View Cabelas New Fly Fishing Curriculum--"Fantastic"

I was on Cabelas website yesterday and discovered that they were featuring a fantastic curriculum dealing with just about anything one would want to know about fly fishing. This gets even better guys, after you have read the curriculum, you have the opportunity to register and join the Federation of Flyfishers; which in turn will entitle you to get their free online FlyFisher Magazine for a year along with all their E-news. I have gone through the Curriculum, and found it extremely helpful. I have also received my first edition of the magazine which has a ton of information dealing with fly fishing. The following topics below are covered in the curriculum:

Fly Reel Training

Fly Rod Training

Fly Line Training

Fly Casting

Leader Tippet

Entomology

There are numerous subtopics covered under each main topic above. Cabelas has hit a home run on this one, when it comes to educating one on the art of fly fishing.

Orvis Fly Reel and Framed Streamers

I am sure all of you are familiar with the Orvis Battenkill fly reels. I have been searching for the Battenkill II Reel for some time at a decent price. Well, I found the reel the other day on Ebay for the unbelievable price of 65.00 used regular price 145.00 plus tax. Just goes to show if one has patience when shopping for fly fishing equipment, good things will follow. I bought the fly rod that I was going to used with the reel some months back when Cabelas had a clearance on their Redington Trout Classic fly rods for 75.00, regular price at 150.00.

With this 5 wt reel/rod combo I’m ready now for those 14” to 15” rainbows on the tailrace and some huge bluegills on the lake. 

  The Poudre Canyon Special & Yankee Smelt by Alan at Small Stream Reflections --Alan does a fantastic job creating fly patterns that he has tied. I gave my son these streamers for Christmas and he had all four streamers framed.

The Brown & Grizzly with the Red Baron both by Alan--Sorry for the distorted frame size in the image; I have big-time trouble keep the glare out of the picture when shooting anything that has glass in it--any suggestions how to avoid that? Many thanks to Alan for tying these great streamers--my son has a special place on the wall for them.

Rivers, Streams, Water Falls, Food and More

I got an email the other day from Benton Gibson a viewer who had watched one of my video clips on stream fishing. He said he loves to use the fly rod to fish streams and rivers in his home state of Mississippi. He wanted to share a few images of the Bogue Chitto River in the Pearl River Basin off the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is an area he fishes often for bass and sunfish.

Easy to fish with the fly rod--wet wading in the summer months

I can see my fly drifting by the root system near the far bank. Benton has offered to take me on a trip down this river later in the year. He even offered to film the trip. I am considering his offer. I will keep you guys posted.

I also received an email from another viewer commenting about my Natchez Trace Post, where I featured Jackson Falls along the Trace.  I only showed you an image in that post; well I thought I would share the live video of Jackson Falls. My wife and I will make a trip here this summer. I will have to toss a fly below the falls while we are there.

This is another reason I love fishing in general, which is the food aspect. My wife and I had an awesome meal last night which consisted of baked bluegill fillets, baked french fries, coleslaw, and tomatoes. Notice I said baked, that is the route both of us have to go when eating fish or meats. Sorry, I can't share the meal with you guys, but trust me when I say it was delicious!! 

Five Different Wet Fly Patterns Ready For a Take!!

I just got my new shipment of wet flies in today from Flydeals and can’t wait to get on the water with them soon. The guys there do an excellent job tying up any pattern one might come up with. I placed an order for 60 wet flies in five different patterns. The minimum order one can place with this company is five dozen, but for 31.00 bucks including shipping, I think I got a pretty good deal. I want to use them mainly as a dropper off some of the dries I will be fishing when the tailrace water recedes. There are more dries and nymphs used on the tailrace as opposed to the wet flies, so these patterns might give me an edge. The rain has caused the lake to rise above the full pool, causing the generators to practically run 24/7. The five patterns below are going to be my go-to wet flies come Spring. Flydeals included a quote with each fly pattern for this order; I thought you guys might enjoy the widsom.

Black Peacock Spider size 14

Quote: Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout. Irish Proverb

Brown Hackle Peacock size 12

Quote: Standing in a cool stream with a mountain range or meadow nearby, fly rod in hand, is the way God meant mankind to live. Jon Margolis

 Hawthron size 10
Quote: Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job. Paul Schullery

Partridge Orange size 14
Quote: If people concentrated on the really important things of life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
Doug Larson

Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle Wet size 16
"To him, all good things"--trout as well as eternal salvation come by grace, and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy. Norman Maclean
Please feel free to offer any other patterns you think might work on this pressured tailrace

Learning How to Fish Streamer Patterns on Small Creeks and Large Rivers

The streamer post I did this past week really got me fired up about this fly and how to fish them. For those of you who don't remember or didn't see it, check out this link. I must admit that I have used streamers very little trout fishing. I recently read an article about how to use streamers on small and large streams wading. The article went into detail on how to select the correct size streamers and weight rods for a particular stream you might be fishing. Instead of using a link to refer you to the read, I will display the article below. If you have anything to add please feel free to offer suggestions. 

Fishing Streamers While Wading

Fishing streamers while wading a river or stream isn’t as specialized an endeavor as fishing from a boat, but an angler should watch for the appropriate situation for streamers. The size of the water will dictate the size of the rod. A five weight will suffice on smaller streams and rivers, but a six weight is more appropriate for larger waters with larger trout. The size of the flies and the distance of the casts are the primary considerations.
Flies used on small to medium size waters should be a little smaller than those used on big rivers. The main reason is that there are fewer fish capable of eating a huge fly and a smaller size will get more action.
Streamers seem to perform best on streams when water conditions are high or off-color. As a result, this type of fishing might be effective when conditions are blown out for dry fly and nymph fishing. Tight line nymphing skills will certainly help though.
Many anglers tend to cast across the river and let the fly swing before or during the retrieve. This is fine in big holes and long runs but becomes less effective in broken water. Be sure to look at the water under your feet. Some of our best success has come from flipping a streamer just off the bank, letting it sink, and staying in contact with a tight line as it drifts downstream. This is usually accomplished with only a few inches of fly line out of the rod tip.
Unlike fishing from a boat you are certainly grounded so you can spend as much or as little time as needed on each spot. After a few retrieves, you should change where you’re casting or move on. If you see a fish flash the fly wait a minute before casting back to the same spot. Chances are good the fish will take another swipe if it didn’t get the hook on the first attempt. Keep the fly in the strike zone as long as possible by casting downstream and holding the fly in the current. Give the fly action with the rod tip, letting it fall with some slack, then twitching it back to life. Repeat the process several times before pulling the fly out of the water.
Open, meadow streams often provide the most opportunities for streamers. A fly fisher can proceed quietly along the stream bank and fish both sides of the creek without getting in the water. Again, be sure to give plenty attention to the water under your feet.

The size of the streamer fly you choose will depend on your goals. Pick a smaller size like #8-10 if you want more action. However, the average size trout will be in line with the river’s average size. Pick a larger size if you’re willing to trade action for quality. Most average size trout won’t respond to a larger #2 streamer but a larger fly will often stir larger fish

I also viewed a great video that really incorporates some of the tactics described above in the article. Take a look and see if this clip is as helpful to you as it was to me. The video is a little over 5 minutes long and worth the wait for the big trout he will land towards the end of the clip.-----enjoy!!!
The link for the video---http://btrussell-fishingthroughlife.blogspot.com/2013/01/learning-how-to-fish-streamer-patterns.html



Four Fantastic Streamer Patterns

Alan over at Small Stream Reflections was having a contest back in December involving naming a streamer he had tied. The person who submitted the best name won the streamer. I was lucky to win because there were so many great names submitted. The name that won it for me was “The Red Baron”. I was really excited to win it because it was a streamer I thought I would try in the spring on the tailrace. I couldn’t believe how fantastic this fly looked up close after I received it in the mail. In fact, I will never fish it; instead, I emailed Alan and ask him if he would tie me three more of his streamers that he has shown on his blog. I thought these four streamers under glass would be the perfect Christmas gift for my son who is an avid fly fisherman. Needless to say, he was blown away when he opened the package on Christmas morning.

 Alan was kind enough to include a printed list of all the materials used to create each streamer. My photography does not do these streamers' justice. Jason said he is going to have all of the streamers framed under glass. I will have to post an image when the flies are framed. Alan is not only a superb fly fisherman but excellent at tying flies.   

Just wanted to share with you guys an image of the HUGE 3" snow we got this Thursday

To Fish With or Without a Guide

I was reading Kevin Frank’s great post from Feather Chucker the other day about fishing with his buddy Lance who is a professional fly fishing guide in North Carolina. It got me to thinking about guide fishing in general. My closest encounter with a fly fishing guide has been on the Internet and the owner of our local fly shop below our tailrace. I have often thought about using a guide when I am fishing the Caney Fork in Cartridge Tennessee. It is really a pressured tailrace with bank, wading fisherman, canoe, and kayak fishermen on the water daily. There is a number of guides who frequent the area and stay quick busy throughout the year. I know I would probably land more trout and learn a lot more about this tailrace if I had a guide. So to convince me I need a little guidance in unfamiliar streams and tailraces, I have listed a few advantages of fishing with a guide.

Become familiar with the hatch stages where I am fishing and what patterns work best during a particular time of day and month.

Learn to read the water, as to where the different species of trout hold

Since most of the feeding by trout is down under, learn to fish the nymph pattern better

Learn how to use the streamer more effectively in fast water versus slow water

Recognize hot spots and never forget where they are on a particular stream you might be fishing

And last—realize that a guided fishing trip for me is not all about landing a lot of trout, but more of a learning experience—in other words, think of the outing as a day spent in an outdoor classroom.
Feel free to list your own advantages

Relating the Prolific Bluegill With my Childhood

 I was reading the local newspaper yesterday about the bluegill, probably the most underrated fish that swims in warm water. The bluegill is the fish I started out fishing for when I was a little tot no more than four years old. My Mom would tell my brother and me to watch the cork and then pull up on the cane pole to set the hook and then retrieve the fish. We were landing some of the larger ones in a creek channel that feed into our small pond below our house. We were excited little boys, to say the least watching that cork go under and then playing the fish to the bank. Another fun part of the trip was catching the green and brown grasshoppers we used as bait. This same scenario would play out on weekends when my Dad was home and not working. As I get older I find myself reliving those days more often. This spring my Grandson Bryson’s will go on his first fishing trip with me and I plan to use the same tactics that my Dad and Mom used with me and my brother when were little. He will be 4 years old and ready for the outing. Of course, it will not be all fishing we will have to do a little exploring too. He loves the outdoors.

 As most of you know I have been challenging myself for the past two years to land 100 supersize bluegills during the spawning season. Well, this year I am going to add a new twist to the quest; I am starting my challenge early in March and ending it the last of June. This early start will give me the chance to land some monster bulls before they ever spawn. No one in the area fishes for these fish until they go on the bed, so the early start will give me the edge. I will be using nymphs in the form of wet flies and weighted nymphs. This means fishing much deeper water as oppose to the spawning depths. The rod weights will also have to be altered as well to compliment the nymphs. I like to use at least a 5 weight when I am going down under and a 4 weight when I am fishing the dries and poppers. I intend to use more dries this year along with the tiny poppers, especially in the clear waters of Smith. I feel the dries will help attract the bigger gills off the rock walls early with all the insect activity happening there.

 One of the best nymphs to use off the deep banks early is the famous bugger

 The black bugger is deadly

 How could I do this post on bluegills and not mention the Black Gnat, as I have said many times the best-wet fly I have ever used for gills-sorry the company that tied this pattern has gone out of business, I bought all he had left, which was close to 50 flies.

 The Humpy will be one of my go-to dries throughout the spawn this year, this fly should be a killer is size 10 or 8

 The Muddler Minnow is another excellent surface fly that will get results

 The Bett's Popper in chartreuse, white and black all three are productive

This little popper is one of the best Betts poppers that I use. I especially like the black/white leg pattern.

Just one of the big bulls I landed last year--10 weeks to go before the quest begins!!

92---5 Star Rating on Cabela's Dryplus Waders

Guys I got two fly fishing reviews that I want to share with you. I am in the hunt for a new pair of waders, which don’t cost through the roof, but yet will take the wear of a day’s fishing. I think I found the wader in Cabela’s Dryplus Prem Chest Waders. I was really impressed with triple layer knees and the fact that they don’t fit loose to the point where they are baggy. The review on these waders are astounding with 144 reviews resulting in 92 –5 star---36 –4 star—6—3 star and only 6 ---1 star.

 Another item some you guys might be interested in is the new Tenkara Temple Fork Fly Rod in 10 and 11 ft. I recently had a chance to actually get a feel for this rod the other day when I was visiting Riverside Fly Shop located off the tailrace at Smith. It was the first chance for me to pick one up and I have to say I was impressed. The lightness and the sensitivity of these rods are astounding. I am still in the thought stage as to purchasing one.

The generators are running continuous at the lake now and fishing below the tailrace is too dangerous for wading. Randy at Riverside told me the other day that there were 1500 rainbow ranging from 12 to 15” released in the tailrace the other day, so I may get to connect with one soon, once the water levels get back to normal. One of my main objectives this year is to fish the tailrace much more as opposed to last year.

Fly Fishing Streams in Mississippi

I use to fish sparingly with the fly rod back during my early days in Mississippi. I was too busy fishing my bait casting combo for largemouth bass mostly from my small aluminum boat. Little did I know that when I lived there that there were 100’s of small streams in the state that was a fly fisherman's dream. This fact really hit home the other day when I was reading the Outdoor Sports section of the Clarion Ledger the largest newspaper in Mississippi. Rex Jones a documentary film maker at Ole Miss had put together a fantastic piece on fly fishing streams in Mississippi. The documentary features David Frazier an avid warm water fly fisherman who has fished some of the best streams in the state for bluegill, spotted bass and largemouth bass. After watching the video, I discovered I missed out on some great stream fishing using the fly rod in Mississippi when I lived there. Hope you enjoy the video much as I did; it is worth the watch.

 

 

 

Interchanging Fly Line Weights With Fly Rod Weight

 

I started experimenting towards the end of the fishing season last year with interchanging different line weights with the fly rod weight. I did this because at times fishing the tailrace I experienced lots of wind in some of the narrow areas. I started using a 5 weight line with my 4 wt fly rod to help cut through the wind a little better. I found the exchange made it much easier to cast and place the fly with more accuracy. I also discovered that with the wind ripples on the surface I didn’t need the longer leader in the 9 -10ft. range; I could actually fish a 7 ½ ft. leader and get even more accuracy. So hopefully I have the wind problem solved when it is whipping down the gorge at break neck sped.

 After trying the “wind scenario” and it proving to be successful; my next experimental pairing will be to use 2 or 3 weight line with my 4 wt 8 ½ ft. fly rod. With this pairing I still have the power in the rod, but I am getting a much softer and lighter presentation of the fly as it touches the surface. Using a 9 to 10 ft leader/tippet size will cause even less disturbance on the surface. The trout here experience a lot of fishing pressure and I feel the lighter the better for me when it comes to producing a take on a tiny dry or nymph. This will be my first set-up I will be experiment with when I get back on the water. I know a lot you guys have interchanged lines with rod weights; what’s your take on line weight verses rod weight?

 

Hope all you guys have a great Christmas!!!

Viewing the Mico Nymphing Technique--Interesting!!

 

I have to admit trout fishing or any kind of fishing is put on the back burner during this time of year for me. The tailrace will be up and going again sometimes this month. There will be 3000 rainbows released right below the dam in the coming weeks. These trout will be coming from Missouri and will be larger than the 9-10" trout we get from Tennessee. I hope to be on the water as soon as the trout get accumulated to the surroundings. In the meantime I fill the days going to the gym, removing tons of leaves in the yard, visiting our children and grandchildren and watching lots of fly fishing videos clip on YouTude. While scanning the tube yesterday I came across this neat little piece of footage I thought was really interesting. It is called “Micro Nymphing” the guy gives an excellent presentation on this nymphing  technique. I learn something every time I watch one of these clips; I hope you learn something as well.

 

 







Converting a Good Trout Stream Into an Excellent Trout Stream

Guys I wanted to share some of the good things that are happening on our tailrace below Smith Lake. There is a mile stretch that Alabama Power is making improvements on. It will give the area a Western look with all the pebbles and boulders they are adding. A lot of the water on the stretch has been diverted to create some natural looking seams, deep runs and fast water with less depth. The improvements were drawn up by the Southeastern Engineering Stream Improvement Firm. Trout Unlimited and the Riverside Fly Shop which is located on the tailrace worked closely with the Engineering group. The results have been spectacular as far as this area is concerned for trout fishing. The following images below can give you some insight into the work that has been done. All of the improvements for this area should be finished by the end of January. The work on the next two mile stretch will begin next fall below the pump station. After that completion there will a little over 3 miles of Western style trout fishing here in Jasper. Think of the revenue that can be produce for this cash striped county.

One will have much more room for the back cast now

Notice the large rocks that have been added

There is very little water that is flowing while all this work is going on.

This image was taken after they completed this area, the water was shut down the next day to start work above this area--can't wait to fish this place!!

Some of the smaller rocks that are being place in the stream bed.

Here is another area that is complete, a lot of rock broaders are being used

Finished stream that has been narrow with depth and underwater logs

Huge boulders at the edge of a deep hole with underwater logs--this should be a great area

This area use to be extremely wide and shallow; it is half the that size now

A little creek area flowing into a small pool which opens up at the other end--interesting place to fish for trout

An Awesome Gift From a Fly Fishing Buddy



 

I have to admit that I am a little behind on my blogging. Reading my new fly fishing book, which one of my fly fishing buddies gave me has limited my blogging time. It is the type book one picks up and just can't put down. The book "The Complete Book of Flyfishing" has to be the total package when it comes to flyfishing. It covers everything from the evolution of flyfishing to small streams, saltwater, salmon and sea trout. I must admit that I am not into the saltwater scene, but it did have some interesting techniques for streamer fishing. The section on insects, equipment, and still water fishing is outstanding. The illustrations and images are extremely vivid and detailed.  One thing that got my attention from the start of the read was when and where flyfishing got its start. I never realize that the first literary description of flyfishing comes about in the year AD 200. Remarkable that this great sport we all have come to love started that far back. I found out that one can never learn everything about flyfishing and this book proves it. The image below gives you some insight into the research and authors who contributed to this "Encyclopedia of Flyfishing". I am sure some of you guys out there have heard or even read this book, but for those of you who haven't had the pleasure; it is worth the read on those days you can't get out on the water.   

 

A sidenote here: Am I the only one having trouble loading my post on Outdoor Blogger? I have just about given up on uploading post there. I usually get this message "error timed out" --can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?