Reminising

Need I say more!!!!

Is There a Weedless Nymph???

The Wooly Bugger was my choice of fly on Smith last week as I searched my fly box for something to get some hits. As you recall in my previous post my original plan was to crappie fish that day, but all that went out the window when the crappie failed to show up. What I didn’t mention in the post was the loss of numerous flies due to hang ups in submerged brush plies and underwater fallen trees. As I was trying to retrieve some of the flies I wondered if it was possible for someone to tie a pattern in the form of a weedless nymph. I have search the net and haven’t found any such fly. True one can find weedless poppers, streamer type patterns for warm water species, but no weedless nymph in a size 8 or 10. The black grub in size 8 was used that day as was the bugger, with both patterns being lost due to hang ups. The verdict is still out using weedless nymph’s trout fishing. The guard might inhibit the hook set. This weedless hook thing is another one of those curious thoughts that go through my mind when I’m trying to figure out how to land more fish. What are your thoughts on weedless fly patterns, especially nymph patterns?

This grub and the black and cream are the ones I used a lot in the early spring to fish for the big bluegill, which are still in deep water. Most of the time they are located near or over brush; resulting in the lose of numerous flies. Sliding one of these grubs over submerged limbs in brush piles would be deadly if the fly was tagged with a guard. True there may be some trouble landing the fish, but it be would fun trying.

 

When are Enough Flies and Poppers Enough??

I have found that fly fisherman who fish for all species of fish, regardless of warm water or coldwater have an abundance of flies in their fly boxes. If you are not one of these individuals then I would consider you in the minority. All my fly fishing buddies including me have enough flies and poppers to last season after season. So the question is why do need so many poppers and flies, and of course the answer is to land lots of fish.

I realize that if one is fishing for trout, the hatch comes into play a lot of times which dictates a certain size and style pattern that matches the hatch. Trout fishermen have to be a bit more creative with the fly pattern and of course the presentation to get a take. Assuming no hatch is visible and your buddy is slaying the trout with this tiny little nymph or dry he has perfected, and you are struggling to land even one trout, hence a few more patterns to add to the fly box. 

Fly fishing for warm water species such as bluegill, bass and even crappie usually requires some poppers and nymphs and that is all one needs to have success especially during the spawn. There are times and they are rare for me when certain color poppers will attract a hit better than the popper my buddy is using, but most of time any type popper will trigger a hit.

So my point is, could we as fly fishermen have success on our favorite stream or lake using what you would consider your top six dries and top six nymphs on any given outing? The same question could apply for the warm water species as well, could a few poppers and nymphs land you an abundance of bluegills and bass.

So here are my top dries, nymphs, poppers and warm water nymphs for a season, what is your top pick?

My top six dries for a season, how could any trout fisherman be without the Adams and of course Alan’sBomber

My top six nymphs including  David’s Knapp’s Seal Leech and of course the famous Zebra Midge

Poppers and terrestrials are among my top six warm water flies. These six flies should get hits when fishing for bluegill or even bass anywhere in the U.S.

My top six warm water nymphs has to include my favorite the Gant in black and yellow.

 

I truly believe I could fish a season or more with these flies and poppers I have feature here; but am I willing to get up all my flies and poppers I have in my boxes yet------NO!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  

Blessed to Have Awesome Blogging Buddies

Alan at Small Stream Reflection sent me a care package today in the form of some awesome streamers, dries, and wet flies. Thanks to Alan my fly box is back to normal now and ready for some cold water fishing on the tailrace. I haven’t been able to get back on the water due to constant generation and not having fly fishing equipment to fish with.

Well as of today I can report that I have replaced most all the fly rods with the exception of one 7 ½ ft. Redington and one Gloomis fly reel. In fact I found most of the reels and rods cheaper than the original price. Even with that accomplishment, it stills leaves me with a sick feeling knowing the value of what I lost. I do have insurance now on all my fishing equipment and hopefully I will never have to use it. Thanks to Alan and the rest of my blogging buddies for all the positive comments and helping me restock my fly boxes. Now its time to hit the water.!!

Alan does an exceptional job at the tying bench. I can’t wait to get on the water and land some nice rainbows using these flies. I am especially anxious to use those streamers. The trout here seldom see these streamers patterns, so I am expecting some savage takes. I hope to have a report soon.

 

 

Slowly Replacing Stolen Fly Fishing Equipment

Well I am slowly replacing some of the equipment and flies that I had stolen from me a couple of weeks ago. I still can’t believe someone walked into my garage in broad daylight; then left with four fly fishing combos, flies, lures and accessories that took me years to collect. The police told me that it left Jasper the same day it was stolen. In other words I will never see any of it again. It just goes to show all of us we don’t live in Mayberry RFD anymore.

  I am still looking for a Gloomis Venture 3 Fly Reel, I had three stolen. I haven’t been able to find the 3 version. I would appreciate any help you guys can give me in finding one of these reels. These reels are the only items I can’t replace and they were my most prized pieces. There are no new ones left. I would be happy with a used Venture.

Kevin at Feather Chucker told me after the incident that he wanted to help resupply my fly box. He made good on his promise the other day when all these flies arrived in the mail. I am glad he tied some more of the bead head soft hackles, because I lost one of my best trout this past year using that fly. The wooly bugger pattern and big green popper will attract some nice spots on the lake come spring. Thanks to Kevin the fly box restocking has started.  

 

Three Day Road Trip to California



Today I am watching a light snow fall the first week of March in Jasper Alabama. That kind of weather is a little odd for this part of the country this time of the year. The temps never got out of the 30’s all day and for me that is stay inside weather. It gave me a chance to put together a collection of flies for my son to use when he moves to California next week. I will be making the trip with him to help out with the driving. It is a 3 day trip from Jasper to Marysville California, where he will be working as a travel RN for the next 3 months. After that assignment he will move to Oregon to do another 3 month stint. I am hoping he will find Dad some good streams to fish when my wife and I make the trip out there this summer. He will work a four day week so he said he will have time to explore. One of the flies I put in his fly box was the Auseable Bomber by Mark at Fishing Small Streams.  

A great dry dropper setup--I will have to give it a try as a stand alone dry also



 

Another pattern that I will put in his fly box is the Bomber pattern that Alan of  Small Streams Reflections fishes. I consider Alan and Mark experts when it comes to fishing dry flies--so any dry they are fishing I am on!!!



I have actually fished Alan's  Bomber this past season and landed a number of rainbows using it without a dropper fly. In fact my profile image is one of the best rainbows I landed last year using Alan’s Bomber.

Alan's Bomber worked magic with this bow.

I couldn’t end today’s post without sharing a clip using the dry/dropper setup. This will be one of the first setups I use this season

 

I plan on taking lots of photos on the way out, and hope to share some with you guys when I get back next weekend-----

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will This Fly Pattern Land Smallmouth & Spots in The Fall

While fishing at the tailrace the other day I meet a guy who told me about this unique Frog Pattern he uses with a 9 ft. 7 wt. We both were leaving the tailrace when he started talking to me about fishing Pickwick Lake in Tennessee in the fall for Samllmouth bass using this swimming frog. Being the always inquisitive fisherman I am I immediately started questioning him about the exact time of the year, water temp, presentation, leader/tippet size and length, depth, retrieve and was he fishing it over structure?  He gave me the name of the website which of all places is located in United Kingdom. I know I like to buy all my fishing tackle in the U. S. but I couldn’t resist seeing what this go getter of a fly look like up close and better yet to see if it would actually produce on Smith in October. Long story short I ordered half dozen last week. I don’t know about you guys but I am always willing to try any new fly pattern that may produce action for me. I will have to wait 16 days for the thing to get to me but I think it will be worth the wait.

This is the FROG I will wait 16 days for---I have a feeling it will produce

Since I am on the subject of FROG I thought I would share a few more with you guys. This frog cost twice as much as the frog from England--4.00

The Dry Ryn by Orvis is more a simplier pattern, I like my frogs jazzed up some

The Boobyfrog is from the Field & Stream blog. It is unique because it is tied with the hook upside down, I may have to try this one too.

The orange belly frog from Riverbum is yet a variation in colors and pattern

This frog is tied by Dusty Abney who tells quite a story involving this frog---great piece!!

 

One Can Never Have Enough Flies

I just received my order of flies from Flydealflies yesterday and as usual these guys know what they are doing. The quality of these flies are exceptional. In the past two years I have been using their flies and I have never had one fly to tear. I must admit I have lost plenty in tress, stumps, logs, rocks, and anything else I can hang one on, but not a tear. This is a local own company located in North Carolina. The minimum number of flies for an order is five dozen at .53 a piece. Most all fly shops will charge you triple that and some as much as 2.00 with tax, so this is quite a bargain. I just wanted to pass along this bit of information for those of us who don’t do our own tying. I keep saying that I am going to take a fly tying class and tie some of my own flies, but there just never seems to be enough time. Being on the water 3 days a week and gym takes up most of the week. I think the winter might be the ideal time to try some tying.

The famous Gnat tied by Flydeals

Fishing The Nymph With the Indicator and as a Dropper

Today’s fishing lesson comes from Fishing 101 in nymphing.  We all have had problems when fishing nymphs with an indicator or as a dropper, yes and even tight lining. This is one of the best pieces I have read concerning this often used technique. Most all fly fishermen would rather see that trout busting the water after our dry, but much too often you have to go down under to get the take.

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Fishing With Nymphs     It is often claimed that the highest percentage of fish taken on flies are taken on nymphs. For that to work for the angler, there are two major problems that have to be conquered----This is assuming you have chosen a nymph that represents one of the insects inhabiting the waters you are fishing of course.   The fly should be bumping along the stream bed usually with a weight placed above the fly attached to the leader is a common thread . As much as I dislike a strike indicator of any kind, based on seeing little bits of day-glo colored strike indicators washed up on stream banks, it can be a helpful method of 'seeing' what your fly is doing. Another way to accomplish the same thing - making the action of your fly visible - is to use a high bouyancy dry fly with the nymph as a dropper. A highly visable fly makes it even better. With the strike indicator or the top-water fly as an indicator, you raise your rod tip when the indicator disappears under water. Yes, it's just like using a bobber. Sometimes fish will take the top fly too. A real bonus.  Without using either of the above methods, the angler will learn in time the correct 'feel' of the nymph as it bounces along the bottom. Anything different, calls for raising the rod tip. It could be a snag, or a momentary slowdown caused by a large rock or log underwater. Or a very nice trout! But feeling the 'difference' is the key. Once again, be observant.   Line control is the other problem anglers encounter in fishing with nymphs. Being able to present a dry fly correctly, and getting the maximum free drift from that fly, has to include mending the line. A recent Saturday morning fly fishing show featured Dave Whitlock guiding a television personality. Dave instructed the angler to mend his line. He made a neat mend - DOWNSTREAM! Oopps! Dave quickly corrected him. Amazingly the show producers didn't cut that piece of video from the show. But then, maybe the producers don't fly fish.   All line mending on moving water is produced by making a flip of the wrist with the rod hand UPSTREAM! Or by making a letter "c" with the tip of the rod. It might be a backward "c" depending on the direction the water is flowing. Line mending has also been described as a half-roll cast. Controlling the line in any form of fly fishing is extremely important. Positive results from your fishing depend on your ability to control the line.   Having a dry fly behave in the same manner as the natural insect depends on having a drag-free float! If a fish will not take a fly that doesn't behave in a normal way on top of the water, why would the fish take a fly that does not behave in a normal way under the water?   So the control of line is critical as well to fishing nymphs. The fly has to have a drift that is normal. It has to move along with the current at the same speed as the current. Drag caused by line being pulled along with the current speeds up the fly. Not only is the speed of the fly wrong at that point, the fly cannot get down as deep as it needs to be. There is an exception, (isn't there always?) and that is when the insects are hatching from the nymphal form. But for my money, that's the time for an emerger pattern fished in the surface film and not a nymph. Try it both ways and make your own judgement call.   Generally the best way to fish a nymph is to cast not directly upstream, but quartering upstream, and allow the fly to drift downstream past you. All the while, making mends upstream in your line to achieve the longest, drag-free ride. Once the fly has passed, retrieve the fly in a series of short swimming strips toward you. No takers? Take a step or two up or downstream and repeat the exercise.

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