Follow-Up Video from Yesterday's Trip to the Lower Illinois River... #lowerillinoisriver

-

Here is the follow-up video from yesterday’s trip to the Lower Illinois River. No action shots of the hook set as it was a tough go catching them on a fly rod. Fishing buddy did well with Ultralight Spinning Gear and Power Bait Trout Worms to get a limit! Did take the opportunity to talk briefly about the switch rod we used as a one-handed fly rod. Cold temps that day but did learn others were able to wet wade the day prior… even better, they were able to catch a number of them on the fly! Classic “they were biting yesterday” syndrome!

Comments

Post a Comment

Enter a keyword to search for archived posts.

Popular posts from this blog

Over-Lining Our Fly Rods

-
Image
Not sure when we started doing this, but we tend to over-line (go up one line weight) on our 4-Wt and 5-Wt fly rods. I think we did this by accident when we used whatever fly line we had at the time we picked up a new fly reel. So far, have been good with the casting results by going up a weight. That said, was not aware of a debate about this, until I saw an article online by Field and Stream – “ Is Over-Lining Fly Rods Good or Bad? ” For the most part, would agree with Field and Stream that there are no set rules. Would go on to say, “whatever works best for you”!  
Read more

What Kind of Spinning Gear and Do We Use a Swivel?

-
Image
Received two questions from a Reader in response to our post on “How we fish a Super Duper”: “What kind of spinning gear are you using (rod length & power, reel size & make)?” “Do you use a swivel with Super Dupers or Kastmasters?” Below are the answers to the questions and pictures added for ease of reference. Thanks again for your questions! Sincerely, The Field Team For the first question, “What kind of spinning gear are you using (rod length & power, reel size & make)?”, the spinning gear we use are: A 4′-8″ Ugly Stik Ultralight Rod with a Shakespeare 20 Ultralight Spinning Reel (USP225A) 6′-6″ Berkley Medium Light Lightning Rod with a Pinnacle Tiny Deadbolt Spinning Reel(DUL20). Lately, when using fluorocarbon, we have switched the reels between the two rods, and mainly been using the Berkley Medium Light Lightning Rod and the Shakespeare Spinning Reel. The Pinnacle Spinning Reel tends to uncoil while casting ultralight lures after 5-10 casts. Shakespeare ...
Read more

Pond Fly Fishing Suggestions from an Average Joe... 😎

-
Image
Back to the local pond for a quick trip fly fishing for Bass and Bluegill using the Martin Fly Fishing Kit. This round I am fishing Betts Hand Tied Poppers and continue using the OPST Commando Head for a shooting head added to the 5wt Level Fly Line that came with the kit. Short trip but still lots of fun catching a fish or two.
Read more

Okay... Another Round at Brockdale Again!

-
Image
Only one White Bass this round at Brockdale Park. Caught it using the Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod and Penn Squall 15 Reel. It struck a multi-rigged Marabou Fishing Fly that simulated a school of bait fish (at least a school of three that is). Did have some fun sight casting to two schools of White Bass that passed but only had the one hookup. Then, switched to a 2oz lead weight to practice casting. Had fun doing that, and then decided to put the Tennis Ball Fishing Float on the line. Once the Tennis Ball was wet, was able to cast as far (possibly) further than the lead weight! Fun stuff! Multi-Rig Fishing Fly Tennis Ball Fishing Float
Read more

Report from Australia... Another fishing trip to Marysville/Narbethong

-
Image
Here is the latest from Steve in Australia. Nice looking Brown Trout caught on the fly! Last Friday morning I took another trip up to the Marysville/Narbethong area. I first fished the little lake at Narbethong in the pre-dawn with a Crystal Clear float and Black Woolly Worm. No takers but saw a few fish moving in the shallows. After an hour I drove to Marysville and fished the same outfit until it got light. Caught and released 3 small rainbow trout. The stocked trout have been all small pan sized fish over the last few stockings. One time some decent fish around a pound or so were stocked. When it got light I rigged up my 3/4wt 6’6″ fly rod with a Black Woolly Worm and waded up the Stevenson River, which flows near the lake. The stream was quite low and clear. I caught and released a nice little wild brown trout about 9″ long. I waded up as far as the stream vegetation would allow but didn’t interest any more fish. It was the end of the school holidays and the ...
Read more

Where to Park at Brockdale Park when the Gates are Closed

-
Image
Below is a map that shows the Group Camping Area, Equestrian Parking Area, Gate, and Brockdale Park. Since the gate is closed due to high water conditions, park in the Equestrian Parking Area, and then walk down to the Park. When you near the Group Camping Area (currently being used for a Girl Scout Camp), follow the road to the right and continue to the Equestrian Parking Area. The gate is closed to the Park due to high water conditions – the boat ramp is underwater, but you can still walk down the road to the Park.  
Read more

Latest Report from Australia!

-
Image
Latest from Steve in Australia has rain in the forecast but Opening Day is just around the corner! Steve reports… Went up to Marysville again last Sunday, this time to fish a new lake I’d been told about. This small lake is on the edge of a huge government pine plantation and cannot be seen from the road because of the trees. A lovely spot. I fished an OZ Dragonfly Nymph on a spinning rod with a Crystal Cast float. This let me cast a decent distance and cut through the wind which was awkward at times. I hooked and released only the one fish but it was a beautiful wild brown trout.  At first I thought I’d snagged the fly on some underwater vegetation but then the”snag” moved. It’s always a buzz to catch wild fish. I saw other fish rising. I’ll definitely go back to this spot again soon.  Another thing of interest were the fresh deer tracks that were on the track around the lake. I very occasionally see sambar deer when I’m driving home from...
Read more

Bluegill at Bethany This Round...! #switchrod #foamgrasshopper

-
Went back to Bethany Lakes with the Switch Rod. Water level is still up but the flow by the waterfall has slowed. Caught one fish there, else worked the other ponds until settling on the Back Pond where Bluegill were hanging out. Lost count of how many but here are pics of nine. All went for a White Foam Grasshopper!   #bluegill this round at #bethanylakes uaing the #switchrod and a white #foamgrasshopper A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Jun 4, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT
Read more

Weekend is Here... No Solid Plans

-
Image
Sunset at Celebration Park The weekend is here and a quick glance at the current temperatures shows a chilly 45 degrees Fahrenheit. No solid plans for fishing yet as the Team has non-fishing things to take care of before wetting a line can happen. No worries though as we will have a fly rod ready to go if the chance to fish does come up! We do note the Trout Fishing Derby at Oklahoma’s Blue River starts today. Hope to see a few Bruisers show on the Leader Board. Each year the Trout Stocking gets a supplemental stocking of some nice size Rainbow Trout to make things interesting! Also, reports from the Texas Fishing Forum show the bite is on at Beaver Bend – see  TFF’s TarponFly Guide Report . Things may get crowded as there is a festival happening in the area this weekend, so plan accordingly. For the Team the Blue River and Beavers Bend will have to wait until another weekend. To the fishermen participating in the Trout Derby, the Team wishes you all the best, and we h...
Read more