Building the Case for Your Favorite Fly Rod and Reel

I know all of us have favorites, weathers its auto’s or favorite fishing spots. I am no exception, especially when it comes to my fishing equipment. When I first started fly fishing many years ago, there was not much to choose from for the individual who could only afford low end rods and reels. Sure you could purchase the bamboos but only a few fishermen could go that route. Today there are quality rods and reels on the market that most fishermen can afford. That brings me to my post title; my favorite rod and reel. I have three set-ups I used all the time when I am fly fishing those being my 5wt. and my 3 wt., but the one I am really drawn to is the my Temple Fork 8 ½ ft. 4wt. This rod has the quality and affordability for someone like me who is on a fixed income. It is extremely light at 3.1 oz. and has the backbone to handle a large fish if the occasion arises. The fast taper and can shoot a 4 wt. line with little effort. Temple Fork has produced a great rod here in the Signature Series. To compliment this rod I choose a G-Loomis small arbor reel, with a free spool action. It balances out really well with TFO rod which makes casting a breeze. The main thing that impressed me about this reel was the free spool. I like the fact that I can touch spend the rim of the reel and take in large amounts of line in a matter of seconds. This is especially useful when you are trying to get a fish on the reel real quick and you need to get line away from your feet. I find myself using this set-up more and more. It is like an old pair of shoes that you get comfortable with; you just don’t want to change. What is your favorite fly rod and reel? What makes you want to stick with your go to favorite?

What is Your Take on All the Fly Fishing Shows Aired Each Week?

With fly fishing being one of my passions I like to learn as much as I can about this great sport. I like to read articles, read great blog post, and watch fly fishing shows. I feel I learn more most of the time from the articles and the post I read as oppose to the shows that are broadcast each week. Don’t get me wrong the fly fishing shows are great entertainment, but some lack the vital information that is going to make you become a better fly fisherman. What do I mean by that statement? Very few shows that I watch give their audience the following information; the hatch, type flies, water conditions, equipment ( rod wt. leader set-up, sinking/floating line, ) season, what type of presentation, in other words are you dead drifting, using an indicator, what type of water are you fishing, ect ---so I think you get the picture. One show I watch is good at giving you most of the above info. I mentioned, which is the New Fly Fisher, but the rest I watch needs a lot of improvement in the information department. What is your take on the Fly Fishing Shows you watch? There are lots of shows that are broadcast regionally and some are aired nationwide, so feel free to critique any that you think may not meet or meet your viewing pleasure.

What are Five Lures That Will Catch Trout, Bluegill, Crappie and Bass

I want to know, what are 5 lures that can catch trout, crappie, bass and bluegill? I like lures that catch many different species of fish. Beetle Spins, Rooster Tails and Curly Tailed Grubs, are some of my favorites. While I also have lures only for bass such as plastic worms, poppers, crankbaits, etc. I love fishing for crappie, bass, trout and bluegill. So, what are some of the lures that you think would catch all species?

The Most Insane Fish Landing Ever--Determined Individual!!!

Guys this is one determined guide. They were using fly rods. The following is the description of the event.

Fishing on the Rio Negro in the Amazon area of Brazil, my buddy Keith hooked a peacock bass on an 8 wt. fly rod and the Peacock decided to run a decathlon under tree roots and through a brush pile to the back of a cove where Piranhas and anacondas live. Our guide Francisco grabbed the rod and jumped over the side of the boat and well......... you got to just watch this.
Needless to say, Francisco got a pretty nice tip for this one  ++select link below++

The Most Insane Fish Landing Ever Most Amazing Fishing Videos World Fishing Network

Unusual Bluegill What Happen to This Fish?

This is a very unusual looking bluegill. I got this image the other day from one of my buddies at the gym. He knew I loved to catch bluegill on the fly. He told me he had never seen a fish in this kind of shape. We were trying to figure out just what happen to this particular gill. One theory was the fish could have got caught in some type of net when it was small and develop the cut in its back from the pressure of the net string over the a period of time. I thought it was worth sharing. I told my buddies that you guys might be able to figure out what happen to this fish. You might say that this is the crossword puzzle of the day.

Pelican Raider Boat Stabilizer

Got a comment from Mel over at Blog Cabin Angler about the post I did on the Pelican Raider Boat. He wanted to know how the boat handled in the wind. I forgot to mention in the Pelican Raider post that there are some problems with the boat as far as wind is concerned. I was having problems last year keeping the back of the boat straight and parallel with the bank on windy days. Of course I could control the front of the boat because of the trolling motor. So I started to think about a way I could control the back of the boat, and came up with what I call my stabilizer. By utilizing an old trolling motor mount minus the motor, I solved the wind problem.

I attached a 12 gauge piece of sheet metal at the base of the shaft of the trolling motor mount. I used my band saw and made a cut l ft. up on the shaft and inserted the piece of sheet metal up through the slit and secured the metal with two 1/4" bolts----enter the finished stabilizer which now holds the boat straight in line and parallel with the bank. Surprising what a little ingenuity can do for you.

Fishing From the Pelican Raider Boat

For those of you who don’t know the Pelican Raider Boat is a mini pontoon boat somewhat stunted. I had the opportunity to buy one of these little gems 3 years ago when Academy Sports was going out of business in Hoover Alabama. I had been thinking about a smaller boat for some time because I needed something small to fish the tiny nooks in Walker County Lake. I was getting tired of paying to rent an aluminum boat every time I wanted to fish the lake. At 4 bucks a pop for rental of a boat and 3.00 to pay to fish seemed a little steep. So enter the Raider boat, which turned out to be perfect for the type of fishing I was doing on the small lake. I could cover the entire lake with one charge on my trolling motor battery and still have power left at the end of a trip. With the lake being 160 areas I could fish all those little nooks and narrow channels with ease. It was perfect with my fly rod and I had plenty of rod rack space not to mention the extra space for tackle and a couple of small coolers. I learned early on that this little boat was more than I expected, because of the quietness, stability, ease of handling with a 30 lb. thrust trolling motor. The boat only weighs in at 85 lbs. because of the heavy gauge RAM molded construction. It floated high in the water which made it turn on a dime. In short, it has been the perfect little companion for my short trips to Walker or any other little water adventure. I don't know if you'll are aware of this but if you have a trolling motor on any small boat you must have it registered. Not having it registered will result in a fine. Guess who found this out?

Two individuals can fish from this boat. Your two seats slide along an open track which extends the length of the boat. I added a portable depth finder that operates off of D cell batteries. Perfect for a drop anchor 

The Bloggers You Would Want to Meet and Fish With?

Following suit with the OBN question who is the outdoor bloggers you would like to meet or fish with? I must admit that I have fished with a lot of individuals over the years and can honestly say I have found all to be good companions on the water. I guess I can contribute my fishing compatibility with the fact that I never meet a stranger or my easy going personality. I would really like to meet all the blogges I interact with during a week, but to list my complete blog roll would be a bit boring for my readers. A few that I would wet a line with are:


Jay over at The Naturalist Angler---Jay is an accomplished warm water fly fisherman especially with the smallmouth. I gather from his posts that he is very passionate about fly fishing. He and I will be able to accomplish our goal of meeting and fishing with each other in the spring. We plan on fishing Smith Lake in late April or early May and go after some of those mean Kentucky Spots. I really enjoy Jay’s post because our blogs relate to the warm water side of fly fishing.

Nate at Nate’s Fishing Blog—I found Nate’s blog through one of my email alerts. He works with his brother Justin and they own Herman Brothers Pond Management, which currently manages more than 1500 acres of water in Central Illinois. I find it interesting how he increases the size of bluegill and other species of fish. I also find it interesting how he uses structure to hold huge trout in an area. I would love to meet Nate and just discuss his work and see some of the waters he manages. He recently did a post where he uses the porcupine attractor to attract and hold trout; in fact he lands some monster trout from these attractors.

Chris at the Bream Bum---is what I call the ultra light fly fisherman. I consider him a master with the 3 wt and 2 wt. fly rod. He loves to fish small creeks and has the ability to dissect a small stream and land some awesome looking native brook trout. He and his buddy Will are both excellent at wading and fishing these little streams in the Ozarks in their home state of Missouri.

I hope I have not offended anyone by leaving you out of the list, but believe me all of you guys and gals are important to me and my fishing. I really look forward to reading your post each day and I have gathered a ton of information from all of you. Just keep putting out those great post.

Fly Fishing Flies by Regions of the Country

I thought this information on flies for the different regions of the country were interesting. I have notice that a lot of the same flies would work anywhere in the country. I know I would add the bugger and the grey ghost streamer to the South Region for sure. Take a look at your region and see if the flies listed are the ones you would actually be using. In other words have these guys pretty much peg the flies for all the regions?  Check out your region

Fishing the Porcupine Fish Attractor

Well for the past couple of days I have been assembling Porcupine fish attractors. For those of you have never heard of this contraption, it is a fish attracting magnet. For those of you who know of its capabilities then you can relate to its ability to attract and hold fish in the particular area you have placed the attractor. I have been using them for the past three years and have had great success catching everything from the big crappie you have seen on some of my post to bluegills and of course bass. You can fish off of it year round and with practically any fishing rig. My brother and I fish them in the hot summer months for monster crappie, bluegill and bass. The main fishing rig in the summer time is the crappie 11ft. long rod, with a tube or buck tail jig. Why the crappie pole, the fish are holding tight in the attractor so you need to keep the lure in the strike zone for longer periods of time and this is the perfect rig for that application. Another good time to fish the attractor is in the dead of the winter, and again the long crappie rod is the perfect setup. The fish are not going to move much to attack the lure so patience is the key for the hit. Fall is great because you can fish faster using the micro light rigs using curly tail jigs tipped with crappie nibblets. The nibblet is a must for all crappie fishing when near the attractors. It just adds that extra bump you may get on that slow day. Spring is the least desirable time to fish the attractors because most of your fish are in the spawning mode and have moved out of deep water to shallower water to spawn. I am not saying you can’t catch fish at this time of the year on the attractors but it is much slower.

This is the 6 1/2 ft. version, I like this size better than any size I have worked with. There are 26 holes you will need to fill with your PVC pipe, but as you can see it makes for a cozy place for fish to take up residence. Check out the footage in this video to see the results.

The last accessory you need but not an absolute must is the color selector. This unit is perfect on those days when the fish is in a finicky mood. Once you have fish a lake for a while you can gauge what color the fish want most of time. I do know that on those off days the color selector has turned a slow day into a productive one for me.
 The attractors can be pricy, so if you know anything about me when it comes to purchasing fishing equipment, you know I am in for the bargain. Amazon sells the complete unit with the green ball or sphere and the ¾” PVC pipes at 55.00 a unit with shipping. I have found it is best to buy the sphere ball from Mack's Prairie Wings, with free shipping. Buy your PVC pipe at a place like Marvin’s and the whole unit will run you about 18.00. For 18.00 you are getting an attractor 6 ½ ft. in dia or any size you want to make it. I have found the 6 ½ ft. to be the very best size to deal with for me and at the same time will cover a good area in the water column. This price is much better for my budget. As for placement that is left up to the individual, but you want to be sure and place them far enough away from the bank that your average bank fisherman on the bank and in a boat will not find them easily. All the units I have placed are in deeper water far away from the bank. I do know with some of the advance depth finders out on the market they stand a chance of them being found, but most of the time this is your bass fisherman who may be fishing with a worm or jig and has no interest in crappie or bluegill. Never put the units together on the water, always put them together on the bank and carry it out to your spot which, should already be marked with a marker. Always select a time of the day at daybreak or just before dark to drop the units that way hopefully no one will see what you are doing. The very best time to drop them is in the dead of the winter when no on is on the lake.
In closing the very best advantage in fishing the attractor, is the lifetime fishing one will get from it. You your kids, their kids and so on can fish them for as long as there is water in the lake. I will be putting three out on Wednesday of this week; with the air temps in the lower 40’s hopefully no one will see what we are doing that day. I will be doing some more posts on their progress. By the way I am getting no cut in sales of this product for this post, it is something I just want to share with you guys.

Fishing With Scent Attractors

 What kind of role does scent play when you are fishing? For me as far as warm water fishing is concerned it is paramount in attracting fish. I know I have been on the water number of times and not catching fish and added a scent attractor to the lure and got the hit. This is especially true when I am using spinning gear. There are lots of attractor brands on the market, not to mention the scent impregnated plastic lures. One of my favorite is the crappie nibblet. I can add a tiny crappie nibblet to one of the hooks on my lure and get the fish to take the lure quicker, especially on those slow days. I have used the sprays and liquids but got away from those some years ago when I realized that the nibblet stays with the lure longer than the sprays and liquid, which usually washed off after numbers of cast.

As for trout fishing attractors, for me there is no substitute better than a well tied fly to imitate the real thing. I feel that using attractor would inhibit the performance of the fly. If you are really into using a scent attractor on your flies then try some mud at the bottom of the stream rubbed over your fly, that is about as close as I would come to odor on flies.

I am a firm believer in masking human scent especially when I am trout fishing. According to research trout have amazing powers of smell, in fact much, much better than humans. Let's say you have used Ole Spice aftershave the morning you are hitting the stream. You get to the stream and tie on your favorite fly and you immediately transfer the smell of the aftershave onto the fly. This sends an alarm to the trout that this particular fly is not real and in a heartbeat the trout is gone. I am not as careful masking scent in warm water situations but when it come to trout you are dealing with a fish that is much smarter and more wary of its surrounding, so you need every advantage you can muster to be successful. What's your take on the scent attractor factor when you are fishing?

What is Your All Time Favorite Fish Catch

I know it may be difficult for some to remember the time they caught that trophy fish, or the time they caught all those fish in one particular place, but I have a feeling that most you guys know that TIME. When it comes to fishing I seldom ever forget the trips or the fish that really stood out in my mind. I can still remember the trip at daylight some 25 years ago with my brother and landed not one but two largemouth on buzzbaits that morning. I have both mounted and both were between 7 and 8 lbs. I can also remember the largest crappie I ever landed in Mississippi a couple of years ago, which was 14" long, really don't know the weight. The bluegills are too many to remember, but the 14 through 16 oz. really stand out in my mind. Most all of the big gills were landed using the fly rod. With all that said----My most memorable trip or fish had to be the 3 1/2 lb. spot I caught last October using the fly rod with a big popper. I hope someday I can best that record. I am curious to know what's the time or fish that you will never forget.

Why Did I Lose That Trophy Fish?

 I often wonder sometimes if I am actually playing the fish correctly using the fly rod. There is a big difference in landing a fish on the fly as oppose to the landing a fish on spinning gear. You have the drag as an aid with the spinning reel or casting reel, but in the case of the fly reel you are dependent on your expertise with releasing and taking up line until you get the fish on your reel. That is why I love using the fly rod so much because it gives me the opportunity to use all my fishing skills to land the fish with pretty much no drag help. It is just me and that fish at each other.

 I know I played the big spot I caught back in September correctly, because I landed him after a lengthy fight; but I can remember times when I have lost fish because I didn't take the time to play the fish to the point where I could land it. The article below is one of the best I have read on landing a fish, and how to release the fish after the battle. I hope the article is helpful to you as well.



How to Play and Land a Trout Correctly

There is overwhelming urge yelling in your mind to lift the rod-tip up before removing all slack between the rod tip and the fish.
It is one of the most important aspects of fly-fishing, yet it is one of the most often ignored in books, magazines, videos and the like.

You can read and view plenty about flies, fly tying, knots, casting, presentation, finding fish, tackle selection, et al, but what about playing and landing the fish once you have inwardly digested all that stuff and actually find yourself attached to one of these fabled fishes? Help is at hand.

O.K. so there you stand, thinking about how much you would like to be back at work, stripping the line in through you rod-hand forefinger. Suddenly your reverie is broken by some damn-fool fish grabbing your fly. What happens next?

The first requirement is to ‘set’ the hook.

Setting the hook means embedding the hook securely in the fish. Achieve this by pulling down sharply on the line using your line hand, but always ensuring the line remains sliding through the forefinger of your rod-hand. But, just pulling down on the line is only of any use if the line is tight to the fish. Just pulling on the line with the rod tip up, while there is any slack in the system, will only lift slack line off the water, and not move the hook at all.

So, many anglers pull on the line hand and lift the rod-tip up, sharply. While this looks spectacular, it is often ineffectual, unless you are close to the fish. But even then there is trouble right here at river city.


If you manage to set the hook, you are now standing there with rod tip high in the air. If the trout moves towards you, you have the Devil’s own job to avoid introducing slack again - you cannot lower the rod because that will form more slack - at which point many anglers select the panic option.

A much better way is to fish with the rod tip low to the water, and when a fish hits, move the rod tip in the direction of any curve of line on the water.

The red lines indicate the fly lines on the water water. The arrow           indicates the direction the rod tip should move to set the hook.

This means that if you have, for example, a curve or slack line on the water, move the rod tip in the direction of the section of the curve nearest to the rod tip. Keep the rod tip just above the water and move it parallel to the water, while pulling down sharply with the line hand. It is important to not take the rod tip behind you.

This method uses the 'grip' of the water itself, and the current, to 'anchor' the line, and transfer the power of the pull more directly to the hook. If the fish runs toward you can leave the line on the water and use the loop formed on the water by the current to maintain pressure on the hook.

I want to reiterate this point about leaving the line on the water. There is an almost overwhelming urge yelling in your mind to lift the rod tip up before removing all slack between the rod tip and the fish. The water, the current, and the trout, all pulling at the line will hold the hook in a fish's mouth till you can get everything up tight - there is simply no need to lift the rod tip until you are sure all slack will be removed by doing so.

If the line is tight to the fish when it takes the fly, usually only a short line-pull is necessary to set the hook. It is worthwhile to remember a fly hook only needs to move about 2-3mm (1/4") to penetrate past the barb on even the biggest hooks used for freshwater fly-fishing. Very often just the force exerted on slack-free line, when the fish turns away with the fly in its mouth, will set the hook without any interference from you.

Now with the fish firmly attached you can set about fighting the fish, and I need here to divide this bit into two sections - big trout and not-so-big.

Not-so-Big

If you are fishing where it is very unusual for trout to take your line out into the 'backing'the thin line running from the fly-line and onto the reel and fish do not get much over 1.5 to 2kg (3 to 4lb) you can play the fish using the line only, without using the reel at all. Hold the rod at an angle of about 45 degrees to you body, point the rod tip toward the line coming off the water (never at the fish, unless of course the line is tight to the fish) and use your rod-hand forefinger to press the line against the rod handle.

You should try and maintain a constant bend in the rod, by gripping the line to apply tension or allowing the line to slip through your line-hand fingers, and rod-hand fore-finger. If the rod tip ducks down let the line slip. You should in general try to keep the rod at about the 45 degree angle, but if the fish really takes off lower the rod tip. The tip section is there to absorb the lunges of the trout, and to maintain constant pressure.

Your immediate job is to get the fish tight to the rod tip.

When you get an opportunity to retrieve some line, using your line hand, pull line in through your rod-hand forefinger - called 'stripping' the line. As you reach the end of a strip, grip the line with your rod-hand forefinger, and slide your line hand up to grip the line again. Your immediate job is to get the line tight between the rod tip and the fish. Then by stripping and slipping line the fish will gradually tire to the point where you can think about landing it.

If you can get the line onto the reel, you should do so.
Having loose coils of line wafting around in the water or on the ground is inviting disaster. I could not even begin to estimate how many fish I have lost, and seen lost, from line tangling around legs, rocks and boulders, shore debris and undergrowth. Having the line going directly onto the reel will help when you come to land the fish.

Bigger Fish

If you are lucky enough to fish where trout regularly exceed 2kg (4lb) and often a great deal more and backing is something you regularly see flying off the reel, your main aim is to get the fish onto the reel as soon as possible.

If the fish bolts downstream let the line slip through the forefinger of your line hand under light pressure, with no pressure from your rod hand, till the line comes tight onto the reel.

If the fish races upstream leave your rod tip down at water level and facing the direction of the line - not the fish - let any loose line you have, slip through your fingers till the line comes tight to the reel, even if there is a big bow of line between you and the fish. The bow of line will maintain pressure on the hook.

Then once the line is tight to the reel start winding at a frantic pace, following the line with the rod tip until you can lift the rod tip up to 45 degrees without introducing any slack.

If the fish jumps 'bow to the fish'

Once the line is on the reel you can use the reel’s drag system to release line evenly. If you have no drag system use your line hand cupped lightly under the reel onto the spool rim. Try not to get your fingers in the way of the whirling reel-handles when a big fish runs, unless pain is your close and dear friend.

If the fish jumps, 'bow to the fish'. That is, lower your rod tip quickly to give the fish some slack. A jumping fish can put real strain on your leader, especially if it falls back onto taunt line.

You need to be very careful with a big fish that is racing downstream. You may need to lower the rod tip to reduce the strain on the line; this is especially true if there is a bow in the line from a fish changing direction to race downstream from upstream of you. This is another of those occasions when you must fight the urge to raise the rod.

The End Game

So you have done everything right and the fish is now tired and looks as though it might be possible to land it. This is a critical time in this game.

Trying to net a fish on your own is often problematical.
To get the net under the fish you need to lift the rod tip high to reduce the angle between the fish and the net. But lifting a rod tip high with the line running down close to the rod to the fish risks breaking the rod. It is called ‘point-loading’, and means that the weight of the fish is transmitted down the rod, not along it. This puts to much pressure on the weak tip section of the rod. This is a very real problem with fish over 2.5kg (5lbs). The best solution I have found is to use a landing net with a collapsible or extendable handle.

Once you have the fish where you can net it, pull the fish head-first gently over the rim of the net, then flick up that rim and lift the net at the same time. If all goes well the fish will be at the bottom of your net.

If the fish ‘freaks’ at the sight or touch of the net, do not ‘chase’ it with the net, let the fish swim off and then carefully move it into position again for another attempt.

If you are going to release the fish, keep as much of the fish in the water as possible still in the net, remove the hook, lower the net, hold the fish into the current and let it swim away when it is ready.

Of course having a fishing partner lurking about to net your fish makes life a whole lot easier.

Sometimes it is easier to ‘beach’ a fish. If it is possible to move back onto a bank, it can be easier to slide a fish gently into shallow water. This is often very true when trying to land fish over 3kg (6lb), and sometimes the only way to land fish 5kg (10lb) and over.

If you are planning to release the fish do not pull it up onto dry land – dry sand, rock or vegetation, all will wreak havoc with a trout’s slime covering which is used to repel bad stuff in the water. Instead quickly remove the hook; gently turn the fish back towards deeper water and hold its head into the current till it moves off under its own steam.

The key thing to remember when trying to land a trout (in fact any fish) is to try and keep things as smooth as possible. Constant, unrelenting pressure against the fish’s attempts to escape is what tires it out. Jerking the rod about, not releasing line smoothly when the fish runs, all can lead to the hook pulling out or the leader breaking. Smooth firmness is required when you come to the end game and try and net or beach your prize.

Fishing the Famous Wooly Bugger

 Probably the most famous of all flies in fly fishing is the Wooly Bugger. Whether you fish this fly for warm water species or cold water species you should be successful. Crappie, bass, bluegills, strips, spots, smallmouth, and of course trout hit this fly with vigor. I receive a number of fishing publications each month which give me a lot of great information on fishing. I recently read a great article on the Bugger in one of the publications and I thought I would share it with you guys. As always I learn something I didn’t know about fishing the Wooly Bugger, and I hope you pick up some information you can use as well.

How to Use a Wooly Bugger When Fly Fishing

Fly fishermen tend to agree that the Wooly Bugger lure is one of the best for catching the big ones. The Wooly Bugger is a big lure, and there are a variety of ways it can be cast and presented to the fish.

Instructions

Dead drift the bugger by adding a few jerking actions. Use the bugger for larger fish like lake trout and steelhead salmon. Arctic char, bluegill, northern pike, and even carp have found this lure hard to resist. However you chose to fish this lure, it can't be fished wrong. Crawling, creeping, darting, floating, and sinking are just some of the ways you can present the wooly bugger.

Weigh down the Wooly Bugger by using either a split-shot, a bead, or a cone head on the front of the shank of your rod to produce a bouncing action. When the lures land on the bottom of the lake, use a stop-and-go action. This also is called a rise-and-fall or yo-yo action.

Produce a "breathing" action to the lure by using a slow stop-and-go motion on the retrieve. Place a few BBs ahead of the lure to really turn the fish on. When casting with this method, cast upstream and across the current.

Produce a swimming action, focusing on the marabou on the tail of the Wooly Bugger. This helps to imitate swimming bait such as larva, tadpoles, or leeches to hungry fish. Put a bit of glimmer on the lure to make sure the fish see the bait.

Imitate smaller fish when the water is low and near a steep drop off such as a waterfall. This action replicates the movement of a little fish that has been
stunned by a steep landing. Cast and let the lure drift. Use a quick jerking action followed by a quick retrieve.

Devise different actions according to the water conditions. Slow action is recommended on small creeks or rivers. Faster action is recommended on lakes.

Snowed in with My Daughter and Grandson

We seldom ever get this kind of snowfall in the south, but this one is an exception. I am in Spring Hill Tennessee with my daughter and grandson Bryson. My son-in-law B.T. had to go on a business trip for the week. My daughter wanted some company and didn't want to stay by herself so I volunteered to keep them company for the week. I thought I would share some of the pictures we took this morning. We got around 6" here and places south of us got as much as 13" unreal for the deep south.

The creek behind My Sons-in-law and Daughter's House

Park behind the house

The Auburn Flay flying proudly

Bryson more interested in the snow, not the picture taking

Not happy in Mama's arms, would rather be in the snow

Suitable for Framing

My best buddy

Question About Line Weight

 Thought I would start the New Year off by putting a question out there for all you guys. What is your opinion on using a larger weight line with a smaller weight rod? I know some of you probably have apply this concept to your fishing arsenal, and some of you stick with the given rule of using the same weight light with the same weight rod. I also know there are advantages and disadvantages in going this route, with the line and the rod. So I am curious to know what your opinion is on this particular set-up. Thinking about, planning, and chopping at the bits to get back out on the water.

My 10 Most Burning Things I Need To Accomplish

Today I thought I would give you a look at my 10 most burning things to accomplish before I take to the rocking chair. Everyone has things they would like to accomplish during the day, month, and year or in their lifetime. This list for me will be a work in progress over the rest of my active life. So here we go with number 1----------------

Continue to exercise in the gym and watch what I eat

Continue to work on being a better trout fisherman

Focus on using the fly rod more in my fishing expeditions—I wish I had done this when I was younger

Schedule time for my wife and me to travel and to work in some trout fishing trips when she retires

Continue to stay Tech Savvy, which helpfully will help me keep my senses

Strive to be a good husband and father to my kids who are grown and to my beautiful wife of 35 years

Beat my record Kentucky Spot catch of 3 1/2lb and to land a monster brown on the Caney Fork

Continue to enjoy my time being retired, and not lose focus on what retirement really means A MORE RELAXED LIFESTYLE.

Be around long enough to teach my Grandchildren the joys of fishing and the outdoors!! 

Continue to be blessed with good health and enjoy family and friends--We all need to remember we are just visiting this place here; a greater land awaits us all one day!! 

I don't think that this is a list that I will have trouble accomplishing. In fact, this is something I know I will enjoy working on. Anyone else out there care to share their short or long term goals?

Working on That Word Called "Patience"

One of the great things I have learned about fly fishing is Patience. One develops this over time and it is not something you accomplish on your first fishing trip. I know I have been on the water many times and decided the hole I was fishing was not very productive or simply void of fish and I would move on. To my surprise a few minutes later another fisherman would start fishing right behind me and land fish. Patience plays a big role in that situation, because if I had taken the time to change flies, vary my presentation, make more cast and cover the area thoroughly then I might have been the one landing the fish. I found out from the outset of trout fishing that it was a far cry from warm water angling. Patience is not as prevalent there because most of the time you will pick up a small bluegill without even trying, not so with the trout fishing. The factors that determine a successful outing on the river are flying around you or hiding under those rocks you are stepping on; not to mention the size, color, and fly pattern. This is where the word “patience” comes into play. I am still working on this word not only in my fishing endeavors but in everyday life experiences. I have found out it can pay huge dividends and at the same time can be your worst enemy. This is something I work on all the time, how about you does this word give you problems? This is my last post before Christmas Day, so I would like to wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The Western Movie Another Passion of Mine

 I just got through watching for the second time: one of the greatest westerns ever made in my opinion. “Dances with Wolves” The weather wouldn't permit me to get out on the water today, so I opt for another one of my pastime--Western Movies----I know this has nothing to do with fishing, but just as fishing is one of my pastimes so is Western Movies.  If you guys have read my profile you will discover that I am an avid Western Movie fan. I guess I have seen hundreds in my lifetime. Not all were great, but most meet my expectations of being authentic. I guess that is why I am into the western theme. It gives one the chance to look back when life was being tuff, enduring hardships, and coping with danger. Not all western movies depict how life really was during that era. An example was the ladies in the saloons. They were not dressed to the tilt and look like they just came off the runway. According to a lot of the books describing the saloon ladies they were anything but that. A lot of pictures showed them to be rugged looking. So the high dollar sporting girl the cowboy got usually turned out to be a low dollar. I like movies that are realistic and the western movie really depicts that theme. My top ten westerns of all time are-------

Dances with Wolves

Lonesome Dove

Shane

Unforgiven

The Shootist

The Outlaw Josey Wales

True Grit

Once Upon Time in the West

Open Range

The Searchers

Any of you bloggers into Western Movies if so, what are some of your favorites?

Different Set-up for the Hopper/Dropper

 I am sure a lot of you have fished the hopper dropper rig. I have use a dry and a smaller nymph as my dropper quite often.  I have also used dries as large as # 10 to fish a larger nymph as the dropper. I recently came across a video clip showing another way to rig the hopper dropper rig, by letting you adjust your dry fly along your leader, just like you would adjust your indicator. I think this clip is an excellent demonstration on how to rig an adjustable dry serving as an indicator. I am going to give this method a try on the Caney in the spring. I like the big dry fly concept because you are not only getting the benefit of the indicator as a fish catching tool, but you are putting a simulator out there for the trout too. Take a look and see what you think. If any of you have a more detail method showing how this set-up is rigged; please share.  Hopper/Dropper Demo Clip

Sharing Unique Websites

 During the winter months I must admit I kind of become a hermit. So one of the most logical things for me to do is watch good westerns, blog, gym, and read and watch anything about fishing. I use a lot of links from the computer to keep me abreast of what is going on as far as products, equipment, new fishing holes, and anything else that has to do with fishing, especially fly fishing. I thought today I would share some of my favorite outdoor websites I use. As most of you know I don’t tie my own flies, it is not because I am not interested in learning it is the time factor. So I like to order my flies from the cheapest places I can find on the net. Some of you might say you get what you pay for; well I have ordered from both of these places and found that the quality is top notch. They used there own in house tiers, and I like to support small businesses to help the country grow. In fact all the websites I used are considered small business. Flydeals is the cheapest place I have found to order flies, .43 for wet and  .53 for dries. I order by the dozen and I use a lot of files. Percy’s Flies is another good place to buy cheap flies at .54 a fly. The unique thing about this company is the fly rod sales. If you order a fly rod from them you get dozens of free flies. I recently ordered two Temple Fork rods from them as Christmas presents and I got 4 dozens free flies with my order. The higher the price on the fly rod the more flies you get for free. Have you price flies lately? They also carry the Redington Drift Ultra light fly reel. I think it is one of the best ultra light fly reels I have ever used. They are extremely light and balance 2/3 wt fly rods really well. I receive 3 dozen free flies when I ordered this ree: again these are top quality flies. Being on a fix income I am always looking for bargains, most of the time they can be found on the net especially if it deals with fishing and hunting. It just gets my goat if I find out that I have paid too much for a particular item when I could have done a little research and got it cheaper. Cheaper doesn’t mean you are getting a bargain store special, and you know who I am talking about, but it just means you need to dig a little deeper to find that bargain. An example, Bass Pro had the same Temple Fork rods I order for 40.00 more, so I found them at Percy’s for 100.00 plus shipping and got free flies with them. Another site I like is Troutlet; this site has some of the best deals on rods I have found. There Daiwa Spinmatic C spinning rods are the best I have found to fish ultra light. They come in 7, 71/2 and 8 ft. lengths. All of these rods are priced under 45.00 bucks. They are much better than the big store rods which are 60.00 to 65.00 bucks. i have two of these rods I used for crappie. I have ordered lots of fly fishing accessories from this site that are top quality. The last site I really like is the Mudhole. I don’t know about you but I want all my fishing equipment to look good. This place can spruce up your fishing rods to the point of making your handles into an inlay design. I am working on changing one of my handles on one of my spinning rods to an inlay design. When I finish it I will be doing a post on its handle design. I have ordered different colored rods butts from this site to match the guides or to match the color of the rod I am using. The flies on this site are over priced. Bottom line is this site is the best I have found to order accessories for adding detail to fishing equipment. I know when I visit a blog I very seldom check out the website links. I am more interested in the blog post. So this is why I am putting these sites out there for all of you to check out. What are some of your unique sites you use from time to time? I can always use more more bargain sites.  

My Son-in-Law's Trout Fishing Trip in The Smoky Mountains

 I am reporting for my son-in-law who along with his wife, son and his parents spent Thanksgiving in the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg Tennessee. B.T. manages to work in a couple of days of trout fishing on the Little River which runs through the heart of Gatlinburg. It is one of those streams that is fed year round with springs flowing out of the high elevations in the mountains. Brook, Rainbow, and Brown trout make Little River their home. B.T. said the trout fishing this past week has been slow as far as dries were concerned. The two days that he fished produced seven nice bows with the largest being a 13” in length. They were not caught on the fly. All were taken on the trout magnet in the color of chartreuse/black. The presentation was tight lining with the hits occurring on the end of the drift. B.T. said they were a blast on his Micro-light 7 ½ ft. rod. This rod is like using a fly rod because you are getting the play that is associated with a 7 ½ ft. to an 8 ft. fly rod. If you are not using the fly rod then this is the rod you need to go with especially in tight places. This is an awesome trip they made, because of all the activities that one can get involved in there. My wife son and I hope to make the trip with them next year.

Nice 13" Rainbow caught on the trout maget. This is a killer little bug for gills as well as trout.

Reflecting on Streamer Fishing This Past Summer

 Well I sitting here still trying to get rid of this persistent sinus infection. Checking my email I found an article concerning streamer fishing and it got me thinking about being introduced to the Bouface streamer this past summer. I must admit I haven’t done a lot of streamer fishing especially for trout. I do use the tungsten head wooly bugger some, but when it comes to fishing varieties of streamers I am kind of void. I know most all of us at one time has use the  bugger with success. I started experimenting with the streamer this past summer when a buddy and I got into some stripped bass. I had just ordered an assorted of flies and one of the patterns was a variation of a bugger but tied with a different pattern and design. It was the Bouface streamer, size 6 with a tungsten head. It made a believer out of me in a hurry after I landed some strips in the 3 lbs plus range. I was using a fast retrieve and they were nailing it usually at the end of the jerk. I had 4 Bouface Streamers with me that day and ended the morning with one, the others were lost in the mouths of some larger strips that I never turned around. That one experience showed me what a streamer was capable of and how aggressive a fish can be when they see this fly in the water column. I really like the Tungsten head version because of the sink rate. I am  looking forward to using the Zunker, and the Bouface in the spring on the Caney Fork and of course on Smith Lake. My son-in-law and I are planning a float trip on the Caney in early spring. The streamer fishing should be hot at that time for some of the big browns. I am going to try some new streamer patterns on the lake as well. I think the streamer would be deadly worked around structure not only on the lake but on the river as well. Can't wait for sping to get here and get back to some great fly fishing.  

The bugger is always a winner. I like the olive and black along with the brown.

The Zonker Craw is one of those streamers I am going to give a try on the Caney and Smith in the coming spring and summer. This fly comes with the Tungsten head and has a fairly fast sink rate. Really a killer looking fly.



Paying the Price for Fishing a Cold Front

 I guess sometimes one has to endure the pain of a fishing trip, and this past week was no exception.  After coming off the water Thursday evening I felt I was coming down with a sore throat, coughing and slight fever. Spending most of Thursday night awake back at home with coughing and sinus drainage, I decided to go to the doctor Friday. I found out I had contracted a serve sinus infection with swollen glands in my neck caused by the sore throat and constant coughing. The doctor gave me a couple of shots and medication for the next 10 days. As of today I am still not on top of the world but feeling some better. The doctor told me the windy conditions and dropping temps fishing those two days was the culprit. I can remember when I would merely wear off this type of cold, but as I get older I find that a trip to the doctors office is the only cure. I usually get one of these infections twice a year, in the spring and always in the late fall, so this is my fall infection. I didn’t anticipate getting sick on this trip because I always look forward to going to my brothers and his wife. Another thing I look forward to is the good food prepared by my brother’s wife and the buffet at the local restaurant. The gumbo, baked chicken and peach cobbler is something hard to beat for lunch, and of course the prepared supper meals my sister-in-law spreads out. Being with family is a big part of my life, and my wife and I are looking forward to family time this coming Thanksgiving. Here’s wishing all you guys a great Thanksgiving with your family.