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

Great Techniques for Streamer Fishing for Big Browns and Rainbows

Guys I have to share this great video clip from the New Fly Fisher. You all know by now that the fly fishing show is my favorite. This particular clip has a bunch of techniques used for streamer fishing for big browns and rainbows. This segment is on the Platte River in Wyoming in the summer. Bill Spicer talks about equipment, line, and the type of streamers he is using. I have learned so much about fly fishing by watching his video clip segments. Whenever The New Fly Fisher puts out a new clip I am on it.  

                                                                                              

                                                                                       

                                                                            

The Tiger Bass a Beast on Steroids

I am kind of behind on my blogging lately. This past week I have been helping one my fishing buddies stock a new lake that has been built about 15 miles from my home. When I say new lake this is probably more of a large pond. It is about 30 areas with depths of 30 to 40 feet in the deepest area. There is plenty of cover throughout the lake and the Alabama Game and Fish has been extremely helpful in letting the owner know the correct number of species of fish to get the lake fish friendly. I thought 50,000 bluegill was a bit much when it came to perch in the lake but the Game and Fish said that one can never have enough feed fish in a lake when you are dealing with predator fish such as the largemouth bass. The particular bass I am referring to here is the Tiger Bass which grows at a tremendous rate and has a very aggressive attitude. This fish can gain as much as 2 lbs per year in a well managed lake. I have talked to individuals who have fished for and landed the Tiger Bass and they compare it to a smallmouth on steroids. Think about the fight on a 6 or 7 wt. fly rod. I am glad that I will have access to this hot lake in about two years. Who knows guys I may do a post in future years that could have a trophy Tiger Bass image attached.  

The Versatile G-Loomis Venture 3 Fly Reel

I am sure some of you guys read the post I did on the purchase of my new Greys XF2 Streamflex 9 ft. 3 wt. fly rod. After getting the rod you know I had to get the perfect reel to match the rod. After searching the net for a week I finally decided that the perfect reel for balance and weight was one that I actually had on my Temple Fork 4 wt.  I am talking about the G-loomis Venture 3. This reel is sold in arbor size 3, 5, and 7. The Venture 3 is the size used mainly for trout and panfish which will spool 2, 3 or 4 wt. line. I should have the reel here some times next week, and FINALLY, I get to try the combo out!!!

 The main reason aside from the weight and size I am impressed with this reel is the free spool. Free spool meaning I can retrieve a pile of line that may be at my feet in a hurry by simply touch spinning the rim face of the reel. The line is spooled up in a hurry without using the handle. The free spool feature alone is worth it because the quicker you get a large fish on the reel the better chance you have landing it. The following is the description of the Venture from the G-loomis Website.

The smallest of our VENTURE Series fly reels; the #3 is made for trout & pinfish and size 2, 3 and 4-weight fly lines where you don't require a lot of backing. The backing capacity is based on standard dacron (2WF plus 120 yards 20#, 3WF plus 100 yards 20#, 4WF plus 75 yards 20#), but we recommend Power Pro "super braid" because you can get more on each spool

Man Did I Pay for Those First Fish of the Season

You know you can only watch so many fishing videos and video clips, before you just have to get out on the water. That water in this case was a private small lake of ten acres. I usually fish this place when everything else is out of kilter. The 4 wt. rigged with one of my Road Kills I purchased from Fly Fishing and Tying Obsessed was the choice of the afternoon. The cream color was getting the most attention with a tiny weight clipped on about a foot above the fly. The hits were extremely slow and most were not heavy enough to set the hook. After about an hour the action played out and I left the wind and the lockjaw fish to itself.

This trip didn’t help my sinus infection that started last week. It only got worst with all the wind and cold breeze. So I spent Saturday morning in Urgent Care getting a shot in my rump and a Z-pack that has made me feel worst than the sinus infection.

I am still waiting for the generation at the lake to stop so I can try out my Streamflex fly rod below the dam. I know the trout are waiting but I just can’t get to them with roaring water pouring out of the generators.  

Water temp was 52 which made for a slow presentation--lots of fun on the 4wt.