Starting my Quest to Land 100 Super Bull Bluegill

Friday was my first day in my quest to land 100 super bull bluegill in the next six weeks with the fly rod. This was the same challenge I made for myself last year and I actually made it to 85 before the tornadoes came through Alabama and shut down the electricity for two weeks.  After that happen the window to land the really big boys had past. The average big bull bluegill is over 8 ounces. These fish spend only a short period of time in shallow water, which is during the spawning period. Once the spawn is over they move back to deep water and stay there until the next spring. Sure you can still land the 5 or 6 ounce but the 8 and over are all feeding in deep water. So my goal this year is to actually accomplish this feat in a six week time period. I will post my progress as I try to move closer this year to my 100 mark. Friday was a slow day because of water temps again being in the mid 60’s. I did manage to start my quest by landing three in the 100 club. All three of these bulls were between 8 and 9 ounces. So I now have 97 to go. I will be making a couple of trips each week which should enable me to add a dozen or more each trip.

Unreal fight on the 3wt --he killed the Black Gnat

Really orange belly on this one right after I landed him, the Gnat again

This Moth was awesome for me last year early. It has an extremely light landing. These fish are so weary early in the year, so a light presentation is crucial to land the bigger bulls.

Most of the nooks in the lake were covered with pollen, which made it harder to fish on top. A lot of  the fish were just swirling under the fly and not really taking it. I lost twice as many as I landed. I did manage to bring home 10. Three were the big males and the rest were females. I broke off twice and never saw the fish, which was super frustrating. As I mention last year this lake has some of the largest  bluegill in the state. It is managed well and the caretakers takes great pride in producing super bluegills.

Finally on The Water With The Hardy Grey Streamflex Fly Rod

I finally got out on the water today, and for an added bonus my Son decided to go with me. We only had a few hours after lunch today on Walker County Lake today so we made the best of it with the fly rods. Two rods were rigged with nymphs and I had my new Hardy Grey Streamflex rigged with a tiny popper. Little did we know that the water was in the low 60s in fact 62 degrees? No one was catching any fish other than a small bass or bluegill. The magic number for results on this lake is 65 and above. I couldn’t believe the ease at which the Streamflex would deliver a fly. The effortlessness of the cast and the distance one can achieve with this fly rod is fantastic. Simply put it is by far the best fly rod I have ever owned. If the generation schedule will work with me a little, I should have a report on its performance for trout Friday.

Not the big bull, I am after but still a gill on the fly rod is always fun. This one fell for the famous Black Gnat

Sorry, I don't have more images, but my son accidentally erased the rest of the images. We ended the trip with 4 bluegills, 3 nice females, and the one bull in the image. I couldn't find my own camera, for this trip, I know none of you guys ever lose something and can't locate it when you really need that particular item.

Will This Thing Catch Fish?? Upside Down Bug!!!

Since I can’t get out on the water I thought I would bring the reality of fly fishing a little closer to me. I get lots of email alerts from different Outdoor Outlets and one of my favorite is BreamBugs. One of my fly fishing buddies put me on this company last year. I was really impressed with the quality of their poppers and nymphs. These flies seemed to take more punishment and will hold up longer especially the Boogle Bugs brands after the wear of teeth marks. They just recently started handling a few trout flies; check out some of the patterns below. A really unique bug that they sell is The Upside Down Bream Bug. What makes this fly special is the structured areas one can actually fish without getting tangled up and hung on branches. In fact I ordered some of these bugs last night and will be giving a report soon on their production. Take a look at the Upside Down Bugs and Trout patterns below and give me your opinion.

I would like to thing this could be a good trout pattern

This is one awesome bug, anytime chartruse is used it is a winner

Not as fancy but deadly

A lot of pattern for this dry, which means more float time and less floatant

Unique color combo for this PAdams---like the green

Hares Ear, always effective

Check out this LINK to see the fish that this companies flies have produced.

Factors That Can Keep You From Fishing

Well I wonder if I will ever get out on the water. I am dealing with yet another sinus infection that started last week and has only got worse. After a couple of shots and three different medications, I am somewhat better. Once you get this all you want to do is be left alone and blow snot out of your nose countless times during the day and night. Even if I was fit to fish I would still be looking at constant rain with one cold front after another. So the lake is out until the water levels stabilize. As for the trout fishing, I am faced with the constant possibility of generation. All that water in the lake has to go somewhere and out the tailrace is the only alternative. I am going to mimic Howard at Windknots sure-fire cold remedies the rest of the week and watch some of my favorite Western movies. This year is the latest I have ever started fishing, and it is beginning to wear on me. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

The Rio Nymphing Line for Numbers of Flies

I was watching a Kelly Galloup video the other night and he really got my attention when he mentioned the nymphing line he was using. In fact I didn’t know that there was fly line specifically design to fish one, two or even three nymphs. Along with the nymphs of course you have the weight to get the flies down. The nymphing line would enable you to cast with much more ease as opposed to your standard weight forward line. The following line by Rio is a good example of a nymphing line.

Rio's Nymph line is ideal for nymph fishing under all conditions; whether indicator, Czech, high stick or dead drift nymphing. The profile has a very long back taper and body for easy roll casting and mending and the short front taper ensures that casting weighted nymphs, indicators and big air-resistant flies is no problem. RIO’s Super Floatation Technology creates an ultra high floating tip that stays up under normal conditions and the high visibility tip is a built-in strike indicator. The Nymph line has a welded loop on the front tip for easy rigging and fast leader changes The line features RIO's amazing AgentX coating that ensures the line remains buoyant and super smooth, while the new Extreme Slickness Technology featured in this line creates a super slick coating that repels water and dirt and adds distance to each cast.

Foam Body Poppers and Foam Body Hoppers Winners!!

I can’t wait to get out this week and try out my new poppers I just received from ---- Warm Water for Fly Fishing and Fly Tying for Bluegill, Smallmouth, and Bass and More  ---- I am really impressed with these poppers because of the foam bodies. The number 8 size pattern will land lightly on the clear water at Smith Lake. The lighter presentation in clear water the better chance one has to connect. The different colors used on all 5 popper bodies will get the attention of any hungry bluegill. I ask Josh to mail me one of his hopper patterns, which was tied in size 6. The foam pattern body is tied so one can drift it or chug it. The face is designed to create a lot of drag when pulled through the water. I know this fly will be a killer in the early spring for bass, bluegill and even trout. I like to support quality fly tiers and Josh at--- Warm Water for Fly Fishing and Fly Tying for Bluegill,Smallmouth and Bass and More ---- is one the best.

I really like the color combos

Really impressed with this pattern

Spending Time With my Little Buddy

I can’t think of a better way to spend most of this week. I am talking about spending time with my Grandson” Bryson”. I am on another one of these trips where I stay with my daughter and Bryson, while B.T. is away on a Midas business trip in Texas. I’m not getting to go to the gym this week, but keeping up with Bryson is gym enough.
I am looking forward to next week that is when the fishing starts in earnest for me. The temps will be hitting the 62-degree mark and I should be on fish by Tuesday.

Got to be fun adding gravel to the top of tables

Waiting for Pops at the bottom

Got to love it!!!

Just a Tad Irate at Those Pesky Links, Ads, and Cheap Products

Got another one of those pesky emails today from another one of those I call them freeloaders wanting me to let them post something on my blog. These individuals usually disguise their intentions by writing this long drawn out email about how this link, product, or connection will enhance my blog traffic. I find it amazing that the majority of these people do not even have a blog or a website, but merely trying to use your blog and who knows how many more blogs to sell these ridiculous products. You can tell by viewing and reading the descriptions of the products they are cheap China made. Some are cheap toys, hand tools, and countless little trinkets. Luckily my spam control on my Google account will catch the majority of this junk but every once in while some of this nonsense gets through and I get somewhat irritated and have to let off a little stream.

Unique Way to Get Your Flies Deep in Your Favorite Stream

Sometimes things just don’t work out like you planned. Yesterday and today were both good examples. I had planned on fishing below the dam yesterday for the newly stock rainbow but low and behold the Alabama Power decided to run both generators so needless to say the water was up and moving dangerous fast. Well today was the same procedure only faster moving water. It is amazing how the trout can even stay in the area when the water is moving that fast. So I spent the better part of the afternoon shooting the breeze with fellow fisherman at the fly shop. You can hear some amazing fish stories there and often you get to add your two cents. One topic really got my attention when one of the guys was talking about using slip beads as a weight to get his flies deeper in a stream, as opposed to the crimp on lead weight. He was referring to a Tungsten bead in a 3/32 size. The bead simply slides down to the head of the fly and acts as a weight just like the crimp lead weight. I checked out the link on the Orvis website and found out the beads come in an assortment of colors. He said he like the red better than the other colors. I did notice reading the description of the beads that there was no mention of this bead being used as a slide weight. They were being sold for the purpose of fly tying. You never know what one will pick up hanging out at your local fishing establishment. I do know I am going to order some and give them a try. I will get back to you guys with a report.

Relocating Fish for the Purpose of Landing Bigger & Better

I made a trip today to the area where the new lake has been built. My buddy and I meet one of the guys from the fish hatchery out of Birmingham. He brought the last of the Coppernose Bluegill to stock in the lake. For a more in depth explanation of this fish check one of my previous post. Both of us had a little time after the hatchery people left to fish the pond on the property. We landed around 20 small bass which really needed to be removed from the pond. The reason I say this is because most of these fish had a huge head with a slim body. The Game and Fish told us that this pond is overstocked with small bass and it is best to remove them when you land one. This will increase the chances of landing larger bass in the future. We relocated the 20 in a small creek below the dam. We did discover that this place has crappie in it. Neither of use had ever caught crappie here, and in fact no one has ever caught crappie here. So this was a surprise. I do know this where there is one crappie there are more. I am hoping to make a trip below Smith Dam tomorrow to try out my new fly rod. I hope to get a bend with some of the rainbow that was stocked a couple of days ago. I’ll keep you guys posted.  

Probably 100 more in there just like this one

Tanks with the prize???

Fishing Accessories That Helps Make a Fishing Trip

A recent post by Jay over at “The Naturalist's Angler” prompted me to take a look at the latest clothing gear and footwear out there now for the angler. He was displaying a shirt Kelly had given him for Valentines. This shirt is similar to the ones I wear on the water in the hot summer and even into the fall months. I use to fish with just your ordinary shirt and pants, but after viewing some of the latest clothes lines in our local Bass Pro and Academy Sports I took notice a few years ago. The outdoors shirts and pants that are available now are exceptional when it comes to keeping you cool and absorbing the sun rays. I am referring to the Magellan Sportswear Men’s Lake Fork Fishing Shirt at Academy Sports.  The shirt comes in a ton of colors for short and long sleeve, and has the large pockets in the front with the wind flap in the back to let wind circulate. When I am on the water this is the shirt I am wearing summer and fall. It comes with a great price at 20.00. Academy has the pants to complement the shirt in their Magellan Sportswear Men’s Backcountry Zip-Off Belted Pants. Two things I like about these pants; the zip off leg to convert to shorts and the elastic waist band for added comfort around the waist. The pants are priced at 25.00. Both the shirt and pants dry extremely fast if you are in rain. The third article is the shoe at Dick’s Sporting Goods; the Teva Men’s Dozer III Sandal-----This sandal will not only keep your feet cool, but keep your feet from getting sunburn. It is extremely lightweight and comes with a fair price at 50.00. The last item is probably the most important when it comes to protecting you from the rays of the sun and that is a good quality hat. Notice I said hat and not cap. I use to wear caps all the time on the water until I realized I could keep more sun off of my ears and face with a hat. So with that said the hat I wear and recommend is by Bass Pro; the Redhead Mesh Outback Hat. I really like this type hat especially in the summer months because it has mesh all around about the headband. The top is solid to keep you from getting sunburn on those bald spots on your head that we all develop with age.  I use to think it really didn’t matter what you wore when you was on the water fishing, but I guess you could say with age comes wisdom. I not only want to enjoy being on the water now days but I want to be comfortable while I am there. With these items it helps me enjoy the trip much more. 

                                    

  

The Super Size Coppernose Bluegill on a 5Wt. Fly Rod

On my last post concerning the Tiger Bass I was discussing the habits of this type of bass. When I refer to habits I was stressing how aggressive this bass species is and the fast growth rate it has. Well I forgot to mention the other species that will be stocked in this new lake. Along with the standard bluegill that was stocked in the lake recently there will be the super size Coppernose bluegill which will be stocked out in the summer. This particular bluegill is much bigger than the average bluegill with a growth rate of ½ to ¾ lb. a year. One of the main reasons for the fast growth rate is the feeder pellets used to supplement their diet. There will be two feeder stations on this lake dispensing feed pellets at different times of the day. Along with the insect, aquatic life and pellet nourishments a mature Coppernose can measure as much as 12” in length . A bluegill this size is some kind of fight even on a 5 wt. Once you hook one and they make that turn in the water to position their wide body side ways it becomes a fight to land one on the fly. If you are fishing waters that have a feeder in the area you will notice the aggressive nature of the Coppernose as it feeds on top for the floating pellets. The interaction with the surface pellets brings out the killer instinct in this bluegill causing it to annihilate a top water fly. One of my fishing buddies had the pleasure last year to fish a private lake in South Alabama that had the Coppernose stocked in it. He said that the fight was never ending on his 4 wt. On a scale of good better and best; he said he would rate the Coppernose a best and beyond.

Notice the copper color on the forehead--hence Coppernose

Great Techniques for Streamer Fishing for Big Browns and Rainbows

Guys I have to share this great video clip from the New Fly Fisher. You all know by now that the fly fishing show is my favorite. This particular clip has a bunch of techniques used for streamer fishing for big browns and rainbows. This segment is on the Platte River in Wyoming in the summer. Bill Spicer talks about equipment, line, and the type of streamers he is using. I have learned so much about fly fishing by watching his video clip segments. Whenever The New Fly Fisher puts out a new clip I am on it.  

                                                                                              

                                                                                       

                                                                            

The Tiger Bass a Beast on Steroids

I am kind of behind on my blogging lately. This past week I have been helping one my fishing buddies stock a new lake that has been built about 15 miles from my home. When I say new lake this is probably more of a large pond. It is about 30 areas with depths of 30 to 40 feet in the deepest area. There is plenty of cover throughout the lake and the Alabama Game and Fish has been extremely helpful in letting the owner know the correct number of species of fish to get the lake fish friendly. I thought 50,000 bluegill was a bit much when it came to perch in the lake but the Game and Fish said that one can never have enough feed fish in a lake when you are dealing with predator fish such as the largemouth bass. The particular bass I am referring to here is the Tiger Bass which grows at a tremendous rate and has a very aggressive attitude. This fish can gain as much as 2 lbs per year in a well managed lake. I have talked to individuals who have fished for and landed the Tiger Bass and they compare it to a smallmouth on steroids. Think about the fight on a 6 or 7 wt. fly rod. I am glad that I will have access to this hot lake in about two years. Who knows guys I may do a post in future years that could have a trophy Tiger Bass image attached.  

The Versatile G-Loomis Venture 3 Fly Reel

I am sure some of you guys read the post I did on the purchase of my new Greys XF2 Streamflex 9 ft. 3 wt. fly rod. After getting the rod you know I had to get the perfect reel to match the rod. After searching the net for a week I finally decided that the perfect reel for balance and weight was one that I actually had on my Temple Fork 4 wt.  I am talking about the G-loomis Venture 3. This reel is sold in arbor size 3, 5, and 7. The Venture 3 is the size used mainly for trout and panfish which will spool 2, 3 or 4 wt. line. I should have the reel here some times next week, and FINALLY, I get to try the combo out!!!

 The main reason aside from the weight and size I am impressed with this reel is the free spool. Free spool meaning I can retrieve a pile of line that may be at my feet in a hurry by simply touch spinning the rim face of the reel. The line is spooled up in a hurry without using the handle. The free spool feature alone is worth it because the quicker you get a large fish on the reel the better chance you have landing it. The following is the description of the Venture from the G-loomis Website.

The smallest of our VENTURE Series fly reels; the #3 is made for trout & pinfish and size 2, 3 and 4-weight fly lines where you don't require a lot of backing. The backing capacity is based on standard dacron (2WF plus 120 yards 20#, 3WF plus 100 yards 20#, 4WF plus 75 yards 20#), but we recommend Power Pro "super braid" because you can get more on each spool

Man Did I Pay for Those First Fish of the Season

You know you can only watch so many fishing videos and video clips, before you just have to get out on the water. That water in this case was a private small lake of ten acres. I usually fish this place when everything else is out of kilter. The 4 wt. rigged with one of my Road Kills I purchased from Fly Fishing and Tying Obsessed was the choice of the afternoon. The cream color was getting the most attention with a tiny weight clipped on about a foot above the fly. The hits were extremely slow and most were not heavy enough to set the hook. After about an hour the action played out and I left the wind and the lockjaw fish to itself.

This trip didn’t help my sinus infection that started last week. It only got worst with all the wind and cold breeze. So I spent Saturday morning in Urgent Care getting a shot in my rump and a Z-pack that has made me feel worst than the sinus infection.

I am still waiting for the generation at the lake to stop so I can try out my Streamflex fly rod below the dam. I know the trout are waiting but I just can’t get to them with roaring water pouring out of the generators.  

Water temp was 52 which made for a slow presentation--lots of fun on the 4wt.

The New Hardy Greys Streamflex XF2 Fly Rod Unreal Quality

I know now how to justify getting my new addition to my fly fishing arsenal. I will just say I am getting my tackle in order for the upcoming spring. My last post dealt with this website I found called the Anglers Habitat Ebay Store. For those of you who are not familiar with the site, they sell all types of fly fishing tackle with an added bonus to accept your old tackle as a trade-in toward a new purchase. My new purchase in this case from Habitat was my New Hardy Greys Streamflex XF2 Fly Rod 9 ft. 4 pc 3 wt. I have to thank River Damsel for this purchase. I viewed her post on High Sticking and it was so on point that I had to follow through with this purchase----and am I glad I did. I received my Streamflex Friday and was blown away with the quality and the action. I haven’t fished it as of yet but you can bet I will be going out in the next week or so to give it a try. The appearance, lightness, fast action with a somewhat stiff butt action is what really impresses me about this rod. Oh did I mention that it is made in the USA? To put it simply I am pumped and can’t wait to get on the water with this stick!!!!----and last this fly rod is actually my retirement gift from the teachers at Maddox Middle School. A lot of memories will be made with this particular fly rod!

Wheeling and Dealing for another Fly Rod

Do I need another fly rod? Yes I do after watching the video clip over at River Damsel this week. RD told me she is waiting for her new high sticker to arrive in the near future. I have tried a little high sticking last year with my 7 ½ ft. Temple Fork. I realize then that it would take a much longer rod to effectively achieve success with the sticking technique. So today I started searching for that 9 ft. or better to get that added reach. After searching the web for a while this morning I found this great new website called the Angler's Habitat. This company will actually let you trade in any fly rod you own to go towards your purchase of a new one---how cool is that? I talked to one of their reps and he told me that you could do what they call trading up, which means as you trade up and purchase you could one day end up with your ultimate fly rod. I have a long way to go before I reach that ultimate fly rod; but after finding the Habitat today I have established a good start.

Sprucing Up Your Fly Rods And Reels

Fishing with good equipment is a must for me. I want all my fly fishing reels and rods to work to perfection when I am on the water. My fly rods need to balance out well with any of the reeds I am using. I have said this before but lightness is a big plus for me when it comes to fly fishing. Equipment appearance is also a biggie for me. I not only want top performance from the equipment but it needs to look good as well. I am really into the fly reel colors of silver or brass. You pair those reel colors with a maroon, dark green, or moss, colored fly rod and you got my color combo.
As for appearance for your favorite rod or reel the Mudhole has taken this to a whole new level. They carry a complete line of decorative wraps ranging from snake skin, weaving, marbling, and different types of inlays you can add to your fly rod, spinning or casting rod to spruce it up. One can even add a decal of his favorite sport team on your reel or fishing rod. The handle designs from this place are endless with the checkerboard to all kinds of decorative rings one can add. I really like the effect their butt plates have given to some of my fly rods. If any of you guys are interesting in adding designs to your fly rod you need to take a look at the wrap demo clip below----I really like the snake skin, one of my fly rods may be getting one soon.

Are You a Perfectionist When it Comes to Fly Fishing???

Do I consider myself a perfectionist? When it comes to fly fishing I would say I am close.  When I am on the water I am always trying to stay in touch with how the fish are reacting. This could be feeding habits, reaction to water levels, water temps, current flow, and hatch patterns. If I am having problems with one or more of these factors, then it really gets my goat if I can’t entice the fish into taking one of my offerings. So I do what most all fishermen do, I keep trying different techniques and patterns until I hit on something that is productive. Sometimes it works and sometimes I come up on the losing end. I always look back on every trip especially the skunked ones and try to analyze why I wasn’t successful and try to come up with a solution that will make the next trip a little more productive. Could those no fish trips be attributed to natural factors, less concentration on my part, dormant fish, or bad cast?
Sometimes I wonder if I am being too hard on myself when one of my casts goes astray. I not only want that cast to be precise but I want it to produce a fish every time the line hits the water. I not only enjoy getting the fish on with that super cast, but I want to make sure I play the fish to the point that one I land it and two that I don’t harm the fish in the process.  Back in the days when I fished in the bass tournaments using the casting rod play was not a factor: then numbers were the winner and the faster you could land the fish the faster you became the winner. I am still the same fisherman I was back in the day but my techniques and methods have changed since I returned to the fly rod. I am still trying to get that perfect presentation on every cast and again if I don’t I am still trying to figure out why what and how I can make it better. Just wondering are any of you guys a perfectionist when it comes to fishing?

Reviewing Nymphing Techniques and Set-ups

My last post dealt with my Nymphing by Numbers videos I got for Christmas. I went back and watched the video again, because I wanted to make sure I really understood some of the segments that were featured. The one segment that really got my attention was the section dealing with weights. The presenter in the video only used a weight to get his flies close to the bottom, not beadheads nymphs. In fact he said he never uses beadheads. He says they lack the action compared to your standard nymph flies. I agree after watching how he used this technique.
In his most used set-up there are two flies involved. One fly which is his anchor fly is tied at the end of the tippet with a weight or weights positioned 14 to 16” above it. He then places a tiny midge or scud 12” above the weight, and last is the indicator. The bottom fly he is using is most always a Stone Fly which is floating up with the weight bumping off the bottom. Hits are about equal on both flies. I know some of you guys have used this set-up and have been successful with it. I for one have not used it, but after seeing how many trout this guy landed with this technique, you can bet I will give it a try. He uses other nymphing set-ups in the video but the weight two fly method is what got my attention. As I stated in the first post, I am still in the learning stages here and anything dealing with improving my nymph fishing I am interested it. I am curious to know your favorite nymphing set-up that seems to never fail you. I will give all set-ups a try.

  

Sorry guys this is the closet I can come to his set-up. Not showing in the image above is the tiny midge he used above the weight in the image, in other words the weight seperated the two flies. I know this is a common set-up in fly fishing. I use the beadhead most of the time instead of the weight.

Gifts You Need and Those You Don't

I know we all get things for Christmas that we really need and of course we all get things that we just don’t use or don’t need. Well I got both but the gift I was pleased with most was my “Nymphing by the Numbers video with Kelly Galloup. This video not only has some excellent information on nymphing but has some added information on dry fly fishing as well. I must confess I am still in the learning process when it comes to nymphing. The different nymphing techniques on this video are easy to understand and the plus is Kelly is actually landing trout in the process.

After watching the segment on dry flies it got me to thinking about my favorite dry fly the Parachute Adams. I know this fly has been used by most all of the fly fisherman out there. I guess the reason the fly is so popular is the white wing post which makes it so easy to see. Another feature is the fact it float really high in the water. The size 14 is my choice because it seems to fit the areas I fish most. I have landed trout on this fly when nothing else would produce. So there you have it with my favorite gift for this year, what was yours? I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Happy New Year!!!!

Merry Christmas to All My Blog Buddies

Guys hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. We as Americans have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. Christmas is that one time we all seem to come together with friends and family. So to all my blog friends out there take care, be safe and watch those calories this weekend. I am looking forward to reading some great posts from all of you in 2012.

Truly Astounding Stunts!!!

Guys I must admit that I am not into Utube videos for a blog post but today is an exception, because when you say amazing this video clip tops all I have seen. One of my fishing buddies emailed me the clip today. He told me that I wouldn’t believe some of the stunts. After viewing it I can’t believe a human being can do some of the things that are shown here. Hope everyone has a great Christmas and Happy New year!!!