Hey guys, In case you missed yesterday's meeting, here is a full-length video (with timestamps listed down below and in the timeline of the video) of the meeting. The Meeting gets in full swing at about 25:00 and our guest, Daniel, starts talking at about 50:20. There is also an overview/summary section further down the article.

(https://youtu.be/J1DPD01axM4)

OUTLINE--------------------------------------------------------------------

0:00:00 - Pre-Meeting Talk

25:25 - Blake’s white bass report

30:26 - Sabine could potentially be hot right now?.?.

31:03 - Blake’s White Bass/ Pickerel trip

31:45 - First Chain Of Islands (Blaine)

33:51 - Matagorda Bay (Chris A)

34:45 - Goose Island (Steve S)

36:13 - Baffin Bay (Blake) 

37:26 - Matagorda Island

38:14 - Future Speakers?.? & Insurance

39:16 - Fish Freeze info/video (see below)

41:36 - Daniel Underbrink Introduction

43:15 - Technical Difficulties

50:20 -  Pecos/Devil’s River Information

52:36 - Fishing Info in the Pecos / pictures

57:20 - rapids/ kayak /carrying capacity/ organization

1:01:50 - peddle kayak question and potential weather hazards

1:03:30 - camping on the river

1:07:40 - consider fitness and conditions

1:10:10 - Gear

1:16:30 - Food/organization/stoves

1:21:30 - Water collection

1:24:45 - Sabine River Question

1:25:19 - Frio River/landowner urban legends

1:28:10 - Panther Cave

1:29:40 - Shuttle Logistics

1:31:35 - Paddling in groups

1:33:35 - Safety

1:37:04 - Clothing

1:39:00 - Coastal Areas

1:44:00 - Meeting Ending

OVERVIEW----------------------------------------------------------------

General Pack Information

•  Upcoming trips are: Blake’s White Bass/ Pickerel trip, First Chain Of Islands (Blaine), Matagorda Bay (Chris A), Goose Island (Steve S), Baffin Bay (Blake), Matagorda Island (Michael S)

• We hope to be getting a wildlife/fisheries guest speaker on to talk about the full extent of the fish freeze, but Joel brought up a good video by Captain Caleb McCumbers who interviewed captains from Port Isabel all the way up to Sabine Lake (click here for the video)

Information from Daniel Underbrink

• Pecos River/ General Information

  • For fishing - Keitecks, craws, creature baits, and wacky works are excellent baits. Shadows and sight-casting are good types of fishing when there is low water flow ( in the summer/fall). When flow increases, current breaks, and eddies are good areas to fish

  • It is a large watershed, so heavy rain/flooding is the biggest hazard. Don't fully trust weather apps especially past the 72-hour mark.

  • Pack light if you want to paddle the rapids (50 lbs or less). Packing too heavy will result in having to walk a kayak across shallow rapids (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but not ideal). 

  • He uses the original Jackson Coosa - great for rapids, not ideal for long-distance paddling.

  • Keep everything tidy and tangle-free. Retractable dog leash work excellent.

  • Peddle kayaks are great, but up towards the Edward plateau, rivers get shallower and could possibly become a hassle.

  • The Pecos is very Alkaline, so you will always be thirsty. He suggests Mio flavors to drown out the bad taste.

  • Panther Cave on the Rio Grande is a cool spot to visit if you have the time

  • Be careful where you leave your vehicle. Make sure somebody will keep your vehicle safe. 

  • Make sure to go with somebody, but with no more than 6. This prevents group fractions and ensures a tightly-knit group, especially since that many days overnight can take their toll on people.

  • The Guadalupe is a good area for beginners to paddle down if you wish to get into this type of fishing.

• Camping on rivers

  • Gradient boundary - a vague rule that marks a normal flow line (determined by the state) on the river that marks the boundary between private property and rivers. Islands fall within this line and are available for camping. Onyx apps and public land apps are great for determining property boundaries and contacting owners. Courtesy is KEY

  • When preparing a trip, Pre-plan, look for camping spots, keep in mind that people average 1 hour a day, account for fishing and resting time, etc. Look at daylight and find MULTIPLE camping areas for each day.

  • Don't overestimate your ability or get too far ahead/behind the group

• Gear

  • Daniels must have is an air mattress (dual-core), a repair kit, pillow (Thermarest large), sleeping bag, free-standing tent with a rain fly, Garmin In-Reach for weather and texting, and ample food and water.

  • Food - Pack at least 3000 calories a day (and up to 8000 for the more physically demanding trips). He prefers snacks and easy to grab food such as dried sausage, beef jerky, etc. Eating a big meal at the end of the day is ideal. One brand of food is Packet gourmet which he has grown to enjoy. Good camping stoves such as primus or jetboil are great options.

  • Water- Assume at least a gallon of water a day. Gravity filters are ideal for drinking large quantities of water and storing it in a bladder such as a camelback.

  • Clothing - at least 2 pairs of synthetic clothes (one wet and one dry) and carry a clothesline to dry stuff. If it is cold, wear dry pants, wool socks/long johns, and a raincoat.

• Safety 

  • Keep the weather in mind, travel in groups, be prepared, know your abilities, have a backup plan, have medical equipment, know wilderness survival skills, consider what-ifs and wear your PFD at all times.

• Frio River 

  • Be careful of the Frio and landowners

  • Can get very busy with river tubers and floaters

• Coastal Areas

  • Spoil Island in the land cut up to 9-mile holes are great areas to camp and fish in the South Texas area between Port Mansfield and Rockport.

OTHER GENERAL INFO----------------------------------------------------------------------

Meeting Time - 1:50:00

Fish Freeze preliminary report (captain Caleb McCumbers, Capt Wayne Davis, Ruben Garza, Brian Barrera, Michael Crisman, Dean “Slowride” Thomas, Frank Zequira, Scott Null, Alan Hall, Jim West, and Chuck Uzzle ) - Thanks Joel for bringing this up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pdS8aWTSjY

P.S. If you have any info you would like to share, you can email me (woodsrya002@mysbisd.org) and I will add it to this page.

 Prior Meetings

• January (trips)-https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/762/January-2021-PACK-Meeting.aspx
• December (Jared Easeley) -https://www.packtx.org/News/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/754/December-Pack-Meeting-Video.aspx
• November (Egret Baits) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs_w0OWEM1A

People Who Attended - 

• Ryan Woods

• Blaine Tamplain

• Chris Arceneaux

• Ken Overshiner

• Daniel Underbrink

• Blake Colburn

• Steven Spadoni

• Bruce Brehens

• Brad Valtiera

• William

• Michael Foulds

• Robert Tippie

• Charles Emmott

• Spsvjdc ???

• Alex

PACK Secretary - 

     Ryan Woods (“DeadliestCatcher”)