Fishing Report 6/19/2014, Part 2

I kept walking at the first stop and found the creek that drained the pond. I did see a few green sunfish and one small largemouth bass, but I decided to just keep watching and not go back to the truck to get the gear (I did go back eventually to get the camera). At the creek, I saw a female (large sized) dragonfly depositing eggs into the water - keep flying up and down and hitting the surface - if you looked as the spot the dragonfly just left, you could see a little white dot - an egg. I didn't have the camera with me, but now I know what to look for at our lake. I noticed after walking through some grass that I had a few hitchhikers on me - after pulling the ticks off myself, I got back in the truck and headed to the part of Bull Run that goes under the "Stone Bridge" - site of the retreating Union Army Regiments after the Second Battle of Manassas. It was neat to think that several hundred people once crossed a bridge here and destroyed it to stop the Confederate troops from following them. Makes you also wonder if these same species of sunfish were in this run back then, or if these are more recent transplants to these waters. Sometimes you don't have to rig up the rod - but that doesn't mean everytime (or even most - let's keep that the exception ;)

Fishing Report 6/18/2014

I went to get the minivan serviced this morning. It just so happens the place we get it serviced at is not that far from Goose Creek. I was being efficient by going fishing and getting the oil changed at the same time. The water was a little high again - I was a bit concerned that the fish wouldn't be around. I was really hoping to get into some of those king sized redbreast sunfish again, but that wasn't the case. I lined up the Barclay Glass 3wt with a RIO Gold and worked the bank where the water was a lot slower than the middle channel. I ended up catching a bunch of these small greens and pumpkinseeds (which I am beginning to think are juvenile redbreast). Small - yes, but super feisty! They didn't pull drag, but they did put up a larger than proportional fight!

First Outing with the Ijuin Yomogi 7'0" 3wt

This handsome rod came in the mail on Friday. It was the only flyrod I brought with us (Noe and I) on Saturday as I wanted to focus my attention on it. I have heard so much chatter over the web about it - I was excited to finally have one in my own two hands. After a couple of casts, I had a green sunfish inhale my fly - first fish on!!! Check out the bend on the rod - deep into the butt section!!! I LOVE ultralight weight Japanese fiberglass fly rods - nothing else feels like them! An interesting point, this is absolutely the softest/slowest action rod I have ever felt. In the past, if I had picked up a rod like this, I would have immediately put it back down and scoffed at it - wet noodle, no way this could cast a line or catch a fish. But those were my graphite days... subjected to the marketing hype of ultrafast carbon fiber stiffness, I took the advice of others and only looked to go faster. But I was battling wind and much stronger fish - graphite has it's place. Well for what conditions I fish in now, my eyes and mind are open to other alternatives. With this rod, just like with every progressively slower rod I have picked up in the last year or so, casting a line made my jaw drop!!! Exquisite feeling and equally well behaved slow, perfectly unfurling loops!!! It is very ironic that my casting is getting better as the choice of rod speed is getting slower and slower. And as the shad return to the Potomac here in the coming weeks, and as I break out the longer, stronger graphite rods to cast sinking line and weighted flies, my expectation is that my improved casting flows straight into the use of that equipment. I'll post more in the coming days, but catching 4 inch fish on this rod put the same smile in my face that 40 pound wahoo used to on 80 pound class standup trolling gear (which oh by the way is also fiberglass - Sea Striker Billfisher, dig through my old posts for more on that). I am looking forward to developing a more in depth understanding of this rod and the joys it promises!

Fishing Contest - Noe versus Daddy-O

Marlon had a science project to work on Saturday morning. I took Noe to Four Mile Run to make sure Marlon had a chance to focus. To entice her to fish hard, I challenged her to a fishing contest. We only had to take out a few birds nest accidents - a good sign she is getting better at casting and retrieving. I caught 15+. She caught 10 and actually removed the hook from a majority of those. I announced at the end of the outing that Noe was the winner (although we both won with the awesome together time)!

Marlon and Noe's First Fishing Trip for 2014

I dragged Marlon and Noe out to 4 Mile Run today. We brought it all!!! Tenkara rods, spinning rods and a couple of fly rods. Noe said she wanted to use spinning gear and Marlon said he was in for his new tenkara rod. Noe used Gulp Crickets and was slamming the door on the bluegs and greenies. She certainly takes after her Mom (very vocal when she lands a fish). Noe did get some big ones. Marlon chose the harder route and cast the fly. He picked off several sunnies - mostly greens - surgical strikes of fishing prowess!!! We saw a bunch of large mouth bass swimming around, but we weren't able to hook up with one. With the kiddoroosters fishing, I ended up tending to their needs more than fishing. They are both getting better - only three bird's nests between the two of them for the entire three hours we were out there. Man these waders make my butt look ginormous!!! Or how's this one "I used photoshop to make my butt look huge". I did break out the Steffen 8'0" 4/5wt. Paired it with a Creek 2 lined with a RIO Perception WF5. If you've never cast a Steffen, they are the epitome of practical casting. If I had to catch fish for sustenance, I wouldn't fool around with anything else. With this rod I can feel when I make a perfect cast and when I make a mistake. I am not a great caster, but I aspire to become one - and being able to know what a great cast is by feel is an important step towards getting better. The camera battery died before I brought out the Steffen, so no pictures of that rod (yet - when the smallmouth start coming out, this rod will be out in force). Sushi??? Not from this body of water... Fishing - yes. Catch and release - of course. Dinner - no way...

More Rod Casting

I brought the Kabuto out again to get a better feel for it. I also brought out a Steffen 7'6" 3/4wt 3 piece by Matt Leiderman. Both these rods cast smoothly with a WF4 line. Awesome rods!!! It is so fulfilling to cast a loop and watch it unfurl and gently place the fly 20-30 feet out. I had some good wrestling matches with a whole mess of bluegill (translation - a whole mess is more than 25), some big green sunfish and one large mouth bass. I saw a bunch of LMB, and I would get them to follow, but the one in the pictures is the only one that took. If I haven't said it before - "I love fiberglass fly rods!". There were huge schools of gizzard shad stacking up near the outfall - love is in the air (water)... I can't wait for the water temps to start warming up and the spring blitz turns on!!! Just around the corner!

Before the Snow

Yesterday (Sunday) I got out to fish the dropping tide at 4 Mile Run. Barclay Glass 3wt, RIO Perception line and a Killer Bug (with red crystal flash eviscerated innards tail and a tungsten bead head) fly, some quiet time and focus on making good solid casts - yielded a ton of hook ups and fights, with Bluegill. I probably caught 50 of these guys - and each one was a blast. I did manage to mix it up and brought some greenies and pumpkinseeds to hand as well as a couple of other surprises, but that for the next few posts. What a nice way to bring about some serenity (I've said this before - the meditative effects of flyfishing are not as intense as surfing, but it is very fulfilling in a much different way).

Sunday Fishing - Dropping Tide at... Wait for it.... 4 Mile Run!!!

Yes - since everything else is still frozen, I spent the afternoon wading through 4 Mile Run. I don't mean to seem jaded about this - in fact I am grateful that I get to go fishing at all considering the average air temperature has been in the high 20's. I do mix it up by taking different rods and different lines - all to see if I can pair up a line and rod for the long haul. As I was walking through the river bed, I saw this gizzard shad resting - looks like something got a good hit on it - look behind the dorsal fin. Today I brought out the Scott F26533, a SA Supra DT3 and a RIO Gold WF3F. I started out walking upstream towards the outfall. I spent most of my time at the storm culvert with the WF3F line - bluegill, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and large mouth bass - the 4MR foursome. I did make it up to the outfall itself and caught a green sunfish that seemed to have a bad right eye. I lost a good fly about this same time - a small shrimp/clouser combo that sank well (bead chain eyes). On a back cast, the fly hit the rod and broke free - don't ask me where. I wasn't trying to pick up a foursome - I was actually trying to get a bona fide goldfish to take the fly. I switched flies out several times but didn't get the time of day from that fish. Next time I'll bring some Gulp Maggots - that'll do the trick (who doesn't like eating a maggot???...???). Goldilocks here actually had a couple of escorts - but they were much better camouflaged (brown and golden - like the bottom of 4MR). I moved back down stream and fished by the bridges/power line island. I lost count of how many bluegill hits I got - probably 50+. I had switched out the WF3F for the DT3F line. When there wasn't any wind blowing, and I got a good lift on the line, the DT3 cast really well. But it was less forgiving of mistakes (which forced me to keep my form up)