Glen Davis

Upside Down Bream Killer

2009-11-19T10:17:00.014-06:00

As we move into the winter months, this is a good time to start stocking up, tying or buying bream flys and crappie flys for the Spring. I wrote a blog article about a year ago about what I called the "GO TO" bream fly. The idea behind the "GO TO" was not an intent to provide an ultimate bream fly but rather as a suggestion as what someone might use if the fish aren't boiling the water and you are having to work at getting some fish, either by fishing deep or up in the structure. The points of the article are that you can't come up with a much better fly than a "bream killer", that black and white are very good colors if you don't know what they're hitting and the only thing that could improve the bream killer would be to make it ride "hook up". Clousers ride hook up and you can't find a more commonly used fly, and for good reason accoring to Lefty Kreh. Crappie fisherman primarily use jigs to keep from hanging up in structure and micro jig flys like the "fluff butt" work well on a flyrod, espcially under a strike indicator or as a dropper, but microjigs are more jig than they are fly. I don't understand why there hasn't been a good commercially available fly that was tied hook up because bream are structure creatures and in Mississippi that structure is usually wood of some kind which hooks sink themselves into readily. My friend Albert Wood and myself have been using bead chain eyes on breamkiller patterns to fish Calling Panther which is a nightmare of wooden structure but also full of bream. Albert has his own bream fly, the "Killer Bee" that is basically a bream killer but with a duck fiber wing in lieu of rubber hackle. When we go bream fishing our fly boxes are full of these hook up flys. My "GO TO" article was very popular and even now if someone just types "bream" and "flys" into the google search engine, the article comes up immediately, The GO To Bream Fly. Recently I was talking to my brother Don, who sells flys via the Internet, and he was intrigued with the idea of an "upside down breamkiller". In our fly club I met a member, David Frazier of Collins Mississippi. David is a prolific tyer and can't use all the flys he ties. He needed an outlet for all the flys he was tying and so I put him in touch with my brother, who has the web site "breambugs.com". Together they put together their own version of the "GOTO" and labeled it the "Upside Down Bream Killer" or UDBK and now have it on the breambugs.com web site as the Upside Down Bream Killer. Apparently sales and feedback have been very good. Folks should keep in mind this fly is best used to either fishing right on the bottom, slowly bringing it along over beds or casting it right into structure where you wouldn't expect you could cast a fly. For that structure casting we have found that you can clip the rubber hackle very short which makes it very stiff and acts to bump the hook away from small twigs found in brush piles.
If you want to tie your own UDBK just tie a bream killer but use bead chain to turn the fly on it's back to ride hook up. It's a simple tie, and it needs to be because you will need a lot of them fishing the bottom and woody structure. No fly is completely snagless.

Tight loops,
Glen

Green Czar? Green's ARE...

2009-10-16T16:06:00.011-05:00

...hijacking conservation for their political ideology. People who have never stepped in the woods are hijacking concern for the environment as one of the shadow government's tools to bring down the republic. People who really care about the environment can't get a word in edgewise or they are simply dismissed if they hold any conservative views. The green movement quotes Thoreau, but they apparently do not really pay much attention to his writing. I do. A hook and bullet guy reading Thoreau? Yes, I too keep my accounts on my thumbnail and ascribe to the notion "that government is best which governs least". Cass Sunstein , our new regulatory czar has designed a "choice architecture" for government to make our choices for us. "Nudge" is the code word. For example, passing healthcare reform that is designed to gradually take away your insurance choices. That's a "nudge". Mr. Sunstein hates hunting, so I guess the government will be "nudging" us soon in that area, just like they will be "nudging" us to give up our liver when we die just because we didn't explicitly consent to organ donation, another suggestion of our new regulatory czar. Who knows where Mr. Sunstein's hatred of hunting will go, but I am sure it won't be good for outdoors people. I guess because I hunt and fish I cannot possibly be considered pro-environment, but I find it a stretch to believe Hollywood and Washington types are. I am lucky enough to own some property, yet I live in the city and manage my wild property in a "green" way. I plant trees not just for timber value, but also to benefit wildlife. Before Katrina wrecked my property in South MS, I used to walk it before bushhogging to make sure no gopher tortoises were in danger. I have been careful to keep my tractor away from the apron of gopher dens. I like my gopher tortoises and do not intend to "shoot, shovel and shut up". I keep duck boxes and bluebird boxes and release most of the fish I catch. I hunt, but I practice voluntary restraint to manage the resource. I take an active part in conservation legislation (unfortunately more time is spent in trying to prevent politicians from ruining the environment than in promoting legislation to improve it). Doesn't it make sense that some people who like to hunt and fish might like to take care of the environment? I am a conservationist, but I also believe in the constitution and the bill of rights, and I do not believe the constitution is a "living document" which can be subjectively interpreted. The "Green's are" hijacking real concern for the environment as a tool to accomplish their agenda and for their own promotion. I remember when Al Gore was running for president Diane Sawyer interviewed him at his home in Tennessee. I noticed something in that interview that no one else did. Ms. Sawyer was trying to find out if he was "really a country boy", and among other softball questions, she asked him "what is brucellosis?" and he said "hoof and mouth disease". Gore's wife Tipper quipped "not confined to cattle", but her quip was referring to her hubby's hoof'-IN-mouth. Brucellosis is a disease which makes cattle abort their fetus, among other detrimental affects, but it should never be confused with Hoof and Mouth which is a terrible disease that requires all animals affected or exposed to be destroyed. You might say that Al's incorrect answer is no more important than George Bush missing a question about some obscure world leader. What makes it different is that brucellosis at the time of the interview as well as currently, is part of a big environmental controversy. Tipper's quip was correct because neither disease is confined to just cattle, buffalo and elk are the two active reservoirs of brucellosis in the U.S. It has been a highly publicized environmental issue and even an unworthy hook and bullet guy like myself knows that ranchers shoot buffalo when they stray onto their property because of a fear of brucellosis, not hoof and mouth. If the buffalo get hoof and mouth disease, it will be the government shooting and bulldozing, not ranchers. Our "green" guy Al was clueless to this important environmental issue, though no one called him on it. I was aware of this information even if Mr. Gore was not and he went on to win a Nobel Prize for a film which contains many un"truths". Of course Nobel Prizes are not prizes any more, not even surprises really. Based upon the current president getting a Nobel Prize this week, I am expecting mine in the mail any day. Yep, "green" has been hijacked for a purpose which is nothing more than the George Soros agenda, whether all the "green" followers know it or not. It has been hijacked by the Left to help destroy capitalism in favor of socialism, marxism, fascism, whatever you want to call large corporations and large government working together to oppress the masses. Tyranny, let's call it that. Don't forget that our ex-"green" czar Van Jones was a self-proclaimed communist, our environment and energy czar, Carol Browner was a member of Socialist International. There is no concern for the environment from the Left, it's just about power and money. Hollywood types get on TV and berate us for not checking the air in our tires for fuel economy and then jump in a personal jet and pump filth into the sky to move one person back and forth across the United States. I couldn't help but notice when Maria Shriver (a Kennedy) got busted this week for using her cell phone while driving A MASSIVE SUV. Have you ever watched a movie and wondered about all that stuff they blow up to make movies, the wreckage and trash they create? Are you telling me that's not going in a landfill somewhere? And we get chastised for buying hamburgers in a polystyrene container. General Electric owns MSNBC and is a recipient of bailout money so it is no wonder that the channel is nothing but state propaganda promoting the "green" agenda. Keith Olbermann got a raise after the GE bailout, where's the salary czar when you need him? You can't help but put two and two together when you see GE commercials pushing their "green" flourescent light bulbs (which contain mercury, uh isn't that the concern about coal powered plants?) They are big into wind turbines, can't say anything bad, just that I bet you never see any around Martha's Vineyard and other Kennedy type places. Why not, they're "green" aren't they? And jet engines. Oops, jet engines? Yes, you see you still need fossil fuel to fly a big ole honking airplane across the U.S. to haul a scrawny little politician home to California. Yes we need to burn gas for things that are "important", like the president and his wife EACH taking a jet to Copenhagen to plea for the Olympics in Chicago, which was a no go, (and a shouldn't have gone). And I guess they will burn some more fossil fuel to pick up the "prize" in Oslo or for date night in Chicago, but heaven forgive me for driving a pickup that gets 19 miles per gallon to put my kayak in the marsh (kayaks don't use gas, do I get carbon credits for that? maybe I can sell them to Ms. Shriver).
Yes, the current government is thinking "green" allright, like money.

Speak up,

Glen

No rods or fancy tackle

2009-10-12T15:17:00.004-05:00

Friend Neil Hostnick of Shell Point Florida got this photo of one of the "locals" fishing. With the rain going on right now, that's about all the fishing being done, by the birds.

Tight loops,

Glen

Magnolia Fly Fishers at the Outdoorama

2009-10-05T15:02:00.024-05:00

The Magnolia Fly Fishers were out in force at the Outdoorama at the Rez with fly tying and casting instruction. With five new TFO rods donated by the FFF , Temple Fork Outfitters and the Sierra Club, the fly fishers were set for it's first real casting clinic for the public. The rods came outfitted with reels and line and came in a five rod carrying case. Being a TFO owner myself I was right at home with these TFO Signature series five weights. The fly fishers promoted the fly tying and casting by handing out flyers at the gate with a description and location. The flyers made a huge difference in attendance. The fly tyers always do well but this is the first time we really had such an incredible number of people wanting to cast a flyrod. It was alot of fun, but it was also very challenging. Our club president is a Certified casting instructor and knows how to handle different situations but I just jumped in and tried to do my best.

It was all a lot more fun than I had expected. One minute I would be instructing a weekend caster wanting to learn how to cast further and the next minute I would have a seven year old. I had one tiny girl that thought she was in the Olympics ribbons event as she swirled the flyline overhead in pretty figure eights overhead. I just smiled and watched too, fun is what it was all about.

The fly tyers were busy as well. The kids really like to tie flys as you can tell in the photo below from the big smile on this youngster's face as he is being instructed by Magnolia Fly Fisher Cliff Daniel.

Thank you Federation of Fly Fishers, Temple Fork Outfitters and Sierra club for your gracious donation of the rods. They were certainly put to good use at this event and will certainly be helpful in future events.

I would like to say too that the Mississippi Wildlife Federation is a conservation organization for which outdoors people in Mississippi should be thankful. From their legislature watchdog efforts to events like this, they are one great outfit lead by Executive Director Cathy Shropshire. If you would like to $ay thank$ to this organization, there is a way. By joining as a member or ordering a MWF car tag. You can accomplish either by going to their website at MS Wildlife.org.

Tight loops,

Glen

The casting

Bowhunting story (sorry FF'er's bow season is coming up!)

2009-09-10T09:15:00.032-05:00

The following is a true story about a bow hunt last January with my son and a good friend. It's about the kind of hunting I like to do and about what people will do to have a real outdoor adventure, even when they are sick. It's also current, because it's about Swine flu, not that old government flu.

Swine Flu

My first awareness was the chirping of the birds. The last thing I remembered was the loud ringing in my ears, just before I cinched my safety belt tight and laid my head on the seat of my climbing deer stand. My eyes were closed, and now it seemed like the ringing had turned into bird calls. The calls from a rowdy group of crows were welcome as they gave me the confirmation, the ringing was gone. I felt the cool January air flow over the clammy skin of my neck. It felt good. I opened my eyes, and looked around. I wasn’t sure if I had fallen asleep or passed out, but I was pretty certain I had passed out. Well, I was still alive, and still high in a tree, both good things. I looked at my watch, thirty minutes had passed. I had been passed out in a deer stand for thirty minutes. Then I felt the pain in my legs. I was sitting on the part of the stand where you normally place your feet and I was facing the tree with my head on the seat. The pressure of the edge of the stand against my legs was cutting off the circulation and causing the pain. Thirty minutes earlier I had been in my stand and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out. I had started to climb down but realized I would never make it and just dropped down on the platform facing the tree with my safety belt cinched up as tight as I could get it, hoping there was no slack in the belt for me to fall away from the tree. Now I was coming to and I was very happy to be doing so, still high in a tree, deep in a swamp. The previous day I had hunted all day and felt OK but when I got home I began to shiver uncontrollably. I was sick. I shouldn’t have gone hunting on this day, but my son was here, it was hunting season and I knew where a buck was chasing does in the swamp. I thought it might pass. Well, it could have, if it hadn’t been the flu.

The “Swine” flu is in the news on a regular basis this summer, but I had my case of it back in January of 2009. That’s when my son Chris, a fireman in the Air Force brought his family to Mississippi for a long leave that he had been saving up. As a teenager Chris picked up the bow hunting bug as we hunted the hills of the Big Black River. We had a lot of fun in those years; little did I know how much influence it would have on him. Chris is now a big strapping man in his early thirties, and no longer do I drive his motivation for the outdoors, he drives mine. We like the same kind of outdoor experiences which makes hunting with him even more special.

Our strategy had been to hunt leased land and a few management areas until January, when the regulations on our favorite public areas became bow hunting only. The previous year Chris had taken an excellent buck on public land the last day of the season. Part of our success we believed was due to the fact that we were the only hunters on the management area that day. Our successful hunt and feeling like we “owned” the area provided the inspiration for this year’s strategy.

We started our season by hunting several public areas without any luck. We got close to some good deer, but it was early January and we were dealing with pressured, nocturnal deer. I mentioned to Chris one area of the state that might be less pressured, due largely to the difficulty involved in hunting it. The area was swampy, had to be accessed by canoe or kayak and even after a long paddle it required a long hike in muck and hostile vegetation to get to the deer. Combined with the difficulty factor, being a public area open only to bow hunting and the fact that it was now near the end of the season, there was good chance we could find some un-pressured deer still rutting. Chris was intrigued by the whole idea so I borrowed a kayak from a buddy and I took off work the following day to hunt. Chris followed me in the borrowed kayak as I paddled as far as I could up a small creek. When we could go no further we shouldered our stands and eased into the swampy terrain. Palmettos were as high as our heads and rattling noisily as we ducked under beards of Spanish moss, the Cypress knees tripping us as we walked along pools of still, black water. I turned around to Chris to provide an orientation on the area and saw him looking all around with a smile on his face. He seemed to be delighted by the strange new hunting grounds and I realized this is where I should have been bringing him all along. I understood, hunting the swamp can get into your blood.

Swamps are difficult places to hunt and require appropriate tactics. The land is flat with heavy cover but there is nothing to prevent an animal from going any direction, there are no noticeable funnels or saddles like in the hill country. As the ground is soft and muddy, what looks like a heavily used trail may just be the tracks left by the one-time movement of a small group of deer. The soft spongy soil makes sign confusing because all of the tracks are moist and tracks can be hidden from view in only a few inches of water. A fresh track is a light colored swirl of mud in the black water that will disappear in an hour. Another aggravating thing about the swampy terrain is that there are acorn trees everywhere with thick cover underneath which allows the deer to feed almost anywhere without exposure to hunters. My tactic is to find a likely area, climb a tree to hunt and LISTEN. Rutting deer will crash through the palmettos and splash the shallow pools of water. The splashes are often mistaken for ducks, but by listening carefully one can learn the difference. Once I hear what I think is rutting activity, I keep downwind while moving forward to climb another tree in the hope of getting a visual. If I don’t hear or see anything after an hour or so, I repeat the tactic. The key is to get close, but not too close and then it is up to luck and shooting skills. Chris was totally up for it and excited about the idea of exploring the swampy woods. Armed with his GPS and bow, he headed out following the small creek deeper into the area. As I watched Chris leave I felt good about the fact that he really seemed to be enjoying this new experience.

Now I turned to my own GPS and a position I hadn’t been to in a long time. It was a point of land out in a brake and though I had never killed a deer in this public area, I had hunted it quite a bit and this one place I had marked years before without ever hunting it. I just had a gut feeling about it. It was a point of land out in a brake with very heavy cover on the opposite side. I reached the point and climbed a tree and waited. Sometime later I heard splashing and saw a doe running my way; I knew a buck had to be chasing her so I picked up my binoculars to get a look at his rack. He went by so quickly I couldn’t get him in the glasses and only managed a glimpse of a large bodied deer without getting a look at his antlers. At least I had something to talk about when I met Chris later, but Chris had reason of own to be excited. He had found an area with hog sign everywhere. To bow kill a hog was something Chris had wanted for a long time and now he had a chance.

Before this hunt, our plans were to hunt with my friend Albert Wood the following day at a different management area, but I called him that night and told him what we had found and that a change of plans was in order. He agreed to meet us on the side of the road with his canoe the following morning. Then I went to bed, shivering, I was sick.

The next morning I was ready to go, or thought I was, cold medicine can make you feel that way. After meeting Albert on the roadside, we made the long drive to the Delta. Albert had a trolling motor and dropped us a line, towing us into the swamp, making easy work out of what was normally a long paddle. Chris was planning on hunting the hog sign and I sent Albert to a place near me where he and I could bracket the buck I had seen. I was feeling OK so far, and as I neared the area where I had seen the buck, the sun was just beginning to shine through the trees. As I looked for a good tree to climb nearer to where I had seen the buck, I noticed movement out in the brake. It was a small group of deer moving slowly along the bank. After a few minutes they entered the thick cover on the opposite side of the brake. I climbed the nearest tree, but I was feeling queasy after the climb. I hunted for about three hours before I passed out.

As I sat in the tree, I knew I had dodged a bullet. I was too sick to be hunting. It was time to meet Chris and Albert for lunch and as I made my way back to meet them I was seriously considering telling them I was too sick for an afternoon hunt. But after I saw how ecstatic Chris was about his chances of getting a hog I decided to keep my illness quiet and elected not to tell them about my episode. Albert was somewhat discouraged; his only sighting had been a duck hunter that walked by. Albert and I often hunt close together during bow season and we decided we would hunt the afternoon together.

I showed Albert a tree opposite of the run the buck had used; we were within sight of each other only about a hundred yards apart. Being late archery season, gun seasons were open and we were wearing blaze orange so it was easy to spot Albert in his tree. It was a good idea to keep an eye on him, on a hunt several years past I had watched Albert as he arrowed a deer, the same deer he had watched me miss!

As the light faded I heard the palmettos rattle in a short burst. My cell phone buzzed and it was a text message from Albert, “hogs?”. “No, deer!” I replied. I was on full alert now and watching the woods. After a few minutes I heard the palmettos rattle followed by a big crash. I looked towards Albert and saw him hang up his bow and sit down. I watched him pull out his cell phone. My phone buzzed and the message said “I just shot a buch, I cant stop shaking!” Well I didn’t take much notice of his spelling of “buck”. I figured a guy with the shakes from shooting a buck deserves to make a typo or two. I climbed down and made my way over to and after a few minutes of tracking we found the deer, a beautiful ten point, well over 200 lbs with a brown coat that must have been as brown as his summer coat.

Luckily the bayou was only about two hundred yards away, but it was a tough drag through heavy underbrush and when the big deer was lying by the bayou I was very glad that I would soon be headed home. We walked back to the boats and while Albert took his canoe to pick up his deer I waited for Chris on the bank. I was wasted but I felt like I could make it now, just a short paddle and drive home and I could get some medicine and hit the hay. Nightfall came and Chris still wasn’t back and I began to wonder if I would have to drag something else out in my walking wounded health status. I saw a light coming and when it got close enough I said “How’d you do?” only slightly hoping that he had been successful. The reply came back “two pigs, a big one and a little one!” I thought to myself “thank God one is little!”

It was a good thing there were three of us to drag, even if one of us was sick with the flu and not much help. The pigs were probably 600 yards back in the swamp and I think Chris and Albert were glad to have my help, sick or not. The big boar must have weighed close to 200 lbs, maybe more. I had a name for my illness now, it was definitely “swine” flu. We spent a couple of hours dragging the pigs to the boats and with the buck in Albert’s canoe, the big pig in Chris’ kayak and the little pig in mine. Chris was in front and paddled out into the dark towards the trucks. We were puzzled when we noticed his light on the right side of the bayou and then the left, and then the right again. When we caught up with him and shined a light on him we immediately saw what the problem was, and got a good laugh. His kayak was front heavy with the big hog; the rear end of the kayak where Chris was sitting was much higher in the water than the front which made me wonder how much that hog really weighed. Anyone who has ever paddled a canoe with a heavier person in the front would understand the bow heavy kayak was veering to the side, making him paddle in circles. Being in the dark, he was having difficulty correcting well enough to go in a straight line.

Later that night, as we cleaned a big buck and two hogs into the wee hours of the morning, I wasn’t much help. The flu and the strenuous activity combined with the extra long day had turned me into a dishrag. But it was a great day, Chris got his hog and Albert had gotten his first swamp buck. And just before the season ended, I managed an encounter with an enormous swamp buck myself. We will be back to hunt him this year. With any luck I will just have buck fever and not the “swine” flu.

North Fork Trophy Trout, Just say NO to bait

2009-09-04T08:40:00.017-05:00

The following is from a release provided by individuals concerned about options for the trophy trout areas on the North Fork River:

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is looking at two options for an expanded catch-and-release area on the North Fork River below Norfork Dam, but disagreements have developed between fishermen and businesses in the area over the proposal. Two options studied for North Fork River catch and release" which grew out of citizen advisory committee workshops used to develop a fisheries management plan for the tailwater. The existing catch-and-release area in the trout-rich stream is about a mile long. After input from trout anglers, the AGFC staff recommended expanding the zone to 2.6 miles (slightly more than half of the distance from the dam to the stream’s junction with the White River at the town of Under this plan, the catch-and-release area would extend to six-tenths of a mile below the Ackerman Access. The other option being studied is to end the catch-and-release area at Ackerman Access, making the area 2 miles. (This is option 2, it allows for the continued use of BAIT in the trophy trout area. The fisheries staff also is recommending allowing the use of artificial lures with barbless TREBLE hooks in the catch-and-release area after hearing reports that there is little difference in harmful effect to trout from artificial lures with single barbless hooks compared to barbless treble hooks. AGFC commissioners will make a decision at their Sept. 24 meeting in Little Rock. Persons may express their opinions on these proposals in writing before Sept. 17. For more information on the proposals go to http://www.agfc.com/fishing/default.aspx. Letters can be sent to North Fork Trout, Fisheries Division, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Drive Little Rock AR. Comments can also be e-mailed to Jeffrey S. Williams, trout management supervisor, at williams@agfc.ar.us or information@agfc.com

The proposed trout regulations and the 13-inch regulation changes will be voted on in the September 24, 2009 commission meeting.
Proposed Trout Fishing Regulation Changes - Option 1

Proposed Trout Fishing Regulation Changes - Option 2

Option 1 is the one supported by the AGFC Biologists, Management and the Public. It will benefit the rivers by allowing the trout in the proposed catch and release areas the opportunity to grow in size. This was the “battle cry” from nearly all the representatives on the Tailwater Advisory Committee. In the public meeting, 60 of 65 attendees said that the Norfork Tailwater needed to be treated differently from that of the White River and that much of it should be set aside as a trophy area. There was no objection to the plan at the final public meeting. The AGFC Biolgists have conducted extensive creel studies, the University of Arkansas has conducted two separate studies on quantity and quality of food sources, movement in and out of the Catch and Release Area and the mortality rate in and out of the Catch and Rlease Areas. At stake is the repuation of the Norfork Tailwater and it's ability to grow trophy size trout.

If you want to help the Norfork Tailwater become all that it can be, write to each of the commissioners and send emails to information@agfc.com

Remember a Trophy Trout is too valuable to ONLY be caught once.

AGFC Commissioner addresses and phone numbers:

Brett Morgan - Chairman (2003-2010)
Little Rock, Arkansas
2 Rubra Ct., Little Rock, AR 72223 - (501) 529-1599

Craig Campbell - Vice-Chairman (2006-2011)
Little Rock, Arkansas
P.O. Box 34367, Little Rock, AR 72203 - 501-377-2403

George Dunklin Jr. (2005-2012)
DeWitt, Arkansas
620 E. 22nd, Suite 206, Stuttgart, AR 72160 - (870) 946-4549

Ronald Pierce (2006-2013)
Mountain Home, Arkansas
1453 CR11, Mountain Home, AR 72653 - (870) 430-5203

Rick Watkins (2007-2014)
Little Rock, Arkansas
P. O. Box 32050, Little Rock, AR 72260 - (501) 217-7503

Ron Duncan (2008-2015)
Springdale, Arkansas
2001 Stout Drive, Springdale, AR 72762 - (479) 756-9129

Emon Mahony (2009-2016)
El Dorado, Arkansas
106 W. Main, Suite 406, El Dorado, AR 71730 - (870) 862-6464

Dr. Frederick W. Spiegel (Ex-Officio)
Fayetteville, Arkansas
UofA, Science and Engineering Bldg., Room 603, Fayetteville, AR 72701 - (479) 575-4248

Tight loops,

Glen

More Saltwater Fly Fishing Records!

2009-08-26T10:19:00.009-05:00

The saltwater records have really been coming fast and furious this summer and the same names keep showing up. According to the DMR Press Release:

Dwayne Armes of Pass Christian, Miss., broke the Mississippi state saltwater fly-fishing record for king mackerel July 21, 2009, with a
weight of 13 pounds, 11.30 ounces.
Dwayne Armes of Pass Christian, Miss., broke the
Mississippi state saltwater fly-fishing record for Atlantic sharpnose shark July 21, 2009,
with a weight of 10 pounds, 6.24 ounces.
Rick Lauman of Ocean Springs, Miss., broke the
Mississippi state saltwater fly-fishing record for tripletail July 15, 2009, with a weight of
14 pounds, 12 ounces.
Doug Borries of Ocean Springs, Miss., broke the
Mississippi state saltwater fly-fishing record for blacktip shark July 16, 2009, with a
weight of 55 pounds, 0.32 ounces.

Go to the DMR Press Release to see the photos.

The Mississippi Saltwater Fly Fishing records are at the following link: Fly Fishing Records
You never know when you might catch a record. I caught an enormous ladyfish a week ago and the current record is 3lbs 4.32 ounces. I am sure I had a shot at it, oh well. If it had been something like Rick Lauman's 6 lb speck or his new 14 lb 12 oz tripletail, I might have been more interested.
Tight loops,
Glen

What's your QI?

2009-08-17T08:51:00.025-05:00

My QI is low, at least this weekend it was. I know for a lot of you this just confirms your suspicions, but I believe fly fishers in general are often afflicted with a low QI. Let me explain. This past Saturday I made a trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for some flats and marsh fishing. I have a Quality Index for the area and though some conditions looked good, some didn't, primarily the weather. Fishing buddy Albert Wood gave me a report of the weather Friday night and the mild conditions he reported were tempting even though I knew the forecast was for thunderstorms and winds that could blow your hat off. Friday afternoon I had pinged the gauges and noticed that the barometric pressure had started falling and when I checked the hurricane center website they had a circle around a low pressure cell just East of the Florida Big Bend area. Another factor was the very high tide at 6:30, which meant a lot of water in the marsh. But it's not often that I have an opportunity to have my kayak towed in and out by a fishing buddy, plus, what good is an index if it's not tested with negative input? I decided to go for it. I decided to make it a "suicide run" to mitigate the consequences and after a 3.5 hour drive, met Albert and his brother-in-law at a service station near the boat ramp. A light rain had fallen and after we put the boats in and headed down the bayou a rainbow framed our fishing area ahead of us. The rainbow promise looked, well, promising. A photo of the rainbow would be nice here, of course, I had no camera. Yeah I know, I have to work on that camera thing. As we reached the Sound and turned towards our fishing area, we noticed some fish activity on the surface. Albert dropped the tow line on my kayak and we began casting to the splashes. I had made only a couple of casts when the flyline shot through my fingers and flyreel spun. I thought I had a monster, the fish was running fast, one way then the other and even under the kayak. No prop, no problem. The fish was fighting in a way I was unfamiliar with and stayed under the water, so I was surprised when it turned out to be a really large ladyfish. This fish was not the usual round, narrow fish, but thick and angular, with a belly on it. I caught some good ladyfish at Shell Point this summer, but this one had them all beat. Albert said I should have kept it for a possible DMR Saltwater Fly Fishing record, but I just hate to kill a fish I'm not going to eat. Again, sorry, no pic. After the ladyfish, only a few croakers took the pink "Flats Lady" before we decided to move on. The wind picked up and it became difficult to do anything with the kayak so I just found a point slightly protected from the wind and started blindcasting. I hooked a nice sandy colored flounder, but lost it trying to get it in the kayak, par for me, I just never think to take a net. A thunderstom looked like it was rolling in and I took shelter on the bank, luckily it was all moving East and stayed South of our fishing area. The tide was high and pretty clear, but I couldn't find the grass beds that were there last year. A result of shrimping?? I hope not, but I sure couldn't find the grass beds that were there only a year ago. I did manage a decent speck but the wind was really starting to howl so I went back to my protected point. I saw some nervous water and hooked a fish but lost it. I still had the "Flats Lady" on which is tied with the hook down and I was hanging on the bottom so I decided to strip it faster. On one of these fast strips a wake appeared with a redfish in it which took the fly and headed South. Some fish just fight harder than others and this one gave me a real time, running behind me, around the kayak, under the kayak, giving my 6wt a real challenge. That redfish and the ladyfish made the trip for me, it didn't take much, I was there to have fun. We called it a day at about 1:30. Albert and his fishing partner had one redfish, three flounder and had put back some small specks. It was a fun ride back to the ramp, being towed in the high chop made for an interesting ride, at some point the kayak wanted to ski and out run the tow boat, another time it wanted to swamp, although I suspect some skuldugery on the part of my tow operator. I was riding by leaning back in the "yak" with my feet over the side and my hands behind my head. The scene produced some funny looks from other fishermen, but then fly fishing saltwater in a kayak several miles out in the Sound, miles from a boat ramp always gets some looks, and comments. Sound travels well over water, for some reason it's usually lure names you hear like "Mirrorlure" or "Rapala", but I often hear the words "fly fishing" and "kayak" clearly from nearby boats. I know they're talking about me, I just don't know if it's good or bad. I think it must be good because I think I heard one mention "low QI" or was it "low IQ?". Oh well, I just try to imagine they are admiring the tight loops in my cast. Back at the ramp as I was loading up, another fisherman was putting his boat in. He was not a fly fisherman, easy to figure out because his boat was covered up with spinning rods and Cajun popping corks. As he came back from parking his truck he stopped to talk. Of course he wanted to know how we did and I told him, not so good. And that's when he said "too bad, you couldn't ask for any better conditions". I stood there scratching my head as he went on his way. What did he mean when he said, "couldn't ask for better conditions!" I guess I should have asked him to explain but he appeared to be in a hurry to get out there. I guess he has his own index, a "reciprocal index". Maybe it's a live bait version. (Don't you just hate it when somebody has a higher QI than you?). Of course everybody is not so analytical about "when to go fishing". I know that in deep water, fish get pretty active in bad weather or low pressure, but I don't think that's what happens in shallow water. I know I don't have a metric in my index for low pressure, but I do know that low pressure can put on a bite. It's just that low pressure typically means stormy or at least windy weather which contradicts the other indicators. In "our estuary", fly fishing and sight casting are not beneficiaries of windy weather, in other words, high winds, south winds, muddy water etc. My “Quality Index” for this area is tailored for fly fishing, sight casting specifically, and is a scale of 1-10 and the formula goes like this:

Quality Index=HT+TR+WD+WS+S+DO+PR+ETD
High Tide 2-3AM,HT=1,3-4,HT=2, 5-6, HT=1 else 0
Tidal Range, <1 tr="0,1-2" tr="2,">2 TR=1 else 0
Wind Direction WD=NE,N,NW=1 else 0
Wind Speed 0-10mph WS=1 else -1
Salinity 22-27, S=1 if >27 S=2 else 0
Dissolved Oxygen 6-9, DO=1 else 0
Pascagoula River <10ft, pr="1
ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) >6hrs,=-2 else 0

If the computed index is 7 or greater then GO FISHING!
The values for the parameters for this particular area can be obtained by pinging government real-time gauges in the marsh via the Internet. Saturday's index looked like this on Friday afternoon: 1+1+0+(-1)+1+0+1+0 which adds up to 3. Rodn'Reel has an index and it's value was a 6, but then of course it is a Solunar or Maori derived index and can't account for weather or location. On a scale of one to ten, a three means stay home and do chores, but the offer of a free tow into the marsh and the opportunity to fish with a friend made me roll the dice on it. I'm glad I did because I caught those two good fish and just the fun of "being out there" is enough. Of course, there is at least one fisherman, but not a fly fisherman, whose index must have been a ten, that's the only way I can interpret "conditions couldn't be any better". Do you have a quality index or an intuitive "gut index" that you use for fishing? I would like to hear from you either way.
Tight loops,
Glen

The Flats Lady

2009-08-07T11:40:00.008-05:00

It's just fun, tying flys then casting them and catching fish with, what amounts to, your own imagination. One fly leads to another in most cases. A friend of mine, Jim Guest, gave me a pink and white fly and said it was good for Spanish and it proved true. I like Marabou and think fish tend to focus on eyes so I made some changes to his design. After I showed it to Jim he suggested tying it Tarpon-fly style to get that Ballyhoo look. Of course it also looks like a squid and/or any baitfish really. I took it to Florida and it just so happened that I did really well with the fly, who knows, another fly may have done just as well, but when I went back to Florida, I just had to use that same fly and it did well again. My friend Jim labeled it the "Flats Lady" and here I go, talking to people about the "Flats Lady" and of course, "it ain't over til the Flats Lady sings". Sorry Yogi. I know it's not the "be all, end all" of flys for saltwater, but it's the fly fishing experience I am talking about. It happens all the time, the same story, someone ties a fly and has success, they pass it on and then others use it and then someone else does the same thing and the pattern repeats itself. It's just fun and I think so many people just don't get it when they see me or someone else "flailing away with that long rod" as I have heard it described. There is a lot to be said for the experience and it's not without other benefits too. I know what flys I like and can make them for pennies for my outdoor adventures. And they work too, see the result of a morning on the Shell Point flats with the "Flats Lady" below:
Tight loops,
Glen

Dry Fly Sheepshead, Dragon Redfish

2009-07-27T14:46:00.014-05:00

GI Weekend was a blast. The food and comaraderie were terrific as usual, but the fishing turned out to be only OK, not great, but we did manage some fish. Albert Wood, among other fish, caught a 24 lb Black Drum on a spoon fly and Cliff Daniel caught his first redfish on fly. I managed two nice reds, a big sheepshead, a flounder and a bunch of undersized specks with a few +14" ones. Two fish were especially memorable, but it was the sheepshead that took me most by surprise. It was raining lightly and right after getting the kayak in the water I encountered a redfish tailing around a crab trap. I made a cast and the fish took the fly and ran behind the trap's float tangling my leader in the rope. After a short struggle the redfish was gone and all I had was the rope. This forced me to tie on a brand new fly and move on down the bank. I had not gone far before I saw a moving tail up against the grass. I eased the kayak forward to within about twenty feet of the fish. The water was clear enough to look down and see that it was a nice sheepshead. The fish was within inches of the bank and my cast needed to drop the fly right in front of the fish's face. The pink and white marabou clouser looked like it was right on target but the cast was a little long and hit a stalk of grass. The leader hung up, dangling the fly two or three inches above the feeding sheepshead, still dry as a bone because the fly hadn't even made it into the water yet. I was just thinking about trying to gently pull the fly off the grass to drop it into the water when the tail suddenly disappeared, replaced by the light green face of the sheepshead. The fish was looking at the fly. The face grew larger as he came up and then the fish slowly rose out of the water and put it's mouth around the fly. I yanked the line and the hook was set. That was the coolest take I have ever seen and I don't think I will ever forget it. The next day I had another fish take that was the exact opposite. I eased my kayak into a small duck pond and as I poled it forward I suddenly noticed a large number of sheepshead in a thick mat of grass. On the far side of the grass was an area next to the bank clear of grass and a nice redfish was laying in it, but I was now way too close and the fish spooked and tore out of the pond. I worked on the feeding sheepshead, making numerous casts but the grass was thick and their heads were down in it and I couldn't catch anything but grass. I moved on to another pond and then another, but without seeing any fish. I figured I would ease back into the pond where I had spooked the red and see if he might have returned. Coming into the back of the pond I was directly behind a strip of grass about five feet wide. Suddenly I heard the water splash on the other side of the grass and I figured it was my spooky redfish blowing up on baitfish. Of course I couldn't see anything for the tall grass and casting was out of the question. I hate to tell this on myself, but the only thing I could think of was to hold my flyrod over the grass and present the fly, which I couldn't even see, by dragging it back and forth over the water. The trick worked, the fish blew up on the fly, the rod bent and flyline flew through my hands. I had to exit the kayak and wade through the strip of grass to beach him. It reminded me of something my friend Jim Guest showed me. Jim is well known for his one liners. When we were demonstrating knot tying skills one day he tied a Bowline knot in a very unique way and then he said "Have you ever seen a Dragon Bowline"? Well of course I said "no" and he threw the rope over his shoulder and walked off, draggin' the bowline behind him.
Tight loops,
Glen

Red Hot Reds

2009-07-07T10:00:00.013-05:00

Fishing buddy Albert Wood called me the first weekend in June to do a one day trip to Grand Isle. This down and back in one day trip is sometimes necessary when our busy lives spare us little time for one of our favorite past times, fly fishing the marsh for reds and specks. Both of us wanting to drive 4.5 hours to Grand Isle, LA from Jackson, MS in the wee hours of the morning, fish all day and drive that same 4.5 hours back meant we were in bad need of a fishing fix. So when Albert picked me up that morning at 3 A.M., we were both highly caffeinated but highly motivated individuals. The drive went quickly and we were on the water not long after daylight. We were hoping to get in on the speckled trout bite which has been very good this summer and we immediately headed to our speck holes in the tidal cuts. This was my first time to GI since Gustav and several other hurricanes last summer and we were shocked to see how things had changed. The tidal cuts looked completely different and the large saltwater pond nearby was very shallow. On the way to the tidal cuts Albert spotted a pod of redfish which quickly disappeared but it was enough to get us excited. Arriving at the beach we began drifting clousers in the tidal cuts, which only produced a small rat red and a sand trout. The surf was quiet too. I couldn't help but think about the redfish that Albert had spotted coming in. I got back in my kayak and pushed and scraped the kayak in the shallow water over to the deepest water with current which was only about two feet deep. I was blindcasting and stripping a clouser through the current and kept noticing what I thought was mullet working in the shallow flat. The morning was still new and with the suns rays at a low angle I couldn't see into the water yet. I didn't suspect any redfish were on the flat because it was all very quiet mullet type activity. I noticed the tip of a tail come out of the water and it looked blunt like a redfish's tail. I watched the fish until it got within casting distance and I picked up the fly and dropped it in front of him. My suspicions were confirmed when the redfish blew up on it and screamed out onto the flat. I applied a lot of pressure and got the fish off the flat and into the deeper water to keep it from disturbing other fish. I watched as another fish quietly worked toward me and when it got close enough I dropped the clouser in front of him and another redfish was on. Although I could see nervous water from other fish working the flat I decided it was a better strategy to just let them come to me instead of taking a chance on disturbing them. The strategy worked well and when Albert found me I was fighting fish number five. The sun was now coming up and the fish had almost disappeared from the flat. We decided to just dead boat out onto the flat in the hope we could spot more fish. As the sun came up the heat came up. The weatherman had predicted it to be one of the hottest days of the summer and at 10:00 it already felt like it. I was sucking down the Gatorade, wishing I had brought more. As we slowly drifted I spotted a redfish in the water and when the fly landed it almost tumbled down his face, his gills flared and I stripped it hard to set the hook. I love to see the fish and watch the gills flare on the take. It takes a little training to learn to watch the fish's gills after the cast instead of your line but it's the correct thing to do because you won't miss the take, and it's more fun (thank you Rick Lauman for teaching me that trick). We decided to anchor where we saw this fish because there was deeper water nearby. We thought the fish might come and go out of the deeper water. We picked up several fish and then the bite slowed. We moved the boats and when we saw mud clouds we realized we were disturbing fish so we anchored and Albert picked up a 26 inch fish on a blind cast. I noticed a mud cloud in front of me, cast to it and picked up another red. The heat was tough on us but we had both come prepared with plenty of ice and fluids. I managed eleven reds all several inches longer than the 18 inch ruler on my boat. My fly was a clouser tied with chartreuse and purple marabou. I only used that one fly and by the end of the day it was chewed up but fish were still taking it. Marabou is actually much tougher than people realize and I love the action. Not one fish rejected the marabou clouser the entire day. GI Weekend is coming up the middle of July and it will still be hotter than blue blazes but with any luck, so will the redfish bite.
Tight loops,
Glen

Fish Story (Fly Fishing Story obviously)

2009-06-28T10:18:00.021-05:00

I got a call Friday, June 26, from friend and club member Roger Pearson who told me he had a fish story I needed to hear. Roger had just gotten back from the Gulf Coast on a business trip with his wife. Taking advantage of a little free time he took his 7/8 wt to the beach to the remnants of the Broadwater Marina. He said he was targeting flounder and was having some success including an 18.5" sheepshead. Most of his luck was coming from one particular area that seemed to be a dropoff. Suddenly his line shot out and he realized he had a really big fish. He did not have his primary gear thinking that he didn't want to get saltwater in his good reels and he didn't want to risk cuts and abrasions on his good flylines. Now as the flyline screamed off the cheap plastic reel he couldn't even remember if he had backing because he had used it in Colorado for trout where he often didn't bother with backing. He was very glad to see backing come off the reel as about 30 yards of it shot out before the fish slowed. Roger is not a newcomer to fly fishing and he began putting a lot of pressure on the fish, in the right way and soon realized that he was actually going to get the fish in, but he didn't have a net. Roger's wife, Ineke went down the beach trying to find someone with a landing net, but was having no success until she ran into a man that told her he didn't have a net but he had "a hook". Ineke, not understanding that "hook" meant "gaff" told him "no, no, he's already got him hooked, he needs a net!" Combined with the fact that she was excited, Ineke is Dutch and her accent doesn't sound quite like the rest of us here in Mississppi, well I would have loved to been there to hear the exchange. The confusion over the gaff was soon resolved and the man returned with the "hook" to where Roger was still fighting the fish. The species of the fish was still not apparent as the fish had not shown itself. Apparently the action was all taking place on a seawall or piece of concrete of some kind and when the fish was gaffed another man assisted and when they tried to haul the fish in, the fish's weight was almost too much for them and again Ineke saved the day by grabbing onto them to keep them from going over. Finally the fish was hauled in and it was an enormous Black Drum. No one had scales to weigh the fish but the fisherman that owned the gaff offered that he had caught and weighed a 50lb drum before and said "but that one's bigger!". Now it would be great to have a photograph and one was taken with a cell phone and another one with a small film camera. I am doing my best to get a photograph and post it here.

I asked Roger at this point if he had thought about the DMR's fly fishing saltwater records and he said "no". Roger had mixed emotions when I punched up the DMR website and showed him where the current record is only41 lbs. The fish had already been turned into filets, some of which we cooked Saturday at our club's annual Catch n'Eat and it was delicious. Apparently the fish was very healthy, not having worms like many of the large black drums.

At this point I would like to say just a few things about Roger. He's one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, so it is hard to imagine him in his career as a Drill Sergeant in the military, now retired. Roger ties flys commercially and together he and his wife have a business, Pearson Ceramics. Ineke makes beautiful ceramic pottery and Roger ties flys. Roger is the only fly tyer I know of that is a member of the Mississppi Craftsman Guild, which is an accomplishment in itself. Yesterday at the Catchn'Eat, Roger showed me his fly boxes. Containing flys all tied by Roger, the boxes were stuffed with beautiful flys for all inshore saltwater species, as well as bass, crappie and bream:

The saltwater box, below, is my favorite:

This is just one of four boxes that Roger carries with him. This box is loaded with tarpon flys, coyotes, clousers, bendbacks, poppers, shrimp and crab imitations, you name it.

but there were four boxes...

scroll down...

Yet another fly box with more saltwater flys, including spoons...

...and another box for crappie and bream. With the box below, you could fish at Calling Panther for at least a week before you lost them all:

Roger helps out with local club events and is seen here helping an up and coming fly fishing prodigy get started tying:

Thank you Roger, for your fish story and for all you do for fly fishing here in the state of Mississippi.

Tight loops,

Glen

Two new MS saltwater fly records

2009-06-19T15:49:00.017-05:00

According to a recent press release the Dept of Marine Resources has certified four new MS saltwater records, two of them are fly fishing records.

On June 2, Doug Borries of Ocean Springs broke the state saltwater flyfishing record for red snapper with a fish weighing 12 pounds, 2.9 ounces.

On May 11, Rick Lauman of Ocean Springs broke the state saltwater flyfishing record for spotted seatrout (speckled trout) with a fish weighing 6 pounds, 0.8 ounces.

Rick Lauman is a well known Mississippi Gulf Coast fly fishing guide and already has numerous inshore saltwater records in Mississippi. This latest record is a highly coveted one, the spotted seatrout, better known as "speckled trout". Rick has been featured in this blog and is an excellent guide, as his many MS state records bears out. For more info on Rick go to my 2008 article about Rick

Click here for the DMR press release.

Tight loops,
Glen

Zane Grey and Byme-by Tarpon

2009-06-19T09:52:00.020-05:00

I long for outdoor articles written in the style of Earnest Hemingway and Zane Grey. EH and ZG were serious talent in the literary arena and the magazines were lucky to have such talented contributors. Their stories make me want to go on an adventure, I guess that’s where the term “Hemingway wannabe” came from, and I guess to a degree, I am one. But the days of adventure stories are pretty much gone, the outdoor magazines for the most part have dropped that type of writing in favor of the "how-to articles",which their marketing research tells them is preferred by their readers. That explanation covers nicely the fact that " how-to" articles lend themselves to advertising. As a sportsman I do enjoy and expect the "how-to" articles but most of them read the same and I often can't force myself to read them in entirety. I find myself looking for the good stuff, thumbing through the index for names like William G. Tapply, who currently writes for American Angler. I need stories to escape into, adventures that I long to experience but can't for lack of time and money. Some might call it mid-life crisis I guess, but not really, I’ve been enjoying outdoor stories since I was old enough to read. Actually before I could read I was looking at the pictures in the magazines that my mentor, Mr. Pulley gave me. Some of Zane Grey's articles are disappointing on a sporting level, but I understand that it was a different time with different norms. For example, in "The Whale Killers" a whale shark is harpooned for sport but it doesn’t sound sporting to me, killing a harmless whale shark for no reason other than because you can will never be sporting in my opinion. In "Tonto Basin" while shooting at turkeys with a rifle ZG says "For that matter all grown gobblers are as wise as old bucks, except in the spring mating season, when it is a crime to hunt them". Times change, based on the contents of the turkey story apparently ZG thought roost shooting them was more sportsman-like than calling them up in the Spring time. But those two ZG stories are the exception. I don’t care for Westerns and could not even finish “Riders of the Purple Sage”, but when ZG wrote about his sporting adventures; his literary talents were not left out. One of my favorite stories by ZG is "Byme-by” Tarpon" Field & Stream, 1907. It is a story about fishing for tarpon in Tampico, Mexico with an Indian guide, Attalano who apparently speaks little English. All we hear the guide say is "Byme-by Tarpon". ZG does not explain “byme-by”, of course this was 1907, and I understand that "byme-by" is a compound adverb for “soon” or “near”, and both meanings make sense in the story. For example, Attalano first uses the phrase as they troll through rolling tarpon:

When the first long, low swell of the changing tide rolled in, a stronger breeze raised little dimpling waves and chased along the water in dark, quick- moving frowns. All at once the tarpon began to show, to splash, to play, to roll. It was as though they had been awakened by the stir and murmur of the miniature breakers. Broad bars of silver flashed in the sunlight, green backs cleft the little billows, wide tails slapped lazily on the water. Every yard of river seemed to hold a rolling fish. This sport increased until the long stretch of water, which had been as calm as St. Regis Lake at twilight, resembled the quick current of a Canadian stream. It was a fascinating, wonderful sight. But it was also peculiarly exasperating, because when the fish roll in this sportive, lazy way they will not bite. For an hour I trolled through this whirlpool of flying spray and twisting tarpon, with many a salty drop on my face, hearing all around me the whipping crash of breaking water. "Byme-by-tarpon," presently remarked Attalano, favoring me with the first specimen of his English

Then as ZG and his guide take lunch near a sunken log, the tarpon find them, making Attalano drop his sandwich and ZG forget he had a rod:

Near by stood a tall crane watching us solemnly, and above in the tree- top a parrot vociferously proclaimed his knowledge of our presence. I was wondering if he objected to our invasion, at the same time taking a most welcome bite for lunch, when directly in front of me the water flew up as if propelled by some submarine power. Framed in a shower of spray I saw an immense tarpon, with mouth agape and fins stiff, close in pursuit of frantically leaping little fish.

The fact that Attalano dropped his sandwich attested to the large size and close proximity of the tarpon. He uttered a grunt of satisfaction and pushed out the boat. A school of feeding tarpon closed the mouth of the lagoon. Thousands of mullet had been cut off from their river haunts and were now leaping, flying, darting in wild haste to elude the great white monsters. In the foamy swirls I saw streaks of blood.

"Byme-by-tarpon!" called Attalano, warningly.

Shrewd guide! I had forgotten that I held a rod.

ZG’s descriptions of his fight with the tarpon are so vivid, they pull me into the story:

Five times he sprang toward the blue sky, and as many he plunged down with a thunderous crash. The reel screamed. The line sang. The rod, which I had thought stiff as a tree, bent like a willow wand. The silver king came up far astern and sheered to the right in a long, wide curve, leaving behind a white wake. Then he sounded, while I watched the line with troubled eyes. But not long did he sulk. He began a series of magnificent tactics new in my experience. He stood on his tail, then on his head; he sailed like a bird; he shook himself so violently as to make a convulsive, shuffling sound; he dove, to come up covered with mud, marring his bright sides; he closed his huge gills with a slap and, most remarkable of all, he rose in the shape of a crescent, to straighten out with such marvelous power that he seemed to actually crack like a whip.

When I read ZG’s words above, my mouth gets dry. But in the end ZG loses the tarpon just as Attalano reaches for the leader . ZG’s literary skills come into play as he asks a haunting question:

One moment he lay there, glowing like mother-of-pearl, a rare fish, fresh from the sea. Then, as Attalano warily reached for the leader, he gave a gasp, a flop that deluged us with muddy water, and a lunge that spelled freedom.

I watched him swim slowly away with my bright leader dragging beside him. Is it not the loss of things which makes life bitter? What we have gained is ours; what is lost is gone, whether fish, or use, or love, or name, or fame.

I tried to put on a cheerful aspect for my guide. But it was too soon. Attalano, wise old fellow, understood my case. A smile, warm and living, flashed across his dark face as he spoke:

" Byme-by-tarpon."

Which defined his optimism and revived the failing spark within my breast. It was, too, in the nature of a prophecy.

It is in the words above that the use of the phrase “Byme-by Tarpon” is the clearest. It is a prophecy, there are more tarpon nearby. It is still a prophecy, there are tarpon nearby. It’s June and the silver kings are moving into the panhandle of Florida. Yes, Attalano , byme-by tarpon indeed.

Tight loops,

Glen

What weight rod for inshore saltwater?

2009-06-12T10:38:00.023-05:00

I often hear this question being asked as people make their first forays into saltwater fly fishing, "What weight flyrod do I need?" Like a lot of things there is no one answer, it depends, but I think the tendency is to assume that large weight rods are necessary. I read quite a bit and I think the recommendations I have read in the articles are misleading, at least for the MS/LA Gulf Coast. Obviously offshore fly fishing, which is a specialty all it's own, may require some heavy rods, but inshore fly fishing generally means water(and fish) that can be accessed in a kayak or bay boat. Of course if you go after tarpon, that's a whole new ballgame, not for beginners, but on the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf coasts you won't be seeing those in kayak water (let me know if you do). In Florida recently while fishing a grass flat in a kayak, I caught two large redfish, a 32 inch which was probably 17 pounds, and also a 30 inch fish. Those two are probably the largest redfish I have caught and I caught them both on a TFO Signature Series 6 wt. I could'nt manhandle the fish but I landed them quickly enough without sharks attacking them and they were both lively when released. The 30 inch redfish never even got on the reel. Those fish were the largest caught, most of the fish were 2 to 4 pound Spanish, specks, bluefish and ladyfish, all hard fighting and fun on my 6 wt. There are two primary reasons for choosing a particular weight rod:

the size of the fly
and the size of the fish

Some would say a third reason would be the wind, and it is a factor but it can be overcome by the choice of fly and one's casting skills. Another reason is, in my case, the fun factor. To me it's just a lot more fun casting and catching fish on a six to 8 weight rather than the larger rods. Tying or stocking up on flys that are appropriate for the rod you are using is half the battle. The largest hooks I use are number 2 Mustad's with 1/50th ounce lead eyes or epoxy heads and I know they cast well on my six weight. Casting 9wts or greater is more tiring and typically requires a change in the casting stroke, less arm and more shoulder. My point is, Gulf coast inshore fly fishing does not require a heavy rod. If one wants to try our Gulf Coast fly fishing and the only rods available are between 5 and 8, if they choose flys that cast well, they can go fishing. If I were forced to make a suggestion, a good all-around rod for inshore is an 8 wt.
Tight loops,
Glen

GI Weekend Coming Up

2009-06-11T15:47:00.014-05:00

Mid-July is when MS and LA fly fishing clubs converge on what is known as "GI Weekend". An event sponsored by the Red Stick club out of Baton Rouge and other Louisiana clubs, members of the Mississippi clubs are graciously (and thankfully) invited to attend. The local Magnolia Fly Fishers here in Jackson have been attending for many years and this year will be no exception. Yes, there are always conclaves and fly fishing shows to go to, but I don't know of an event for saltwater where you are invited to fish and to share the knowledge of saltwater fly fishers that are for our area, the "aficionados" of the sport. Second to the fishing is a favorite of mine, eating. The Red Stickers put on a fine feast Friday night and Saturday night for these clubs. Friday, with good planning, one drives down in time to drop a kayak into the marsh or wade into the surf and then, after a hard day of fishing, and a shower, strolls on over to the beach, donates fish for the Saturday night meal and then enjoys a great meal of shrimp while discussing the day's fishing with other fly fishers. I always pick up tips for the following day's fishing and everyone is more than willing to share what they learned. (You might even become privy to the secret speck spot where the black helicopters fly.) On Friday night, shrimp is the main course, accompanied by corn on the cobb, french fries and more. Saturday night the main course is fish, hopefully all caught on fly (much sweeter tasting) and donated to the cause by successful anglers. Apple cobbler is the special Saturday night dessert. If you have never fly fished the salt before and want to learn how, why not learn from the folks that fly fish our coastal waters more than anyone else? My first GI Weekend, which was the inaugural trip for our local club, turned me on to saltwater fishing and greatly expanded my sport. I am an old salt now and and I prefer inshore saltwater fly fishing over all kinds of fly fishing, scroll down for re-caps to my recent fishing adventures at Shell Point, Florida. Before Grand Isle I thought all saltwater fishing was with big expensive boats or guided trips on fancy flats boats with towers and casting decks. I learned at GI Weekend that a fly fisher with a small budget can very nearly duplicate the expensive flats fly fishing (although if anyone wants to send me on a paid flats fishing trip to the Seychelles for Great Trevally I would gladly accept, wouldn't the CL or some outdoor mag get a great article out of that now, hint, hint). Anyway, you would need to be a member of a MS or LA club to make this trip. The Magnolia Fly Fishers meet Tuesday night at the Bass Pro, 6:30.
Tight loops,
Glen

Days 2,3, 4 Shell Point Florida

2009-06-06T16:26:00.015-05:00

Days 2 and 3 were blown out, rain and wind blanketing the state. We tried on Friday but the rain ran us off. Something interesting happened though, while we were putting the kayaks in off the beach, John spotted a great big alligator cruising by, in the swimming area. Friday night there was a red sky and the breezes were calm so Saturday we hit the beach early in anticipation of a decent day. We hit it just right, the winds were still calm and, though the fish were not blowing up like day 1, there was a bite and we started catching specks, nice 17"+ fish. I was fishing a pink tarpon fly with doll eyes that had caught the majority of fish on the first day, including the 32 inch red fish. The water was 3 to 4 feet deep and there wasn't any sight casting, no birds, pretty much just casting to nervous water and swirls. I made a blind cast to no place in particular and when I stripped it the line went tight like a tent rope and I knew I had a good fish. The fish felt like the first day's redfish and when he swirled I saw a tail with a spot the size of a baseball. After a glorius fight, he never got on the reel, I got him to the kayak. I measured him as best I could against my rod and it was approximatley 30 inches. Not quite as big as the first day's fish, but a heckuva flyrod fish. Again, no camera, with all the rain I didn't want to risk my Olympus. We continued to catch fish, some lady, some Spanish, some blue but mostly specks. I was putting my fish in a goodie bag, a leftover from my scuba diving days. I got excited with the bite and tied it back to the kayak with an overhand knot. I caught a big 18+ speck and went for the bag and it was gone, with all my fish. I shed some tears and created a stringer from a loose rope and strung up the speck. A few minutes later I noticed my stringer moving and realized a shark about two feet long was eating my fish. There wasn't much I could do but chase him away, but soon after I found a three foot shark working on my big trout. I continued to catch fish but finally the bite subsided and I noticed John's kayak hadn't moved from where he was fishing. I figured there had to be a reason so I caught up with him. He was in fact catching fish and had some real nice ones. My first cast in the new location produced a nice trout. Since the trout were biting I took off the bite tippet and put on a green and white marabou clouser with a small popping cork and right away started getting more bites. I was happily catching fish when I got a take that was different, a sounding fish, I suspected a catfish. Unfortunately I was right. I hate hardhead catfish, I have been finned badly by them and I really wanted to just cut him off but I wanted my fly back. I had hemostats but I was struggling to get the hook and finally had to reach with my right hand and pull the hook out. But before I could let go he flipped and his spine went into my hand between my knuckles and blood started spewing out. I grabbed my hand and put pressure on the wound but blood was everywhere, on the paddle, the boat, in the water, my legs, my feet. I am bad about getting sick from trauma pain and I felt myself sweating and feeling queasy. I laid back in the boat as well as I could with my feet, which were in wading boots, dangling in the water. I pulled the hat over my eyes and kept reaching my left hand in the water to pour cool water over my face, occasionally dipping my wounded hand to wash the blood away. I was sick but I could hear what I thought were Spanish and trout busting the water around me and I bad wanted to get over the sick feeling and fish again, but I had to just let it run it's course. I laid there in the kayak for over thirty minutes, according to John who was talking to me occasionally from a distance to keep a check on me. Finally the queasiness went away, but my hand was swollen into what looked like a latex surgical glove blown into a balloon. I struggled into a sitting position and looked around and saw what the splashes I had been hearing were coming from: two sharks were just finishing off the big trout on my stringer. Yes, I had been laying there with my feet in the water and dipping my bloody hands in the water while sharks were eating my fish just a couple of feet away. Yeah. Anyway, I did the best I could to cast with my swelling hand and continued to catch fish and though it was painful I managed five more specks, two Spanish, and a couple of bluefish before the pain and swelling made me actually quit while they were still biting. It was the last day on John's rental and we needed to leave to get it back in time, but it sure is hard to leave fish when they're biting. When we got to the beach, the swimming area was now occupied and one lady asked me if we caught any. I told her that we did and started to say "but the sharks ate them all", but then thought that might not be a good idea. Of course I could have really sweetened it with our observation of the big gator that swam through the swimming area. Could have been fun, it was all true, but then it might have played out like the "bluefish" scene did for Roy Schieder as the Chief of police in "Jaws". After checking the kayak back in at the rental place, John went ahead and purchased a brand new Wilderness Systems, Tarpon 140 rigged with rod holders etc. Living right off the beach at Shell Point I think he is really going to enjoy it. I am waiting for a report from him today. Man I wish I could be back there with him. Go get'em John.
Tight loops,
Glen

Day 1, Shell Point Florida

2009-06-03T14:47:00.007-05:00

I am in Shell Point Florida, part of the Big Bend area of the Gulf below Tallahassee, and I am fishing with my brother-in-law John Murphy. Today John rented a kayak and we took my personal and his rental to the beach. A short drag across the beach and we were into the Gulf, about 40 yards. There is no real surf here, at least there was none today, which made it easy to paddle out. Less than a hundred yards from the beach we ran into fish and bait busting the surface. My first cast landed a ladyfish, more ladyfish followed and then something hit hard and bit through the tippet. I quickly threw on a fly with a bite tippet and cast it out and landed a 20 inch Spanish mackeral. Subsequent casts produced more Spanish and a nice speckled trout. The fifty pound bite tippet was bitten through twice! When the surface activity halted we observed birds further out and found more fish under them. I got a take that was felt like a five pound bream and it was a bluefish. We continued paddling to birds and catching fish. At one point I was bringing in a ladyfish and I saw a large fish chasing it and I thought it was a shark. The following cast the line went taut and started singing towards Mexico. The fish turned out to be a big redfish, at least 32 inches, sorry, forgot the camera. I caught several more bluefish, ladyfish and some smaller specks before the rain showed up. What a morning, we were only gone about two hours! Man I hope this rain goes away, I'm ready for more.
Tight loops,
Glen

MS River, Calling Panther, Bream Tea

2009-06-01T08:58:00.013-05:00

I went to the MS River this Saturday trying to be a white bass "scout" for my buddies. I was running and gunning with my kayak trying everything from the Bayou Pierre, (slow, no current) to the Port road lakes and the Grand Gulf Military Park. Turned out the only fish were the same largemouths hanging out in front of the Johnson grass along the bank next to the entrace to the river view where I had caught them Memorial Day. Caught 8 one lb "black" bass and did manage one white bass, about a pound. It will be important to watch the river as it falls, when the current picks up in the Bayou Pierre and, according to a friend, the eddys that will develop around rock dikes and such. I am no expert so I can't provide any details on the water levels etc., stay tuned.
Since the white bass weren't predictable I put the word out and elected to go to Calling Panther with Club Prez Robert Peet Sunday. Started out good with a decent chinquapin but then just small fish until we hit one spot, to remain secret. We eased into a favorite area and a big boil of water like a toilet flush startled us as a big bass erupted. Some bass fishermen nearby were interested and another boil happened but they couldn't produce the fish. We thought that might be a good sign, and sure enough one of my casts went heavy like a frightened brick was on the line and a big bull bluegill was the result. Subsequent casts to the same area produced fish and then suddenly the casts stopped producing. A slow, very slow, crawl of what I call the "GO2" fly produced a few more big bulls including one very nice fish. (see 4th article here, "The GOTO Bream Fly")
We passed the word on to another club member who made the afternoon trip and he also managed a dozen big bulls.
All morning Sunday, the lake had been calm with no wind which was a nice change. The water was tea colored and clear, we could watch our flys fall for about 30 inches. Later as we hit the road home, I snagged a bottle of tea from the cooler, (the same cooler with the fish in it), and I commented on the color being the same as the water where we had caught the bream. I shook the fish slime off, removed the bottle cap, and took a swig. The day had been a hot one and the cold tea tasted great, even with the slight flavor of bream slime. I said to Robert, "Ahhhh....bream tea!".
Tight loops,
Glen

Eagle Ridge Conference Center Lake

2009-05-28T09:09:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, the company I work for rented the auditorium and fed a group of customers at Eagle Ridge Conference Center, part of Hinds County Community College. I asked about fishing and they said that only guests of the facility could fish but since we were renting rooms and feeding people I was welcome to fish that day. I was busy until about 5:30 and that's when I stopped in the parking lot and pulled out my flyrod and started casting next to the "NO FISHING" sign, I wish I had a photo. There were thunderstorms nearby but the wind was quiet and the sky was overcast and I figured the low pressure couldn't hurt to turn on a bite. I started catching bluegills right away, all of them small, what my friend Albert calls, "whole fryers". Of course I was tossing them all back, it was just a lot of fun, but based on the numbers I caught, I probably should have been taking them out. I managed about a 1.5 lb largemouth near the boat ramp which was even more fun. It's a shame the fish were so small but I understand that the lake experienced a turnover a few years ago and I guess it is just out of balance. Back in April I had talked to someone with the Hinds County Aviation department about the lake, ERCC has at least one public fishing day, typically in April, and I happened to see their sign this year and went out to fish. This gentlman was accepting the $15 fee for the HCC Aviation Department. The fee is kinda pricey in my opinion, but the money goes to the aviation department, so it's for a good cause. On that day, it was windy with muddy water due to all the rain and I caught very few fish and didn't stay long. One of my discoveries on that day was that the grass near the bank was full of small crappie. I don't think they publish the public fishing day except to put out a vinyl sign on the highway, but I think, based on the large numbers of medium sized fish, the public fishing day sign could be worth watching for. The lake could use some management, I was told that every other weekend, HCC employees fish the lake and I was told about bass being caught... and taken out. Keeping the bass without any plan for managment is a shame, the lake desperately needs a good bass population to keep the bream in check. Allowing people to keep bass combined with the fact that there are large numbers of small crappie and numerous small bream , well I am no biologist, but it doesn't sound like a sound management program to me. But I sure did enjoy my late afternoon fishing trip, catching one "whole fryer" after another until dark. Thank you Eagle Ridge for my pleasant afternoon.
Tight loops,
Glen

White Bass are Running

2009-05-26T11:59:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I made a trip down to the deer camp to pick up an extra propane bottle for the grill. My wife Cassie rode with me and we made a short detour over to Port Gibson to "see where the flood waters were". My real intent was to find out if the white bass were running. I drove down toward the "Port" and when I reached the flat I saw numerous pickup trucks with trailers all lined up along the road, a good sign. I found two men fishing where the boaters were using a flooded road to put their boats in and asked if they had caught any white bass. They held up a stringer full of white bass and smiled. They were using white grub spinner baits. It was mid-day, early is better for any of the striped species, but I pulled out my flyrod and I found a little place to cast nearby. I caught a largemouth or "black" bass and hooked a good white bass but lost it. The boats started returning so I had to find a new spot. I drove down to the Grand Gulf Military Park and the flood waters were right up to the gate. I parked in front of the gate and waded out on the flooded pavement. I was drifting clousers over the pavement, thinking the white bass might be laying over it like they do over boat ramps and gravel beds. After numerous drifts without a take I decided to cast in front of the edge of a flooded crop field. Right in front of the grass I started getting hits but the fish were small one pound largemouths. I couldn't believe I was catching so many laregmouth when I should have been catching white bass, but I had a blast catching them and eventually I snagged one good white bass before I had to leave. I was wishing the whole time that I could have known the white bass were running so that I could have brought my kayak to search for them. I am wishing right now that I could get out of work commitments while the river is cresting, but at the very least I can spread the word so somebody else can.
Tight loops,
Glen

White trout, why not manage the resource?

2009-04-28T17:07:00.017-05:00

Recently Bobby posted in his blog about a new state record white trout, click here for the story. When I saw this image of Chris Denton with a 6-pound, 9.6-ounce white trout which breaks a 32-year-old state record (6 pounds, 4 ounces), it made me think. Last year I went to the coast with a buddy and happened to run into two fishermen at the dock with two coolers slam full of white trout and they were all the size of large sardines. Of course I was thinking the whole time, don't these guys know that white trout have an enzyme that breaks the flesh down when frozen ? When it comes to white trout, you should only be keeping what you can eat fresh, because you don't want to pull out a package of two month old frozen white trout. You probably won't be happy if you do. Which brings me to my point, researching the DMR website , I can't find a size limit or bag limit on white trout. I am no biologist and I would certainly welcome some input from biologists regarding my question, which is: Couldn't that be the reason that you rarely catch a white trout of any size? For the longest time I thought they were just small fish, but now I am looking at a photo of a 6lb+ white trout. Wouldn't it make sense to manage the sizes and bag limits of white trout, especially since they don't freeze well anyway?
I'm just saying....
Tight loops,
Glen

The "Nepolitano"

2009-04-23T08:28:00.017-05:00

The Nepolitano is another "turkey" fly but unlike all the other flys that require matching of slips from the left and right feather, this is a "left wing only" fly. The hair wing must consist of both white and black hair tied "Cruella de Vil" style. Most any varmint hair will do, but there is one that works better than others. The body is usually covered in red material, probably not a coincidence. Tie the head unusually large or "liberally". This fly will not catch anything, especially anything running across the border, but if you had to choose a place to use it, I would suggest man-"caused" reservoirs found in "overseas contingency" countries. I have no use for this fly as I happen to like feathers from the right wing, which I guess makes me a "right-wing" extremist .

Next week, the Garafalo", "materials needed, one roadkill coyote, some used Tea Bags, feathers from a hen "red neck" and some barbed but pointless hooks. You will need to wear rubber gloves when tying the Garafalo, you won't catch anything with it, but you wouldn't want to catch anything from it.
Tight loops,
Glen

The Ombudsman

2009-04-14T10:02:00.038-05:00

Continuing the "how you can use that turkey you just bagged to tie flys" theme I looked for patterns using turkey wing material. In a fly tying book I have had for years,"Fly Tyers Companion" by Mike Dawe's, I found the "Ombudsman". The book is from across the big pond, so don't ask why it is named the Ombudsman, a term which basically means "mediator". In this book a lot of the fly patterns have fun names, like the "Haul a Gwynt", that's Welsh for "Sun and Wind" which is supposed to give you some idea of when you are to use a particular little black wet fly pattern. If you have Welsh in your blood you might pick up on that. Although the patterns in the book are primarily for use in the lochs of Scotland it has some really great looking patterns. I figure a little ole Mississippi brimski won't know a Welsh bug from another. I am also assuming the turkey providing the material doesn't have to be from Scotland or based on the name, particularly good at mediating disputes. The "Ombudsman" is simple to tie, which is a good thing for a bream fly because you always need a lot of them. This fly has a bronze, peacock herl body with a turkey over wing. The hackle is just a soft grizzly or furnace hackle. Be sure to leave plenty of room at the end of the hook to tie an elongated head which the pattern calls for. Having the entire turkey comes in handy with this pattern because when making wings from turkey feather you need two identical feathers, one from the left side of the turkey and one from the right side. In the past I thought that you could tie the wings from one feather by clipping from one side of the vane and then the other. but the results are frustrating because you will never get them to be identical. To tie really good looking wings you need the identical feathers from opposite sides of the turkey and clip from the same area of the feather. Each feather is just a little different so it's best to count from the body to get the exact opposite feather.

You can see in the photo below, two identical feather clippings that are used to tie the overwing. In this case they actually fold partially over the back of the fly so they are fairly wide.

The book describes the "Ombudsman" as a pattern that imitates various aquatic insects, I hope not just the "Welsh" ones.

Tight loops,

Glen

Narcissistic Office Turkey

2009-04-13T13:38:00.006-05:00

Last year I was leaving my office late one evening and as I turned off the lights and started to set the alarms I heard a "gobble, gobble". I had seen turkeys around the office before, the office building was only about a two years old and it backs up to a big patch of woods. I had seen turkeys on the surveillance videos come to the back patio and appear to interact with their reflections in the patio window and door. I ran to get my camera and when I turned the corner into the break room the gobbler was standing in the patio in full strut. He appeared to be admiring his image in the windows. I suspected he couldn't see me for the glare and I sat down next to the window and took a ton of photos. I was almost out of memory when I remembered I had a video option in my camera and took this video. Since it is still turkey season and I seem to be doing a turkey theme tied to fly fishing, I thought it would be a good time to share it.

Tight loops, Glen