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. 

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... 

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. 

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. 

An incredibly beautiful lake and sunset. 

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.

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.

I took my girlfriends three year old son, Tristen, fishing this week. As many of you know it has been dreadfully hot these past few weeks in Kansas so after giving him his brand new Spiderman fishing pole and his own tacklebox, we packed up mid morning and headed to a local Lawrence pond to fish for an hour or so before the heat hit. He was very excited about his fishing pole and could not wait to catch fish. 

I set him up with a basic bobber and hook rig, with one alteration, instead of using a standard straight shaft or Aberdeen style hook I used long shanked circle hooks. I have not fished with bobbers for years but one of the main things that turned me off from it initially was the tendency for the fish to swallow the entire hook and severely injure itself. As someone who practices 100% catch and release this was not acceptable for me. I am happy to report that the circle hook fixed this problem entirely, with no deep hooks or injured fish. For those interested I was using Mustad Circle Streamer Size 8 hooks, model # C71S SS. 

Tristen caught two Bluegill, I believe his first fish ever but I will have to confirm this with his mother. Regardless he was very excited. He picked up casting very quickly and was easily able to cast beyond 50 feet. Further he was patient and attentive at waiting for the bobber to go under and then reeled the fish in perfectly, well after I adjusted his drag properly. Honestly, the only guidance I had to provide was that if a turtle approached the bait we needed to reel it it quickly to avoid catching the turtle. His response for the rest of the morning every time he saw a turtle was, "Bad Turtle, Stay Away" it was pretty cute. 

Personally, I had a blast. I love fishing and it is one of my greatest passions. To be able to take someone  young and teach them about fishing and further for them to have a successful day was beyond words. I cannot wait to take him out again. I know there are some 4 lb Bass lurking in that pond, how exciting would that be! 

Tristen's First Bluegill. 

Number two. He wouldn't hold the fish and the best he would do is touch it's tail. Something to work on I guess. 

A few weeks ago I was at Clinton Lake fishing near the feeders and was able to talk with one of the KDWP Ichthyologists about current fishing conditions at Clinton as well as past and future stocking efforts. The first thing he said was that the only fish which typically use the feeders are Catfish and Carp. Crappie, Bass and other gamefish typically do no use the feeders as a food source at all. I was somewhat surprised by this as it seems a huge effort to just support a Catfish fishery as most anglers regard, unfortunately, the Common Carp as a trash fish. Though admittedly we Fly Anglers have no problem with the development of large Carp to run our spools. Finally, in regard to the feeders themselves he said that during samplings they have consistently found large Blue Catfish off the feeder adjacent to the beach by Rock Creek. 

Secondly, he said that it has been about 5 years since the last stocking of Wipers and that Clinton had been on the docket for a restocking this past year until a sampling earlier in the year revealed a population which did not require it. Finally he mentioned a plan by the state to develop Clinton into a much more productive Smallmouth Fishery. 

I recently went to Clinton Lake to chase some carp for the first time this year and didn't come up disappointed at all. I saw a ton of fish and hooked into three and landed one. Most fish were between 5 feet to as little as 6 inches of water along the dam face. I will admit my largest problem was getting my fly stuck in the rip rap and I lost several flies and even more opportunities. To solve this I started using a hopper/dropper style which kept the fly elevated above the rocks. Once I switched to that I had much more interest from the carp and even had a few drum take interest. The only problem after was an almost immediate spit prior to gaining the hook set. Further, of the three I caught one broke my line, the other came free after a few minutes and the final I ended up catching a tad deeper water with a wooly bugger. It was great fun and I cannot wait to catch more in the coming weeks. I think I am going to try more hopper/dropper style rigs and may tie up some with circle hooks to reduce misses. Also for those wanting a fast/good time with carp and cats, feeders are on at Clinton. 

Two weeks ago I headed down to the Bahamas with my family for a little R & R and hopes, at least for my Dad and I, of Bonefish. We would be spending quite a few days at Green Turtle Cay (pronounced key) where I would have amble opportunity to wade fish the flats surrounding the island and then we booked a guide for one day. 

I had only fly fished saltwater once before this trip, Key West a few months ago, and ended up skunked on the long stick, so for this trip I really wanted to hook into a few on my own, but more importantly I wanted and dreamed of Bonefish. 

On my own I caught 7 fish: three little Barracuda (unfortunately none even remotely close to the size of the 20 lb 'cuda I caught in the keys), 3 Mangrove Snapper (a new species for me), and a Horse-Eye Jack. With the guide I only caught a tiny Mutton Snapper (again a new species to add to the life list). 

Regarding the guide, I cannot say that I have ever had such a rotten experience. The guy was a jerk and an elitist. My father went into it wanting to fish conventional rather than fly, which the guide said wouldn't be a problem. We did see lots of Bonefish and I was able to cast to quite a few but only had one brief hook up and one spit. Now I am not upset with the guide for not catching any Bonefish. I have fished long enough to realize and understand that you will not always have a successful day each and every time you are on the water. Flats fishing on the fly is difficult and I understand that. What upset me were two things. First, he seemed a poor guide. Twice he yelled out the command "he is on it" to which I immediately did a strip strike. Though I didn't feel a fish I understand that Bonefish are often soft on the take and I trusted him in saying that "he is on it" meant the fish had taken the fly. No, he meant the fish was bearing down on the fly if you will. Greater communication would have been much appreciated. Further, his instruction for when to bump and strip seemed half hazard at best. 

Secondly, he gave my father very very little time at the bow, despite my urging otherwise. From the bow my father only got a chance at like 2 fish, over the course of perhaps 30 min. This was a full day trip. For bait he only provided Conch, though commented that crab would have been a better option, yet failed to bring any. Later we all got out of the boat to chase some bones that were tailing in a foot or less of water. The guide took me with him and in chasing some pods but had my dad, simply cast the conch, apparently hoping a Bone would cruise by and take it..... I didn't realize we were going Catfishing. This adventure of leaving my dad behind lasted 45 min, to which my Dad was obviously bored when we returned. He also made a comment to me that "real men catch bones on the fly" what are you serious? I love fly fishing I really do, but its just a tool. The elitism that sneaks into the culture really pisses me off sometimes. Fishing is about being outdoors, connecting with nature, learning the pattern and so forth. Whether you choose the fly or conventional as your tool should be a matter of choice not a hierarchy. For those of you who read my blog it is obvious I engage in both styles, and will never belittle anyone who chooses one tactic over the other. Its just fishing. 

I could go on about how disappointed I was with the entire experience situation but needless to say I would never recommend him. His name is Ricky Sawyer, and his website is: http://www.abacoflyfish.com/. 

For anyone traveling to Green Turtle, I found and excellent resource online. Here is the link: http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/greenturtle.html. Also if you want a guide I would recommend checking around a bit and choosing one on Abaco, a nearby island that is only a 15 minute boat ride away. If I am ever there again, that is surely what I will do. 

Horse-Eye Jack, Pink Clouser. 

Fish On!

Mangrove Snapper, Again with the Pink Clouser. All three Snappers were about this size. 

Coco Bay Flat, Green Turtle Cay. 

Worlds Smallest Barracuda, Glass Minnow. 

Another Green Turtle Flat, though the name of this one evades me. 

Another 'Cuda. 

Wading. 

Largest Barracuda of the trip and fish for that matter. Still not huge though. 

Have to double haul to fight the wind. 

Mighty Mutton Snapper.