Slowly Replacing Stolen Fly Fishing Equipment

Well I am slowly replacing some of the equipment and flies that I had stolen from me a couple of weeks ago. I still can’t believe someone walked into my garage in broad daylight; then left with four fly fishing combos, flies, lures and accessories that took me years to collect. The police told me that it left Jasper the same day it was stolen. In other words I will never see any of it again. It just goes to show all of us we don’t live in Mayberry RFD anymore.

  I am still looking for a Gloomis Venture 3 Fly Reel, I had three stolen. I haven’t been able to find the 3 version. I would appreciate any help you guys can give me in finding one of these reels. These reels are the only items I can’t replace and they were my most prized pieces. There are no new ones left. I would be happy with a used Venture.

Kevin at Feather Chucker told me after the incident that he wanted to help resupply my fly box. He made good on his promise the other day when all these flies arrived in the mail. I am glad he tied some more of the bead head soft hackles, because I lost one of my best trout this past year using that fly. The wooly bugger pattern and big green popper will attract some nice spots on the lake come spring. Thanks to Kevin the fly box restocking has started.  

 

Update on Tiger Bass/Coppernose Bluegill Stocking 14 Months Ago

I did a post back in February 2012 concerning the Tiger Bass. I was reporting on the stocking of a 30 acre lake near our home. I had the opportunity to see the stocking of the bluegill and the red fin shad which was around 2” in length at that time and in late August of that same year I was present when the Game and Fish Department out of Montgomery stock the 3” Tiger Bass. I was invited to fish the lake back in October of this year just to check the grow rate of the copper nose and regular bluegill that were stocked back in February of 2012. When we arrived that day we notice all the automatic feeders were on and spraying tiny pellets of feed across the water surface. The Coppernose and regular bluegill were in a feeding frenzy going after the pellets. All the feeders on the lake are timed to engage at the same time so we witnessed quite a spectacle. The feeding program and of course the removing of certain pounds of bluegill and bass after the first three years is the key to having a fantastic fishery here. I landed numerous bluegills that day in the 6 to 7 oz size using a small brown colored nymph resembling the pellet. I am sorry I didn’t have images for that trip because I forgot the camera. The Coppernose was a little larger than the regular bluegill. Both species should be quite the fighter on the fly come summer. I am very fortunate to be able to fish this place in the coming years. The fly rod will be my main weapon here when spring rolls around.

 

I landed this healthy 14” Tiger Bass in November this past year. I couldn’t believe the size of this fish considering its only 14 months old. It was released as a small 3” fingering; the shad in the lake is what increases the growth rate along with the genetics that the Tiger Bass possesses. I wasn’t using the fly rod that day because of depth, all the fish were concentrated in the deepest part of the lake feeding on the shad. This bass was taken on a white shad grub fishing about 20 ft. deep. I stayed for about an hour and landed fish consistently throughout the hour. I didn’t fish at all for bluegill on this trip because I wanted to see how fast the bass had grown since stocking. You can bet I will be back in the spring to tap into the bluegill population.



 

Burglaries Can Happen Anytime of the Day!!

I was debating on whether or not to publish today’s post, but after some thought, I realized it might help some of you guys avoid the tragedy that happened to me Monday. To make a long story short I lost all my fly fishing equipment along with all my warm water flies and accessories, including a tackle box of ultralight lures as a result of a burglary. The thieves simply walked into my garage and helped themselves to four fly fishing combos and a couple of tackle boxes that were located in the storage compartments of my boat. The boat is parked in the garage stall next to my wife’s car. This happened in broad daylight sometime after lunch, I was at home all day. I was either in my basement or on the phone when it happened. My wife was in and out all day and left the garage door open at times, which gave the thieves an opportunity. We live in what I would say is a very safe neighborhood and never have any burglaries at all here, but there is always a first. The police and I surmised that the thieves knew the fly rods and fishing equipment was there and probably had been watching the house for a chance to steal the equipment. One can always go back and say I could have done this or that and things would have been different, but I can’t dwell on what I should have done, but simply use this as a lesson in what to do to keep it from happening again starting with;

• Never leave anything of value in your garage that can be seen by anyone period!!
•   Take note of individuals who come to your house to perform work; you never know if that individual is looking for something that can be sold at a pawn shop in exchange for money to buys drugs. By the way, Walker County, where we live, has more drug traffic than any county in Alabama.
• Keep any storage room in your garage locked.
• Always keep your garage door closed even when you are at home, not only at night but during the day. The door can be left open if you are on the outside in the front, but never leave the door open if you are in the backyard for a short period of time. The police told me that 95% of burglaries occur during daylight hours.
• If possible leave your security system on during the day if you are away from your house even for 15 minutes. We have an ADT system with a camera, and it was not on for those brief periods during Monday—costly mistake!!!
• Purchase insurance for your fishing equipment. I have insurance on my boat but no insurance on all fishing tackle. Lesson learned; I purchased insurance on Tuesday.
• Take photos of all your fishing equipment, including tackle, so you will have proof of what you own.
• And last, always be aware of suspicious vehicles or individuals in your neighborhood
• I lost everything to the point I can’t fish anymore until I purchase reels, rods, flies, and fly fishing accessories. I will have to replace all my crappie fishing lures as well. The sad part for me is I can’t actually replace some of my reels because Gloomis doesn't manufacture the free spool Venture reels anymore. I am not an extremely high dollar fly fisherman, neither am I a low-end fisherman, but I fish with quality equipment and some are irreplaceable. I hope by publishing this report today I have helped some of you guys avoid the tragedy that happened to me on Monday.

Fishing the Super Beadhead Nymph

In October I was fishing with what I will call a super nymph on Smith Lake; when I discovered it made the difference in the slow morning I was experiencing. The surface action had long gone after the sun consumed the banks, so my next option was to go down under. I had tried a number of nymph patterns with no success, when I decided right before I was ready to call it a day to give the super nymph a try. On the second cast it produced a nice bluegill, which gave me confidence to stay a while longer.

I like the Tungsten beadhead used on this nymph, because I can get a faster drop verses a traditional beadhead. This pattern continued to produce throughout the morning.

After having success with the olive pattern, I decided I would get David at the Trout Zone to tie me up some other colors. I wanted these to have a little more hackle at the neck and a different color tail to contrast with the body.  I haven't tried the other colors on the lake, but come spring I will have a report for you guys. As usual he did an excellent job in tying up the exact pattern for me. 

The cream grub is my favorite. I landed numerous rainbows on the tailrace some weeks back dead drifting this nymph in fast water. Sorry I don’t have any images of that trip because I forgot my memory card for my camera that day. I can see myself needing a lot of these cream grubs in my future, not only for the trout but for the monster gills on the lake. I don't know about you guys but I am ready for spring!!

 

 

 

 

 

Organizing Skills for Fly Fishing

Today’s post parallels my last entry of trying to be better prepared before you get on the water. As I told you in my last post I kind of pride myself in being prepared and ready to fish the minute I make it to the water.

For me, forgetting fishing items for a particular outing falls under the category of not being prepared; so I decided after last weeks fiasco I thought I needed something to bundle all my fly fishing equipment into one place; enter the Game Winner Bag from Academy Sports. 

I am not going to make the predication I will never forget something I need on a fishing trip again, but I will say this Game Bag should make it easier for me to keep my fly fishing equipment in one place.

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    Notice the shoe horn, which is extremely handy to get your boots on much faster. I also like to use a folding stool to sit on when I am lacing up my boots and removing my waders. I am always looking for a way to make my trips easier and adding the stool and shoe horn certainly helps. This will be my last post until after the first of the year, so let me wish all you guys a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

 

 

 

Numerous Trout Landed on Friday’s Trip

I was on the tailrace Friday and was having one of my better days, where I brought 6 to hand and lost that many in a couple of hours. I was taking pictures of all the trout I landed and the surroundings, when I noticed, after numerous shots I got this message saying no memory card. I am sure the message was popping up on every image I took, but I was so caught up in the moment of landing trout, until I didn’t noticed the message until I shot my last image. Upon arriving home I discovered the card was still in my computer, where I had downloaded some images earlier in the day----talk about a bomber.

This incident reminded me of the half hearted trip I made last year when I arrived at the tailrace with the intentions of fishing the lower section the tailrace, only to discover I had left my fly rod at home. I left as fast as I arrived and didn’t return for the day. I felt I needed the punishment of missing this trip, because again of not being organized. I like to think I am a fairly organize fisherman, when it comes to getting things together for a fishing trip, but Fridays ordeal reminded me I still have some work to do in that department.

                                                                  

Sorry I don’t have any images of the trip, but I promise to make amends on my next outing. I know none of you guys have ever done anything like this.