My 8 year old Son, RiverViking and I had planned a much anticipated Brazos River overnighter for the Holiday.
Our hopes were high, and although I would not normally schedule a trip that coincides with a Holiday, I felt good about our plan to do some trophy striper fishing that evening and the following morning.
We had our kayaks loaded and were on the road by afternoon.
We arrive at the River with a gameplan for a reasonable paddle downriver to our remote camp site in a area of the Brazos where I felt we would have the best shot at RiverViking's first striped bass over 20 pounds.
Here is RiverViking, leading the charge downriver after a short swim.
On our way down river, we find this little guy crying his heart out on the river bank in a very remote area . Complete with not one, but 2 collars. Of course, neither one had any owner inforamtion and as we were paddleing away, the darn cat jumps in the River and starts swimming after us! Needless to say, he became our Camp Masot. He rode around with us that evening and the next day on our kayaks.
However, that was not before RiverViking could fatten him up a little with steady hand camp hand outs of river minnows and baby back rib bones to pick clean.
RiverViking gets the evening started with a LMB.
Then the channel cats keep us busy for awhile.
With no runs on the striper baits and the catfish bite waning, we decide to call it a day, and hit the hay in our spartan riverside camp. Periodically during the night, my Son would awake and comment out loud on how brilliant the stars were overhead.
We awake early the next morning and put out a spread of fresh live shad.
It does not take long and one of the bait clickers starts talking. RiverViking is first up on the rod and before long, He's getting all he wants from a trophy class striper on the other end of His 12#line. RiverViking is hooked up hard!
After a classic give and take striper battle, we slide this bad girl of 21 pounds up on the gravel for a quick CPR session.
RiverVikings first striper over 20 pounds,Congratulations Son!
As we are preparing to break camp and go down river, we get another run and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz it's off to the races!. A short time later, RiverViking has his second striper of the day, another fine fish in the high teens,pushing close to 20. After a quick CPR session, She's back in the drink.
The healthy release.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2252.jpg[/img]
Soon after, we head downriver. Upon ariving at our destination,I net some fresh shad, set the table and wait for our guests. It's not long, and once again zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz as one of our downline shad gets lit up. I hand the rod to RiverViking so He can go to work on it.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2270.jpg[/img]
RiverViking eventually lands a nice striper in the upper teens.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2262.jpg[/img]
With mid-morning upon us, my hopes for bigger fish were growing dim. All of the sudden, one of our big shad on a freeline starts getting knocked about on top by what appears to be a large striper. All we can do is watch, as the last momments of the shads life unfold before our eyes!
Once again, RiverViking jumps into action and winds tight to what is obviously the big fish of the day. We both watch the 12# line dissapear off the Ambassadeur 5600 Pro Maxx on the first of many runs this fish would make during the fight. Following a intense give and take battle, RiverViking lands and CPRs a real brute that winds up pushing Him to the limits and pushing the scales to 23 pounds!!!
Congratulations to RiverViking on the new pending Texas Jr. Angler Catch and Release State Record Striped Bass of 34" long.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2265.jpg[/img]
With the striper portion of our trip drawing to a close, we shift our gear and our mindset towards a new specie of the greener variety, the Riverine Largemouth .
As we advance up river, RiverViking and I approach a creek mouth with a good color change at mid river. We rig up our Flukes weightlesss on 10# gear and start picking off 14-16" average largemouth on every other cast for about 30 minutes.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2277.jpg[/img]
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2258.jpg[/img]
However, our newfound companion, Camp Mascot, appears somewhat un-impressed by the wide open LMB bite and instead, decides to doze on the bow of RiverVikings Scrambler XT . This is the last photo we have of Camp Mascot. Soon he awakes and wanders off never to be seen again.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2256.jpg[/img]
We hated to see our new friend leave us, but we had a higher calling to attend to. With afternoon clouds begining to gather, we beat a hasty retreat up river to hit some prime LMB water, and take advantage of the slight barometric change.
However, RiverViking slows down long enough to catch the best LMB of the day............. Thus far.
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2235-1.jpg[/img]
As the clouds continue to gather, we paddle up river and arrive at our destination. With weightless Flukes and 8# spinning gear in hand, we cast and drift as the tailwind pushes us up-river through a deep, slow moving hole.
Suddenly, I feel the tell tale "thump" of a take as my Fluke is inhaled by a bass. I wind down and come tight to a fish of that won't come up, but instead, shook it's head repeatedly, from side to side, moving away slowly but staying down and gaining speed. These dramatic headshakes and bottom hugging strength betrayed the true size of the LMB I was dealing with.
At this point, I let the rod and the kayak do the rest of the work, and slowly, but shurly I gain enough line to bring the fish higher in the water column where I see Her break water for the first time
A true Giant LMB of magnificent proportion, the likes of which I have never seen in person or photo in 20 years on the Brazos River.
Soon after, I slip my shaking hand into the cavernous mouth of the most magnificent 26" Riverine LMB I could imagine
A Toad of a LMB that will easily eclipse the current 24" Brazos River Record LMB and one inch short of the 27" Texas State Record Catch and Release Record LMB!
[img:center]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/YaknYota/shanesfish2276-1.jpg[/img]
After a few quick photos, we complete the CPR session and away She swims
Within minutes, the winds began to build. RiverViking and I give each other a knowing look as we begin to stow our gear for the trip up river to take out.
Sometimes, words can only go so far ya know.
GOODNIGHT!
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