The Long Awaited Fishing Report
I was supposed to write one on March 26th… then March 31st… but life is weird and all, and it got put aside. I promise I’ll get better at this! I might even start a podcast soon. Ha! Hopefully, this report was worth the wait.
After a six-week hiatus/vacation from guiding due to river blowouts and weather issues, I finally got back on the sticks March 21st and 22nd. This time, I returned to the Trinity River to see what the fishing would be like after they brought the flow back down to 1900 CFS from 3500 CFS. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about the fishing—but also super stoked just to be back on the water.
I'm always honest with my clients, and I told Brandon we'd be fishing without solid recon on how things were looking. That didn’t stop him—he was in! I love that. He just needed to get out. So did I. And my fishy senses were tingling with mega stoke.
We arrived to rain and cold temps. The water was clear and moving fast—1900 CFS. Action started right away! Brandon hooked a nice fish almost immediately—probably the biggest of the trip. Steelhead! So rad. We tried some swinging, but they weren’t grabbing—until we switched to soft hackles (more on that later). It was an epic float for my first day back. We were hooking fish all the way to the takeout. No one had been on the water, so the fish were hungry and biting. He must’ve landed over 20 fish! A lot of poquitos and a bunch of sub-adults/large half-pounders, but as I’ve said before, size doesn’t matter on the Taco boat. It’s all about fun. And Brandon was stoked. So was I. Constant action and an epic first day.
The second day brought more of the same—though a bit different. Huge change in the weather. It warmed up in the afternoon and gave me my first taste of spring. The fish weren’t as grabby early in the morning, but as soon as the afternoon hit—it was mucho hatches, ese. Yep. We rounded the corner on a great run that fishes perfectly at high flows, and there were heads everywhere picking off bugs on top—fish of all sizes. Brandon brought out his 6wt single-hander just for this moment, and I had my 5wt dry-fly rod. I let him choose between dry-fly or swinging soft hackles. He chose the swing. My man! I love the dry, but swinging soft hackles? I might love it even more.
As he worked his way down the run, he got to learn the do’s and don’ts of swinging soft hackles—and then it all came together. A great grab—and a big fish on! Unfortunately, his drag was still set tight from his last carp trip and—SNAP!—the fish was gone. So rad! He was as stoked as I was, knowing we touched a proper fish on the swing. Plus, he landed a few other halfies too. What a rad day. Big thanks again to Brandon for coming out.
Then my family came into town. My nephew Fisher and my brother-in-law Evan love fishing but haven’t spent much time with a fly rod. We opted for one day on the Lower Sac and one day on the Trinity. The Lower Sac was running at a solid 10,000 CFS and had some color to it. I wasn’t too worried—because we’ve got those little round flies we call “beads.” In dirty water, they work.
Fisher was roping fish in the back and even landed one at the exact moment a couple was saying their vows on the Sundial Bridge. Yeah! There was a wedding on the bridge, and my nephew was doubled over fighting a fish. 😂 He was on fire in the back of the boat, but Evan just couldn’t get it done. It was his first time using a fly rod, so it took him a while to get used to the complexity of line management and tip manipulation. That’s all fly fishing is, huh? Well… that’s just the start.
He loved the challenge, and I was pumped to get him on the Trinity to make up for the blank on the Lower Sac. It’s not that he didn’t hook any—he just couldn’t get them to the boat. Nice work, Fisher! He’s a natural. Hearing him say, “I’m in a good spot, it’s going to go down now…” and then catching a fish made me a proud uncle. Great work, tonto! He’s like his uncle. Mucho tonto.
Day 2 with the Whites (my family) was another warm, sunny day—this time on the Trinity. Such a difference from three days earlier. It was warm, and yep—hatches again in the same spot. Both Evan and Fisher were able to get grabs on the swing with soft hackles and landed a few fish! Bobber-doggin’ was also a hit all the way down the river, and Evan was on fire. Fisher even landed his first brown! Such a rad day—I loved seeing my family rope up some fish in my boat. It was such an honor, and I was stoked to share the water with my dudes. Love you guys.
My fifth day of guiding was with the Tomikawas on the high and dirty Lower Sac. Water clarity was stained, still running at 10,000 CFS. Collin has been supporting me since the beginning, and I’m so grateful for him and his family. I've watched his kids grow up—that’s one of the raddest parts of this job. You meet families, bond with them, and then become like an uncle. I love it!
I ran the same rigs I’d used two days before, and it was on right away. Collin hooked up on the second pass, and his son Kainoa hooked up almost immediately after. I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days—and it was! The fishing was spectacular all the way down. They hooked a bunch of solid fish, and the action stayed consistent all day. Kainoa landed the BIG dog in shallow water at the Sundial Riffle, and we fought it way down the river. Great job, buddy. What a fish! These are the days I live for—great company with my Taco Familia and great fishing too. I wish all fishing days were this good! Wait, but then it’d be called “catching.”
Took a few days off to recover and started back up on the Lower Sac with the Craigs. They are such a great, fishy, taco-loving, fly fishing couple. It was such a treat to have them show up and give them an introduction to some big urban river fishing. They're from an area where creekin’ on dries is the game. You could imagine what it’s like to show up to the Sac and see a bunch of boats slinging bobbers back and forth across the guides’ faces. It’s like landing on another planet. Haha.
I gave Alan a soft hackle setup and put him on the Sundial Riffle while Stacy and I floated round flies down the river. That’s the benefit of having a motor on the drift boat and using technology. I can get back up and down the river easily. It’s like when they created the wheel and the cavemen who hated on it still wanted to stick with square wheels. Doesn’t make sense—but hey, to each their own. Anyway… BOOM! Stacy is on, and her first fish of the day is a big-ass fish. Her biggest trout ever to the net! Alan got a grab on the soft hackle but didn’t connect. A few more passes, a few more fish to the net—Stacy was stoked to get some urban river time and her biggest fish to hand. Thank you! We ended the day early due to a health issue, but luckily, everyone was okay to fish another day.
Next day was Jake and his 8-year-old son Henry. Dude… how do I get so lucky to have such rad clients? Jake is such a great person, and I was stoked we got to spend time on the water. Henry was also such a rad little dude! I love taking kids fishing. Seeing the stoke on their faces when they see a fish—awesome. We just had to get fish!
The fishing had slowed down a bit—as this is fishing. Not every day is the same. I worked hard to get him on, and we finally made it happen a few times. Henry got his rippers to the boat. Great work, dudes! AND THANK YOU! Great company, good vibes, rad dads, and a disgruntled fishing guide. Poetry. Especially because there were bobbers involved.
Nine days later, I was back on the Sac with Jimmy and his buddy Chris. Jimmy was my second client ever! Chris had never fly fished before, and Jimmy wanted to introduce him to something he could do to escape the rat race—so he brought him on the Taco boat. Thank you, Jimmy.
We had so much fun. Jimmy was roping in the back while Chris tried to get his first grabs. I swear the fishing gods know when I really want someone to hook up—they make it hard! Haha. BUT! We stayed the course, and boom—Chris is on. I went for the net but couldn’t get my little arms extended far enough… and the fish popped out. SHIT! Haha. Oh well—he got to cast, set, and fight the fish. We had plenty of river left, so I kept grinding—and we made it work. Chris got his first fish on a fly rod. I’m honored. My heart is full. He loved it!
He even lost a giant later downriver, and I told him that losing big ones is a good thing—it keeps you coming back for more. We ended the day batting .500 (5/10), and honestly, I was surprised we didn’t hook more. But that’s just the way it is sometimes. You want numbers… you don’t get ‘em. You want size… you don’t get ‘em. You just want to get out and don’t care how many you catch… you crush it.
Thems is fishing.
Excited for Spring. Let's go fishing.
-Mario