Relocating Fish for the Purpose of Landing Bigger & Better

I made a trip today to the area where the new lake has been built. My buddy and I meet one of the guys from the fish hatchery out of Birmingham. He brought the last of the Coppernose Bluegill to stock in the lake. For a more in depth explanation of this fish check one of my previous post. Both of us had a little time after the hatchery people left to fish the pond on the property. We landed around 20 small bass which really needed to be removed from the pond. The reason I say this is because most of these fish had a huge head with a slim body. The Game and Fish told us that this pond is overstocked with small bass and it is best to remove them when you land one. This will increase the chances of landing larger bass in the future. We relocated the 20 in a small creek below the dam. We did discover that this place has crappie in it. Neither of use had ever caught crappie here, and in fact no one has ever caught crappie here. So this was a surprise. I do know this where there is one crappie there are more. I am hoping to make a trip below Smith Dam tomorrow to try out my new fly rod. I hope to get a bend with some of the rainbow that was stocked a couple of days ago. I’ll keep you guys posted.  

Probably 100 more in there just like this one

Tanks with the prize???

Fishing Accessories That Helps Make a Fishing Trip

A recent post by Jay over at “The Naturalist's Angler” prompted me to take a look at the latest clothing gear and footwear out there now for the angler. He was displaying a shirt Kelly had given him for Valentines. This shirt is similar to the ones I wear on the water in the hot summer and even into the fall months. I use to fish with just your ordinary shirt and pants, but after viewing some of the latest clothes lines in our local Bass Pro and Academy Sports I took notice a few years ago. The outdoors shirts and pants that are available now are exceptional when it comes to keeping you cool and absorbing the sun rays. I am referring to the Magellan Sportswear Men’s Lake Fork Fishing Shirt at Academy Sports.  The shirt comes in a ton of colors for short and long sleeve, and has the large pockets in the front with the wind flap in the back to let wind circulate. When I am on the water this is the shirt I am wearing summer and fall. It comes with a great price at 20.00. Academy has the pants to complement the shirt in their Magellan Sportswear Men’s Backcountry Zip-Off Belted Pants. Two things I like about these pants; the zip off leg to convert to shorts and the elastic waist band for added comfort around the waist. The pants are priced at 25.00. Both the shirt and pants dry extremely fast if you are in rain. The third article is the shoe at Dick’s Sporting Goods; the Teva Men’s Dozer III Sandal-----This sandal will not only keep your feet cool, but keep your feet from getting sunburn. It is extremely lightweight and comes with a fair price at 50.00. The last item is probably the most important when it comes to protecting you from the rays of the sun and that is a good quality hat. Notice I said hat and not cap. I use to wear caps all the time on the water until I realized I could keep more sun off of my ears and face with a hat. So with that said the hat I wear and recommend is by Bass Pro; the Redhead Mesh Outback Hat. I really like this type hat especially in the summer months because it has mesh all around about the headband. The top is solid to keep you from getting sunburn on those bald spots on your head that we all develop with age.  I use to think it really didn’t matter what you wore when you was on the water fishing, but I guess you could say with age comes wisdom. I not only want to enjoy being on the water now days but I want to be comfortable while I am there. With these items it helps me enjoy the trip much more. 

                                    

  

The Super Size Coppernose Bluegill on a 5Wt. Fly Rod

On my last post concerning the Tiger Bass I was discussing the habits of this type of bass. When I refer to habits I was stressing how aggressive this bass species is and the fast growth rate it has. Well I forgot to mention the other species that will be stocked in this new lake. Along with the standard bluegill that was stocked in the lake recently there will be the super size Coppernose bluegill which will be stocked out in the summer. This particular bluegill is much bigger than the average bluegill with a growth rate of ½ to ¾ lb. a year. One of the main reasons for the fast growth rate is the feeder pellets used to supplement their diet. There will be two feeder stations on this lake dispensing feed pellets at different times of the day. Along with the insect, aquatic life and pellet nourishments a mature Coppernose can measure as much as 12” in length . A bluegill this size is some kind of fight even on a 5 wt. Once you hook one and they make that turn in the water to position their wide body side ways it becomes a fight to land one on the fly. If you are fishing waters that have a feeder in the area you will notice the aggressive nature of the Coppernose as it feeds on top for the floating pellets. The interaction with the surface pellets brings out the killer instinct in this bluegill causing it to annihilate a top water fly. One of my fishing buddies had the pleasure last year to fish a private lake in South Alabama that had the Coppernose stocked in it. He said that the fight was never ending on his 4 wt. On a scale of good better and best; he said he would rate the Coppernose a best and beyond.

Notice the copper color on the forehead--hence Coppernose