Fishing with your kids

There's one fishing trip I am looking forward to above all others. I can't wait to take my kids out on the stream and get them addicted to fishing. My daughter will most likely be the first, forced out into a stream with a fly rod. Even with her daddy ignoring her pleas for a Dora the Explorer fishing pole.  She loves the outdoors and exploring but she hasn't shown a huge interest in fishing. A concern I have is her independence. She wants to do EVERYTHING on her own. I was doing a casting demo at a county fair. My daughter wanted to try it out. Notice where I am.

Every time I tried to help or guide her hand she would shoo me away like a horsefly and say "I can do it, I can do it." I'm thinking this scenario is going to play out for along time. Me trying to hold her hand through every step in life and her defiantly wanting to do everything herself. There's a part of it that makes me sad and a part of me that loves the independence at the same time. I guess no matter what you try to help your kids and it's a blessing if they have interest in the same hobbies. When I bought this short rod I was hoping it might be her first. Then maybe passed on to my son. One great thing I've learned from fishing is it is a great opportunity to get to know someone. Sometimes people share things they'd never share in a different situation. Who better to get to know than your own children.

Tell Me This Ain't Funny

I dare you to watch this and not laugh.

Instilling Confidence

It's been awhile but I finally cast a fly right where I thought a fish should be and caught one.   I was starting to wonder if I have no idea where fish really hold.  Recenly every "fishy" looking spot I attempted to fish resulted in nothing.  Yesterday a buddy and I hit a local lake.  It was a slow morning until  I cast a white wooly bugger near a half submerged log.  It was one of those casts where you think if I don't catch one like this I probably won't catch anything all day.  Sure enough the line jerked and a fish was on.  Nothing amazing but definitely a confidence booster.  Turned out to be my only fish of the day.

Access

After reading several fishing articles and blogs I've come to the conclusion that several factors give the average fly fisherman an advantage.  For some it is skill, others it is location and above all it's fishing access.  Places that don't see very much fishing pressure and access is private or limited to only those in the know. I've been lucky enough to fish such a place. It is near my father in laws house and the fishing is ridiculous. We had talked about fishing in the morning but his late shift made him stall in the morning. He could tell by my constant badgering about when are we going that I was eager. He finally said "well you can go by yourself." I jumped at the chance and called to get permission. Permission was given before the sentence could even be completed. A common occurrence for country neighbors. I quickly gathered my gear trying to not look too obvious that I was trying to get out the door as quickly as possible. I gave a kiss and hug to the family and bolted to my little piece of heaven.

The only signs another person has been here is the grass cleared near the bank. Mainly for the tractor and cattle. The water is pristine and you have no other sign a fisherman has been here. No random monofilament dangling from branches or pieces or styrofoam bait containers along the bank. No neglected bobbers stuck in the middle of the river attached to a submerged log or some other debris. Just a lot of pretty scenery and isolation except for the company of these guys.

When you find places like this you never want to leave. You're reluctant to share them and if you even remotely talk about it you give directions that are way off. The fish were in the fast water. Different from what I'm used too. They were slamming clousers swung across the current. The water was so clear I could see all the follows from the fish I didn't catch and the takes from the fish that came to hand. This place is how it should be. There are plenty of 8-10inch smallmouth but the bigger fish aren't easy to catch. You might see them but they won't hit anything. It takes skill and most likely luck to hook them. Catching them any other way would be an injustice. There's nothing not to like about this place. It's about as perfect as it can be.

Mom's Catfish

From my experience August has always been catfish month.  This most recent fishing trip just confirmed that even more.  My mother is still getting the hang of fly fishing.  She recently took a Orvis Fly Fishing 101 class where she learned the basics of casting and how to rig the rod herself.  This was the first trip where she rigged up her fly rod and tied all the flies on herself.  The only help I provided was suggestions on fly selection.  The trip was really a test for my new toy.

  I have never used a fish finder before and I have always been interested in how exactly they work.  If nothing else it would be neat to see what the bottom of the lake looks like.  I wanted to cover a lot of water so I decided to rent a canoe.  I haven't fly fished much from a canoe and my mother hadn't done it ever.  She hasn't had much experience in a canoe in general.

  We headed out and the weather was almost perfect.   The fish finder didn't mark much and it was amazing how much of the lake bottom was featureless.  The finder showed the water was 81 degrees and the average depth was around 8ft.  I set the fish alarm to only go off if it signals medium to large fish.  Not really sure what that means but the finder went off at various points that made sense.  Any indention's or obvious changes on the lake bottom usually registered at least one fish.  The fishing was slow and as we we let the wind drift the canoe I heard a familiar sound of a fish feeder.  At first I wasn't sure if that was exactly what I heard but then I saw the splashes and fins from fish feeding underneath.  We headed over and started to fish around the feeder.  By the time we got there the surface frenzy had died down but you knew the fish had to still be there.  The fish finder started to go crazy registering fish all over.  I'm not sure if the fish alarm is a good or bad thing.  It was kind of hectic looking through my fly box and being distracted with beep..... beep beep..... beep in the background. Each beep signaled a fish and one showed up as a big one.  I knew something that looked like a fish pellet would probably work but I had nothing similar.  I decided to go with a carp crack fly my buddy ties.  I hucked my line near the feeder waiting for a tug.  It didn't take long.  After a few stips I felt resistance and had a fish on.  I figured it was a catfish and I tried setting the hook a few more times.  That was my mistake, the fish came loose right under the boat.  We circled the feeder a few times and as I was looking across the lake I heard "I got one, I got one!"   I looked over to see my mom's rod bent over and almost pulling the tip into the water.  I remembered she only had a 5wt and this fish was pulling hard.  I thought if it was a big cat it might break it.  I tried to position the boat and give her directions to have the fish tow the canoe.  That way it could get tired on its on instead of making the rod do all the work.  In the riot I grabbed my mom's phone and started to record her first big fish with a fly rod.

You can tell from the video I had more fun watching her catch it than if I had caught the fish myself. She did a great job fighting the fish and I could tell she was stoked the whole day. It was a really nice catfish and a great accomplishment to catch it with a fly rod. If this is an indication of the fishing in August, bring on the catfish!

My First Float Tube Voyage

I have been wanting a kayak for quite a while.  I had a tandem kayak before my kids were born.  It was great to have but the main problem was storage.  The kayak was kept outside and exposed to the elements. When my wife became pregnant I sold the kayak to get funds to buy a nice camcorder.  I have wanted a boat since.   Often times I scoured craigslist for used kayak deals and even inquired often with in my fly fishing club.   There was never a deal that matched my budget or the kind of kayak I was looking for.  A friend was selling a pontoon style float tube.  I was interested but when researching reviews of the rig I found info on regular belly boat style float tubes.  I also stumbled upon the float tube fishing forum.  I was amazed at how tricked out a float tube could get.  These guys also use the tubes in almost any situation.  I checked out Sierra Trading post and found a deal where I could get a U-style Caddis float tube and fins for under $100.  I had a Caddis traditional round style tube maybe 15yrs ago.  I never used it that often because I didn't have many friends to fish with.  Luckily that is not an issue now days and yesterday I broke the tube out for her maiden voyage.

Some friends and I hit Jordan Lake. I was a little hesitant at first. The forecast called for 100 degree weather. I was worried about cooking myself with the 80degree water wearing my waders and a PFD. I probably could have wet waded by I was sketchy about this lakes water quality. We all headed out and I remembered quickly one quirky thing about float tubes and using fins. Which way do you pedal your feet? There is a definite trick to it and finding the right rhythm and technique takes time. I found if I back pedaled I moved quickly but it was tiring. If I forward kicked it was less tiring but I barely moved at all. I found through out the day I did a combo of both. I have to say once I got into a groove I really enjoyed the float tube a lot. It's not fast but the advantage is maneuverability. The water actually felt cool around my waders and it was interesting to feel the temperature changes. We headed into a creek that entered the lake and the water temp had to have dropped 10degrees.

We tried this area for awhile. I could see bubbles rising from either turtles or carp. The water was too dingy to really see. The situation made me really wish I had a fish finder. It would have been nice to know what structure and contours were underneath. The fishing wasn't very good but honestly I was having fun just getting used to how the tube handled. If you just sat and enjoyed the view it was very relaxing.  I often times just bobbed with the current and watched ospreys and turkey vultures fly around.

I can see that I might use this for just messing around and taking pictures. After a couple hours my ankles were getting pretty worked from paddling.   My buddy was able to give me a tow back with his rig.

I'm really looking forward to using this boat more. I've been researching fish finders and I've found one that interests me quite a bit. Mainly because of its cost and functionality.

This is called the Humminbird Smartcast. You attach the receiver to a fishing pole and you can literally cast the transducer out. Then reel it in and get a over view of what the bottom is like. It reads temperature, bottom features and fish. I thought it would be cool to put it on a spinning rod and just let it drag behind the tube. I could also cast it out in various places to see if they are worth fishing. I think it would be a fun toy if nothing else. If someone has tried this please comment on it.

Just Not in the Cards

I tried to find a way to get on the water in the last couple weeks.  It has been rough.  I have been super busy at work and the triangle has had record temperatures.  When it's 105 with a heat index of 111 your first thought isn't to go fishing.  This weekend I went to the mtns only to have it rain at every spot I tried.  The water was muddy and washed out.  I made useless attempts at one place that was good to me last year.  All I had to show for my efforts was a small rock bass. 

I'm still trying to figure out how to balance fishing time with family time.  It's really tough when you are away from trout water then go to a relatives house in the heart of prime smallmouth and trout water then are expected to be around all the time.  It's like planning to go shopping and having a pocket full of money only to be stuck outside looking through the window at all the stuff you'd like to buy.   The struggle to find what is selfish and what is allowed to forefill my own happiness seems like it will always be a challenge.

What I've come to realize from these scenarios is a plan and schedule needs to be set in stone before hand to make all the parties involved happy.  I have to set aside a block of time to fish at least one day and stick to it.  No matter what the weather conditions, who can fish with me or what I might miss out on.  I guess I'm happy as long as I don't feel I missed out on the fishing.