Went Lake Fishing Yesterday <--------

[L0KI]

I went fly fishing in my subdivisions lake Weds afternoon. I have spin fished this lake sevaral times with little or no luck. I waided to the Beach Area (Which is forever closed off by fences) and fished the huge area full of sand for bass. I really did not know I had such a great place to fish in my own subdivision. The gradation from shallow to deep is so light you can walk 100yds out and still be only a little over knee deep with crystal clear waters. The sand is a plus too! I seen several schools of bass and pitched into them. All was takers! I cannot tell you how many times I spin fished from the bank and pitched into these same schools and was turned away everytime. These fish have seen everything that Wal-Mart's fishing dept. has and are incredibly difficult to catch until yesterday. I ended with 4 bass in less than 45 Mins. I had to stop because it got so dark. There are huge carp in the lake as well! A man was bait fishing on the bank and said he has not caught nothing and asked me what I was catching them on. I replied "a fly" and when he asked me "you a fly fisherman?" I had to sit and think that this was my first time ever been asked this. Since I was a total die hard spin fisher in the past, I took great pride in saying "Yeah im a fly fisherman". The last 3 months has been a long class for me. From reading books, to watching instructional videos in the beginning, and most importantly trial and much error in the water, I was catching more fish with my fly wading in a lake than a Live bait fisher on the bank.

Yesterday was a good day...

-Shawn

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"But when I am alone in the half light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul, and memories. And the sounds of the Big Black Foot River, and a four count rhythm, and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

-Norman Maclean



[This message has been edited by L0KI (edited 02-20-2003).]

[Windknot]

Welcome to the world of the long rod, Shawn. It is a pleasant feeling, isn't it? Magazines devoted to conventional fishing always talk about "showing pressured bass something they haven't seen before." The fly, in whatever form, fills the bill in spades.

My $.02 sez that early in your ffing career, hitting a pond rather than moving water is excellent practice. Your casts are straight, and all you have to worry about is the wind blowing your floating line around. I think it is better to gain confidence in your new equipment before having to contend with the problems presented by currents and eddies. And bass & bluegills will definately tune up your hooksets with that long rod, too.
Don

[L0KI]

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"But when I am alone in the half light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul, and memories. And the sounds of the Big Black Foot River, and a four count rhythm, and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

-Norman Maclean

[captfredfish]

Hone yer skills on 'gills!

Dude, you're hooked...

cff

[Warmouth]

Shawn,

That is an awesome story.

Hone your skills on 'gills - then keep on fishing for them for the rest of your life!

Carl

[B983]

WARNING WARNING
Gills are highly addictive, then comes the Bass, Largemouth,Smallmouth, Striper, Hybrids

Green Trout are awesome on the fly and most have not seen very many flies.
I will be happy to show you around some awesome green trout waters
Tight Lines
Brent

[bingo]

Very cool story Loki! You are indeed a flyfisherman!

A couple of summers ago I was suiting up at a state park when a pot-bellied ranger waddled up, Wendy's bag in hand, to dine creekside. Within the first couple of seconds of being in his presence, it was more than obvious that he was enormously amused by my outlandish choice of gear. Clearly, here was a perfect opportunity to have a some fun with a poncey little city dweller.

"Whaddya think there's trout in there boy? he asked me with bits of a Double w/ Cheese swimming in the corners of his mouth. " No sir, the temperatures probably climb too high to hold enough dissolved oxygen for salmonid species, I think." I said as I laced up my boots.

I tied them tightly, slipped on my gravel guards and stepped out into the lazy ochre-stained flow. "That sure is a pretty fishin' pole you got there." "Thank you sir..." I answered, "I've been fortunate enough to own several flyrods in my life and this one is my favorite."

He chuckled to himself and said, "I don't know, there just might be a trout or two in there yet." I responded by stripping line off my reel and teasing several loops downstream... "Say, just what do expect to catch in there anyway son?..."

I looked upstream at an old oil drum that had been blasted with a 12 gauge lying half in and half out of the water. There were chunks of styrofoam cooler swirling in a nearby eddy and each sucking footstep brought the odors of methane and ignorance to my nostrils.

Still, I grew up fishing waters like these. I knew their potential and darn if I was going to let some bonehead excuse for a walking spittoon intimidate me.

My roll cast straightened out perfectly dropping my wooly bugger directly into the path of a dark shape that seemed to glide out from beneath the log as if the two had a prearrainged appointment. I strip-struck sending a 2lb. spot into the air with a shower of spray...

"Bass sir..." I replied in my best monotone.

Sufficed to say its not often that the fish are that cooperative for me and I really don't have any animosity hidden or otherwise towards those folks who don't and never will care to understand our obsession w/ the long rod. But, it took every ounce of my being as I bent over for the release not to kiss that fish.

[jamessig]

great thread