Revisiting One of my Favorite Trout Areas

I wanted to try an area closer to the dam on the tailrace the other day. I had fished this area a couple of years ago and found it to be absolutely beautiful. The place had not changed with the exception of the newly constructed access point that had been built there. The water in this area is a cool 58 degrees and there are no fast runs but more of a slow flow. It is perfect for dry fly action early and late in the afternoon. Unfortunately that was not the case with the dries, there was very little action on top. In fact there was a little or no hatch.

The early morning mist made it difficult to see your offering, but I wasn't complaining because it was so cool in the water and the swamp and forest smell of the area just added to the experience.

My first rainbow of he morning with what else the Zebra Midge

A Mother/son team taking a break to change patterns. This boy doesn't know how lucky he is . She had taught him well in the casting department, he was making some exceptional cast---he was 10 years old.

I found a nice blonder to sit on while I changed patterns, notice I am using the wind-up leader in the L-connect system. This is really a handy set-up in that you can have your fly already tied on your leader and all you have to do to change flies is to connect the orange connect into your fly line connect of the system---for more info on the L-connect check out this link   these leaders are hard to find and the last ones I purchased was in Canada--sorry not USA!

All you do to change flies is unwind the leader off the spool and insert the connect end into your fly line connect. Another handy accessory I have to save on leader purchase is the Tippet Ring. I did a post on the ring sometime back and have found that it is extremely useful when extending the life of your leader. Since going with the ring I have only changed leaders once this season.

 

I tried a number of these nymph patterns before the midge proved to be the winner

Everyone that fly fishes likes to gets that take on top, and I for one go along with the crowd here. I started with a PMD early but as stated earlier had trouble seeing the fly. Not to be outdone I changed to a Gnat, Padams and finally realize that the top action wasn't going to happen.

Trust me the trout is there in my hand ---today was an enjoyable morning even if I only brought 3 to hand. I met some nice trout fishermen/ladies and learned a few things along the way.

This was my access point to enter and leave, notice the concrete embankment, this sort of structure is needed when you have 8 to 10 ft. water rise on release

One needs to be in pretty good shape to make his way up the steps and on up to the top of the ramp.

Reaching That 50,000 Viewer Mark!!

I consider today a milestone for me in that I reached the 50,000 viewer mark with my blog activity. When I started this blog some 2 ½ years ago I didn’t realize at the time that it would be so addictive. My sole purpose at the time was to create this blog to mainly keep a fishing log of all my trips. I thought it would be nice to look back and see when, how, and the tackle I used to land that particular species of fish. Little did I know that I would meet and share information with so many fishing buddies? I wonder sometimes why I keep blogging; well I found for me it is the enjoyment of being able to share a love of fishing with individuals who like it as much as me. All of us like to communicate with others who have the same interest as ourselves and this blog gives me that opportunity. Here is a special THANKS to all you guys who visit Fishing Through Life on a regular basis and to those who occasionally stop by.  

The Mystery Fly Rod

Back in the early spring when I had started my bluegill quest I was fishing with one fly rod most of the time; that rod being my 9 ft. 3 wt Greys XF2 Streamflex. I have mention this fly rod a few times in some of my post as being the best fly rod I have ever place in my hand, and it still is, but after losing some huge Shellcrackers in the spring with it I decided I needed something with a bit more backbone. I didn’t really want something with too much overkill but a fly rod that would handle the big Shellcrackers and a couple pound spot. I knew that a medium action 9 ft in 4 wt would be close to my 3 wt so I opted for a fast action fly rod. I had fished fast action rods before in spinning gear but not in a fly rod. At first I had trouble getting use to the fast taper and the somewhat stiff butt section but after a few outings I really got accustomed to the feel of the rod; and now it is my go to fly rod when I know or can sense that there could be something bigger on that rock wall. So I know you are asking what is the name of this mystery rod, well I know some of you guys have fished the St. Croix series rods and the Imperial 9ft. 4 wt is the one I finally choose. Aside from the action of the rod the lightness was the other deciding factor. This fly rod weights in at 2.9 oz. in a two piece, which for me is perfect for a half day trip. When I am fishing from my boat I always carry two fly rods and both have to be extremely light for me to keep fishing on up into the day. You young guys out there will understand the lightness factor as you get older; some of you may have discovered it already. I didn’t pay full price for this rod which was 180.00, I decided to trade my last Temple Fork 8 ft. 4 wt in for the St Croix. I used Anglers Habitat to close the deal at a cost of 95.00.  I really like this site because you can trade in and save on a new purchase.

One of my favorite runs below the dam.  I hope to get a good drift there next week that will produce a few rainbow.     

Jigger Pole Fishing on Smith Lake for Catfish

Guys today’s post is a little off the beaten path for me. I went to the lake the other day with one of my fishing buddies to fish for catfish. Yes, I said catfish, not bluegill, bass, or even trout, but catfish. The game plan was to use our crappie jigger poles as catfish rods to land channel cat off the many rock walls on Smith Lake. I got to say it worked to perfection and was really a lot of fun. I must admit this was something new to me as far as fishing for catfish with an 11 ft fishing rod. I have caught catfish back in the day by setting hooks from the bank or using a trotline. I had even landed catfish with my son-in-law and daughter before they got married using the microlight rods, but this technique was a bit different. With the 11 ft. jigger pole you are limited with you amount of line you used and the play of the fish becomes paramount in you landing your prey. If you hear the drag go off then you know you have a nice size fish and have to be extra careful bringing the fish to hand because it can pop a 6 or 8 test line in a heartbeat. I found out right quick if you didn’t have your glob of chicken liver right next to the wall you wouldn’t get a hit. This is a really simple technique all we did was to move the boat about a foot away from the wall and slowly troll paralleling it as we adjusted the deep of the bait while we moved. Sometimes you were fishing in depths of 30 to 40 ft and other times you would reel in line to adjust to the bottom at 20 ft deep. There was no mistaking the hit, sometimes the tip of the rod would submerge in the water and all you had to do was to set the hook and the fight was on. We lost some fish that was just too much for the 6/8 lb test line to handle and the ones we got out were a tussle. I will try anything when it comes to catching fish and today was surely an exciting way to try something new when it comes to fishing.
A side note here: my wife and I have been in Tennessee for the better part of this week welcoming our new granddaughter into the world. Pops (this is what Bryson our grandson calls me) has to do a little bragging here but I would say she is absolutely the prettiest little baby girl I have ever seen. In fact, she is the image of her mother at that age. This is why I have been behind on my blogging this week and for good reason!!

 

These were the winners and yes they were all dressed for 4 to 5 meals. There were lots of fillets here with this bunch

I had to show you guys this image of the one and only trolley rail on the lake equip with the sitting deck at the top of the track. Some of these walls are so high it isn't feasible to try to build stairs.

Why it is Important to Buy Fly Fishing Gear Made in America

Back in December 2011 I did a post on buying American made goods, and how it would help our economy here in the United States. Well recently I came across an article that was written about this very issue at the Perfect Fly. The article was written by James Marsh with what I think is a very in depth view of why we as individuals should buy American made products. This article really touched me to the point I just had to share it with you guys.

Fly Fishing Gear Made In America?The other day a friend of mine said something like "I wouldn't have such and such -
it isn't made in America". It reminded me of an annoying automobile insurance
company TV ad and I said in response, "have you been living under a rock'? I
wasn't sure he caught on to that so I added "Get your head out of the sand, Sam
- fly fishing gear isn't made in America".I reminded him of the last trip I made to Bentonville Arkansas to deal with the
sporting goods buyer for Walmart. She said, "Mr. Marsh, you are lucky to get an
appointment with me - I'm in China most of the time". If you took everything made in
China out of the nation's largest retail stores of Walmart, there wouldn't be anything
left but the girls that cut hair in the beauty salon and most of them are probably from
Asia.

The same thing is true of the so-called sporting good box stores. If Bass Pro Shop
gear was made in America, Jamie McMurray would watch Saturday's Bristol Nascar
race from his couch instead of the #1 Bass Pro car. There has to be a White River
in Asia.

If Cabelas fly fishing gear was made in America, Dick Cabela would probably still be
selling "hand tied flies" by mail order from his kitchen table. Well, I take that back.
He's a very smart man. He would have probably developed the world's first machine
that ties flies but for now, I think Cabelas gets their flies from Kenya.Oh, I almost completely forgot about the few remaining Mom and Pop fly
shops. They all would feature "Retail Space for Lease" signs except for those that
still had a few pairs of Simms waders and patch kits remaining in their "Going out of
business sale".

I can't think of any other waders made in America. Everything sold by Patagonia, for
example, sure wasn't made in California. All the other items Simms sells, or
soft-goods such as their fly fishing bags and other accessories come from China
unless I'm badly mistaken.

By the way, check the shoes on your own two feet. Where did they come from?
Where did the computer monitor your reading this article on come from? Do you
have an American made TV? If so, please let the rest of the world know who
manufactured it. What about your cell phone - was it made in America? If you have,
a fishfinder or GPS receiver on your boat, was it made in America? If you're going to
pretend to buy America, you better crawl under your couch and do it. Well, maybe
not the couch. If it's fairly new and the entire sofa didn't come from a foreign
country, the material it's made of probably did. By the way, the flies in the fly box on
the coffee table - the ones you just purchased from your local Mon and Pop fly shop
- they most likely came from Indonesia.

Oh, please excuse me. I almost forgot the American fly fishing icon - Orvis.
They still assemble their high end fly rods in Vermont - but not the low priced ones -
they come from China along with all of their fly reels and most everything
else they sell. If Orvis product was made in American, they have a Guinness Book
of World records - the world's smallest factory. The only Orvis factory I've seen isn't
much larger than an average automobile tire shop.

Now you may be one of those highly sophisticated anglers. You may buy from Hardy of Great Britain? They almost have a complete line of fly fishing tackle.
That's just fine with me as long as you realize everything the sell is made in
China.There are still a few fly rods made in America but I guess as a matter of survival,
companies like Winston and Saint Croix now have their low-end rods made in China.

Loomis Rods is owned by Shimano of Japan. They are certainly not made in
America.

Even the age old icon of an American rod company Sage, now owns Redington.
Everything Redington sells is made in China unless I am bad wrong and I don't think
so. Well, some of the parts may come from other foreign countries.

I'll give Scott Rod Company credit. They are still all made in America as far as I
know. Notice they no longer make an entry level rod. I wonder why?

Not everything is seemingly non-American. When you get away from the small
markets like fly fishing, you have to consider that many of our large, good old
American companies such as Bank of American and General Motors are still
going strong, or at least they seem to be doing well. I'm glad they are because like
most of you, some of the income tax I paid went towards the money the
federal government loaned them back when they were bankrupt and year
or two ago.Opps, let me get back to fly fishing. I almost forgot the newest, hottest fly rods on
the market - Temple Fork. They are good old made in Texas fly rods - right?
No, Wrong. Temple Fork fly rods are made in Korea. Yes, even though 75% or
more of the people that own a Temple Fork fly rod are unaware of it, their rods were
made in Korea. Yes, I'm sorry but this is true even though the fly fishing American
Icon himself, Mr. Lefty Craig, praises them enough to put his name on some of
them. He's the X Mr. Sage fly rod man, remember?

By the way, I own a Temple Fork fly rod. They are very good rods for the money.
They are more than that. They are proof of the real problem that exist on a much,
much larger scale. They are proof that fly rods made in America cost a lot
more for very little more.Just in case you are wondering, writing this is making me sick at my stomach
because I don't like anything about what I have written.. China and other
countries are rapidly replacing what made America and for my grand
children's sake, I'm very concerned about it. One reason this is happening, is the
general public is mostly unaware of just how big this problem is. The average
person is not aware of just how fast we are losing out to other countries and what
that means to the security of this country.

I am writing this for information to make sure none of the thousand plus people that
read my daily articles on this website are not living under a rock like my buddy Sam.
If you did the numbers, you would find less than 10% of all fly fishing tackle,
gear and flies are made in the United States.If every citizen n the United States was aware of just how much of the product they
use came from foreign soil, they would likely be just as upset as I am. It's not just the
small items like electronics and fishing gear. It's not just the furniture, clothes,
shoes, etc. It's not just a part of the automobile industry. Nowadays, it's even most
of what a high-rise building is constructed of. It's almost everything we need or use.
It's almost everything but the soil we live on.

If you think there's not anything you can do about it, your wrong. The only one that
can do anything about this is you. That said, buying only American made
product isn't the answer. That's not a feasible solution for anyone. That's probably
even impossible. Like it or not, we live in a global economy.I think the answer lies in electing leaders who first of all are able to grasp and
understand the problems involved and who will strive to do the things that are in the
best interest of the United States of America.

The Episode of The Leaky Wader

A couple of weeks ago I made my first trip in a while to our local tailrace to check out the progress of the access points and of course to cast for the rain bow. While there I experienced what all wading fly fishermen experience from time to time and that is a leaky wader. In this case it was a small slit at the top of my right foot stocking. One doesn’t have to guess when you have a leak especially if you are in 62 degree water. Not to be outdo I forgot about the leak because this was one of best days on the Sipsey Tailrace and I wasn’t about to leave trout that was clamming for my Zebra Midge. I didn’t realize how bad the leak was until I started back to the truck and kept hearing this gushing sound with every step I made. Upon getting back to the truck I set up my little folding stool, which by the way is a must for all us older guys when pulling of your waders. Why because it is easier for me to remove my waders sitting down as oppose to standing up. So while seated I pulled the leaky right foot wader off and emptied as much as a pint of water out. If anything it held water still inside even if it didn’t hold water from the outside. Now to end this long explanation of the leaky wader episode; I did manage to repair the wader with some exceptional sealant; Aquaseal which actually sealed the seam better than the original. In fact I tried out the leaky wader on Friday right after my bonus day on Thursday and the wader held up to perfection but sorry to report the Sipsey Tailrace brought me back down to reality---only two trout brought to hand, one on the Gnat and the other on the Prince Nymph. Both patterns were size 18. Just goes to show when you think you have a plan and a pattern in place for another day on the water it can all go south; but if every time was a stellar day then we all might get bored with this great sport. 

I thought I would share some shots I took showing the progress of the access points along the Sipsey. These metal steps will last a lifetime. You are only 25 to 30 ft. from the waters edge at seven different locations along a 3 mile stretch. All the metal steps will be equipped with hand rails. One access point will be handicapped accessible.

These concrete pilings 30" in diameter will hold the big metal steps in place. These are being used on all the access points. Our club is working with our local Senator and Representative to introduce legislation in the upcoming session in January to put browns and brooks trout in the tailrace. There is opposition to the move because the powers that be claim the browns will eat the endangered Black Eel in the Sipsey. Our club found out through the Game and Fish that this Eel is no longer in this stretch of the river. So as you can see we are dealing with a bunch of old sore heads in Montgomery. None of these guys fish and certainly don't trout fish.

This access is right at the waters edge

   

The 3 Wt. 9 ft.Hardy Grey Fly Rod Mixed With Bluegills

I hope you guys will bear with me for hopefully a few more weeks on my bluegill quest. Today is yet another update on the progress of my goal to land 100 super bull bluegills before the spawn ends. Saturday was slow as far as the big bluegills were concerned. I did land a lot of average size fish but the bigger ones either were not on the beds or scattered here and there. I manage to lose a nice spot on a size 4 Boggle Bug popper and he still may have it in his mouth somewhere in Rock Creek. Why do you always have to lose the good fish? I have often said don’t let me get the fish on if I have to lose it. Lately my 3 wt 9 ft. Hardy Greys has been my choice to continue to land the bluegills. I really get a rush fighting those bigger bluegills with this rod. It has to be the best fly rod I have ever put in my hands. The ease and the smoothness of the cast is effortless. I have to admit I do lose a few fishing this rod but that is what you expect when you are fishing an inferior fly rod against a superior foe at times.

The white Betts Popper seems to work best Saturday, it was overcast most of the morning and this fly gave the fish a little better chance to see the offering

These four were the ones that made the grade today. This size bluegill in deep water on a 3 wt is a challenge.

One of my Better Trips on The Sipsey Tailrace

I have been waiting for a chance to fish the tailrace below Smith Dam for some rainbow. According to our local Fly Shop Thursday is the best day to wet a fly so Thursday it was. First off before I begin the fishing post I have to explain why it’s been so long since I fished the tailrace. Alabama Power has been working on seven access areas at different intervals along a 4-mile stretch. They have been pouring pilings that will hold all the concrete steps in place at each access point, so the constant flow has been stopped, making it a still water situation when trying to fish for the trout. This has been the trend for the past year. So when there is an opening and water is moving then everybody flocks to the tailrace including me. So as I said Thursday was my day, I arrived at the Pump Station around 8:30 AM and was really surprised to see no vehicles. So immediately I thought the flow was zero or word had spread the trout had lockjaw. Not to be discouraged I suited up and tie on size 18 Griffiths Gnat. I really like this dry because to me it is the equal to the Parachute Adams. Both of these flies are the dries I go to when in doubt about the hatch. As I approached the water I was right no hatch and very little takes on top. The water was moving and to my surprise, I had the entire tailrace to myself. I moved no more than 50 ft. from the access point and starting casting the Gnat. I thought I would get some takes but after half-hour of fishing the Gant and ending with the PA, I give up on the dries. I decided to go with a bead head Zebra Midge size 18.  While still standing in the same area I made a 30 ft. cast in a small run, did one mend and the indicator went under. I promptly landed an 11” rainbow. I really got a good fight from the bow with my 7 ½ ft. 3 wt. I continued working in the same area with the Midge and watching the indicator ever so carefully. Sometimes the take would occur with just a tiny movement of the indicator. As I stood there watching the indicator intently for takes I remembered a statement the River Damsel made in a  post on indicator/nymph fishing some weeks ago. She said when in doubt assume it is a fish, even if you set the hook on the bottom sometimes. As the morning wound down I manage to land the most trout I have ever landed on our local tailrace using RD's simple nymph rule. Thanks to River Damsel for teaching me a lesson I won't soon forget.

My first of the morning still with the midge in tack--this midge lasted through the first 5 rainbows before it came apart

Another nice bow from the same access area, in fact, I never moved from this place during the hour and a half I was able to fish

This was the area I was fishing which had somewhat of a slow flow, this help make my nymph lesson easier to learn. The depth below the indicator was roughly 4 1/2 ft. As I stated in the post the takes were very subtle, so I really had to pay close attention to the indicator

Kind of off the wall image here but I was in a hurry to get the midge back in the water--this was one of my better trout of the day pushing the 12" mark. I ended the trip with a count of 15 or 16 which was by far the best day ever on the Sipsey Tailrace for me.

Right below the access point---I feel I learn something on every fishing trip and today was no exception, can't wait for next Thursday's trip

Landing Huge Crappie Using the Spider Fishing System

I got back into the Spider Fishing this week at Legion Lake in Winona Mississippi, my brother's home lake. This lake is roughly 80 acres super clear and has a lot of slab crappie. We worked around thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday with periods of on and off crappie bites. My brother managed to land the largest crappie ever using the Spider set-up system. When the fish are scattered and the bite is off you need every advantage one can get. The Spider system will give you that edge. It enables you to cover large amounts of water at different depths using different jigs. We found out early on that the best color for the past two days was an orange/chartreuse tube jig tipped with a white or chartreuse nibblet. We were using six 11 ft. jigger poles and two 9 ft. rods which enabled us to cover a lot of water. Numbers were not the winner on this trip but rather quality fish made the difference. As always the food was a winner as well, featuring homemade peach cobbler, chicken pot pie, baked chicken, and of course homemade rolls and cornbread from the local buffet line in the local supermarket.

Working all those jigger poles

The tube jig even landed a large Shellcracker not to mention numbers of bluegills

Bobby with the largest slab of the day a little over 2 lbs--this type of fishing is sooooooo easy it makes you feel sorry for the fish!!

The Super Light 8 ft. Micro Light Spinning Rod by Daiwa

From time to time I come across some great fishing equipment and accessories I like to share with you with guys. As most of you know I not only fly fish but I am an avid Micro Light fisherman. When I say Micro Light I am referring to spinning tackle in the 2 to 4 lb test range. The spinning rods that fall into this category are 6 ft. to 9 ½ ft. Landing fish on these long rods is like using a fly rod. The two companies that actually started manufacturing Micro Lights rods first were Bass Pro and Daiwa. The Bass Pro rods start with a 5 ½ ft. traveling pack to the 9 ½ ft. float and fly medium action Micro Light. Daiwa has the same type rods but with a little more finesse than the Bass Pro version. Their guides are smaller and the rods are lighter than the Bass Pro series. Their 8 ft. version is the one that is really caught my attention, because of the reviews and the lightness. This rod paired with the Quantum Optix Spinning Reel is a killer for pan fish, trout and yes it even has the backbone for larger fish. The reel will spool 125 yards of 4 lb test line and 150 yards of 2 lb test line. In my opinion it is the ultimate in Micro Light fishing. The complete combo is priced under 70.00 bucks and that is a bargain when it comes to Micro Light fishing. Bass Pro has basically the same rod but with a price tag of 55.00 plus tax. The Bass Pro version has a little more weight and the guides are larger. When it comes to Micro fishing I like finesse and the 8 ft. Spinmatic by Daiwa fits the bill. For that fisherman out there that has not mastered the fly rod or wants to mimic fly fishing then this is the combo for you. Check it out you might be surprised how close you come to fly fishing when using this combo.

I Have Gone High Tech on You Guys

Well I have finally gone High Tech on you guys. I am not talking about blogging; I am talking about my new Driod Razr Maxx smart phone by Motorola. I have been using the basic fold out version of the Samsung without all the bells and whistles for years and thought it was about time for me to move up and join the rest of the mad text scene. So now I am not only into the text mode, but into all the other features that comes with this incredible phone. You wonder how and what will be coming out next or better yet can the industry top what they already have; well I know they can and my Driod will be out dated in a couple of years. This may be old hat to most of you guys but this is a big step for me, especially when I told my wife a couple of years ago that texting was dumb, because I could dial a number and actually say what I needed to say in less time. As time has past I can see a need for texting, because on some days I can only reach my family or friends with a text message. The one great feature I really like about this phone is text talk, which keeps me from typing with my fat fingers. So now you all know that I have reached new heights in communication. I only hope I can keep up.

Getting Tougher to Reach my Goal of 100 Super Bluegills

I got back on the water this week for a couple of days. The lake has been falling and cool nights have put a damper on the catch ratio. There has been very little bass action on top or subsurface; but that is Smith Lake, deep, super clear and heavy fishing pressure. This lake has had three bass tournaments in the past month and that plays a big part in whether the bass is active. I have always heard that lakes that have a tremendous amount of pressure should be fished completely different from the way everybody else fishes the lake. I have taken that statement to heart some years ago when I started Micro Light fishing and Fly Fishing on the lake. These two methods of fishing are seldom used on Smith which has made it quite productive for me over the years, especially with the fly rod. I have only seen one other fisherman use the fly rod on this lake over the past ten years, and I hope that trend continues. I am still working on my goal every time I launch the boat here and today and Wednesday were no exception. Both days produced 20 to 25 bluegills with only a few big enough to count towards my goal. Wednesday was tough because the lake was falling and I had to go with subsurface flies such as the Upside Bream Killer and a size 12 Cream Nymph. I only landed a couple on top using the Humpy Green dry fly. Today was somewhat better but still limited surface action. The Muddler Minnow was the fly that got their attention today, but it only produced one good gill and a couple smaller ones. I used the Cream Nymph the rest of the morning to finish the trip. I can’t go to Smith this time of year without trying the Boogle Bug, but there was no action at all with the Spots and Largemouth bass. I thought I would never wish for hot humid weather but that is what it is going to take to bring back the top action. I am now 32 big bluegills away to reach my goal. It is getting tougher now that the spawn is winding down. I only have 2 to 3 weeks left.  Wish me luck!!!

Beautiful colored Bluegill right out of the water, this one counted

I counted two of these on Wednesday's trip, I landed numbers of smaller fish but they didn't make my count

All four of these counted towards the goal for Saturday's trip again I landed a lot of smaller fish but no count---Sorry no bass to report on.

I had to take a picture of this beauty, the colors on this sunfish are outstanding. I have never landed one any bigger than this guy.

The Beginner Package For The Fly Fisherman on a Budget

I know when you mention fly fishing to the average individual they either think expense or intimidating. I have had numbers of individuals tell me they would like to fly fish but they just don’t think they can afford the sport or it is too complicated to learn. One does not have to spend a pile of money to get into fly fishing. In fact you can purchase a fairly good combo at most outlet stores. Way before purchasing the equipment there has to be the desire to learn the sport and next learning how to cast. Some individuals may take fly casting lessons which can cost anywhere from 50.00 to 100.00.  To save money you can always get someone you may know to let you cast their fly rod for free. A suggestion here, don’t waste money on a fly rod and reel until you have had a chance to use one. I taught one of my buddies how to use one of my fly rods in last than hour last year on Smith Lake. In fact he landed his first small bass on that outing. Today he fly fishes with me all the time and absolutely loves the sport. After you have learned how to cast, you need a fly rod and reel. As stated earlier you can purchase a combo at an outlet store and the best for your bucks is Wal Mart. If you purchase the Crystal River combo, you get the 8 ft. 4/5 wt fly rod, reel with fly line, tapered leader, two sided fly box and the case to carry it all in for an unbelievable price online for 30.00. Now that you got your fly rod combo, you need to go out and land some fish. I would go to a local pond or small lake where you can get into some bass or bluegills. Landing warm water species with poppers will help you learn how to connect with your fly and learn how to play the fish.  You don’t have to spend loads of money on accessories to warm water fish. Again Wal Mart carries a variety of Betts Poppers, line stretchers, scissors, forceps, line dressing, floatant, tapered leaders, and tippets. All these accessories are the Fairplay Brand with leaders as low as 2.00, tippets 2.00, and the rest of the accessories under 5.00. Keep in mind you don’t have to buy all these items at one time; buy as the need arises. The Betts poppers are priced below 2.00 and will last numbers of trips. Wal-Mart carries a small fanny pack which is excellent to store all your accessories including your fly box. In fact I use a fanny pack to carry all my warm water accessories all the time, I just strap it around my waist and everything I need is right at my fingertips. Wal-mart not only carries all the Betts Poppers but a wide variety of flies for warm and cold water fishing. Everything I have mentioned will get you out on the water casting poppers and nymphs such as Wooly Buggers for less than 50.00. That’s not bad for the beginner fly fisherman who is looking to get into the sport and not go in debt to get started. Ricky over at Shotguns and Fishing Poles ask me to do a post on what it would take for a beginner to get into fly fishing. So this is my version, some of you guys might be able to do a better job and if I have left anything out please feel to add your comment.  

Irritation and Frustration Can Occur Even in Fishing

I know fishing trips can’t be perfect all the time and I realize that sometimes things just don’t go as planned. I did a post some time back on whether you consider yourself a perfectionist when it comes to fishing. Well, I guess you could put me in that category because everything has to be working to perfection for me when I am fishing. One might say why do you put yourself through all that pressure or stress?  No pressure or stress here for me because this is the way I have learned to fish, but after all these years there are some things that still get next to me such as----

Line tangle on fishing rods---I hate it when your line from one rod in the boat, Suv, or truck gets tangled into the line of other rods in the boat.  The best way to avoid this is to clip your fly or lure into your hook keeper on your fishing rod, then wrap the line around the rod using your guides on the rod to hold the line tight to the rod itself. There is no way for the line on the rods to get tangled that way. One of my buddies had two of his rods to get tangled with his fly rods the other day in the back of his SUV. He spent the better part of 4 to 5 minutes getting the line on the rods untangled, what a mess. 

Line bend---I am talking about the bent line in your leader after it has set in the guide for a while. Even the line stretcher can’t get this bend out at times. I really like my leader to be perfectly straight when I am fly fishing. If your leader is straight without bends then your presentation of your fly will land more realistic. One of the guys I fish with never uses a line stretcher, instead, he just removes the leader from the package and ties a fly on and starts casting. I have mentioned and even shown him the technique of how to secure a straight leader, but he says that is wasting time. He seems to think casting will get the leader in working order---everybody to his own!

The tip of your fly line sinking below the surface of the water; a good line dressing will keep your fly floating nicely on the surface. The sinking fly line can cause problems with pick up and can also hinder the cast itself.

Line twist at the tippet end of the leader is one thing I have been wrestling with and I think I have solved this problem. I switched to a larger tippet and flies with less hackle to help with this problem. Nothing more irritating than a twisted tippet when you are landing fish

A bad cast not only cuts down on fishing time, but it can also cause knots in your tippet or upwards to your leader. This is really true if you are using a dropper which extends the leader length. You will know when you have hit that sweet spot with your cast. It is that feel and the sight of fly rolling perfectly out on the surface of the water. I have never been a big fan of false casting a lot. My son does a lot of false casting which in turn causes knots in his leader at times. Don’t get me wrong there is a time and place for false casting but with me, I use less false casting than the average fly fisherman.

This last one is listed for those of us who use boats. There is nothing more frustrating than to have some of your equipment on your boat to go out after you have got on the water. This can really put a damper on what was supposed to be a good day. Well, there you have it some of my under the skin-irritating things that get next to me. Have I missed some, if so feel free to add your own?

A 3 in 1 Punch for Today's Post--Nearing the GOAL!!

Today’s post is a 3 in 1 punch, with three different topics all in one package. I did a post about a week ago on the tiny Tippet Ring. I was looking for an easy way to attach your tippet to your leader, well I found it. Yesterday’s trip involved testing this little bugger and it proved to be a winner. I really like the fact that you don’t have to tie a blood knot when attaching your tippet to the leader when using this little ring. It is so handy you merely tie the tippet into the ring and you are good to go. I broke off a couple of times yesterday in a few trees and had to replace my tippet both times and was back to fishing in a matter of seconds thanks to this little ring. I hope it performs as well with dries and nymphs as it did with the poppers and buggers. I did notice I didn’t get one line twist when using the ring. Now on to the next bit of news—

 From time to time I am going to be featuring new blogs that I have found and joined up with. Today’s feature blog is Spare Time for Fish by Anthony Gardner. This blog has some great information on Warm Water Fishing. The blog covers everything from fly fishing accessories, fishing for crappie, crap, bass and yes bluegill. In fact, food is covered in this blog as well. If you haven’t checked out Spare Time for Fishing it is worth the look.
 Now for my quest or goal; for those of you who have been keeping up with my goal I am trying to land 100 super bull bluegill during the spawning period. Well, yesterday it just got easier. I started the morning at 5 AM in heavy fog and it didn’t let up until 7 AM. It was so thick I couldn’t see to navigate my boat after I launched so I just started fishing down the bank from the launch. Nothing was happening as far as the bass was concerned, mainly because of the fishing pressure all week from the Military Tournament. In fact, I didn’t land any bluegill until the fog let up and I moved up through Butler Creek which I had not fished since last year. I was using my 4 wt St. Croix 9 ft. with a Muddler Minnow. It produced early until the sun came up and then I tie on a Chartreuse Black-legged size 10 Betts Popper which worked better in areas where the sun hadn’t touched the bank. I lost two of these poppers in trees where the fish are never found, and manage to leave with one in tack. I was a little disappointed with the bass. I will take the bluegill any day when the big bulls are cooperating.

 One lone bass which was a largemouth that had been caught in the tournament. It had hook marks inside it's upper lip--this one came on the Olive Boogle Bug with the 5 wt. no more bass action after this guy

This one was really fat and put up some kind of fight on the 4 wt. I think next time I will bring along my 3 wt.

These count toward the goal, a couple here were near a pound. These 10 put me 38 away. I ended the trip with 16 brought to hand. I fished an area today where there was less boat traffic. The boat traffic is a killer when one is trying to fish on top with the fly.

Landing Super size Bluegills in Rock Creek on Smith Lake

Rock Creek was the target for today’s fishing trip. I wanted to go back to some of the areas I had fished three weeks ago on my bluegill quest; with a new plan in mind. The overcast skies and low humidity made the conditions much better than three weeks ago. I decided not to concentrate so much today on the bass, because here lately the topwater action has been extremely slow for the Spotted Bass and Largemouth Bass. I wanted to see if I could find the big bluegills back on the beds since I was fishing right after a full moon. As a lot of you know the moon phase triggers the spawn in early spring and again in June and the last one in late July or early August. This, of course, can vary in different parts of the country. I knew the bluegills would be back in the nooks off the main creek channel. As fate would have it I found my first big cluster of monster beds in a pocket of the main Rock Creek channel at 7 AM. I counted twelve huge beds with three big bluegills located on three of the beds. I have found that not all the beds are occupied on the second and third spawn, and in this cluster, there were only three beds being guarded. I positioned the boat so I could be horizontal to the back of the nook. It was a perfect set-up with no wind and the water surface like glass smooth. The water was extremely clear so I knew I couldn’t get close or they would jet out to deep water. My first cast was at least 50 ft. and the Betts popper landed gently on the backside of the bed clusters. I never move the popper, I just let it sit there for a few second and wham the popper was gone, and the big bull-headed straight for deep water. All big bluegills in this lake have the same objective when they take the popper to go deep and try to find the structure to break off. This one lost the battle in a depth of 30 ft.  I repeated this process six different times throughout the morning, locating beds and enticing the big takes and having a blast fighting these brutes on my 9 ft. 3 wt. The great thing about today’s trip was the hit, I could actually see the fish come up from 8 to 10 ft. deep to nail the fly. In fact, they would create a small wake towards the popper as they inhaled it. I can’t begin to tell you guys what a rush it is to experience that kind of action towards your offering, but of course all you know this I forget sometimes I am not conveying all this stuff to armatures. I ended the trip around 10 AM with at least 2 dozen bluegills which included some smaller females and males, a couple of small bass, and of course the 6 big boys I kept for my quest. I am now 26 away from my goal of landing 100 supersize bull bluegills during the spawn. It is going to be close but I think I may make it during the last spawn.  

First, of the morning, a great way to start the quest

Taking a picture while trying to get the boat back in position--little awkward

Popper for the morning, a Betts # 8 Yellow/chartreuse

All counted toward the goal--I need 26 more of these beauties

This one was the last of the morning --he was the only bluegill in a cluster of 6 beds, I lost one popper in a tree trying to get to him. I could see him, but he wouldn't come out from under a tree branch to get the popper.  After a number of casts the popper landed right in front of the bed he was guarding; he inhaled the yellow/chartreuse and the fight was on---a lot of effort but well worth it!!!!

Adding to my Super Size Bluegill Goal

I made a quick trip to Rock Creek yesterday to fish areas of Smith that I haven’t fished in years. I forgot how beautiful the Rock Creek area is, especially the high rock wall formations with all the cave holes carved out in the walls. I was competing with a huge bass tournament with some 125 boats zipping up and down the creek most of the morning. I felt good about landing fish on top especially some nice Spots, but they were not cooperating. Even fishing the fly rod by myself in Rock Creek couldn’t entice a hit. I was fishing the Boogle Bug brand on my 5 wt and had my 4 wt rigged with size 8 Wooly Bugger. I have to add a plug here for the Boogle Bug; it has to be the best of the best when it comes to poppers. This popper is so durable and tough that they will last season after season. Back to the trip, I fished from 6 AM until 9 AM using nothing but the white Boogle Bug which during that time produced some nice bluegills to add to my total count for the spawn. I did release some smaller bluegills that for some reason thought they were big enough to inhale the size 6 Boogle.  The key to getting the big hit was placing the popper right against the rock wall. The hit would come 10 to 15 seconds after the popper had landed lightly on the water’s surface. These big bluegills seem to know when the presentation was heavy instead of light meaning no action. I never used my 4 wt all morning, because the action was fairly consistent on the popper, so why break up a good thing. After today’s outing, I am 48 away from my goal. Saturday morning I hope to add to the total and have some quality Spots to report on.

This bull inhaled the size 6 Boogle

Supersize gill off the wall

Three of these bluegills were between 8 and 9 oz. I said when I started my goal I would only count 8 oz. and above --the top and bottom gills were 16 oz. --they are like landing a spot when they turn their wide bodies sideways. They gave the 5 wt a bend!!---these 5 put me 48 away from my goal.