Big Buffalo

Last year I caught a personal largest on a fly rod, a Buffalo that weighed almost 24 pounds. Today I bested that.

I waded out into that cold water again yesterday and caught another couple of dozen big bluegills. Then I hooked into something big. To repeat a cliche, I thought I had snagged on a log. I pulled and it didn't budge, I pulled harder to try and break the leader and suddenly it took off, fast. And once again (like the other weekend) it broke my leader before I could let some line slip. This was a powerful fish and the feel it left in my hands was like an itch.

I waded out of the river and walked home and realized that the cold water I'd been waist deep in for a couple of hours had me on the edge of hypothermia. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering hard, but I was mostly numb feeling. Heavy heavy legs made walking home seem slow motion. But I kept feeling that feeling in my hands, that feeling of power transmitting through the pole.

All night I kept feeling it, and I dreamed about it last night. In the dream it was a whale and I had a little switch, and then the dream got weird the way dreams do. I woke up thinking about it. And thinking about how cold I had gotten in the water too. By 10am I was walking to the fishing spot, pole in hand. I couldn't ignore it any longer.

And after a couple of dozen big bluegills, I got something big on the line, again. Really big, and really heavy, and really strong. But this time I played it soft and easy and didn't let the line take too much strain. 8lb test monofilament for leader, 6wt rod, 9 foot long and I was waist deep in that cold water - but I didn't feel the cold, not while I had this fish on. It was a give and take thing - I'd give it line and it would take it. Then I'd slowly take in line as it gave it. For over an hour we went back and forth before I ever got a glimpse of the fish. And that glimpse only told me that it was around 3 foot long.

Half an hour later I got a better look. A Buffalo or a carp, couldn't tell yet - but it was more silver than yellow so my money was on Buffalo. Another quarter of an hour and I had a couple of good looks at it, a Buffalo - and a bigger one than the 23lb 8oz one from last year. All told I think I fought it for about two hours, but I don't carry a watch. When I finally got it up to me, worn down and docile, it was huge. I couldn't lift it out of the water so I used my needle nose pliers, removed the hook (no barb) from its lip and watched it swim off. I don't know what it weighed, I just know it was half again as big as the biggest one I'd caught. But even at double the weight, it wouldn't have been a record Buffalo. Well maybe on a fly rod in the Brazos, but probably not even at that. These things get huge.

It was a huge fight, a huge fish. That itch in my hands went away - for a while - but I expect it will come back, probably by next weekend.

Great story! Congrats on the buffalo and experience!

cool deal. I like the fact that you were more excited about the fight than how much it weighed. Great story and a greater catch!-p-

Two things,
1) No photo no believe.
2) "Fish stories told here, some of them true"
If neither apply it is immaterial, nice report, well done, a photo would have crowned it though.

Thanks guys - I really do need to carry a camera, I even bought one for that purpose. But I have a bad habit of removing things from my vest that don't directly contribute to catching fish. And after a dozen trips with no photo opps worth anything I cull the camera, until I wish I had it like I wish I had it yesterday, and then I start carrying it again, and then after a dozen trips with out needing it...

But I am thinking of getting a .22 pistol (revolver), rat-shot loads, and a shoulder rig for this spring. A little snake prevention might go a long way.

I have fished or hunted in the south for about 49 years I have even collected and raise snakes in Texas. Please refrain from removing snakes as opportunity a rises. we catch and release fish for another day, but kill he lowly snake. There is very few death by snakes in the US; see below. Your odds of dying are statistical greater to get killed by a spouse, I know my wife would shot back if I pop her with rat shot. I would like to see the public have a better opinion of fly fishermen than rednecks shooting snakes. We should all feel a great sense of pride that Texas allows guns in the outdoors though out the year. Lets not give ammo to the gun haters moving in the state.


Snake Bite Statistics
•About 7,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. annually.
•Only 0.2% (1 out of 500) venomous snake bites result in death
•On average, 1 to 2 people in Texas die each year from venomous snake bites in Texas.
•Roughly half of all venomous snake bites are "dry." That is, the snake does not inject venom into the victim.

Yes and an effective snake bite will cost you anything up to the region of $20 thousand plus and a good portion of time off work. I am not a friend of snakes, not that I have killed one here yet.

I've been fishing along-side snakes pretty much all my life, have had so many close encounters with them that I could talk all night telling stories. If you fish in the south, snakes are part of it. Fact is that I don't mind snakes, if they don't mind me. They eat rats, how could you not like something that eats rats? But now and then, not often, but it does happen, I come across an aggressive water moccasin when I'm waist deep in water. On dry land it's usually no problem to get away from a snake - but when you're up to your butt in water it's a different story.

The last time that happened I popped it on the head with the tip of my fly rod. All that did was make it go underwater where I could no longer see it, so then I began backing up out of the water. It was a long way to dry stuff and it took me a while - and the moccasin kept popping back up and following me, then going back under. Usually within five feet, sometimes within three.

It followed me all the way out of the water, with me fencing at it with my fly rod. It came out of the water completely, but on dry stuff I was mobile and it was no longer as much of a threat. People say they are not aggressive, just curious, but my mother was chased by a water moccasin when she was little, she climbed a tree to get away from it and it came up the tree after her and bit her on the foot. I've seen several aggressive moccasins - most not so much, but there's enough of them out there to be aware of the fact.

While the low rate of fatalities is often quoted, what's not often quoted is what happens to those that survive. Pain, often extreme pain, fever, rapid blood pressure changes, hemorrhaging, trouble breathing, shock, major soft tissue damage and even amputations are not uncommon following a snake bite - sure you can survive an amputated limb, if you have to. If you are in a remote area by yourself, death is not out of the question.

One study in Florida found that 17% of the amputations in the state (the study was on children) were caused by snake bites.

I've killed a few snakes, but only the ones that presented a danger and couldn't safely be removed to another place.

Among other things I can tell the difference between a moccasin and a non-poisonous snake, and it's not difficult. If I decide to get the pistol and carry it, it won't be to go around randomly killing snakes, it will be to kill moccasins that are too close and won't back off, and that is not an experience I would wish on anyone - but it does come with fishing at times.

I've had enough close encounters with snakes that I don't hesitate. Rattlers, cotton mouth, and copper heads may not kill me but when it comes between my legs while I'm wadding, or comes at me when coming close to the water, I shoot the blasted thing. Better safe than sorry. It's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.