Battling Heavy Wind Trout Fishing

I knew today’s forecast was calling for wind slightly out of the north, but what I encounter on the tailrace today was boat sailing wind. I almost left when I saw how windy it was through the gorge leading up to the dam. I remembered making these windy trips here before. I did have the water pretty much to myself, because there was only one other vehicle in the parking lot when I arrived, so with that encouragement I stayed. Dries were out not only because of the wind, but leaves as well, so I tied on size 12 bead head Prince Nymph dead drifting some of the usual places I always fish at the mouth of the tailrace. I lost two trout within the first 10 minutes here, mainly due to show reaction by me. The short takes convinced me to change flies and go with a smaller nymph, and move on to another area above me. I have found that when the fish are finicky the smaller the pattern the better results.





This rainbow fell prey to a weighted size 16 bead head grey scud dead drifting the fly through some fast water, that I have learned to fish to my advantage. This would be the only trout taken for the morning on the nymph, numerous hits, but no results

I really like this fast water dead drifting a bead head pattern. I never see anyone fishing this area, which is too my advantage. I lost 3 trout in here before I finally connected with the scud trout. I think I would have been a bit more successful if not for the tremendous wind I had to contend with here practically on every cast.

As I left the fast water I notice that there was some fairly calm water ahead of me on the west side of the tailrace which was sheltered by trees that lined the bank. The closer I got to the calm water the better it looked because I was noticing some surface action. This told me that there might be a possibility of landing a trout or two on top.  So I tied on the Bomber which is my go to dry fly when surface activity is present.

I was rewarded with this rainbow using Allen’s Bomber, Small Stream Reflections, on a long drift. I had to make some long cast to reach the surface trout on the other side of the tailrace; which would consist of numerous fail cast because of sudden wind burst whipping down the gorge.

I will admit that today was quite a challenge considering the weather. I forgot to mention the temperature was in the low forties today with a cold front approaching bringing temperatures in the low twenties for the coming weekend.

As I was leaving and walking back to the my truck I notice that most of the color from the leaves have gone for this year.

They will eventually cover the road by December---and we will be back to fall again sooner than we all think

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November Fly Swap

I thought I would share my latest fly swap with you guys from Nick at Brookfield Angler. I received these three nicely tied Sculpins flies in the mail yesterday for my swap. The spots on Smith Lake and the big rainbow on the tailrace should really attack this pattern. Nick did a nice job tying the Sculpin.

 

 

My post last month titled Become a Blogger Fly Swap Fiend explains my reasoning behind swapping flies. These are the flies I have up for swap this month.

 







Upper left is a size 18 Dry Coachman--right top is size 14 Mayfly---Middle is a size 20 Beadhead Brown Midge--Lower left is a size 14 Brown Drake--Lower right is a size 20 Grey Scud

 

Unconventional Fly Fishing Techniques

While at this years Trout Festival I had the opportunity to visit with Bob Shanks who is the author of Around the Next Bend. Bob is a working encyclopedia when it comes to fly fishing. What intrigues me about this guy is his simplicity to the sport. He fishes with fly rods and reels that are priced far below the top of the line equipment. A lot of his accessories such as line, nets, waders, and smaller items are all bought at bargain prices. The title of this post Unconventional Fly Fishing Techniques certainly applies to Bob. He shared a few of those techniques with all of us last Saturday.

1.     He never uses a knot or loop to connect his leader to his fly line.  Bob’s technique is dipping ¾” of his fly line into fingernail polish remover to remove the coating on the fly line to make it more flexible---next you would insert a tiny pin and onto a larger pin into the end of the fly line to open it wide enough to insert your leader butt end which is cut at an angle into the ¾” fly line end with the leader end being coated with super glue. Squeeze the fly/leader lines together for at least 30 seconds and you have a knotless fly line leader connection that will stand the test of a 5 lb. brown. I actually tried to pull the prototype apart Bob provided for all of us at the Festival and no one broke it apart. Your line travels through your guides much faster when using this type connection. I will be trying this technique.

2.     Clean your fly line with any detergent and warm water at least every other fishing trip. This will enable the line to flow through the guides much easier. It will also make for a smoother line pick-up from the water surface. Cleaner fly will increase the life of the line.

3.     Wear hip waders, not only for the added comfort in the summer months, but hip waders are cheaper than chest waders. One seldom wears in water waist deep.

4.     Seldom make 30 ft. cast, to a target, instead merely wade the extra 10 ft. to place your fly at 20 ft. instead. You are much more accurate at 20 ft. as oppose to 30 ft.

His presentation ended with a handout asking one question; which trout species would you rather pursue a brown or rainbow and tell why? There were some interesting answers given and discussed. I will end this post by asking the same question---Which trout species would you rather pursue a brown or rainbow and tell why?  

Another Successful Trout Fest in the Books

A beautiful cool fall Saturday welcomed in this years Trout Fest which was held at the RiversideFly Shop, located on the banks of the Sipsey River. The event was sponsored by the Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639. This years Festival was loaded with activities, such as dry fly casting, door prizes, raffles, guest speakers, casting tutorials, children’s activities, casting competition, exhibits, fly tying, and striper-on-fly-forum. It was a fun event for the young and old, male and female and most of all a way to meet and greet avid fly fishermen and women. The event was to raise money for the big trout project that the Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639 has sponsored for the past couple of years. Last year’s goal was to raise 1500.00 which was met and this year’s goal reached that number and more. It is so rewarding to see so many fly fisherman turn out to support this cause.

I have to commend the guys in charge of smoking the pork and spare rids for lunch, it had to be some of the best pull pork I have tasted in a long time. Everyone else present agreed the meal was outstanding. The big smoker was smoking long before the crowd showed up.

Everyone attending could sign up here for a 10.00 ticket that was good for lunch and a chance to win the 10 ft. Nucanoe Frontier Hybird Kayak, worth 1,049.00. Notice the round plastic containers on the table, the lids were labeled with the name of each item to be raffled off.  One could buy 5.00 tickets for a chance to win any of the raffled items which was given away after lunch.

A lot of 10.00 tickets were sold to win this item. The individual who won the Nucanoe told me that his present canoe was on its last run, so winning the Nucanoe was a welcome addition for him.

The Bristol Bay Retreat in King Salmon, Alaska was another fantastic prize for the right ticket holder. A 10.00 raffle ticket would get you a chance to win this trip for two valued at 6500.00. A lot of tickets were sold for this trip of a lifetime.  

This was another item that got a lot of attention and sold a lot of 10.00 tickets; the Kamado Joe Ceramic Grill and Smoker, valued at 849.99. Other items that were raffled off were: Measure nets with rubber bag in three different sizes, pair of Korkers guide boots, Echo Edge fly rod, dry, nymph, and streamer fly boxes, 2 spools of Air-Flo fly line, Guideline Sunglasses, Guided Drift Boat Trip down the Sipsey Fork, and a Wading Guide trip for two from Riverside Fly Shop.

A number of fly tiers were available tying patterns used on and beyond the Sipsey. Joe Tremblay from Huntsville Alabama demonstrated some really nice dry and nymph patterns. He is a member of the Tennessevalleyflyfisher.org organization. Another excellent fly tier was Ted Crona who was from Scottsboro, Alabama. He demonstrated some really nice streamer patterns. His email address is tedcrona@yahoo.com

An array of streamers, dries, and nymphs were on display.

Local fly tier Steve Fletcher owner of Fletcher’s Flies was on hand to tie some of the popular patterns used on the Sipsey. Visit his website to see a variety of flies he ties and fishes with.

There were a number of kids participating in the casting competition.

This lady told me that she and her husband both fly fish and have been on a number of guided float trips in Tennessee. She was competing in the distance cast. The winner of this competition hit 72 ft.

 
Lunch begin with a line waiting for some of the pull pork, cole slaw, pork and beans, bread, and choice of drink. As stated earlier, the food for this years Fest was awesome!!!

Lifetime fly angler and author Bob Shanks was on hand to share with everyone his unconventional fly fishing techniques part II. He was at the Trout Derby back in the spring to present techniques I. Bob has fished in Idaho, Colorado, and Montana for years casting for rainbow and brown trout. He has spent the last 20 years during the summer months in Montana fishing all of the well known streams and rivers. The information he shared with everyone was priceless.

Around the Next Bend is a collection of stories and techniques that Bob has written to help one become a better fly fisherman. The book sold out at Trout Fest Saturday. A lot of Bob’s 70 years of fly fishing has gone into this book. He will be 84 in a couple of months and still fishing astounding!!

 

Legionary fly rod/reel, magazine contributor and fly casting expert Ted Calvert gave a demonstration on “Striper-on-the-Fly.” The casting skills he demonstrated were amazing. He guides on Smith Lake chasing the big stripers using his 8/9 wt. fly rod. He fishes streamers in the 4 to 6” lengths, using the big heavy bass bug line. 30 lb. stripers are not unusual for him to land using the fly rod. 

A tremendous amount of work went into this year’s festival, which produced a great turnout from the locals and many from outside the county and state. The money raised will ensure the stocking of many 20” rainbow and above for the coming year. Congratulations are in order to The Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639 and Randy and Brandon owners of Riverside for another successful year with Trout Fest. Hope to see everyone back for next years event.

 

 

 

  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Moth or Muddler Either Pattern Will Produce Savage Hits

I came across one of my favorite early spring patterns this weekend, while selecting flies for my fly swap. It is the Muddler Minnow or what I like to call a glorified moth.  It seems each year I discover a new fly as most all of us do when fishing tends to get slow with your traditional fly patterns. I find the more I fly fish the more I like to experiment with other fly patterns. The pattern doesn’t have to match any hatch or be an insect the fish are hitting that particular time of day or year. It can simply be an attractor to get the attention of the fish. Like most flies the moth, which is what I will it, is that type of a pattern. It is that in your face fly that seems to drive fish nuts when nothing else will get a hit. I started fishing this pattern late last spring and into the July on Smith Lake and had tremendous success with it. My first intentions was to use it to land some monster bluegill in the gin clear water of Smith Lake, but I found out it was an awesome bass fly as well. The reactions from the spots in the lake were amazing. My next quest for this little jewel is the tailrace to see if I can get some rainbow interested. It would be an excellent fly to use in the fast ripples there. Floatant is a must when fishing this fly, because it possesses a big bushy body, which can soak up moisture fast in the form of getting water logged quickly. This fly is not hard to find it is in most fly shops and easily found on the net. The following image proves it worth!!

This beautiful spot inhaled the Moth on one of my early morning outings at Smith Lake early April this year. The action took place in the back of a nook area. I cast the fly right against the edge of some rocks, and  saw the wake before the fish ever took the fly, and knew I was in for a hit. This fish exploded on the fly and the fight was on. I landed it using my 9 ft. 5 wt.

Another spot which was taken by the Moth last year in the first part of July. 

These two bull bluegills were the victim of the Moth. I landed numbers of bluegills from Smith and the smaller lake Walker using the Moth. The 5 wt. was used to land both of these fish.

What I love about this fly is the light presentation one can achieve when casting on a smooth silk water surface. It doesn’t scare or spook the fish on days when the fish are on edge and not in the mood to hit anything. I actually purchased all the above Moths from our local Wal-mart, which has a small fly section set up in the sporting goods department. Today’s post will be the first in a series of reports I will be doing from time to time on flies I think will increase your fish catch ratio. I hope some of you guys will feature a fly you think is a winner in some of your future post as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Become a Blogger Fly Swap Fiend!!

I was reading through my blog roll the other day and read a post by Rick at Brookfield Angler concerning his Sculpin flies up for swap. I really go fired up about this pattern and in the process came up with an idea for all us fly fishing bloggers to acquire more flies. I know most of us have more flies than we will use in our lifetime but there is always that new and innovative pattern that we all must have to complete our fly arsenal.

So why not conduct a fly swap once a month. Each blogger sometimes during the month would post a number of flies he or she would like to swap. It could be as many as four or more or could even be one pattern. If someone is not interested in the flies from that particular post that month then they may be interested in next months flies. In other words it wouldn’t hurt anyone feelings if no one wanted to swap that month.

These are the flies I have up for swap this month. Keep in mind one does not have to swap for all four flies. The Brown Hackle Peacock

Comparing the Different Size Pelcian Boats for Added Room and Comfort

 I did a post a couple of years ago about my second go-to boat used to fish small ponds and larger streams such as the Caney Fork in Tennessee. The boat I am referring to is my little 8 ft.Pelican boat that Academy Sports and Dick’s Sporting Goods sells. There are other outlets that sell this boat, but most have the boat priced above market price. In fact, Bass Pro has this boat priced 100.00 above Academy Sports? This size boat is perfect for one fisherman and all the tackle but when another individual is added it becomes a little too crowded. So I have been searching the net for something larger, and I think I have found the perfect solution to the crowded quarters in the boat. Pelican not only makes the 8 ft. but they also have a 10 ft. version.

This is the 10 ft. version, which has more compartments and 1 ½ ft. more floor space and has the handy fold-down seats. I know I am going to be dealing with more weight when it comes to handling this boat versus the 8 ft. This boat weighs in at 131 lbs. compared to the 8 ft. which weighs in at 95 lbs. I feel I could handle the added 36 lbs. because I am only lifting the one end of the boat up to slide into the back of my truck. I think it would be different if I was pulling or trying to carry this boat some distance. As my Grandson gets older I am going to need a bigger boat to carry him and his Dad in a boat that is really stable and floats high in the water. This boat will do just that, especially floating streams and a large tailrace. I am going to make a trip to our local Academy Sports in Birmingham soon to actually see the boat up close and even lift it before I make my final decision. It always good to plan ahead for the upcoming season. 

Pops and Grandson Bryson on an Afternoon Bluegill Fishing Trip

This past Wednesday my Grandson Bryson and I made a trip to a local pond near our house to fish for some fall bluegill using his spin cast and the red worms he and I dug up in our back yard. As always Bryson was anxious to go with his Pops and see if he could catch a fish for his Uncle JJ. I have found out when I carry Bryson fishing that the trip always evolves around a theme. The last trip was naming the worms and even deciding to carry one home, and not let the fish eat him. Well, today’s theme was catching a fish for his Uncle JJ; which eventually lead to catching a fish for his Dad, Mom, and his sister Laelyn. I have to say this little guy has an imagination way beyond his years. I am sorry to say I can’t show you guys any pictures for this trip, because I accidentally erased all of them except the one below. Bryson did catch the most bluegill he has ever landed with his Pops and even lost a bass that broke his line. All total we counted around 15 bluegills and the lost bass at the end of the afternoon.

 This is one of the many bluegills Bryson landed while spending the afternoon with his Pops. This may be our last trip for this year because the weather is getting cooler, but we have the spring and summer next year to look forward to.  

Building an Affordable Fly Rod Rack

How many of you guys tube your fly rods when you are not using them? I am guessing here but I would say the majority of all fly fishermen and women tube their fly rods when they are not fishing with them. I feel I am in the minority, because I never tube my fly rods, unless I know I am not going to use it for at least a season; or I know I am traveling some distance to fish. So where do I keep my 5 fly rods when they are idle? Well the 6 wt. is safe in its tube until next spring, the other four, which includes my two 3 weights, 4 wt. and the 5 wt. are all neatly placed in my newly constructed fly rod rack. 

This rack is inexpensive and easy to build and consists of the following materials:

One piece of ½” plywood 22” tall by 20” wide
One piece ½” plywood 7 ½” wide by 22 tall both plywood pieces have all the edges rounded
Four 2x2 pieces holding the rods in place are 7 ½” long with a concave cut out for the rod to rest against
The other 4 short 2x2 pieces are 2 ¾” long with the same concave cut for the base of the rod to rest on
A 4 ft. 2x4 can be used for all 8 rods rest

The tools you will need to complete this project would be a router with a concave bit and a skilsaw or hand saw to rip the 2x4 in half. Be sure to use the router to cut the concave in the 2x4 before you rip it in half. It is much easier to route a wide 2x4 as opposed to routing a narrow half 2x2. All the pieces are assembled with glue and screws, with the screws being driven in from the back.

Your materials for this project can be scraps of wood you may find laying around your house, or your neighbor’s house. If you don’t have a router you might borrow one from a friend or neighbor. I built the entire rack in a couple of hours and painted it to blend with the garage walls.

Notice the blind over the window, it is not only used to screen out sunlight, but I also use it to hook my flies in the fabric loops on the blinds. The blind loops not only pins the fly but it helps to keep the leader/tippet straight until my next trip. I don’t like to fish with a leader or tippet that is not straight.

When I am traveling to the lake or tailrace which is a short distance, I simply break the fly rod down in two pieces and tie with two short pipe cleaners. The pipe cleaners works perfect because they are so durable and bend well to hold the fly rod together until I get to my destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the Boggle Bug Popper for Some Fall Fly Fishing

My fishing buddy Charles and I made a fall fishing trip Tuesday to Smith Lake for some Boggle Bug top water action. The weather was excellent with no humidity at all and the water temperature was a cool 78. Both of us love fly fishing and it made for a great morning outing. We pretty much had the lake to ourselves and the smooth water surface was excellent to work the Boggle popper.

I scored early with the yellow popper fishing it with a slight jerk motion. I missed two fish before this spot finally inhaled the popper in water 30 ft. deep. The water this time of the year on Smith is crystal clear so the bass had no trouble seeing the yellow color. This bass put forth a solid test for the 5 wt. 9 ft. Redington. After numerous runs in depths of 50 ft. or more I finally got to touch this beauty.

After a lengthy fight, I finally landed this 2 lb. spot in what was an awesome start for the morning. For sheer power and fight the Spotted Bass has to be considered in the league with the smallmouth and a large brown trout.

I could have landed this bass in a matter of seconds using a 7 ft. fast action rod and baitcasting reel; but I would have missed the challenge of landing a superior fish verses a 5 wt. fly rod. I feel it takes a great amount of skill and finance to land any fish 2 lbs. and over using a 5 wt. fly rod and below. It seems in the fishing environment of today individuals are obsessed with landing a big fish and getting it to hand in a matter of seconds. I have to admit when I was younger and doing the bass fishing tournaments I was that guy. One doesn’t have to land a huge fish to experience the thrill of fishing, especially if you are using the fly rod. I can get just as excited landing an 8 inch rainbow with my 3 wt. as I can landing this spot today with my 5 wt. I realize now years later what I have been missing back in the day, when I gave up the fly rod at an early age. I hope to spend the rest of my fishing days enjoying landing many more fish using my fly rods.                                   

                                                                     

After the top action slowed I changed fly rods and starting casting my trusted Black Gant using my 4 wt. There was a slight breeze which hampered the top action so the Gnat proved effective just under the surface connecting with this nice bull bluegill. I would have counted this beauty but my quest is over for this year.

As the sun got higher overhead the fish move deeper, so I tie on an olive beadhead nymph which produced this nice gill.

Charles and I landed numerous bluegills using this pattern. I am no fly tier, but it looks fairly simply to tie. It proved to be a winner when all else failed. Working it slowly and letting it drop with a slow retrieve made for some savage hits. I haven’t tried this fly for trout but you can bet they will see it on my next trip to the tailrace.

One can really see lots of drift wood and structure this time of year on the lake. I have carried numerous drift wood pieces and stumps home this time of year along with a few bluegills for some great table fare. I am so lucky to have this body of water to fish, as all of would say about your home waters.