McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2020 I went out fishing at the Medina River near San Antonio Texas with my new Risen 4wt fly rod and caught some nice bass. If you haven't fished this river before, its beautiful! However keep in mind that it is super clear, and fish will see you. You have to stalk the fish, almost hunt them. Cast to cover and make sure they don't see you. They spook easy, but will take a fly occasionally. It is a beautiful river that is worth the work. I recommend fishing this river barbless as the fish are very pretty here and you want to keep them that way. Its pristine, so lets leave it for more generations by practicing catch and release. There are Guadalupe Bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish of all kinds including redbreast, carp, sucker fish, and catfish here. I have had trouble getting the carp and catfish to take a fly. I think its because the water is so darn clear, that they see me before I have a chance to see them. makes for difficult fishing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2020 Beautiful river. On a place like that with crystal clear water, I would fish downstream, waaaay upstream of the fish. I cast with a lot of line out, out of sight of of the fish. i stop the rod at 12 o'clock and lower the rod tip to allow the fly to drift with the current. Have done this on a local tailwater with success. A long leader and tippet keep the line above the fish. Good luck in the future and have fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 4, 2020 11 minutes ago, skeet3t said: Beautiful river. On a place like that with crystal clear water, I would fish downstream, waaaay upstream of the fish. I cast with a lot of line out, out of sight of of the fish. i stop the rod at 12 o'clock and lower the rod tip to allow the fly to drift with the current. Have done this on a local tailwater with success. A long leader and tippet keep the line above the fish. Good luck in the future and have fun! Thanks for the recommendations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 I just spent 13 hrs straight in the shop working on rods today (Christmas rush is a killer) so I didn't get to watch the vid yet but just subscribed to your ch so I can watch it while I work tomorrow. I did skip into a few spots of the vid just to see what the river looked like, wow that is a great looking river there Shawn. And one part I saw where you were showing the rod, as a bonsai guy I couldn't help but notice the nebari on some of those trees!😁 Will check out the whole vid tomorrow. Looks like a nice one from what I could tell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Steeldrifter said: I just spent 13 hrs straight in the shop working on rods today (Christmas rush is a killer) so I didn't get to watch the vid yet but just subscribed to your ch so I can watch it while I work tomorrow. I did skip into a few spots of the vid just to see what the river looked like, wow that is a great looking river there Shawn. And one part I saw where you were showing the rod, as a bonsai guy I couldn't help but notice the nebari on some of those trees!😁 Will check out the whole vid tomorrow. Looks like a nice one from what I could tell. Thanks! Yeah it’s pretty there for sure. What is nebari? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 Nebari? I think it comes with fried rice and egg roll.😊 For carp, watch their "route" and cast in front and beyond them. As they get closer, move the fly a bit, creating a movement. This should (hopefully) get their attention. Carp are very wary even in stained water. Once you hook one, you might wind up ignoring other fish. See attached. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 5 hours ago, McFlyLures said: What is nebari? Nebari is the above ground root structure of a tree. In the bonsai hobby it is desirable because it gives the tree character and the look of age. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 9 hours ago, Steeldrifter said: Nebari is the above ground root structure of a tree. In the bonsai hobby it is desirable because it gives the tree character and the look of age. Oh cool! Sorry I don’t know about bonsai stuff. Always thought they were cool though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 5, 2020 10 hours ago, skeet3t said: Nebari? I think it comes with fried rice and egg roll.😊 For carp, watch their "route" and cast in front and beyond them. As they get closer, move the fly a bit, creating a movement. This should (hopefully) get their attention. Carp are very wary even in stained water. Once you hook one, you might wind up ignoring other fish. See attached. I do that, I try not to cast on top of them. I’ve done perfect casts, had them move towards them, and then I twitch and it runs off. Lol! I think it’s just too clear there... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted December 6, 2020 Might let the fly sit and not move it although this is a crap shoot of the carp finding it. You might consider the tippet and leader. Fluorocarbon is supposed to be invisible in water. Another trick is to take a Sharpie and mark across the leader and tippet on the reel to give it a "broken line" appearance. An experiment by BASS did this many years ago in an ultra-clear spring in Florida; visibility was 100 yards! Underwater observation and photos were impressive at to the camouflage effect. BTW, parents lived in San Antonio. Loved the city and hated to leave. Dad fished Canyon Lake with a friend. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 7, 2020 6 hours ago, skeet3t said: Might let the fly sit and not move it although this is a crap shoot of the carp finding it. You might consider the tippet and leader. Fluorocarbon is supposed to be invisible in water. Another trick is to take a Sharpie and mark across the leader and tippet on the reel to give it a "broken line" appearance. An experiment by BASS did this many years ago in an ultra-clear spring in Florida; visibility was 100 yards! Underwater observation and photos were impressive at to the camouflage effect. BTW, parents lived in San Antonio. Loved the city and hated to leave. Dad fished Canyon Lake with a friend. I use flourocarbon... I went down to 4x.... but I might try the sharpie thing... boy you and me had a different experience with San Antonio. Haha! I live here now and kinda hate it. It’s loud, people are incredibly rude, and I’ve never had my car broken into ever anywhere else, but 3 times here. I even lived in Los Angeles for 2 years (hated that as well) but never had any theft. It might just be the world we live in now compared to 15 years ago which is the last time I’ve lived in a city. Anyway. Sorry to be a Debbie downer here. Just really haven’t enjoyed my stay in San Antonio, at all.... least favorite place I’ve ever lived. Granted there is lovely rivers to fish though...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeet3t 0 Report post Posted December 7, 2020 I never lived there, just my parents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McFlyLures 0 Report post Posted December 9, 2020 On 12/7/2020 at 9:05 AM, skeet3t said: I never lived there, just my parents. Sorry, I was having a bad day yesterday... hahahaa! Thanks for the nice comments. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
