BULLETIN on REDINGTON CLASSIC TROUT FLY RODS!!!

Guys I have been watching Cabala’s website now for the past month for a drop in their Redington Classic Trout fly rods. Well today they drop the price from 100.00 to 74.97.  I was viewing Redington website this morning and they still have the same fly rod for 149.95, which is the full price for this rod. I also talk to Cabala’s to find out why they had dropped the price of their Classic Trout Redington and they told me that it is a special that will only be good until the first of October. So if you of you guys are looking for an outstanding fly rod without the heavy price tag this is the fly rod. I own 4 Redington fly rods and I can honestly say that it is one of the best fly rods I have ever used. I am so impressed with the workmanship of the rod and the lightness the fly rod possesses. I landed a 3 ½ lb. spot back in the spring using my 5 wt –9 ft. The 5 wt. rod weights in at 2.9 oz. Their 7 ½ ft. 3 wt. is 2.3 oz. I get nothing from Redginton for passing this information along to the fishing community. I just wanted to let you guys in on what I think is a fantastic deal. By the way pair this rod with there lightweight reel and you will have a nice setup.

Landing Crappie in the Summer Months

I went on one of my classic crappie fishing trips this week in Mississippi with my brother. We were using the Spider Fishing technique, which my brother has perfected to the next level when it comes to landing crappie. We both thought it was going to be extremely slow, because of the time of year, because one doesn’t land that many crappie in the summer months. Fall, spring and winter are your better months.

This boat is the perfect vessel to spider fish from. Notice the rod holders in the back and front. For ease of fishing my brother added two high back arm rest seats that will enable you to fish all day without tiring. Four long 11 ft. poles out back and four from the front, all are rigged with the color jig that my brother has determined will attract the hit for this time of year. I have my own personal guide and get to fish from one unique boat rigged to the tilt for this type fishing.

First crappie of the morning on a black/purple tube jig tipped with a crappie nibbet, a killer combination. Notice the rods out front. This is the easier fishing I have ever tried; because all one has to do is sit and watch the tip of the rod. When the tip goes under you simple play the fish down and boat it.

Another nice slab on the purple tube jig; these fish are not only fun to catch, but the table fare is unreal.

The only crappie on the crayfish color, everything else was on the dark colored jigs. Yes color does make a difference especially on slow days in the summer.

The shallow part of this lake is still cover with lily pads all along the edges and in the back. The Legion spent 11,000.00 to eliminate the pads in the early spring with no success. They are discussing distributing a herbicide on the pads which is suppose to kill them for good.

These are part of the group of 16 we kept to dress for a big fish fry later in the fall. I think the crappie is best of the best when it comes to eats mixed with fries, slaw, hush puppies and of course ice cold tea or your favorite brew.

Fishing the Bomber & Mystery Nymph Patterns

I finally got back on the Sipsey Tailrace today, a little late by my standards but 7 AM was the best I could manage. I notice as soon as I arrived that the 7 AM was a BIG mistake. I counted eight empty vehicles meaning everyone was on the water. Not to be discouraged I suited up and knew I was going to start the morning fishing one of my favorite holes right above the pump station. As I approached the area I notice 3 other fishermen already in place so I moved up towards the dam with a size 14 Adams tied on. No hatch no where means the one go to dry fly on the Sip is the Adams which I had tied on.

Heavy fishing pressure, and water a little high made for a true test today--this is one of my favorite runs. Missed a couple here on the Adams

First bow of the morning on Alan's Bomber--I changed dries because I was missing takes with the smaller Adams--the Bomber gave a bigger profile---second cast I landed this bow with the Bomber--

The dry action started to slow as the morning flew by causing me to tie on, David's Mystery Copper nymph pattern

The Copper Mystery nymph pattern produced one of my better trout this year on the Sip---thanks to one of the individuals near me for captioning this moment--a fitting end to a productive outing

The long way up to the top, makes me glad I work out in the gym three days a week--quite a workout here

I notice while walking back to the truck the Deer plots were already in place for the upcoming season--I hope to make this walk many times between now and winter.

 

 

Missed my Quest Again This Season

The bluegill quest is over this year for me, and I didn’t make the count for the third year. A little bit discouraging but at the same time very appreciative that I got to land 40 monster bluegills. This is my lowest number since I started my quest 3 years ago.

Aside from the trout, the bluegill has to be my second love with the fly rod. The sheer fight this fish can put forth makes it a worthy opponent on a 3 or 4 weight fly rod. Very seldom does the fight occur above the surface of the water, but below. The power a big male bluegill can put on a light weight fly rod by swimming side to side is astounding. No jumping here just raw power with their wide bodies. After numerous break offs with the 5X tippet, I now fish the 4X most all the time when going after the big spawning males in the early spring. I thought I would share with you guys a few worthy of a picture this season.

An early morning beauty on the Wulff Dry

The Road Kill landed this monster on Walker Lake early this year in March, I remember this fish on my 4 wt

The huge ice cube and five males and one nice female, all on top

These fish were especially memorable because of the size of the big male here compared to the other fish in this image. I remember I only counted two fish from this catch.

I usually don't count females but this one was so special, I just had to enter her in the quest. I also remember this fish, because of the slow morning I was having. She nailed a  tiny size 10 yellow bellied Humphy. The dry fly sits motionless for what I thought was an eternity, and then she exploded on the surface to inhale the dry---heart pounding action guys!!!!!

CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR

 

 

Budget Shopping and Deck Building

I guess most of you have notice my fishing post have been lacking lately. My son-in-law asked me a couple of weeks ago to help him build a 16 ft. square deck onto their present deck. So I volunteered my service. This has turned out to be quite a project. We should finish it up by this Labor Day weekend, and then back to some serious fishing.

I did manage to make a trip to the Bass Pro this past week. My wife’s car needed some repairs, which was going to take the better part of the morning; so with the loan car Ford gave me I headed out to the Bass Pro Shop to do some browsing. I was not on the search for anything special. I knew that the first place I was going to visit when I arrived was the fly fishing department. As I entered the department, one of the clerks asked me if I had seen the new chest packs they just got in. I told him no, so he proceeded to show me all the different sizes and brands they had on display. Being a budget minded retiree my eyes immediately focused in on the thirty bucks White River chest packs. I knew the William Joseph, Sage, and Simms that was on display were a cut above White River, but for a starter pack this one was in my price range.

 

 

As I get older I have discovered that fishing light is the best fit for me especially if I am wading. This smaller chest pack is going to be much lighter for me as oppose to my present fishing vest.

 

 

I also purchased White Rivers small fly box for 5.50 which measures out to be 4 ½” X 3” ------this smaller box fits well in the chest pack along with the other essentials items I would carry along for a morning or afternoon outing. I will be testing both of these items out later this week on the tailrace.

 

 

 

New Fly Fishing Show by Orvis Worth the Watch

I was scanning through the guide channels last night and came across an interesting fly fishing show called, “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” on the World Fishing Network. It covers everything from areas of the country to fish, equipment, fly patterns, reading streams, fishing lakes for trout and much more. Check your channel guide for the listing; it is worth the watch.