Deep Pools and Bridges

There's something alluring about bridges. I always expect to find a monster fish lurking in the shadows of a bridge. I guess it's from reading books like Billy Goats Gruff as a kid. Sometimes my expectations are right but even when I can't seem to find any sign of a big fish I still believe they are there. Hiding in the submerged debris just waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. 

This river had several bridges with deep pools that teased my imagination. The pools were full of fish but on this day they seemed educated. Stocked fish that have learned that danger lurks in unusual things hitting the water are fun and frustrating at the same time. Many times the fish will come with in a millimeter of your fly to either nip at a strand of marabou or turn around as quickly as they approached. 

This river is heavily stocked and the trick seems to be trailing a traditional fly behind an attractor pattern. I like to try something bright pink like an egg or squirmy wormy. You'll have fish hit the attractor fly but more often than not they will hit the dropper. I have so much confidence in my soft hackle flies I find it hard to use much else as a dropper. When I have success like this it makes it even harder for me to switch things up.

Soft hackles almost always work and if they don't it's usually a matter of fishing the wrong depth. If you see fish in a pool and they don't seem to be hitting. Try adding weight instead of switching flies. 

More Incentive to Tie Than Buy

My buddy asked if I wanted to come along with him to our local shop that sells flies. I hadn't been in awhile so I decided to go. We walked over to the fly bin area and I started to scan around at the various patterns. While looking I ran across a small sign that said flies only $2.50. At first I figured they meant streamers were that price but I was mistaken. The streamers were $4-$5. I recently bought some flies last year via Etsy. The flies were $3.75 for 3. Recently I noticed those kind of deals are few and far between now. I'm wondering when I missed something. Did the price of materials go way up?

Seems like the average price for a fly is $2.29. This gives me way more incentive to tie and even possibly try to sell some of my flies. I'd happily take $2 for any fly I tie.

Has anyone else noticed this influx in pricing? Is it giving you more motivation to tie your own flies?

That Time of Year Again

This spring has been particularly cold. The fish have been confused and so have the humans. We've finally had normal weather recently and I knew the white bass had to be in the river. Since I've had kids it has been harder to motivate myself to get out of bed at 5am to go fishing. I sit there awake running through all the things I could be doing besides fishing in my mind. Things needed done around the house, kids activities and just the idea of sitting around doing nothing is attractive. Once I'm on the water though the decision I've made is never regretted. I feel at home on the water and there's a sense of belonging. I've fished the white bass run long enough to figure the fish out.

On this day the fishing was tough. I only managed one but knew there were plenty more in the river. I ran into a guy I remembered seeing last year. The reason I remembered him is not many people fly fish this river and when you see another fly fisherman you usually end up chatting. I talk to bait fisherman to but sometimes you want to discuss things that only another fly fisherman can relate to. This guy had caught a ton of fish and said the trick was dragging the fly on the bottom. It's hard to do on this river without losing flies. The nice thing about white bass is if you get the fly in the strike zone they really aren't that picky. Anything that even remotely resembles a minnow they will hit. The fly I was using on this day was a bead headed clouser.

I use this fly when I want to fish the eddies near fast runs. I want something that will sink slowly and stay in the strike zone for a long time. When I want to get down deep I use the same fly pattern with dumbbell eyes. 

I say this every year and I'll say it again. White bass have a pull in the first 30 seconds of hooking that is hard to match. You never really know what size fish you have until after those 30 seconds. What you do know is that you have a battle on your hands and this fish is not going to come easy. It's what makes these fish irresistible to me and keeps me coming back every year. 

Thrills and Gills

The weather this Easter was so nice I asked my daughter if she wanted to try some fishing. She seemed eager and even more so after grandma decided to join us. My mother hasn't been fly fishing in over a year so she was almost learning all over again. The water looked great but I wondered if maybe it hadn't warmed up for the fish to be active. Kora was doing great with casting and it wasn't long until fish started hitting her fly. The fish were so aggressive and fast she was getting frustrated and determined at the same time when she missed strikes. Her persistence paid off and she had her fist bluegill.

Kids and bluegill just go together. I can't totally explain it but after fishing for them awhile I can't help but think they were meant for one another. Kora's smile seems to agree.

It only took a few more casts to land another and after her third fish she had figured it out. I was amazed at how she intuitively started to learn line control and how to manipulate her fly. She was getting to where she could anticipate the fish's behavior and almost predict when a fish was going to hit a fly. She really made several big strides with her fishing skills with this one trip alone. 

My mother was getting the hang of things as well and it didn't take long until she had a gill of her own. My daughter was catching so many fish she started to act cocky and wanted to make it a competition. She did end up catching the biggest fish and thought her shirt was the luck charm.

I know the real fun of the day for her was getting to fish with her dad and grandma. I felt blessed to have such a great day and have the fish cooperate.

I'm hoping this trip will give my daughter the bug and make her want to get on the water more.

So How Did the Tournament Go?

I'm sure a lot of you were wondering how the tournament went. I wondered myself while I tended to the kids while my wife had the flu. She kept telling me to go but I knew the kids were hard enough to deal with when you're healthy. Add a new dog and illness into the mix and it was a no brainer that I was staying home. My wife did admit later she was happy I did. I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Even with the crappy weather I was looking forward to the experience.

Speaking of weather around here it has been very strange. It's not uncommon for Raleigh to get about one day of rain a week. This year it seems we only get one or two days of sunshine. It has also been colder than normal. We have had the kind of weather I don't like at all. It snows but nothing sticks or it is just cold and misty in the low 30's with wind.

I have been tying some and trying to talk my daughter into joining me on the water. She seems more eager to come along. I think she wants the dad time more than a desire to fish. I can see the will I be trapped doing something I hate for hours look in her eyes when I talk about fishing together. I'm really working on trying to keep it light and fun. The weather looks like it's going to take a turn for the better in the next week. If things go well we may hit a pond for some bluegill. I'd really like to get her on the water for some trout though. She has a pair of waders that have been sitting in a closet for over a year.

Lefty Will Be Missed

Fly fishing doesn't really have a bunch of huge celebrities. One of the few was Lefty Kreh and people may never know just how many fishermen he influenced. I met Lefty once at a fly show. He was demonstrating casting. He asked if anyone in the crowd wanted to come forward for some pointers. I was nervous because I had only read books by this man up until this point. I raised my hand with many others and was picked out of the crowd. I did a few short casts and quietly just so I could hear he told me I was a good caster. It was probably the best compliment anyone has ever given me.  Lefty was always very approachable and at every fly show I ever saw him he was gracious and welcoming to fans. I treasure the books I have that he signed and I hope people appreciate how much he gave to the sport. He will be missed.

Fly Fishing Tournament Preparation

The tournament is this weekend and my preparation has been null. I bought some things to tie flies and I looked and made sure I had some of the materials I needed but the vise has yet to see the light of day. The weather forecast for the tournament is less than ideal. At least for this SoCal warm blooded native. Fifty is the high with a chance of wintry mix in the morning. I'm guessing the wind will pick up while the cold front comes in making casting interesting.

I'm still struggling with what flies to actually use. I can only use 25 and at first I was thinking well that's easy I mainly only use the same 5-6 flies every time I trout fish. Then I started to think about what if I have the right fly but the fish want a certain size. Should I use the same 6 flies and have different sizes of each? Maybe just 5 flies with 2 of the same size and maybe one other a different color. Should I have some with beads and some without? You can see how the combinations can become over whelming after while. I'm still trying to figure it out. I know some definite flies I will have in my box. I don't think I'm going to stress about what size they are. I know sizes that have worked in the past and that's what I'll go with. What I'm going to try which will probably hurt me is throwing in some strange flies I'm hoping not many others will use. My theory is these may be the flies to use if fish are acting weird and not biting the normal common flies that work in the area. Sometimes throwing something strange that peaks the trout's curiosity can exhibit a strike. These flies could very well be the difference makers.

I'm trying not to take it all too seriously. The tournament isn't super serious and the entry fees go towards a good cause. The interesting factor in this tournament different from others is the public aspect. The waters will not be closed off to the public. Anyone could be fishing the stretches we are given. That's part of the fun of the tournament. How will people fish in pressured waters and possibly conditions several fisherman have just beat up? The anticipation has me excited about what's to come but the weather, self doubt make me think about staying home where it's warm and familiar.

It will be a learning experience for what a tournament is like and how I handle the situation. Stay tuned....