Texas on the Fly (Day 2 of 4)….. Guest Post by Tony Wheeler
Day 2 dawns with Okey and I on the San Marcos River about 45 minutes South of Austin. The San Marcos is one of the most beautiful and mysterious river I have ever been on. It is born several miles upstream of our put-in all at once from a giant spring in the town of San Marcos. Its water is the color of turquoise. It is a small meandering little river lined with big Cyprus and Pecan trees. It is choked with woody debris.
We are fishing with Judson Cole (Hell ‘N Back Outfitters). Judson’s raft is a nicely outfitted bright lime green Super Puma. It is narrow and perfect for the smaller San Marcos. I must admit I got a little bit of boat envy. That narrow boat would be perfect for the Top Gauley or the Down Elk.
Judson insisted I leave my fly rods in the car and we fish his Echo six weights that were really perfect for the nature of the San Macros. The bad case of tendonitis in my casting elbow did not object to the lighter rod.
We are into fish immediately right at the put-in.
Within 30 minutes Okey and I boat a smallmouth bass, a largemouth bass, a Guadalupe bass, and a smallmouth-Guad hybrid. In addition we are into smallish sunfish continuously.
Before 11:00 a.m. I feel a breeze on the back of my neck and I can literally feel the barometric pressure change.
“Ruh-roh Shaggy”
Sure enough the breeze turns into a blow and we never catch another fish the rest of the day.
Trout on the fly are push overs. I can catch trout under the worse conditions. Not so for bass on the fly. They are moody and sensitive to change.
We have a nice river side sandwich lunch complete with comfy camp chairs, a folding table, and Halloween Cookies. I provide the ice cold Lone Stars.
We finish early and since we are in the neighborhood I take Okey for a stroll around the historic downtown section of Lockhart with an early dinner in Blacks BBQ again.
This time I order only the brisket.
