Red Bud Isle

Took the Kayak down to Red Bud Island off of Red Bud Dr. It’s about 5 min from my house, and it normally has some good fishing. I got out there early in the morning and I didn’t have much luck. The water was dead, and there was absolutely no wind. I noticed a good amount of fish hitting the top of the water, and when I shined my light I could see swarms of bugs. Turns out its about the time of the year for the Mayflies to hatch, and they were all over the place. Pretty cool to see all the fish jumping out of the water while feeding on the flies. I tried to throw some top water lures to take advantage of it, but still had no luck.

I was paddling up by the dam when they decided to let some water out. To say it startled me would be an understatement. The calm lake turned into a raging river within seconds…

Instead of trying to fight the current I pulled my kayak up on the shore and fished the area near the dam. I didn’t have much luck, but it was a good morning on the water.

It’s Always Good To Be Reminded!

I read a good article today, thought I would share it. Really reminds you how dangerous it can be on a kayak, especially in the open ocean. Enjoy.

A Story To Remember for the Rest of My Life

Fly Fishing the San Saba River

A friend of mine took me out to his ranch a few weekends back. The ranch is located on the San Saba River and the property out there is just beautiful. The view from his house, which is located on a cliff, was awesome. The first morning we got up around 6:30 am and fished a little reservoir for bass with no luck. We threw the whole tackle box at them… Seriously.  We got fed up with seeing fish, but not catching anything so we decided to head up river for some fly fishing. Again, the scenery was just amazing and we had some better luck this time. We ended up catching a few bass and some sunfish, but the best part was that I got to practice my not-so-good fly fishing techniques with some direction from Robert. All in all the trip was a blast, and I can’t wait to get out there again… (That’s a hint Bert)

Here is a picture of Robert with one of his bass:

April 9th – Decker Lake

Got out to Decker Lake today around 2:00. Fished around for about 3 hours and ended up with 3 fish… Successful pre-fish though, think I found a couple spots that should produce. 

It was fairly warm out today and the water temp got up to around 68-69. Wind made it difficult to maneuver around for part of the day, but once it calmed down I caught a few good ones. 

Hoping to get out again this weekend so that I can get ready for the K.A.T.S. tournament coming up at the end of the month. 

Final Four Predictions…

Final Four weekend (plus Monday) is upon us so I decided I would go ahead and put my predictions out there so everyone can laugh at me when I get them both wrong.  For those of you that don’t follow college basketball (you should seriously reconsider) the final four matchups are Michigan State vs. University of Connecticut and North Carolina vs. Villanova. I will start by telling you which teams I think will win, and then I will let you know which teams I want to win…

For the first matchup (April 4^th at 6:07 pm) I am going to take UCONN. Price has stepped up big in the tourney and Thabeet is just too big a mountain to overcome for MSU.  The supporting cast at UCONN will just be too much. I think Lucas will have a great game for State because he is a great player, but unless Suton shoots lights out again (and therefore brings Thabeet away from the basket) I don’t see a way for them to pull this one off.
For the second matchup (April 4^th at *47 pm) I am going with UNC. They are one of the most talented teams that I have seen and I can’t imagine betting against Ty Lawson. Without Lawson I would seriously reconsider this pick, but the way he has played throughout this tourney has been fun to watch. NOVA has some heart, and to be honest with you they have really surprised me because I thought they were soft when I watched Texas beat them in the Garden. That being said, they are playing the best basketball team in the country and I just don’t think they have what it takes to pull off the upset.

Now, after my daring predictions (no upsets) I want to mention who I will be pulling for and why. I want both MSU and NOVA to win these games. There is really one reason for this…Coaching. I think both Tom Izzo and Jay Wright are great coaches and I have a lot of respect for each of them.  On the opposite sideline is Roy Williams, whom I respect but am kind of neutral about, and Jim Calhoun, whom I have little respect for past his X’s and O’s abilities.

In my “fantasy” Final Four MSU meets NOVA and one of the teams (I would be neutral) wins in the 6^th overtime on a fall away three for one of the best finishes in college basketball history… but more realistically a UCONN vs. UNC matchup will be fun to watch!

Barton Creek Banks

I was planning on getting out on Decker Lake this afternoon to get some pre-fishing in before the K.A.T.S Tournament that is coming up at the end of April, but the weather didn’t cooperate. Wind gusts of over 35 mph is about as bad as you can get when you are on a kayak. Still wanted to get some fishing in so I headed down to Barton Creek with my buddy Zach. We did some bank fishing for about two hours. We didn’t get much action, but I did manage one decent fish (when you consider it was caught in a shallow creek). Hoping I can still get some time on the yak’ this weekend. 

Heres a picture of the fish I caught:

Fish Finder Addition to the Manta Ray

I took the Yak’ on a few trips out to LBL (Town Lake!) and had a great time… there is just one problem – I am still lacking in the fish department. By lacking I mean I have yet to catch a fish at all. Most of my fishing experience has been down at the coast, so bass fishing in freshwater is a new challenge. That being said, I’m not getting discouraged yet… but I did decide to give myself an edge on the little guys! I purchased an Eagle Cuda 300 fish finder from Academy about a week ago. Not too sure if it will help me catch fish but it has been a blast to install.
When it comes to installing a FF on a kayak there are a multitude of decisions to make. After looking at every design I could find and with some helpful hints from posters on the Austin Kayak Fishing forum,my Dad and I got to work last Saturday. Plan on taking it out sometime this weekend, hopefully I didn’t drill a wrong hole somewhere…
Here are a couple pictures of the install:

First Kayak Experience

I have always enjoyed fishing, but recently it has become a passion of mine. I’m not to sure what sparked my new obsession but for the last few months fishing the central Texas rivers and lakes is all I want to do. I found a good website (www.austinkayakfishing.com) that has been really helpful in steering me in the right direction regarding which kayak to purchase, and what types of tackle would suit me best.  About 3 weeks ago I went out to Lakeline Water Sports (www.lakelinewatersports.com) on 183 and bought myself an  ’09 Native Manta Ray 12 fishing Kayak. I added a picture of one below. I have taken it out a few times already and it has been an absolute blast. I have yet to be very successful at catching fish (skunked on all trips), but the experience has been great. 

Just a side note: If anyone is in the market for a Kayak, I highly recommend stopping by Lakeline Water Sports. I met Roland through the AKF forums, and he has been extremely helpful. The website is listed on the sidebar of the blog.