So Coach P, Mjmmc and I did the dam to Dick's float yesterday... We launched at 6 and took out at 6 at the 2114 bridge, so it was a decent simulation of the time frame for the tourney we'll be having there on August 9... We took a very leisurely approach and actually drifted a couple areas multiple times sometimes spending close to an hour or more in a spot... According to streamflow they generated on the 9th which isn't recent enough to affect levels really and to our surprise there was much less dragging than I've ever seen for the summer months... No doubt it'll be different in August but maybe we'll get lucky? Really only had to drag at 3-4 spots for a very short distance so that was a plus... Big thing for this tourney will be staying hydrated. Yesterday's air temps topped 100 and having plenty of water and Gatorade is a must so if you're planning on doing the tourney make sure you've got a robust 'hydration' plan for the summer heat. Fishing-wise it was quite good. Low and slow means that you can find fish predictably in some of the deep holes and bends, but we also found groups of fish bunched up in as little as 3-4 feet as long as there was grass for cover... Coach P had a helluva day with his best three going 57 inches... If he fishes this thing watch out, he's a really good sight fisherman... I was thinking yesterday how this tourney will be great for guys who excel at shallow water sight fishing while standing from the yak... Very different skill set from what's normally rewarded at our tourneys (being able to control your boat on big water in 20+ mph wind)... We made visuals on some really big fish at a couple spots.... They're tough to get to bite but they're there. I'm predicting that someone will get a 22-24 plus inch river bass for this tourney. We found some nice quality near a deeper spot with a couple in the twenty inch range... Man fish that size in the river can really pull! It's always a nice surprise! I ended up with maybe 12 total and a best three sack of about 54-55 inches. Coach killed it with 57 inches and Michael had a very respectable day in the 50 inch range and a Brazos slam with an lmb, a smallie, and a spot. I'm predicting the winning three fish stringer for this tourney will be in the 54-58 inch range... I also had a beautiful 16 inch smallie... First brownie of the year for me. Gotta love that river... Beautiful day on a beautiful stretch... Gonna be fun on the 9th fellas!








Ninja and I are gonna be doing another float soon and we plan to talk a little more about time frames and landmarks in that report...

nice report! I will be intrested to see how everyone does in August. Having a large group will create a challenge of it's own.

I didn't recognize you guys, Tom, but I think we passed you in the river at about mile 6 or so. Dan and me were paddling a canoe; no fishing for us that day, just a workout to get us used to paddling a canoe together (practice for the Pecos so we can go find our stuff). Was gonna say something, but I had a hard time seeing your all's faces, and didn't recognize you. There was another canoe with a couple in it a couple of hundred yards in front of us, I think, when we passed you guys.

how cool! love that kind of stuff.

Wow... That's odd we missed each other Bert... Sometimes this fishing/paddling/river ratting thing can really distract you from your surroundings though LOL...

I had a good time fishing with Tom and coach. I'm a river novice and am always surprised at how little water will hold nice fish. This trip involved less dragging than any previous float I've done. I echo Tom in saying that hydration should be top of mind. There's no such thing as having too much water to drink. This is gonna be an interesting tournament, and I'll not be surprised if someone approaches 60" in three fish. I saw them so I know they're there.

ill be up in there sat morning havent been in a month. i bet near the damn is just swamped in that snot grass now.

good fish nice size ones. All thoes river fish in there are so thick and strong.

Nice fish and a good report. Thanks for sharing.

Hmmm, my phone never rang & no text, Tom?! Congrats on a nice smallie!

Great report! Keep 'em coming!

Jamie my bad... Next time I'll definitely let you know when we're coming down... I always assume you fish weekdays and work weekends... Probably way off I'm sure your schedule is much more varied than that...

Just had to rib you a bit, hehe! Used to be my schedule was pretty much 3 on, 3 off. New rules/laws went into effect January and since my schedule has been pretty inconsistent. But it's resulted in me working 3 or 4 more days a month As it turned out I was off, but I spent the day with a heat gun working on the cracks around my seat scuppers...again.

Thanks for sharing the pictures . Some good looking bass up there . I'd like to have one of those deep fried on my plate for lunch !