Seperating Myself From the Rest of the Pack

Today’s post is an update on my quest to reach my goal of landing 100 bluegills by the end of this month. I missed my trip on Thursday of this week because of the rain. I did get to go on Friday. I launched my little Raider boat at 7 AM and fish until lunch. The wind was a little more cooperative today compared to this past Tuesday. The only negative aspect of the trip today was the number of individuals on the water. It seems every nook, point, and bend I approached to fish, there was a boat. The positive aspect of the trip was the fact that I was the only one on the lake fishing with a fly rod. Everyone was either fishing live bait for bluegill or fishing for crappie with minnows or fishing for bass with artificial lures. I was really getting some strange looks; I had one individual to ask me, what kind of outfit was I fishing? I explained to him what I was doing but I don’t think he quite understood what I was talking about.

Today proved to me that if you are not following the norm by fishing the way everybody else does, then you should be a little more successful than the rest of the pack. That is what happened to me today. I stopped counting after I landed more than 30 bluegills. Of those 30 gills, 18 were keepers and 10 were the big bluegills I was after. The bedding process had begun because the water temps had reached 72 degrees. So this explains why all the boats on the water. I only have a couple more trips to make before it is over with on this lake for me this year. I hope I reach my goal.

The little number 10 orange popper on the floor of the Raider boat was the choice popper today before the wind. It seems the bluegills were attracted to this color more than the traditional white, chartreuse, or yellow colors.

These are the best of the bunch. As stated in the post, I brought 18 home, but these were worthy of the picture. Half of these were landed using the Black Gnat after the wind got up. This group brought my total to 70.  



Reaching That Number 100 Gill in All That Wind & More Wind

I was reading Mel’s Post over at Blog Cabin Angler the other day on wind. Well as I fished Walker County Lake today I reflected back to his post. Why because I experienced the wind factor “big time” today. I found myself with fly line wrapped around my head at times not to mention the fly itself hooked either in my clothing or in some article in the boat. I made the comment on Mel’s post that the wind can be a friend or it can be your enemy. Today it was more of my enemy than a friend. It was gusting at 15 to 25 mph. at times and the lake was white capping after lunch. So you asked with all this going on where is the fish? The fish with exception of the 15 I brought home is still in that windy lake. I decided after I got home around 1 pm that I would not stay and fish in those conditions anymore. It is not worth the problems one’s goes through to stay an extra hour for two or three more fish.   I arrived at the lake this morning around 7 and didn’t land a fish until 7:45. There was no wind and the water temp was reading between 66 and 68 with the wind from the south. I finally made a hook up right before 8 which was a largemouth around 2 lbs. I fought the fish to the boat only to have it break off as it made one last jump as I was reaching to lip it. I lost popper number one. As the morning progressed I lost two other poppers on break offs in brush, which were large bull bluegills. The 15 bluegills I brought home were all caught on a size 8 Chartreuse Popper, and a size 8 Irresistible wruff. I really like this little fly because it resembles some of the Mayflies coming off the trees at this time on the lake. You know I would never go without the Gnat. The Gnat is the fly that produced all the larger bulls today. I started using the Gnat when the wind got up and stayed with it until I left. I told all of you back in March I was going to set a goal of landing 100 bull bluegill before the end of April. Well after today I stand at 60. With wind like today I am wondering if I will reach my goal. Stay tuned for Thursday’s trip, if the rain doesn’t wash me out. Wish me luck.

Sorry about the glare, the mimosa trees in the distance was producing the Mayflies, which caused me to tie on the Irresistible wruff--it produced female bluegills no bulls

Flydeals tie this fly for me with a red tail and a white hackle--excellent dry for bluegills

This little ruttier saved me many casts by keeping the boat parallel to the bank when the wind really got bad. I made the ruttier out of a discarded trolling motor mount.

Good bluegill but not the biggie I have been accustomed to. But I will take these all day. He was one that I counted towards my 100 goal. Notice the Gnat.

I counted 6 of these bluegills towards my 100 goal. The rest in the cooler was female bluegills.

Ready for the fillet knife

The end result of today's trip. The fillets above are left in the refrigerator overnight in ice and salt. The salt is added to eliminate what blood is left in the fillets. The next day you rinse off the salt and either deep fry or bake to a golden brown. The majority of the fish I have been catching lately have been put in the deep freeze for the winter. By the end of summer the freezer should be full.

Not Everyday on the Lake can be a Stellar Day

Has anyone notice that one can’t have a fantastic fish catch on every trip. Today’s excursion was one of those outings. I went back to Walker County Lake today for what I thought would be another stellar day. Well, the fish won out today. I was late getting started and the wind took over about an hour into the trip and never let up all day. I did manage to land a decent crappie and some medium size female bluegills before lunch. After lunch, it was changing fly after fly, and yes that included the Gnat. Today it produced one crappie and a bull bluegill medium size and that was it for the Gnat today. I notice that the lake was still falling and the transition of the spawn was taking place because there were too many medium-size female bream around the edge and in the back of most of the nooks. The big males were nowhere to be found. They had moved back into the deep water, waiting for the females to drop their eggs, so I feel that this was the case today. I do think that next week will be the time to be on this lake for super bluegill action. The water temps will be between 75 and 80 and that is the magic number for the spawn to begin. At that time the big males will begin to move onto the beds and the action should be furious. Today the temps never reached 73. Another factor affecting the spawn for next week will be the moon phase which will be full. So check back for what I hope to be a better report.

Best fish of the day on the Gnat.

Fishing the Super Black Gnat Fly

Today I fished with the best-wet fly I have ever used. Consider the conditions, the water was falling, the wind was out of the east all day, fishing right after a cold front and the barometer was sky high all day. When I say all day I started fishing around 9 AM and finished the day mid-afternoon. So here is the take on the trip, I started out with my 3 wt, fly rod using a small popper to no avail. After about an hour of fishing close in pockets, I switched to my 4 wt rod using a wooly bugger, I fish with this fly until after lunch landing two small bait stealers. With it being partly cloudy most of the afternoon and the water temps bouncing back and forth between 62 to 65 I switched back to a variety of poppers using my 3 wt. only to continue to land little tiny bait stealers. Feeling frustrated I switch back to my 4wt because I wanted to get a little more distance and have a little more power for a hook set. The 4 wt is the set-up I ended the trip with, after switching to the BLACK GNAT, yes the black gnat. I started back down one of the long runs off a steep bank, I had fished a couple of times the morning and most of the afternoon. To make this story shorter, I caught or lost 22 large bull bluegills about an hour before I left the lake. The 15 pictured in the cooler were some of the fattest and largest I have caught on Walker County Lake. I got broke off 3 times during this last-minute run, as I stated I brought home 15. This trip today proves when you find a lure or fly that produces when nothing else will sing its praises, and I will be doing that every time I tie this little jewel on my fly line.

I will ice down this group because I just didn't want to fillet fish after I got home. I guess the only bad part of this trip is the fact I have to get up in the morning and clean fish. Sorry, I forgot my camera so I had to take this picture when I got home.

Fishing for Crappie After a Cold Front

Well I have been in Mississippi for the past couple of days fishing with my brother.  We were fishing Legion Lake for some of the spawning crappie. Thursday was slow because of a cold front that had passed through on Wednesday. The water temperature was showing between 59 and 62. Most all the crappie was caught in 5 to 6 feet depths. The lake was falling because of all the heavy rains which along with the cold front made it tough to land many nice fish. The hits were extremely light and soft. We were both using micro light 7 ½ ft. rods with 4 lb. test light. The lure for the day was a 1/16 oz. curly tail jig retrieved slowly with the tip of the hook baited with a white or chartreuse nibbet. The nibbet makes a difference on the slow days. The weather turned cooler as the afternoon approached and cause the bite to pretty much stop. As we were leaving the water I wanted to try the black gnat on the crappie using the fly rod. I landed a couple of nice black crappie with the gnat retrieving it slowly. This was my first crappie that I had ever caught on the fly. I know that those couple of crappie won’t be my last. This was not only a great fishing trip but as always a nice visit with my brother and his wife. As always the food was exceptional.

The Black Gnat also scored with those two large bullgills.  

The Black Gnat is quite possibly the best wet fly I have ever used. The slow drift and and fall make it deadly for trout, bluegills, bass and yes even crappie.

Fly Fishing Using the Green and Brown Grasshopper

Today was another great day on Walker County Lake. I fished for 5 hours and landed 35 to 40 bluegills. I threw back some of the smaller ones which quite frankly got to be a nuisance. The water temps today were 65 to 68 which made for some good topwater action. I never use the 4 wt. today, but instead went with my 3 wt. which was a blast landing some of the big bull gills. I started the day with a small brown grasshopper from Bass Pro and ended the trip with a larger green grasshopper also from Bass Pro. Both of these flies are so realistic. They always land on the water with the body upright. A lot of the hopper patterns I have fished before landed upside down at times. These Bass Pro hoppers work to perfection. The fish were still in water five feet or better, and the water was clear enough for the fish to see the offering easy. Get ready for a number of posts in the bluegill category for at least the next 3 weeks. I hope these posts don't become boring, but my blog not only serves me as a communication tool, but it is my fishing log from year to year. It is really helpful to look back on a particular post and see what temps and time of the year the fish were reacting to different flies. My goal is to land and keep 100 gills filleted and put in the freezer for the season. This lake is the perfect lake to accomplish this task because it is well managed and the fish are extremely healthy. The lake is fertilized throughout the summer and if one is planning on catching a limited of gills on this lake they had better stock up before the first of May. May is when the game and fish start the fertilize program and this turns me and a host of other fishermen off. The water turns a slim green and most of the fertilize floats on top of the water for some time. In other words, I don’t like fishing English Pea soup.  I hope to be back on the water Friday and do this all over again.  You know this could turn into a job I really like-----and better yet I willing do this without pay!!!!!

Working on filling the freezer, by the way, this lake is stocked each year with 1000 gills and the limit is 20 per day. As I stated it is well managed.

First Fishing Trip of the Season

Today was my first bluegill trip of this season, which proved to be successful. Walker County Lake is always a good producer early in the year. I started fishing today around 11:30, with a host of other individuals either fishing from a boat or just sitting on the bank. They were all enjoying being outdoors, especially with all the sunlight and warm temperatures. I fished for an hour without any success. I tried terrestrials, poppers and some weighted nymphs, all without a single hit. I could understand the top water turn downs, but the nymphs were supposed to produce. When I say nymphs I am talking about buggers. After the dry spell I decided to go back to the fly I used last year at this time, which was the black gnat in a size 6. This is really a unique little fly because it has the ability to stay fully dry looking in the water. In other words the fibers or hairs on this fly stays brushed outward from the body underwater. I really don’t know what attracts the fish to this fly but it was the life savior today. The minute I tied it on I started to feel and see action. I ended the day with this fly because I found nothing else would produce. The water temperature today was between 62 and 65, which meant the majority of the fish was still deep. I got most all my hits in depths of 5 feet or deeper. The gnat is perfect for this depth range, because all your hit comes on a slow fall. All you have to do is watch the line go and then set the hook------sounds simply and it is!! It was just good to back in the moment of catching gills on the fly. Everything that was on my mind today disappeared when I hit the water, what great therapy.

I was not the only one fising today.

This guy was really enjoying himself. He said he fishes 4 days a week--must be nice

Good catch today, considering everyone I talk to didn't have any fish or had caught one or two. I was the only one on the lake fly fishing. I was getting some weird looks with my # 4 weight. Notice the fillet knife guess where these will end up??

Bluegill could be commercialized for food markets

I recently got this email alert concerning using Bluegill for commercial use. I know it is illegal to sell bluegill, so to read this piece really got my attention. Catfish is locally farmed and sold, so in the near future you might start seeing bluegill along side catfish at your local meat market. Bluegill for Commercial Use

The Fisherman's Language

This past Saturday it rained all day, so one of my projects was to clean out our basement. While rambling through lots of trash I discovered a plaque I had used in my office at school some years ago. I discovered it is a little faded and worn, but still readable. It is called Fisherman’s Language. I can’t tell you how many comments I have had over the years about this piece of information. I am sure some of you have seen this before and for those of you who want it translated post a request in your comment. 

Fisherman Language

Hiyamac.---Lobuddy--Binearlong?--Cuplours--Ketchanemy?--Goddafew--Kindarethay?--Cropsangills--Enysizetoum?--Cuplapowns--Hittinard?--Sordalite--Wahchoozin?--Gobbaworms--Fishannonboddum?--Rydonnabuddum--Igoddago--Tubad--Seeyaround--Yeahtakdeezy--Guluk

Experimenting With Line Weights and Rod Weights

I was experimenting the other day with line weights and decided to switch my fly reels loaded with 3, 4, and 5 weight lines to my different rod weights that I fish. In trying these different combo’s I also used different weighted flies with the fly lines such as big bass poppers, and a tiny size 28 midges. I found the answer to all this interchanging was pretty significant. In other words overloading a heavy weighted line on light 3 wt rod could make for a long and frustrating day on the water. The same thing hold true for the opposite end of the spectrum. This experiment only proves what I knew, but was curious to try, that selecting the right weight line to match the correct weighted rod is imperative when fly fishing. The following guide is an excellent example to use when selecting the right line weight when fishing for a particular species of fish. What category do you fall in?

Determining the Right Fly Line Weight

So, what line weight is right for you? A summary of recommended line weights for various fishing by species and conditions is:

Fly Line Weight 1-3: Small trout, panfish, other small fish. Used when casting small flies on short casts.

Fly Line Weight 4: Small to medium sized trout and other similarly sized fish. Used when casting small flies and medium sized flies using short to medium-short casts.

Fly Line Weight 5-6: The most versatile of the line weights. This line weight fishes well for all but the smallest and all but the largest trout. Also performs adequately for smaller bass (not the lunkers in some Florida lake). Fishes well when using small, medium and larger sized flies (not massive streamers, though). Allows for longer casts yet performs short casts fairly well.

Fly Line Weight 7-8: Designed for very large trout and large bass as well as some saltwater species. Used for pitching large streamers and large flies. Longer casts are excellent. Not the best for short casts. And most definitely not designed for smaller fish and smaller flies.

Fly Line Weight 9-14: Large fish territory. Mainly used for saltwater fishing and fishing for Salmon and Steelhead.

Building the Case for Your Favorite Fly Rod and Reel

I know all of us have favorites, weathers its auto’s or favorite fishing spots. I am no exception, especially when it comes to my fishing equipment. When I first started fly fishing many years ago, there was not much to choose from for the individual who could only afford low end rods and reels. Sure you could purchase the bamboos but only a few fishermen could go that route. Today there are quality rods and reels on the market that most fishermen can afford. That brings me to my post title; my favorite rod and reel. I have three set-ups I used all the time when I am fly fishing those being my 5wt. and my 3 wt., but the one I am really drawn to is the my Temple Fork 8 ½ ft. 4wt. This rod has the quality and affordability for someone like me who is on a fixed income. It is extremely light at 3.1 oz. and has the backbone to handle a large fish if the occasion arises. The fast taper and can shoot a 4 wt. line with little effort. Temple Fork has produced a great rod here in the Signature Series. To compliment this rod I choose a G-Loomis small arbor reel, with a free spool action. It balances out really well with TFO rod which makes casting a breeze. The main thing that impressed me about this reel was the free spool. I like the fact that I can touch spend the rim of the reel and take in large amounts of line in a matter of seconds. This is especially useful when you are trying to get a fish on the reel real quick and you need to get line away from your feet. I find myself using this set-up more and more. It is like an old pair of shoes that you get comfortable with; you just don’t want to change. What is your favorite fly rod and reel? What makes you want to stick with your go to favorite?

What is Your Take on All the Fly Fishing Shows Aired Each Week?

With fly fishing being one of my passions I like to learn as much as I can about this great sport. I like to read articles, read great blog post, and watch fly fishing shows. I feel I learn more most of the time from the articles and the post I read as oppose to the shows that are broadcast each week. Don’t get me wrong the fly fishing shows are great entertainment, but some lack the vital information that is going to make you become a better fly fisherman. What do I mean by that statement? Very few shows that I watch give their audience the following information; the hatch, type flies, water conditions, equipment ( rod wt. leader set-up, sinking/floating line, ) season, what type of presentation, in other words are you dead drifting, using an indicator, what type of water are you fishing, ect ---so I think you get the picture. One show I watch is good at giving you most of the above info. I mentioned, which is the New Fly Fisher, but the rest I watch needs a lot of improvement in the information department. What is your take on the Fly Fishing Shows you watch? There are lots of shows that are broadcast regionally and some are aired nationwide, so feel free to critique any that you think may not meet or meet your viewing pleasure.

What are Five Lures That Will Catch Trout, Bluegill, Crappie and Bass

I want to know, what are 5 lures that can catch trout, crappie, bass and bluegill? I like lures that catch many different species of fish. Beetle Spins, Rooster Tails and Curly Tailed Grubs, are some of my favorites. While I also have lures only for bass such as plastic worms, poppers, crankbaits, etc. I love fishing for crappie, bass, trout and bluegill. So, what are some of the lures that you think would catch all species?

The Most Insane Fish Landing Ever--Determined Individual!!!

Guys this is one determined guide. They were using fly rods. The following is the description of the event.

Fishing on the Rio Negro in the Amazon area of Brazil, my buddy Keith hooked a peacock bass on an 8 wt. fly rod and the Peacock decided to run a decathlon under tree roots and through a brush pile to the back of a cove where Piranhas and anacondas live. Our guide Francisco grabbed the rod and jumped over the side of the boat and well......... you got to just watch this.
Needless to say, Francisco got a pretty nice tip for this one  ++select link below++

The Most Insane Fish Landing Ever Most Amazing Fishing Videos World Fishing Network

Unusual Bluegill What Happen to This Fish?

This is a very unusual looking bluegill. I got this image the other day from one of my buddies at the gym. He knew I loved to catch bluegill on the fly. He told me he had never seen a fish in this kind of shape. We were trying to figure out just what happen to this particular gill. One theory was the fish could have got caught in some type of net when it was small and develop the cut in its back from the pressure of the net string over the a period of time. I thought it was worth sharing. I told my buddies that you guys might be able to figure out what happen to this fish. You might say that this is the crossword puzzle of the day.

Pelican Raider Boat Stabilizer

Got a comment from Mel over at Blog Cabin Angler about the post I did on the Pelican Raider Boat. He wanted to know how the boat handled in the wind. I forgot to mention in the Pelican Raider post that there are some problems with the boat as far as wind is concerned. I was having problems last year keeping the back of the boat straight and parallel with the bank on windy days. Of course I could control the front of the boat because of the trolling motor. So I started to think about a way I could control the back of the boat, and came up with what I call my stabilizer. By utilizing an old trolling motor mount minus the motor, I solved the wind problem.

I attached a 12 gauge piece of sheet metal at the base of the shaft of the trolling motor mount. I used my band saw and made a cut l ft. up on the shaft and inserted the piece of sheet metal up through the slit and secured the metal with two 1/4" bolts----enter the finished stabilizer which now holds the boat straight in line and parallel with the bank. Surprising what a little ingenuity can do for you.

Fishing From the Pelican Raider Boat

For those of you who don’t know the Pelican Raider Boat is a mini pontoon boat somewhat stunted. I had the opportunity to buy one of these little gems 3 years ago when Academy Sports was going out of business in Hoover Alabama. I had been thinking about a smaller boat for some time because I needed something small to fish the tiny nooks in Walker County Lake. I was getting tired of paying to rent an aluminum boat every time I wanted to fish the lake. At 4 bucks a pop for rental of a boat and 3.00 to pay to fish seemed a little steep. So enter the Raider boat, which turned out to be perfect for the type of fishing I was doing on the small lake. I could cover the entire lake with one charge on my trolling motor battery and still have power left at the end of a trip. With the lake being 160 areas I could fish all those little nooks and narrow channels with ease. It was perfect with my fly rod and I had plenty of rod rack space not to mention the extra space for tackle and a couple of small coolers. I learned early on that this little boat was more than I expected, because of the quietness, stability, ease of handling with a 30 lb. thrust trolling motor. The boat only weighs in at 85 lbs. because of the heavy gauge RAM molded construction. It floated high in the water which made it turn on a dime. In short, it has been the perfect little companion for my short trips to Walker or any other little water adventure. I don't know if you'll are aware of this but if you have a trolling motor on any small boat you must have it registered. Not having it registered will result in a fine. Guess who found this out?

Two individuals can fish from this boat. Your two seats slide along an open track which extends the length of the boat. I added a portable depth finder that operates off of D cell batteries. Perfect for a drop anchor 

The Bloggers You Would Want to Meet and Fish With?

Following suit with the OBN question who is the outdoor bloggers you would like to meet or fish with? I must admit that I have fished with a lot of individuals over the years and can honestly say I have found all to be good companions on the water. I guess I can contribute my fishing compatibility with the fact that I never meet a stranger or my easy going personality. I would really like to meet all the blogges I interact with during a week, but to list my complete blog roll would be a bit boring for my readers. A few that I would wet a line with are:


Jay over at The Naturalist Angler---Jay is an accomplished warm water fly fisherman especially with the smallmouth. I gather from his posts that he is very passionate about fly fishing. He and I will be able to accomplish our goal of meeting and fishing with each other in the spring. We plan on fishing Smith Lake in late April or early May and go after some of those mean Kentucky Spots. I really enjoy Jay’s post because our blogs relate to the warm water side of fly fishing.

Nate at Nate’s Fishing Blog—I found Nate’s blog through one of my email alerts. He works with his brother Justin and they own Herman Brothers Pond Management, which currently manages more than 1500 acres of water in Central Illinois. I find it interesting how he increases the size of bluegill and other species of fish. I also find it interesting how he uses structure to hold huge trout in an area. I would love to meet Nate and just discuss his work and see some of the waters he manages. He recently did a post where he uses the porcupine attractor to attract and hold trout; in fact he lands some monster trout from these attractors.

Chris at the Bream Bum---is what I call the ultra light fly fisherman. I consider him a master with the 3 wt and 2 wt. fly rod. He loves to fish small creeks and has the ability to dissect a small stream and land some awesome looking native brook trout. He and his buddy Will are both excellent at wading and fishing these little streams in the Ozarks in their home state of Missouri.

I hope I have not offended anyone by leaving you out of the list, but believe me all of you guys and gals are important to me and my fishing. I really look forward to reading your post each day and I have gathered a ton of information from all of you. Just keep putting out those great post.

Fly Fishing Flies by Regions of the Country

I thought this information on flies for the different regions of the country were interesting. I have notice that a lot of the same flies would work anywhere in the country. I know I would add the bugger and the grey ghost streamer to the South Region for sure. Take a look at your region and see if the flies listed are the ones you would actually be using. In other words have these guys pretty much peg the flies for all the regions?  Check out your region

Fishing the Porcupine Fish Attractor

Well for the past couple of days I have been assembling Porcupine fish attractors. For those of you have never heard of this contraption, it is a fish attracting magnet. For those of you who know of its capabilities then you can relate to its ability to attract and hold fish in the particular area you have placed the attractor. I have been using them for the past three years and have had great success catching everything from the big crappie you have seen on some of my post to bluegills and of course bass. You can fish off of it year round and with practically any fishing rig. My brother and I fish them in the hot summer months for monster crappie, bluegill and bass. The main fishing rig in the summer time is the crappie 11ft. long rod, with a tube or buck tail jig. Why the crappie pole, the fish are holding tight in the attractor so you need to keep the lure in the strike zone for longer periods of time and this is the perfect rig for that application. Another good time to fish the attractor is in the dead of the winter, and again the long crappie rod is the perfect setup. The fish are not going to move much to attack the lure so patience is the key for the hit. Fall is great because you can fish faster using the micro light rigs using curly tail jigs tipped with crappie nibblets. The nibblet is a must for all crappie fishing when near the attractors. It just adds that extra bump you may get on that slow day. Spring is the least desirable time to fish the attractors because most of your fish are in the spawning mode and have moved out of deep water to shallower water to spawn. I am not saying you can’t catch fish at this time of the year on the attractors but it is much slower.

This is the 6 1/2 ft. version, I like this size better than any size I have worked with. There are 26 holes you will need to fill with your PVC pipe, but as you can see it makes for a cozy place for fish to take up residence. Check out the footage in this video to see the results.

The last accessory you need but not an absolute must is the color selector. This unit is perfect on those days when the fish is in a finicky mood. Once you have fish a lake for a while you can gauge what color the fish want most of time. I do know that on those off days the color selector has turned a slow day into a productive one for me.
 The attractors can be pricy, so if you know anything about me when it comes to purchasing fishing equipment, you know I am in for the bargain. Amazon sells the complete unit with the green ball or sphere and the ¾” PVC pipes at 55.00 a unit with shipping. I have found it is best to buy the sphere ball from Mack's Prairie Wings, with free shipping. Buy your PVC pipe at a place like Marvin’s and the whole unit will run you about 18.00. For 18.00 you are getting an attractor 6 ½ ft. in dia or any size you want to make it. I have found the 6 ½ ft. to be the very best size to deal with for me and at the same time will cover a good area in the water column. This price is much better for my budget. As for placement that is left up to the individual, but you want to be sure and place them far enough away from the bank that your average bank fisherman on the bank and in a boat will not find them easily. All the units I have placed are in deeper water far away from the bank. I do know with some of the advance depth finders out on the market they stand a chance of them being found, but most of the time this is your bass fisherman who may be fishing with a worm or jig and has no interest in crappie or bluegill. Never put the units together on the water, always put them together on the bank and carry it out to your spot which, should already be marked with a marker. Always select a time of the day at daybreak or just before dark to drop the units that way hopefully no one will see what you are doing. The very best time to drop them is in the dead of the winter when no on is on the lake.
In closing the very best advantage in fishing the attractor, is the lifetime fishing one will get from it. You your kids, their kids and so on can fish them for as long as there is water in the lake. I will be putting three out on Wednesday of this week; with the air temps in the lower 40’s hopefully no one will see what we are doing that day. I will be doing some more posts on their progress. By the way I am getting no cut in sales of this product for this post, it is something I just want to share with you guys.

Fishing With Scent Attractors

 What kind of role does scent play when you are fishing? For me as far as warm water fishing is concerned it is paramount in attracting fish. I know I have been on the water number of times and not catching fish and added a scent attractor to the lure and got the hit. This is especially true when I am using spinning gear. There are lots of attractor brands on the market, not to mention the scent impregnated plastic lures. One of my favorite is the crappie nibblet. I can add a tiny crappie nibblet to one of the hooks on my lure and get the fish to take the lure quicker, especially on those slow days. I have used the sprays and liquids but got away from those some years ago when I realized that the nibblet stays with the lure longer than the sprays and liquid, which usually washed off after numbers of cast.

As for trout fishing attractors, for me there is no substitute better than a well tied fly to imitate the real thing. I feel that using attractor would inhibit the performance of the fly. If you are really into using a scent attractor on your flies then try some mud at the bottom of the stream rubbed over your fly, that is about as close as I would come to odor on flies.

I am a firm believer in masking human scent especially when I am trout fishing. According to research trout have amazing powers of smell, in fact much, much better than humans. Let's say you have used Ole Spice aftershave the morning you are hitting the stream. You get to the stream and tie on your favorite fly and you immediately transfer the smell of the aftershave onto the fly. This sends an alarm to the trout that this particular fly is not real and in a heartbeat the trout is gone. I am not as careful masking scent in warm water situations but when it come to trout you are dealing with a fish that is much smarter and more wary of its surrounding, so you need every advantage you can muster to be successful. What's your take on the scent attractor factor when you are fishing?

What is Your All Time Favorite Fish Catch

I know it may be difficult for some to remember the time they caught that trophy fish, or the time they caught all those fish in one particular place, but I have a feeling that most you guys know that TIME. When it comes to fishing I seldom ever forget the trips or the fish that really stood out in my mind. I can still remember the trip at daylight some 25 years ago with my brother and landed not one but two largemouth on buzzbaits that morning. I have both mounted and both were between 7 and 8 lbs. I can also remember the largest crappie I ever landed in Mississippi a couple of years ago, which was 14" long, really don't know the weight. The bluegills are too many to remember, but the 14 through 16 oz. really stand out in my mind. Most all of the big gills were landed using the fly rod. With all that said----My most memorable trip or fish had to be the 3 1/2 lb. spot I caught last October using the fly rod with a big popper. I hope someday I can best that record. I am curious to know what's the time or fish that you will never forget.

Why Did I Lose That Trophy Fish?

 I often wonder sometimes if I am actually playing the fish correctly using the fly rod. There is a big difference in landing a fish on the fly as oppose to the landing a fish on spinning gear. You have the drag as an aid with the spinning reel or casting reel, but in the case of the fly reel you are dependent on your expertise with releasing and taking up line until you get the fish on your reel. That is why I love using the fly rod so much because it gives me the opportunity to use all my fishing skills to land the fish with pretty much no drag help. It is just me and that fish at each other.

 I know I played the big spot I caught back in September correctly, because I landed him after a lengthy fight; but I can remember times when I have lost fish because I didn't take the time to play the fish to the point where I could land it. The article below is one of the best I have read on landing a fish, and how to release the fish after the battle. I hope the article is helpful to you as well.



How to Play and Land a Trout Correctly

There is overwhelming urge yelling in your mind to lift the rod-tip up before removing all slack between the rod tip and the fish.
It is one of the most important aspects of fly-fishing, yet it is one of the most often ignored in books, magazines, videos and the like.

You can read and view plenty about flies, fly tying, knots, casting, presentation, finding fish, tackle selection, et al, but what about playing and landing the fish once you have inwardly digested all that stuff and actually find yourself attached to one of these fabled fishes? Help is at hand.

O.K. so there you stand, thinking about how much you would like to be back at work, stripping the line in through you rod-hand forefinger. Suddenly your reverie is broken by some damn-fool fish grabbing your fly. What happens next?

The first requirement is to ‘set’ the hook.

Setting the hook means embedding the hook securely in the fish. Achieve this by pulling down sharply on the line using your line hand, but always ensuring the line remains sliding through the forefinger of your rod-hand. But, just pulling down on the line is only of any use if the line is tight to the fish. Just pulling on the line with the rod tip up, while there is any slack in the system, will only lift slack line off the water, and not move the hook at all.

So, many anglers pull on the line hand and lift the rod-tip up, sharply. While this looks spectacular, it is often ineffectual, unless you are close to the fish. But even then there is trouble right here at river city.


If you manage to set the hook, you are now standing there with rod tip high in the air. If the trout moves towards you, you have the Devil’s own job to avoid introducing slack again - you cannot lower the rod because that will form more slack - at which point many anglers select the panic option.

A much better way is to fish with the rod tip low to the water, and when a fish hits, move the rod tip in the direction of any curve of line on the water.

The red lines indicate the fly lines on the water water. The arrow           indicates the direction the rod tip should move to set the hook.

This means that if you have, for example, a curve or slack line on the water, move the rod tip in the direction of the section of the curve nearest to the rod tip. Keep the rod tip just above the water and move it parallel to the water, while pulling down sharply with the line hand. It is important to not take the rod tip behind you.

This method uses the 'grip' of the water itself, and the current, to 'anchor' the line, and transfer the power of the pull more directly to the hook. If the fish runs toward you can leave the line on the water and use the loop formed on the water by the current to maintain pressure on the hook.

I want to reiterate this point about leaving the line on the water. There is an almost overwhelming urge yelling in your mind to lift the rod tip up before removing all slack between the rod tip and the fish. The water, the current, and the trout, all pulling at the line will hold the hook in a fish's mouth till you can get everything up tight - there is simply no need to lift the rod tip until you are sure all slack will be removed by doing so.

If the line is tight to the fish when it takes the fly, usually only a short line-pull is necessary to set the hook. It is worthwhile to remember a fly hook only needs to move about 2-3mm (1/4") to penetrate past the barb on even the biggest hooks used for freshwater fly-fishing. Very often just the force exerted on slack-free line, when the fish turns away with the fly in its mouth, will set the hook without any interference from you.

Now with the fish firmly attached you can set about fighting the fish, and I need here to divide this bit into two sections - big trout and not-so-big.

Not-so-Big

If you are fishing where it is very unusual for trout to take your line out into the 'backing'the thin line running from the fly-line and onto the reel and fish do not get much over 1.5 to 2kg (3 to 4lb) you can play the fish using the line only, without using the reel at all. Hold the rod at an angle of about 45 degrees to you body, point the rod tip toward the line coming off the water (never at the fish, unless of course the line is tight to the fish) and use your rod-hand forefinger to press the line against the rod handle.

You should try and maintain a constant bend in the rod, by gripping the line to apply tension or allowing the line to slip through your line-hand fingers, and rod-hand fore-finger. If the rod tip ducks down let the line slip. You should in general try to keep the rod at about the 45 degree angle, but if the fish really takes off lower the rod tip. The tip section is there to absorb the lunges of the trout, and to maintain constant pressure.

Your immediate job is to get the fish tight to the rod tip.

When you get an opportunity to retrieve some line, using your line hand, pull line in through your rod-hand forefinger - called 'stripping' the line. As you reach the end of a strip, grip the line with your rod-hand forefinger, and slide your line hand up to grip the line again. Your immediate job is to get the line tight between the rod tip and the fish. Then by stripping and slipping line the fish will gradually tire to the point where you can think about landing it.

If you can get the line onto the reel, you should do so.
Having loose coils of line wafting around in the water or on the ground is inviting disaster. I could not even begin to estimate how many fish I have lost, and seen lost, from line tangling around legs, rocks and boulders, shore debris and undergrowth. Having the line going directly onto the reel will help when you come to land the fish.

Bigger Fish

If you are lucky enough to fish where trout regularly exceed 2kg (4lb) and often a great deal more and backing is something you regularly see flying off the reel, your main aim is to get the fish onto the reel as soon as possible.

If the fish bolts downstream let the line slip through the forefinger of your line hand under light pressure, with no pressure from your rod hand, till the line comes tight onto the reel.

If the fish races upstream leave your rod tip down at water level and facing the direction of the line - not the fish - let any loose line you have, slip through your fingers till the line comes tight to the reel, even if there is a big bow of line between you and the fish. The bow of line will maintain pressure on the hook.

Then once the line is tight to the reel start winding at a frantic pace, following the line with the rod tip until you can lift the rod tip up to 45 degrees without introducing any slack.

If the fish jumps 'bow to the fish'

Once the line is on the reel you can use the reel’s drag system to release line evenly. If you have no drag system use your line hand cupped lightly under the reel onto the spool rim. Try not to get your fingers in the way of the whirling reel-handles when a big fish runs, unless pain is your close and dear friend.

If the fish jumps, 'bow to the fish'. That is, lower your rod tip quickly to give the fish some slack. A jumping fish can put real strain on your leader, especially if it falls back onto taunt line.

You need to be very careful with a big fish that is racing downstream. You may need to lower the rod tip to reduce the strain on the line; this is especially true if there is a bow in the line from a fish changing direction to race downstream from upstream of you. This is another of those occasions when you must fight the urge to raise the rod.

The End Game

So you have done everything right and the fish is now tired and looks as though it might be possible to land it. This is a critical time in this game.

Trying to net a fish on your own is often problematical.
To get the net under the fish you need to lift the rod tip high to reduce the angle between the fish and the net. But lifting a rod tip high with the line running down close to the rod to the fish risks breaking the rod. It is called ‘point-loading’, and means that the weight of the fish is transmitted down the rod, not along it. This puts to much pressure on the weak tip section of the rod. This is a very real problem with fish over 2.5kg (5lbs). The best solution I have found is to use a landing net with a collapsible or extendable handle.

Once you have the fish where you can net it, pull the fish head-first gently over the rim of the net, then flick up that rim and lift the net at the same time. If all goes well the fish will be at the bottom of your net.

If the fish ‘freaks’ at the sight or touch of the net, do not ‘chase’ it with the net, let the fish swim off and then carefully move it into position again for another attempt.

If you are going to release the fish, keep as much of the fish in the water as possible still in the net, remove the hook, lower the net, hold the fish into the current and let it swim away when it is ready.

Of course having a fishing partner lurking about to net your fish makes life a whole lot easier.

Sometimes it is easier to ‘beach’ a fish. If it is possible to move back onto a bank, it can be easier to slide a fish gently into shallow water. This is often very true when trying to land fish over 3kg (6lb), and sometimes the only way to land fish 5kg (10lb) and over.

If you are planning to release the fish do not pull it up onto dry land – dry sand, rock or vegetation, all will wreak havoc with a trout’s slime covering which is used to repel bad stuff in the water. Instead quickly remove the hook; gently turn the fish back towards deeper water and hold its head into the current till it moves off under its own steam.

The key thing to remember when trying to land a trout (in fact any fish) is to try and keep things as smooth as possible. Constant, unrelenting pressure against the fish’s attempts to escape is what tires it out. Jerking the rod about, not releasing line smoothly when the fish runs, all can lead to the hook pulling out or the leader breaking. Smooth firmness is required when you come to the end game and try and net or beach your prize.

Fishing the Famous Wooly Bugger

 Probably the most famous of all flies in fly fishing is the Wooly Bugger. Whether you fish this fly for warm water species or cold water species you should be successful. Crappie, bass, bluegills, strips, spots, smallmouth, and of course trout hit this fly with vigor. I receive a number of fishing publications each month which give me a lot of great information on fishing. I recently read a great article on the Bugger in one of the publications and I thought I would share it with you guys. As always I learn something I didn’t know about fishing the Wooly Bugger, and I hope you pick up some information you can use as well.

How to Use a Wooly Bugger When Fly Fishing

Fly fishermen tend to agree that the Wooly Bugger lure is one of the best for catching the big ones. The Wooly Bugger is a big lure, and there are a variety of ways it can be cast and presented to the fish.

Instructions

Dead drift the bugger by adding a few jerking actions. Use the bugger for larger fish like lake trout and steelhead salmon. Arctic char, bluegill, northern pike, and even carp have found this lure hard to resist. However you chose to fish this lure, it can't be fished wrong. Crawling, creeping, darting, floating, and sinking are just some of the ways you can present the wooly bugger.

Weigh down the Wooly Bugger by using either a split-shot, a bead, or a cone head on the front of the shank of your rod to produce a bouncing action. When the lures land on the bottom of the lake, use a stop-and-go action. This also is called a rise-and-fall or yo-yo action.

Produce a "breathing" action to the lure by using a slow stop-and-go motion on the retrieve. Place a few BBs ahead of the lure to really turn the fish on. When casting with this method, cast upstream and across the current.

Produce a swimming action, focusing on the marabou on the tail of the Wooly Bugger. This helps to imitate swimming bait such as larva, tadpoles, or leeches to hungry fish. Put a bit of glimmer on the lure to make sure the fish see the bait.

Imitate smaller fish when the water is low and near a steep drop off such as a waterfall. This action replicates the movement of a little fish that has been
stunned by a steep landing. Cast and let the lure drift. Use a quick jerking action followed by a quick retrieve.

Devise different actions according to the water conditions. Slow action is recommended on small creeks or rivers. Faster action is recommended on lakes.