Sunday, October 7, 2018

Pat's Rubber Legs and Smallmouth Bass

Caught on Pat's Rubber Legs this summer.

I'm not a fishing Pro - I'm not on any "pro-staff" or catch lunkers.  I wade small streams.  I catch small to medium fish with a few nice ones thrown in every now and again.  But this I do know . . . there are a LOT of people who enjoy fishing creeks and small streams for bass and panfish.  And like me, they don't have to "rip lips" and catch fatties to enjoy the day.

When I started fishing for smallmouth bass, I did what the books and forums suggested and what and where the fly shops suggested to go.  I didn't do so well.  Until, I found flies that worked for me.  I ocassionally caught Smallies on Clousers but they didn't go after it like my Shucker pattern.  I also found that there were a lot of mayfly hatches on some of these streams and that I found out about Pat's Rubber Legs to "match the hatch".  And the Smallies love it. It could match stoneflies, mayflies and possibly a helgrammite or just look buggy enough to pounce on.

Caught and released on a Pat's Rubber Legs and on a 6' fly rod.  Yup, a 6' fly rod this late summer.

That nymph became my savior.  When the bite is subtle, it is my "go-to" pattern.  AND, even if they have lockjaw or shy because someone else just left the fishing hole.  It's my "trigger fly".

A few weeks ago, during an epic 4 hour wade session the Smallies didn't cooperate as they did the previous week or the week before.  I usually start out with my Shucker pattern which is a weighted streamer.  If that doesn't work, I switch to Pat's and then to the Panfish Charley . . .

There are a lot of tying videos for Pat's Rubber Legs - make sure you use wire to give weight to those Pat's.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Fly Tying Instructions Foam Flies for Smallmouth Bass






I made this fly a day or two before catching this guy.  My box is loaded with foam flies.

This is a pretty easy foam pattern.  All you need is a Beavertail cutter from River Road Creations - or just do your best to cut a pattern with scissors.  I've caught a lot of fish on foam flies made with and without foam cutters.

Materials

  • for this size cutter, I'm using a TMC 8089 #10 for bass.  Smaller or larger cutters may require a different hook size.  
  • Beavertail Cutter from River Road Creations
  • Whatever thread you have but not something small that is used for nymphs.
  • Rubber Legs
  • 2mm Foam - from the fly shop, walmart, whatever.
After watching the video, let me know if you have any questions.  You may have to click the video twice.







Sunday, August 26, 2018

Everyone wants to be an outdoor writer, right?

I remember when my blogs used to get more traffic.  Heck, I remember getting all sorts of comments on the blog I used to have back in the early 2000's.  When I first attended college, I had chosen Journalism and Broadcasting as my major.  I hadn't published a thing until my second semester at college for the school paper and yearbook.  I loved watching and reading about sports and somehow that would end up in some form of work turned in to my high school teachers.

Before that, I used to write about the outdoors.  I'm sure the teachers got a kick out of my survivalist or hunting stories.  I read a number of survivalist stories of Canadians or Americans that ended up in harms way such as a nasty badger, bear or mountain lion.  Before moving to Arkansas, I lived in British Columbia (Louisiana born though).  Bears were usually the beast in the back of everyone's mind when setting out for a hike, bike, camping or trek of some sort.  Rarely it happened but there were all sorts of books and publications with survival stories, whether it be beast or mother nature.

And we sure lived in a great place, we did.  Kamloops, B.C..  Full of lakes, trails, ski resorts, camp grounds, good hunting and so on and so on.  I lived right at the edge of Lac Du Bois Provincial Park.  I guess the previous owners of our home had blazed a trail from the backyard up the steep hill to a plateau to meet up with old cattle trails on an old homestead.  You could access these trails by a utility road at the top of our neighborhood that led to a water tower.  We used to ride our bikes on this road to the trails to access a lake about 1/2 mile directly behind my house but about a mile's hike from the top of the neighborhood.  And man, was it a hike up to that lake in what is an alpine meadow - grasslands - Lac Du Bois Grasslands as it has become known.  And the trails didn't end there and nor the adventures of fishing in that lake in the meadow.

My father and I used to watch Wild America with Marty Stouffer.  Funny thing, we moved to Arkansas and my best friend's place was in the same neighborhood as Marty's home in Fort Smith.  When writing, I would think of how Marty would narrate the shows.

My family spent a lot of time out camping but my father and I did a lot of other outdoor activities ourselves.  Like, hunting bear, calling in coyotes, marmot hunting, trout fishing.  And he went moose hunting for several weeks a year with his buddies.  And they did bring home moose every year. When we moved to Arkansas, I started coon hunting and deer hunting but never ever saw a deer - mostly because I didn't spend enough time out nor enough research on good spots.  We went quail hunting, bass fishing and catfishing too.

But I also played some soccer, baseball and seven years of football - not in college though.  My father coached football for years.  I collected sports cards and subscribed to sport magazines and watched Sports Center all the time.  I figured by being a sports writer, it would make me happy and give me a sense of direction.  I hated writing for and editor and I hated deadlines.  Several semesters later, I switched my major to business. I stopped hunting, fishing and football. I took up soccer in a rec league during my college years and continued watching sports with friends. 

Moving to the Ozarks, I took up fishing again.  With my friends living about an hour away and me being close to a few Smallmouth creeks, I decided to do something that would help me to relax from my 60 hour weeks of riding a desk.  At the time, this place was still small and not on the verge of being in the top 100 metropolitan areas as it is now.  I rarely bumped into anyone else on these small warmwater streams.  As a matter of fact, this place has grown so much that access to these streams has become very difficult due to folks littering/dumping or land being turned into private neighborhoods or golf courses.

There wasn't a soul at the company I worked for that fly fished.  Several hundred employees and no fly-fishermen!  I'm not one for clubs - though, I have made just a few outings with the local club over the past several decades, LOL.  So, I went online and found a few messageboards and web sites and found other warmwater fly fisher folks. It was so interesting to me to do fly swaps and see how other folks tied flies or the patterns they used.  We used to post images and instructions for tying our flies.  That's when I decided to blog about my patterns.  Blogging was relatively knew and folks couldn't access things like you tube or instagram.  Before social media, it seemed that folks would flock to blogs.

Through blogging, I figured it possible to be an outdoor "writer".  But I don't really write stories nor record memorable trips.  I just post to keep in touch or to help folks with what little knowledge I have to chase those warmwater species.  I mostly post on instagram and "Like" other photos.  Sometimes, comments or questions are left be my Followers.  It seems that most of my online communication comes through Instagram but I do get to share my patterns and give some sort of guidance on how to locate Smallmouth.  Outdoor bloggers are deleting blogs or are no longer posting or just post ever so often.  And I hang on, hoping to at least become a mediocre blog and give it just enough attention - just as I did my college publications - ha ha.  But now, instead of everyone wanting to be an outdoor writer, we all want to be social media Influencers. 

We want to pose a certain lifestyle that will somehow influence our followers into a brand or something we like or just to get attention.  And where is the soul in that?  We can find it in writing but in social media, I think all we find is some sort of gratification - just as I do with this blog.  The "stories" are now seen and rarely read - or, these outdoor lifestyles become videos which get passed around on social media.  Print is not really dead but it was hurt by the internet and social media.  And I'll still write or blog.  Pretending that I somehow have an importance but yet a small voice in the niche of outdoor writers.

Sunday, August 19, 2018

New at Rod Building - Me too.

My comleted rod build.

This winter, I did a rod rebuild.  A first for me.  I had read "Handcrafting A Graphite Fly Rod" by L.A.Garcia over and over again at work.  My father used it to craft a rod for me and passed the book on.  I also watched numerous videos online.  Since I wasn't sure if I had the patience much less the skill, I then looked for a cost effective (but not overly cheap) way to build my first rod.

Obviously, this isn't an in-depth guide to rod building.  It's not overly complicated and you'll need some patience.  Don't rush the build.  Do research and planning before you start.

Items you will need - the obvious.
  • rod blank
  • snake guides
  • stripping guide(s)
  • tip top
  • reel seat
  • handle
  • hook keeper
Items you need to craft the rod. - *YOU CAN BUY KITS
  • wrapping tool (you can do wraps without a tool)
  • rasp
  • masking tape
  • epoxy
  • thread wrap
  • thread finish
  • thread sealer - to hold color of thread but some threads don't need it - RESEARCH!
  • burnishing tool
  • winding check (optional)
  • thread clippers
  • thread pick
  • tip-top adhesive
  • mixing cups
  • mixing sticks
  • finishing brushes
My blank  -  I bought a 8' fiberglass Cortland 502 for $8 at an antique mall.  The first outing I caught Smallies and immediately fell for the rod.  It was falling apart and knew that it was going to be rebuilt at some point  - and it only took 2 1/2 years to actually pull the trigger.

Stripping a rod down for a rebuild is a whole other part which I may post later.  It may or may not include a stripping agent and then varnish . . .   you get it.  As I mentioned, didn't want to invest too much because a rod blank can be costly depending on build.


The handle is dried out, wraps are dried out and cracking, reel seat and handle had to be re-epoxied, a guide was broken, stripping guide was rusted - you get the picture.


I stripped down a rod that I knew would be worth the rebuild but wouldn't be a complete loss if it was a disaster of a build.  I spent only $8 on the rod.


Before doing the build, I made test wraps to see if they would match.


This is before the thread finish is applied.


I decided to place thread finish over the wraps and the logo to save what was left of this rod and the fact it was Made in the USA.


A finished product.  I added a hook keeper, replaced the guides and handle but kept the reel seat.  I added another stripping guide - 2 stripping guides for a slower action rod that required a 7 ATMA level line.  I can now use 5 or 6 weight lines which loads and casts quicker - which is partially due to the fact I added one more guide.  Originally, there was only 5 guides, 1 stripping guide and a tip-top.  The line did slap or wrap around the blank between the stripping guide and handle.  This rod is a 5/6 weight rod with a good deep flex that is sensitive and fun on large or small fish and can casts large or small flies.

I used a hand wrapper from Mudhole. I bought the building kit with a 9 hp dryer.  With a promo of free shipping if purchase of $100 or more I spent about $125 with $79 going to the wrapping kit and dryer.  Obvisouly, it's a good investment for the rod dryer.  AND, it came with an instructional CD.  I will suggest that you buy the rod dryer because it beats the heck out of turning it every once in a while and prevents dripping and running and provides a cleaner and more uniform finish on wraps.

Along with many other rod building tutorials from multiple users, Mudhole has some instructional videos on YouTube.  I took my time on this build.  I watched Mudhole's video as I built for reference.  Make sure you research the type of rod blank you need and that the thread is going to look good because you don't want no ugly rod.  Mudhole and other sites have info on measurements for guide spacing and they have great customer service.  Proof Fly Fishing has good products and Matt is very helpful too.  Look around at different suppliers for your needs because every builder is different and every build is unique.

If can build a rod, you can too.














Saturday, August 18, 2018

Eagle Claw Sweetheart Fly Rod Review



This review is for the new 7' five weight Eagle Claw Sweetheart and not the old vintage model.  I found about this rod the moment they became available - sometime 2015 or '16.  And seeing as how I own a bunch of rods, it sat in the corner.  This rod has a fast and light feel to it.  A soft tip compared with the lower 2/3rds.  I know folks who are casting between 5 and 7 WF or DT lines - I am casting a WF 6 wgt line.

This rod is probably not meant to be more than a small stream or creek rod.  I wouldn't suggest casting nymphs  for small trout (but there are folk who do just that) but I think it's meant to be more of a rod for casting #6 or #8 streamers at the least for bass and panfish.  It is a fun rod whether you are catching small fish or decently sized fish.  I never landed anything over 12" with the Sweetheart.


A totally different rod than the Eagle Claw Featherlight.  Decades ago, the Sweetheart was a point of pride for Eagle Claw.  There is definitely more quality to the build than the Featherlight and more aesthetically pleasing.  Definitely a "blue collar" rod but it puts the fly where you want it.  This rod basically falls into Eagle Claw's fairly new Crafted Glass rods BUT you cannot find this rod anymore . . . you'll have to do some digging around or keep an eye out on ebay.  This rod was for sale only at Cabela's for just a short while - maybe months or maybe a year.


I have only used the Sweetheart twice.  Both times with weighted or articulated flies.  No issues but you can feel the rod recover fairly quickly as the fish fight.  I don't know how to describe it but when I was playing a fish in the riffles and it was my largest Smallie - which was not brought to hand - it was as if you could feel the rod trying to recover without actually having to pull back or play the fish as much as you would other rods - I can't put it into certain technical words but it did feel pretty sweet - a big difference from that full flex Featherlight I landed a nice 14' Smallie on.  It's as if there is a sweet spot or point of reflex in the rod but that's my opinion.  One of the few rods I had to spend much
 time with transitioning from using a lot of other rods.







Thursday, August 16, 2018

Wading for Smallmouth Bass last Fall

I'm still catching up on my outings from last year.  I probably won't make a post for each outing but ya never know.  I can't remember them all - not too many but I did a lot of scouting which prompted me to buy stripping guards for this year.  I'm used to fishing familiar spots and a lot of skinny water where I'm drifting a lot.

I do remember this outing.  I didn't have to wade far at all and it was just the second time for me to take out the Fenwick FF786.  It's a 7'8" six weight fiberglass fly rod.  It does seem more of a 5 weight but it's got some back bone.  I wouldn't say it has a deep flex but it'll handle weighted flies and good fighting Smallies in a swift current.  A very comfortable and smooth casting rod.  Fits me well.  I did some casts on the lawn and the first time I hit the creek, it fit me so well.  One of the few new rods I had to think about or struggle with when first taking it out on the water.



A couple of pics from first outing with the Fenwick FF786.

I hit my initial spot for Smallmouth Bass on this creek - one of which I had fished a lot up stream of the lot but never below.  Lot of shade up stream and many nooks and crannies and cover or vegetation for fish to hide or hang out.  But it would seem that some other folks always headed that way.  I never saw anyone go downstream.  And that's where I spent a good portion of my trips out for Smallies last year.

I went on a week day and yet, some folks decided to come in for a wading and bathing session just behind and of to the left.  And one of them came closer to me and only about 10 yards away while the other threw rocks across to the other side.  They may have been trying to chase me off.  And it worked because the Smallies took off downstream.  I headed that way too.

About 20 yards downstream from the bathers, I found a fallen tree near the bank.  I would cast about 10 feet up stream from the roots into the shallow riffles and drift the fly under the roots into faster water and then along the tree to the branches where the water became really shallow again.  Initially, I caught a few Smallies in the riffles just in front of the roots and then just under them.  I began using my Shucker pattern.  After a bit, the action stopped for a long while.  I switched to a chartreuse Panfish Charley and action picked up again.  A few strikes and a few small bass.  I then began mending my line up stream as the fly passed under the roots as to keep the fly there longer and let it go deeper.  Then I finally had a good strike.  I landed the beauty and took a few photos.





 I looked at the time on my Fitbit.  It had been 3 hours since I waded down to the fallen tree.  The bathers were long gone and it was time to head back home.  My calves had tightened up and my back felt as if it wouldn't ever straighten up again.





Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Evazote Hopper (foam hopper) Fly Tying Instructions

This is about as easy as it comes when tying up a foam bug/hopper.  Like most guys who fly fish for warm water fish, top water is probably the most fun.  Generally, I use foam hoppers or Boogle Bugs.  I even purchased some from breambugs.com.  You want to use a sharp hook with a nice gap for Smallies.


Materials

River Road Creations - Chernobyl Cutter
Evazote
cement
rubber legs
Gamakatsu B10S Stinger #6

You can change up hook sizes or cutter sizes.  I'm fairly knew at making instructional videos but this one should simplify things.  *Make a slit in the bottom to place over shank.









Friday, July 13, 2018

Dodging floaters.


Last summer, I hit up a stream thinking that since school had just begun, that floaters would more than likely be done for the season. Boy, was I wrong. I've seen a lot of folks on this stream and although it wasn't crazy busy with just recreational floaters, there were a lot of kayak anglers too. Most fisherman bypassed the same areas and fished the same spots. Kind of interesting how almost all the anglers got out of their kayaks to wade about a 10 yard stretch of water that never yields anything - and after totally skipping about a 60 yard stretch of stream that I almost always catch smallmouth bass.

 Get it? - This was late last summer. Luckily, we received a lot of late July and early August rains that brought the Smallies out of their hiding holes. And as usual, I tied on my trusted "Shucker" streamer and caught some fish. Fortunately, it seemed that all the "party floaters" had gone back to school or college or work and I did meet quite a few kayakers. Some had their dogs and others had to be pulled off of timber at the same log jam. One guy mentioned that he had been fly fishing just as long as he'd been married - HA HA.

 Typically, I do my best to avoid floaters and for good cause - the one time I actually decided to scout some waters I'd been eyeballing for ages, it would seem that almost a whole school just kept floating by and I just could not wade fish that section of the stream - which is in fact also a party river in which you've either got to fish early or late during the summer vacation months. I did catch a few fish that day. My best fish (pictured above) was in that 60 yard stretch of stream all the anglers skipped.


As you can tell, this fly has been hit hard.  It's my "Shucker" streamer.  I use this fly more than any other pattern.  You can find tying instructions here.  http://purposehere.blogspot.com/2013/05/tying-shucker-warm-water-fly-tying.html

Tight Lines.


Thursday, July 5, 2018

Echo Bad Ass Glass Review "Echo BAG"

My father and I were supposed to have a guided float an Ozark stream - one that used to have very little traffic.  With little rain over the preceding weeks, the creek had dropped too much for a guide boat and from my understanding, the smallmouth bass had recently been hit hard.  It was offered that we could go on an intensive wade for Smallies but it was going to be around 100 F and my knee and foot had issues.  That and my father is almost 70 - I didn't say anything to him but was afraid the heat and humidity would be too much for him on an all day outing.

After having conversations the night before with several local fishing guides and one being a good friend and trusted source, we decided to hit up the trout in a boat.  We had the opportunity for a guided float on the Buffalo River but that entailed waking up well before the rooster for a drive and fighting floatillas on a hot and steamy river with a lower CFS than recent spring guide trips.

(Dad enjoying the view from the front)

With my father not retiring, we haven't really spent much time on the water and wanted to maximize our opportunity for smallmouth bass.  Over the years, we fished for trout plenty of times and I wanted to show him how much I cared for and missed him living about 3 or 4 hours away.  So, I saddle up and paid for our first guide trip.  Although, he did pay for the lodge and tipped our guide.

I brought my Fenwick FF78-6 and Echo BAG 608.  I knew well beforehand that the creek might not be high enough for floating.  And that the Fenwick and Echo Bad Ass Glass would be sufficient enough for Smallies or trout.

Up late and wondering if we were going to land any fish, we met up at the shop around 7:45 and chatted it up with some guides.  My father likes to fish tailwaters and prefers being on the stream at sun up and not loading into a boat at 8:30.  I too am used to hitting the trout early on before the activity drops off before lunch time.  I'll chase Smallies all day though!

We jetted up about 200 yards from the ramp.  An eagle was watching us from the shoals!  I figured we were going to cast streamers or throw articulated flies.  NOPE.  Drifted nymphs all day.  We both had a fish on withing several casts - we had many doubles that day.  We probably caught about 13 or so at the same time.  THAT GUIDE PUT US ON THE FISH.  After 8 hours of great fishing with could cover and a few rain drops, we were tuckered out.  I broke in my Echo Bad Ass Glass properly.



Echo BAG Review

This rod is faster than the other new and vintage fiberglass rods that I do own.  To me, it feels like a 5 weight rod but will act like a 6 when need be.  It's not rigid and it will bend over like an Eagle Claw Featherlight but it's tough.  I had on a 2 or 3 pounder but played it like a smallmouth bass and didn't net it.  As I only drifted nymphs, I will do a review on casting streamers and catching some Smallies.  The recovery rate on this rod is great.  You definitely feel it load and it's tough.  That rod is spunky fighter - great recovery and sensitivity.  You don't necessarily need to slow your cast down as you do with older (and some new) glass.  If you miss a strike, you can get your line back out quicker (thus the nickname Quickshot).  The rod feels solid - unlike those 5/6 and 7/8 CGR's I landed a few Brown Trout on a few years back.  The back bone in this rod makes you feel assured you can handle to fight.

Not so good things about the ECHO BAG - Alignment dots don't line up on bottom blank.  Inside the blanks seem uneven in hue and clarity as if the blanks are dirty on the inside.  Up close, for $279 it looks like a budget rod (cheap looking rubber windcheck and I coulda done better making thread wraps on one of the guides.  Low grade cork with lots of filler.  Also, some light pitting on a thread wrap and tiny almost unnoticeable bumps in the finish on one of the blanks) BUT it feels like a million bucks.

I matched the rod to an Allen ATS and Cabela's base 6 wgt line.  I feel like better line needs to be used or perhaps a heavier line.  Maybe, 6 wgt line will be sufficient with streamers - at least for me.

Tight Lines.