Fly Fishing Report

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Summer conditions have arrived, and the fishing on the Guadalupe has been great. The river flows have decreased to 350 CFS due to some maintenance to Canyon dam. These flows will likely increase as more rain is collected in Canyon Lake and dam maintenance is completed. Trout fishing has been very good, but monitoring water temperatures has become very important. Water temperatures 70 degrees and above are dangerous to the trout. A good portion of the cold water in Canyon Lake has already been released. Fishing for trout before 11am and keeping the trout in the water to minimize the handling of the fish is important to their survival. into June, and possibly summer. All of the warm water species are active, as well. Streamers, Hoppers, Soft Hackles, Midges, PMD, and BWO patterns have been the norm with challenging battles to keep the fish on.

The Canyon Lake level is full and the outflows will be be similar to the inflows. It’s very important to keep a watch on the river flows. Wading can become dangerous if you are on the river when the flows are suddenly increased from the dam. We recommend visiting http://www.grtu.org/flow/ to stay informed of lake level and dam release.

Float trips continue to be the way to enjoy some great Hill Country fly fishing. We have over 17 years of experience, and we’ve seen high flows, low flows, and everything in between. Please contact us if you want to experience some great Hill Country fly fishing. We are currently recommending half-day morning float trips. This allows us to beat the heat and river crowds, while also getting the best bite. The fly shop hours will change to appointment-only starting June 15, and we will continue to have guides available through the summer.

The state of Colorado has seen enormous amounts of snow this past winter. Most of the state will experience higher than normal snow melt this spring/summer. The Gunnison Gorge will be one of the few places in the state with great fishing flows due to Blue Mesa Reservoir capturing most of the melt.

I’d like to fill you in on the most recent news in the Texas Hill Country and west/central Colorado.

News and updates:

1. Action Angler is a booking agent and guide for 1, 2, and 3 day float trips on the Gunnison River through the Gunnison Gorge and lower Gunnison River. This allows us to hold preferred dates for our clients. All of June is currently sold out, but the hopper season in July has some availability. The Gunnison Gorge is thought of by many as a Top 20 Destination To See Before You Die, and also referred to as a mini-Grand Canyon. The lower Gunnison River is an easier-paced section, with day trips starting at $600. Please contact us for details.

2. The next meeting for the New Braunfels Fly Fishers is scheduled for June 25, 2019.  https://www.facebook.com/NewBraunfelsFlyFishers

1. We offer 2-hour lessons designed for your needs. Trout, bass, and saltwater fly fishing can all be covered. The price is $100 per angler.

2. If you are planning to be in the Aspen or Glenwood Springs areas in the summertime or early fall, call Aspen Fly Fishing and/or Crystal Fly Shop to book trips.  Be sure to request Chris Jackson as your guide.  http://www.aspenflyfishing.com/
   http://www.crystalflyshop.com/index.html

If you are planning to be in the Crested Butte or Gunnison areas in the summertime or early fall, call Dragonfly Anglers to book trips on the upper Gunnison River and request Chris Jackson as your guide.  http://www.dragonflyanglers.com/

1. Please let us know if you are interested in a premier Bull Trout fly fishing destination in the Northern Rockies of British Columbia.

Here are a few nice river homes to stay at while visiting the Guadalupe River. Two of them are located across the street from the fly shop, and can sleep up to 8.

http://www.newbraunfelsescapes.com/Unit/Details/134273

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12068571?bev_ref=1419265528_L9zlmItssOgZ0063&user_id=25097597&s=3

http://agent-77636.pages.tourfactory.com/

https://rioguadaluperesort.com/

https://www.maricopariversidelodge.com/

https://www.kueblerwaldrip.com/

Sincerely,

Chris Jackson, Owner/Lead Guide
Go Where the Action Is!
www.actionangler.net
830-708-FISH (830-708-3474)

Our Tuesday, June 25th meeting speaker is Jerry Hamon, hope to see you there at 7:00 at the New Braunfels Public Library.

Jerry Hamon grew up in a family that enjoyed fishing and joined in that passion when he was 5 years old. He has fished coast-to-coast for much of his lifetime, but he still prefers to fish freshwater lakes and streams in Texas with a fly rod.

The Van Alstyne, Texas, resident is the President of the Texas Council of Fly Fishers International (FFI.) In September 2013, he started the Mariner Sails Kayak Fishing Club and serves as its president. In 2018, he was appointed to a second term and Chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee, and also serves as an Area Chief/Angler Ed Instructor for Texas Parks & Wildlife.

When he’s not working as a Police Officer for Collin College, Jerry enjoys traveling, speaking at fly fishing club meetings and expos as well as volunteering with Heroes on the Water (DFW Chapter,) Casting for Recovery and Reel Recovery Texas. Currently active on the kayak fishing tournament trail, Jerry took first place big bass, and first place big panfish in the 2014 World Championship Bass on the Fly Tournament on Lake Fork, Texas.

Jerry and his wife, Patty, love to travel all over Texas with their two dogs, camping, kayaking and fishing.

Community | TROUT Magazine | Voices from the river | Youth

Lessons from Trout in the Classroom

by Brett Prettyman
May 23, 2019

The volunteers, partners and staff of Trout Unlimited believe in a future where native fish swim in cold, clean headwaters. This vision benefits fish, of course, but it also provides a vital resource for every living thing that depends on water. Which, last time I checked, is every living thing.

While the benefits of what TU does with on-the-ground projects and at statehouses across the country can, and do, have an immediate impact on protecting our country’s resources, the greatest benefactors will be future generations.

Our goal is to make things better than they are now so the children of today, and those born in the decades to come, will know the wonder of wild places, the thrill of watching migrating salmon and the joy of helping someone catch their first fish, among other things.

The importance of the TU mission is always on my mind, but each spring the significance of our goal is driven home when I head to local waters with elementary students to release trout they raised in their classroom.

Most people familiar with TU know about the conservation work we do on landscapes across the country to restore and protect habitat. A fair number know TU works with government officials on local, state and federal levels to form land and wildlife management policies and address environmental issues.

Fewer still are aware of our determined efforts to connect youth with the outdoors on a personal, recreational, and environmental level. The Headwaters Youth Program provides programs for students from kindergarten to college to help them discover, enjoy and learn how to help protect nature.

I help coordinate Trout Unlimited’s Trout in the Classroom program in my home state of Utah. Each January I gather with other TU volunteers at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources offices to pick up trout eggs. We then head off to schools in our communities and are quickly mobbed by students when we arrive with the eggs. The eggs are placed in a specially prepared aquarium that will become home to the hatched trout for the next four months.

Volunteers stick around after the delivery and are often joined by state fisheries biologists to talk about what the students can expect during their time with the trout and to answer questions. Volunteers handle tank maintenance and teachers use curriculum provided by Trout Unlimited to educate students about the life cycle of wild trout and the challenges the fish face – natural and human-caused.

Near the end of the school year classes schedule a field trip to a state-designated fishery for the release.

The class I volunteer with in Salt Lake City released their fish this week. I have always found the naming of the fish and the farewells at the release touching, but this year I picked up on something else.

As I watched the students gather to watch the release I realized Trout in the Classroom had bonded these students in a way that may not have happened without the program.

“We did it,” one of the students yelled in celebration after all the trout swam out of the cooler and into the pond.

They did do it. Sure, they lost plenty of fish along the way – that’s part of learning how nature works. They checked the water temperature and quality daily and worried about the fish over long holiday weekends. These were their fish and they celebrated this success as a team.

There’s a lesson there for Trout Unlimited. One I feel our organization already understands.

Together “we” can do it too.

Brett Prettyman is the Intermountain Communications Director for Trout Unlimited. He is based out of Salt Lake City and is currently making plans to help get a straggler left behind in the classroom when the trout were taken for release to the pond so it can join its buddies.