Rain, Ice and Disney World

Portions of Alabama is flooded with heavy rains that started last Saturday and continued through Thursday. A total of 10” of rain overflowed streams, rivers, and lakes. I've never seen Smith Lake this high and getting higher every day. Full pool in this lake is 510, it is now up 518 and will probably go higher before the week is out. We are expecting more rain starting Thursday and through Friday. In fact, the lake is closed at the dam where I launch most of the time. An Alabama Power employee told me yesterday that the lake will not open up again until the water recedes back to full pool. The tailrace below the dam is out for fishing as well because of the constant generation; I've really had it with the rain! My only choice to wet a fly was Walker Lake which was my destination for the afternoon. 

The lake was stained with all the heavy rains. I was fishing this same area two weeks ago with much clearer water. I knew it would be tough getting some hits today because the fish couldn't see the fly as well. So the objective was to give the popper a little more action to get a hit. I'm a firm believer in changing flies if I'm getting no takes; that was the case for the first 30 minutes.

The first bull gill which hit the white Barr Nunn popper; notice you don't see the popper because it is crammed in the gills throat. The white Barr Nunn popper was the popper that got the most attention for the rest of the afternoon. I was using my 2 wt and 3 wt 7 1/2 ft.  Redington rods, which matched the size bluegills I was catching. The bigger bluegills never showed up today.

What a difference in temps and weather, we experience in Orlando last week at Disney World. The temps were in the mid-'80s and high 80's all week we were there. The best part of the trip aside from spending time with all the family was NO RAIN!   

  

The IM10 Nymphing Fly Rod

The IM10 Fly Rod is probably the closest I will ever get to fishing with a Tenkara Fly Rod. The IM10 is a medium-fast action 10 foot, 3/4 weight, four-piece nymphing fly rod. It weighs in at a light 3 ounces. I seldom order a fly rod online but I took a chance on this one from Ebay because of the reviews, which were all positive. While fishing last spring and summer on the Sipsey I notice I needed a little more reach when nymphing the smaller pocket holes; my 9 foot Sreamflex just wasn't getting me the extra reach. 
This fly rod not only gives me the chance to nymph small areas easier but I have the option to use it for casting beyond tight nymphing areas. 

The quality on this fly rod is amazing, even down to the rod tube, alignment blank indicators, name tag insert, embossed fly pattern, extra rod tip blank, and the beautifully designed reel seat.

I couldn't wait to get out on the water and give it a test trail. It was an incredible 80 degrees in Jasper on Thursday so fly fishing was my top priority. With my 10 ft. Pelican loaded and my 10 ft. IM10, I started my bluegill quest on Walker County Lake. Everything was positive on this outing but the wind, which was horrendous at times even to point of water splashing into the boat. I had to cross the lake in whitecap conditions. So glad I had the battery fully charged, which was not the case when I left the lake. 

Now to the rod review; the first thing I noticed was how easy it loaded the 3 wt. Orvis Clearwater Line paired with my Battenkill II reel. I was even more impressed with how fast the line straightened out on the water surface as I completed the cast. The medium-fast taper action gave the right amount of bend action to make small bluegill seem larger. Yet it still has the power to handle much larger fish such as the spots on Smith Lake. I knew the extra length would give me a longer cast and it delivered. I will admit it took a little time to get used to the extra foot compared to my 7,8 and 9 ft. fly rods. By the end of the trip, the fly rod and I bonded nicely after landing a bunch of bluegill for the afternoon. 

Now the next test will be the Sipsey high sticking some of the pocket holes I like to fish there. 

Practicing for Spring

The temp today was in the upper fifties so I decided to make a quite trip to Walker County Lake to land a few rainbows. I was fishing right before the temps were supposed to drop in the twenties overnight. In fact, we are supposed to get at least 3 inches of snow by noon tomorrow. Southern's go wild when they hear the word snow and crowd in the supermarkets to stock up on milk and bread. Hopefully, the snow will all be gone by Wednesday and we will back in the rain mode. In fact, I would much rather have the snow than the rain. The rain has slowed our house construction to a crawl, the inside will be finished before the outside. 

Healthy rainbow landed using the Flashback; no mending just making the long cast and a slow retrieve. I missed a few simply because I wasn't watching my line close enough. It seems fish always know when you're not paying attention, that's when they decide to hit. 

A peaceful couple of hours until the wind kicked up and the temps started to drop. I'm missing fishing the tailrace and its tight seams and pocket water. I'm afraid it's out for now because of all the rain and generation. In the meantime, I will stay in practice with the lake trout. 

I thought I would share the family photo during our Xmas stay in Tennessee. The little creek behind the willow tree has small fish in it for the kids to play with. 

Just wondering if any of you guys have used fly clips. I read a short description the other day detailing how handy they are when changing flies. This one in the image is a size 1 which will handle size 12 to 16 flies. I don't know how effective it would be when using dry flies. 

Christmas 2018!!

Being with family and friends during this holiday season is what makes Christmas so special. I hope each of you has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

If one searches the internet you will find lots of fishing videos. Every once in awhile there are a few videos that really grabs your attention if you fly fish. The following video sums up why we love the sport so much!

Adjusting to Winter Fishing

My blogging takes a hit during the winter months, mainly because of the weather. I'm not a fan of cold weather and it's a good thing that I don't live in the colder regions of the U.S. My hats off to all you guys who brave the frigid temps to wet a hook.

The winters here in Alabama go through what I call the yo-yo effect; high temps for a couple of day verses extremely lows for a couple of days. On those warmer days is when I try to be on the water. I forget about those factors that may cause the fishing to be slow this time of year. I'm just glad to be enjoying the outdoors and sharpening my casting skills for the coming spring.

The Sipsey is getting a lot generation now due to the all the rain we are experiencing. Any trout that is released at the dam now is usually flushed miles down the Sipsey where a boat is needed to land a trout or two. The waters below the 69 bridge are too deep to wade and the banks are covered with trees and brush. When the generators are running the tailrace can rise 10 to 15 vertical feet in a matter of minutes, meaning lots water moving fast and furious down the tailrace. We are in the our third day of rain as I type this post meaning heavy generation for this next week. Three thousand rainbow is supposed to be released at the dam Thursday. I have a feeling most will be washed down stream, due to the heavy rains we are getting. The long range forecast for the deep south is living up to the projection, a wet winter!!

This may be my last trout to land on Walker County Lake until March 1st. The lake is always closed during the winter months. 

You never know what you'll land using the fly rod. Catfish are usually on or near the bottom of the the lake this time of year.  The Flashback Pheasant Tail was the fly that got the most attention. 

A First!!

Trout was released yesterday in Walker County Lake located a few miles from Jasper. This is the same lake I fish numerous times in the early spring. Late this afternoon was a first for me landing a number of rainbow using a tungsten bead-head copper john tightlining. 

A fun 30 minutes using my 2 wt. which I carry in my truck for a quickie!!

Reminising

Need I say more!!!!

Quality Rainbow Landed on The Sipsey

This time of year when one fishes the Sipsey they can expect high humidity which will produce heavy fog over its cool waters. I'll admit it adds beauty to the place but it also hinders one's ability to see a dry fly take. Sound most of the time is what you rely on to detect the hit. Fortunately, I was spared the blind dry fly take this morning because there were no rises in the area I was fishing. All the trout taken this morning would come from fishing a nymph.

This beauty was landed hovering close to the bottom, in fact, I was adjusting the depth of the indicator numerous times as I search for trout to take my offering. Getting a good drift was somewhat hard to achieve this morning because the release at the dam was slower than usual which gave a slower drift. I've found when the release is slow at the dam one needs to fish deeper for a take.

This trout displayed plenty of fight as it went airborne a number of times trying to throw the nymph. A trout tail walking along the water surface is water ballet at its best.

The two hours I had to fish this morning was very productive enabling me to land numerous trout this size. I'm having to plan ahead for the days I'm going to be fishing now because of the construction on the house has moved inside.

Notice the boots of another fly fisherman in the picture, he was willing to let me use his net to land this trout. Forgetting your net and leaving it at the truck is not being very organized. I lost 20 minutes of good fishing walking back to the truck and back to the tailrace to retrieve the net, hopefully, there's a lesson learned here.

 The net came in handy right after I got back on the water helping me land this colorful rainbow. It was good to take a break from the lake fishing and get to land some really quality trout!!

When Poppers Fail

Today's title is appropriate for this post because simply put no popper produced today on Smith Lake. The daylight trip started with a couple of true and tried poppers that usually get hits but the bass and bluegill were not interested. Smith Lake is on the drawdown right now causing the fish to move to deeper water. In fact before the drawdown is complete Smith will fall at least 12 to 15 feet before the water levels start to rise again after the first of the year.

Overhanging limbs hanging from huge trees growing on the top of the rock walls; small bushes and even small trees rooted in the rock walls produced a tremendous amount of food for the fish. In other words, this kind of bank is the Walt-mart supermarket for all the fish species waiting below.

This healthy spot exploded on the Moth as soon as it touched the silk smooth water surface. Notice I said Moth, not Muddler; my reasoning is it mimics the small moths I've seen stationed on some of the tree limbs here. The fight this fish put forth was worth getting up at 4:30 AM. He was released to fight another day!!! The colors on this Spotted Bass are the most vivid I've seen on any bass I've landed here. 

These four gills nailed the Moth in different ways making me think a couple were annoyed with the fly and a couple really wanted a meal; one will make the quest count.

I've fished a lot of waters in my years of fishing but when it comes to beauty and an abundance of fish Smith top them all!!!  

Hugh, Huge Bluegill Landed on Ryan Creek

I decided to see if I could land some super gills Friday by fishing before a weather front coming in on Saturday. Your fish-catch ratio can improve fishing before a front. I couldn't ask for a better morning with cloudy skies and very low humidity to fish the popper and black gnat on Smith Lake. In fact, I had clouds overhead until 10 AM after that the sun took over and the bite practically stop.

This scene is why I love to fish Smith Lake. One of my favorite banks in Ryan Creek to fish, I've landed numerous bluegills and spots from this area.

This bluegill was taken using the Barr Nunn popper letting it sit motionless for what seemed like forever for a hit----but the patience paid off. This was the way the bluegill wanted the fly the first hour of the morning; a complete contrast from the spawn where the fish will kill the fly as soon as it touches the water.

 The bass wasn't as active as the bluegills, which was alright with me, because the mission today was to improve on my bluegill numbers. This spot gives the 4 weight quite a workout making me think he was much larger.

The prize of the morning was this monster bull gill taken using the black gnat fishing with the sink-tip line. The last spawn ended the first week in August on Smith Lake and this bluegill showed the signs of that spawn. He was not in good shape as far as body weight. He would have weight in at a pound before the spawn but today he tipped the scales at 12 ounces. Both big bulls deserved their freedom after an epic fight against the 5 weight------GOT TO LOVE LANDING THESE BIG BLUEGILLS USING THE FLY ROD!!!

Dead Drifting the Nymph

As I made my way down the steep steel steps and long ramp of access six I notice the leaves are already turning. By the way, it's easier going down than going back up. The dog days of summer are here and Fall will soon follow. As I get older the seasons seem to appear quicker now, causing me to squeeze in as much fishing time as I can. Wednesday was my squeeze day, to wade the crystal clear waters near access six on the Sip.

What I like about access six and seven aside from landing the trout there is the amount of shade both areas have on into the morning hours. Shade is the ally of the fly fisherman whether it's fishing warm water lakes or cold water streams.

First connect after experimenting with different flies and techniques. No surface activity at all which cause me to work nymphs the three hours I was there. A fly Alan at Small Streams Reflections tied for me got the attention of this injured rainbow. I don't know what caused the cut on its gill plate but it didn't affect his fight.

After the bite slowed with the indicator nymph, I switch to the dead drifting technique. I fish nymphs this way sometimes on this tailrace and the Caney in Tennessee. It's a simple way to present the fly giving the angler an advantage of adjusting the depth of the fly without using an indicator.

I was making long cast across the water column so I could work the nymph slowly letting it drift in the current. Watching the end of the fly line for the slightest movement let me know to set the hook. Sometimes the take can occur after the fly has drifted a short distance or as you retrieve it back as the fly line forms a half-moon sharp on the swing. Today I had a number of takes on the short distance drifts and as the fly approached the swing pattern and even as I retrieve the fly slowly back to me. Don't give up on your cast until you've worked the fly back to you within the length of the leader. I've had trout to take the nymph within eight or nine feet. There is mistaking the hit as you work it back against current. The dead drift is a fun way to fish most any nymph without the aid of an indicator. This rainbow nailed the nymph working it back against the current within ten feet of where I was standing. It was determined to have its way with the 3 weight, but after a number of runs it landed in the net.

 I ended today's trip where I started in the shade of access six and thinking how lucky I am to have another day to land trout below the dam of beautiful Smith Lake.

Iphone Images Verses Regular Camera

I've shelved my regular camera and started using my iPhone now for all my images. The iPhone is much easier for me to used and produces a clearer picture than my camera; the following images are from a Sipsey trip a couple of days ago.
wild fern on the upper banks of the Sip this time of the year

resting

new wading staff

calculating a move

Late in the Evening

Construction Report

The above image pretty much sums up what I've been up to the past 3 weeks. I've been at the construction site often meeting with the carpenters and meeting with sub-contractors. I hope to get out on the water next week since the framing is almost complete. The ceiling joist and truss work will be completed this coming week. We HOPE to be in the house the first week before Christmas.