Fishing The Blanco With Banker-Always-Fishing

During my travels around the Hill Country I'm always on the lookout for a "new to me" fishing hole. I came across this spot on the Blanco a few weeks ago.

I held off trying it out it until I could get Chuck, aka banker-always-fishing, along for the ride and today was the day. Chuck has generously turned me on to all kinds of new water and I was happy to finally be in a position to return the favor.

It held a pretty good variety of sunfish, although most of the ones I hooked into were small.





I also hooked into a few bass.




We arrived just before seven am and immediately started landing fish. I could only spare a few hours before heading to work, but Chuck was able to make a day of it. Hopefully he'll add photos of some of the many fish he caught, which included a number of Rios and a Warmouth.

Great post. Love fishing new spots. What flies were working best?

Thanks Laker One. I caught most of them on a midge. I can't swear to the proper name of the fly, I bought an unlabeled box of them at Cabela's a while back, but they look sort of like a red disco midge.

Had a great time Will. Always love fishing new places. I found some nice Rios all in the 7 to 8 inch range stacked close to the bank by a weed bed. Stayed on em for about two solid hours and caught at least 20. They were all fat and full of fight. Rounding out the catch were a couple of Bluegill,several small bass,some small greens,and a few Longear. Left around 1:30pm. Nice place to fish.

Great photos Chuck. Sometimes I think the Rios just turn themselves in when you show up. Looking forward to fishing that spot again when I have more time to explore the area.

Thanks1960 Texan for the information. I have had good results throwing sinking spiders and grasshoppers. Brown seems the color of choice.


Side note. Nice fish Chuck. Love finding a stack of Rios. How close wore they to deeper water. ? Again nice fish.

Love the pic of the trademark cricket hook with chunk of worm, tricked bluegill on the end.

Proof that small is fun and especially finding new water.
Thanks fellas!

Yes Sir. Nothing beats a sunfish fight on ultralight tackle.


Side Note: Curtis: The Rios were about 40 yards from a deeper hole! The river was in very good shape!

Awesome looking spot and fish are better rthat now fish an once again chuck thrashes the rios leaving the score 7089 dewey rios 70 lol fellas

Chuck is the Rio king!

Really great pictures and an awesome looking place to fish

You hit it on the head. There are small brown grasshoppers every where. I picked up a live grasshopper and compared it to the hopper pattern Alan and I were using in the creeks. It was a dead match. The fish were smashing those flies.

The closest thing to a hopper that I had with me today was a white and purple Chernobyl ant. I was near Onion Creek around lunchtime and, remembering ya'lls advice on using terrestrials, decided to rig up and fish for a half hour or so. Tossed the fly over a weed bed in the middle of the creek and within a few seconds it got SMASHED by a largemouth bass that had to be at least 19 or 20 inches long. I set the hook and started to bring it in, and just as I was thinking, "I better get this guy on the reel" I got broke off.

That was my only terrestrial besides a handful of poppers. I landed quite a few healthy looking green sunfish and one bluegill on the popper, then switched to a white wooly bugger and missed a strike on another, although much smaller, bass.

Now I've got to go get a bunch of hoppers and ants to keep in my fly box.

I just love those Rios!


Side Note: Sunnies also!

Nice post. It's always good fishing with friend's.

Thanks! The Rios I have been catching seem to be in shallow water as well not to mention somewhat far for the deeper pockets of water.

Or better yet! Put a nice fat Night Crawler on a size six cricket hook! "A Rio's worst enemy".

I figured you would say something like that.

Great looking place to fish and nice pictures.