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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Pond Fishing Practice for the Blue River | Near Deere, Rainbow Warrior, and OPST Commando Head

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Halloween Day last weekend. Was not able to fish the Blue River in Oklahoma but did take the opportunity to practice fishing using the same setup I would use on the Blue River. Fished the local pond – Bethany Lakes in Allen, for whatever would bite. Opted for a tandem-rigged leading Near Deere and trailing Rainbow Warrior. This is the same rig I like to use when fishing for trout, changing out the fishing flies as the fish dictate. Caught a Bass and several Bluegill after switching to a single fishing fly and using a short pull, fast retrieve. Another presentation I like to use on the Blue River when the trout are actively feeding on minnows, nymphs, and other emergent. Do give it a try… especially liking the One Handed Spey setup: Redington Classic Trout 9ft 5wt, Echo Ion 4/5wt reel, and the OPST Commando Head with Lazarline Running Line!
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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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Why We Like One-Handed Spey Casting... #opstcommandohead #speycasting

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Video that shows the fly rod/reels we used, and what led us to using a Switch Rod and a Trout Rod for most of our fly fishing trips now. We learned about spey lines and Switch Rods after injuring a shoulder. Normal overhead and side casts was painful. We were doomed to waiting for the shoulder to heal. Then, we tried a Switch Rod and discovered several casting techniques that allowed the rod hand to stay below the shoulder and felt no pain when casting. Later, we saw a video of a fly fisherman using the OPST Commando Head with only 1/2 of a 9′ 5wt Fly Rod. In the video, he was getting incredible casts with only a “four and a half” foot rod! With that we decided to try the OPST Commando Head on our favorite fly rod… a 9′ 5wt Redington Classic Trout fly rod. This combination provided the same benefits as the Switch Rod but in a more compact package! Subsequently, we primarily use the 6wt Switch Rod and the 5wt Fly Rod for our fly fishing trips. Do check out t...
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Denison Dam Fishing | Catch and Cook Striped Bass | #flyfishing #stripedbass #catchandcook

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More fun fishing Denison Dam last Saturday for Striped Bass! Bite was slower than the weekend before but was able to catch a few; ended up keeping three Striped Bass for the Catch and Cook. Brought the Cabelas TLR 6wt Switch Rod with the Echo Ion 6/7 Wt Fly Reel again. And correcting from our last video, the fly line was a Rio InTouch Chucker with integrated running line. Stripers were hitting mainly striking on the Bennet’s Lunch and Craft Fur Clouser Minnows this round. Did catch a couple of White Bass as well, and found an anchor! Overall was a fun time! For ease of reference, here are key places to skip to in the video: Catch Section – 2:41 Cook Section – 9:17 Cleaning – 9:17 Seasoning – 12:52 Cooking – 15:37 Simple Recipe: Clean, scale, and remove head and fins Season liberally with Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Paprika Pan fry on high heat for 5-10 minutes each side Do give it a try! Gear Used Echo Ion 6/7wt Fly Reel: https://amzn.to/2WxKnm1 ...
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Revenge of the Urbanites

Good read for those interested… Lovfldx: Revenge of the Urbanites Got off work a little early today, so naturally, took off to Bachman. fished the airport side, only caught one dink, but 3 decent hookups with respectable bass. Took off to the Lower Bachman Creek, and immediately got into some spotted bass, and one misplaced crappie. Got about 10 decent spots. Moved to WRC, upper end, looking for spawning sandies, it is apparently over there. Saw one bass in 5 lb range on a bed, and more carp than i care to talk about. water crystal clear. One huge orange koi cruising with the carp. Back to Bachman, Denton Drive levee. As I was pulling into rec ctr pkg lot, my old crappie fishing buddy, Bobby pulled up. He has been tearing up largemouths all over the lake on big flukes. We walked to Levee together. He sets up in one spot, I move maybe 20 yds down from him. FIRST CAST, BOOM A Massive monster female bass, easily 7-8 lbs, maybe more, annihilates my Rainbow Trout color...
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Evening Round at Bethany

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Made a round at Bethany this evening. Caught Bass, Bluegill, and Sunfish. Started fishing with a Clouser Minnow variant… Purple Marabou instead of Deer Hair. Worked well until we lost it to a tree. Switch to a Blue/White Clouser and caught one Bass, then to a Foam Grasshopper and caught another Bass. Then, finished things with an Elk Hair Caddis and a Y2K to catch Bluegill!
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FW: Watched Forum: Fly Fishing : Re: Over lining?

Lots of discussion on this concept on the boards!     RexW: Re: Over lining? Originally Posted By: Jim Ford But I have seen posts claiming that the author overlines all fly rods. Beware of that guy's advice............. I agree with this comment. The person giving that advice may not be fishing the same way you are. There is no "one size fits all" for up lining or down lining a rod. Personal preference, equipment, wind, fishing conditions, casting skill, and fly size can all play a part in the decision of what line size to use with what rod. Here's an example, when the bass are holding close to the bank and fishing from boat, a 20 to 30 foot cast may be all that is needed. Well, a 9 ft rod + 8 ft leader and a 30 foot cast means that only 13 feet of fly line is outside the rod tip. Up lining a size or two to a heavier fly line can help load the rod and make casting large, wind res...
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Micro Fishing | Two Piece Fly Rod at the Feeder Creek

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Quick trip after the day job to a feeder creek for some micro fishing with the two piece micro flyrod. Went with a Griffith’s Gnat fished dry as well as wet. Had few misses at first… smaller hook for these little fish would have been better. But, did catch a few once I found my mojo! Fun stuff! microfishing microflyrod #microflyfishing
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Catfish and Bluegill like Hotdogs.... YouTube #shorts

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Looks like Catfish and Bluegill like hotdogs. In this round, we took the GoFish CAM to the local pond that has lots of Bluegill and Sunfish and the occasional Bass and Bullhead. The Bluegill acted like Piranhas tearing up the hotdog. But, a Catfish swooped in to take a bite. It was a nice size catfish; it was bigger than my foot!
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Quick Trip to Village Trails with the 4 Weight! #flyfishing

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Fighting a cold this past week but finally got to wet a line this morning. Decided to bring the Redington 4 Weight Rod with the Ross Flystart #2 Reel this time. A fun rod we like to use in local ponds during the trout stocking season. For the pond, we went to the Village Trails Pond in Fairview. Last time we fished it was several years ago; mainly little Bluegill and Sunfish. This round it was Bluegill and one little Bass but did see several larger Bass in the 2-3lbs range lurking in the pond. Water was clear and like the last time we were here, the bank was clobbered with brush. No worries though… still a fun time! PS: Fishing flies used were a Size 10 Purple Damsel Fly, a Size 10 and Size 12 Foam Grasshopper, Size 12 Guadalupana, and a Size 10 Near Deere.    
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