Marcos Rodriguez and Johnny Quiroz are The Guides of Texas. They are river fishing guides on the wonderful rivers that constantly tug at my heart. They have been featured in articles on the internet, magazines, and on TV shows. They cut their teeth on the exact rivers that I did, and know the passion involved in man-powered fishing.
Pat Kellner: When did y'all start fishing?
How/why did you start? Was there one person or reason that introduced you or really got you
hooked on the sport?
Marcus Rodriguez: I know Johnny and I have been fishing all of our lives. It was my parents who always pushed me to fish and kept me close to rivers and
creeks. I grew up on Geronimo Creek in Seguin, Texas. I remember wandering its banks
often, with a hook, string and a jar of grasshoppers. As I grew, I wandered farther and
farther, one day I made it to its confluence with the Guadalupe River. When I was 10
years old, my parents bought land on the San Marcos River and near the Blanco River.
My fishing skills were honed by trial and error. My mother and father would not buy
me a Nintendo when I was little. They bought be fishing rods and a gun. They told me to
go out and live an adventure…so I did. I really cut my teeth on the Blanco River.
This is the river that taught me accurate and stealthy presentations are a must. I
meandered the banks of the Blanco River between Kyle, Texas and Wimberley daily. It was
the absolute best place in the world for a young boy to grow up. I guess some of the
surrounding ranchers also had a part in getting me hooked on the sport as well…many
of them were open to letting me cross through their land.
PK: Apparently, we grew up around the same area, we attended the same University,
and I know y'all are river guys. When did you start river fishing, and why? Did San Marcos and South Central Texas,
the University, and the Rivers, play a role in this? I was river fishing long before I went to
school, but my love for the sport only grew when I was cutting class to fish the San Marcos Ricer. Did the river hurt your GPA as well?
MR: I started river fishing at a very young age. However, I
would have to say that I was not really good at fishing until I was about 15-16 years
old. Johnny did not really start river fishing until we met at Texas State University. I was the
one who introduced him to the Blanco River. After his introduction to the Blanco River,
he was very hard to get rid of. Honestly, I started river fishing because rivers…thanks to
my mother and father, where always close to home. I started to fish rivers because
they were there. The Blanco River and the San
Marcos River really hurt my GPA. I would skip classes for the river. I would schedule my
classes around the river. The major I chose was due to my love of local rivers. I would
go to class wet. I was at the Blanco or San Marcos River on a daily basis. Johnny and I would float 5-9 miles on a daily basis.
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PK: What is it about river, in your opinion, that makes them so enjoyable to fish?
MR: Rivers are always changing. A flood,
drought, windstorm…just about any weather system can change the dynamics of a river.
Rivers are lovely and serene, but they can also be dangerous. One must always respect
rivers. The fishing on rivers can be spectacular. It is also my opinion that river
fish fight way harder than fish in lakes. The rivers I float and guide on are usually in
remote parts of the state and I rarely encounter another person on a day’s float. Rivers
are just awesome.
PK: Do you ever fish any other types of water? Do you enjoy fishing any waters as much as river?
MR: I love to fish, so I often search
for other types of water to fish. I enjoy fishing the saltwater flats from Rockport to
Port Isabel. Last summer, I did a trip with Johnny in the Gulf. We used our pontoon boats
to get out past the breakers in the surf. We hooked huge tarpon and fought off sharks
all day. It was scary but fun. The ocean, is very much like a river but on a much larger
scale. There are currents and eddies and places were fish stage to ambush bait.
However, once you take your first stroke into the Gulf, you are
in limbo between predator and
prey. I would figure that we humans are still on top of the food chain…but not by much.
PK: When and how did y'all start your
guiding? And, when did you decided to start The Guides of Texas? How and why did y'all decide to jump into this venture?
MR: Johnny and I would fish every day. It got to the point, where
one of us would hook and catch a fish 4-8 pounds on a daily basis. Some fish were even
up to 10 pounds. This was all on rivers! We were successful on rivers and figured
we could pass our success on rivers to other anglers. We started guiding in October
1998. We started guiding on the San Marcos River. We started guiding and it was our
plan to take spin fishers down the river. Our first clients were spin fishers. Afterwards all
of our clients have been fly fishers. Luckily, we had some experience with fly fishing
and guiding fly fishers was mastered fairly quickly.
PK: What rivers do you guide on?
Would you venture off those rivers and fish different waters if someone wanted you to?
MR: We guide on over 1000 different
river miles in the Texas Hill Country. However, our bread and
butter rivers are the San Marcos, Llano, Devils, Colorado, Medina, and Guadalupe
Rivers. I will venture onto any new body of water if a client suggest it.
PK: Do you have any good stories to tell, from any of your trips, that stand out in your mind?
MR: Almost all of our trips produce
good stories and memories. We have been struck at by snakes, caught in storms, charged
by hogs, dogs, and cattle. We have had trees and limbs fall near us. We have had
to cross terrible log jams. We have caught great fish and have shared many-many laughs.
My favorite little story occurred last year…..We guided two gentlemen on the
Devils River. The gentleman I guided for three days had just lost his wife to cancer. She
had died in June and I was guiding the man in October. The Devils River is very
beautiful and scenic. As I guided the man, I would watch him looking around. At one point, he
put his rod down and placed his hands on the gunwales. He put his head down
and I could see his shoulders shaking as he sobbed quietly. He told me that he missed
his wife and that the beauty of the river really brought back memories of her. He told me
that he missed her and that he really wished that she was on the river with him. At
that exact moment, a huge wind came out of a side canyon. The wind blew across the river,
and actually lifted the canoe in a bulge of water. The wind then hit the sycamore trees
and goldenrod on the opposite bank. As the wind hit the streamside vegetation, it
lifted thousands of monarch butterflies into the air. The butterflies flitted and twirled
in the wind. It was a cyclone of butterflies. I told the gentleman that he need not worry,
his wife was definitely with us….
PK: Awesome story. The Devils River sure does have some thin places on it.
Do you ever fish from "power
boats" or is everything you do man-powered (kayaks, canoes, etc.)?
MR: We rarely fish from power boats.
We are man-powered for the most part. There is something about using your
muscles and your wits to chase and outsmart fish. Johnny fishes at the coast a lot, and he
is more apt to fish from a power boat than I am. However, I think I can speak for
Johnny and say that our preference is fishing from a canoe. Canoes are how folks
explored gained entry into the landscape. I like to think of ourselves and others who use
canoes and kayaks to chase fish as modern day savages.
PK: In your opinion, what is the best solo craft you have used to fish the river?
MR: My favorite solo craft for fishing on the river is
my Hobie Float Cat. It is a pontoon boat and I use fins to move and position myself
perfectly for fishing. I have kayaks, and canoes, but I prefer the kickboat hands down for my
fishing needs.
PK: What is the best vessel to take a client down river in?
MR: I believe that the best vessel to use for clients is the canoe.
With the canoe, I can access water that rafts and powerboats cannot normally access.
A canoe allows me good speed, stability, and stealth. We can make a client
very comfortable in canoe as well. I know others will disagree with me, but that is my opinion. I won't knock other types of vessels.
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PK: Have y'all, or do y'all ever fish
any tournaments? If so, do you enjoy them, why or why not? If not, have you ever considered tournament fishing, why haven't y'all?
MR: I have never fished an official tournament. I have done
a couple of friendly tournaments with fly fishing club members, family members, and
friends. I always win. I would consider an official tournament, but it takes a lot of
time that I do not have. I know I would learn something from the tournament folks. Some
of the professional fishermen that I have seen on television are tremendously gifted and they really how to get on the fish.
Marcos has been my guide in the past and his skills are so sharp that it is just amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhen he guided me to toss my lure into any given spot, the fish were always there and always took the bait. It's almost as if he has fish ESP. If somebody told me that his brain was hardwired with fish radar, I would believe it! :-) In addition to that, Marcos is a very fine person with a heart of gold. When it's time for me to get back on the river, you can count on that I'll be calling on Marcos to guide me. He's the best!!!