Crik
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Work is seriously effecting my fishing...
So I'm stuck in Dallas for the next two weeks to do some training for work. Can you tell where my mind is at? Here are my notes for today's class...
Crik
Crik
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Epic...
It doesnt happen very often but sometimes, just sometimes, everything in the cosmos align for fisherman where you have one of those days that just makes you shake your head and say "Wow...that was stupid awesome fishing." Epic days mean a lot of different things to a lot of different fisherman, just depending on the situation. We had one of those epic days a couple weeks ago on the Lower Illinois tailwater, which is what we like to call our home water. Now the LIR is not a "tough" or "technical" fishery by no means and its not the level of tailwater that you find on Taneycomo or the White. The fish are generally easy to find and catch, in good numbers too. Size of these fish are your everyday run of the mill stocker rainbows, not too many big fish in the river. All things considered though, the LIR exceeded our normal expectations and really shined that day for us...
The day started off as normal as could be, I meet the boys at Wal-Mart for normal pickup and deployment to our local trout water. We decided to start at T&M in hopes of finding a little solitude and maybe some bigger fish. We geared up and started the hike downstream to some of our favorite stretches of the river. We each stopped at our normal spots to begin the day. I made my way down to the upper part of the Car Body Hole where I started the day by stripping streamers just for a change of pace. Upstream of me was DonnyB who had started with an indicator rig with the ever faithful pheasant tail. It didnt take long for DonnyB to start hooking up with fish after fish after fish. I was also having good luck on my streamer bite as the fish were thumping it hard! The day was looking promising...
The day was turning out to be awesome as we worked our way down the Car Body Hole, picking up fish along the way with DonnyB slayin' them on the pheasant tail and the streamers still whackin' some fish for me. Upstream from us, I could see Cole also had a bend in his rod just about everytime I looked up to his location. It was about mid-morning when I noticed that lots of fish were rising up and down the river, hmmm, this could be interesting! After I stopped fishing to observe a pod of fish rising on a shoal at the bottom of Car Body, my worst fears revealed themselves as the fish were sipping midges in the surface film. Perfect. I nipped off my 2X tippet, went to 7X, and began sifting through my fly box for a suitable imitation.
On a side note, during the morning, DonnyB had picked up a couple of small browns. All of them being 4-6", very pale in color with faint red spots which made me guess them to be some recent fingerling stockers the state had put into the river. Hopefully these little guys take off and we start to develop a decent brown trout fishery on the LIR.
As the fish continued to rise, I started picking through my box, throwing various midge patterns and griffiths gnats in sizes 18-22 with hit and miss success. I'd get a couple of rises and hookups, then nothing for several casts. DonnyB fished his way past me and headed to another deep hole below me where he continued to whack fish on the ol' pheasant tail. Along this time, Cole and Crik made their way downstream where we all posted up on run with several pods of rising fish. I was standing there mumbling something about wishing I had a tiny indicator so I could throw some midge emerger patterns in the film when Cole said "Dude, why dont you just tie on a larger dry and use it as an indicator?" Eureka!! Why this idea had slipped my mind, I dont know but I was sure glad Cole was standing there. We all rigged up this way with each of us using different dropper patterns and you could say the day had been saved. The rest of the morning spent picking up fish about 50/50 on the dry and the dropper, with Cole really rippin' some trout lips on the pheasant tail. He finished out the run with this sweet rainbow that put up an awesome fight. Best trout for Cole to date...
We finished up the morning with plenty of trout to our nets and headed into town to the local choke and puke to get our normal lunch time meal of Chesters Chicken Snack Meal! Best broaster chicken and potato wedges ever. Top it off with some kind of "all-natural" sweet tea and we were all miserable, ready for a nap.
We decided to end the day by going way downstream to do a little exploring for some new water, both for trout and striper. We split up with DonnyB and I heading upstream while Cole and Crik went downstream. We didnt have much luck in the trout department but we did find some striper water to try out once the fabled "Oklahoma Chrome" begins their epic run up the LIR. That is one event that I cant wait for...
We packed it in and pointed the truck for home shortly before dark with a great day of fishing behind us. It was by far the best day we have had as a group on the Lower Illinois tailwater. Cant beat having epic days of fishing on the water, especially when its on your home waters...
Until next time, keep chasing the dream...
The day started off as normal as could be, I meet the boys at Wal-Mart for normal pickup and deployment to our local trout water. We decided to start at T&M in hopes of finding a little solitude and maybe some bigger fish. We geared up and started the hike downstream to some of our favorite stretches of the river. We each stopped at our normal spots to begin the day. I made my way down to the upper part of the Car Body Hole where I started the day by stripping streamers just for a change of pace. Upstream of me was DonnyB who had started with an indicator rig with the ever faithful pheasant tail. It didnt take long for DonnyB to start hooking up with fish after fish after fish. I was also having good luck on my streamer bite as the fish were thumping it hard! The day was looking promising...
The day was turning out to be awesome as we worked our way down the Car Body Hole, picking up fish along the way with DonnyB slayin' them on the pheasant tail and the streamers still whackin' some fish for me. Upstream from us, I could see Cole also had a bend in his rod just about everytime I looked up to his location. It was about mid-morning when I noticed that lots of fish were rising up and down the river, hmmm, this could be interesting! After I stopped fishing to observe a pod of fish rising on a shoal at the bottom of Car Body, my worst fears revealed themselves as the fish were sipping midges in the surface film. Perfect. I nipped off my 2X tippet, went to 7X, and began sifting through my fly box for a suitable imitation.
On a side note, during the morning, DonnyB had picked up a couple of small browns. All of them being 4-6", very pale in color with faint red spots which made me guess them to be some recent fingerling stockers the state had put into the river. Hopefully these little guys take off and we start to develop a decent brown trout fishery on the LIR.
As the fish continued to rise, I started picking through my box, throwing various midge patterns and griffiths gnats in sizes 18-22 with hit and miss success. I'd get a couple of rises and hookups, then nothing for several casts. DonnyB fished his way past me and headed to another deep hole below me where he continued to whack fish on the ol' pheasant tail. Along this time, Cole and Crik made their way downstream where we all posted up on run with several pods of rising fish. I was standing there mumbling something about wishing I had a tiny indicator so I could throw some midge emerger patterns in the film when Cole said "Dude, why dont you just tie on a larger dry and use it as an indicator?" Eureka!! Why this idea had slipped my mind, I dont know but I was sure glad Cole was standing there. We all rigged up this way with each of us using different dropper patterns and you could say the day had been saved. The rest of the morning spent picking up fish about 50/50 on the dry and the dropper, with Cole really rippin' some trout lips on the pheasant tail. He finished out the run with this sweet rainbow that put up an awesome fight. Best trout for Cole to date...
We finished up the morning with plenty of trout to our nets and headed into town to the local choke and puke to get our normal lunch time meal of Chesters Chicken Snack Meal! Best broaster chicken and potato wedges ever. Top it off with some kind of "all-natural" sweet tea and we were all miserable, ready for a nap.
We decided to end the day by going way downstream to do a little exploring for some new water, both for trout and striper. We split up with DonnyB and I heading upstream while Cole and Crik went downstream. We didnt have much luck in the trout department but we did find some striper water to try out once the fabled "Oklahoma Chrome" begins their epic run up the LIR. That is one event that I cant wait for...
We packed it in and pointed the truck for home shortly before dark with a great day of fishing behind us. It was by far the best day we have had as a group on the Lower Illinois tailwater. Cant beat having epic days of fishing on the water, especially when its on your home waters...
Until next time, keep chasing the dream...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Some new fly fishing media...
Thanks to fellow addict Crik, who came across the following film while "working" at the USDA office, I've been fortunate to add another great fishing flick to my growing collection recently. Its called "The Waters of Greenstone", which features 2 life-long friends who put everything you would call a "normal life" on hold, to pursue a dream of chasing big wild brown trout in New Zealand. Now, there have been a few films about New Zealand like "Trout Bums 2: Kiwi Camo" and "Once Upon a Blue Moon", but this film really showcases what adventure fly fishing is all about.
The movie is absolutely amazing to say the least. The stars of the film are just your every day run of the mill fishing addicts like ourselves, who decided to risk it all to the chase the dream. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular, especially since they did all the camera work themselves. The commentary and non-fishing scenes are hilarious, you can definitely tell they are a couple of hillbillies from Tennessee (nothing wrong with it either). It also goes without saying that the fishing footage is freaking sweet...
Here is the trailer
Go buy it now...
The movie is absolutely amazing to say the least. The stars of the film are just your every day run of the mill fishing addicts like ourselves, who decided to risk it all to the chase the dream. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular, especially since they did all the camera work themselves. The commentary and non-fishing scenes are hilarious, you can definitely tell they are a couple of hillbillies from Tennessee (nothing wrong with it either). It also goes without saying that the fishing footage is freaking sweet...
Here is the trailer
Go buy it now...
Friday, March 25, 2011
Crane
There are few places left in the Ozarks that stir a fisherman's soul and make him feel like he is truly in a wild place. One of those places is Crane Creek. Its not a place for the faint of heart. Its skinny water, brushy, tight casting quarters, and the fish are as skittish as a whore in church. I love it...
The trout here are pure strain McCloud rainbows and they are absolutely beautiful fish. From the eager lil' 4 inchers to the almost ghost-like 20"+ toads, these fish would rival any other wild rainbow in the world in my opinion. To catch these fish, being stealthy is just the beginning. It doesnt take long before you understand what everyone was talking about when they say they had to utilize the "Crane Creek Creep". Again...I love it...
Joey and I visited this place a few weeks ago...
I love it...
Until next time, keep chasing the dream...
The trout here are pure strain McCloud rainbows and they are absolutely beautiful fish. From the eager lil' 4 inchers to the almost ghost-like 20"+ toads, these fish would rival any other wild rainbow in the world in my opinion. To catch these fish, being stealthy is just the beginning. It doesnt take long before you understand what everyone was talking about when they say they had to utilize the "Crane Creek Creep". Again...I love it...
Joey and I visited this place a few weeks ago...
I love it...
Until next time, keep chasing the dream...
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