Fishing Report 7/10/2014

We're currently at the Family Campground at Andrews AFB. On the way to the campgrounds, I saw a park with a big pond. I finally got over to the pond to cast some flies. Tagged three different species - the ubiquitous Bluegill, an eager "moving up the ladder" bucketmouth, and a Redear. The Superfine Touch 1 wt was the rod of choice (although I was contemplating the Helios 5wt to get through the headwind).

Fishing Report 6/17/2014

I haven't been out casting, fishing or catching for the past few days - we had the packers and movers here getting our household goods out of the house and into non temporary storage (military speak for long term storage). It has been difficult purging things we don't need or haven't used in a long time, organizing items to make it easier for the packers to box, and separate what we are going to need for the next couple/few/several months while we figure out what our future holds (what job, where we will live, buy/rent, how close to water/surf/wind/fish we will be...) - pretty stressful. Well - I ended the dry spell today with a late afternoon session. Caught a 7-8" largemouth and a few hand sized bluegills. Lined up the Leiderman Lamiglas 703/3 with the SA Supra DT3 - magic for lightweight flies. I had tied on some bigger/heavir flies to see what the limit was - didn't take much (Cheech's Lowfat Minnow in size 4 wacky hook was too big, the beadhead yarn bodied killer buggers in size 12 were too heavy). Still great fun casting/catching with this rod - who would have guessed I'd love casting a noodle!!!

Fishing Report 6/13/2014, Part 3

Last fish of the day - I got into this bass with a pretty dark cloud overhead. Low pressure is supposed to improve the catching - I'd say it did! Decent sized bucketmouth!!! 'I caught you a delicious bass' BAM!!! So much fun on a 1wt!!!

Fishing Report 6/11/2014

I didn't have a ton of time today to fish - La and I have been busy packing up the house in anticipation of the movers coming to put our stuff in storage while I find a job and we all take a cool vacation in the land yacht. I did manage to get a few minutes in ahead of having to pick the kids up from the bus stop. I brought out the Epic 480 lined with an Airflo DT4. This being a longer rod, the swing arc radius is longer so I was more prone to getting hung up on the willow tree next to this dock, despite my best attempts to avoid such frustration generating events. I started to push roll casts out to experiment with this set up and what a pleasant surprise - this rod can really reach out with the rolls! I hooked up with this largemouth bass and a decent sized bluegill - neither of which put a serious bend in the rod - obviously with a 4wt rating, there is more strength in this rod (ergo a bigger fish needs to be pulling on the other end of the line to make a bigger bend in the rod... uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh yeah.....) I'll probably keep this rod lined up tonight and use it again tomorrow (contrary to my streak of switching up the rods every session). And actually, I think I only have one or two more to fish in this weight class before I've gone through them all this time around.

Fishing Report 6/10/2014

I took a break from fishing yesterday - don't want to burn out... but I'm back in the saddle today. I took out the Leiderman made, Lamiglas 7'0" 3wt, 3 piece. I actually grass cast it yesterday while the kids were at Tae Kwon Do (test cast with a RIO Perception and a RIO Gold), but I wanted to get it wet today. I lined it up with a SA Supra DT3. The rod cast wonderfully with the DT3! I'd call it 'relaxed' slow action, and with the DT3, it threw some sweet loops! This little bucketmouth was the first taker on this rod! He didn't have much mass to put a big bend in the rod, but fishing is fishing and beggars can't be choosers (on what bites). Better than a skunk. I moved spots to open up on my casts and I got hooked into something else. It pulled HARD and I even thought at one point I was not going to be able to turn the fish. After all the excitement, I pulled up this bull blueg! This Lamiglas rod is way too much fun with bluegills!!! All my hypothesis I've recently penned are even more true with this rod (1. Bluegill ounce for ounce are the hardest fighters out there; 2. If Bluegills were bigger, humans would not be at the top of the food chain). At the end, I lined it up with the RIO Gold again just to establish a reference - no contest. It will cast a Gold, but the form was off (a bit too heavy). I'll try it with the Perception again to see if there is a difference (but from the test casting results yesterday, I like the performance with the DT3 the best). What a sweet little rod (thanks Mark - rest easy knowing this one has a good home and it'll be used to wrestle panfish A LOT)!!!

Fishing Report 6/8/2014, Part 3

More random pictures from today's lake adventure: One of the snakes Marlon saw - A dragonfly nymph casing. This was not a small guy... I'd hate to have to live in the lake and be prey for this guy... As we were walking back, I saw a few bass swimming near the rocks and asked Marlon "do you think I could catch one from up here?". He said 'nope' so it was game on... I got one to take and walked back down the dam to let it go. If you didn't know, my superhero power is to be able to get fish to take my flies. This is different than Aquaman's power of telepathy with marine animals (and according to Dr Koothrappali from Big Bang Theory, "Aquaman sucks!!!!") Life is good...

Fishing Report 6/6/2014

Today was fantastic!!! Incredible weather - beautiful blue sky - just a touch of wind to keep things interesting... Brought out the Scott F2 6533 and lined it up with the RIO Gold WF3F line (common theme for the week). Again - brilliant performance. Each one of these rods is perfect in their own way (good thing I don't have to choose). The action of this rod is a tad faster than the Feelex - but that makes this rod that more universally useable. The 6" that this rod doesn't have makes it easier to use in tighter quarters - in my case casting work under willow trees. I can sense I don't have the same reach as I do on the longer rod (Barclay Glass 3wt and the Feelex at 7'2" and 7'0" respectively), but I can still work the line out to any sight casting distance I would need to (35' to 40'). I went straight for the big pig hideout and it paid off in spades!!! Tons of fun playing tug-o'-war with these bull bluegs. I did catch a small largemouth that was more interested in out competing the small bluegill that were around it - too bad the nymph was one of my flies! A couple of these bulls even pulled line off the reel - just like the bones of DG... a singing drag makes my adrenal gland go haywire - primal reaction - one of the reasons I keep coming back to flyfish!

Fishing Report 6/5/2014

Brought out the Airrite Feelex II (7'0", 3 piece 3 weight) lined with a WF3F RIO Gold. This rod is super slow and that is why I really LOVE it! It feels so good casting and even better fighting a 5" bluegill. All takes were on a single fly today - the same brass beadhead, hackle collared hot pink nymph-ish (I have to come up with a better name for the fly). I caught a bunch of bluegill and one small largemouth bass. Ounce for ounce, I am convinced that Bluegill are the hardest fighting fish in the world - they are just small so their punch is compact. If bluegill got any bigger, dogs and humans swimming in lakes would be fish food. I'll declare a truce for all of humanity with the league of bluegills - I'll continue to catch and release them with fly gear, and they won't grow big enough to eat human children and mammals smaller than 100 pounds. No need to thank me - I'm just fishing!

Fishing Report 6/4/2014

Broke out the Kabuto 7653 and tested it with the new RIO Gold WF5F line. Nice combo! Now I am confused about whether I like the RIO Gold or the RIO Perception lines better. Darn - that means more testing ;) I caught a few of the usual suspects - largemouth bass and bluegills. Not as many today - I think the wind being up had something to do with it. Oh well - still a great day to go out and throw a few loops around! Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONNIE!

Sabbatical Fishing

Today was the first day I got up and decided I would go fishing. With no appointments, interviews, errands, or honey do's I tied up a hot pink, brass bead head, size 20 nymph'ish fly with a dun hackle collar. I caught a ton of bluegill and a couple of bass. I was using the Barclay Glass 3wt lined with a RIO Gold 3wt. The more I use this combo, the more I am convinced that it is sheer perfection. And who can argue with a progressive bend like this... Nice largemouth to hand. On to the bluegill - the water is warming up because the bluegill bite is on!!! At some points, I was catching a blueg every cast. Small guys, but one on every cast. With a 3wt rod, you could still feel the fight and not instantaneously overpower the fish (yeah you can who am I kidding - but restraint is a virtue and makes ultralight weight fishing fun). I walked around the lake and found a spot with all the bull bluegs just hanging out. It was the furthest spot downwind so I suspect they were in feeding mode. I tied on a copper/black mini clouser and the fun really started!!! Nothing like fighting bull bluegs on a 3wt (except maybe double digit bones on an 8wt; or GTs on the same 8wt; or smallmouth on a 6wt - you get the picture)!!! Being in between jobs with a sparse schedule is wonderful - I love being on sabbatical!!!

Marlon In Double Digits

He used a tan ostrich plume, bead chain eyed nymph. Caught over ten bluegill and bass and one crappie (his first for this year)! That poor fly got the crap beat out of it, but Marlon was stoked!!!

Memorial Day - Remembering What Is Important

I do not take anything for granted. Time spent enjoying the simpler things in life is a gift given to us by those that fought to ensure we can live free, and many died on foreign soil, in the worst of conditions. Tomorrow is my last day working as a service member and I am one of the lucky ones to have made it through 20 years with most of me still intact - I did not have to give more than my share to help the larger cause. Thank you to all that gave everything - I caught these fish for you all (and with a Barclay Glass 5wt, not all the stokedness went to the remembering - I had fun in the here and now)!