2014 Somerset Fly Fishing Show

I drove up to Somerset, New Jersey today to check out the 2014 Fly Fishing Show. I got to say 'Hi" to my favorite Tenkara rod supplier - Chris Stewart. I was able to try out a couple of his new rods... oh so nice.... (Nissin Air Stage 290 oh boy...) At the Scott rod booth I got to swing the 6533 and 7033 Scott F2 Rods - real smooth. I have thought that I wanted the 6533, but I as I have been investing a lot of time casting (practice and fishing) the Barclay Glass 7'2" 3wt, I think the Barclay is a better rod. I'd need to cast these two (actually three - both of the Scotts and the Barclay) side by side to be sure, but this is my current opinion. On a side note, I have started using a RIO Perception WF3F line with the Barclay and it is an OUTSTANDING caster - I have actually had to learn/watch/improve my casting to fully realize just how well this rod puts fly line on target and how good it feels while doing it. This Perception line is supposed to have 30% less stretch - I could feel the sunnies kissing my flies last weekend and the full flex of a fiberglass rod really plays well with a line that can hold and pull cast energy more efficiently. I am really pleased with this rod/line combination - it is going to take a really good rod to knock this one off the top of my list (and with the recent exposure I've had to other rods, I don't think that rod exists right now - yes folks this is a very strong endorsement). Back to today - It's no secret I enjoy all forms of fishing - and this next company spans the range. Spending time at the St Croix rack confirmed one thing in my mind - the Triumph Ultralight weight and Light weight spinning rods I have are AWESOME. These rods are the one piece versions which are the pinnacle of impulse translation (I can feel the fish strikes really well) - now for the travel version... In an act of self-induced public humiliation, I drooled on myself while checking out the Abel display. The new hemostats are really nice - solves the problems associated with the common hemostat (lock on closure no matter if you got what you wanted or not. They are expensive though - shockingly so. It got the same initial reaction out of me that the nippers did when I first saw them - "dang these are expensive!!!!". But I tell you what - where a $10 nipper consistently failed me (rusting out and dulling in a very short time) the Abels laughed at the elements HA HA HA HA!!! Still - $50 was enough to stop me from committing - but I found a secret weapon to get mine at a very reasonable price (Orvis coupons) and I now enjoy their use any time I am fishing - fresh or salt, fly or spin - they are essential kit. I suspect these hemostats will produce the same response after they land in my hands and are used to pull bent wire out of angry fishy mouths... now I just need a really, really good coupon... I also spent time at the Vedavoo booth (and ordered a new sling pack - yes another, but to quote Scott from Vedavoo, "those other slings/packs are ebay fodder" - I'll post more about this in another post when I get the sling in, but streamlining/modularity/supporting small businesses in America made the difference - anybody want a good deal on a couple of sling packs???); I parked at the Hatch booth where I learned they will be releasing a 2 Plus in the very near future (and I drooled all over myself again), and one other spot that I will focus on in the next post. In closing - it was a long drive through snow and ice, but this trip answered a lot of questions that I had, increased my knowledge base, got me exposed to things I did not have ready access to and was plain fun on an otherwise dreary winters day. Time well spent (the show is on for one more day in Somerset and again in this area in March up at Lancaster - if you were iffy about going, go grab your jacket and car keys and get going)!

4MR Foursome - Fishing on the Solstice

What a way to welcome the Winter Solstice - fishing in 75 degree, clear sky weather. I caught tons of sunfish and one large mouth - so I got another 4MR slam (or a Foursome). I used my St Croix UL Triumph (reeled with a Shimano Sahara 1000) for most of the time. I was hoping to hook the big channel cat I've seen the past couple of times, but as luck would have it, when I am prepared with Gulp and the spinning rig - the fish aren't around. I also used the Nissin Fine Mode Nagare rod - I had fixed the flies I used last time (a squirmy wormy that got torn up and a stripped foam popper) and they killed it! I saw tons of gizzard shad - they could care less I was pitching flies to them. But alas, no big channel cats - maybe next time. Sight fishing in winter - you can beat it if you can travel south or have a boat, but I'll take what I can get. Another fun fishing outing (but I can't wait for spring to settle in - the Solstice today is a good marker that we are halfway there!).

Blueg Saves the Day

I hiked a bit from where I normally fish at Goose Creek - just to see what was upstream. Wider banks with pools that looked like they would be attractive places for fish to hangout... when the water is warm. I had fully prepared myself mentally to not catch anything during this outing despite bringing along my old trustworthy tenkara rods and ultralight spinning rigs - and Gulp Crickets (fish crack). Well, as the picture depicts, I was able to play tug-o-war with a lone blueg - this species, more than any other as warded off skunk after skunk for me. I did see a few schools of young fish - 1-2" long in the shallows. I bet they appreciate the break from being chased around by the bigger predators, but having to contend with the cooler water has it's issues (freezing solid, lower food supplies, fish eating birds to name a few). This time last year I caught my last fish of the year and turned to the tying vise to blow off stress. As fun as that can be learning to tie new flies, it isn't the adrenaline hit that fishing can be (which is not the hit surfing or kiting are). I still plan on casting the line at the limited local places and even driving to cast to trout for the first time, but the care free days of summer - knowing that the fish are willing to fight - are definitely past.

Breaking Out the Mark White Lures

I have a stash of these from my last duty station where I was actively fishing an atoll. When I cast them seaward, I felt like a pusher giving out free crack on Halloween - they certainly pulled fish in and thus I treated them like they were made of gold. I finally pulled out one of the smaller ones to give it a whirl on the Potomac. There have been reports of schoolie stripers ganging up on shad during the out going tides at Gravelly Point. I was prospecting with a jighead and gulp minnow hoping to land a few. Then my plan was to shift to the flyrod and have some fun as the fish made runs. It didn't work out that way... I must have cast the jighead/gulp a few hundred times before I changed out the rig to this 1/4 ounce "oama" colored MW Surface Plug. I cast that out a bunch too before calling it quits. In four hours I caught two of these clams. I am debating if this counts as a skunk or not. Don't interpret this as a bad review - these lures are killer - and with zero strikes on the gulp I was throwing, I figured there weren't any fish in the area. The minimum I got out of the time was a good look at the action of these small plugs while reeling them in at different speeds - they produce a ton of bubbles if you reel them in fast, and they surface and "spit" water every other crank or so. You can walk the dog with these as well. And slow jigging produces tons of "oh woe is me - I am hurting and can't swim well - I am worried that a big fish will come along and eat me because of my erratic movement" movement. Multitalented lure if you ask me. Oh well - you can't win all the time...

Dawn Patrol - Not Intuitive

I decided to head back to Goose Creek and try my luck at that channel catfish school again. The morning was gorgeous - nippy 58 degrees, no wind, warm water and low humidity set the stage for a gently rising fog vapor from the creek. I looked for the school where I last saw them, but I didn't even see sunfish. I cast for awhile - first with the flyrod, then the ultralight spinning gear, then with Gulp and I wasn't getting any response. The water level was lower than last Monday, so I decided to try a different approach. I headed back up stream and cast softbait into the pools. That wasn't really working either. I kept going upstream and ended up near the trailhead. I saw a fish rolling out of the corner of my eye and I started casting across the narrow-ish part of the creek. I hit paydirt and spent the next hour reeling in fish (mostly green sunfish) cast after cast. I did get a few other types of fish - a Flier (Crappie) and some bass (saving that for the next post). After a few minutes of casting, I took the 5wt out again and the result was the same - tons of fun fish to hand. I'm not sure if it was the location, the terrain, the softbait, or the Sun's position, but it sure did take a while for the creek bite to turn on. Maybe next time I'll sleep in and stall the dawn patrol. Or maybe I'll wait for Marlon's Saturday show to end and then go and bring him too (darn Pokemon...)

Channel Catfish Have Gotten Bigger

Late post - I spent part of the last bit of the long Labor Day weekend fishing at Goose Creek (again). I brought the St Croix Ultralight spinning rod and the Orvis Helios 5wt to try my luck. I was able to catch a bunch of the resident Green Sunfish casting to the dropoffs, shelves and rocky outcroppings. I saw a few carp, bass and large channel cats, but they would look at my flies and turn away (yes - I have tied better). After a bit, I switched to the spinning rod and tied on a size 8, 1/32 ounce Trout Slayer jighead and placed a Gulp Cricket on the hook. As I waded back upstream, I saw a huge boil of fish. I looked for a little bit and it turned out the school was composed of catfish. I cast into the school and the cats went into a feeding frenzy. I ended up hooking five or so of these guys. If you go back on this blog a few months, you'll see this same school but the individuals were much smaller. Another few weeks and I suppose these fish will go down river as the temperatures begin to fall. That means I need to get back there this weekend and catch them some more ;)

Goose Creek Quickie

After brunch, we were out on the road getting errands done. We were out West - Asburn/Leesburg area - and in between Dick's (where I got a bunch more 1/32 ounce jig heads) and Wegmans, we stopped off at the Goose Creek fishing spot. I did not bring fly gear, just the ultralight spinning gear. I wanted to try out more of the soft baits - especially the Gulp minnows. The current was not as strong as the last time - so the tailing section was not as pronounced. And the bass were not as concentrated either. I hooked into two - and like most of the bass I've hooked into recently, they jump and spit the hook. I think the weight on the hook gives them something to throw... I'm still new to softbaits so forgive me as I learn. If you have ever wondered, Gulp does work. I had two other baits on the same jighead and there wasn't a time when I had the Gulp on that fish weren't picking at it. All to quickly, it was time to move on and I caught this fish that Marlon and I are not quite sure how to identify - I think it is a "Flier" Centrarchus macropterus; Marlon's thinks it is a White Crappie. This is the second one we've caught at Goose Creek - we'll do more research to find out what it is.

Bass on Light Spinning Gear

Marlon and I went fishing late Thursday afternoon. I took my lightweight spinning gear and fished a Lunker City 1" shad on a 1/16 ounce jighead. Marlon fished a killer bug on the Daiwa Soyokaze. I brought six Large Mouth to hand - with a couple making some drag stripping runs (which sounds awesome even on small gear - like some kind of primal reaction). A few of them also jumped and threw the hook! These weren't record breakers by a long shot but they were still tons of fun. Marlon dominated the bluegill. The lake was full of feeding fish - bugs in the air again. The bite shut down after dusk - I know what I'm doing later today...

Quotes from La

Marlon and Noe took their yellow belt tests today for Tae Kwon Do and after they 'kicked butt', we had sushi for lunch to celebrate. Then after that, we headed to Riverbend Regional Park to go hiking and fishing. We all caught some fish, but La seemed to have the most fun. Without recanting the whole afternoon, a better way to relay all the fun is to take excerpts from La. (1) BAM! I CAUGHT THE FIRST BASS (2) DON'T BE JEALOUS (3) JUST BECAUSE I CAUGHT MORE FISH THAN YOU DID DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE ANY LESS OF A PERSON (4) I LOVE FISHING WHEN I'M CATCHING FISH (5) I NEED A FISHING SHIRT (6) HOOOO! LOOK AT THIS - I CAUGHT ANOTHER FISH - THAT'S FOUR! HOW MANY HAVE YOU CAUGHT? WHOOOOOO! That's my La ;)