# Heartbreak Hotel



## flyfishingmike (Nov 26, 2010)

Country music is filled with stories of heartbreak and misfortune. If someone could compose the lyrics, my story from last Monday would probably top the charts. It has taken me several days just to settle down enough to write about it. 

The day started off great. Me and my fishing buddy, outdoor writer Jim Darnell, launched our kayaks into the San Marcos river, a couple of miles below Staples. The early afternoon sunshine filtered down through the autumn foliage in bright streaks of green, gold, and amber. River birds escorted us on our paddle upstream, and a dozen white tail deer stimulated the senses with a reminder that hunting season is just around the corner. A gentle breeze carried the scent of a resident skunk, out of sight somewhere in the dense vegetation that lined the river banks. 

Huge trees shaded our journey up the waterway. An osprey nest, in the top of an enormous sycamore tree, gave mute testimony to the wildness of this remote section of one of our most beautiful rivers. 

A forty minute paddle upstream marked the beginning of our fishing for the day. Jim hooked four fish in the first few minutes, while I was still at zero. He caught and released a fat, sixteen inch largemouth bass, but not before posing for a photo or two. The gentle drift downstream was interrupted every five minutes or so, with the taunting cry, "hey Mike, I've got another one". 

It didn't take me long to catch my first fish, a plump and sassy Guadalupe bass. Then another . . . . . and another. My third or fourth fish had the body of a two pound bass, but was only about 13 inches long. The sharply curved and deformed spine shortened the tail section to about 1/4 of what it should have been. Somehow, this fish survived it's physical disability and was able to compete for food. With respect and admiration for its toughness and determination, the fish was gently released into the cool, clear water. 

Jim was floating down the river about a hundred yards ahead of me. All of a sudden he yelled, "Mike, that was a HUGE fish." I looked up to see Jim at the edge of a large log jam. He informed me that a sunfish had just disappeared from the end of his fly line into the jaws of an enormous bass. Apparently, after the sunfish was hooked and headed toward Jim, a pelagic predator gave chase and consumed the bream. After a couple of minutes, Jim continued his drift downriver, and around the next bend. 

I wanted a chance at the big fish Jim had seen. Options tumbled through my head as I floated toward the logjam. I finally figured on a plan. Dropping anchor about ten feet upriver, my KC kayak was positioned to allow me to cast a Pultz popper into the kitchen sized open space between logs. After my popper settled onto the surface, I gave it one tiny twitch. My theory is, bass need a landing "plop" and locating "pop", to zero in on the fly. A large, dark shadow appeared below the popper and gradually took shape. The unmistakable


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## flyfishingmike (Nov 26, 2010)

*continued*

The unmistakable


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## flyfishingmike (Nov 26, 2010)

Can't post the rest of the story. Go to www.ctff.org if you want to read it. Sorry


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## Coconut Groves (Nov 2, 2011)

Hi Mike, I am new here, but I thought this was a salt water forum?


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## wtc3 (Aug 16, 2005)

It's a FlyFishing forum.


And Welcome!


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## flyfishingmike (Nov 26, 2010)

CG welcome to the website. We do fresh & salt here . . . . grab your fly rod and drive west until you see hills. There are some great rivers here waiting for you.


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## Coconut Groves (Nov 2, 2011)

Ahhh, ok - I was confused since this forum exists under "Saltwater" and there is also a "Freshwater" forum.

Mike - thanks for the welcoming. I am in Austin and have fished many of the rivers and lakes on fly over the years, but I am die hard salt water fly guy. I've been a member of GRTU for several years now, but their salt water boards are rather slow and don't get a lot of posts.


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## HillCountryBasser (Aug 26, 2008)

WOW MIKE.....I checked out the rest of the story over on CTFF...what a tale! Thats an incredible feeling that you won't soon forget. I hope you get another chance at her soon!


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## Joe. T. (Jun 7, 2008)

Welcome aboard CG,Mike thats one heck of a story and i hope you get another shot at that lunker.


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