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Fishing

Fishing and free beer

March 18, 2012
Fishing, Fly Fishing, Food and Drink, Video, Warmwater
1 Comment

Hit a couple ponds on Friday after work looking to catch a few bass on top. The first one was in good shape and I found the bluegill to be very aggressive to both the popper and the dropper. The big bass were in shallow water, sitting on beds and unresponsive to anything thrown their way.  The smaller male bass though would swipe at a fly, I managed to land a few of them.

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The second pond I hit had active bluegill as well, though not the size that I found in the first pond. The catfish were pretty active too. Throwing a slow sinking streamer out to the middle of the pond, let it sink, then hold on was the strategy for the cats. I did catch one on top though which was pretty cool. Managed a nice bass on top as well.

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Capped Friday off with a tour of the Tin Roof Brewing Co. here in Baton Rouge. Every Friday from 5-7 they offer free tours and with the tour you get three free beers. You can’t beat that with a stick. They have an amber(Perfect Tin), a pale ale(Voodoo Bengal) and a blonde(Tin Roof Blonde). The blonde was my favorite, while the amber was Amanda’s. Right now you can only find Perfect Tin in stores, it comes in cans. I’m a big fan of the current trend to can craft beer, I hope it continues.

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Here is a great video that lumehouse put together on the Tin Roof story:

Rubber Legged Dragon

March 16, 2012
Fishing, Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Freshwater, Warmwater
5 Comments

Deadly on any warmwater fish, here is Blake’s version of the original Carter Nelson fly, which you can find here – http://www.flyfishga.com/rl_dragon.htm

Materials:

Hook: 4x long streamer

Tail: Marabou and flash

Body: chenille

Legs: Sililegs

Weight: Bead chain

Dubbing: Black ice dubbing

Step 1. Start thread and tie in bead chain eyes using figure 8 wraps.

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Step 2. Bring thread to a point above the barb. Tie in marabou for the tail and tidy up the butt ends around the hook. I like to tie it down up the shank to about one eye length behind the bead chain eyes.

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Step 3. Tie in flash along either side of the marabou.

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Step 4. Tie in your choice of chenille material.

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Step 5. Bring thread to the midpoint between the eyes and tail tie in. Tie in sililegs on either side of the hook.

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Step 6. I find it easier to use a piece of lead wire to hold the legs out of the way while I wrap the body. I then use my bodkin to pull the two rear legs out of the lead wrap. Take one wrap of chenille between the legs, and continue to a spot behind the bead chain leaving enough room to make a hackle collar.

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Step 7. Tie in a feather for the collar. I use a soft webby grizzly feather. Wrap the feather to form a collar.

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Step 8. Split the thread and insert dubbing. Spin the thread to form a dubbing rope.

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Step 9. Wrap the dubbing one full turn around the shank directly in front of the collar, then finish off the dubbing rope using figure 8’s around the bead chain.

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Step 10. Whip finish the thread. Finished fly.

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Proof of concept

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Lesson Learned

March 13, 2012
Fishing, Freshwater, Warmwater
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I read a story last week about a guy in Arkansas catching a largemouth bass that bested the old state record of 36 years by an ounce. It was 16.5 lbs, taken on a Mann’s Jelly Worm by Paul Crowder. I thought to myself, “Good for you Paul Crowder, that’s a heck of a bass.” Now we find out that he did it illegally, he didn’t have a license. A license which costs $10.50 annually to an Arkansas resident. Now his potential record is not allowed and he is looking at paying for it, with a fine and jail time.

Paul Crowder’s story went from “feel good” to “no good”, all because he ignored to purchase a license prior to fishing, even after receiving citations in the past. I see no excuse for this. None. What a tough way to learn a lesson.

I feel bad for the fish. Instead of having it’s rightful place at the top of the record books it is nowhere to be found, and dead too.