Question:

It sounds like that fish needed to be caught like he needed a hole in his head!!! ARG… Eric

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This summer, I either caught or witnessed being caught the same fish 7 different times from the same pool, once each on 7 different fishing trips. The trout had a very unique circular hole in its head, looked like it had been pecked at by a heron. Every visit I made to that pool, either on my own, with a friend, or with a client, resulted in that same fish getting caught. Tim Lysyk timlysyk at telus dot net

Response:

<SNIP. Now the real dilemma. What to do with a dead fish right in front of our campsite knowing that there’s a griz in the area. I slid it back into the water and had a sleepless night.

Its only a dead fish.  There are a lot of other reasons for sleepless nights. Few of them have to do with fish. TL MC

Response:

I don’t have a story to add, but I wanted to write-in to say that this is a darned interesting thread. Keep them coming. Memphis Jim

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

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While the legal requirement to return a mortally wounded fish if it’s undersized, or caught in a C&R area, or otherwise "illegal" to keep seems nonsensical at first, but the reason is logical and actually rather obvious. Without the requirement, it would be impossible to enforce the regulations. Also, like Ken and and Jim point out, it also doesn’t do any great harm (although I’m pretty sure Tbone is extremely offended by the practice). I will very occasionally keep a doomed fish caught in C&R waters, but only when I’m damned sure I won’t be caught with it. It does feel somehow ethically wrong to release it, even if it’s legally right.

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  I’ve thought about this a bit since it happened. My first thought was   that it’s pretty damn silly to "waste" a fish that’s already dead   regardless of Park regulations to the contrary. Why not just fry it up   and eat it, especially since putting it back could be considered tempting   fate in grizzly country. But I’ve come around to the position that   considering ME not eating the fish to be the equivalent of "wasting" the   fish is wrongheaded. There are many organisms, from the microscopic to the   aforementioned griz that would consider that carcass a feast. I did the   right thing.   For me, it’s a tough call. Fish dying and returning to the ecosystem is how they evolved, but not returning fish that were killed by angling. I think it’s a weakness of C&R regulation. I think you should keep and eat a fish that’s badly hooked, but like RW said, if that were allowed the regulation would be unenforceable. Willi

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My wife and I fished with a guide in Maine last year. We both made it clear that we were C&R only – something the guide practiced as well. My wife hooked a 10" Brookie as we sailed through some white water. No way to stop, we could only drag the fish behind us. By the time we were through, the rapids had gotten the best of the little Brookie (that and the fact that the fish had taken the fly very deeply for some reason). Then the debate was on – do we keep the little guy (he was under the size limit as I recall) illegally and at least he serves some purpose, or put him back to float down stream. Decided quickly to return him to the ecology. Plenty of things feasted on him. Never regreted it a bit. Course, not the same as a 22" Cutty, but I don’t believe it would have changed my decision. I’m with you Ken. Jim Ray

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – … What to do with a dead fish … Shoulda kept it in your tent. Unethical. I’ve thought about this a bit since it happened. My first thought was that it’s pretty damn silly to "waste" a fish that’s already dead regardless of Park regulations to the contrary. Why not just fry it up and eat it, especially since putting it back could be considered tempting fate in grizzly country. But I’ve come around to the position that considering ME not eating the fish to be the equivalent of "wasting" the fish is wrongheaded. There are many organisms, from the microscopic to the aforementioned griz that would consider that carcass a feast. I did the right thing. — Ken Fortenberry

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… What to do with a dead fish … Shoulda kept it in your tent.

Unethical. I’ve thought about this a bit since it happened. My first thought was that it’s pretty damn silly to "waste" a fish that’s already dead regardless of Park regulations to the contrary. Why not just fry it up and eat it, especially since putting it back could be considered tempting fate in grizzly country. But I’ve come around to the position that considering ME not eating the fish to be the equivalent of "wasting" the fish is wrongheaded. There are many organisms, from the microscopic to the aforementioned griz that would consider that carcass a feast. I did the right thing. — Ken Fortenberry

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Now the real dilemma. What to do with a dead fish right in front of our campsite knowing that there’s a griz in the area. I slid it back into the water and had a sleepless night.

Shoulda kept it in your tent.

Response:

recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? …

Slough Creek circa 1980 something, I caught a 22" cutthroat and when I brought it to hand the hopper was impaled on the OUTSIDE of the gill plate. I went to pluck it off only to realize that the fish had inhaled the hopper. The fly had gone in its mouth, out the gills, and then attached itself to the outside. Needless to say, when I plucked at the fly the tippet, which was still in the fishes mouth, sliced through the gills. A bloody mess and I knew I had a dead fish on my hands. My wife, who is normally off doing photography while I fish, was looking on because she was afraid to get off by herself. The rangers had warned us about a female griz in the area. I had to sheepishly admit that I’d killed the fish despite my rather pompous pontificating about C&R around the campfire the night before. Now the real dilemma. What to do with a dead fish right in front of our campsite knowing that there’s a griz in the area. I slid it back into the water and had a sleepless night. — Ken Fortenberry

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recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Almost caught…. I was fishing on the N.F. Clearwater below Kelly Forks, casting across a deep pool to a little riff, up comes a 6 inch rainbow. I started pulling the little guy toward me and it dove down about 10 feet away, all of the sudden this 6 inch rainbow was stripping line off my reel. I fought the fish for a few minutes and got it within sight. A bull trout had latched onto the side of the rainbow, I pulled the two fish up and tried to net them, as I went down with the net and the bull trout let go. I stood there with a puzzled look on my face explaining the story to my friend down the way. During out conversation the 6 inch trout was up at the surface swimming around, once again the bull trout came back and latched on. I fought the pair, this time almost netting the fish. Wish I had, the bull trout looked to be in the 25 inch range. I release the rainbow, he seemed to be okay despite the teeth marks in his side. I had read a similar story however, never thought I would experience it first hand.

Had a customer hook a 14" cutthroat on the Blackfoot once. As he was bringing it in a very large pike took the trout and held on for a good ten minutes. We worked him into an eddy but couldn’t even begin to get him even half into the net (which will hold fish in the 18" to 22" range without difficulty). He finally let go after several attempts just to scoop him up onto the bank. We didn’t want to scoop him into the inflatable raft we were drifting in. The trout was trashed but, due to catch-and-release regs, we had to release it. — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

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This summer, I either caught or witnessed being caught the same fish 7 different times from the same pool, once each on 7 different fishing trips. The trout had a very unique circular hole in its head, looked like it had been pecked at by a heron. Every visit I made to that pool, either on my own, with a friend, or with a client, resulted in that same fish getting caught. Tim Lysyk timlysyk at telus dot net

Response:

— Fly fishing is the most fun you can have … standing up.   Greg

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

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is that what they call guiness out yer way? ;^) –waldo

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snip< i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the

You recreated the scene nicely IMHO.  :-) Joe F.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

This shouldn’t count, but I was fishing a sulfur nymph, and got caught on bottom.  When I checked the hook after I got it unstuck, there was a natural sulfur nymph nicely threaded on the hook — Scott Reverse first field of address to reply

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I also caught the same fish that previously broke off but it wasn’t a trout but a pike.  I was fishing for trout though.  I got my fly back  when I caught the pike again. Next best one is my son caught a fish (cutthroat)  that was attached to a bait fisherman’s bobber (without the bait fisherman) that was swimming around the lake.  He used his fly rod to snag the bobber and bring the fish in. Eric

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – about a 15 inch pod Bow at Silver Creek He ate the exact same pattern I had broken off in his mouth about 5, no more than 10 minutes earlier … the fly was still there and a unique pattern, so I’m sure it was the same fish. I was very surprised that he was still feeding, let alone that he would take the same fly … he broke off after a decent fight, and I figured he was sulking somewhere.. Ditto, a small brown on the Onion just outside Sheboygan, WI.  Took a Pass Lake and broke me off under a bridge just as we started fishing. Coming back an hour and a half later, I got my fly back. Stranger still (though by no means all that rare….in some waters anyway) are the brookies that pounce from the sky.  DAMNED hard to get used to! Wolfgang

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Very detailed writing….ever consider writing for Penthouse?  :) The weirdest thing I’ve caught with a fly is,… well…, my brother. Double weird, considering he is a major league entaphobic.  "It kinda makes it worse when you keep slapping the damn thing like it is alive." Twice on the same lake I caught two bass on a bait with two treble hooks. And once, on the same lake, I caught a bass by it being "lipped" between the split ring of the lure and the lure’s diving lip. Scott

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

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Almost caught…. I was fishing on the N.F. Clearwater below Kelly Forks, casting across a deep pool to a little riff, up comes a 6 inch rainbow. I started pulling the little guy toward me and it dove down about 10 feet away, all of the sudden this 6 inch rainbow was stripping line off my reel. I fought the fish for a few minutes and got it within sight. A bull trout had latched onto the side of the rainbow, I pulled the two fish up and tried to net them, as I went down with the net and the bull trout let go. I stood there with a puzzled look on my face explaining the story to my friend down the way. During out conversation the 6 inch trout was up at the surface swimming around, once again the bull trout came back and latched on. I fought the pair, this time almost netting the fish. Wish I had, the bull trout looked to be in the 25 inch range. I release the rainbow, he seemed to be okay despite the teeth marks in his side. I had read a similar story however, never thought I would experience it first hand. JRT – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

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recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly?

Walt, The weirdest trout I ever caught was a pike  =) To make short sentence, like the above, a bit longer story: I had noticed a feeding trout picking spent spinners on the neck of a riffle for about five minutes. This was in Savar Creek outside Umea in northern Sweden. After seing the trout rise for its fifth or sixth time I decided to give it a try. The trout looked as if it could be of some nicer size and I did everything I could to get it right. After a diagonal downstream cast with a reach mend I saw the fish rise and take my fly. I striked and felt a heavy weight at the end of my line. To my surprise the initial rush that so often comes when hooking trout was totally absent. I called out to my friend Fred that I had hooked a relly nice trout, but that it was acting a bit strange. Fred, who of course got interested, hurried over to watch the fight. I shouldn’t have called out to him……he makes me eat my words every now and then, and if I actually do hook a trout he usually makes remarks about a lb3 pike ( /Roger

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recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly? one that always amuses me, and provides fond memories, is a brookie that was taken on up high on the spine of grandfather mountain, up high on boone’s fork… a few years ago… i approached the curvaceous body with eager anticipation. every nerve on edge, every move forsaken, every breath…. well, bated. the body of my desire being that of waterworn, finely sanded granite, obviously the design of a female god…. hence the sexuality….. and obviously, the desire to fondle the trout that lay at the artistic granitic turn in the clear pristine waters beneath the ever-present, prevalent growth of rhododendron. a few here at roff have fished this forlorn yet gorgeous pool…. i have taken them there…. i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water. shit. i’m flummoxed as to how to loosen the fly without spooking the fish i just know is residing below. i try a soft twitch of my rod, transmitting a soft and gentle energy via the line to the leader, through the hewn tippet knots, onward, ever so craftily to the tippet. the fly sveltely dances, as it precariously dangles from the web…. but does not dislodge. whoosh…. sweet baby jesus…. a take. the brookie has leapt from the depths like a submarine launched missile and taken the fly. once hooked, the darling was brought to hand rather easily, as he was shy of a foot by a few inches. i have never caught a trout like that again, but whenever i see a spider web spun close to the water, i try to recreate the –waldo

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recent threads…. [slightly disturbing scenic snipped] i digress… the cast was adequate. the tippet turned over to present the fly. it stuck….. adhered in a spider’s web strung between some low-riding rhodo branches….  the fly dangling about six inches above the surface of the crisp cool mountain water.

A nymph under a Royal Wulff, a backwater edged with grassy tussocks, the flys just beyond one in the water one over it, a fish rose to the Wulff missed, landed on the tippett with the nymph dropper, flipped the nymph over its back and caught the tippett in the bend. This noose tightened on the fish behind the pecs and in front of the dorsal. My first and probably last lassooed fish – don’t do droppers much now. Steve (Look ma! no hands!)

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about a 15 inch pod Bow at Silver Creek He ate the exact same pattern I had broken off in his mouth about 5, no more than 10 minutes earlier … the fly was still there and a unique pattern, so I’m sure it was the same fish. I was very surprised that he was still feeding, let alone that he would take the same fly … he broke off after a decent fight, and I figured he was sulking somewhere.. —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

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about a 15 inch pod Bow at Silver Creek He ate the exact same pattern I had broken off in his mouth about 5, no more than 10 minutes earlier … the fly was still there and a unique pattern, so I’m sure it was the same fish. I was very surprised that he was still feeding, let alone that he would take the same fly … he broke off after a decent fight, and I figured he was sulking somewhere..

Ditto, a small brown on the Onion just outside Sheboygan, WI.  Took a Pass Lake and broke me off under a bridge just as we started fishing. Coming back an hour and a half later, I got my fly back. Stranger still (though by no means all that rare….in some waters anyway) are the brookies that pounce from the sky.  DAMNED hard to get used to! Wolfgang

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anyway) are the brookies that pounce from the sky.  DAMNED hard to get used to! Wolfgang

dang …not a trout …but was a fly trying to shoot a small hair Bass bug under a bush tight to the bank I missed and the bug hung up in the bush … I fiddled and fiddled trying to get it loose.  It was "weedless" and I moved it from limb to limb.  It was a good foot out of the water …. when a Bass came out and grabbed it <g not a big Bass but it made me shout and whoop ( and I hate it when guys shout when they hookup, very annoying   —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

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recent threads…. what is the strangest, perhaps the weirdest trout you have caught on the fly?

a few The Greediest – on Snowbird using the NC dry, dropper, I had a nice brookie on the dry and as I lift and reach for him, he wiggles off the dry, drops into the water only to be lifted back out by the dropper stuck firmly inside his jaw.  The greedy little bugger had taken the dropper on the way up to the dry. The Ugliest – A brown on Penns of about 14" whose lower jaw had been broken at the point early in its life and it had grown into an "X". The Best Jumper – A baby steelie of about 8" that I noticed jumping and taking mayflies on the wing.  I stood upstream and upwind of him, letting the dry bounce around in the wind – he leapt clean out of the water and took it. The Most Persistent – A Grand River brown of about 12" who chased, swirled and missed my mini-brown three times, covering the full width of the pool in his chase, only to be hooked on his fourth lunge. The Fastest – That JATO equipped steelie at Altmar. No sex in the pool though.   Damn southern guys get all the sexy pools.  :( Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Question:

I’m a little confused by how a braided loop failure could cause the loss of a fly line, unless you use a loop-to-loop connection between your line and backing.

Actually, I use them there too. I can see if you didn’t fasten it on good it could get pushed off by a guide as the line went into the backing. I use thread and Aquaseal to fasten the end of the connector on instead of the shrink tubing partly for that reason. — Charlie…

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Hello Dave, A pretty standard way to connect leaders to floating freshwater fly lines is to needle-nail knot on a butt section of mono first. The section should be around 2/3 the diameter of the end of your fly line and at least the same diameter of the butt of the tapered leader being used. Averagely this is 25# mono that is around .021", but this can vary depending on the diameter of the end or point of the floating line used. I have seen butts used from 6" to 18" but a foot long is pretty average. Sunset "Amnesia" shooting line, Hal Janssen "Leader Control" (clear Amnesia) or Maxima "Ultra Green" are some popular mono around here for fresh water butts. Some will put a small perfection loop on the end of the butt or some will use a 3 or 4 turn blood knot to attach their knotless tapered leader. Your local fly shop should be able to show you how this is done. — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA www.kiene.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After hearing lots of negative comments about the loop connectors that come with some lines (Orvis), and noticing that my line tips tend to sink a bit, I’ve decided to experiment and replace the loop connectors with a short length of nail-knotted leader ending in a small loop. The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  I’m sure the answer is related to the weight and type of flyline the leader is being attached to — I’d be making this changeover on the following: Orvis wf 5 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating bass line. Thanks for your help! Dave

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After hearing lots of negative comments about the loop connectors that come with some lines (Orvis), and noticing that my line tips tend to sink a bit, I’ve decided to experiment and replace the loop connectors with a short length of nail-knotted leader ending in a small loop. The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  I’m sure the answer is related to the weight and type of flyline the leader is being attached to — I’d be making this changeover on the following: Orvis wf 5 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating bass line. Thanks for your help! Dave I use a nail knot to tie my leader directly to the fly line. I hate the braided loops. Particularly after after one failed and I lost a fly line and a striper size XXL. Paul

I’m a little confused by how a braided loop failure could cause the loss of a fly line, unless you use a loop-to-loop connection between your line and backing. — Scott Reverse first field of address to reply

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [snip] I use a nail knot to tie my leader directly to the fly line. I hate the braided loops. Particularly after after one failed and I lost a fly line and a striper size XXL. Paul I’m a little confused by how a braided loop failure could cause the loss of a fly line, unless you use a loop-to-loop connection between your line and backing.

It was a shooting head to running line. The fish decided it was too close to the boat. It took off and on the way throught the guides the shrink tube that keeps the braid from fraying must have hit a guide that released the tension on the braid and bye bye fish and shooting head. I went home and cut off all the braided loops from all my lines and tied nail knots on all leader and backing to fly line connections. Haven’t had a problem in the 9 years since I did that. Paul

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I did exactly that . . . I got rid of the braided connectors and went to the mono nail knot/perfection loop. Mine is about 4 inches in length as attached. I used the backend of a leader that I commonly use. I figured it should be similar to the leader material in weight and make up, so I used one! At this point, I wont go back to the braided connectors. I did it to the following: Orvis Wonderline WF 5wt SA Mastery Series GPX WF 5wt I am also planning on using this method on my 7wt when I get the rod built!! Wayne says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After hearing lots of negative comments about the loop connectors that come with some lines (Orvis), and noticing that my line tips tend to sink a bit, I’ve decided to experiment and replace the loop connectors with a short length of nail-knotted leader ending in a small loop. The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  I’m sure the answer is related to the weight and type of flyline the leader is being attached to — I’d be making this changeover on the following: Orvis wf 5 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating bass line. Thanks for your help! Dave

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After hearing lots of negative comments about the loop connectors that come with some lines (Orvis), and noticing that my line tips tend to sink a bit, I’ve decided to experiment and replace the loop connectors with a short length of nail-knotted leader ending in a small loop. The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  I’m sure the answer is related to the weight and type of flyline the leader is being attached to — I’d be making this changeover on the following: Orvis wf 5 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating bass line. Thanks for your help! Dave

I use a nail knot to tie my leader directly to the fly line. I hate the braided loops. Particularly after after one failed and I lost a fly line and a striper size XXL. Paul

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My floating lines are set up with braided loops and nail knotted mono/perfection loops on the sinking ones.  Braided loops can trap air and hold the tip of a sinking line up.  I once used one on a Type 5 sinktip only to see the belly two foot down and the tip on the surface.  Since then all sinking lines have been mono only.  As Ken mentioned, they should be as short as practical and roughly  two thirds the thickness of the tip or about mid way in thickness between the leader butt and line tip. All braided loops will fail if they are not installed properly.  The end of the floating fly line should be sealed with glue to prevent the ingress of water that would cause the tip to sink.  The tip of the line should be inserted fully into the sleeve and as far as possible into the doubled over section of the loop.  A nail knot should be tied on the opposite end of the sleeve, securing it to the line.  The heat shrink tubing should be placed over the knot and the end of the sleeve to prevent fraying as well as smoothing its passage through the guides.  Glue shouldn’t be used on the sleeve as it can make it brittle and prone to breakage.  Braided loops should be periodically checked for fraying. Both loop system can fail, even when well installed.  Enough pressure can break a braided loop, pull a nail knot off the line, or break a perfection loop.  The trick is to make sure that the transition loop isn’t the weakest link.  A properly installed braided loop provide superior turnover due to their inherent stiffness when properly installed and are especially suited to use with heavy sinking leaders like Airflo Polyleaders.  Their tendency to float helps keep the tips of floating lines up plus they can also serve as strike indicators if you use a bright coloured heat shrink tube. HTH Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Bill, After a phone conversation with your staff about 3 weeks ago, I went to the nail knot/surgeon’s or perfection loop set-up for all my saltwater rigs.  I also shortened my Orvis 38 ft. shooting head to 30 ft. per their suggestion and casting improved tremendously.  I kept trying to buy some shooting heads from those guys and they insisted I check locally to see what was being used successfully.  I have to say they ended up getting me steered in the right directions on a number of saltwater options.  I would suggest though, that east coast fishing setups  can be related to west coast fishing setups through water temperatures. Might broaden your sales base?? — Wayne To Fish is Human…To Release Divine!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Dave, A pretty standard way to connect leaders to floating freshwater fly lines is to needle-nail knot on a butt section of mono first. The section should be around 2/3 the diameter of the end of your fly line and at least the same diameter of the butt of the tapered leader being used. Averagely this is 25# mono that is around .021", but this can vary depending on the diameter of the end or point of the floating line used. I have seen butts used from 6" to 18" but a foot long is pretty average. Sunset "Amnesia" shooting line, Hal Janssen "Leader Control" (clear Amnesia) or Maxima "Ultra Green" are some popular mono around here for fresh water butts. Some will put a small perfection loop on the end of the butt or some will use a 3 or 4 turn blood knot to attach their knotless tapered leader. Your local fly shop should be able to show you how this is done. — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA www.kiene.com

Response:

After hearing lots of negative comments about the loop connectors that come with some lines (Orvis), and noticing that my line tips tend to sink a bit, I’ve decided to experiment and replace the loop connectors with a short length of nail-knotted leader ending in a small loop. The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  I’m sure the answer is related to the weight and type of flyline the leader is being attached to — I’d be making this changeover on the following: Orvis wf 5 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating trout line Wonderline wf 6 wt floating bass line. Thanks for your help! Dave

Response:

… The question:  What length, weight, type, even brands of leaders would be best for this?  …

I use the nail knot/perfection loop setup on my 5wts. I like Orvis Super Strong and find that .019 matches up with my 5wt lines. Most anything in the range of .017 to .021 would work. As for the length, I make it as short as  I possibly can and still tie a perfection loop. — Ken Fortenberry

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Question:

A large mouth bass is not picky or scared much.  They are very aggressive. The more noise the angrier they get.  If it gets too hot, as it does down South, they will hide in the weeds during the heat of the day.

Actually, I think it is light rather than heat they tend to avoid.  They tend to "hide" in deeper water when not feeding and when it is available.  If all the water is 8-10 feet or less, then weeds and logs it will have to be.  Of course, if you pound the shallow weeds long enough, you’ll eventually catch some stragglers. If nothing is hitting it, you can be sure a bass is sizing it up.  He may not hit it the first time.  Present it to him again.

I wouldn’t be so sure about that.  It’s very easy to fish in the 90% of the water that has no fish.

Response:

A large mouth bass is not picky or scared much.  They are very aggressive. The more noise the angrier they get.  If it gets too hot, as it does down South, they will hide in the weeds during the heat of the day.  The really go for poppers, but I have also found they like slow sinking bugs.  I do not know the proper name for it, but my favorite is  a flat moss green wool bug with long rubber feelers and eyes.

There is a fly that’s similar to your description, that’s tied with something like hula skirts on backwards – called a pig boat. John

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The family vacation this August is taking me to a huge warm lake with no trout for miles.  I have never fished for bass and figure this is a good time to try.  I need help with flies and tactics.  There is supposedly good fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and stripers (not to mention walleyes, crappies, etc.).  Maybe someone can refer me to a website for beginner bass flyfishermen? As always any advice will be much appreciated. tom

Response:

A large mouth bass is not picky or scared much.  They are very aggressive. The more noise the angrier they get.  If it gets too hot, as it does down South, they will hide in the weeds during the heat of the day.  The really go for poppers, but I have also found they like slow sinking bugs.  I do not know the proper name for it, but my favorite is  a flat moss green wool bug with long rubber feelers and eyes. The perch will give your lure a fit within the first 5 to ten second of the lure landing.  If nothing is hitting it, you can be sure a bass is sizing it up.  He may not hit it the first time.  Present it to him again. They strike at any given angle.  I recently caught a 5 pounder that simply slurpped the popper without breaking the water.  The same day a 2 pounder completely cleared the surface of the water and took the fly on the way back down (Shamu style  ). We use barbless on our lake.  But if you are hungry, you best leave your barb intact.  They love to shake ‘em out at the shore line. I have caught them on tiny black flies, as well as large frogs, and mice. Scott

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The family vacation this August is taking me to a huge warm lake with no trout for miles.  I have never fished for bass and figure this is a good time to try.  I need help with flies and tactics.  There is supposedly good fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and stripers (not to mention walleyes, crappies, etc.).  Maybe someone can refer me to a website for beginner bass flyfishermen? As always any advice will be much appreciated. tom

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Question:

Hello Everyone,  I’m gearing up to do a bit of small lake fishing next week.  I really haven’t done much lake fly fishing over the past few years so I’m not real sure what to bring along for patterns.  Can anyone suggest some good "general" patterns for exploration on high mountain lakes? TIA

Response:

Hello Everyone,  I’m gearing up to do a bit of small lake fishing next week.  I really haven’t done much lake fly fishing over the past few years so I’m not real sure what to bring along for patterns.  Can anyone suggest some good "general" patterns for exploration on high mountain lakes? TIA

These are the flies I use over here in Scotland on hill lochs :- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/flyindex.html especially the "Dry fly", "Hill Loch Nymph" and "Iron Blue Wetfly". — Don`t Worry, Be Happy       Sandy —       Website:-  http://www.ftscotland.co.uk     IRC:- Sandyb in #rabble  uk3.arcnet.vapor.com Port:6667      #Rabble Channel Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/rabble              ICQ : 41266150

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These are the flies I use over here in Scotland on hill lochs :- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/flyindex.html especially the "Dry fly", "Hill Loch Nymph" and "Iron Blue Wetfly".

Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here…. — Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. … and they all stink!

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Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here….

Yeah, beats the hell out of gratuitous insults, don’t it? Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one.

makes you superfluous, huh? … and they all stink!

We are pleased to bow to your authority. Wolfgang o.k., who wants to ask how someone comes to know so much about rectal redolence?

Response:

Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here…. Yeah, beats the hell out of gratuitous insults, don’t it?

Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. makes you superfluous, huh?

… and they all stink! We are pleased to bow to your authority.

— Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. … and they all stink!

Response:

Question:

Anyone have any suggestions about cleaning floating lines???  Seems I came across a bottle of Fenwick line cleaner in my odds and ends box a few months ago and struck upon the bright idea of cleaning up my fly lines.  Well I cleaned a 2 year old Sage quiet taper 2wt and an Orvis 6wt DT with about 5 years on it and discovered after fishing with them over the last few month that they both started showing extreme wear.  Both now have concentric cracks ringing the lines where there were none before… lots of them…. or at least none were noticeable before.  Both of these lines look ruined. Any thoughts??

Response:

Anyone have any suggestions about cleaning floating lines???  Seems I came across a bottle of Fenwick line cleaner in my odds and ends box a few months ago and struck upon the bright idea of cleaning up my fly lines.  Well I cleaned a 2 year old Sage quiet taper 2wt and an Orvis 6wt DT with about 5 years on it and discovered after fishing with them over the last few month that they both started showing extreme wear.  Both now have concentric cracks ringing the lines where there were none before… lots of them…. or at least none were noticeable before.  Both of these lines look ruined. Any thoughts??

______  The fly lines were dried out Ed.  When you casted them, they couldn’t stretch.  The coating cracked, especially where the fly line (about thirty feet back) pivots on the tip top of your fly rod.  There is only one fly line cleaner in the world that will restore the Plasticizers into fly lines.  I’d suggest you check out my web site for that answer.  Two fly lines is a lot of money.  Sorry you lost them Ed. Just throw them away now.  They’re shot.  Or just go to the blue thingie below. Hope this helps answer your question. — Sincerely, George G. http://www.gink.com/products/gg_pz.html

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Why don’t you just turn the double taper around?  If it’s a two year old line, unless you fish it every day it should still be plenty good… if the coating is ruined on a line that "new" the manufacturer should be willin to replace it.  Typically, a FFer uses the first 30-40 feet of a DT line more than anything else, so if you turn it around, you’ll be at a diifferent "wear spot" than before =) A good habit to get into, especially if you fish infrequentyly is removing line from reels… the tight coils aren’t a real good way to store the line, and when you fish with it, the water on the outer coils seeps down onto the inner coils, leaaving moisture on the line, allowing it to collect dust and dirt. Strip the line off the reel into a bucket of warm water, then draw it through a damp cotton cloth with a SMALL amount of a MILD detergent (like Ivory soap) on it into another bucket of cool water.  Draw the line back through a dry cotton cloth into loose coils onto a clean surface.  Coil the line loosely and hang it on a hanger that has a t-shirt over the wire, then place another tshirt over it and hang it in a cool, dark place until you’re going to use it again. I do this at the end of every season and have had some Cortland and Mastery lines last 5 years with no real signs of damage… I have some Scientific Anglers seldom used lines, like quick sinking and sink-tips that are 15 years old and aren’t cracked. If you use a line in water with a lot of moss in it or salt, then you will need to wash and treat the line with a dressing on a more frequent basis, but be careful what you use… some products have lanolin in them, which will get rancid others are petrochemical based, which will eat into the coating of the lines.  Try and contact the line manufacturer if you’re unsure what may react with the coatings to be sure what you use won’t void your warranty. Larry

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Question:

Why the bimini twist?

…cuz the foxtrot looks dorky? -wf

Response:

If you aren’t worried about records, forget the bimini and fish a good tapered leader.  The bimini is a way to fish for big fish, like tarpon with a light tippit. If you are willing to fish a little heavier leader forget the bimini.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve only fished in the salt a few times but finally broke down and bought Lefty Kreh’s book on the subject.  My question is what use is the Bimini Twist?  I understand that if you are trying for a world record then you need great 100 per cent strength knots to tie in your 1 foot of "tippet class". I’m not really interested in that and I suspect the vast majority of salt water fisherman arent either…why not just tie your bite tippet on  with a surgeons knot or something? Sorry for this off topic question……now back to the Gink Wars. jorge — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.

Response:

Good choice in books … My S/W Flyfishing Bible, I call it. As I understand it ( and have somewhat tested) the Bimini is the strongest knot to use "if tied properly!  I personally am a strong proponent of the "spider hitch" It is easier, smaller, and faster to tie, and I now can tee it in a few seconds…even in the dark.   I almost always use it to loop on tippet to leader on all sizes I use (5x to 20#) even in freshwater.  It supposedly is just as strong as a bimini except for shock load.  Since most of the time the rod / line absorbs the shocks it works great for me.  I have even done some testing and it usually takes a better bimini than I can tie to exceed the breaking strength of one of my spiders.  I have also performed this test with a couple of professional S/W guides biminis (in up to 20# test) and usually their bimini fails first. (or of course the unknotted line in the middle. If you want to give it a try I think the knot is listed in Lefty’s book. Usually they show this knot being tied using a finger or thumb as the "guide" to wrap around. I have had better luck using a small object like a toothpick or hemostats.  After some practice it can easily be tied with no tools by looping the line "between" the thumb and forefinger with no tools. Like the bimini this knot’s real purpose it to double the line and use the loop lines to tie another knot to something… or to make a doubled loop.  I use a lot of loops and normally just make the spiders loop, combine the lines, and tie a surgeons loop close to the spider.  This can result in a small loop of double line. (or as large as you need)  For your shock leader or bite tippet this give you a doubled line of class tippet to tie the knot with. The knot tied with the doubled line is almost always stronger than the spider, bimini, or the single class tippet.  I find the issue of attaching wire, 40# or 100# mono to any doubled 12-16 lb connection more prone to failure and problems than the class termination knot. So far I Never lost a fish due to a spider breaking. (Although I have lost lots of fish due to the line breaking between the knots (where it’s supposed to) just poor dumb bad luck….  I have lost a number of fish due to bimini knot failure. If you go with the bimini in the 20# & under size I highly recommend using pliobond or something on the final hitches.  I have seen way too many bimini’s start coming apart while fishing if they are not glued.  I even saw this once on a friends backing to flyline connection where he had used a bimini.  The really sad part is that a number of us were taught to tie our best binini’s by Stu Apte … So I guess we can’t blame the teacher!  I recall reading somewhere that it only took a few years to "perfect" a bimini and ony a couple more to perfect it on a rocking boat out in the middle of the ocean.  Maybe they were right. The real test is to always break a lot of line and knots until you are confident they as strong as the line. (or at least as strong a YOU can tie them)  I make leaders from clear Ande and use Ande tournament class line. This stuff comes in 1/4 lb spools, so I have a lot to waste. I just tie up the knots on each end to end up about 3′ outside the loops and then use a couple of chunks of cut off broom handles to hold on to and break the knots. I stand on the stick with the loop over it on one end and pull with my hands at the other until it breaks.  Just make sure you have safety glasses  on and don’t touch the line itself.  16# and up is quite violent when it breaks and can give you a nasty cut if it gets near you hands. (ah the voice of experience)  This isn’t real scientific but really help you determine the best knots that you can tie. Good luck in the salt!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve only fished in the salt a few times but finally broke down and bought Lefty Kreh’s book on the subject.  My question is what use is the Bimini Twist?  I understand that if you are trying for a world record then you need great 100 per cent strength knots to tie in your 1 foot of "tippet class". I’m not really interested in that and I suspect the vast majority of salt water fisherman arent either…why not just tie your bite tippet on  with a surgeons knot or something? Sorry for this off topic question……now back to the Gink Wars. jorge — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.

Response:

Thanks so much for the advice over the bimini twist. (George and RJ). I will indeed practice a bit with the spider hitch and see if I can master that. I was fishing in the backcountry on my last trip to Latin America for snook and baby tarpon…..the fish were completely non leader tippet shy so I thought well in order not to lose’em in the mangroves and make sure I can horse’em, I’ll tie like 20 pound test on for a tippet.  I was having a ball catching 10 pound baby tarpon and small snook (and replacing the tippet every 3 or 4 fish cause the tarpon were sawing it up pretty good). However I hooked a big snook….the boat driver said "Its a big snook, Jorge….don’t let him get in the mangrove"…..the rod was an 8 weight Scott…..it was bent double and then broke a foot above the handle.   What did I do wrong there?  Is an 8 weight too lite for the backcountry?  Should I only use 10 pound tippets and depend on breaking off rather than stressing the rod too much?   It was a big snook….the boat was being pulled sideways into the mangrove and I’ll did was just hold on (in panic!). I appreciate the help you guys are giving to this beginner in the salt. Jorge — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.

Response:

Most likely you dinged the rod at some time and it was weak there.  If it is a top of the line rod you can probably get it replaced.  You can also have a problem if you grab the rod above the handle cause you can change where the rod is stressed.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks so much for the advice over the bimini twist. (George and RJ). I will indeed practice a bit with the spider hitch and see if I can master that. I was fishing in the backcountry on my last trip to Latin America for snook and baby tarpon…..the fish were completely non leader tippet shy so I thought well in order not to lose’em in the mangroves and make sure I can horse’em, I’ll tie like 20 pound test on for a tippet.  I was having a ball catching 10 pound baby tarpon and small snook (and replacing the tippet every 3 or 4 fish cause the tarpon were sawing it up pretty good). However I hooked a big snook….the boat driver said "Its a big snook, Jorge….don’t let him get in the mangrove"…..the rod was an 8 weight Scott…..it was bent double and then broke a foot above the handle. What did I do wrong there?  Is an 8 weight too lite for the backcountry?  Should I only use 10 pound tippets and depend on breaking off rather than stressing the rod too much?   It was a big snook….the boat was being pulled sideways into the mangrove and I’ll did was just hold on (in panic!). I appreciate the help you guys are giving to this beginner in the salt. Jorge — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.

Response:

Sounds like you were using the same guide I used…. Except when he tried to tell my buddy repeatedly in excited broken  English (the fish) GO IN MANGROVE! GO IN MANGROVE!  My buddy stepped out of the boat and sank to his shoulders in the silt….. But that’s a whole different story. We were in Cancun earlier this year and used 8 & 9 wt rods on the baby (4′ ) tarpon we found there & didn’t have any rod strength problems. I was using Sage Rplx’s and my buddy was using the Orvis and Fenwick HMG’s…  The tarpon action was hot and we ended up using straight 40# leaders when the all the premade tippets ran out….and still managed to break off a fair number of fish! (the folks at Sage are probably cringing if they read this! Sorry to have to tell you but your story sounds like operator error.  Strong saltwater fish need to fought with the butt of the rod not the tip.  You are risking it if you bend the rod beyond 90

Question:

Hi Indy; I live in Wisconsin.  While some folks here may disapprove of fishing for gills on the redds, it’s certainly not true of all of us.  Most of the people I know do it.  The limit for bluegills has been reduced to 25 per day in Wisconsin; still more than enough, I think.  I can’t fault anything else you have to say on the subject, but personally I prefer to use lighter tippet…2 or 3 lb.  I believe it spooks the fish less and makes it easier to use tiny flies effectively.  I also like to gut and scale the fish rather than filleting because you always lose some of the meat when you fillet, and I want it all!

Response:

Hi Indy; I live in Wisconsin.  While some folks here may disapprove of fishing for gills on the redds, it’s certainly not true of all of us.  Most of the people I know do it.  The limit for bluegills has been reduced to 25 per day in Wisconsin; still more than enough, I think.  I can’t fault anything else you have to say on the subject, but personally I prefer to use lighter tippet…2 or 3 lb.  I believe it spooks the fish less and makes it easier to use tiny flies effectively.  I also like to gut and scale the fish rather than filleting because you always lose some of the meat when you fillet, and I want it all!

Hi Wolfgang, I sometimes go to 4 lb. but that 2 to 3 lb. line breaks too often on big gills, especially here in Florida.  I had to go to my 8 weight fly rod and 6 lb. leader just to get those big ones out of the weeds. The lighter leader just doesn’t get it.  Those big gills are bedding here right now, by the way, and I’m going out this morning.  Fried a mess of fillets on Sunday night.  Tres bon!  There are some excellent big bluegill holes in Badger State up in Douglas Co. where I formerly lived.  Sorry I got the ‘gill limit wrong.  Things change.  Best wishes. — Don Jordan "The Real Indiana Jones" http://realindy.com

Response:

Hi all. Just wondering when do you like to fish for gills. I live in West Michigan.  Please give me a tip. Thank you.

Response:

my best gills are caught in mid may to end of june

Response:

Anytime, anywhere!  Here in Wisconsin (and in Michigan, I believe) there is no closed season on bluegills.  A lot of people like to fish for them through the ice and they get a lot of them that way.  Personally, I don’t care for hard water fishing…too cold standing out on the ice…but to each his own.  I started fly fishing about fifteen years ago and quickly discovered that it is THE best method for catching bluegills; they LOVE bugs.  The best fishing is in the early mornings and late evenings during the spawning season.  Bluegills are very aggressive about protecting their redds.  I have seen them come up off the nest and bite ducks who happened to swimming nearby.  Apparently even small bugs are seen as a threat and are vigorously attacked.  For reasons unknown to me the average size of fish I catch is considerably greater during the spawn too.  Maybe because it’s the biggest that do most of the breeding.  Here in Southern Wisconsin the gills spawn early, starting sometime in May most years, though it varies a bit according to the weather.  When I lived up in the central part of the state a few years ago it was usually late May or early June.  And of course, in the northern reaches of WI and MI it will be later yet. The hot fishing lasts until the beginning of the hot weather of summer, at which time things taper off somewhat, though there are still days when the action can be phenomenal. All in all, I think the best policy is to get out and fish whenever possible.  Regardless of all other considerations, the people who catch the most fish are the ones who spend the most time fishing.  If you have never used a fly rod for bluegills, do so as soon as possible!  It’s about the most fun I’ve ever had without being naked, and as a matter of fact…..uh…..hm….maybe we won’t go there. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all. Just wondering when do you like to fish for gills. I live in West Michigan.  Please give me a tip. Thank you.

Response:

I grew up in LaPorte, Indiana (somewhat close to West Michigan). In LaPorte, we have a lot of lakes.  I don’t live there now unfortunately or I’d be fishing every weekend! When I grew up, my father, grandfather and I used to fish all the time…we caught bluegill and perch from March all the way through to October.  The best times seemed to be spring and fall. And, we found that the best nearly always tended to be worms dug up from the garden or there were times when grubs were the best. Ted Hi all. Just wondering when do you like to fish for gills. I live in West Michigan.  Please give me a tip. Thank you.

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Hi all. Just wondering when do you like to fish for gills. I live in West Michigan.  Please give me a tip. Thank you.

Hi Trudude, The absolute very best time to catch bluegill is when they are bedding. I know some guys up north may abhor this practice, but it is the standard approach everywhere from Illinois to Florida.  They bed in shallow water and their nests are usually visible.  The most fun is to catch them on a fly rod.  If you’re in a lake with huge gills in the 10 plus inch category, you will want at least a no.5 weight rod and at least 6 lb. test leader.  I like small poppers and foam body spiders,,,green, white, black, yellow.  Sometimes a sinking fly will work better.  I have had great sucess on a standard trout nymph with just a tiny, tiny bit of weight on it.  If you aren’t a fly guy, get an ultralight spinning outfit and cast 1/32nd jigs or 1/32nd oz. spinner baits.  If you’re a live bait guy, crickets are best during spawn, but anything will work.  Redworms when it is slow, on the bottom. Go to http://realindy.com/Previous.htm  read about casting jigs and spinners for bluegill.  Good pix too. Bluegill spawn from Florida to Ontario, beginning in April in the South, but probably peak out in May/June at your lattitude with emphasis on June.  They are the most active during the full moon. Bluegill are far and away the best eating fish extant, in my opinion, and most ‘gill anglers like them filleted rather than beheaded,scaled and gutted, etc.  There are no bag limits on them in the South, but Wisconsin had a 50-fish limit when I lived there. Catching big bluegill on light tackle is the most fun I have every year, and that’s counting fly fishing for trout in the Rockies and muskies in northern Wisconsin.  A 10-inch bluegill puts up an incredible fight and if you ever hit those 11 and 12 inch hogs, buddy they will flat whip your butt! I hope you catch a big mess of ‘em this spring.  Happy dining! — Don Jordan "The Real Indiana Jones" http://realindy.com

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Sorry about the 2 messages, but, bluegill aren’t hard to catch, as a matter of fact they’re quite easy.

When they’re biting. There are times when they’re just not interested. —  << << << << << << << <<  << << << << << << << <<

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About you r bluegill fishing.

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Sorry about the 2 messages, but, bluegill aren’t hard to catch, as a matter of fact they’re quite easy. That’s just about the only thing I catch. All you have to do is find a school of bluegill, put a bobber on and a small jig. (Make sure your bobber is situated right. They feed by the bottom or in the middle of the water). cast out in the school and wait. ( oh yes I forgot the most important part : Hook a Berkley "smelly" plastic worm on the jig. they come in swirly tails and grug. use the swirly tails.

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I am looking for anyone who may have some tips to share for fly fishing in cairns australia.  I am planning to go for two weeks at the end of october to through the middle of november.  Any information on charters, areas, tackle and lodging would be very helpful.

Peter Haynes is part of the Australia’s Premier Fly fishing Guides group, and would be the best guy for that area. His phone Number is 61 7 4033 2398, or if E-Mail is better, make contact through Peter Hayes Guided Fishing, via Neil Grose Tasmania Australia

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I am looking for anyone who may have some tips to share for fly fishing in cairns australia.  I am planning to go for two weeks at the end of october to through the middle of november.  Any information on charters, areas, tackle and lodging would be very helpful.                 Fly-guy

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I’ll be in Portland (weather permitting) from the 15-19 of Jan (This weekend) and I’m looking for info on a spot to try for a days fishing. Preferably if someone is interested in taking me along on a trip, I’ll provide transportation, cover all the costs and in return offer my services up here in Victoria B.C. I’ll fly fish for basically anything that swims and if steelheading doesn’t look good, then I’m up for anything.

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I’ll be in Portland (weather permitting) from the 15-19 of Jan (This weekend) and I’m looking for info on a spot to try for a days fishing. Preferably if someone is interested in taking me along on a trip, I’ll provide transportation, cover all the costs and in return offer my services up here in Victoria B.C. I’ll fly fish for basically anything that swims and if steelheading doesn’t look good, then I’m up for anything.

As of today, Tues 1/13, everything is blown out of shape. Forecast doesn’t look good…but who knows?

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  I NEED to take my wife to a place where she can catch some trout – or SOMETHING – before she decides that WE don’t like fishing any more.   She presents well, but never seems to catch a fish. I am very unfamiliar with Virginia streams, and don’t know enough to help her with selecting an appropriate fly,I often find the Va. streams, that are stocked, fished-out ( I really believe that people follow the stocking trucks. I have taken her to stocked streams in the Nat’l forest and NOONE caught a fish. The rainbows and browns up high are very timid and a wonderful challenge, but Lisa doesn’t need a challenge now – just a fish or two so she can remember what it is all about ( I like to catch fish now & then too and this plea is not really so selfless ) Any info that you might have on a reasonable beginner stream with stocked trout would be most appreciated. Thanks Scott

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Scott , have you tried the Jackson River? Its North of Covington, in the Hot spring area, there you will find good,I mean great Catch and release waters full of nice trout and others to catch. Your wife could easily catch enough to make her want to stay there forever!

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Scott,    Perhaps something from the bass family would do her nicely? My wife became interested when the Smallmouth started biting, she’s into trout now, but it was the bass that interested her first. It’s a tough time of year to start if she’s a beginner. The water’s low and the fish are skittish and spooky. You need a long leader and a delicate approach. I took my wife to the Jackson this past weekend, and shewent fishless. If you can, try the Potomac, the Shenandoah River or the James, tie a Yellow popper (not too big) onto a 3-4x tippet or a black Wolley Bugger #8 and let her at ‘em. She’ll catch a fish. Best time for beginners is March to July. Hope this helps! Keith in Waterford, VA

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 I NEED to take my wife to a place where she can catch some trout – or SOMETHING – before she decides that WE don’t like fishing any more. <<

Try another kind of fish. I recommend the Shenandoah. Give Manny Sainz a call at ‘the Hatch’ a bed and breakfast in Edinburg. He and his wife Bobby will give you a room, nice meal. hospitality, and a bunch of (non-trout) fish! Simon Hallett

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