May the Fourth Be With You
"Name three things that do not go together"
"What is May, Texas, and trout?"
"I'm sorry, that is incorrect."
Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) featured a foray in south Texas on the Guadalupe River, where 62F water flowed on an unusually cool morning. The chilly dawn kept the tubers at bay until afternoon. But the trout were on the prowl.
The water was a bit off color and low - common conditions born from our enduring drought. But the rainbows were there. Strong, healthy, and hungry.
Even when the bite eventually slowed as morning turned to noon, the scenery is amazing...
I thought I was alone - indeed I was the only fisherman on the river all morning. But after a particularly acrobatic fight with a feisty rainbow, sounds of cheering and clapping evaporated my illusion of solitude. From the deck of a house behind me, a lady had been watching my Texas trout two-step. She ran down to the riverbank, camera in hand. After a quick picture of the trout for her 89 year old father (she confided that he used to fly fish before advancing ailments of age intervened), she offered to capture a shot for me.
Trout in this river can be safely targeted, if you only fish when water temperatures are below 70F. Land them quickly, handle the correctly, and they will live to thrill again.
Fishing Texas in May for rainbows is not a bad way to spend a morning. And hitting up the local BBQ joint makes for a soul-satisfying Daily Double.
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