Guadalupe River Chapter Trout Unlimited

Editor: Bob Tuttle 207 Finn Austin, TX 78734 (512) 261‑4409

Contributors: Erik Bataille, Bud Priddy, John stark,

OFFICERS President: Erik Bataille, 250‑9194

VP Chapter Affairs: Alan Bray 263‑9619

VP Fishing Affairs: Mike Small 258‑0946

Secretary/Treasurer: Bob Story 327‑6381

Recording Secretary: Barbara Parvin

DIRECTORS

Clem Bird

Cyndie Schmitt

David Holz

Jeff Schmitt

Jon Morse

Marion Tilson

Irving O'Neal

*Jim Vynalek

Judy Presswood

*Ex Officio

April 1993 Notice of Annual Spring Meeting & Newsletter

DATE: SATURDAY April 24, 1993

PLACE: St. Thomas Church Activity Center adjacent to the church [just below Canyon Dam on River Road] ‑ Sattler, Texas.

TIME: 10.00 AM ‑ Registration & Socializing The Coffee Bar is Back

10:30 to 11:00 ‑ Meeting Business Raffle SAGE 3 wt Light Line FLY ROD (See Raflle Insert Shee)

Program 11:00 ‑ 12:00 ±

LUNCH: (optional) 12:30 ‑ Tasty BBQ!!, Various Salads, Johnson Beans, Chips, Buns, Relishes, possibly some unusual desserts and maybe a choice of wines. Delicacies gladly accepted! Margaret Ann, Betsy & others are to be congratulated for their hard labors. Providing you dine, remember to feed the "kitty" on your way through the line.

DIRECTORS MEETING AFTER LUNCH

THE PROGRAM Mile High Fly Fishing

Irving O'Neal has lined up Doug Ming for an outstanding fly‑fishing program covering Colorado rivers and streams. Even if you do not ever contemplate a trip to Colorado, you will certainly enjoy this program along with the color slide presentation.

Doug is a former Coloradoan now living in the Houston area where he is an engineer at NASA. His brother is a full time trout fishing guide back in Colorado. Whenever possible, Doug returns to fish with him. The program is the same one that Doug has given to fishing clubs, fly shops, and various other organizations.

The subjects that will be covered are: The wild trout and Gold Medal streams of Colorado, plus, the types of effective flies, rods, and equipment best suited to the area. This will be the last meeting until October. summer is for serious

trout fishing and other activities too numerous to mention. No newsletter or exciting programs until fall. Plan to attend this rite of Spring to find out who the new slate of Chapter Officers will be.

Looking Back....

At the January meeting, the drawing for the One Man Boat was won by Jon Klema who was there.. An additional item a cedar box of terrific hand tyed flies donated by Irving O'Neal, was won by Bill West. The weather was excellent so was the meeting, many hurried down after to fish for trout that were dropped by TP&W.

Steve Magnolia from Texas Parks and Wildlife gave a presentation covering the fish survey that was conducted earlier in the year. The big bad news was the number of extremely large Stripers that were found in the river. arently they came from Canyon Lake durig the big flood when the flood gates were opened thereby bypassing the turbines.

One observed striper was 46" in length and very capable of devouring our trout and just about everyone else's. Just you catch some of those and have a big fish fry. No catch & release on these monsters.

The 3 new picnic tables donated by the chapter to St. Thomas Church were delivered by members and installed on the lawn. Thanks to Jeff Schmitt for his efforts in the manufacturing project.

Guadalupe Chili, the main entree, was one to remember. Betsy Story's contribution will go down in Chapter History along with Howard Itten's red‑hot venison chili. embers were observed going back for seconds and even thirds.

Our 4 trout drops: Browns & Rainbows went off as planned in November, December, February & March. The eyed‑egg order was cancelled because the river water temperature was not cold enough to coincide with the age of the eggs. Thanks to all the lease card holders that showed up to help.

At the Director's meeting a decision was made for a provision to allow guests to fish at the leases under certain conditions. A 1 day‑1 guest pass would be available to lease card holders for $10.00. Further information may be obtained from the president or any other officer. Phone numbers ist on the masthead.

David Hotz was appointed "River Keeper." Both Clem Bird and Bob Story agreed to stay on the board of directors for another term.

A motion was made and passed to add plaques to the new picnic tables to read "William Cobb Memorial‑Donated by The Trout Unlimited Guadalupe River Chapter.

President's Message

Well, my shift as president of this crew is at an end. I must say I have enjoyed it. Thanks to all who have helped me so much in the past two years. I hope to continue to serve the chapter in a lesser capacity in the future. I will not fake this time to et up on a bully pu it and preach to you. I would like to gently remind all of you that this is a volunteer organization ... so please have a little patience with us elected officials. We may not always be able to move as fast as you would like us to in getting things done. Please continue to volunteer your time and help the new president and officers as much as you can.

On a lighter note, this year certainly has been kinder to us anglers of the Guadalupe. We have scheduled more trout stockings than ever before on the river. I feel that this should help the river's fishery recover. Let's practice catch and release as much as possible so that TP&W crews have something to count when they do their trout census in June and then again in October.

One last reminder to all with lease access cards. Remember to use courtesy while visiting the leased properties. Follow the guidelines on the back of the parking permits, especially when it comes to the number of cars at any given location at one time. It would be a shame to lose our privilege to access to any of our leased properties.

Good Fishing! Erik

Guadalupe River

The following was excerpted from ‑'A Fly Fisher's Guide to Rivers of The Texas Hill Country‑‑ with the kind permission of Bud Priddy and The Alamo Fly Fishers.

One of the most popular rivers in Texas The Guadalupe originates in Kerr Co with the North and South Forks uniting near the town of Hunt. Fishing For bass and perch is refuted to be fair in the river above Canyon lake but access is difficult as is floating due to numerous small dams. There are access points at FM 1376 near Sisterdale and off FM 1360. Good camping is available at Kerrville State Park and Guadalupe State Park. The river is clear and swift and limestone banks are lined with bald cypress. There is a small lake at Ingram. Also, Rebecca Creek Crossing just above Canyon Lake is good in early Spring 'or spawning White Bass.

Our discussion of access points will be limited to the river below Canyon Dam to north of Gruene. While large perch, Guadalupe Bass and Largemouth Bass are catchable, the primary fishing interest in this stretch is our coldwater friend, the trout. Annually from November through March, the Texas Parks and Wildlife stocks Rainbow Trout immediately below Canyon Darn and various sites down river.

This area of the Guadalupe is a beautiful river but on weekends is crowded with canoeists and tubers. The river is best fished very early or late.

It is also recommended that the interested fly fisher check in the local San Antonio or Austin newspapers for the water flow release from Canyon Dam. Releases above 500/600 CFS can make for difficult and possible dangerous fishing

conditions. The water can be fast and high ang the river should not be waded if you are alone.

Any of your favorite trout flies may work here, depending upon conditions, but some recommendations include the Red Fox Squirrel Nymph, Picket Pin and Gold Ribbed and various Caddis pupa imitations usually produce. Drys would also

Olives, Elk Hair Caddis and Adams.

Access Point #1: Corps of Engineer Park immediately below Canyon Dam. Access approximately one mile of river. Would be a good launch site for a float downstream. Fishing can be good with streamers and wet flies, but this area is often crowded with bait fishermen.

Access Point #2: Poor access at high bridge on 306 crossing two miles east of Canyon city. There are excellent facilities at the Maricopa Lodge west of the bridge and good access to the river behind the Lodge.

Access Point #3: Access is gained in a private camp above the crossing for a fee. Access below the bridge downstream is good for wading. This is a good launchpoint for Kanz Lease to the Sattler Bridge.

Access Point #4: This is the Kanz Lease under the control of the Guadalupe River Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Big trout are often taken from this section. Best fishing available for Rainbows with an occasional Red Band, Brown or Brookie. Restricted to TU Chapter members with lease cards for access and parking.

Access Point #5: First bridge on River Road. Good take out _point for float from above or launch site for a float downstream. Private camp (Rio Raft) above which provides access to good fishing for a small fee.

Access Point #6: Second bridge on River Road. Poor access. Go to Camp Bean just above the crossing. Good fishing for stocked Rainbows and there are some Browns when the water is low. Reasonable fee. Very good picnic area and restrooms are available.

Access Points #7 and #8: Generally too warm for trout but in high water situations it may contain a few. Poor access for wade fishing for bass and perch. Some Smallmouths in the river as well. One would almost have to use a private camp for a place to park and to get access to the water. Crawfish pattern reputed to be very good on Smallmouth Bass and Guadalupe Bass.

A Short Primer on "DO" or Dissolved Oxygen

This was filched from The North Arkansas Fly Fishers newsletter Article written by John Stark

DO is measured *in milligrams per liter (mg/l) of water. It is also commonly discussed in terms of parts er million pm) which is equivalent to (ppm) quality standards cite 6 mg/l as the minimum DO level to provide a good habitat for trout fisheries downstream from the darns from which Southwestern Power Administration markets hydropower. DO is considered low when it falls below 6 mg/l.

Fisheries specialists agree that DO levels above 6 mg/l are necessary for an optimum trout habitat and that DO levels below 2 mg/l. may kill trout. There is no conclusive data on what happens to the fish in the levels between 2 and 6 mg/l However, in general, trout become sluggish and feeding and reproductive behaviors diminish at DO levels below 6 mg/l. If the DO levels fall far enough, the fish may "drown" from lack of oxygen. Hatchlings are especially sensitive to low DO levels.

Where Does Low DO Come From? During the summer and fall months, the water in large reservoirs in the Southern U.S. tend to stratify by temperature. That is, cold water stays at the bottom of the lake, and the warmer water stays on the top. The surface waters retain relatively high levels of DO due to wind action and the production of oxygen by water plants. The lower pools of water do not mix with the surface waters and are unable to replace oxygen consumed by aquatic animals, replace decay of organic substances, and other chemical reactions. Therefore, DO levels in the lower portions of the lake typically decline through the summer and early fall.

When the temperature of the surfacewater becomes cold enough, generally in the late fall, the various layers of water combine into a single layer. When this happens, the lake is said to have "turned over". At that time, the level of DO in the water at the bottom of the lake increases and remains relatively high until the following summer when the cycle begins all over again.

What Yon Didn't Know About Waders...

Courtesy of Marathon Rubber Co.

Rubber and plastics are organic materials, meaning they come from natural plant life. Natural comes from rubber tree sap and synthetic rubber and plastics are made from coal and oil.

Cracking and oxidation are natural aging processes of rubber and plastics.

A rubber molecule is made from thousands of carbon and hydrogen atoms bound together in a zig‑zag linkage. Rubber can stretch and recover because the carbon atoms rotate into a straight line under tension. When the tension is released, the atoms return to the normal position like an accordion.

Oxygen molecule 02 contains two oxygen atoms with a strong bond. The ozone molecule 03 contains three oxygen atoms. The extra oxygen atoms changes the molecular bond to a strained position. An unstable molecule exists, eager to separate and rebond. Rubber molecules at rest are relatively unaffected by ozone, but when rubber is stretched like a rubber band or strained to a critical point (approximately 15% to 20%) its molecular bond is weakened causing ozone molecules to attack and break the weakened bond. The result is ozone cracking.

Ozone cracking will not occur if either ozone or tension is eliminated. Since it is easier to eliminate ozone than tension caused by folds, creases or hanging weight the easiest and best method of ozone protection is to store your waders in an airt t bag, box or chest. Anything air tight will do. If you understand that ozone plus tension are the cause of cracking, and following a few guidelines, your waders and other rubber products will give you years of satisfactory use.

Follow these steps.

1) Make sure waders are dry inside to avoid mildewed boot linings.

2) Loosely fold or roll waders.

3) Insert waders in airtight container.

4) Store container away from light and ozone producing machinery.(i.e. electric motors, etc.)

Ozone protection is more important today because ozone levels in the air are much higher than just a few years ago.