Get Outdoors
"Guadalupe"
by Jan Hackett on 06/17/14
I accompanied my wife to a conference in San Antonio last week and found myself in need of something to do for the afternoon. I grabbed my 8’6” 5 weight some wading shoes and my copy of “Fly-Fishing the Texas Hill Country” by Kevin Hutchison (Kevin has upgraded “Bud” Pirddy’s book with permission from the family) and headed off to the lower Guadalupe.
I headed towards the base of the dam at Canyon Lake and parked at the trail head (N29 86.96 W98 19.461) of the nature trail. The 1.25 mile long trail parallels the river and you will clearly see well warn paths from others accessing the river. There is parking on the north side of the river (N29 87.0772 W98 19.5516) that provides access to the tailrace a steep set of stairs leads to a fishing pier used by bait fisherman. This side of the river will provide the best access for launching your float from however the nature trail side provides the easiest access for wade fishing. There is a tremendous amount of fishing pressure in this area but always worth a shot. In addition to the trout, bass and panfish you may hook into a hybrid striped bass that are known to reside in this part of the river.
The fishing proved to be a little slow that day so I headed towards the car and drove down river to the Lazy L & L Campgrounds (N29 49.100 W98 10.388). The campground is open all year round and provides river access at the “Devil’s Playground Rapids”. I paid my eight dollars and headed towards the parking area and the short trail leading to the river. The rapids provide numerous runs, riffles and holes for fish to hold. There are two deep pools on either side of rapids that always warrant a few casts. Other then the handful of casts you can make from the shallows you will need a float tube, kick boat or some other means of covering the water. This also is the beginning of the special regulations area on the lower Guadalupe, from the sign located on a tree down stream to the “second crossing” you are allowed one trout over 18” and is must be taken on an artificial lure or fly.
As luck would have it on a Wednesday afternoon I had the entire area to myself for the next few hours. I ended up catching fish that included one rainbow about 8 inches various panfish and one nice size bass. I had success with various floating and sinking flies that included a foam grass hopper, Hicky’s Condor, bead head pheasant tail nymph, wooly bugger/bomber in various colors and the bass was caught on a Naiser slider tied in orange and black.
As the sun slipped behind the hills and trees I headed for the car put my stuff away for the thirty minute drive back to San Antonio and reflected on a great day fishing on North America’s most southern trout fishery.
Safe wading!
Epi Pen Wilderness Protocols
by Jan Hackett on 02/24/14
Recently a colleague asked me about the timing for the administration of an epi-pen in a wilderness setting. They had originally been taught to delay the administration of epinephrine until the patient could only say one or two words and explaining “we were taught to hold off the epi-pen use. We only have so much epi and hopefully the anti-histamines would kick and would not need the epi”. In my colleagues latest recertification the same organization is now teaching administer the epi-pen as soon as signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis shock manifest. They wanted to know what I was teaching in my classes.
My reply:
As for your question I was taught and teach to administer the epi-pen as soon as S/S of anaphylaxis shock manifest along with a dose on antihistamines based on the patients LOC/LOR . (note in the event that someone is unconscious you can place it under their tongue). The science behind this is as follows:
1) The antihistamines do nothing for the first release of histamines by the body but will help with a potential second release. A note hear is that Auerbach (Wilderness Medicine edition 5 page 2120) suggests there may be some benefit using antihistamines as a prophylactic in individuals that are predisposed to anaphylaxis shock.
2) The onset of S/S is commonly 5 to 30 minutes after contact with the allergen and can occur up to 2 hours later.
3) The absorption rate of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is 1.7 hours plus or minus 1.0 Hours (see http://www.jiaci.org/issues/vol16s1/2.pdf) and
4) The absorption rate of epinephrine is 117.7 minutes plus or minus 30.8 minutes (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10870098 ) note this primarily deals with the rates of absorption through subcutaneous, intramuscular and intravenously
I have read some articles on the administration of the second
dose not being necessary if you will be at the hospital in less than 2 hours
(note this may be supported based on the rates of absorption listed above) and
believe this may be the American Safety & Health Institutes position
also.
"Going Home"
by Jan Hackett on 08/26/13
I have been lucky enough to own and operate a fly shop, teach fly fishing at Duke University and work as a fly fishing guide. These jobs have allowed me to fish many places in North and Central America.
While traveling to State College Pennsylvania for a family event I was able to fish my “home” water. I know living in Texas how can I call a piece of water in Pennsylvania my home. It has to do with the fact that I first fished this piece of water with my father and brother in 1959. I have photographic evidence that I was fly fishing at the age of three. My casting skills have no doubt increased since that time but I always make time to fish at Fisherman’s Paradise when I get close.
Perhaps it’s because I have fished for various specious maybe it’s a result of genetics but at some point within a fishing trip I tie on a streamer to cover the water. On Saturday I started out fishing a nymph through the various velocity changes looking for fish. After a period of time I tied on a black cypert minnow and worked it through the far side of a “seam” above someone that had been fishing all morning without success. On my second cast the streamer dead drifted along until I began to strip the fly towards me, suddenly saw the flash of a fish and felt the pull on my line. After a couple of minutes I had a 15” brown trout in my hand. Upon his release the fish headed for deeper water.
I started fishing the next day at 6am, there was a sporadic hatch of may flies and I tied on a parachute style may fly and drifted over the top of numerous fish. They had no interest in my offering and I sifted through my fly box for something that might garner some interest. I tied on a sculpin pattern that Bob Cramer showed me years ago and started to cover the water. The life like streamer brought immediate interest with numerous “flashes” and “follows” and “short strikes” unfortunately it yielded no more fish then the parachute midge. It appeared that my fly was simply too large for the fish to take. I walked up stream a ways working my way back down and decided to switch to a black wooly bomber. Another fisherman had worked his way up stream to just below the spot I was starting to fish. Almost on queue the line tightened and a 12” brown was on the other end of my line. I brought the fish to hand and snapped a picture prior to releasing it, before I could stand up and start fishing again the fisherman below me had walked up stream and started to fish the seam I had just caught my fish from.
So my success may be based on the fact that I have fished various water and applied those skills here, perhaps it’s because Fisherman’s Paradise really is my “home water” or perhaps it is some “fishing gene” I inherited most likely it was I watched the success that my father had fishing streamers and I realized streamers turn any water into your “home water”
Texas Trout Fishing
by Jan Hackett on 05/23/13
I accompanied my wife to a conference in San Antonio last week and found myself in need of something to do for the afternoon. I grabbed my 8’6” 5 weight some wading shoes and my copy of “Fly-Fishing the Texas Hill Country” by Kevin Hutchison (Kevin has upgraded “Bud” Pirddy’s book with permission from the family) and headed off to the lower Guadalupe.
I headed towards the base of the dam at Canyon Lake and parked at the trail head (N29 86.96 W98 19.461) of the nature trail. The 1.25 mile long trail parallels the river and you will clearly see well warn paths from others accessing the river. There is parking on the north side of the river (N29 87.0772 W98 19.5516) that provides access to the tailrace a steep set of stairs leads to a fishing pier used by bait fisherman. This side of the river will provide the best access for launching your float from however the nature trail side provides the easiest access for wade fishing. There is a tremendous amount of fishing pressure in this area but always worth a shot. In addition to the trout, bass and panfish you may hook into a hybrid striped bass that are known to reside in this part of the river.
The fishing proved to be a little slow that day so I headed towards the car and drove down river to the Lazy L & L Campgrounds (N29 49.100 W98 10.388). The campground is open all year round and provides river access at the “Devil’s Playground Rapids”. I paid my eight dollars and headed towards the parking area and the short trail leading to the river. The rapids provide numerous runs, riffles and holes for fish to hold. There are two deep pools on either side of rapids that always warrant a few casts. Other then the handful of casts you can make from the shallows you will need a float tube, kick boat or some other means of covering the water. This also is the beginning of the special regulations area on the lower Guadalupe, from the sign located on a tree down stream to the “second crossing” you are allowed one trout over 18” and is must be taken on an artificial lure or fly.
As luck would have it on a Wednesday afternoon I had the entire area to myself for the next few hours. I ended up catching fish that included one rainbow about 8 inches various panfish and one nice size bass. I had success with various floating and sinking flies that included a foam grass hopper, Hicky’s Condor, bead head pheasant tail nymph, wooly bugger/bomber in various colors and the bass was caught on a Naiser slider tied in orange and black.
As the sun slipped behind the hills and trees I headed for the car put my stuff away for the thirty minute drive back to San Antonio and reflected on a great day fishing on North America’s most southern trout fishery.
Safe wading!
Wilderness First Aid for High Adventuer
by Jan Hackett on 12/11/12
In a recent conversation with a client they
expressed concerns that the Wilderness First Aid class they have scheduled with me no longer met the BSA
requirements for high adventure camps. They had visited a website that offers training and
saw the following:
“Wilderness and Remote First Aid replaces Wilderness First Aid Basics which was the program previously recommended by the BSA. The new WRFA program meets the current training
requirements for Scout groups planning treks to Philmont Scout Ranch.”
After some investigation I have come to find
out the American Red Cross revamped their class in 2012 and is now called “Wilderness and Remote
First Aid”. I then visited the Philmont website which states:
“Philmont
requires that at least one person (preferably two) in each crew be currently
certified in Wilderness
First Aid or the equivalent and CPR from the American Heart Association, the
American
Red
Cross, or the equivalent.”
The Wilderness
First Aid class taught by Wilderness Education & Medicine of Texas sanctioned
by American Health & Safety meets the standards established by the Boy
Scouts and the American
Camping Association HW1 part C when EMS is more than one hour away along with
the many other youth/adult organizations and camps. In 2010 the National First Aid Science Advisory
Board set forth new guidelines which ASHI implemented into their curriculum
2011.
