My First Year on the Fly — Better Late Than Never

I've been fishing my whole life. Grew up in Corpus Christi throwing lures in the bay for reds and speckled trout. That was fishing to me. Spinning rod, baitcaster, whatever gets the job done. It worked fine and I never thought much about changing it.

Fly fishing always looked cool though. I'd see it and think that's sick and then immediately think yeah but that's a Montana thing. Texas isn't exactly known for blue ribbon trout streams and guys in waders looking like they just walked off a Patagonia catalog. So I wrote it off. For years.

What finally pushed me over the edge was a YouTube video of some dude in his 50s talking about how he'd just gotten into fly fishing after putting it off forever. Something about that was genuinely annoying to watch, not because of him, but because I recognized myself in it. I didn't want to be 55 years old still saying I've always wanted to try that. So I just did it.

The First Time Out

No guide, no mentor. Just YouTube, Reddit, and a few local fly shops that actually knew what they were talking about. Shoutout to Tackle Box Outfitters (RIP), Alamo Anglers, and Gruene Outfitters. Those guys were solid and never made me feel stupid for asking basic questions, which matters when you're starting from zero.

First trip was the San Marcos River at a TPWD leased spot called San Marcos River Retreat. I showed up and it was absolutely packed with tubers. Not exactly what you picture when you imagine your fly fishing origin story. But whatever. I waded in and started figuring it out. My casting was rough, my loops were a mess, and I had no real idea what I was doing. But it was fun and I left wanting to go back, which is all that matters on day one.

The Gear

Started with a Redington Wrangler 5-weight kit. Rod, reel, line in one box. Simple, no drama, gets you fishing. Upgraded the line pretty quickly to Scientific Anglers Infinity textured and that made a real difference in how everything felt and shot. If you're just getting started, don't overthink the setup. Get a decent kit, swap the line, go fish.

One thing I genuinely didn't expect was how logical the whole system is. The X-rating for tippet, the weight system for rods and lines. It's actually really straightforward once you spend five minutes with it. Coming from conventional gear where you're kind of just vibing on line weights and rod actions, the fly fishing system feels almost over-engineered in the best way. Everything has a reason.

First Fish

Small bluegill on an Ant-Acid pattern on Cibolo Creek in Boerne. And look, I've caught a thousand bluegill in my life and never cared. But this one was different in a way that's hard to explain without sounding like a lunatic. The whole process of getting there felt completely new. The cast, the drift, watching the fly, the eat. When it finally happened I was genuinely pumped in a way I wasn't expecting. It sounds corny but it kind of felt like learning to fish all over again from scratch. In a good way.

The Hard Parts

Fly tying is hard. I just started getting into it and humbling is the right word. The actual fishing part has a learning curve too. Reading water is the thing that took the longest to start making sense. Coming from bay fishing I never had to think too hard about current seams and feeding lanes and all that. You learn to look at a river completely differently. You start seeing it as a system instead of just a place to throw a lure. That part has been one of the more interesting things about fly fishing. It makes you pay attention.

Casting gets better fast with practice. Reading water takes longer but it's more satisfying when it clicks.

Home Water

Trout season means the Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam. The tailrace is where TPWD stocks rainbows each winter and it genuinely fishes like a different state. Cold water, stocked fish, everyone lined up working the same runs. It's not the most wild or remote experience but the fishing is good and it's where I started catching fish consistently. Wooly Buggers and Squirmy Worm patterns were the move that season.

But the Medina River at English Crossing is where I actually want to be. It's my favorite place right now, full stop. Quiet, clear water, good fish, and nobody tubing through your spot. It's also where I caught my first carp on the fly, which was the highlight of my entire first year without question.

Carp on the fly is a different animal. You're sight fishing to them in skinny water, which means you watch the whole thing happen or watch it blow up in your face. They spook easy, they're picky, and they will absolutely ignore your fly and make you feel stupid about it. Getting one to commit and coming tight on it was legitimately one of the most exciting things I've experienced fishing. That fish at English Crossing is burned into my memory.

A Year Later

Honestly I feel like I kind of know what I'm doing now, which is a good feeling. The early trips where everything was a mystery have turned into trips where I have a plan and it sometimes even works. It's more fun now that I'm not completely lost.

Fly fishing has also just made me more dialed into being outside. I notice stuff I never noticed before. What's hatching, how the water is moving, where fish are likely sitting and why. I feel more connected to what's actually happening out there rather than just showing up and hoping for the best. Hard to explain without sounding weird about it but it's real.

I go as much as I can. If I can't get to a river I'm at the community pond. Any water counts.

The long term goal is guiding. I want to put people on fish and watch them lose their minds over a bluegill the same way I did. That's the plan.

This site is the start of that. Documenting the journey, sharing what I'm learning, and repping the Hill Country waters that have completely taken over my life. Texas doesn't need Montana. We've got everything right here.