Fly Tying

More articles from the COAF Field Team. This category is about fly tying. Do check out the articles and let us know if a particular pattern worked for you!



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Over-Lining Our Fly Rods

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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”!  
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Another Question... Tennis Ball Fishing Float #fishingfloat

Another question from a Reader asking more info on the Tennis Ball Fishing Float we were using to practice casting with our surf rod. Here is the article – Tennis Ball Fishing Float , that provides details on how to make one and why we made one!   #tennis anyone… #tennisball #fishingfloat we use for casting practice and for underhand casts when we uaed to fish #oceansidepier way back when. search online for our article on how to make one! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Jun 28, 2017 at 3:30pm PDT
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Try Walking the Blue River Next Fishing Trip

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This round I decided to mix things up and forego the low water crossing. Instead, I walked the area north of the crossing and explored the area. Learned a few things and even limited out on Trout! Great times fishing a river! PS: Here is the map referenced in the video of the Blue River.
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Update from Australia....

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Work schedule remains crazy right now but still making time to get the latest update from others in the field. One update in particular comes from Steve in Australia. Here is the latest update courtesy of Steve… Great report and pictures. Keep them coming! Last Friday, I waded up the Grace Burn, which runs through Healesville and caught/released a nice wild brown trout on a Berkley 1″ Nymph fished on an ultra light spin outfit. Never used the Nymphs before and was very impressed with their fish attracting qualities. On the retrieve before I hooked this trout I saw a boil near the lure and then hooked the trout on the next cast. I may even try these Nymphs on the fly rod. Later that morning I’d arranged with the local water watch group to collect bug samples in the Grace Burn. We spent a couple of hours collecting and counting bugs and I’m pleased to say that the Burn scored very well as a healthy creek, which didn’t really surprise me. There were plenty of ...
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Mystery Tackle Box Unboxing #bfsfishing

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Received a three month subscription to the Mystery Tackle Box! First box delivered. Let’s open it up and see what is inside! I chose the Panfish and Trout package as the last time I had a subscription there were some great lures that I consider perfect for BFS ultralight fishing!
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Micro Fishing...

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Closed out today fishing at Bethany this evening. Brought the Four Weight in hopes of catching Bass on dry flies. When the weather warms, there is a hatch that occurs in the evening at Bethany Lakes. Once the hatch starts, Bass, Bluegill, and Sunfish start feeding on the “bugs”. Cannot tell what they are but have found the Griffith’s Gnat or better yet our version of it – Griffith’s Gnat on a Caddis Hook , does a god job simulating the bugs. Go with a Size 14 and Size 16. This evening no hatch occurred; will need to check back this next week and look out for the hatch! Since the hatch was not happening, decided to do some Micro Fishing. Using Size 20 and Size 22 Midges, caught a number of Bluegill and Sunfish. All were smaller than the fly reel! No new species to report. Will keep an eye out for other little fish as the Spring nears!
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Grapevine report 5/12/18

One from Grapevine!     Searsay: Grapevine report 5/12/18 Hit up the north side of grapvine today early - decided to bank it instead of boat or kayak since wind was going to be brutal. Must of hooked over 30+ whites in about 1hr with my father and son - it was an absolute blast. Also got my 2year old daughter in on some fish (though her attention span was a bit short - she had a blast catching her first fish). A lot of smalls but a good number were keepers - we threw back anything under 13" as I wasn't looking to fill the freezer - just enough for lunch. We then went to get some shad(had been using artificial)... And my first two throws were to far out... Caught no shad but got a 17in bass and two carp - all released safely. Had to throw the net at the shore (2-6") to catch shad - couldn't see them due to how rough the water was from the wind. My son had a blast seeing the shad swim against the net. ...
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Pond Fly Fishing | Liking the Redington Pursuit Fly Rod and Ross Flystart 2 for Bluegill | 8' - 4wt

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Pond fly fishing for Bluegill at the local pond. Started out fishing with the Bait Finesse Systems rod and reel combo, but the pond was too clobbered with greenery. Switched to an eight foot, four weight fly rod and reel setup and managed to catch a fish or two. Liking the casting ability of the Redington Pursuit Fly Rod, can get some distance with the little eight foot rod. Pairs well with the Ross Flystart2 reel with WF 4wt Floating Line! Fly Fishing Tying Suggestions
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What Kind of Spinning Gear and Do We Use a Swivel?

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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 ...
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Rainy Day Then Cleared Up... #

Rainy day, so did not plan to go fishing. Ran some errands and ended up having drinks at Mash’d in Plano. Fun time…even got a quick trip in at Bethany Lakes. Struck out but did get some great practice fly casting. For now, going to relive past fishing trips… in this case, kayak fishing on Texoma!   rain is gone, still no #fishing …bummed, but getting #mashed at #mashd …hee, hee! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Jan 20, 2018 at 11:52am PST
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