White Bass Flies

Today I sat down and tied some flies that I'm going to use for white bass fishing this year.  The bulk of them is clousers.  I've been trying to use material that I already have so I worked with some chartreuse material that could substitute for buck tail.   Here is a up close pic of a small clouser I tied.  I was messing around and tried tying a size 14 clouser.  It was a lot more difficult than I first thought.

It's been a while since I've tied some flies.  It didn't take long for me to get back into the swing of things.  Stabbing my fingers multiple times and getting glue on my hands.   I think I've tied enough clousers for this year and I played around with some patterns that worked last year.

I know these are ugly but they will work.  Speaking of ugly flies I attempted tying one that worked for catfish last year and I think is a good carp fly.  I have endearingly called it navel lint.

I love the coloring on the fly and the rubber legs hopefully give that extra attractiveness that makes fish strike.  The fly is somewhat easy to tie but I need to figure out an easy way to tie the rubber legs in.  They were a pain in the A$$!.   I tied them in first then while I was wrapping the dubbing which by the way was time consuming.  I put the dubbing in a thread loop and twisted it until it made a yarn like consistency.  Then I started wrapping the fly and tried to slowly go around the rubber legs.  It took a lot of concentration to go around the legs and not get them wrapped up in the thread.  So I had to find a balance of holding the legs with one hand and wrapping with the other.   It wasn't fun.  Watch these be the best flies that I've tied and I'll be up at night in tears tying 100 of these because they work.  The blend of dubbing is a custom blend made by Stu Thompson.  He's a popular carp fisherman in Canada.  He can usually be found hanging out at in the forums at warmfly.com. 

I was able to get out and fish.  I tried a local pond that is usually good no matter when you fish it.  A cold front was coming in and a constant cool breeze kept me from getting comfortable.  The fish weren't in their usual spots.  I walked around the pond and as I got near the back end I realized the wind was pushing the water in that direction.  I figured maybe bass were waiting in a back eddy for food to be blown in the current too them.  As luck would have it I was right and got a nice tug.

It always amazing me how differently colored largemouth bass can be.  This one has basically no lateral line to speak of.  It was so silver it almost looked white.   I caught it on a black wooly bugger.  I forgot how bass hit in cold weather.  It feels like your fly bumped a rock or stick on the retrieve.   If you give any slack the fish is gone.  If you keep stripping like you want to snag your fly you'll hook them.  I can never seem to remember to set the hook a few times too.  When I got this fish on shore he flopped a few times and the fly came right out.   I hooked a few more fish in the back eddy and the wind chased me off the pond.  I really didn't expect to catch much.  I would have expected to catch bluegill if I caught anything.  It's strange to be catching bass before sunfish.  I think this year is going to be different than any other year I've fished.  

Decisions, decisions...

I don't know if I'm just antsy or if it is the warm weather but I constantly have fly fishing on the brain. Even as I write this I should really be sleeping.  I couldn't though because when I closed my eyes all I could see is carp patterns being tied, deals on waders and my old wading boots.  My Orvis Clearwater boots are beginning to fall apart.  I'm fighting with the definition of what exactly falling apart means.  The felt is starting to separate from the soul.  Just slightly and the glue around the edges of where the soul connects to the rest of the boot is starting to come apart.  I know I could probably get away with using them this season.   The needy impatient part of me wants to replace them right away and use them for spares.  Then while searching other boots, my eyes mainly on the Simms Vibrams I ran across these guys.  Redington Chest highs for $40?   Should I get those as a spare?  Wait what about those materials for carp patterns should I just spend my money on materials for those?  I've resorted to begging a fellow blogger for some squirrels and rabbit fur.  Decisions, decisions.....  

I really don't need any of this stuff except maybe the fly tying materials.  I need to tie a nice stash for this year and white bass season is knocking on the door.   There's reports of people catching males right now on the Eno.   Hmmmm with this weather the Bowfin should be biting this weekend too.   Decisions, decisions.....

I'll probably end up just keeping the stuff I have and buying a few flies for specific occasions.  It's fun to shop but hard to pull the trigger lately.  Expendable income is an idea instead of a reality for me.   I'm spending more time with the fishing club too.  I've been suckered volunteered to organize this years Smallmouth trip.   I'd like to do a fall salt water one too.  The hard part is getting the logistics done.  Do we want to stay in a hotel or attempt to camp on the outer banks?   If a storm comes up camping could get interesting.   Decisions, decisions...

Pickerel Hunt

After my first attempt at catching pickerel this year I learned a few things.  I was going to have to find a solution for stopping the fish from cutting the leader.  The wire wasn't working.  It seemed to turn the fish off and the fly would work right in the water.   I searched online for other solutions.  I wanted a cheap fix and I came across this on Sierra Trading Post for $1.50.

I figured if it works for big steelhead it should be fine for pickerel. The weather lined up right and we had 3 days close to 60 degrees with overnight lows of above 40. I felt this would raise the water temperature considerably and the fish would be more apt to eat. I decided to invite my mother along to get more practice with the fly rod and get experience with some new water. Even with recent rains the water was very clear.

The tough part about this creek is the decent pickerel spots are far apart from one another. There's some good hiking involved. The water was still pretty cold and if I didn't spook a few pickerel while wading I would have been concerned. I'm not really sure if pickerel discriminate towards fly pattern. Last year I caught them on a Red Eyed Bass Bandit. The last trip I had a few go after clousers. There is a section I call pickerel alley where I have seen the most fish. I looked in a location where I've seen fish holding before and sure enough there was a good size pickerel there. These fish are either really brave or not used to being prey. They don't behave like other types of fish.  This fish held under a log while my mother and I talked right above it. The fish didn't move a fin. I was expecting it to bolt at any time. I flicked my clouser a few feet in front of its nose and the fish started to move. My heart skipped a beat. This was the biggest pickerel I have had the chance of catching. As it came closer I could tell by the pickerel's body language it was in curiosity mode. I gave the fly a little flick and the fish turned on predator mode and slashed at the fly. It was swimming away from me so all I saw was the mouth open and I could see the white from the fishes gill plats indicating it swallowed something. I set the hook and at first the fish was lethargic. I wasn't sure if it was from the cold water or it wasn't sure that it was in danger. Once it noticed pressure was coming from the bank the fish decided to fight. It made a nice jump and gave a few runs but the fight overall was pretty short. Now came the fun part of landing it. This is where the 35lb tipped came in. I grabbed the tipped and pulled the fish up the bank without worrying about the line breaking. Once the fish was on land it really started to flop around. I regretted leaving my net in the car. I subdued the fish and made sure I kept clear of the toothy end. In the water the fish looked gray but out of the water you could see the fish was really green with iridescent yellow spots.

It was a nice fish for sure and seemed to be healthy. After taking another pic I let the fish go and watched as it slinked under some debris. It went back to being motionless, blending in with the submerged logs and tree branches around it. We continued to fish pickerel alley and I hooked a couple more fish but I couldn't land them. My mother had a few chances too. The key was fishing near rip rap and having the right retrieval of the fly. If you just dragged the fly through the water you wouldn't even get a follow. If you did a certain retrieve with the right 2-4inch strips you'd usually get a follow. The fish would hit right after a strip while the fly was falling or it would just stare at the fly. It would sometimes follow it all the way to the ground and just keep looking at it. I tried leaving the fly there for a minute then twitching it. The fish still just stared at it. I think pickerel are smart enough to tell the fly is not food if they get a close enough look. The trick seems to really be stripping it a certain way so the fly looks alive and the fish doesn't have enough time to really inspect it. These fish are really fun to catch but the location they inhabit is challenging. There were plenty of places we looked at where we knew for 100% certainty there had to be fish there. The bad part is all the debris and if you caught a fish the bigger challenge would be navigating it threw all the stuff in the water. A lot of the casting is roll type casting and these fish will give you a couple chances but not much after that. It creates a pretty good challenge of working on accurate casts. It is really fun fishing and I plan on doing it more this year. I'd like to catch a monster pickerel. There are stories of 24inch fish in this creek. I haven't seen one that big yet but I might get lucky on my next  pickerel hunt.

NC Fly Fishing Show Recap 2012

This year instead of working at the club booth I took one day to soak in the show. The talent of some of the fly tiers is unbelievable. Especially the realistic fly tiers. When I saw these flies I couldn't believe they were made out of the same materials used to make common fishing flies.

The flies were intricate and detailed to the highest level. This mosquito looked so real I had to constantly fight the urge to smash it.

The tier of these flies is BoB Mead. I talked to him a while about the technique for tying the flies. It's interesting that he just did this as a hobby then people started offering what he felt was ridiculous amounts of money for the flies. He realized quickly that he could have the life we all kind of dream. His hobby could be his main form of income. His work is displayed all over and often used in movies and commercials. The fly show is always great at show casing new inventions to the fly fishing industry. Kevin Arculeo had some very interesting creations.

When I first saw the fly I didn't know what to think. It looked kind of like a science project or something more as a decoration than a fishing fly. Kevin had a small display where one of these flies was swimming against a current. It was in this display that you saw the true efficiency of the fly. It gave one of the most life like swimming motions I've ever seen. The flies are made out of foam and feather light.

There were several variations and styles. I'm pretty sure we'll see more of this type of fly in the future. Part of the fun of the show is the people. I even ran into a fellow blogger. We were both talking to the same vendor when Joel mentioned A Year On The Fly. I couldn't believe the situation. If that scenario didn't happen there would probably be no other way we would have met or known each other was at the show. We talked for a bit and checked out some of the other booths together. Joel is a cool guy and showed me a new wooden fly box he created. Like all of his creations it was awesome.

My Special Moment
Lefty Kreh was giving a presentation on casting techniques. Near the end he was looking for volunteers to try out what he was teaching. No one was chomping at the bit to volunteer but I decided to give it a try. He told me I'd be the last person for the day. It's one thing to cast on a stream with hardly anyone around but doing it in front of 50-100 people is nerve racking. He gave me a few tips to get more distance on my cast and tighter loops. Then at the very end he was talking to some folks then as I was leaving he asked where I put the fly rod. I noticed where I put it up against a railing it had slid over. I was kind of embarrassed and said "well I didn't leave it there on the ground." Lefty said that's alright and walked over with me to pick up the rod. While I picked it up and handed it to him, he said "Kevin you cast very well. Your cast is very smooth. I don't say that to very many people." The compliment blew me away and I was so taken back by who it was coming from I was speechless. I did manage to say thanks. Then I went over and told my friends and we all giggled and acted like teenage girls who just talked to Justin Beiber. It was a moment I won't soon forget and I appreciate Lefty for taking the time for anyone who will listen his knowledge.

International Fly Fishing Film Festival

The only word that can describe the films from the festival is "AWESOME."  The production quality and style of the films is top notch.  Here are just a few.   What do you think? 

Costa Rica Challenge Sneak Preview from Fly Max Films on Vimeo.

Picky Pickerel

Yesterday I hit a stream that is known for having good populations of pickerel.  This day was the first time I really felt like it was winter.  It was in the low 40's and dreary.  Everything was gray and dull but had its own beauty.  The creek always has an emerald color too it and against the gray sky it stood out a little more.

The fish were definitely there but they weren't very aggressive. I found that the wire leader I was using was turning the fish off. Once I removed the wire I seemed to get more action. The bad part was I only had 10lb test and these fish eat that for breakfast. I lost two flies on two consecutive casts. I would strip the line a few times there'd be a little resistance then just slack. After drying different combinations I eventually packed it in and enjoyed the hike. Each season in the south has its own beauty.

The rain held off and even though everything was wet and the leaves made the trail slippery I didn't mind. It was good to be out exploring and every turn had more scenery.

Until next time....

Getting the Skunk Off

With the way the weather has been it seems more like early March than February.  I remember seeing reports of people catching bowfin around late February so I decided to take a stab at it.  I've never really targeted them before but I have always wanted to catch one.  I came equipped with wire leader and a plan of action for if I caught one.  Bowfin have vicious teeth.  Lipping them is not an option.   The locations I was informed that have bowfin in them wouldn't be your first choice if you were a nature lover.   The location I was found was perfect.  It had all the proper requirements for a nice bowfin spot.  A stink you can't quite put your finger on.  Is it sewage or decaying animals?  The water was dingy and had the visibility of maybe 6 inches.  There were interesting graffiti tags and drawings that really seemed to fit the place.   It reminded me a little of places I fished as a kid.  They weren't pretty, usually borderline nasty.  I can remember many times fishing off a pallet with nails sticking up everywhere or an old mattress.   There were usually remnants of someone camping or random items like a pair of underwear, hyperdermic needles and if I was lucky an adult magazine.   The fishing in those places was sometimes quite good.  Probably because most of the people inhabiting those places didn't have fishing on their mind.   

So here I was in this glorified gutter hunting for a fish that hasn't changed much since prehistoric times.   I put on a clouser and started working the water.   On my first cast I hooked something under the water.  It seemed like a snag but after a few good yanks on my rod it came free.  This happened several times and I started to wonder how much debris was in this water.  I kept working the fly and with in the first five minutes I had a fish on.  I let out a little wooohooooo!  Then looked around to see if anyone heard me.  I hadn't seen anyone and actually I really wouldn't have been that embarrassed if someone did hear me.  I was tickled that catching a fish after a two month slump can still make me feel like a kid.    The murk of the water made it hard to tell what kind of fish it was.  I was hoping for bowfin but the fish didn't seem slender enough.  I got the fish to the surface and saw the lateral line that identifies a largemouth.  The fish fought surprisingly well.

Despite the water quality this fished looked very healthy.  When I turned it sideways you could see it was obviously feeding well.

It was a great first fish of the year.   The catch a fish early curse followed through.  I only had one other tap on a stealth bomber the rest of the morning.   It was still a great time and I'll be back to hunt for bowfin again.