Big Flies, Big Fish

I visited a pond I rarely fish to see how it faired after the storms we've had recently. The water was very clear with a tea stain to it. While walking the banks I spooked two nice bass in the shallows. I worked the area with a small popper and caught a small 4inch bass. A few casts later a good size fish rose under the popper and sucked it in. I set the hook and after a few seconds the leader snapped. I didn't have much time to keep fishing and decided to come back later and target the larger bass. 

Early evening there was a consistent 10mph wind that would not go away. It put some disturbance on the surface and made visibility difficult. I figured the fish would have a hard time seeing me as well. I worked the same area I fished in the morning this time with a large popper. I usually don't fish poppers larger than a size 2 because of how horrible they are to cast. This one in particular had terrible wind resistance. I was fiddling with my reel with my fly about 30ft from me off shore. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this gray monster rise up and suck in my fly. It was so fast and unbelievable I didn't have time to set the hook properly. The fish was on but it wasn't hooked right and before I could really put leverage on the fish it came unbuttoned. 

I think the whole situation surprised us both because about five seconds after my fly came back the fish jumped like it was still hooked. The fish was massive and I thought maybe I missed my chance. Around ten casts another nice bass came up and sipped my fly off the surface like a large trout. What I've noticed about big bass is they don't jump crazy out of the water then hitting flies. They are so smooth with their takes it makes me wonder how many I've missed in my life. They are so efficient with their energy it's like just the tips of their jaws break the surface when they suck the fly down and the rest of their body stays submerged. 

I put as much pressure as I could and really didn't give the bass a chance I was making sure the only way I'd lose this fish was if the line were to break or my rod snapped. The bass summersaulted under water and I could tell it was massive.  The fish jumped a few feet away and I couldn't see my fly and knew it had to be lodged pretty good. I grabbed the leader and pulled the fish to the shallows so I could lip it. My whole body was shaking, when I looked in the fish's mouth it made the sz1 popper look like a 14. 

Even with the fish in hand I was still shaking and in disbelief. This is probably the biggest bass I've ever caught on any kind of gear. It's strange to go from catching bass that are around two pounds max to this. 

I didn't have a measuring tape so I laid the bass next to my rod to measure it later. The fish was give or take 24 inches and I'm guessing some where around 6lbs.

The fish swam away barely phased by the whole experience. I tried to compose myself and fish the area more and seriously a few casts later I hooked another big bass. This one was close to the same size and hit a few feet of shore. Part of me wondered if it was the same bass I just released. It stayed on for about ten seconds before jumping and spitting the hook. 

After that I didn't get a hit and there was not much else going on but the occasional rise of sunfish. Bass have always been a little mysterious for me they are either impossible to catch or easy. I can never figure them out. All I can say is big flies do seem to catch big fish. 

A Bunch Of Firsts

A few friends and I spent a weekend at a large freshwater lake in NC. It was my first time fishing the lake and I wasn't sure what to expect. The lake has a reputation for amazingly clear water and great bass fishing. The first-morning I got up before dawn and the conditions were perfect.

Glass calm and even though there was rain the night before the water wasn't murky. It took me awhile to start seeing fish. The color of the bottom was a light tan and my eyes were looking for dark shadows. What I found is the bass were lighter colored than I'm used to. They actually looked more like redfish under the water than bass. I was able to hook a few on a stealth bomber. I ran into one bass that seemed to not spook at all. I cast a clouser a few times and the fish didn't budge. As it started to swim away into deeper water I made one last cast in the direction the fish headed. When I started to take in the slack line I felt pressure and made a strip set. The water swirled and I couldn't believe I had hooked the fish. There was some not quite right about this bass. When the fish got closer I realized it wasn't a bass at all. It was a bowfin and the hook was barely in its lip.

All I have ever heard about bowfin is how hard they fight. I was able to get the fish to the kayak but I didn't have any grippers or anything to lip the fish. A bowfin's mouth is lined with small needle-like teeth. Against my better judgment, I grabbed the fly and moved the fish. The bowfin didn't want to give up and it took several tries to get it calmed down. My weekend was made. This fish was well over 22 inches and qualifies for an NC citation. It swam away as though it was never caught. 

The fishing slowed down after that until I saw some activity. Water splashed every now and then between the weeds and wakes would move the blades of grass. Something was obviously chasing bait in the shallows. I waited until I saw a splash and cast a popper in the area. A mouth opened and inhaled the fly seconds after it landed. It was a nice bass and it tangled itself in the weeds. The water was so shallow I was able to get it free.

A few casts later I had my first pumpkinseed.

The coloring on this fish was striking. I have seen pictures of pumpkinseeds but never caught one. The markings on the face are beautiful.

In the same area, this yellow perch came to hand a couple casts later.

It was a great morning. Later my friends and I took a trip to the other side of the lake. It was a huge contrast from the south side. Instead of light colored sand, the bottom was dark green and you could not see the banks through the cypress trees.

We found an area that had a mixture of grass and trees.

The wind started to pick up and we decided to make the trip back across the lake. This is where things got interesting.

The sky started to get very dark and storm clouds moved across the horizon with gale force winds. This lake is shallow, the average depth is 4ft. When the winds pick up the lake acts like a wave machine. We had 2-3ft waves all around and several came close to coming over the bow. The boat couldn't get speed with the rough water and we had to surf the waves more than go through them. The trek across the lake was spooky and the view at the dock wasn't any better. There was lightning and thunder at our backs. The plan was to leave the boat tied up and run to shelter. Breakers prevented us from doing this. The boat could smash into the dock and be destroyed.

The next plan was to load the boat on the truck until the storm subsided. 

The boat and ourselves got out of the water unscathed. It was a scary experience and a reminder that nature is always in control. The wind continued through the weekend and made fishing tough. It was still a great trip and I'm already planning my next trip back. 

Quick Bass

I got out for a couple hours on the local lake. The wind was roaring and there was a serious chop on the water. I found a cove protected from the wind and managed a fish.

Caught this bass a few days later.

The Bucket Mouth League

Frankenfly is doing something similar to what The Fiberglass Manifesto did last year with "TheYearOfTheBluegill." The new thing is called the BucketMouthLeague. I'm usually not into stuff like this but I have to admit the logo FrankenFly is having made up looks awesome. I'd really like to get it for my kayak.

First things first though. I need to start catching some largemouths. The hot weather lately has turned me off to fishing. Today was the first day we had that wasn't above 90 and super humid. It was just 90 and dry. I tried to make the most of the last few hours of daylight. There was a pond I hadn't fished much but it has always been decent each time I've visited. The first 30min was dead. I didn't have so much as a sniff on my fly. I really wanted to catch something on top water so I stuck with a popper. I could see minnows all over near the bank. There were so many the water quivered. I tried every retrieve I could think of but nothing seemed to elicit a strike. I came to a cement intake and decided to try something different. I cast near the structure and my fly landed on top of it. I pulled it off and the fly landed next to the intake. I started to jerk the fly with violent strips. I wanted the action to look really abnormal. Nothing like anything you'd see in nature. After my 5th strip the fly was gone and a green flash shimmered along the surface then disappeared into the dark water. It happened so fast by the time I set the hook the fish basically hooked itself. I could tell from the bend in the rod the fish was good size. Then it shot out of the water and shook its head. I gave the rod a few more good yanks to ensure the hook set was good. When I landed the fish I was wondering where the heck my fly went. 

I never get used to bass flies. Every time I use them I always think they are too large. This fly is a size 4 and you can see there is room to spare in this bass's mouth. The fish was very healthy and strong.

It swam away with ease after I released it. A few casts later I had another fish on. My retrieve seemed to make all the difference in the world. I had to really pop the fly and make a major disturbance to get any attention from the fish. It's the first time I've ever had that happen. A learning experience for sure. It was a great evening and I got my first fish for the Bucket Mouth League.

Personal Best

"Don't Move!" I told Shea. From my vantage point I could see a large tail and half of a big fish just near the bank. Shea was almost right on top of it and the tall grass was blocking his view. I peeked around the grass to get a better look. There lying just inches off the shore was one of the biggest bass I have ever seen. My rod was already rigged and I hurried to get a cast in before the fish spooked. My first cast landed just above the fish and didn't sink. I thought for sure the fish was going to take off. It didn't seem fazed. I slowly lifted the fly and made a second cast just off to the side of the fish. At first the fish showed no interest then just as the fly settled on the bottom the fish turned and slowly swam towards the fly. I could see everything, my fly, the fish and then the take. I set the hook with authority and the fish headed for deeper water. Shea and I were in disbelief. Sure you see big fish all the time but how often do you catch them and even if you're lucky enough to hook them will they stay on? The fish started to thrash and show its true size. It verified that indeed it was the biggest bass I have ever hooked with a fly. The fish shook its head and its mouth looked like it could swallow a softball with room to spare. I didn't have a net and I slid down the bank to find a good place to land the fish. The fish came close and I made a grab for my leader. The bass made another good run and I was worried it was going to snap my rod. I regained control and brought the fish over again. This time the fish brought its head up slowly and I quickly grabbed the fishes lower lip. The mouth was too big to lip with my thumb. I basically put all of my fingers in the beast's mouth and made a fist.

The fish measured almost exactly 22inches and had some serious battle scars. I wish I took more pics of the fish but I was worried about over stressing it. It's a fish I'll never forget.

$25 Well Spent

As fishermen we fish when we can. There are times we know it's better to get out than others. Lately I have been unable to find a good combination of weather and timing. I was tired of reading how good the bass fishing was over the weekend. I ran over to the local lake before it got dark. There was a chill in the air and I was afraid it might have put the fish down. I tried various retrieves near the bank. One thing I have to say is the Eagle Claw Featherlight handles 30-40ft casts amazingly well. Even with heavier flies like a cone headed bugger. I was using 5WF line and never had an issue of the cast not going where I wanted. When I tried to get some extra distance the cast started getting sloppy. I think it was more of my casting technique than the rod. Even with the great casting I was ready to catch something and see how this rod feels when fighting a fish. I noticed I could feel more of what was going on with this rod. I could feel when the fly hit a rock or some debris. It has been awhile since I've fished streamers and I had to remind myself to keep the rod tip down and point it at the line. Then I felt what was like a rock that stopped the fly then let go. I cast to the same area and near the same spot and felt the feeling again. I thought maybe it was a snag so I tried one more time thinking if I feel the same thing it's definitely a log or a tree branch. The next cast I didn't feel anything. This got me a excited. I cast 5-6ft to the left of where I had cast before and started my retrieve. Again I felt the rock feeling but this time the rock started moving. It was the first fish I had on this year and I couldn't have been happier. 

I decided to try out the other cool little feature on this rod.

I really don't understand why more rod companies don't add a ruler to their blank. It seems so simple and it's very useful. I think it would help in the practice of catch and release. 

In the same area where I caught this bass I brought a few more to hand. The key was a small 1inch strip retrieve that has worked well when the water is cold. The strips are very quick and work best when your line is a little slack. When you do the strip the slack line should tap the rod. So the whole time you're doing the retrieve you'll hear tap, tap, tap, tap... If you feel any resistance do a strip strike. I've found sometimes what's good is even if you don't hook a fish when trying to do the strip strike let your fly die and just sit on the bottom for 5 seconds. Then continue the retrieve. I picked up several fish once I start the retrieve again. What I think happens is I pull the fly out of the fishes mouth too early and the fish is still interested but confused. Once the fly just sits there on the bottom the fish thinks it's and easy meal and picks it up. There's definitely a trick to fishing the bottom of the water column which I haven't figured out yet. There's a factor to how fast the flies sinks and your retrieve. 

It was great to get out and I'm happy to have gotten the 2014 skunk off my back. I was impressed with how the Featherlight handled these fish. This rod has by far outreached my expectations. I see it as the perfect rod for someone who is just getting into fly fishing or just needs a 5wt to fill a gap in their rod collection. I don't think it would be very good for nymphing or casting small dry flies to finicky trout. I'll test that theory more this spring. 

Fat Lady

This is the only fish I caught over the weekend. I can't be that disappointed.

 

A Day I Really Needed

There has been a project at work that was taking up a ton of my time last month. To top it off I got in an accident and made the hard decision of buying another car or fixing the old one. I went with getting a new used car and after working almost 2 weeks straight I got a couple days off. I really wanted to go to the beach but I heard after Sandy the fishing could be really bad. I'm always happy to go to the mountains but this time of year most of the leaves are on the ground. There's been a saying from other fisherman about a fall bass bite. "You fight pulling leaves off your flies more than fish." Supposedly bass try to fatten up before the cold weather hits. The rumor was their feeding is veracious and you have a good chance of hooking a lunker. I have never had this experience but I decided to give it a shot. You'd think my first fishing day off in a while I wouldn't pick a place that I have had some of my worst fishing days. This river is the closest place to me and I was looking forward to just getting out and exploring. As usual when not knowing what exactly to use I went with a white wooly bugger. The water was higher than I'd like but really clear.  I cast out near a rock that always looks like a good fish hold. I start messing around with different strips and I'm trying to get the hang of feeling every bump and tap on the fly through the fly line. While I'm stripping I look back over my shoulder to a spot that has always produced fish in the past. I went to just lift my line up from it's current position but there was resistance.  I figured I was snagged but the line started moving towards me and I felt the familiar feeling of a bass.  It was a nice one too. The fish fought hard and used the current to it's advantage. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a good thing. Catching a fish on your first cast can mean a great day or a one fish day.

The fish was chunky and had obviously been feeding recently. Maybe there was something to this fall bass thing. I went on and continued to catch bass here and there. All of them had fat bellies. If I cast close to the bank or under over hangs there were always sunnies willing to play.

I really wanted to fish hard today. I was really feeling good. I finally felt I had a day where I picked the right day to fish, wore the right clothes for the conditions and had the right gear and flies to fish properly. I fished new water and found some great new holes. When the fishing started to get slow and I doubted what I was doing a bass always struck. They wanted a slow trolling retrieve today. The hits were subtle and I learned to have my hand ready to strip at all times. Bass strikes are so strange to me. They feel like you've bumped a rock or snagged a tree branch. Today was a great day and I hope fall continues to be productive.

Was This Meant to Happen?

Since I have been doing so much small stream fishing my 8wt hasn't gotten much love. I decided to break it out and jump on some water in between thunderstorms. I was a little torn where to go. There was a pond where I had hooked a large bass I wanted to get back too. I really wasn't sure I wanted to drive that far plus the weather was so unstable. I decided to hit a pond closer to my house. I've always heard after a rain that this pond can be amazing. I was excited and went to get my gear ready when I noticed none of my stuff was in the car.  I don't know how I didn't notice this when I put the rod in the car.  I guess because my stuff is almost ALWAYS in my car. The reason it wasn't this time is we recently took a trip to the mtns and drove my wife's car. My stuff was still in there.  I slammed the hatch and mumbled some things under my breath while I sped back home. Should I even go now I wondered? I figured this may be a sign to hit that pond where I hooked the huge bass. I grabbed my gear from my wife's trunk and headed to the other pond.  The weather seemed like it was going to hold off long enough for me to get some time in. When I started to get my stuff ready I grabbed my reel and noticed sinking line was on it. Then I started to look in my backpack and all around the car.  My reel with floating line wasn't there. I had my 3wt reel with floating line on it but would that really work? I guess we'll find out I just want to fish damnit.  

I walked to the spot where I saw the nice size bass. I had the sinking line on and decided to go with a white wooly bugger. There were only two other fisherman a father and son. They were a ways down the bank from me. By their looks I could tell they were wondering what the hell a guy was doing fly fishing there. The section was right in front of a drainage ditch that flowed fresh rain water in to the pond. I saw some movement at the back end of the pool and something that looked like a huge fish but wasn't moving at all. The lighting was horrible and it was hard to tell what was a log and what was a fish.  I worked the water and ended up snagging a rock near where the water entered the pond.  I walked over to unsnag my fly and when I got back I noticed the log wasn't there anymore. IT WAS A FISH!  It had to be a monster bass. Was that the fish I hooked before? Was my chance at catching a big bass there over? I kept trying and eventually felt I spooked everything on that side of the pool. I went to the other side and started to work the water there. I saw splashes and what looked like bass busting shad. Still I had no action. 

After about 30min the son started making his way towards me and I started fishing where I had started. I watched him for a bit and I don't know what he was fishing with but it made such a huge splash it startled me every now and then. After getting a horrible tangle in my line I decided to ditch the sinking line and use the 3wt reel with floating line. While changing my set up I asked the kid if he had caught anything. He said his dad had caught a huge bass earlier. He raised his hands and showed me the size of the fish it looked about the size of the one I had spooked earlier. Was that fish sitting there because it had just been caught? I decided to try a wannabe stealth bomber. It was chartreuse and had a strange material for a tail. Almost like artificial rabbit fur. My friend gave me this fly after some albrightflyfishing.com sale. I worked the fly but I noticed my leader was pretty short and the fly just didn't do the exact action I wanted. It wasn't working like a real stealth bomber. The lighting was really starting to fade and I still didn't feel like I fished this place right. I watched the kid some more and eventually saw him hook something close to shore that ripped his hook clean off. It was about 5ft away from him so I figured it was a bluegill.

I decided to get serious and fish right. I tied on a proper leader. Buffed it up using 10lb mono and went with a REAL stealth bomber. While I was set up I noticed the kid had left and I figured where he fished was too beat up to try now.  There's no way a big bass is still over there. I cast away from that spot first then on my second cast I decided to give that first spot another shot. I cast in what seemed to be 4ft from shore and maybe 5inches of water. I saw some movement near the fly then something sip it in. I set the hook hard hoping it was a bass but really thinking it was a bluegill. Then I saw the wake of the fish and it started to thrash around. This was no bluegill. The fish turned sideways and started to swim past me. This was by far the biggest bass I have ever hooked with a fly rod. All I could think of was the advice of my buddy Mike used to tell me. When you hook a big bass, set the hook then set it 2 more times. I set it about 10 times. I kept pressure on the fish and it wanted to run but there is no way I wanted to play with this thing on the 3wt "click paw" drag reel. I horsed the fish and the power of the 8wt held with the impression either I'm breaking or you're coming with me. The fish started to shake it's head and this is what I hate about big bass. You always seem to have them hooked to where you can see half of your fly sticking out of their mouth. Every time the fish jumps you just keep hoping your hook will stay in there. Luckily the multiple hook sets lodge the fly in well and the fish came to hand.

If you haven't tried the stealth bomber yet you really need to get your hands on these or tie them yourself. They are by far the best bass flies I've ever used.

In just a couple weeks I've caught my biggest bass and probably gill on this fly.

To top it off this is my 250th post which makes me wonder if all these events that seemed like mishaps were meant to happen. I don't know if I would have had the same night other wise.

Poppers and Bass

Last year I didn't try poppers that often because I thought they only worked in the summer. When the weather is warmer and the fish are on the move. Today I was hunting for bowfin and saw a bunch of bluegill. I didn't want to catch the little ones so I decided to fish one of the poppers I tied for smallmouth. After a few little piddly strikes I had a nice GULP! My fly disappeared and the rod bent over way to far to be a sunfish.

This fish was fat and happy.  It was the most unproportioned fish I think I have ever caught.  It was almost as fat and tall as it was long.  I've heard of people calling fish footballs before but this bass really did look like a football.  The fish couldn't have been more than 13 inches but it looked like it swallowed two softballs.   I tried various poppers but the bass seemed to really be keen on this particular one.  I tied it based on a Sneaky Pete pattern.  I wanted it to lay like a frog does when it just kind of hangs out on the surface.  The bass today approved.  They liked it so much I have to replace the rubber legs on the fly.

Every time I fish I try to learn something new. This time I figured out I was setting the hook way too early. If I waited an extra second I'd hook the fish every time. I realized too that bass don't hit the same way all the time. It made me think how many times I've seen these similar strikes and thought they were bluegill. The bass did it all from flopping on the fly, creating a wake before striking, inhaling it, sipping it in and flushing it through their mouth like a toilet. Those have to be my favorite strikes. They always are unpredictable. I'm not even sure how the bass does it, they must come from straight underneath the fly. I never see any sign of the fish then WUSH!!!.... The fly is gone. I love it and my poppers will be on the end of my fly line more often this year.

Fly Fishing for Smallmouth with Poppers

I've been following RandR Flyfishing for awhile. In my opinion they make some of the best free fly fishing instructional videos available. Here is their latest about fly-fishing for smallies with poppers.

Advice from the Guides - Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass with Popping Bugs from Ian Rutter on Vimeo.

The Haw Finally Delivers

Lately I've been in a little of a funk. Work has been a little stressful and there is the possibility of a major life change in the works. Fishing hasn't been my first priority. When life seems hectic it makes me want to fish even more. When I am fishing I don't think about anything but the current moment. The weather has cooled some and I wanted to get on the water. There is a pond close by that I have been fishing recently but it hasn't been very good. Really I wanted to be in a river. My closest choices are the Neuse and the Haw. Neither river has been very kind in the bass dept. I figured what the heck and decided to make a short trip to the Haw.

The water level was perfect and it was very clear. I didn't see much fish activity but with in 5 min I had a decent largemouth on. It made the evening seem very promising. I hit various spots that I knew had to hold bass. I missed strikes here and there. I noticed some menacing clouds overhead and I knew rain was coming fast. My plan was to work the structure in a close area. I went about 10min with out any action what so ever. I had some bluegill playing with my fly but I never had anything of substantial size. This was my first time applying knowledge I was reluctant to use mostly because I didn't think of it myself. In the end the advice was right on and it paid off.

What was the advice? Use big flies and think about edges. Usually when I went for large mouth I was using what I thought were big flies. Poppers size 10 or 8. I was told that is way too small. The size I needed to use was at least a 4 or 2. To me that seemed monstrous for a largemouth. After catching that first bass on a sneaky pete and looking at what I thought was a big fly in the fish's mouth I realized that sz4 fly wasn't so big.

The clouds became more menacing but I continued to work edges and stayed at the edge of the storm. I had all the edgy advice put into action on a good spot. I made probably one of my best casts of the day, twitched the fly a couple times and heard the sweet sound of GULP! I could tell the fish was a pretty good size by how it bent my 8wt. When it jumped my heart really started racing. This was by far the biggest largemouth I had caught not only on the Haw but with a fly. It ran for some rocks and jumped few times showing me how dangerously close my sneaky pete was to coming out of its mouth. In the end the fish surrendered and I had my first good river bass. I played around with my video camera on this trip. I was lucky enough to get the whole thing on video. It's a few minutes in. The date in the beginning of the video is wrong. I was too lazy to change it.