Everything Is Bigger In Texas?

As I packed for a trip down to Houston Texas, my head was blurred with thoughts of warm weather, outdoor crawfish boils, and hard hitting Bass and Redfish. Every item of clothing packed had a purpose, down to the exact number of underwear that I knew would be worn (2). This method of minimalist packing was needed to accommodate the extra forty pounds of fly fishing equipment that could not be left at home. When you throw that bag up on the scale at the airport and the numbers quit spinning at exactly fifty pounds, it's almost like winning the lottery. I get everything I can from the extra $30.00 bag charge.

We arrived in Houston just in time to see the only glimpse of sunshine all week fade below the horizon. I was quickly reminded of why people say that the cold weather here in Colorado is tolerable thanks to the dry climate and constant sunshine. I felt like I hopped from the plane into the cold water of the Arkansas River. The sounds of chattering teeth echoed through the concrete walls of the city.

A massive winter storm system over Texas put the ole' kabash on the prospect of catching anything on the Gulf. As for lake-fishing, thirty year lows combined with flooding gave the bass all the advantage they needed to stay clear of my hands. After spending hours casting to muddy waters, the time had come to feel some kind of tug. I replaced the seven inch long blue gill pattern with a sz. 12 clouser variation behind a trusty Hairs Ear. Finally, I breathed a sigh of contentment as I caught and released my first Blue Gill for 2010. It was even on an eight weight, which is a solid three sizes larger than any other rods I have used for Blue Gill. Staying flexible and being prepared for multiple species are two important aspects of winter time, warm-water fishing. These tough periods of fishing in winter are times of great growth for the persistent fisherman. Even though my dreams were of Redfish, and what I got was Blue Gill, I walked away from the trip a better fisherman than I would have become if things had gone as planned.