creamernator asked:

Slinging small poppers in early April on an Ohio public pond, catching bluegills and a few small bass.

fishcamp1 asked:

www.floridafishinglessons.com – Fly casting – How to make a roll cast. Capt. Chris Myers, FFF Cerftified Fly Casting Instructor, shows how to execute a roll cast when fly fishing. Use this cast to straighten your line or when fly fishing with obstacles behind you prevent a standard back cast.

COSkiesOutfitters asked:

James Spicer fly fishing the Arkansas Tailwater near Pueblo, Colorado. Trying to catch as many fish as he can in a handful of casts.

There are many ways to catch fish. A fisherman can surely catch fish with his hands. He can catch fish with a spear. He could even cast a net over a school of fish, however awkward it may be at first. All of these methods can be effective with practice but they offer the same disadvantage to the fisherman: the catch is restricted to only shallow water varieties of fish.

On the other hand, many believe that it is the fishing rod that is the fisherman’s most basic, most important weapon. With a fishing rod, your chances of getting a good catch are very much improved.

When it comes to game fishing, that is, fishing for large, offshore fish, a fishing rod is a necessity. You just can’t do without it.

If you’re new at fishing, a fishing rod will be your main investment. It is the one, essential tool that makes most fishing possible and enjoyable. Oftentimes, just manipulating a fishing rod can become addictive for many people.

Here are some guidelines that will help you select the right fishing rod for your needs.

- Shape. A fishing rod should taper off from its base to its tip. You won’t have problems with finding a fishing rod that satisfies this shape. It’s quite widespread, practically universal. Advanced designs are introduced to the market every now and then, but the classic and traditional is still the best and finest choice.

- Weight. A fishing rod is described by weight. This weight doesn’t refer to the actual heaviness of the rod. Rather, this refers to how resilient the rod will be for specific types of lures and for specific types of fish. Therefore, classifications like Ultra-Light, Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Heavy, Heavy, and Ultra-Heavy are used when describing fishing rods or fishing poles to help the fisherman in choosing the correct one for his objectives.

Fly fishing, for instance, can be managed with Ultra-Light to Medium weight rods. Bass fishing, on the other hand, would require Medium-Light to Heavy weight rods.

- Action. A fishing rod is also described by action. Action refers to how much the fishing rod can bend when pulled by a particular force, and how fast it will revert to its neutral position when the force is removed. Action is categorized as slow, medium or fast, although middle-points between levels can be found.

- One-piece or Two-piece. Some fishing rods are labeled as one-piece, because they come in, well, one piece. They are said to feel very natural for the fisherman, allowing for a more comfortable and relaxing time.

On the other hand, two-piece fishing rods are, of course, more complicated. But with the proper engineering, these rods can achieve their goals effectively well. However, you’ll need to take special care when selecting a two-piece rod. If it’s ineptly manufactured, it could be disastrous even for experienced fishermen.

When the time comes for you to choose a fishing rod, you really need to know about the fish you intend to catch. Some fish take a few minutes to catch, while others can take many long hours. Knowing this will dictate what kind of fishing rod you’ll need. There’ll be no room for guesswork and you’ll have the best fishing rod possible. Good luck!



By: Len Q.


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flyfishingtheozarks asked:

Join North Fork of the White River guide Brian Wise, his clients and friends as they fish during Fall, 2011. www.riveroflifefarm.com www.flyfishingtheozarks.com

Fly fishing is a water sport that can be enjoyed by everyone. People as young as 14 years have taken to the sport and adults as old as 80 have too. Fly fishing in a stream can be a gentle sport and this gentleness should be reflected in the way we fish for game in the rivers and streams.

Fly fishing etiquette is nothing but common sense that should prevail while fishing in a stream. Nevertheless there are things many young and old fishermen unfortunately forget during a fly fishing session. This etiquette we refer to is with regards to the other fly fishermen in the area.

Remember that there are other people fishing the same waters that you are. The first rule is to remember that it is not good etiquette to fish near another fisherman. There should be at least 20 meters distance between you and anyone else who is fishing, unless the person has consented to you fishing the same waters. It is considered very rude for someone to setup his or her fishing gear near another person already fishing in a place and is getting a lot of bites.

A fisherman will never disturb the waters where another fisher is already fishing. If they notice someone fishing they stop at a reasonable distance so as not to disturb the fish and ruin any chances of a good catch. It is ok to stand and watch the fisher fishing for a while, you never know what you might learn.

People who have a common interest in a sport such as fly fishing seem to have an instant bonding when they meet. It pays to be friendly to another fly fisherman you may happen to meet along the stream on one of your fishing trips. Invariably there is an exchange of advice and mostly it leads to something you learn. It is best to enter into a friendly conversation, you might just find out what fly fishing techniques are working for the fisher that particular day. Many people have been introduced to the sport of fly fishing just by talking to others about the sport. So if you meet someone at a fishing expedition exchange a few pleasantries, you never know who you could introduce to your favorite sport.

Now the most important thing about fly fishing etiquette, the environment, remember that the water and the surroundings are the home of the fish and a place where other people visit to partake in a sport you all have learnt to love. It will only be good etiquette to keep the place clean. Clean the surrounding when you leave the spot after a fishing trip. Try to leave it cleaner than you found it. Remember it only takes a few minutes to cleanup after you. This will keep the fishing spots looking beautiful and inviting for everyone.



By: Abhishek Agarwal


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Iron Canyon Reservoir is a forebay that feeds the James B. Black powerhouse on the Pit River. It is fed by an 8 mile tunnel from the McCloud River Reservoir outside of McCloud, California. Both projects are owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric company.

James B. Black was the president of Pacific Gas & Electric for 20 years and was the father-in-law of Shirley Temple Black.

The reservoir and powerhouse were completed in 1965 and the reservoir planted with various species of rainbow trout by California Fish & Game. No one can tell me where the brown trout came from.

The McCloud River is fed by springs coming off of Mount Shasta and the water is very pure and cold. This is the water that feeds Iron Canyon Reservoir. Besides the main in-flow of McCloud River water, the reservoir has four creeks that empty into it and serve as spawning beds for naturally spawned trout.

One of the things that sets Iron Canyon Reservoir apart from other water bodies is that the carry over of planted trout is quite high. The planters survive longer than the average of three weeks, and in fact they survive to spawning age and are able to reproduce.

One can tell the difference between large planters and naturally spawned Rainbow trout in that the flesh of the naturally spawned trout is pink and firm, similar to Steelhead Trout. This quality makes the trout easier to fillet. The planted trout that survive and grow large enough have white meat and are harder to fillet.

Due to an abundance of food and a red worm that is indigenous to the soils along the edges, these fish grow very large….they remind me of footballs. One brown trout made the local newspaper, it was 32 inches long. As a judge for the Annual Fish Derby and Liars Contest, I have weighed in a brown trout that was 27 1/4″ long and 7 lbs. 6 ozs. in weight. The contestant also entered a 17″ rainbow trout.

The McCloud River tunnel ***** in fish from the McCloud reservoir and spits out fish food. Numerous brown trout hang out in front of the inlet and even have a spawning area close by. The local fishing guides use this inlet during times when the local rivers are blown out and call it “River X”, and have their clients use San Juan Worm Flies from the bank to catch browns. Trolling along the dam face with flashers and bait also works well for catching large brown trout.

I personally like fly fishing the mouths of McGill, Gap and Cedar Salt creeks. The banks are easy to walk, and a float tube is very handy and easy to launch. The brown trout are fall spawners and will stack up in the mouths of the creeks waiting for the winter rains. The rainbows are right below them, feeding on brown trout eggs. In the spring, the water levels are kept low for power generation purposes and the creek mouths have numerous rainbow trout feeding in them. I call it “old man” fishing, since all I have to do is put on some rubber boots, and cast into the water with a woolly ****** type fly.

In the summer when the water levels are kept high, the brown trout cruise the edges and the flats while a float tube will get you out over submerged stumps where the rainbows feed. Good Times.



By: David B Green


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With fly fishing, sometimes it is all about the chase. Here’s a day trip that looked unfruitful, but turned out alright in the end.

Colorado Fly Fishing

We put the raft in on a warm morning in Sept. without a cloud in sight. My expectations were not high, since a warm sunny day tends to put the fish down, at least on this stretch of the Colorado. When the fish aren’t rising, I go straight for tandem streamers; there is nothing more exciting than a big pissed off brown chasing your streamer off the bank in shallow fast moving water. Dredging the bottom with a nymph just doesn’t do it for me. If I break out a nymph’n rig, I must have exhausted all other options.

The first quarter mile of water put a bleak outlook on the remaining 9 house of river ahead of us, not a single chase through some of the higher quality water on this stretch!! My invited guest on board had no experience throwing a heavy awkward tandem streamer rig, and was fairly discouraged after nearly throwing his shoulder out with only a handful of well-placed casts. I always talk of the exciting chases, but now; he must think I am full of it. I now know the frustration that guides must endure while watching miles of quality water go by without a singe well placed or completely untouched. “There was probably a nice fish it that pocket we just passed”, came out of my mouth far too many times than I care to recall.

About 3 miles into our float, which is exactly what it had become, a sightseeing float, the weather began to change. Here came the clouds, an encouraging sign, of course unless the wind comes with it. Here came the wind, and next thing you know, our beautiful sightseeing float turned into a back rowing battle to keep the boat heading downstream. Luckily, this did not last long, but the rain did begin to fall.

Within a few minuets after the rain subsided, the mayflies were swarming and the fish were rising. Were eddied out in several prime spots and began to catch fish in the swirling foam. Just about any well-placed cast was rewarded. Time went by unnoticed, until suddenly I realize that we had only traveled half way to our take out and more than half of the day was gone. Pushing through the slack water and hammering the moving water with the streamers was now becoming very productive. Finally, I could prove to my guest how exciting the chase could be. It seems that every other cast produced an aggressive brown, either territorial or just plain hungry.

We landed several nice fish while powering through the final stretch, arriving at last light. A turn in the weather sure can turn on the fish and bring on the chase.



By: Richard Chapo

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This will create a great day of fishing if you can learn how to match the insect hatch in a particular area. Keep in mind though, this is just giving you an extra edge and is not necessarily going to guarantee success. We’ll explain more below.

Making It Easy

For those of you who only go out and cast a line before actually scoping out an area, this information will be crucial in catching more fish. The easiest way to “match the hatch” as they call it is to find a good fly shop around the area you plan on fishing. Once more utilized as a prediction, now is already charted out for you on a map in most shops. These charts show you exactly where it will happen throughout the river giving you the best possible spots to fish.

Another avenue you can take is by using books that offer times of hatching for specific insects. While these can be expensive, they are perfect for the person who likes to utilize as much information as possible. They will not only talk about the hatch, but also about each insect and all their tendencies so you intimidate them properly. It’s a great way to ID insects so you know what the fish are eating themselves.

When Its Not Needed

One issue we hear many people talk about is when they go out during the colder part of the season, this tactic simply doesn’t work. While this may be true, there is a reason behind it. If you are trying to fly fish in a river or stream where the water is only thirty-eight to forty degrees cold, it doesn’t matter what you put on the end of your line. When fish are in colder waters, they aren’t going to be moving much and it will be quite difficult to bring one up to the surface. So matching the hatch during this time will be irrelevant.

Using Trout As An Example

If you are fly fishing for trout, it’s important to understand their thought process. When matching the hatch trout go after the easier insects who have not full integrated into adults. The reason is that the adults are extremely difficult to catch, so going after the younger underdeveloped insects are the smarter choice.

Knowledge Equals More Fish

Eventually everyone realizes that if you study your opponent and learn to think and act like them it proves to be beneficial. It may sound a little strange, but many people do it. This is why seeing how the insects float on the water and move around are important when your line is laying on the water. Imitating them even if your fly looks different will help take more fish home. Find out all you can and we know it will make your next trip more enjoyable.



By: Tony David Smith

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Ordinarily, when you go fly fishing for bluegill you either use a dry or a wet fly. Well, if you use both, at the same time, the bluegill don’t stand a chance. To do this effectively, you need to use what is known as a dropper system:a dry fly and a wet fly or nymph tied off the dry fly’s hook bend.

This strategy is useful in two situations. One is when bluegill are ultra picky. Maybe you have a local farm pond that gets fished all week long in the summer by every person in your city. Well, chances are they aren’t using a dropper method for bluegill. These fish will be spooked by any bobber that is thrown in their direction, and no one else will be presenting flies to them. The dropper fly, which should be something like a stone fly nymph will look exactly like what the fish actually eat. They will be attracted by the slight disturbance the dry fly makes and then they will rush up to the nymph and inhale it.

The other time and place for this method is if you are new to fly fishing for bluegill. The dry fly will act as a bobber. When the bluegill takes the nymph the dry fly will get ****** under. This will allow you to get a feel for how subtle the take of the nymph is while having the benefit of the dry as the indicator. One problem(if you can really call it that) that you might have, is that you may get fish on both the dry fly and the nymph at the same time.



By: Scott R

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