Fly Fishing the Colorado River 3 Floats, Fish, Flies and Techniques Colorado River Overview The Colorado River is the 18th longest river in US and the longest river with both its source and mouth within Texas. The 862-mile (1,387 km) long river flows generally southeast from Dawson County before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Matagorda Bay. We are going cover the 55 mile section from Austin to Bastrop. This river has a completely different character from Rivers to the west of I35. There are very limited wading opportunities downstream of Austin. This section has limited access, with long distances between put-in and take-out points. Floatation is required for this stretch, with kayaks, canoes and rafts being the most popular. Engines are allowed, but not practical, unless water jets are used. The Colorado can be fished through the winter and turns on quickly with a few days of warm weather. High winds can make this a very difficult float. Winds about 15mph will be very challenging. Water clarity varies greatly, depending on the flows, from crystal clear to “chocolate milk”. Limited sight fishing. Expect to fish to structure – overhangs, cut banks, riffles, etc. Fish target larger flies, so a 5 to 8 WT rods with floating or sink tip line will tackle most fish. Fishing the Flows The flows below Austin are heavily influenced by water being released through the Longhorn Dam on Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake). During the summer, water is “pulsed” daily for farmers downstream. These pulses will cloud the water and impact the fishing. Before heading to the river, it's best to check the flow gages maintained by the Lower Colorado River Authority – http://hydromet.lcra.org/full.aspx What are the “ideal” flows for the Colorado? You have to decide for yourself what is safe given your level of kayaking experience. This can be a very dangerous river during rain events. Flows are determined by releases from Longhorn Dam and by inflows from smaller streams. Both factors must be taken into consideration. Here are my personal guidelines......yours may vary Longhorn Dam is controlled by Austin Energy and does not release a schedule for when they will be releasing water. During the summer, there is often a pattern for the releases, so check what the releases have been for the previous week and assume it will be similar. It’s not uncommon for the flows below the Longhorn Dam to be within an acceptable range but the flows in Bastrop to be very high. This is due to inflow from other creeks. Look at multiple gages before making a decision. Longhorn Dam (gage 4558) – between 300 to 600 (with no other inflow) Onion Creek (gage 4598) - above 100 is a problem Walnut Creek (gage 4561) – above 100 is a problem Bastrop (gage 4599) – below 600 with limited inflow If there has been rain, I'll check the gages and look at the 14 day view. I look at both the level and the spikes. Recent spikes, followed by heavier flows often mean the water will be off color. Due to the geology of the river, it tends to clear slower than streams to the west. Don’t be afraid to fish when the water is off-color (not muddy), the fish are used to it. HWY 183 to the Texas River School Put In – HWY 183 Montopolis Bridge N 30° 14' 44.93“ W 097° 41' 28.41" Take Out - Texas River School Distance - 3.5 miles Shuttle Service – Texas River School has rentals and may be able to provide a shuttle for a fee. Contact them at - (512) 289-0750 Notes This is one of the shortest floats and doesn’t get too much pressure. I’ve had very good panfish action here. Advance reservations must be secured through the Texas River School by calling (512) 289-0750. You must receive the two different gate codes to gain access. There is parking available under HWY 183. Risk of break-ins here. Never leave valuables or gear visible. Avoid parking at the 973 bridge. Diablo Kayaks River Raft Take Out Decker Dam 183 Launch Little Webberville to Big Webberville Put In – Little Webberville Park N 30° 13' 46.11“ W 097° 31" 08.14" Take Out – Webberville County Park N 30° 12' 32.45“ W 097° 29' 57.64" Distance – 5.14 miles Shuttle Service - Cooks Canoes provides a shuttle and will rent canoes and kayaks $30 - $40. Shuttle service is around $20 per kayak. Call - 512-276-7767. http://cookscanoes.com/ Notes This is the most popular float. Launch at Little Webberville has good, but limited parking and a port-a-john. There is a good ramp down to the water. Big Webberville Park doesn’t open until 8AM and closes at sunset Varied water with excellent fishing. Two distinct sections. Large “lakes” that can be challenging when the wind is up. The last mile of river isn’t very productive and you should just paddle through it. The take- Guad from the Rapids out is just past the high tension power lines. High Water Put In Rapids Produce Upper Section Lower Section Utley 969 Bridge to Fisherman’s Park Put In – HWY 969 Bridge N 30° 10' 03.78“ W 097° 24' 11.48" Take Out – Webberville County Park N 30° 06' 43.01“ W 097° 19' 30.49" Distance – 14.7 miles Shuttle Service - No shuttle available Notes This is a 2 or 3 day float, depending on how much you want to paddle and fish. Camping is allowed on islands. Arranging camping with a land owner is your best option to avoid being flooded out. Due to the distance, this stretch gets less pressure that others. There will be more pressure around the put-in and take-out points. If you are camping on the islands, watch the weather closely. Island Camping Channel Cat Rio Grande Cichlid Cottonmouth Target Species world record Guadalupe Bass – 3.71 lbs The Colorado River Fly Box 6 Anglers Share Their Favorite Flies and Techniques Chris Johnson – owner of Living Waters Fly Fishing, a fly shop and guide service in Round Rock Texas. Certified casting instructor. Guides on the Colorado and other area rivers. VP of San Gabriel Fly Fishing , Austin Area GRTU lease rep and FFF Texas Council rep. Tips . Get close to the bank….real close. Use a weedguard and put the fly on the bank. Risk = fish. Don’t be afraid to throw a surface fly (swimming baitfish) on a short leader with a sink tip line (Scientific Angler Wet Tip). Brighter colors for off color water conditions or loud topwater. Natural colors when the water is clear. Don’t forget about the back waters. These don’t get as much pressure and can be very productive. Umpqua Swimming Baitfish Umpqua Chris’ Crafty Shad Chris Johnson Hook – TMC 811S 6 to 2/0 Thread – GSP white 100 denier Throat – red arctic fox Belly – white craft fur over pearl angel hair Wing – layered tan, rust, olive e select craft fur Flash – peacock angel hair Head – stacked olive craft fur under hair Eyes – 3/16 hologram dome eyes Whitlock’s Deer Hair Frog Dave Whitlock Hook – TMC 8089 size 6 – 2 Thread – UTC 210 white Head – spun deer hair Legs – medium round rubber legs Tail – chartreuse, white and green grizzle hackle Flash – pearl crystal flash Eyes – yellow doll eyes Greg Welander – Fly Fishing Manager at Sportsman’s Finest and local fly fishing guide. Tips . Be very cautious if the river is rising or experiencing high water. Fly fishing from a 3 person raft designed for fly fishing is advantageous in several ways. First off the angler’s higher elevation allows for seeing structure just beneath the water surface. Also, the rower can hold the raft in prime fish holding locations allowing the fly angler the opportunity to make several casts. Bass do not always hit on the first presentation of a fly. Hiring a guide allows an angler with limited amount of time the opportunity to increase his/her success rate while spending a day out on the river. Puckerlip Charlie Bisharat Hook: Std. Saltwater hook, size 4 - 8 (#6 Mustad 34007) Thread: Brown or Olive 3/0 Eyes: Small to Medium Bead Chain Body: E-Z Shape Sparkle Body, Fabric Paint. Epoxy (Allene’s Fabric Fusion mixed with a drop of paint) Legs: Brown, Orange or Olive rubber legs Wing: Olive or Natural Deer Hair Whitlock’s Near-Nuff Crawfish Dave Whitlock Hook – TMC 8089 size 2 Thread – 210 Denier white Body – 3/8” white or yellow cylinder foam Eyes – 3/16 red hologram dome eye Tail – chartreuse craft fur with crystal flash Marked with sharpie or Prismacolor pens Bottom’s Up Kelly Galloup Hook – 9394 4x Long Thread – unithread #8/0 white Flash – silver flashabou, pearl & peacock crystal flash & pearl saltwater flashabou Body – Icelandic Sheep Hair white and grey Lateral Line – Saddle Hackle Light Blue Dun Dubbing - SLF #24 Red Cheek – Mallard Drake Breast Feathers (pair) Eyes – 1/4 hologram dome eye or lead dumbell eyes Matt Bennett– Shop Manager at Living Waters Fly Shop. Runs the FlyGeek blog. Umpqua fly designer. Well known Hill Country fly tyer and VP of the Austin Fly Fishers. Tips . You have to be very, very close to the structure with your cast. Big Guadalupe bass come out of current seams. Rust color for crawfish patterns and white for baitfish patterns. Long pants and long sleeve shirts in light sky colors. Hat, buff and gloves to keep the Texas sun from frying you.