Bigmouth Buffalo on the Fly


I have a new goal for myself, a project if you will. To catch an Asian Carp on a fly rod. There is not much info currently but there are a few patterns circulating out there, some whispers in the nefarious shadows of the fly fishing world, and I have a few ideas myself. That being said, this week I tied up various patterns and headed to the Wakarusa River. I didn't see any Asian Carp, surprisingly, and am convinced that with any of these patterns I will need to sight fish them. However, what I did see was a Bigmouth Buffalo holding steady in the current on the opposite bank. I made my cast, had the ideal drift, she only had to move her mouth inches for the take--then it was game on. The fight lasted 5 or 6 minutes, with no long runs, she instead was merely a bulldog at about 15-20 feet out that just refused to come in. I was pretty excited, caught a new species, and feel I may be on the right track with a pattern as Bigmouth's are also predominate filter feeders though not exclusively. All else equal, it may be the ugliest fish I have ever caught in my life. 


Bigmouth Buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus. 8 lbs
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Playing with Plastic


The life of a graduate student is irregular at best and schizophrenic at its worst times. Between the pressure to maintain a 3.5 GPA, yes that is the minimum I can have to remain in the program, and professors which assign 1000+ pgs per week, life can be stressful at times. Fishing is my zen, and behind learning, my greatest passion. Whether a fly rod or conventional, time on the water is precious. Ultimately, catching fish is no longer the point--though a much added bonus--for me its the equable quality of nature, the process of tying the knots, and the mental puzzle a piece of water presents you with. 

So the other day after several hours studying, I set down my books for an hour and headed to my favorite honey hole to throw some plastics at Largemouth. All in all the bite was great that night, with 12 fish caught within the hour. I started off with a Wacky Rig and later moved to a Jig and Pig. Something about the finesse of fishing plastics combined with the utter awareness and detail you feel through your rod makes it one of my favorite fishing techniques. 


Largemouth on a Wacky Rig. 


Jig and Pig. Always fun to flip and pitch into some dense timber. 


 3 lb Largemouth Bass. For the trailer on the jig and pig I really have been impressed with Yum's Wooly Bullee. 
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Jazz and Fly Fishing, Slow Walking Water: Video Short


A reflective piece by the guys at Jazz and Fly Fishing. Showcases fishing in the Swedish Lapland.

 


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This Never Happened...


The following is simply a figment of your imagination, it never happened, but if it had, well it would have been epic. Now in this dream, lies a make believe place entitled Clinton Lake and on it Clinton Marina. Day and night, swirling underneath the marina are large Carp, fattened off the fodder thrown to them by the marina's staff. The staff regards them with amusement and likens them to pets, there to entertain patrons. Any attempt to fish for these cherished Cypriniformes would be met with hostility and bereavement; and so the Carp lived imbecilic lives, unaware that in waters surrounding them laid anglers eager to catch them.

And so this continued: until one day a particular angler learned that the Marina would be closed on a certain day, leaving the Carp unguarded and vulnerable to his craft. Eager to capitalize on this opportunity, the young angler stealthily floated his kayak into position alongside the marina and cast to the unsuspecting Carp. Now if this had really happened, perhaps this would have been the result:


6 lb Carp. Topwater Fly.


Caught plenty of these guys as well. 


6 1/2 lb Carp. Photo kindly taken by a curious slip owner.



Picture doesn't do this guy justice. He would have been a tad unruly in the Kayak. 9 pounds. 


Welcome to Dreamland. 
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One Fly Tournament 2012


The Free State Fly Fishing Club held its annual One Fly Tournament this past week. Last year I one with 44 fish and was hoping to hold onto my title. The rules are simple: it is essentially a numbers tournament; most fish wins, only fly fishing is allowed, and you are only allowed one fly; lose the fly and you're out. 

I tied the same fly as last year with what would turn out to be one regrettable twist. I used a larger hook this year. The hook had a wider gap and was much sharper, which I was hoping would result in a higher hook up percentage. This was a mistake, I had forgotten the size of the bass in this pond--I don't believe anyone caught a fish over a pound with most presenting a far more diminutive stature. Time and time again I felt a fish on only to have if come off a few seconds later, my belief is that it was on the tail of the fly and never got past the hook, this in turn probably cost me countless fish. Overall I ended up with 19 Largemouth Bass and One Green Sunfish. Proverbially, what they say is probably true: if its not broke, don't fix it. 

Regardless, I had a blast and the food spread after is enough to make even the most stoic angler salivate. Congratulations to Big Mike on winning this year with 27 fish. 


The fly I tied, a variation off the Crappie Candy. 


Stan and Will. Some of my friendly competitors. 


Average size of the Bass, as you can see the fly may be a tad oversized. 
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Impromptu Driftless Trip




At the last minute I decided on an impromptu trip up to the Driftless last week. My parents and my fathers cousins were camping on the Minnesota side and I decided what the heck, why not go as I had a few days and school hasn't really picked up yet. So I drove the 8 hours to camp with the family and fish for a few days. 

My father fished a few streams prior to my arrival but didn't have any success or for that matter even see any trout. Sunday when I arrived, we fished a stream about an hour away from our campsite and saw a few tiny trout but weren't able to get any interested. Faced with limited knowledge of the streams in Minnesota and unable to find any great resources, people to talk to, a very limited time frame, and difficulty deciphering the Minnesota trout maps; monday we choose to head to Iowa side of the Driftless to fish streams we were already familiar with. 

Monday morning we started out at Trout Run, just outside of Decorah. We fished for only about an hour or so before it began to rain and we decided to move on the French Creek--my favorite stream in the Driftless. However, I did manage one Brown on a Hare's Ear. 


Brown Trout. Tungsten Bead Head Hares Ear. 

Finding the French was a challenge, or rather, finding the particular segment of the French that I wanted to fish was a challenge. For those not familiar, the roads on the Iowa Trout Map are not marked, so its a bit of a guessing game. This is complicated during a storm with limited visibility. I was kicking myself for not marking it on my Garmin, a habit I will carry out diligently going forward. During our search, time ran out for my Dad and he had to head back home.

For months now, one of my goals has been to catch a Brown from the French. These fish are all wild and notoriously spookish, further the French is completely catch and release so some of these fish get to some size. Well I am happy to report I caught my French Creek Brown. Albeit in a severe downpour, though I would like to think that just lent to the epic nature of the hunt. He wasn't big, but I couldn't care less. He was a French Brown and I caught him. The segment I fished I wasn't familiar with, and was much narrower and further upstream from where I had last visited. When I left to find the another segment, I encountered several flooded roads, dared myself through some and turned around at others and eventually, though reluctantly, turned south to get out of the storm and find more peaceful waters.  

I first went to the Paint, a rather large stream system east of the French but after walking it for an hour and seeing only one trout I decided to head back to Decorah as it was getting late, and I was very wet and tired. I returned to Trout Run for the remaining 20 minutes of daylight and was able to catch three average Rainbows on a Hares Ear.


An absolute downpour the entire time I fished the French. 


Not a big guy, but I was very happy to catch him. French Brown. Lightning Bug Nymph. 


One of the many flooded roads I encountered as a result of the storm. This one I did cross. 

The next day I started by fishing two other streams I adore: the North Bear and Waterloo. I started on the North Bear which was running very clear with lots of fish visible and some that were quite large. In particular was a large, easily 4 lb+ Brown, guarding an underwater boulder from pesky Rainbows. However, no matter what I drifted, stripped, or taunted him with he neither moved for responded to my valiant efforts. Disappointed, I moved on and eventually caught two Rainbows on a Pine Squirrel Leech. 


North Bear. 


Rainbow on a Pine Squirrel Leech. 


Another view of the North Bear. 

While much more opaque than the French or North Bear, the Waterloo was still onerous to fish due to very low water.  I was also nearing the end of my trip and this may have made me a bit impatient but I only caught one Brown while on the Waterloo. That aside it was a nice fish and the scenery is some of the best in the Driftless. 


At times I need to remind myself that I am still in Iowa. 


The Waterloo. 


Nice Waterloo Brown. Hares Ear. 

On the drive home I stopped at Twin Springs in Decorah and fished for a half hour catching five small Rainbows, on a pink soft hackle. I wish I would have used it earlier and am curious what the results would have been. 


Pink Soft Hackle Fly. 


Small Rainbow. 

Water was low and overall fishing was a tad slower than I would have liked, but I had a great time and am very lucky to have had this be my fourth trip to the Driftless in one year. Truly this is one of my favorite places to fish. In retrospect I wish I could have spent more time at the French and would have focused my angling a bit more on streamers as the trout seemed somewhat reluctant on nymphs and dry flies. That being said I had a lovely trip and cannot wait to come back. 


Iowa. 
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Fishing the Feeders


It has been a hot and terribly dry summer. Fishing has been, well it hasn't been the best, in fact it has been downright difficult this summer in Kansas. So last week Bret and I decided to try our luck at Clinton Lake at two of the feeders on a fly rod. At the first Bret hooked into a nice 8 lb Carp and had something break off that was really big and taking line fast. I think he learned his lesson on unnecessary reel palming that day. For me I got a 6 lb Channel Cat. Not a bad start to the day. 


8 lb Carp. Grub Pattern. 


6 lb Channel Cat. Carp Candy Fly. 


What a Cutie. 

After the first feeder we moved to the one by Clinton Marina. This feeder has been very slow lately and on that day proved true to that pattern. We only stayed for a half-hour or so and I landed a small Channel Cat. 


Channel Catfish. Jumping Catfish Nymph Fly Pattern. 
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Bass Fishing With Skeeter


Bret's high school social studies teacher and cross country coach came to visit us for a few days and I had the pleasure to be able to fish with him one afternoon. We first tried Lonestar, but unfortunately that came up pretty empty. So we moved to the local honey hole. Everyone caught several bass but Skeeter outfished us both. He caught most on an Original Rapala. Here are a few pictures. 


3 lb Largemouth from Bret. Wacky Rig. 



Skeeter with a 2 1/4 lb. Original Rapala. 
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Iowa Driftless: Trout Run




We wanted to fish the Driftless on the way back from Lake Vermilion and debated between the Iowa side vs. the Minnesota side: eventually deciding on the Iowa side as we only had a half day and that seemed far too short a time to research and find new waters. That being said, the great thing about the Driftless is the numerous streams you can fish and even with this being our third visit within the past year to the Driftless there remain a multitude of streams on the Iowa side we have yet to fish. Had we had a day or two I would have liked to fish the French, if you remember from my last trip to the Driftless, this river skunked me and yet to date is perhaps the most intriguing and beautiful trout stream I have ever fished, but due to time and ease we settled on Trout Run just outside of Decorah.

Now I have to admit something. I was very hesitant to fish this stream. It is a stocker stream and due to its proximity to Decorah I imagined something along the lines of a Bennet Springs type experience: large crowds and idiot trout only willing to take glow balls. But I will eat my words and pride and admit I was very pleasantly surprised. Yes, the stream does start out at the hatchery like at Bennet but there the similarities quickly dissipate. We did run into a few people on the water, which on my two previous trips to the Driftless had never happened, but it was not crowded and for the majority of the afternoon we were on the water by ourselves. The stream itself is gorgeous, just like you would expect from the Driftless and I would highly recommend the middle segments, absolutely breathtaking. 

The highlight of the trip though was that my father caught his first fish on a fly rod! He has been learning over this past year and has made great improvements but unfortunately has not been able to get a bend in his rod. Finally he was successful though and caught two rainbows, I don't know who was more excited about this him or I. For myself I caught seven Rainbows and surprisingly one nice Brown.  


First trout of the day. Rainbow. Copper John. 


My Father's first fish ever on a fly rod. Size 18 Caddis Borealis. He could look a tad more excited though... 


View of Upper Segment of Trout Run, Near Hatchery. 


Upper Trout Run Rainbow. Copper John. We tried several different small midge and nymph patterns and found that those towards the smaller end, size 16 or less, and with a little flash proved most effective. 


Middle Section of Trout Run. 


New Species for Life List: White Sucker. 


Surprise, Surprise. 2 lb Brown. Put up a decent fight too! 


Great feeling to see this fish swim off! 


Middle segment of Trout Run. Under the bridge the water probably drops to 10-12'. There were some big fish lurking under there. In retrospect I wish I would have thrown a streamer under the bridge a few times to see what I could have picked up. 


Last fish of the trip, Rainbow on a Yellow Stimulator. Also first trout ever on topwater. Lots of fun. 
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Lake Vermilion


Lake Vermilion is a beautiful lake in Northern Minnesota, 26 miles south of the Canadian border. With countless bays, over 350 islands, 61 square miles of water and trophy fish it is an anglers paradise. I first heard about Lake Vermillion two or three years ago while fishing the Saint Louis River for Muskie, which was known for a its beautiful scenery and big Muskie--ever since, my father and I have had in on our bucket list to fish. This July I made the eleven hour drive, met up with my father and fished Vermilion for four days. I was not disappointed. 



What you first come to appreciate about Vermilion is that despite its size, due to the countless bays and islands, you can always find protected water no matter the water conditions. The second characteristic is the endless habitat variety offered by the lake. I have no doubt that you could fish years and still not fully know the lake. 

The first day out we targeted smallmouth as we only had a half day to fish and there was some very promising cover surrounding our campsite. My dad hooked into two in the 2 lb range and I lost two and a big pike which broke my line. 



Countless Islands and Rocky Shoreline. 


My Dad's first Smallie of the Trip, Salmo Crankbait. 


Day 1 was cut short by some rain, I may add that it did rain everyday we were there but the storms were brief and except for the first days hardly impacted the fishing. 

The second day we set off in search of Walleye. However, as has been the pattern throughout the midwest this year, temps have been far above normal and that pushed the fish deep. Most were being taken in between 20-40' of water on crawler harnesses and deep crankbaits. For those curious the Walleye slot on Vermilion is 18-26". Being new to the lake we tried several locations and even attempted late at night but failed to hook into any 'eyes. Later in the day we switched it up for Pike, with me attempting on a fly rod, however the wire leader I brought failed in the first few minutes of casting, thank god not on a fish, and so that venture was cut severely short. My Dad did however land a 3 lb Pike on a spinnerbait. We ended the day fishing for Smallmouth again but while I caught two, they were less than desirable in size and stature. 


Seagulls and Comerants on an island in Big Bay. 


3 lb Northern Pike, Chartreuse Spinnerbait. 


Not quite what I had in mind. Smallmouth, Rattletrap. 


An incredibly beautiful lake and sunset. 

The third day was only about one thing--Muskellunge. We met up with Bob Benson a guide recommended to us by Pete, a guide we had used in the past, both of Northland Muskie Adventures, which is also linked under my guides I recommend tab. Also for those interested here is a link to my last trip with Pete on the Saint Louis. Honestly, it was an incredible day. We had 16 follows, caught three, and I lost one at the boat. We fished for almost eleven hours with me throwing double-bladed bucktails the entire time, but I had I blast. Honestly after 45 min of throwing I didn't think I was going to be able to cut the big blades all day but the repeated follows kept my adrenaline up. When you think that for Muskie, to just see a fish is a good day, we had an incredible day. Both my father and I got personal bests and I think I am starting to get the Muskie bug in him which is fine by me. Bob was a great guide and is obsessed with all things Muskie, if you are in the area definitely look him up. 


Fish On!


My Dad's 46" Muskellunge. Topwater. 


My 44", Yeah I am honestly that excited.


11 hours of casting, yep I slept well that night.


My 45". Double Bladed Perch Colored Bucktail. Personal Best.

The last day we started out looking for Walleye again, had a few bites but none hooked up. My father and I were both disappointed to leave without any Walleye, but that is part of learning a new lake and we have some ideas for next time. We tried for Pike again, and again I hooked into a fish and lost it, making that three lost Pike for the trip, two of which would have been personal bests. Really felt off my game in that aspect. We ended the trip like we started, fishing smallmouth, catching 6 more that evening. I love the spunk of Smallies, and wish I would have brought a smaller fly rod on board to fish for them. 


2 lb Smallie. Wacky Rig.


2 1/2 lb Smallmouth Bass. We patterned them in intersections with rocks and weeds on the shoreline, near points and dropoffs.


Black and Purple Senko's tended to be most productive on the Wacky Rig, I noticed a greatly diminished bite while trying Red or Green Worms.


We saw a lot of these guys--Rusty Crayfish. They are an invasive species which have displaced the naturally occurring crawfish due to their aggression and harder shells. Also they have largely killed off much of the natural vegetation in Vermillion with the exception of a few select bays. 



Well that was our first trip to Lake Vermilion. We will definitely be back. We marked and saved a lot of spots on our GPS, and came away with a decent understanding of the lake. First time on any lake is tough, as you are going into every situation somewhat blindly, but I think we did alright. Next time we hope to hook into some Eye's, maybe break the 50" barrier for Muskie, and take a portage to Trout Lake for some Lakers. 
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