Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

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Neumie
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Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Neumie »

The week leading up to Saturday I had planned on wade fishing near San Antonio to show a friend some spots to take his little boys. I then asked added another friend, Will, to join us. Friday afternoon the one friend had to back out, so I gave WIll the option of either sticking to the plan or maybe find somewhere to go kayak fishing; he wanted to do the latter. So early evening on Friday I sent Ron a text asking if he wanted to join us and go exploring the next morning, and he joined up.

We felt pretty good about finding kayakable waters given some rains, but what I underestimated was the amount of runoff we would find.

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We scouted a couple launch site before launching at one that had a promising pool upstream. The water clarity was about 16" at best and we had a lot of lily pads to get through. Although this stretch looked great, we hardly got any bites; so we pulled off after 2 hours.

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We regrouped at the launch and tossed around some ideas on how to approach a another launch. We threw out driving to other rivers, but before making a drastic change we went up stream to the last (first?) public access point to see if we could get far enough up the watershed to find cleaner water. Although not clear, it was cleaner water and worth launching to explore. Prior to launching I made a bet for the first person who caught any fish would get a $1. Ron won, and I didn't pay up; please don't put a lien on my house.

Ron's bass:

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After that bass we all started to catch some fish. I landed some sunfish, a small Guadalupe bass, and my favorite Rio Grande Cichlid.

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After this second stop Will and I needed to get back to San Antonio, but not before a cold IPA and some jalapeño & cheese summer sausage.

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Thanks for coming along Ron and exploring a new river.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Ron Mc »

Thanks for the invite Josh - and the provisions.

Saturday, Josh, Will and I had to drive 140 mi to find water, and we had a great trip, great exploring - even fish.
Since I came from the east, we drove separately, and met at the first crossing.
After the last two days flooding, we found chocolate water.
We fished the deep water here for 2 hours, all the gear worked great, but the fish weren't cooperating, compounded by N wind.

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Decided to take our exploration farther upriver, hoping to find less-turbid water - less chert in the run-off.
We loaded boats, drove 5 miles up a dirt road. crossed the river 5 times -- two of those on the wet flagstone - and found a wide spot in the flagstone where we could see the structure.
The sun was also breaking, and the fish turned on for us.

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This time it paid off. My first cast, right after Josh said, "first fish gets a dollar"

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I fished 2 of the 3 kayak rods I took out, but the only one that mattered was my Japanese glass ML Smith Super Strike/ Plugger combo, fishing the pink/brown 4-g inline keel spinner (keels single-hook-up, and bottom-bounces on the flagstone - it's kinda like cheating).
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Mukai sells this spinner with a bare hook, intended for a plastic shad tail, but I swap the bare single hook with a pre-tied woolly booger.

Everyone caught fish here, we paddled as far as we could, and got out to explore farther.
A native cichlid here made Josh's day.

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With the long drive home, we were out of time and had to blast back at 1:30.
Josh didn't invite me until 7pm the night before, so I only had time to load - no time for provisions.
Good thing Josh brought IPAs and jalapeno-cheese sausage to share.
Great group and great time.

A maiden voyage for my new truck. Got to use the 4WD, and the 10-sp transmission was a jewel climbing the divides on the interstate in cruise control.

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Last edited by Ron Mc on Wed Apr 26, 2023 8:31 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Ron Mc »

Josh, we write a heck of a tag-team photo essay - I'm surprised this thread didn't generate discussion.

I have a review of sorts on my Meiho VS7080 tackle box.
On Saturday's trip, I found it just as useful as the skeg on the little Redfish 10.

I picked this box because it exactly fits in the little sternwell of this boat.
I have 2 add-on rod holders on the back of the box (and my Scotty rod holder in front).

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I've been nuts for versatile Meiho lure boxes for several years now.
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This size tackle box exactly fits Meiho 1200 lure boxes in the long direction, and 800 boxes in the short direction.
The lure boxes come in 3 thicknesses, NS (25 mm), ND (40 mm), and NDD (60 mm).
There are all sorts of inner and outer add-ons for the box, rod and drink holders, outer pockets, tippet and line-spool dispensers, inner trays and baskets. Places on the outside of the box to securely hang the add-ons, inner trays, etc.

For Saturday's trip, I needed three 800 lure boxes, and the inner basket for spinnerbaits and for quickly hanging swapped-out lures.
There's room for two more 800 boxes laying flat (or lunch if I had better provisions to pack).

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But to show how versatile it is, this was packed for February's Arroyo trip, where it took the place of 2 milk crates.
On that trip, Stevo dubbed it the Swiss Army Knife of tackle boxes.

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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by motoyak »

Sounds like a good trip, jeolose I didnt get an invite but couldnt have made it anyway. Laid up a couple months recouping from a shoulder surgery on Apr 19th.
I fished like a madman the weeks prior to the " cutting" and it was off the hook good as it usually is in April. Hit the Guad from Hunt to Centerville. Lots of fiesty quads, a couple keeper crappie and a huge sunny.
Probably wont get out much until fall. Spring will be shot and summer is my least favorite time to fish.
Good write up fellers! Living vicariously
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Dandydon »

If you kayak maniacs drove 140 miles to fish, then you deserve discussion & kudos for persistence.

Enjoyed your tag-team report and quality photos. Keep 'em coming, men.

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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Onski326 »

Sounds like a fun trip. That cichlid is really cool! I've never seen one of those. I'm native to northern midwest so that's not something you find up there. Very cool!
Do you guys typically target 1 type of fish, like bass? Or do you have a "lets see what's biting" lure and then fine tune it from there?
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Ron Mc »

.
thanks for contributing to our thread, guys.
Onski326 wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:41 pm Sounds like a fun trip. That cichlid is really cool! I've never seen one of those. I'm native to northern midwest so that's not something you find up there. Very cool!
Do you guys typically target 1 type of fish, like bass? Or do you have a "lets see what's biting" lure and then fine tune it from there?
We're not proud. There's a spot down from Center Point where we sight-fish alligator gar.

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One thing that makes bass/all-species fishing in hill country rivers different from reservoir bass fishing is the forage base - no shad, instead, the primary forage are small ciprinid minnows and crayfish.

One reason I like my Mukai Max spinner + woolly booger finesse casting lure, it duplicates the action of a cat's whisker fly on Teeny sinking line -
- more cheating.

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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Neumie »

Onski326 wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:41 pm Sounds like a fun trip. That cichlid is really cool! I've never seen one of those. I'm native to northern midwest so that's not something you find up there. Very cool!
Do you guys typically target 1 type of fish, like bass? Or do you have a "lets see what's biting" lure and then fine tune it from there?
Rio Grande Cichlids are only natively found in our Texas rivers; they've been introduced to Louisiana and Florida. I believe they are the only native cichlid found in US and maybe North America. They are a really cool and pretty fish; fights hard too.

I usually pack to target both bass and sunfish. Cichlids will hit the same lures as sunfish. On this trip, I started off primarily targeting bass, but then switched to sunfish.
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Onski326 »

Neumie wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 9:34 am
Onski326 wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:41 pm Sounds like a fun trip. That cichlid is really cool! I've never seen one of those. I'm native to northern midwest so that's not something you find up there. Very cool!
Do you guys typically target 1 type of fish, like bass? Or do you have a "lets see what's biting" lure and then fine tune it from there?
Rio Grande Cichlids are only natively found in our Texas rivers; they've been introduced to Louisiana and Florida. I believe they are the only native cichlid found in US and maybe North America. They are a really cool and pretty fish; fights hard too.

I usually pack to target both bass and sunfish. Cichlids will hit the same lures as sunfish. On this trip, I started off primarily targeting bass, but then switched to sunfish.
Very cool. I'm trying to soak up as much info as possible. Haven't fished in probably 25 years and it shows. Having to learn all over again. lol
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Re: Hill Country Exploring - April 22, 2023

Post by Ron Mc »

Neumie wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 9:34 am ... I believe they are the only native cichlid found in US and maybe North America. They are a really cool and pretty fish; fights hard too.

I usually pack to target both bass and sunfish. Cichlids will hit the same lures as sunfish. On this trip, I started off primarily targeting bass, but then switched to sunfish.
This is close. There are 16 native cichlids in Mexico, including Rio Grande cichlids.

This specimen was in the upper Sabinal, living in a pool with 5-10-lb bass.
He ate a cats whisker (size 8 hook) - same fly I fish for river bass (gar and stripers down to long-ears.)
But I've caught some in the lower Frio that you could put your thumb in their mouth.

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Shonto Game Ranch on Turtle Creek west of Kerrville has purina-fed Rio Grande cichlids to 3-1/2 lbs.
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