This Saturday is opening day for the early catch and release season up here in the frozen tundra that we call western Wisconsin. It’ll be my son’s eleventh birthday and he’ll be getting his first fly rod (which I made for him this winter) so that he can join me for the first time as his own fisherman, as opposed to just tagging along.
I’m so excited I can barely stay focused at work. Most likely we’ll still have some snow on the ground but they’re predicting low 40’s with a low pressure system moving through, so the fish should be moving around a bit and I’m hoping to get some brookies in a local spring creek.
Anyway, in honor of the big day on Saturday with my son (fish or no fish), I thought I’d add one of the favorites for us fly fishermen:
Testament of a Fisherman
I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don’t want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not nearly so much fun.
John D. Voelker (Robert Traver)
I love the line, “. . . because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there.”
[quote]bond james bond wrote:
If anyone here hasen’t tried this you should…Perch or Pickeral or Whitefish any will do,fillet them up into small bite size pieces and sprinkle cayenne pepper on them and wrap them in strips bacon,then get a piece of uncooked spaghetti to keep the bacon in place(instead of a toothpick) and grill on a BBQ…Thats it.The noodle sounds kinda strange but this way you just pop it in yer mouth and eat…The bacon wrap works with cubes of venison too.I like life at the top of the food chain:)[/quote]
In case you missed this the first time V…even you can’t fuck this up lol.
[quote]gspmirkoice wrote:
This Saturday is opening day for the early catch and release season up here in the frozen tundra that we call western Wisconsin. It’ll be my son’s eleventh birthday and he’ll be getting his first fly rod (which I made for him this winter) so that he can join me for the first time as his own fisherman, as opposed to just tagging along.
I’m so excited I can barely stay focused at work. Most likely we’ll still have some snow on the ground but they’re predicting low 40’s with a low pressure system moving through, so the fish should be moving around a bit and I’m hoping to get some brookies in a local spring creek.
Anyway, in honor of the big day on Saturday with my son (fish or no fish), I thought I’d add one of the favorites for us fly fishermen:
Testament of a Fisherman
I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don’t want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not nearly so much fun.
John D. Voelker (Robert Traver)
I love the line, “. . . because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there.” [/quote]
That’s badass man, hope you have a great time.
I’ve fished for brookies out your way before, it’s been a long time though. Somewhere inbetween Richland Center and Black Earth if I’m remembering correctly.
[quote]bond james bond wrote:
If anyone here hasen’t tried this you should…Perch or Pickeral or Whitefish any will do,fillet them up into small bite size pieces and sprinkle cayenne pepper on them and wrap them in strips bacon,then get a piece of uncooked spaghetti to keep the bacon in place(instead of a toothpick) and grill on a BBQ…Thats it.The noodle sounds kinda strange but this way you just pop it in yer mouth and eat…The bacon wrap works with cubes of venison too.I like life at the top of the food chain:)[/quote]
In case you missed this the first time V…even you can’t fuck this up lol.
Apt moniker for the day (I too am a Brad, and today is Friday).
The driftless area in SW Wisconsin, which includes the area you fished, is one of the most remarkable fishing places in the world in my opinion. I lived for some time in the Rockies and fished UT, CO, WY, MT, and ID, finding nothing even on those storied waters that would eclipse the spring creek fishing in my little hidden corner of Wisconsin. The deep coulees, gin clear streams snaking through pastures complete with Holsteins at the graze in front of deep red barns – bucolic!
And the fact that you can get into a 24 inch brown trout in a stream that is less than twice as wide as the fish is long is truly extraordinary. I’ve many times been left shaking when, standing in ankle deep water in a stream not much wider than a good sized bathtub, some monster brownie crushes a hopper pattern and promptly breaks me off. I end up just standing there with an idiot grin on my face, alternating back and forth between despair at the missed chance and the giddy wonder that so big a fish can live in such skinny water.
Apt moniker for the day (I too am a Brad, and today is Friday).
The driftless area in SW Wisconsin, which includes the area you fished, is one of the most remarkable fishing places in the world in my opinion. I lived for some time in the Rockies and fished UT, CO, WY, MT, and ID, finding nothing even on those storied waters that would eclipse the spring creek fishing in my little hidden corner of Wisconsin. The deep coulees, gin clear streams snaking through pastures complete with Holsteins at the graze in front of deep red barns – bucolic!
And the fact that you can get into a 24 inch brown trout in a stream that is less than twice as wide as the fish is long is truly extraordinary. I’ve many times been left shaking when, standing in ankle deep water in a stream not much wider than a good sized bathtub, some monster brownie crushes a hopper pattern and promptly breaks me off. I end up just standing there with an idiot grin on my face, alternating back and forth between despair at the missed chance and the giddy wonder that so big a fish can live in such skinny water.
Can’t wait to share it with my son. [/quote]
Brad you should write for a magazine, that’s great stuff.
And yessir I remember the cow pastures and barns, rock walls and cold ass water… Good times.
A marriage license should be like a fishing license. It expires every year, and if you go out of state you can get a three day license. If you think about it, girls and fish have alot in commen. They are fun to catch and if you clean and prep them right most are good to eat. Also, if you decide to mount one you know it’s going to cost you plenty! If you bring one home(no matter how well you treat them) they start going bad and fresh ones are always better.
Nice pike dickbag! I fish pike in a local river most of the winter. The rest of the year I fish mostly for mukies. Whats better than a big fish that fights hard, likes to hit by the boat, and eats big lures? I have one lure that weighs a full pound. Haven’t caught anything yet on it, but it shocks people when they see me cast it. Any fish is fun though. Smallmouth, walleye, steelhead, carp, gar, I try to target about everything.
I’m new to fly fishing and need some advice for largemouth bass. The pond has very poor visibility, even in the spring with the snow melt it’s pretty dark. It’s an old gravel pit actually. In the summer the algea makes it very light green. I’d estimate the visibility to be about a foot. It dosen’t really have an abundance of bug activity on the surface if that helps to narrow down my choices. One problem is all the branches from the two beavers that live in this pond. Great for structure but the snags are a bitch with such light tackle if I go with the sinking type. I already lost my sinking fly the guy at the store recomended but this is a pic of the floater I still have.
I can’t wait to see what a 3-4 pound largemouth feels like on one of these rigs.
Any advice would be most appreciated.
I got cabin fever so bad last week a friend and I went to the pond I’m talking about and drilled some holes in the ice and jigged with a spoon knowing full well we wern’t going to catch a damn thing lol. Just wanted to get outside. Well we did catch some browns…the kind that you buy in cases of 24.
That is a popper. Cast it into a likely holding area and strip it back with a jerky stripping motion. The disturbance attracts them and they attack it. That one appears to be a frog pattern. I’d cast that one toward the bank from the water so as to give the appearance of a frog jumping in and swimming out into the water.
I usually fish from the banks and will spot where they are holding, then devise an approach and casting angle. I get good responses from bass and pan fish near the banks with a spider pattern. They see and hear it land and will come from 10-15 feet away to nail it.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
That is a popper. Cast it into a likely holding area and strip it back with a jerky stripping motion. The disturbance attracts them and they attack it. That one appears to be a frog pattern. I’d cast that one toward the bank from the water so as to give the appearance of a frog jumping in and swimming out into the water.
I usually fish from the banks and will spot where they are holding, then devise an approach and casting angle. I get good responses from bass and pan fish near the banks with a spider pattern. They see and hear it land and will come from 10-15 feet away to nail it.
[/quote]
One thing to add is that more times than not, they will strike at the pause, so manage the slack in your line carefully so you won’t create a delay with setting the hook. That instant could mean the difference between set and no set, especially with bass as they 1) will spit it in an instant and 2)tend to have thick mouths so you want a good set with a smaller lure like a popper.
Catch and release for me. I am getting a replica mount of the 52". I’m allergic to most freshwater fish and it takes them a while to get big so I release them all.
