Frogs, Wogs & A Couple Cocktails

The Replacements

Frogs, Wogs & A Couple Cocktails

The sign of a good summer, is the need to replenish fly boxes weekly.

Frogs and Wogs have been bringing them to the top. The Cocktails?.....Well, you just never know when you may need a couple cocktails.  :)

The Stren Connection

Occasionally, I will in an attempt to rationalize this stuff we call fly fishing, appear to apply common sense.  Not too often mind you, or it may begin to become "expected". And that's simply a fools errand when associated with our beloved piscatorial pursuit.

That being said, I have admittedly departed from the social norms surrounding what we refer to as leaders and tippets. Partly because it's just too damned easy. But mostly because it just plain old works. Lets call it......

"The Stren Connection"

Having fished twisted leaders for some time now (with several posts relating to them), This winter and since has found me solidly in the camp of a particular leader for ALL of my warm water fishing, and most of my cold water nymphing.

A few attributes to this particular leader:

• Very durable, which is extremely important withe warm water applications
• Rolls over up to #2 Poppers and Deer hair bugs very well, while still providing an accurate and delicate presentation with smaller flies when needed.
• Just the right amount of stretch. this leader protects tippets, but also holds up to dragging bass though lily pad tangles.
• Easy to reproduce. No jigs. You can build them while watching TV, with 18' of mono, a #16 Micro barrel swivel and your fingers
• Affordable. materials for 18 leaders will cost you $10.25

Couple that with Stren Fluorocast fluorocarbon line/tippet ($4.99 for a 100yd spool) and it has proven to be the perfect combination for most all heavy applications on my 5-7wt rigs.

Who said fly fishing needed to be expensive or complicated? I have used the same leader and 4lb Fluorocast tippet for all of my nymphing, since this past winter.  

Attached is the formula for twisting them up:

Dawn on the Pond

Dawn on the Pond

With the day expected to be in the mid-90's by noon, I figured first few rays of light would be the only bearable time to be on the water.  The day greeted me with a handful of bass on top.

The Wog was the fly of the day. They ignored the FBC and any bassbugs I threw at them. They would rise, and sink back down. 

Off the water by 8:30, already wet through.

Coming Soon!!! "SUMMER BUGS A Warmwater Fly Box"

New Release!

Coming in August

Lightning in a Tube

A Warrior

This single fly survived a 3 hour non-stop assault by hungry bluegills.  

Had to get a pic....colors were really cool. They were hungry as the storm approached.

A 3 hour race to dark as storms rolled in. Just as I had released a fish, static shot across the water  that actually caused the nylon on the float tube to make a crinkling noise and the hair on my forearms stood up. Then seconds later a wind picked up and a low rumble rolled. Taking my queue from mother nature, I turned my fins toward the truck. The lightning arrived as I was knee-deep at the launch and gathering my gear.  But not before the night offered up 20-plus gills and a handful of 1/2lb bass.

Bass, Gills and Jersey Heat

Bass, Gills and Jersey Heat

In the water at 07:00 and out by 09:30 at 90 degrees 

The water as the heat came marching in

6-or-7 bass on the morning

The 2 best bulls on the morning took a liking to the Wog. 

About a dozen Gills in all, with a mix of Wogs and FBC's doing all the heavy lifting

Keep Kicking My Friends

An Evening in the Tube

The Cane & Silk & The Gill of the Night

Spent the evening in my waterborne recliner.  Lost track of fish. as can often happen with Bluegill.  Only two 1 1/2lb bass on the night. They were on and feeding on top enough to make me look good despite sloppy casting. 

Few Fish along the  edges, with most fish coming from deeper water lily pad clusters. 

Most productive flies were the Gurgling Frog early, and switching to a light Foam Butt Caddis as the light dropped off.

I'll take it.