Saturday Morning at Gill's Place

Gill

With temps rising and a good forecast this morning, It seemed like a good time to head over to Gill's place for a 2017 test-run of the float tube.

Gill's Place

First time for the tube 2017. The CGR 7/8 was the morning's rig.

The Gurgling Wog was all that was needed this morning.

Only 2 bass caught all morning. Both near clone of each other. But the gills were ready to chase big flies. First time of the year that colored-up Copper breasted males were found. A few were really good size and took the fly more like a bass than a bluegill.

One of the two bass

There is very little better than a big Gill on top. These were some of the prettiest fish I have caught.  The pics do the colors little justice.

See you on the water. 

HACKLE SETS FOR SALE!

Hackle Set

Left-to-right
(Golden Badger Whiting#2 / Dun Hoffman #1, Dun Grizzly Collins #1, Brown Whiting #2)

I have 2 sets of 1/2 Necks. Of the 4 hackles, here is what they are.  The Golden Badger "may" have a dozen feathers used off of it. Same with the Dun Grizzly. The Brown is picked of #14 for the most part and the skin is ripped (careless on my part) . It's taped and has remained so for quite some time. Above and below #14 it is full. The Hoffman Dun is a wonderful neck. Unused and nearly worth the price of the set in itself. With all of them, they are duplicates in my bench. 

 Great starter packs covering most everything, with top quality hackle.

$50 Each
PayPal only

Wading A'muck in the Land of Lilies

Gurgling Wog Scores 1st Chain Pickerel of the year

With hopes of finding a sizable bass willing to look up, Today I grabbed the CGR 7/8 and the new chest pack courtesy of Gampa Mel, and headed for the newly showing lily pads. 

And what I found was a piscatorial cornucopia

First fish of the day was a Pickerel that crushed my fly like he hadn't  eaten all winter. I reckon that could have been the case?

Followed by a basket full of half-pounders that would not let the FBC go by. 

A handful of gills made a showing, But the day belonged to the bss.

Moving from the waders to walking the bank on another nearby pond, the bass got larger. 

The big fly was a #6 FBC twitched ever so slightly.

Looks like warmwater season may be here to stay!

Tying the RP Starling

RP Starling

The RPS Made an impressive debut. Tied over the winter, it was a long anticipated  pattern & proved up to the task.  

1st Fish on the RPS

Give it a chance on your water and let me know how it goes .

RP Starling Recipe

Hook:  #12-#10 Standard Nymph 

Thread:  8/0 Black

Abdomen:  Ginger Hareline Rabbit

Thorax:  Black Ice-Dub

Hackle:  Starling & March Brown Brahma

2017 Opener in the Books

The 2017 season opener brought mild weather and great fish

After our clubs banquet Friday night, which is always a good time with friends, the opener greeted us in fine fashion.  My first fish coming to a C2C Nymph.

Ron was the first to hook up on the morning, as several heavy rainbows would test the bamboo.  

  

To include the biggest fish of the day

Fly of the day for me was the C2C Nymph, which accounted for 6 of he 7 fish I was able to bring to hand. 

The C2C Nymph

This 24 incher was my best if the day.

This 16 incher was the smallest fish on the day, proving one thing. I need a bigger net.

The largest Brown of the day was this Pretty colored 20"

2017 was christened with the Cane And Silk 7 1/2' 5Wt Glass Rod

And the Day also successfully tested a new pattern as well, which accounted for 2 fish on the day landed and 2 more broke off (my fault).

The RP Starling

(Video soon)

Another year of tradition with good friends.

CGR 7' 4/5wt Repairs

CGR 7' 4/5 Repairs

After 2 seasons with the first of the CGR's I purchased, the 7' 4/5wt, I fell on rocks last fall and aside from my pride being bruised the only real damage was to my rod. The rocks took a dime-sized chunk out of the cork at the juncture of the grip and seat, denting the seat cap as well.  

The Old Girl

In order to salvage things without rebuilding everything, the cork is now an inch shorter both to remove the damage and to fit the reel seat width. Likewise, an inch off the butt was trimmed to fit the seat length. 

Things worked out pretty well in the end. The seat is an upgrade, and is balanced nicely with the down locking hardware despite losing an inch of the backside.

She survives another year. 

Just a little shorter with age. :)

Tying the Spring Miller

The Spring Miller

The Spring Miller is an effective cross-over patter from warm to cold water. It takes most all species of fish the "look up". From Blue Gills year around, to Trout in the tail-outs in the evening and Smallmouth most everywhere you find them. I twitch-retrieve on still water and let it swing into the tail-out of a pool on rivers and streams then twitch-retrieve for several feet. 

Recipe

Hook:  #12 Caddis Emerger

Thread:  Black

Abdomen:  Brown Thin Razor Foam

Wing:  Bleached Calf Elk

Legs:  Brown-barred Centipede Legs

Gills are on!

First Cast, First Fish

A little muggy rain and a warm breeze was all it took.  The Gills are on the beds and the bass are cutting through the shallows. 

Fly of the night, a #6 Dun FBC.

Best bass of the night.
The bass were cutting through the shallows like Pike, scattering fish and hitting anything that looked edible.

The big gill of the night. 

It sure was nice to get on some local water and see the beds forming.

The Cane and Silk was a joy to cast.

First Bug of the Year

FIRST BUG

With a sunny warm day waning to a clouding rain filled evening....it just felt like a buggy day. The result, the fist Mule Deer Diver of the year.

Recipe

Hook:  #4 Gamakatsu Stinger

Thread:  Black Danville

Tail:  Red Bucktail

Hackle:  Cree

Legs:  Orange Centipede 

Head:  Mule Deer

RFB Lanyard 7th Color!

Grey & Orange is #7

For the Simms Folks

Just add the Grey as #7 when ordering.

#1 thru #6 Left-to-Right