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Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! #11060927 08/24/15 06:52 PM
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Lloyd5 Offline OP
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I had an idea A (generally that is how I get into trouble) and thought I'd pass it on as an individual post.

The Brazos River Air Boaters are hosting wounded veterans on a river run September 12. We've got the vets, but we still need a couple of volunteers. Volunteers need to know about fly fishing, in this case warm water experience would be extra helpful but not strictly necessary - just knowing how to fly fish is enough. Each vet will have at least one volunteer assigned to him or her. They will ride together in an airboat driven (piloted? Steered?) by the boat owner. The idea is to run up and down the river between Whitney and Waco, find good fishing holes, and fly fish those holes. The boat owners will provide food, drinks, PFDs, and transportation. At the end of the day there will be a big dinner for everyone also. The boats will start out just below the dam that Saturday morning about 8am. They'll be back mid-afternoon for the big feed.

If you are interested in being a volunteer, please call Lew Duckwall at 972-977-4234 and mention my name. Lew is the director of the North Texas Healing Waters Group. I'm going to copy and paste the day's instructions to the vets here to give you some idea of what the day will be like - can't figure out how to attach a text file. Sorry, it's going to be a bit long for this format and not sure how the formatting is going to translate. Should be a hell of a lot of fun for everyone involved!

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED
TO BE OUR HONORED GUEST
AT THE FIRST ANNUAL
BRAZOS RIVER FLY FISHING RUN!
Sponsored by the
BRAZOS RIVER AIR BOATERS CLUB
FOR
PROJECT HEALING WATER, NORTH TEXAS

This one day event is on September 12, 2015. Check in time is between 7am and 8am at the Lake Whitney Dam.
From either Fort Worth or Dallas take I-35 (E or W depending on your starting point) south to Hillsboro. I-35 E&W join together just north of Hillsboro, youll exit I-35 right in that area where they come back together. From Dallas take Exit 370A, from Fort Worth take Exit 370 both will take you to 579 which you will take to your right (west). 579 will turn into 81 which will take you on into Hillsboro. Turn right (west) at the Courthouse onto Hwy 22 West and follow that to the Lake Whitney Dam. Cross over the dam and check in at the Bosque Mini Mart - on your left.

Or stay on I35-S into Hillsboro and take Exit 368A to Highway 22 and turn right (West) and follow the signs through town. Its a bit slower this way but if you miss the first exit its the next best way.

Driving time from Downtown Fort Worth is about 1.5 hours and about the same from Downtown Dallas, maybe a bit more. Check Google Maps from your starting point to Hillsboro for a time frame that fits your specific route. Then add driving time from Hillsboro to Lake Whitney Dam of approximately 30 minutes.

There are several speed traps along both routes from DFW all the way to the Dam, so drive accordingly.

What to Bring, and Appropriate Clothing

Youll be getting in and out of an airboat to fish and youll be doing a good bit of wading. The water will be warm and the sun is likely to be hot. You wont need waders. Footwear should be comfortable to wear when wet. Old tennis shoes with thick white socks is about the best you can possibly wear in this river. Sandals that strap tightly to your feet work well enough, however they can leave the tops of your feet vulnerable to sunburn, and gravel will get between your feet and the sandals sole which can be an irritant for some people. Flip-flops are definitely not recommended, they just dont work. Shoes specifically made for wading will work well.

A wading staff is a good accessory to have at times, but this isnt going to be what you might think of as swift water, generally the current is pretty gentle, although you may find some slippery footing now and then. Felt soles can be a plus in those slippery areas.

Shorts are always a good bet, but be aware that your legs will easily sun burn; if you wear shorts be sure to bring a heavy duty waterproof sun block and to liberally apply. Apply it early and liberally reapply it often. You dont want to go home sunburned, and if youre not careful, you will. Full length pants (if you prefer them to shorts) should be of light weight cloth that wont drag at you too much when wet. Light weight cotton fabric is a good bet. Blue jeans are terrible as they get really heavy when wetyou get the idea.

Shirts should also be light weight and long sleeved for sun protection. If you decide to wear short sleeves the same advice about sun block applies to your arms.

Liberally apply sun block to your neck and face too, theyll burn rapidly otherwise. Even with a hat your face can still get burned from the reflected light off the water.

Hats are something of an issue on a fast moving boat. If you wear a wide brimmed hat youll be taking it off and holding it when the boat is in motion. If you wear a baseball cap it wont give you much sun protection, but you can turn it around while the boat is in motion, and you can slip a kerchief under it to cover your ears and neck while fishing, French Foreign Legion style, so to speak...Bring a kerchief for that purpose if you wear a baseball cap.

Sun glasses are a must bring item. Polarized ones are the best. You need sunglasses for three reasons. One is that they protect your eyes from hooks while casting. Two is that they will protect your eyes from the wind while the boat is in motion. Three is that with polarized glasses you will have the opportunity to actually see and cast directly to fish. And as a fourth bonus reason, it gets really bright out there with the sun coming down and reflecting back up at you.

Youll be sitting in the front of a fast moving boat, dont wear a kilt or a skirt.

Bring any medications you need for the day.

Bring your camera. You may have opportunities to photograph wildlife as well as the fish you catch. Long stretches of this river are in remote country and theres some beautiful scenery along the way; boar and deer are sometimes spotted, and lots and lots of birds large and small.

Its always a good idea, when far out and away from the comforts of plumbing, to carry some toilet paper in a water proof baggie stuffed down deep into one of your pockets. Just in case

Insect repellant might be useful at times.

A bath sized towel and a face towel might come in handy. Bring a small rag to wipe your hands with after handling fish.

You wont be spending the night, so you wont need to bring overnight things.

Food and Drinks

Food and Drinks will be provided by the Brazos River Air Boaters (BRAB). They will have food and drinks on the boats and they will provide an evening meal after the fishing. If you have special food/drink requirements please be sure and let Project Healing Waters know well ahead of time. There arent any breakfast arrangements for that morning.

Where to Meet

We will have a rendezvous point on the West side (Bosque County side) of the Lake Whitney Dam on Highway 22, in Laguna Park. Check in is at the BOSQUE MINI MART parking area by 8am. Mobile Phone Number for the Check in is 817-422-8518. Please do not be late - being late means 8:01 or later - or you may miss your boat.

The BOSQUE MINI MART will be on your left hand side almost immediately after you cross over the dam (going from East to West as in coming in from Hillsboro). From that point to the boat loading area is about half a mile - and you will be provided directions then as it is a bit difficult to describe by map but easy to point out from the check in point.
Check in with Project Healing Waters Personnel outside the store and you will get directions for the final half mile to the boats. -- In short the boats will be just below the dam a few hundred yards, on the West side of the river, and you have to kind of circle down to them on a gravel road through a cedar break. The gravel road entry will be plainly marked with balloons or signs. If for some reason you miss the check in, go to the blinking light just past the Bosque Mini Mart, and turn left (north) onto FM56, then take the very first gravel road that you will see on the left (east) (its just a bit up FM56 from the blinking light) follow the balloons or signs from there to the river.

Bosque Mini Mart sells fishing licenses, but that should be considered your last resort for getting one. But if thats your plan, then plan to get to the store early enough to get your license and get out again before 8am.

BRAB is in an affiliation with the Texas Game Wardens, and if stopped and checked and you are found not to have a license or you have illegal fish, it would be an embarrassment for your host - and an expensive ticket for you. Please attend to this detail.

The boats will leave at 10 to 15 minute intervals to spread the fishing out.

Fishing Tackle and PFDs

Project Healing Waters will furnish a fishing guide and fly fishing tackle. The guide will be there to assist you, showing you how to cast a fly rod if youve never done so, and to help you select the best flys and techniques. Your guide will assist you in all other ways possible as well.

BRAB will furnish you an awesome ride in an Air Boat and they will furnish Personal Flotation Devices. It will be between you and your boat captain whether you wear one or not while in the boat, but if the Captain says wear one, then it is no longer optional. One will be in the boat for your use in either case.

Mobility Issues

Parking will be close to the boats. There will be plenty of assistance if you need assistance getting to and then in and out of the boats, and assistance while you wade and fish as well. Anyone can call it a day at any time and be taken back to their car. Otherwise the fishing will go on until late in the afternoon. All boats will be back at the cars at a time to be announced on the event day (depending on weather, etc.) but it will be before dark settles in.

Brazos River Fishing Tips

The Brazos is home to a large variety of warm water fish. There are Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Striped Bass, and two or three varieties of Hybrid Bass. There are several kinds of catfish, and there are drum, and buffalo, and bluegills of several types, and gar, and crappie, and carp. All of these fish will take a fly when they are in the mood and the fly is presented in a tempting way. All of these fish will put up a great fight for you.

If you want to fish with flys only, then the best all around general use fly is a black woolybooger. Other colors also work. Clousers are a good choice as are imitations of hellgrammites and crayfish. Terrestrials that you can fish on top can often be good flys as well. The fish change preferences for color on a regular basis, so a good selection of colors in each fly is a good idea. Fly size should be, on average, be 1 to 2 long. Larger flies will discourage some of the smaller fish, sometimes, if that is desirable to you.

Leader size should be at least 8lb test, up to 10lb test. You stand the chance of getting a big fish on the line but most of the time 8lb will handle what you hook. Most of the time

A 5 wt fly rod is an excellent all around size.

If you are willing to cast something other than a fly, then a 1 chartreuse Gulp Minnow on a #6 or #8 baitkeeper style hook is a great bet. It is clunky to cast, have no doubt about that, but it is also a bait that gets a lot of hits from every variety of fish in the river. It is totally legal, its just that some fly fishermen are only happy casting real flys, and more power to them for it. You will not be able to buy these Gulp Minnows at most bait shops, but Cabelas and Bass-Pro sometimes have them. If you have time to order them and get them in the mail, you can generally find them on ebay at a reasonable price. A small jar of them shouldnt cost you much more than about $6, not counting shipping. Amazon sells them, but at a very high price.

Your air boat crew will take you to several likely fishing spots during the day. Generally you want to look for water that is deeper than the surrounding water. A waist deep area that has a long length of shallower water either side of it is a good area. Fishing under overhanging trees is a good bet. Fishing near submerged cover in deeper water can be good. A prime spot, if you can find one, is deep water shaded by over hanging trees with a submerged log in it, surrounded by shallow water. If you find that youve found gold. Each of those elements - on their own - can be a good fishing spot. The more of these elements you can combine, the better the spot is likely to be.

There are two general techniques that work well here:

Technique one is a dead drift. Attach a strike indicator and cast up stream, allow the fly to drift downstream through your chosen area, without any added action, and let it drift at the speed of the current, so mend your line accordingly you want your fly to bounce along the bottom if you can, just above the bottom will work, and so on up to floating shallow if you see fish working shallow.

Technique two is to cast out and strip the fly back to you. Vary the strip increment length and speed to find what is working. Try both techniques and see which one is working best for you but try them both on each new spot. River fishing takes a lot of experimenting at each place you stop. What worked in one spot may not work in the next, or it might. You never know.

If you want to take your catch home, youll need to bring an ice chest with ice. Inform yourself as to the legal lengths and limits of each species you might bring back.

Most of all have a great time. The Airboaters that are sponsoring this trip are great people that have a deep respect for veterans and want to do this to honor you for your service. Relax and let them be your host for the day. And a feast will await at the end of the day by the river as well so you wont go home hungry.





Last edited by Lloyd5; 08/25/15 12:45 PM.

Texas State Editor: FishExplorer http://www.fishexplorer.com/tx

http://www.amazon.com/River-Proceeds-Wou...ds=on+the+river

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Re: Volunteer Fly Fishing [Re: Lloyd5] #11062166 08/25/15 12:43 PM
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Lloyd5 Offline OP
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And don't forget - as a volunteer you'll be blasting up and down the river in an airboat and fishing too. Did I mention that the volunteers also fish? Yes, they do, right alongside their veteran. It will be an awesome day.


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http://www.amazon.com/River-Proceeds-Wou...ds=on+the+river

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Re: Volunteer Fly Fishing [Re: Lloyd5] #11062834 08/25/15 05:13 PM
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Robert Hunter Offline
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I would love to sign up for this but they refuse to give us a date to reopen from our remodle. It looks to be right about then. So I figure out a day I may check to see if any one cancelled. I am having a job fair this weekend to start hiring new staff so it should be soon. That seems like a great project would really like to attend.


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11062852 08/25/15 05:23 PM
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Jerry Hamon Offline
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Lloyd, I would be interested in helping with this event.
I'll call Lew.


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11062854 08/25/15 05:24 PM
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Lloyd5 Offline OP
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Wonderful Jerry!
smile


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11062859 08/25/15 05:27 PM
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Jerry Hamon Offline
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Originally Posted By: Lloyd5
Wonderful Jerry!
smile


Okay, I'm signed up! Can't wait.
(I probably know most of the airboat guys, I yak the river often and chat with them)


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11062949 08/25/15 06:10 PM
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Robert Hunter Offline
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I was just told we open on the 7th or 14th will know for sure later today. I'll sign up if it's the 14th.


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11062983 08/25/15 06:23 PM
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Can't wait to meet you guys!


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http://www.amazon.com/River-Proceeds-Wou...ds=on+the+river

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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11065056 08/26/15 04:37 PM
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That sounds like something I and my fly club could help with..
I'll kick it around with them to see who might be interested.. at the very least many of us on the TFF could be on the river that day to assist with the on shore details and a show of support for our vets..


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: hook-line&sinker] #11065102 08/26/15 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: hook-line&sinker
That sounds like something I and my fly club could help with..
I'll kick it around with them to see who might be interested.. at the very least many of us on the TFF could be on the river that day to assist with the on shore details and a show of support for our vets..


Outstanding! Call Lew if you have any that want to make the run!


Texas State Editor: FishExplorer http://www.fishexplorer.com/tx

http://www.amazon.com/River-Proceeds-Wou...ds=on+the+river

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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11067974 08/27/15 11:18 PM
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Lloyd finally found out we open the 15th and have to be there a few days before to get it all ready. As gm can't really miss first day after a few month remodle at least I get opening day of dove lol. I was really looking forward to a little later start sounds like an enjoyable and beneficial event for all involved. I hope you'll have a great time and really slay them. I guess to tell you the truth I have caught so many fish in the last few months of basically being retired that I'm about to drive myself crazy so I am glad to go to work again at the same time was a great paid vacation though. I will be watching for this again though if it is an annual event we will definitely have slowed down by then and I will be there.


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11068617 08/28/15 04:27 AM
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Is this organization in any way affiliated with heroes on the water?

It sounds like a fantastic event.

Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Bau5hunter] #11069280 08/28/15 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: Bau5hunter
Is this organization in any way affiliated with heroes on the water?

It sounds like a fantastic event.


Project Healing Waters is an organization with the same goals as Heroes on the Water.
They are two separate organizations. HOW takes Veterans and their families out for a day of kayak fishing.
PHW takes Veterans out for a day or a weekend of fly fishing. It may be wading, kayaking, on a boat, or as in the case with this event on an airboat.

They are both great organizations with hearts for our Veterans.


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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11070373 08/29/15 01:42 AM
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Jerry you nailed it. I've been off-line for a couple of days, but it appears that there are two spots left open for volunteers. If you're interested, give Lew a call. His number is up the chain of comments.

A day of riding an airboat, food, fishing, helping a veteran, fishing, and oh...fishing!


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http://www.amazon.com/River-Proceeds-Wou...ds=on+the+river

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Re: Volunteer For An Awesome Day of Fly Fishing and Airboat Riding on the Brazos! [Re: Lloyd5] #11070459 08/29/15 02:08 AM
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I work with both groups and it is great therapy for me as well as the Vets! I'll start tying up some of my secret Brazos flies this weekend.


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