Great Information Concerning Your Drag System on Your Fly Reels

A two fold post today, first dealing with a short trip to a 10 area pond that is fished very little. Usually when I make this trip I can expect to land numbers of gills and bass, but nothing was happening at all on top today with the bass. My buddy and I did manage to land some bluegills with the brown bugger and a small stonefly. Yes a stonefly size 8 was actually attracting bass 4 to 5 ft. deep. The trip ended with 20 or so between the both of us.
Now to the second part of today’s post which is something that I thought I would past along to you guys in case you didn’t realize it. It has to do with the drag system on your fly reels. Some fly reels have the feature to change from the click drag to simply using your palm as your drag or palming. Redington is one company that has this feature. I have used this feature on my 5/6 Drift Redington. To change the drag system on the Redington, simple remove the spool and turn the drag dials so they will not be in the click position. By during this you have change the drag system to the palming feature. In other words you have a fly reel with a free spool, which means you can spin the reel face and take up line a lot faster than one can by reeling in the fly line. I have used both methods and really like the free spool feature, because of the line pick up. I am just curious to know if any of you guys have tried this feature.



A real surprise here with the Stonefly, when you think Stonefly you think Trout

The Bunny Butt Slider A Winner For Top Water Action

I ordered a different pattern popper the other day. They are a variation of popper and streamer mixed. That is what attracted me to this style from the get go. I was looking for something that would move a little water and at the same time get the attention of the fish I was pursuing. I found that in the Bunny Butt Slider. The creator of this specialty fly is Steven Milburn who I think has come up with a winner here. I received my order on Friday and will be giving them a try next week off the wall on Smith Lake. I think this particular popper will be the ticket for some fall top water action and early spring fishing on the lake. I first saw this popper in action when Jay Eubanks made a trip with me on Smith back in the spring and used the white pattern to imitate the shad population on the Smith. On a day when nothing was happening on top he managed to land a nice spot with that particular pattern. I knew then that this fly had something special that would trigger takes and that is what inspired me to place my order. After seeing the quality and pattern combination available I am impressed. I can’t wait to get into some spot action with this pattern.

All these patterns have their place during the fishing season. I like the black/red early at daylight, the chartreuse is really good early spring especially on Smith where chartreuse is king during that time of the year, and the grey would be an all day bug more so for those cloudy days and shaded areas.

Searching For a Quick Release Fly Reel

I am in the process of replacing the equipment I lost on a recent canoe fishing trip I made to Bear Creek. To say the least the trip was a nightmare. I lost my Battenkill III reel and am in the process of trying to find a reel I can use with a 9 ft. rod.  I don’t want to get another Battenkill because this reel doesn’t have the quick release feature that I am looking for. When I say quick release I am talking about touch spending the rim of the reel to take up large amounts of line in seconds which is very useful when fighting a large fish.  I know Gloomis Venture has this reel but again I am looking for a different design other than what the Gloomis has. Have anyone out there use this type fly reel.