Another Fishing Accessory I Just Can’t Live Without!!





I read a post the other day concerning fly fishing accessories. It got me to thinking about just how much we as fishermen whether its cold water or warm water spend on all these add-ons we place in our fishing arsenal.  If I read about or see a fishing item I think I just can’t live without then most of the time I buy it; well here is another fishing accessory I decided I just couldn't live without, the fly fishing license plate.
I know how all of us love this great sport of fishing, so I thought why not spread the word, especially to the young,  as we drive to and from our favorite fishing destinations. The following plates were some of my favorites I found online and thought you guys might want to see:

Really impressed with this plate

Outstanding Brook Trout Plate

For all of us who love the Bluegill

Awesome Brown Trout



Bass on the Boogle Bug Poppers

Can’t forgot the Crappie Fishermen

 

Catchy fly license plate

My favorite---all these license plates and many more can be found at Café Express

  

Beaver Dams the Hidden Fishing Jewel

Beaver Dams play an important part in the environment we live in. They add to the fish habitat weather it’s in a lake setting, river or small stream.

 This particular beaver dam is a prime obstacle across the spillway in the upper Legion Lake in Montgomery County Mississippi. Any narrow stretch of fast water in a creek, river, or in this case spillway will attract beavers to set up home.

This beaver dam serves not only as a home for a beaver family, but acts as an aquatic food chain for large and small fish. The smaller fish used the dam as a refuge from the larger fish which are always on the prowl for an easy meal. This particular dam has helped to keep the “Stumpy Side” water level, which is what the locals have named the lake, up during the drier summer months. The stumpy side name is derived from the mass of trees that was in the area when it was flooded years ago. All that is left of the trees today on the lake is the actual stumps sticking above the water surface. Thanks to the beavers for keeping this part of Legion a fishing bonanza for lots of crappie, bluegill and monster largemouth?  

My brother and I actually spotted an Eagle on the Legion Lake road one day last year on our way to fish the upper lake. We felt that the eagle was not there by accident; so my brother did some exploring a couple days later and found three huge nests off the banks of the Lake. We hope the majestic birds show up again this year to replenish those nests.

These are huge nest, which got me to wondering if the eagles use the same nest year after year. After doing a little research I found they do use the same nest under certain circumstances.
 

Scouting the Scenic Small Streams along the Natchez Trace Parkway

My brother and I recently spent a rewarding Saturday scouting some of the scenic small streams that are found along the historic Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. We decided to zero in on a few streams that flow along the Choctaw County stretch of the Trace. These streams years ago were a source of food for all those who lived near them. Today those who drive over the many bridges that cross all these streams seldom pay any attention to their beauty and what species of fish they whole. My brothers and I use to fish all these streams as boys when we lived in the area; now the streams are void of any fishing; how times have changed.
We wanted to spend the day to see which streams would be fishable in the summer when all the streams are flowing at their normal level. As you view the images below you will notice that the streams were somewhat stained and showed signs of some high water. Even with an elevation in water level, we could see some excellent pocket water and drop-offs that will be perfect to fish with the fly rod come summer.

Big Sand the name of this stream was one we selected to fish come summer because of its easy access from its banks. We found some nice pocket holes along its banks.

Little Bywy creek is one of our favorites and one we fished as boys; notice the inside cut bank, which is where Redeye Bass hang out in the summer months. A dry fly floated along the edge of the bank would get a reaction.

Jenkins Creek pictured here is probably the easier stream to access. There were some fast runs as well as drop-offs into deep pools in this creek, which would whole redeye bass, as well as Sun Perch. Casting upstream and letting a dry or nymph float through the deep runs would be deadly.

Little Bywy just on the Trace Parkway looks so good I just had to give it a cast or two. I know the bass and sun perch were there, but on this day blue skies and cold temps kept them at bay. 

Middle Bywy could be a bit more difficult to fish compared to the other streams because of its high banks. One would need to wade this stream in places to have success. The ideal tackle here would be the Little Jewel 10 ft. rod rigged with a nymph or dry. Catfish are abundant in all these streams and a red worm tipped on a size six hook will yield some nice channel catfish using the Little Jewel. As boys, we always used a cane pole and red worms. Our cane pole will be replaced come summer with the Little Jewel and our 7 ½ ft. fly rods. I guess you could say we have moved up in the world of fishing.

Fly Fishing Magazines We All Enjoy Reading

If one fly fishes they probably read an array of fly fishing magazines and buy fishing equipment and supplies from numerous tackle magazines. Receiving magazines in the mail is like receiving a Christmas gift every month. Some we paid a monthly subscription for and some we receive because we purchase an item or two from their company. In either case it’s a way to add knowledge and enjoyment to a sport we are all continuing to learn and love with each passing season.

I receive a couple of fly fishing online publications as well as numerous free fishing magazines that includes all type fishing as well as fly fishing. I have found ordering just one tiny item from any of these companies will usually get you a free magazine for months, which is fine with me.

I always want to share with my fellow bloggers, so with this post I thought I would give you all some insight into some publications concerning fly fishing. I am sure most of you are familiar with some of these publications, but as I did my research I discovered some that was new to me. Let’s start with one everyone may know about:

 

Fly Fisherman--- This magazine is one of the most well-known fly fishing magazines available.

Fly Rod and Reel--- This print magazine also focuses on the fish themselves, their habitat, and what tackle is best for each situation.

Eastern Fly Fishing---One of my favorites; the magazine is available in print publication as well as digital download.

Northwest Fly Fishing--- Fly fishing in the great states of Northern California, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming as well as British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory and Alaska.

Southwest Fly Fishing--- For fly fishing anglers living in the Southwest area of the United States.

The Drake Magazine--- Unbelievable amount of information about fly fishing found in this one magazine 

American Angler---This publication is considered the fly fishing authority of fly fishing.

Catch Magazine--- Official journal of fly fishing photography and film

Fly Tyer Magazine---Official magazine for the fly tyer, the beginner and the seasoned tyer

Angling Trade Magazine---An array of fish fishing information

Fly Fusion---North American fly fishing authority

Fly Fishing and Tying Journal---America’s leading publisher of fishing books and magazines, serving anglers since 1967

Hatches--- A publication with a strong devotion to professional writing, beautiful photography and informative articles

Rod Maker Magazine--- Worlds leading publication for custom rod builders

J Stockard Fly Fishing---Dealing specifically with fly tying and supplies, not a monthly publication

Southern Trout---Need I say more, really close to home!!

Hope this list of magazine publications will be helpful for those of you considering subscribing to new issue of fly fishing.

 

 

Fishing Tiny Poppers for Finicky Bluegill

I know all of us who fly fish have our favorite flies and poppers we use on a regular basis. These favorites are the ones we always pluck out of our fly box first because of their success rate. I did a post sometime back on fishing with your top 6 flies and poppers for warm water and cold water species and the tiny popper I am discussing in this post was not one of them.

There are fishing trips where all of your favorites do all the work and we never have to search through our fly boxes for that game-changer pattern. For me, the tiny popper has been that pattern. I have found that bluegill especially the big ones can be very finicky at times, even when they are spawning. In fact, I have moved my boat within casting distance of numerous spawning beds in the spring and dropped a fly in the spawning area and get no reaction at all mainly as a result of a cold front.

 

 Hand-tied feathers and hackle

Excellent on bright days clear water

Cold fronts can be a killer during this time of the year and no matter how aggressive the fish were the day before they can practically turned off the next day. This is when you go small with tiny flies and poppers. It also helps if you have a lot of patience on those days because the longer you let the fly sit without movement the better chance of coercing a super-size bull bluegill to nail your tiny offering. During this particular time, this is when I go to the tiny popper, which 90% of the time produces. As for the other 10% of the time one might want to tie more flies, clean fly lines, and get ready for the next outing.

 Size 14 work best especially on those slow days, as stated patience is the key with these little gems. I didn’t notice when I started working on this post that the world record bluegill was landed in Alabama: Bream aficionados recognize that the world record bluegill was an Alabama behemoth that weighed an astounding 4 pounds, 12 ounces. In Florida, the record remains a respectable 2.95 pounds, and if interested, you can qualify for an FWC “Big Catch” certificate by weighing in bluegill that measures at least 11 inches in length or weighs at least 1.25 pounds. It’s interesting to note that a good spawning shellcracker averages a pound or more. However, if you’re looking for a record, you’ll have to beat out the South Carolina giant that weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The Florida record currently stands at 4.86 pounds, while any shellcracker weighing at least 2.25 pounds or measuring 12 inches warrants that “Big Fish” certificate. Can you guys imagine landing bluegill in the 4 lb. range? Who knows some of us this season may hit that mark. Good Luck!!!

Will 2015 Make my Bluegill Quest??

WELL!!!! “As Ronald Reagan use to say” ---------My long sabbatical is over and I am back with you guys again to share and comment. I am sorry for my absence these past months, but other obligations got in the way of my blogging. I know some of you thought I would probably never return, but trust me that was not my intention; blogging has always been a way for me to communicate with fellow fly fishermen and women who love the sport as much as I do. I have been blogging since 2009 and it is something I truly love. I hope I can stick around for a long time with you guys.

Now for today’s post; with high water on the lake the trout fishing is out until generation slows, which could be a while. Heavy rains have caused an overflow in the lake and the water has to go somewhere so the tailrace gets flooded. This of course doesn’t stop me from thinking about casting for the rainbow and monster gills incoming spring.

My last outing in my boat this year was roughly six weeks ago to mark some sandbar nooks on Smith Lake. I will fish all these areas in the spring for spawning bluegills.

Sandbars are prime targets for big bull bluegills to search out in the spring to create spawning beds. The sand is easy to move and creates a perfect incubator for the eggs.

I have landed some of my largest bluegills from heavy sandbars, where sand has piled up because of wave wash.

The site of monster beds such as these can trigger a quite reaction from an avid bluegill fisherman.

I have never found more than a dozen bluegill beds on Smith at any given sandbar. The fish are scatted more in Smith Lake as opposed to smaller lakes. In a smaller lake, there could be as many as two dozen beds in one area.

After February I will be counting the days until the spawn. I hope some you guys will join me this year in casting a fly or popper towards the big bulls.

Awesome Float Trip Fishing With B.T.

This past Friday my son-in-law B.T. and I got to fish the Caney Fork River in the eastern part of Tennessee. David, our guide had been trying to work a day around the generation schedule that would enable us to land numerous trout during an afternoon outing. We were not disappointed, B.T. and I stayed busy all evening landing some colorful rainbow, browns, and some beautiful brook trout just getting their fall colors.

I seldom get to fish with B.T. anymore because of his heavy work schedule; so getting to fish with him again on the Caney brought back some fond memories. This is the river that actually got me into trout fishing with B.T. right after he and Jenny got married. It only took landing one trout that first outing to get me hooked, and I have been obsessed ever since.

B.T. got things going quickly as we left the launch at Betty's island bringing this nice brown to the net. The Caney seldom gives up many large browns on top but this one made the mistake of taking the hopper B.T. was using.

David netted this nice brown I stirred to the net using my 5 wt. Redington fishing a pheasant tail nymph. B.T. and I found out the browns fight harder than the rainbow we were landing throughout the day. 

B.T. landed this beautiful brook trout using his 5 wt. Temple Fork fly rod. He was really impressed with this brook trout because David told us that not many brook trout are landed on the Caney. 

Another awesome brown trout landed using the pheasant tail nymph. B.T. landed this brown near the take out area. What a way to end an unbelievable trout fishing trip on an absolutely beautiful tailrace. What made this trip special was B.T. and me were able to land a lot of trout all afternoon fishing with one of the best guides in Tennessee. Tight lines until we make another trip with David!! 

Oh, forgot to mention these gobblers were feeding along the shoreline which makes me think that was the reason we had such success today. Anytime wildlife is feeding fish are biting!!!

President Carter a Fly Fisherman??

Cathey and I and our good friends Clyde and Gloria decided to make a trip to Plains Georgia this past weekend to attend Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school class. He usually conducts a class a few times a month at his small church just off the main highway going through Plains. He is still a very active former President at age 90.

This picture was taken just outside the church right after the service was concluded. There was quite a line of individuals waiting to have their picture taken with Mr. Jimmy as some call him there in Plains. It's not everyday one gets to shake the hand of a former President. We all felt really honored to be in his presence.

Maranatha Baptist Church is packed on Sundays when the former President is in attendance.

The family home where Mr. Jimmy spent his early years

Air condition in the winter and plenty of heat in the summer

Chicken House

Family store ran by Mr. Jimmy’s father

 

Main Street of Plains with all the stores restored to their original state. President Carter helped restore all the buildings with generous donations over the years.

One of the many freestone streams located in the mountains of Ellijay Georgia where the former President and his wife own a cabin. He still fly fishes in the area and he stills ties his own flies. I asked to see some of his flies in one of the stores we visited but I was told by the individual behind the counter that all his flies are auctioned off and not on display. Most of his flies go at auction for as much as 200.00 or more and all the money goes to the needy in the community of Plains.

 

Mr. Jimmy is also an accomplished woodworker, in fact, he has built a lot of the furniture that is in their modest ranch-style home in Plains.  He and Rosalynn are still active in Habitat for Humanity, which helps individuals in need of shelter because of natural disasters.

I will end this post by saying after meeting the former President, I feel there is still hope for all of use older guys who feel we may be over the hill; at 90 this man is truly remarkable!!!

Fishing with my Mico- Light Spinning Rod to Land Catfish!!

For those of you who haven’t try fishing a microlight spinning rod then you are missing out on some fantastic ultra-light action. I have been using these type of rods for years, when I use them to land crappie and bluegill some ten years ago. Of course, that was before I started using the fly rod, which all you know has taken precedence over all my other reels and rods.

I have to admit there are times though that I stray away from the fly rod, and this past week was one of those times. I decided to use my microlight spinning rods to go after some of the channel and blue catfish on Smith my home lake. Fishing the rock walls during the late summer and into the fall can be an excellent time to land some quality catfish. The catfish on Smith tend to feed early and late in the evening, so my trip this past week was a daylight outing fishing nothing but the rock walls tight-lining at depths of 20 to 30 feet down.

Find a rock wall like the one in the above image and most of the time you find catfish, especially if the wall has an overhanging muscadine vine near it, the catfish devour those when they are in season.

A healthy channel cat using my 7 ½ ft. microlight.

My 7 ½ ft. microlight spinning rod paired with the Pflueger President XT spinning reel which spools 4 to 6 lb. test line. Today I was using my 6 lb. test extra spool which came with the reel. The balance on this combo parallels the balance I go for on my fly rod combos, super light, and sensitive.

Gulp catfish chunks split into and served up on a size 12 true turn hook; I know most everyone fishes for catfish using heavier equipment, but I prefer the challenge and fight that this fish will give one using an inferior combo and in this case the microlight works to perfection for me. In fact, it is the closest I can get to my fly rod on trips like today.

Every once in awhile a spot will nail the gulp chunk which is another challenge for the microlight that it passes. I ended the morning with 5 catfish all basically the same size as my post image and the one spot. The spot got its freedom, but the catfish were not so lucky. My wife and I seldom eat fried meals, but we make an exception when it comes to fresh catfish fillets.

The Bluegill Spawn is Over For This Year

Well another spawning bluegill fishing season has come and gone without me reaching my quest of landing fifty super size bluegill during the spawn. I can be somewhat content knowing I landed some nice bull gills this year that gave my 3 and 4 weight fly rods quite a workout.

This season added a few more poppers, as if I needed more flies, to my collection including the Barr Nunn popper. This was the popper that proved that color really makes a difference at times during the spawn. I will be back in action for another season next year, and hopefully reach my goal. I ended this season 23 short of my goal.   

This colorful Pumpkinseed sunfish was one of the last gills I brought to hand for this season----looking forward to next spring!!