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Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
#11058167
08/23/15 04:38 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257
Neumie
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257 |
Although it's been a short time I needed to wet a line in one of the clear flowing Hill Country Rivers, so that's what I did Saturday. I had waded this section of the Sabinal just north of Utopia a little over a year ago and I've been suffering a nervous twitch ever since. My only concern was water condition. The Sabinal is a beautiful, clear flowing river, but for a 36 hour period the region experienced some rain that in creased the cfs by 10. So, I had my concerns whether the next day I would be slipping my feet into pristine or murky waters. Well, that solves that. I was going to have B-E-A-Utiful waters for this morning's wade. The first pool up river from the launch is productive one; mostly loaded with sunfish and small bass. It's a little tricky to fish with a roll cast being the dominant casting technique utilized to maximize the hole. I caught quite a few sunfish and guad/largemouth bass up to about 10 inches. After this first hole the Cyprus tress quickly enclose as the river gets narrow and shallower. The shallower waters do hold fish, but it's dang near impossible to fish with a fly rod with all the overhanging Cyprus limbs. In between the two pools is a nice little waterfall, so I snapped a photo. The next hole was a very productive one for me and had large cats (up to 18"), sunfish (up to 9") and bass (up to 20"), though I never could get the alpha bass to bite my fly. Actually, thinking back, each pool I fished (4 total) had an alpha cruising around, but I could not get a single one to follow my fly. Same thing happened a year ago.....so......it's official; I'm on a mission. Oh, so the last time I fished this section I found a horseshoe sitting in the water. Well this time I found I a dead Armadillo. So, I'm not sure if that's good luck or bad, but it's something; right? After the dead Armadillo I reached the opposite side of the hole where it began to get shallow and I saw one of the alpha bass cruising. She spotted and me a refused the fly I put in front of her. So, and I'm not really exaggerating, I stood still for almost 15 minutes thinking the bass would establish I wasn't a predator and would relax some. It didn't work. I did manage to hook into one of the large catfish swimming around. But it snapped my tippet when I reached to land it. After that I hooked into about a 1.25 lbs Guad that gave me a great fight and some aerial acrobatics! Until it tossed the hook. So, here are a couple pretty pictures: After those mishaps, and my watch telling me noon had come and passed, I reached the final hole. Again, there were nice sized catfish, an alpha bass, juvenile bass, and plenty of sunfish. I laid my line out next to a big rock and got an enthusiastic strike. To my surprise it was a Rio Grande Cichlid! Even better was it was one of the largest I've hooked on the fly. I played her slowly, and got her in my hand, about 11". Feeling great about catching the Cichlid and seeing it was coming on to the 1 o'clock hour I decided to call it a day. Since I had done this wade before I knew there was a large spring at the end of my wade, so I planned accordingly. I pulled out a cigar, fired her up, and relaxed next to the spring for the next 20 minutes. Not a bad Saturday. Not a bad Saturday at all.
"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058172
08/23/15 04:43 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257
Neumie
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257 |
"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058373
08/23/15 01:39 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 40,973
CCTX
mapquest
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mapquest
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 40,973 |
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058454
08/23/15 02:09 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 303
J Barlow
Angler
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Angler
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 303 |
Looks like fun! Nice pics!
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058475
08/23/15 02:18 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,759
banker-always fishing
Pumpkin Head
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Pumpkin Head
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,759 |
Solid post. Love that Sabinal Valley!
IGFA World Record Rio Grande Cichlid. Lake Dunlap. John 3:16 Sinner's Prayer. God forgive me a sinner. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior !
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058476
08/23/15 02:18 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 43,998
Tallgrass05
bill maher's protege
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bill maher's protege
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 43,998 |
Lovely fishing and photo fun.
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11058545
08/23/15 03:05 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,269
jasoniam
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,269 |
Well dog gone that makes me need to go learn how to fly fish......just beautiful ..... Amazing pics by the way
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11061897
08/25/15 03:20 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 5,652
B_Rod
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 5,652 |
Great post, Josh, and very cool photos. Good to see you taking advantage of your new digs. Two thoughts on your trip: First, as far as you not being sure whether finding the dead armadillo was good luck or bad--it wasn't good luck for the armadillo. Second thought...what has been seen cannot be unseen. And by that, I mean this...
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: B_Rod]
#11063714
08/26/15 12:53 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257
Neumie
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,257 |
Thanks for reading guys. Great post, Josh, and very cool photos. Good to see you taking advantage of your new digs.
Two thoughts on your trip: First, as far as you not being sure whether finding the dead armadillo was good luck or bad--it wasn't good luck for the armadillo.
Second thought...what has been seen cannot be unseen. And by that, I mean this... Judging from this post and my last I'm starting to think nobody wants to see my mug.
"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11064223
08/26/15 04:47 AM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 14,444
Mark Ray
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 14,444 |
Outstanding pics, Josh. Looks like it was a great trip.
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11064467
08/26/15 12:53 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 9,937
Fish ZoMbiE
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 9,937 |
yep, dead dillos r good luck. Ligit post Havent eaten one b4. R cichlids good eatin? Dillos r good eatin. a lil stinky and tuff to clean. hold breath.
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11065030
08/26/15 04:22 PM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 926
MtnDew
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 926 |
_________________________________________________ Rob
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Re: Sabinal River - Return to Thompson Rd Crossing
[Re: Neumie]
#11067053
08/27/15 03:46 PM
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 11,884
roadtrip
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 11,884 |
It's posts like this that make the TFF the best fishing website on the net. Amazing photographs
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