Building an Affordable Fly Rod Rack

How many of you guys tube your fly rods when you are not using them? I am guessing here but I would say the majority of all fly fishermen and women tube their fly rods when they are not fishing with them. I feel I am in the minority, because I never tube my fly rods, unless I know I am not going to use it for at least a season; or I know I am traveling some distance to fish. So where do I keep my 5 fly rods when they are idle? Well the 6 wt. is safe in its tube until next spring, the other four, which includes my two 3 weights, 4 wt. and the 5 wt. are all neatly placed in my newly constructed fly rod rack. 

This rack is inexpensive and easy to build and consists of the following materials:

One piece of ½” plywood 22” tall by 20” wide
One piece ½” plywood 7 ½” wide by 22 tall both plywood pieces have all the edges rounded
Four 2x2 pieces holding the rods in place are 7 ½” long with a concave cut out for the rod to rest against
The other 4 short 2x2 pieces are 2 ¾” long with the same concave cut for the base of the rod to rest on
A 4 ft. 2x4 can be used for all 8 rods rest

The tools you will need to complete this project would be a router with a concave bit and a skilsaw or hand saw to rip the 2x4 in half. Be sure to use the router to cut the concave in the 2x4 before you rip it in half. It is much easier to route a wide 2x4 as opposed to routing a narrow half 2x2. All the pieces are assembled with glue and screws, with the screws being driven in from the back.

Your materials for this project can be scraps of wood you may find laying around your house, or your neighbor’s house. If you don’t have a router you might borrow one from a friend or neighbor. I built the entire rack in a couple of hours and painted it to blend with the garage walls.

Notice the blind over the window, it is not only used to screen out sunlight, but I also use it to hook my flies in the fabric loops on the blinds. The blind loops not only pins the fly but it helps to keep the leader/tippet straight until my next trip. I don’t like to fish with a leader or tippet that is not straight.

When I am traveling to the lake or tailrace which is a short distance, I simply break the fly rod down in two pieces and tie with two short pipe cleaners. The pipe cleaners works perfect because they are so durable and bend well to hold the fly rod together until I get to my destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the Boggle Bug Popper for Some Fall Fly Fishing

My fishing buddy Charles and I made a fall fishing trip Tuesday to Smith Lake for some Boggle Bug top water action. The weather was excellent with no humidity at all and the water temperature was a cool 78. Both of us love fly fishing and it made for a great morning outing. We pretty much had the lake to ourselves and the smooth water surface was excellent to work the Boggle popper.

I scored early with the yellow popper fishing it with a slight jerk motion. I missed two fish before this spot finally inhaled the popper in water 30 ft. deep. The water this time of the year on Smith is crystal clear so the bass had no trouble seeing the yellow color. This bass put forth a solid test for the 5 wt. 9 ft. Redington. After numerous runs in depths of 50 ft. or more I finally got to touch this beauty.

After a lengthy fight, I finally landed this 2 lb. spot in what was an awesome start for the morning. For sheer power and fight the Spotted Bass has to be considered in the league with the smallmouth and a large brown trout.

I could have landed this bass in a matter of seconds using a 7 ft. fast action rod and baitcasting reel; but I would have missed the challenge of landing a superior fish verses a 5 wt. fly rod. I feel it takes a great amount of skill and finance to land any fish 2 lbs. and over using a 5 wt. fly rod and below. It seems in the fishing environment of today individuals are obsessed with landing a big fish and getting it to hand in a matter of seconds. I have to admit when I was younger and doing the bass fishing tournaments I was that guy. One doesn’t have to land a huge fish to experience the thrill of fishing, especially if you are using the fly rod. I can get just as excited landing an 8 inch rainbow with my 3 wt. as I can landing this spot today with my 5 wt. I realize now years later what I have been missing back in the day, when I gave up the fly rod at an early age. I hope to spend the rest of my fishing days enjoying landing many more fish using my fly rods.                                   

                                                                     

After the top action slowed I changed fly rods and starting casting my trusted Black Gant using my 4 wt. There was a slight breeze which hampered the top action so the Gnat proved effective just under the surface connecting with this nice bull bluegill. I would have counted this beauty but my quest is over for this year.

As the sun got higher overhead the fish move deeper, so I tie on an olive beadhead nymph which produced this nice gill.

Charles and I landed numerous bluegills using this pattern. I am no fly tier, but it looks fairly simply to tie. It proved to be a winner when all else failed. Working it slowly and letting it drop with a slow retrieve made for some savage hits. I haven’t tried this fly for trout but you can bet they will see it on my next trip to the tailrace.

One can really see lots of drift wood and structure this time of year on the lake. I have carried numerous drift wood pieces and stumps home this time of year along with a few bluegills for some great table fare. I am so lucky to have this body of water to fish, as all of would say about your home waters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Determined to Make The Trout Take What I Know They Should Hit???

Just when you think you have this trout fishing solved, it throws you a curve ball. My trip last Thursday proved that I have some more work to do in learning water reads, and matching fly patterns, with a particular hatch. The hatch was a few tiny flies, which I haven’t a clue as to the name, flying around most of the morning.  When I say tiny I am referring to a fly pattern in size 22 range; I know the following phase is a familiar theme with you guys “nothing was happening on top”, with the exception of an occasional sip at the surface once every 20 to 30 minutes. I tried to match the hatch with a tiny Gnat, Renegade, and a tiny PMD; knowing I was convinced that these series of flies were what the trout should be eating. These trout this day was going to show me that they had no interest in anything dry and wanted me to offer them something a bit more appetizing. So the process of elimination begin.

This area is moss covered and always has trout early and late in the day. I decided to give the run a try because I had landed a couple of trout here 3 weeks ago. So with the Zebra Midge tied on and using an indicator to stay just above the moss I begin casting. After some missed fish and problems with moss I decided to move onto another likely run.

I am so impressed with the breaks and small pockets here. This area is the closest I can get to western and eastern fishing.

The Zebra Midge got this trout's attention in one of the small pockets in this run. I missed numbers of trout in this segment of the tailrace, because it was really difficult for me to detect a take in some of the fast seams. This is the type water one needs to master using an indicator to be successful fishing tiny nymphs; I discovered today I need some work in this department.

I so enthralled with dry fly fishing today I even brought my little 7.6 ft. Redington with the matching Redington Drift reel. This little reel is only 3.5 oz. and is 2 1/2" in dia. The rod/reel combo weights in at 5.2 oz. and is a breeze to cast, and land this size trout here. I prefer my 9 ft. 3 wt. if I am fishing nymphs, but today I improvised with this little setup.

The bees were out today stocking up on the sweet nectar.

 

Howard over at Windknots and Tangled Lines ask me the other day how I fared with this years bluegill quest; CHECK OUT THE YEAR OF THE BLUEGILL

 

 

 

 

Techniques and Tips on Catch and Release of Trout

I am always experimenting when it comes to fishing and Thursday’s trip to the Sipsey was no exception. I decided I would not touch any of the trout today, and just release all the trout I landed using the forceps. My last trip resulted in having to resuscitate most of the trout I landed; which is something I willing to do to save the fish. There are numerous little puddles of water along the edge of the tailrace I fish, that can be used to steer the trout into, to get the picture and simple reach down and remove the fly and nudge him on his way. All the trout I landed Thursday swim away without any help from me. I know there will be times when I will have to handle the fish, but if there is a way to get the picture without the touch, I will try that first.

The following video serves as a great example of techniques and tips used in protecting the trout after the landing.

 

 

Dead Drifting Nymphs in Pocket Water

How many of you guys like to fish pocket water with a little depth? Well that was the ticket for Thursday’s trip to the Sipsey Tailrace. I skipped the usual areas where a lot of the guys fish and went directly to some deep pocket water with submerged logs and large boulders. I choose the Seal Leech again today, because I felt I needed the extra weight of the beadhead to descend right below the current drop. There was nothing fancy here; just letting the Leech dead drift towards the edge of the current and dropping into the pocket. After a few short hits, I finally made a connection, this time with the maroon Leech. I tried the grey color today but couldn’t attract any interest, so tying on the maroon pattern proved that color really matters.

The deep pocket in this run right below the log make it an excellent place to hold quality rainbow. I saw some trout in access of 14 to 16 inch here, but no takers.

This nice rainbow was using the pocket to inhale anything coming its way. In this case it was the maroon Leech. The grey Leech was getting attention in the form of short hits, which cause me to tie on the maroon pattern. This trout was quite a test for the 3 wt. especially against the current.

These colorful rocks can be found in the shallow areas of the tailrace. Both rocks made it home with me and now have a new place to rest in my rock fountain.

 Numerous ferns line the banks up and down the tailrace

Another nice bow from the log pocket on the maroon Leech. All the takes came as I slowly worked the Leech back to me. Notice I am not handling any of these trout.

I just had to stop at this spot on my way back to the truck, and see if a dry could muster a hit. I waded out a few feet from the steps that take you back up the hill to the truck. I was about ready to leave after ten minutes of casting, when I had a subtle take with the size 16 Parachute Adams. 

There was absolutely no dry action at all when I arrived and none when I left, with the exception of this trout. I got the perfect drift for this take, which lead me to believe their would more bows landed today on the dry, but it was not to be. Notice I didn't handle any of these trout today, my next post will address why.

 

 

 

 

Learning to Fish Fast Water Runs and Seams

I made it out to the Sipsey Tailrace Friday morning a couple of hours earlier than last week. The 6 AM start gave me a chance to miss the high humidity that one can’t escape if you live in the Deep South in September. I noticed immediately that there was no hatch at all, but that didn’t keep me from tying on the Bomber and letting it drip through a few runs. With only two hours to fish I knew that I couldn’t spend too much time with one pattern if it wasn’t producing. So with no takes on the dry, I left the run and went to the bank to try and come up with a game plan that would be productive for the time I had left. While sitting there enjoying the cool misty breeze coming off the water, I decided I would abandon the dries, nymphs and wet flies for the rest of the morning, and totally concentrate on the fast water up above me using nothing but the Seal Leech. I had used this pattern during the Trout Derby and had success with it in some slower water. So today would be its first test in the fast water above me.  

The water directly behind this boulder was less than a foot deep which became my position I used to cast up stream and let the Leech drift down and swing through the run in front of me. This run was fast but not anything like the water above me. So this run became my learning curve to get ready for the really fast water I knew I would encounter as I worked my way up this section. I really liked this water because of the deep pocket directly out in front of me. I had fish this area with a nymph and dry before without success so the Leech would get to test it today. First cast resulted in the Leech landing up and on the other side of the run. I stood here for at least 10 minutes working this one area. I was determined to give this water its due and at the same time work the area thoroughly with the Leech. 

My patience paid off as I made an extremely long cast close to the far bank and then let the Leech slowly swing through the deep pocket. I knew I had a take when I saw my line go and as I set the hook this guy went airborne. He posed for the pic a few seconds and then he was gone to fight another day.

I knew this area was going to be a challenge because of the rocks above and below I had to navigate through as I worked the Leech through some of the narrow runs and seams. If you notice this piece of water, it has numerous seams that can hold trout, and getting the right drift was a bit tricky here. The deepest water in this area was a couple of feet deep with some really fast water a foot or less. I had never fish here before. I always wanted to fish the place but was always intimidated by the current here. I am glad I had my wading staff, because most the rocks were covered with slick green moss. I knew I needed to hurry and get some cast in before the sun overtook the place. I begin casting to each seam and working it slowly, but at the same time giving the Leech time to worked its magic. I started immediately missing trout, I could see their sides as they would chase the Leech, and miss or short hit the fly----very frustrating!!

 

This trout broke the intimidation factor as I worked it close enough to use my forceps to release it. I decided not to net the fish because it was just too much work to get it to hand in this type water. As the forceps released the fly from his mouth the trout dropped into the water and poised briefly for this shot. This trout proved to me that I can actually fish some really fast water with success. In fact I have never seen anyone fish this area before.

 

Another fatty from this same area, which was quite a tussle bringing him back through the current with my 9 ft. 3 wt. I did manage to work him back to this rock for a quick pic. I waded a fine line here between the moss covered rocks and working this trout in position for a pic. I thought I was out West here guys; seeing the acrobatic show he displayed. As I brought this trout to hand I realize why we as fly fishermen and women love this sport so much. It is truly amazing!!!

This is an amazing little fly that can be used in either fast or slow water dead drifting. I found that most all the takes occured on the swing as you worked it back to you. I lost numbers of trout this morning because of short hits and of course me learning to fish a different type of water. I did find out that if you are going to fish this fly, get ready for some false casting. As you work the fly back to you line is building up at your feet; to make that long cast and get that great drift on your next cast that line has to go somewhere, hence false casting. In the end this lesson today was worth it.

As I was leaving I notice this little guy in a small puddle of water. I had never seen this type fish in the tailrace; I assume it may be some type of minnow. Does anyone have a name for this little fellow?