Not to be left fishless, I decided to tie on a popper and look for bass on my way back to the car. I love fishing top water lures like this because it reminds me of fishing for ulua in Hawaii. Plus, it usually catches fish:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Lieutenant Colonel
A cold fall day on the water today. The wind has been up so I left the fly rod at home and brought along the Whuppin' Stick,
hoping to find some carp or catfish feeding in deeper waters. I must
admit that I am a novice at baitfishing. I know that sounds odd - put
some tasty morsel on a hook, throw it in the water, wait until something
eats it ... how hard can it be? Well, I spent most of my day losing
tackle on submerged rocks and trees and feeding hot dog slices to hungry
turtles. I guess I need to do some more reading on the subject.
Not to be left fishless, I decided to tie on a popper and look for bass on my way back to the car. I love fishing top water lures like this because it reminds me of fishing for ulua in Hawaii. Plus, it usually catches fish:
Not to be left fishless, I decided to tie on a popper and look for bass on my way back to the car. I love fishing top water lures like this because it reminds me of fishing for ulua in Hawaii. Plus, it usually catches fish:
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Florida
We took a mini vacation to Florida this week for some much needed beach time. We took one day to visit the Everglades, and on a hike we saw evidence of recent high waters - every slight depression in the trail held quickly evaporating puddles which teemed with tiny fishes and crustaceans:
In the late afternoon I pulled out the spinning rod and rigged up a large popper. I didn't know what to expect but I was fortunate and landed my first ever snook!
I am quite taken by this fish, the black color along the lateral lines is especially striking. I actually hooked up to a second fish, which I believe was another snook, but that one grabbed the popper and swam straight for the tangled roots of a mangrove where I lost it.
The next day we met up with Cordell Baum, a guide I had hired to take me fishing on the flats of Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong and we had to go to plan B, Urban Canal Fishing. 
We rendezvoused before sunrise to try for tarpon. We saw the fish rising but got no response to our baitfish imitations. I did hook up on a pretty good fish, probably another snook, but it eventually got free. The only fish of the morning was a small tucanare bass that I landed:
Despite a relatively unproductive day, we had fun seeing Cordell's 'secret spots,' and I learned a lot about how to attack these fish. Next time I'll be ready.
In the late afternoon I pulled out the spinning rod and rigged up a large popper. I didn't know what to expect but I was fortunate and landed my first ever snook!
I am quite taken by this fish, the black color along the lateral lines is especially striking. I actually hooked up to a second fish, which I believe was another snook, but that one grabbed the popper and swam straight for the tangled roots of a mangrove where I lost it. 
The next day we met up with Cordell Baum, a guide I had hired to take me fishing on the flats of Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong and we had to go to plan B, Urban Canal Fishing. 
We rendezvoused before sunrise to try for tarpon. We saw the fish rising but got no response to our baitfish imitations. I did hook up on a pretty good fish, probably another snook, but it eventually got free. The only fish of the morning was a small tucanare bass that I landed:
Despite a relatively unproductive day, we had fun seeing Cordell's 'secret spots,' and I learned a lot about how to attack these fish. Next time I'll be ready.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tara "The Terror"
Tara's always been a good sport about my fishing habit, and she often joins me on the water to relax. Occasionally, I try to put a fly rod in her hands. It turns out that she's no slouch with a bass bug:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Lightning, camera, action!
I almost stayed home today. Wind, rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast, but if there is one thing I've learned about fishing this year, especially fly fishing for carp, it's that persistence is key. So I went. It began to rain almost immediately and I soon gave up looking for carp and tied on a little popper. I waded along shore, casting to fallen trees and big rocks and watching feisty little bluegills attack my fly.
Soon though, the rain let up and the post storm calm was magical. The lake looked like a pane of glass, the forest was still and wet and I was utterly alone on the water. Also, I began to spot carp, tailing and rooting in the shallows. I switched my popper for a nymph and the hunt was on.
The sun poked out for all of five minutes, just long enough for me to catch sight of a drum working along the bottom of a rocky ledge. I dropped in my fly and the fish rose gratefully off the bottom to meet it (the toe of my boot snuck into the pic for size reference):
I explored farther than I had ever been before, and found some cool spots. The rain fell off and on all morning. I alternated between catching sunfish on the popper and trying to put my nymph in front of carp. The sunfish proved cooperative, but it wasn't until the way back that the carp joined in the fun. I spotted a trail of mud clouds parallel to shore and with some stealth and patience I was able to feed my fly to the culprit. I held on to this fish for probably 20 minutes before it finally let me get it's head into my net:
The fun didn't stop there! I was just across the bay from the car, soaking wet and elated when two things happened - I hooked up to a second carp, and the lightning started. Moments later, two more things happened - I realized that I was standing in the middle of a lake with a 9 foot fishing rod in the air during a thunder storm and the carp on the end of my line decided it would swim to the other side of the bay. Needless to say I ended the fight as soon as I could, snapped a quick photo and booked it back to the car. An epic day!
Soon though, the rain let up and the post storm calm was magical. The lake looked like a pane of glass, the forest was still and wet and I was utterly alone on the water. Also, I began to spot carp, tailing and rooting in the shallows. I switched my popper for a nymph and the hunt was on.
The sun poked out for all of five minutes, just long enough for me to catch sight of a drum working along the bottom of a rocky ledge. I dropped in my fly and the fish rose gratefully off the bottom to meet it (the toe of my boot snuck into the pic for size reference):
I explored farther than I had ever been before, and found some cool spots. The rain fell off and on all morning. I alternated between catching sunfish on the popper and trying to put my nymph in front of carp. The sunfish proved cooperative, but it wasn't until the way back that the carp joined in the fun. I spotted a trail of mud clouds parallel to shore and with some stealth and patience I was able to feed my fly to the culprit. I held on to this fish for probably 20 minutes before it finally let me get it's head into my net:
The fun didn't stop there! I was just across the bay from the car, soaking wet and elated when two things happened - I hooked up to a second carp, and the lightning started. Moments later, two more things happened - I realized that I was standing in the middle of a lake with a 9 foot fishing rod in the air during a thunder storm and the carp on the end of my line decided it would swim to the other side of the bay. Needless to say I ended the fight as soon as I could, snapped a quick photo and booked it back to the car. An epic day!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
U Boats
The carp have seemed scarce ever since my return from Oregon this summer. I hated to consider the possibility that "carp season" had ended here. Besides, all the evidence pointed to the contrary, there should be lots of hungry carp around. The water is warm and shallow, resulting in more plant growth which is habitat for all kinds of aquatic bugs that carp like to eat. Yesterday I hit the water just after sunrise, thinking maybe time of day was the issue. I had a little luck, spotting some fish feeding in a couple feet of water but I was unable to hook up. On my second pass over the flat, the fish were gone, but I kept looking.
My perseverance finally paid off. I came upon a fat fish feeding at the edge of a deep pool which attacked my nymph ferociously.
One fat fish!
Freshwater "Bonefish."
The U Boat returns to the deep.
My perseverance finally paid off. I came upon a fat fish feeding at the edge of a deep pool which attacked my nymph ferociously.
One fat fish!
With one fish in my net, and renewed confidence, I struck out again. This time I found what I was really looking for. On a muddy flat which is only accessible by foot when the water is low like it is now, I discovered lots of fish. They were all feeding intently, and they were in super shallow water. This was the "freshwater bonefishing" scenario I had been searching for! Right off I had one good strike, but the hook didn't set and the fish scattered. A little farther along I spotted a cloud of mud leading towards shore. Looking intently for the fish that made it, a nervous ripple or a tail slicing the surface, I followed the trail. I finally spotted the culprit under some overhanging branches, feeding noisily in water that couldn't have been more than three inches deep - the entire back of the fish was in the air and shining in the sun. I made two casts which fell short. As the fish turned back towards me I made a third cast, maybe 25 feet, tucking it in under the branches. My fly plopped down right in front of the fish who responded by darting forward greedily. I set the hook and watched with satisfaction as my second carp of the day made waves towards deeper water and my reel buzzed with success.
Freshwater "Bonefish."
The U Boat returns to the deep.The Caney Fork Wildcat
Mike and I headed back to the Caney Fork this past week. I was eager to get back in the cool water and try out my new purchase, a pair of breathable Dan Bailey chest waders. When we arrived, the water was still a bit high,
but we eventually made it out to Mike's favorite feeding lane. At first
the fish took big drifted "prince nymphs" near the bottom. Things slowed down as the
day progressed, but picked up again in the late afternoon when we
switched to "copper john's."
As the sun set and we made our way back along the bank of the river we encountered all kinds of wildlife: wild turkeys, deer, and the rare Caney Fork Wild Cat:
As the sun set and we made our way back along the bank of the river we encountered all kinds of wildlife: wild turkeys, deer, and the rare Caney Fork Wild Cat:
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