| Newsletter of the Central Texas Flyfishers | March 2003 Vol. 9 No. 3 |
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Calendar
| Officers | March Thoughts | New
Meeting Location
San
Marcos River Foundation Request | New Magazine |
Editor's Cast | Back Issues |
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President: Kevin Duren
Vice President: Steve Batchelor
Conservation: Billy Wofford
Outings: Matt Jennings & Justin Millikan
Secretary: Marcus Rodriguez
Treasurer: Brian Watson
If it is not one thing it is another. If is not a steady rainfall it is freezing rain, sleet, hail, thunder, and lightning. Old man winter gripped us hard during this end of February. Now March is upon us and so is the promise of better weather...I hope. March and April are the time of the year where fronts dip into Central Texas on an almost weekly basis. This is however an exciting time. We see the countryside coming back to life, and many fly fishers are getting their gear out to chase white bass.
During the last big freeze, I was inspired to see Matt Jennings out by Joe's Crab Shack. Later that day, Matt was fishing the hatch behind the Lion's Club were we meet. From what I remember, Matt said he caught a few, but it was hard as he could not see his fly due to the steam rising off the river like cumulus clouds.
The next day I fly fished the Comal River. I figured if Matt was tough enough to brave the elements, I could too. This was the first time I was able to fly fish in about a month. It was awesome. I caught three bass and the morning temperature was just over 28 degrees. The bass were nice. I would have caught five bass, but I was so cold that I could not feel the bass hit, and I could not lift my rod fast enough after the bass struck the bumble bee colored top water. Oh well, I am sure I will miss many more strikes in the future. I cannot wait to explore some more rivers as the temperature warms up. The guiding is picking up and I am assuming that I will busy for the summer if I don’t get flooded out again. I have finally found a couple of rivers that may give the San Marcos some competition. I won’t say which ones they are right now, but I will definitely keep you all posted.
Do
not forget that the CTFF meeting will no longer be at the recreation center,
behind the Lions Club 'Toob' rental location, in City Park.. From now on CTFF
will be meeting at the Old San Marcos Fish Hatchery. It seems like most club
members took a liking to the new place. The new building is located across
the river from our old meeting place. If you park at the old location, you
can take a nice easy walk across the foot bridge to the hatchery. If you do
not feel like walking, there is plenty of parking nearby. Located behind the
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce Building, the new meeting place is cozy and
definitely more intimate. I am looking forward to the next meeting.
"The Guadalupe was a Fly Fishing Federation top 10 "Endangered Fisheries" for the year 2000. Then American Rivers named it as one of the Top Ten Endangered Rivers in the nation in 2002 because of concern about water developers taking more water from the river than it can supply and still support aquatic life, both in the river and in the estuary. The SMRF water right permit for adequate minimal flows in the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers attempts to address this concern, by acquiring water rights to put into the Texas Water Trust, to leave in the river.
The San Marcos River Foundation would like for you to feel welcome to attend the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) meeting on this permit next week, if you are interested in seeing Texas rivers flowing and bays getting fresh water in the future. Please attend the Wed., March 19 TCEQ Commissioners' meeting at which the San Marcos River Foundation permit for in stream flows for Texas rivers and bays will be considered. It will be at 8:30 a.m. in Building E, second floor, in the TCEQ complex on IH 35 in north Austin.
You will need to be there early to get into the big main room by the elevator, and not sent to a overflow room with a TV monitor to see the proceedings. Place something on a chair to hold a place, near the front of the room while you sign in. There is an executive session posted for the first hour and then we have no way of knowing whether they will stick to the agenda or rearrange it, so we are not sure when they will take up our application. If you can't stay very long, at least show up and sign in at the table in the back room and express your opinion on the sign in card.
We will not be allowed to speak, but we can say loads by being there on this historic occasion. TCEQ assistants will help you sign in, and I will be there to distribute a bright card to pin to your lapel that says Rivers and Bays Need Water Too. To get there, as you head north on IH 35, take Yager exit (just after Braker Lane exit) and cross the freeway. After you cross, you will have to loop to the right to get on the southbound feeder road. Come back south toward Austin on the feeder road until you get to Bldg. E, and park wherever you can. If you can't make this one, there will be other occasions soon that you may be able to attend and speak. We'll let you know.
Hey there is a new fly fishing magazine coming out. It is called Fly Fishing Texas Magazine. It should be out late March. From what I hear there are some great pictures and articles found there. This upcoming issue will feature smallmouth bass, the San Gabriel River, and I think a fishing trip with Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight. From what I understand the magazine is not going to be a typical fly fishing magazine, it is going to be something that every fly fisher will want to have under his or her arm when going on a trip through Texas. [Note: there has been a delay in the publication of the first issue due to contractual problems with the original printing company]
Today our nation is teetering on the brink of war. The human race is always fighting for something. The world is a small place and heads have been bumping since the beginning of time and they will continue to bump into our final days.
I have mixed feelings about the war. I change my opinion about the war several times throughout the day. One second I am all for a bombing and the next I feel that we are the enemy. I am not scared, but compared to the last war something does not feel right.
I think that it is funny that some American citizens and other countries are protesting the war. The powers that be have been plotting this for some time and whether we like it or not, we are headed to Iraq. We are all praying for the Americans that are overseas fighting to protect our way of life.
War is a big part of life. We have been fighting from the very beginning. Even as children we play games that prepare us for war. We are playing King of the Mountain with the world. One day we will be pushed off the mountain.
Humans fight all types of battles. We battle traffic, finances, sickness, TECQ, and our conscious. We win some battles. We beat traffic tickets, cancer, and opposing teams. We lose battles as well. We can’t beat gravity, hunger will mess a person up, and death will win every time.
Humans long for battle. Whether it is facing a charge from a Cape Buffalo on the African Continent, climbing Mount Everest, or fighting a tarpon on a crystal clear tropical flat. We want to fight.
I think we at CTFF like to battle as well. We chose fly rods as our weapons and head out to rivers, lakes, and swelling oceans. We battle fish instead of our fellow man (except during the white bass run!). We win some battles and the fish win some battles. We may walk away with our pride bruised, but we walk away.
The coming days will be tense. I am confident that everything will turn out for the best. After all, we are human beings and we have been fighting for a long time.
© 2003 Central Texas Flyfishers
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