Some DC Checking

Knowing our time here in the Northern Virginia/DC area is growing really short, Las asked that we spend Mother's Day checking out parts of DC that we haven't focused on yet. Capitol Hill, The National Art Museum, The Navy Memorial and the Federal Trade Commission were all the stops we had on this perfect weather'd Mother's Day!

Ah the Weekend!!! Here at Last!!!

I got home, followed by Marlon and Noe and we all went to the kids Tae Kwon Do session early (so we could get back and go fishing at the lake). Well - when we got back, the kids were pooped and decided to sit this session out. So off I went, heading straight for the dam and the crappie hole from yesterday. The sun was not out as bright as it had been yesterday. And the wind had changed direction leaving this stretch of water fairly calm. Well something had changed because the fish were not as eager to take the black nymph fly. I did get several crappie, a decent bass and a couple of bluegills - but they were spread out in time duration to catch and across the lake more. I used the Barclay Glass 3wt lined with a RIO Perception WF3 line. A bit more reach than the Scott F2 6533 I used yesterday - nothing but pure sweet casting goodness!

Crappie Hole Bingo

It was nice and warm on Thursday afternoon. Marlon asked to go fishing so off we went. He ended up using small popper we made back in the winter and got some decent hits from a few largemouth bass and a bruiser of a bluegill. I wasn't doing so well at this spot so I told Marlon I was headed to the dam. The buttercups were is full bloom - nice diversion from casting. At the dam, it took a few fanning casts to find my groove but when I did... BAM!!!! I was catching a different crappie nearly every cast for about a good 15 minutes straight. This largemouth got a bit jealous of all the action and took a turn at the tug'o war line. To ensure I am rotating the stock sufficiently, I am making sure to use a different rod each time I head out - this should also help me get my casting dialed in. Switching up the rods, lines and leader length will force me to adapt my stroke. On Thursday, I was using the Scott F2 6533 - it didn't take long for me to remember I really like casting this rod (and I think I will be repeating that statement with each change of rod). I lined up the rod with a RIO Gold WF3. The drill became cast a ostrich herl bead chain nymph out parallel to the dam rocks, strip in slow, watch for the slab flash, gently set the hook and bring in a feisty crappie. AWESOME fishing day!

High Water at Goose Creek

I went to hike Goose Creek this afternoon. Actually I went to fish it, and I was expecting some high water - but not this high! This was easily 5' higher than it normally is. So I decided to just make a few exploratory roll casts and hike to the end of the trail where the creek joins the Potomac. For the record - if you want to make this hike, it is only about a 20 minute walk.

Tuesday - The Action is Heating Up!!!!

I fished with the Nissin Nagare 39-44 and the Epic 480. I used some flies I equipped with weed guards, but they got eaten whole by the local tree gang. I did catch a few largemouth, a couple of black crappie and several bluegill. Always a good time fishing this lake! The notable catch today were the crappie. They came up out of the murky depths, snatched the fly as it was being stripped along and with a subtle arc of the body, back down they went. Seeing the flash was all the warning I was given. As I realized these were crappie, I resisted a regular set and went super light. These guys would have been more fun on one of my soft 3wt flyrods, but this 4wt can push a line into the wind better than the 3wts. Give and take - give and take. Oh - and I got a bunch of my tan back ;) See you later winter!!!

SUP Hauler

We stopped at Wild River Outfitters in Virginia Beach - we love this shop and have been going there since 2001 when we lived in Virginia Beach. We've actually been considering this trailer for a while - primarily so La doesn't have to lift the boards on to the van's racks. We'll see... we could channel the money to buy this into a few other areas.

Saturday at Little Creek Beach

We made a day trip down to Virginia Beach this past Saturday. We brought the ULI but the report called for cold water and low surf, so we opted to go to Little Creek Beach instead of Dam Neck. Noe and Marlon found the first sand crabs of the year! We didn't get a picture of it, but Marlon found a huge one full of eggs. The kids dug a huge foxhole - you never know when the enemy will come across the beach... I got a bit of fishing in and even though I did not catch a 'fish', I did manage to catch some species of colonial algae. Charlie and Amy B got a new SUP - a Fanatic AirSUP Inflatable. Removable center fin and a lot lighter than the ULI (but the FAQ I have was built like a tank). The board paddles well - next time I'll get to surf it ;) I bet next time we visit, the pompano and mullet will be hugging the shoreline.

Didn't Catch Fish This Weekend...

But I did catch the usual suspects on an outing on Friday. The ruler lines on the butt section of the Epic 480 are really handy - makes measuring a snap. All these fish should be finished spawning soon. Then it'll be time for casting poppers - and swatting mosquitoes...

First Fish on the Epic 480

Today the rains finally quit and I finally got to fish the Epic 480 that I built out!!! I actually cast it yesterday in between down pours - and I had gotten concerned because my lawn casting was off with this rod. I was having a hard time keeping good loop form and I even heard the "whip crack" effect more than a few times. Well - that concern about the 480 not being a good rod was unfounded - by a long shot!!! This is a FANTASTIC rod - lively, medium flex and well balanced. It roll casts with authority and distance, and casts long distances with little effort. This large mouth bass took honors of being the first fish that got to wrestle this rod. You can see the 6 inch markers I placed on the butt section - of course I'm not the first or the 1000th person to do this, but this is the only rod I have that I can get a measurement at a glance. Oh and the first mark starts at 12" so this allows you to measure up an 18" fish quickly from the butt cap. This was the second bluegill I caught - the first one was a 7" fish (I know because I used the ruler on the rod) and it bent the rod back into the butt section. Actually so did this fish - which at 6" was a pretty respectable wrestler. What a difference lawn casting and fishing a rod can make - don't knock 'em until you fish them! Oh and the second lesson - go out and get yourself an Epic 480 because they are outstanding rods to fish and put smiles on your face. Got it? Good!!! This one will be on the short list to grab off the rack and fish (uh, I think all of the fiberglass rodds I have are on the short list...)!