Keepsakes

 A Keepsake can be defined according to Webster's and Google as something kept in memory of the person who owned it or something kept as a memento. All of us have items in our possession that would qualify as a keepsake or mementos. The older and longer an individual keeps the memento items the more valuable they seem to become to that person or persons. 

So you guys ask, where did this post originate from? As I was stringing my three fly rods for one of my early morning fishing trips the other afternoon, I couldn't help but admire the three flyrods/reel combos I had chosen for the early morning outing. It has taken me years to assemble the seven combos I own and all have special meaning. I can recall some of the fish I've brought to hand using each one.  All seven of my combos have met my needs for fly fishing and I will continue to do so for the rest of my fishing. This may be a bold statement, but I will never purchase any more fly rods or reels for the rest of my fishing days. All are considered special in my mind, but the one that really stands out is the combo given as my retirement gift 15 years ago. I have mentioned this fly-fishing combo numerous times on this blog. I am referring to my special Streamflex 9 ft. 3 wt. paired with my Orvis 3 wt. fly reel.

This combo is truly a Keepsake that I treasure and I hope it will stay in the family for many years.

Another Keepsake I treasure is the bone-handle Case hunting knife that my Dad purchased over 50 years ago. He never used the knife because he didn't want to damage it. Dad was a Case pocket knife guy and owned quite a few in his lifetime. My Mom gave the knife to me over 25 years ago. The sheath has seen some wear over the years but will still holster the blade and protect the handle.

Two written texts that I am glad I took the time to assemble are my  Ancestry research and my blog to book. Both have special meaning and will be shared with family members over the years.

All of you know what a big western fan I am and anything to do with the wild west interests me. Ten years ago,  my son gave me a solid bronze 8 lb. statue of a Sioux warrior in full battle dress. It sits proudly in our den and one day will sit in Jason's den.

Three years ago, I decided to give Jason a Christmas gift that he would keep for the rest of his days. His interest in fly fishing got me thinking about some unique streamers framed under glass. This is where my blogging buddy Alan at  Small Stream Reflections entered the picture. I wanted him to tie 15 streamers utilizing as many colors as possible in the streamer patterns.  Jason and I were amazed at the detailed work he did creating each streamer pattern. He is truly a master at the tying vice! This streamer picture is what one would consider a keepsake that will stay in the family for years to come. It has been hanging on Jason's bedroom wall at our house for the past three years. It will find a new home in Jason's house in Noverber, which is when his house will be ready to move in.  

All these Keepsakes or Mementos will hopefully stay in our families for many generations. I know all of you guys have mementos or keepsakes you value. What would you consider the top three or four items you would want to keep in your family?

Blogger is Changing

I found out a couple of days ago about some of the changes occurring with Blogger. I started using Blogger back in 2010 and have never used any other means to publish my post. Yesterday was a shocker for me when I found out that I couldn't delete some of the blogs I follow that don't post anymore. If you go to the layout link in the dashboard and select the gadget "Blogs That I Follow" you will notice that it has changed. This new version only allows you to follow ten blogs. If you try to add more than 10 blogs none will display on your feature blog page. The following links will not work anymore from this gadget. The Snippet of most recent item, Thumbnail of most recent item and Date of the last update. The only way for me to see if you guys have submitted a new post is to click on your blog title to see you have submitted a new post. If you are using WordPress or some other blogger support service, those blogs will show the broken links I have mentioned above. With Blogger I don't have that option anymore. 

My wife told me this might be a blessing in that I don't follow as many bloggers as I use to. The 10 I selected to follow is about all that I communicate with these days. Still, these little changes that keep occurring with Blogger are annoying. It makes me wonder just how long Blogger will be around for those of us who use it as a means to share our posts.  

I was on the Blogger Forum yesterday communicating with bloggers who are having some of the same problems I am experiencing. A lot of the individuals were experiencing other issues. I am sharing a link that helps explains some of the changes occurring-----Blogger Hints

Working Through Some Frustration

 

I'm glad summer with its humidity, rain, and heat is coming to an end. I got a feel of some early fall weather Friday morning as I launch my boat at the dam on Smith Lake. A light jacket felt good to be wearing as I motored to one of the many rock walls in Ryan Creek. Fall is some of the best times to fish the lake using a fly rod and popper. 

The closer you get the popper to the wall the better chance you have to get the hit. The heavy rains didn't affect the clarity of the water, making it easy for the bluegill and spotted bass to target the popper. 

The bass was not hitting anything on top and this one was the only one that hit the little popper. I am not complaining because anytime I can land quality bluegill using the 3 wt. I'm pleased!

The winner today in the popper category was the size 8 Orvis Bluegill Bug. I have mentioned how effective this little popper is before in a previous post, but today it outperformed anything I was casting. What makes this popper so special is its ability to go subsurface when moving it. Most all the hits today occurred when the tiny popper was submerged. I always select this popper when the fish are not responding to surface poppers and today was one of those mornings. 

What a great way to spend a cool early fall morning fishing some of my favorite rock walls on beautiful Smith Lake. All these beauties were taken using the little subsurface Bluegill Popper. 

32 fillets ready for the freezer to be enjoyed during the winter months. 

A little frustration, no a lot of frustration trying to maneuver a trout fishing trip on the Sipsey these days. I do have the option to fish on the weekend, but I'm not a fan of casting thirty feet from someone else above and below me. The weekends are the only time the generators are not running. I am grateful I have Smith Lake to fish during the drawdown. Today's trip help me work through my frustration----Hopefully, the drawdown will be complete by October.  

The Color "Orange"

Orange, red, green, chartreuse, and white are all colors that are used when fishing poppers for bluegill and bass. One would think brown or black would be dominant colors fishing for warm water species, but not the case when trying to get a hit from weary bluegill or bass. The primary color of almost all insects that touch the water surface on Smith is black and brown, but I get many more hits using bright colors as opposed to the insect colors. 

The fish were hitting orange on Tuesday morning. I tried other colors which resulted in no hits. As soon as I tied on the Orange popper the bass jumped on it. This Spotted Bass came out of the water to inhale the orange popper. This fish was the second landed on the popper off the wall in the background. The first bass on this same wall was larger and broke me off while I was trying to get it on the drag. Never let your fly line get tangled up at your feet while you are trying to land a fish. How I wish I could have touched that fish I lost!!

The following are some more orange lovers. The bluegill sucked the popper into its gills; it would be my only good bluegill of the morning. The depths on most all the walls now are 10 to 20 ft. as the drawdown continues getting ready for the fall season. The lake is well below full pool during the fall and winter.  I kept wondering what bug the fish thought this popper was? All the Spotted Bass today were respectable giving my 3 wt. a workout!

Who needs a ruler when one can simply have it tattooed on your leg. I think I will pass on this tattoo. Tuesday was another fun day on beautiful Smith Lake!!

Awesome Flyfishing Video

 Guys, I'm going to make this post short and let the video do the talking. Amelia and Dave Jenson do a fantastic job filming some of the most scenic and informative fly fishing videos I have ever watched. I've been watching their videos for over a year now and look forward to everyone they film. Check out their latest it is one of their best!!   

The Amnesia Popper Bug

 

Never think you know what the fish will hit from one day to the next. Looking in one's fly box will attest to that statement. I have flies and poppers in some of the fly boxes that I haven't used in a couple of years. But I still keep them thinking one day on a particular outing that special fly will be called upon to produce some takes. Such was the case on a special outing my son Jason and I made fishing Ryan Creek on beautiful Smith Lake this past week. I say special because Cathey and I had not seen him for a year and a half because of Covid. All three trips we made while he was here fishing the lake were special. Thursday's trip was his best because the popper he was using had not been used since early last year. This was a popper that was in one of my reserve fly boxes that had been on standby for over a year. Do I need any more flies or popper no? But I keep finding flies and poppers I think will be the ONE!! I have enough flies and poppers to last me the rest of my fishing days. So, Thursday's trip begins with a 4 AM wake-up alarm enabling us to leave the house at 4:30. We were on the water at 5 AM fishing on one of the epic rock walls before the sun came up. What makes this time so special aside from the bite, is the silk smooth water surface one encounters at this time of the morning on the lake. In other words, you make the most of what time you are given before the boat traffic takes over. 

The lighter the popper can touch the silk smooth surface film the better chance you have of attracting a bite. 

The first bass and bluegill of the morning that Jason landed. The popper that got all the attention from the bass and bluegill this day was the size 6 Amnesia Bug in pearly white. As stated in the intro this popper hasn't seen any action since early spring last year. Jason would land over 15 bass using this one popper for the 4 hour morning trip. I was using the smaller version and landed a third of his catch. 

This largemouth was taken off the wall behind Jason. The bass hit light making him think it was a large bluegill. As quick as it headed for deep water stripping drag he knew it had size. All larger bass here when hook will try to break off by finding a boulder and cover in deeper water. They seldom break the surface during the fight the depth dives are their strength! 

Another Largemouth landed to the right of the boat pier using the Amnesia Bug--one great popper when one is trying to imitate shad, which is the main diet of the bass on Smith. No surface fight in this video all the fight was down deep. This bass ended its fight in a depth of 52 ft. some distance from the rock wall. Next to this wall, there is a shelf depth of 20 ft. where the bass chase the shad close to the surface and inhale them as they try to make it to the wall for cover. Jason landed this fish using his 9 ft. Sage 4 wt. fast action fly rod----Jason and I are convinced if one wants to experience the ultimate fight from the largemouth and spotted bass on Smith one needs to use the fly rod. It takes skill to land these fish using a 5X tippet ---in other words, one doesn't rush the landing, because if you do you missed your chance to touch one of these great fighters!!