A brief fling at Lake Travis.

[Vagabond]

Here in Texas for a week baby-sitting, but got out for a couple of hours most evenings for a go at Lake Travis, fishing from the bank.

 

1st evening: flyfishing with sinking line and corixas - loads of sunfish, Long-eared, green, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Pan-fried for breakfast next morning.

 

2nd evening: wormfishing mid-water for bass - several medium sized Guadelupe bass - baked for breakfast next morning.

 

3rd evening: bottom fishing with worms - a couple of flathead catfish (3 and 5 lb). Fillets marinaded and then coated with egg and seasoned breadcrumb and fried up brown.

 

4th evening: caught a few tiny sunfish as livebait and went after bass - got a couple of decent ones (one a largemouth and t'other a PB Guadelupe at 2lb 8 oz) both of which joined the catfish to provide the family farewell feast.

 

How different from the UK ethos - every fish taken this week was either eaten or used as bait.

 

...and eleven-month grandaughter learnt to walk during the week - eighteen non-assisted steps today.

 

Not a bad result for a week I thought would be written off fishing-wise.

 

[ 05. January 2005, 03:33 AM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[Newt]

Sounds like you had some fun. Everything you mention not only tastes great but fights pretty good too.

 

Any pictures?

[Vagabond]

Yep. but they will not appear for some while - off to Belize tomorrow and will be out of AN touch for some time - AND I need lessons on how to get my didgy-cam pics onto posts at a reasonable size!

 

BTW did you get my email re your visit to UK?

[Newt]

Email - don't think so and if it's recent (last month or so), then for sure didn't.

 

Resizing pics - let me know when you are ready.

[WickerDave]

Sounds like you did a lot better at Lake Travis than I used to .

 

I used to bank fish it when on business trips from the UK as my employers headquarters is in Austin. Ultra light lure fishing (using a tiny rod small enough to fit in a suitcase), usually using small plastic worms. The most successful trips were in the early Spring when the bass were bedding up for spawning. I never did catch anything very big, but did catch small fish of quite a few species. The oddest fish was a long-nosed gar that took a floating Rapala just below the surface.

 

What area were you fishing? I used to fish the parks on the Austin side, e.g. Cypress Creek, Windy Point, Hippie Hollow, Sandy Creek, Mansfield Dam. I did quite well at Hippie Hollow in the winter, but made the mistake of fishing it on an unusually warm day and then taking a short cut back to the car park through the bushes (it had lots of sunbathing naked gentlemen who prefer gentlemen who also indulged in social activities in the undergrowth ).

 

[ 05. January 2005, 05:14 PM: Message edited by: WickerDave ]

[argyll]

it had lots of sunbathing naked gentlemen who prefer gentlemen who also indulged in social activities in the undergrowth

 

Were they wearing nine gallon hats

[Vagabond]

Cheers Newt, just about to leave for the airport. Will be in touch when I get back.

 

Yes there was quite a tussle with the catfish - I had pressed my 4 weight travel fly rod and my tele light spinning rod into service as "quivertips" Both catfish took on the flyrod, as did both bass when I was livebaiting the next evening. Improvisation is the name of the game

 

Dave - Fished a cliff-fringed small bay on the Lagovista side - doesn't seem to have a name and its private property either side.

 

Argyll, saw none of that perhaps they were keeping out of the way of my backcast

 

[ 05. January 2005, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]