Marine, and Police Officer’s Short Story of Living with PTSD. (Part of Mental Health Month)

2022-05-12T06:40:00.005-07:00

By: Steve Ramirez

“I don’t know why it is that some of my best days on the river have begun with waking alone in the darkness, truly alone, with that deep, empty feeling—that hollow aloneness that you cannot shake free of. It had been some time since my service in the Marines, but years later, the ghosts came to call, and I found myself afraid to sleep, knowing they would come back. A doctor helped me to chase away the ghosts, but the feeling of emptiness remained. I guess sometimes surviving is your punishment. So, you stand in the river, facing upstream with the water rushing down upon you as if it could somehow fill the hollow emptiness—and somehow, it always does. So, it was one morning. I stood there, without even casting and with no trout rising, and as the water rushed past me, I knew it was washing my burdens behind me, swirling them downstream like the autumn leaves.

There is a great deal about living that trout can teach us. They teach us how to keep swimming even in a steady current. Trout know that if they stop swimming, they cease to be trout and begin to become debris, floating without purpose wherever the current may take them. Trout know that if they keep swimming, facing into the current, perhaps in the eddy of a rock, all that they need to truly live will eventually come to them. I learn a great deal from trout.”

These words can be found in my first book, “Casting Forward: Fishing Tales from the Texas Hill Country," and they begin a story that has not yet come to an end. It is the story of how I have thus far continued to live with a wounded soul and broken heart. It’s not a sad story; it’s a story of resilience and gratitude as it can be found in the presence of loved ones and at the end of a fly rod.

If you knew my whole story, and it will go with me when I cross the river for the last time… you’d wonder how it is that I have managed to keep breathing and remain largely intact as a person of good humor, much gratitude, and gobs of love.

Here is my answer, it’s short, yet quite sweet.

I am alive today because of four things: Love, Mindfulness, Gratitude, and the act of Fly fishing, which can encompass the previous three. Please allow me to explain:

Love: It’s not what love I have received that gave me reason to keep going but rather, the unconditional love I chose to give. When you love someone you chose to stick around – for them. You endure the pain so they won’t have to, and you find solace in the peace and joy you feel as you give love to others.

Mindfulness: By living in the moment, aware and awake, I am reminded that everything is impermanent – both pain and joy. Nothing last for ever so like a fish in a river, I adapt to the moment and take what comes.

Gratitude: I count my blessings, not my burdens.

Fly fishing: Nature Heals. Nature Teaches. Nature doesn’t need us; we need nature.

Fly fishing allows me to be in the moment, mindful of the fish, river, currents, wind, trees, birds and the rhythm of my on casting. It allows perspective and reminds me that the only thing I can control is, my reaction to circumstances.

Nature teaches us that “fairness” is a human construct. It is an illusions and an unreasonable expectation. And the only control any of us has over the construct of “fairness” or “justice” is in the actions we choose to take toward another human being – or living thing.

Fly fishing reminds me to slow down, live now, let go. I cast as I breath. I retrieve line to the rhythm of my heart beating.

“And so, I stand in the river casting back and forth, trying to lose that feeling of being alone. It is then that the rainbow rises and takes my offering. I raise my rod, and all at once, I am no longer alone. I am connected to his powerful runs, facing into the current. Silver line connects us, both fighting to live—two beating hearts. He comes to my net. I hold him gently, rocking him back and forth in the cold rushing water. “Gain your strength, dear warrior,” I say. Am I speaking to him or to myself? With a kick of his tail, he returns to the river—and I go with him.”

When life feels unbearable I ask you to consider holding on to just a few things: Love, Mindfulness, Gratitude, and your Fly Rod. Let go of everything else.

Namaste' Y'all

Keep Casting Forward

Steve Ramirez is a writer, educator, master naturalist, philosopher, and outdoor adventurer who lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country. He has lived in and traveled across four continents chronicling the unique historical landscapes, human cultures, and natural worlds that are in danger of vanishing.

Steve’s stories have been published in various magazines and journals, including but not limited to: Fly Fisherman Magazine, Hallowed Waters Journal, Trout Magazine, The Flyfish Journal, American Angler, Tail Magazine, Under Wild Skies, Explore, Texas Sporting Journal, Texas Trophy Hunters, The Houston Literary Review, Cutthroat: Journal of the Arts, and The Pecan Grove Review. He is an avid fly-fisher, hiker, naturalist, hunter, and outdoor educator who lives in a house in the hills, surrounded by trees. He lives in Boerne, Texas.

You can find more from Steve, and purchase his books, at steveramirezauthor.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #2: Practicing Patience

2022-05-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #2:

Practicing Patience

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

It was the knot-tying portion of one of my beginner workshops. I think it was Lefty’s Loop in this case. I demonstrate each step of the knot and wait until everyone else completes it before moving to the next. All but one student was with me, and as she struggled and restarted the step several times her frustration was palpable.

As I always do, I had told the class that I had pretty much a bottomless pit of patience on their behalf, so it wasn’t me she was worried about. It was her own lack of patience with herself that she was wrestling with…along with likely other internal messages she was making up about being the last to complete it and pondering what everyone must think about her.

“Hey,” I said gently, “Look at me. Now breathe with me. That’s right. We’re not in a hurry here. We’re all sitting under a shade tree next to a crystal clear lake on a beautiful Spring afternoon in Texas with nothing on the agenda but being here. Now, let’s go through that step together. Slowly.” In that very moment I watched her shoulders drop, her eyes soften, and the redness in her cheeks begin to

fade.

I had someone tell me the other day that they didn’t have the patience for fly fishing. I say that sounds like as good a reason as any to take it up.

continue to Part 3

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1: Practicing Presence

2022-05-05T10:19:00.006-07:00

(Part of the Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing Mental Health Awareness Month Series)

Fly Fishing & Mental Health #1:

Practicing Presence

by: Cari Ray (Fisher of Zen)

As I approach the river, my mind is filled with all of the usual noise. Annoyance about the bill I left unpaid on the counter before I headed out this morning. The three emails waiting in my inbox waiting for a response. The self-judgement about often being terrible at follow through. The big question about what I’m going to do with myself now that traveling the country playing songs is no longer the viable career it once was. Chuckling a bit at the idea that it was ever a truly viable career.

About this time I reach a spot that requires a crossing. It’s mid summer in the high country of Southwestern Colorado and, against better judgment, I’m wetwading rather than enduring the bulk of waders for a hike in to the backcountry. As I make the first step into flow, mind still an echoing cacophony, the icy stab of water as it soaks quickly through my wading socks demands my attention… all of it. In this moment, there is no more room for the noise, only the singular focus, the shock of cold on hike-heated toes.

This is just one snapshot of albums full of mental polaroids depicting moments where the pursuit of fly fishing has practically slammed me into the present. I believe the path to inner peace is paved with presence. And getting grounded in the moment is a pretty good start. I believe one of the best ways to get grounded is to put your feet in a river. To connect with all that is around you. To

notice the beauty, the ruin, and to allow yourself to feel a part of it.

(continue to Part 2)

You can find more from Cari Ray at fisherofzen.com

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

A September South Llano Saturday
Thin Places
Peace Like A River
Revived by the Small Things

Mental Health Awareness Month

2022-05-03T06:23:00.001-07:00

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

As some of you readers, members, and followers, of Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing may know. I struggle with mental health issues, and will be sharing more about this (and what fly fishing does for me) throughout the month.

I also plan to share the stories of other that have bravely and generously shared with me. I would love to share more stories as well. If you have a seen fly fishing have a positive impact on the mental health of yourself or others around you, and would like to share your story, please reach out to texasfreshwaterflyfishing@gmail.com. I would love to share your story, as we bring attention and awareness to something that so many keep hidden away. If you would like to talk, but not have your story shared with other. Feel free to reach out to me as well.

To start the month off, here are a couple articles I have written that relate to my mental health struggles and fly fishing:

LOW

"February and March were definitely low points for me. Not that I was feeling down every single day, there were good days, but overall those months were tough. I think a large part of what brought me down was the greatly reduced amount of time I had to dedicate to TFFF, and I felt bad about that. The few times I actually did have time to work on TFFF, I just was not feeling it, and was not in the mood at all. Feeling low is a sinking spiral. You are down, so you don't want to do anything, but your lack of doing anything brings you down more...(more)"

SOMETIMES WE STRUGGLE

"Sometimes we struggle. And I am not talking about the struggle to catch fish (although I certainly struggle with that more often than not.) I am talking about struggles in our mental health life. Sometimes things happen that cause our struggles, sometimes there isn't anything to point to as a cause, it is just there...(more)"

I hope those articles will inspire others to share their story and struggles. The more we can bring attention to mental health, the more others will be able to find the help they need.

Peace out-side, y'all.

Do you enjoy Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing? If so, you can support TFFF by making purchases at Flydrology.com Your support helps keep Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing up and running, with quality content and a great Facebook group!

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