Top Five Fishing Moments of 2015
Clint Taylor
The year of 2015 was a great one, but extremely busy and hard to get some fishing action in. With multiple record storms for the state of Texas, a plethora of school work from college, and hit or miss fishing weather due to unusual weather, anytime I could even get onto the water was well worth it whether I caught fish or not. Without further wait, here are my top five moments from the year of 2015.
5.) What Did I Do the First Day after Finals – Fishing
Finishing my spring semester of my junior year of college was quite a relief. I do not think I have ever had as much homework and time spent studying for school than this semester. Although winter time is never a great time for bass fishing, especially in Texas, an opportunity came to allow for some potentially good fishing. I did not plan on catching much, but fortunately a week of solid and stable weather produced a lot of bass. Although there was only one real “big bass” of the day, catching any sized fish was a blast as it was a great way to spend my first day off from school. I used my favorite crank bait for shallow water, the Strike King KVD Square Bill, along with some Rooster Tails to reel in quite a few bass. You can read more on this day of fishing here.
4.) TKFTV Episode 6 - Storm Surge
Texas has received a very unusual, or more so extreme year of weather which includes a ton of flooding, multiple severe tornadoes, and very sporadic weather to say the least. On one particular day, my hometown received over eight inches of rain in one day. This fishing trip was yet another case of going fishing after a long time spent completing school work, or more so waiting for a time when the water levels weren't in flood conditions, but luckily going to the Brazos River by Possum Kingdom Lake is always a great reward due to the scenery and great bass fishing. Check out this video if you haven’t yet, it is pretty neat and encompasses a never before seen guest – Blackie the River Dog.
3.) TKFTV Episode 5 – This is Spring, This is Fishing
Possibly one of my better short films ever made, TKFTV Episode 5 was my first video which used the Hero 4 Silver Edition. The San Saba River certainly does make it easy to catch some great footage and bass too, as it is always a generous place to visit. After a long winter of not much fishing, this trip to the San Saba River was a great one. I caught a couple of pretty good bass, along with some very fun to catch little rascals, but once again just being able to go fishing was well worth it. One thing that this video really showed me was how much better quality the Hero 4 has over the previous versions of GoPro's, as the clarity is quite a bit clearer.
2.) Devils River Film
For those of you who follow my media and work, you are probably well aware that I really enjoy going to the Devils River in Southwest Texas. The Devils River made for a great location for my first film ever as well. Very rapidly this film grew to become my most popular video to date with nearly three times more views than any other video I have produced. With a strong focus on the scenery and the location versus just a ton of fishing action, you are certain to have a good idea of what the Devils River looks like. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the Devils River due to the very rugged Texas landscape that surrounds it along with one of the most pristine rivers in the United States running through a very dry area of Texas. It is a very unique place to visit if you ever have the opportunity. If you have not seen this film, or would like to watch it again please feel free to watch it below.
1.) An Unofficial Record for the Brazos River
I have caught quite a few big bass in my lifetime. Most of them have been in unexpected times, as I did not really plan on catching such a big bass it just always seems to happen. On a cold spring day with water temperatures extremely cold I did not plan to catch a whole lot, but was I ever wrong. Towards the latter part of my trip I hooked onto a behemoth of a bass, which would eventually become the unofficial record for the entire Brazos River at right around 12 pounds. Being in a kayak and not expecting to catch a record bass, I wasn’t aware of what had to be done to officially have a record bass recorded. On the flip-side, I do not really care about the record as I will probably never catch a bass as big as this again and knowing that I have caught one of the biggest bass on the Brazos if not the absolute biggest is quite a great feeling. I am just very happy that I was able to land such a trophy bass in my lifetime, and for this reason it is my number one moment from the year of 2015. You can read more about this amazing catch here.
So what is next for Texas Kayak Fisher in the year of 2016? Without a doubt I plan on making the year of 2016 my best work yet. There will be a strong focus on filming this year, as films really capture the landscape, sounds and action at a really high level. There will still be a lot of articles to read through, but I want to have the best photography that I have ever had as I believe a picture really can tell a thousand words. Hopefully through all of this photography a few big bass will be caught to go along with some of the neat scenery I plan on visiting.
Thank you for your support and I look forward to the year of 2016. I hope you have a great New Year!