Georgia On My Mind

What's the Boy Scout Motto? "Be Prepared"

I agree with that especially when it comes to fishing.

I made a trip to Atlanta GA this week to make a presentation and to visit one of my employees. After we conducted our part of the meeting it was time to get out and visit some field locations. Georgia is a beautiful place in the springtime - the Dogwoods were blooming and the new leaves were a fresh green color. Everywhere you looked there was a refreshing sign of new life.

This was until one of the employees at a facility near Comer, GA started talking about his pond. "My grandfather built this pond in 1951", Rick said.

"My son caught a 13lb bass out of it last year".

All thoughts of Spring and newness dissappeared as that old feeling started to creep up on me.

You know - the sickness.

Rick then asked Wayne and I if we would like to go fish a while. Well it was quitting time and we didn't have to be back until later... and as luck would have it I did have my ultralight along.
(actually I had two rods and two reels and a box full of BGWs and small crankbaits)

OK OK I sort of planned this. I had mentioned to Wayne that I could bring the tools if he could find the place. I just wasn't figuring on a beautiful pond full of willing bass and the chance at taking a real lunker.

We did catch some nice fish and had a great time even if it was too short.

Wayne Struck First with the BGW.

Hey Joe - This is what a fisherman looks like.

Pretty Fish and Feisty too!

Future Lunker

Thanks Rick for a great time fishing in your pond!

Fish Finder

I had to do it. I've been off the reservation too long.

Today was partly cloudy and warm (in the 80's) and I was off work. I took yesterday off too to watch Matt in the Area One Act Play competition. Needville's play, "The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail" had advanced from District competition. The cast put on quite a show and the outcome was as good as you could hope for. The play was chosen to advance to Regional competition and Matt was awarded Best Actor out of the six plays.



I got to sleep in and catch up on some paperwork. After enjoying a nice lunch with T. I headed out to Lake Evans. It took me a while to find the fish but when I did I had some good action for a change. The wind was blowing 10-15mph and I tried the BGW(Big Green Worm) and the BWG (Big White Grub), a new addition to the tacklebox thanks to brother Paul.

I picked up one bass on the BWG.



Next I tried a Chug Bug and had some fun topwater action!



I ended up adding four bass to the study and also caught a nice crappie.

I broke off a couple on the BGW so I guess its time to change my line.

Four Bass:
Tag ID 24 - AKA "Waldo" W=1.1lb, L=14.0"

Tag ID 15 - AKA "Jimmy D" W=0.9lb, L=12.75"

Tag ID 13 - AKA "Henry" W=1.0lb, L=13.5"

Tag ID 17 - AKA "The Mama" W=1.5lb, L=14.75"

One Crappie:
Tag ID 14 - AKA "Opal" W=0.6, L=11.5"

Snake Creek Rainbows

Go with what you know.

That's a good rule of thumb - especially when you are talking about fishing.

I was out on Salt Lake City this week for another business meeting. This one was held at the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Here is the view out my window:


This location was a skiers dream and other activities were available for our 1/2 day of teambuilding including snowshoing, snowmobiling, and a day spa. I'm a team player but another activity has a greater appeal for me than any of these - guess what?

I took two companions - the "Two Joes" and headed out for the Heber Valley as soon as we could scarf down the box lunches provided at the lodge. I had volunteered to organize a guided experience for more people but since we had to be back for dinner there wasn't time to get several fishermen outfitted with gear, drive to the Provo, and get in any fishing time. There was time for the three of us to skeedadle to the Heber Valley and try a couple of spots. We went first to get Joe E. a fishing license at a fly shop near the Provo River outlet of the Jordanelle Reservoir dam.

Since we were so close to water we decided to give it a try. Joe R. had his flyrod and Joe E. & I had ultralight spinning rods with Roostertails. I also had an assortment of flies and streamers just in case they were needed.
We saw hoards of flyfishers along the river on the way to the fly shop and many were coming out as we walked in (not a good sign). We fished for about an hour with no luck other than losing some lures and decided to pack up and head to Snake Creek.

We tried the first hole and even though we got some strikes in the pool nobody hooked up. Joe headed downstream and began catching some small browns that were rising to an apparent midge hatch. He was using a #20 black gnat behind a #18 parachute with a nice white post for visibility.

I moved down too and picked up a nice 14" rainbow in the riffle below the pool.
I was using a 1/8oz glow-in-the-dark RT which was a pale yellow. I picked up a couple of these on my last trip out West and this was the first time I've had it in the water.
I found some of the small rising browns and tried to interest them in a spinner but they weren't taking. I knew where there were likely to be some rainbows and headed down below the RR tracks. As I suspected, there were some fish rising and I first tried the RT and then an olive sculpin streamer I had purchased in the fly shop but to no avail. I finally switched to fishing some dry flies behind a clear bubble and picked up this small brown on a #18 mosquito.


I had several fish rising near my flies and tried several combinations of blue winged olive, pale morning dun, griffiths gnat, and associated nymphs but couldn't get a good drift with the bubble. I was casting up and across and the current would grab the bubble and drag the flies along too fast. I was considering moving to the other side of the creek and fishing downstream to slow the drift but instead decided to change back the to spinners.

I tied on the 1/16oz white roostertail with the propeller spinner and cast it to the far bank. As the spinner came across the channel I hooked up on a nice 18" chunky rainbow.

Photos by Joe

It was a thrill to hook and land such a fine fish but it was even sweeter to do so as your buddy was walking up to tell you it was time to go. Also, there's nothing like having someone there to take the picture - Thanks Joe!

After getting the big "bow" back in the creek, I cast again just for good measure and caught another rainbow almost identical to the first one! What a great way to end the day.

Joe E. didn't get on any fish but I think he enjoyed being out on the water. Joe R. caught seven and I'll say I caught four. I won't count the long distance catch & release I practiced on a couple of small ones!

Fishing With Paul

Sunday afternoon.

Sunny and windy (I mean the weather).

Evans Lake

Pontoon Boats (not)

UltraLight & Cranky Baby

Largemouth Bass!

Nice Fish!

Photos by Paul

Weigh in

Measurement

Tagging

Ready to go

Stats
Tag ID 14 - AKA "Pierre" W=2.1lb, L=16.0"

I did let Paul try out my new 4wt shorty rod. I think he is hooked!

On The Wing

I love pictures.

We recently got a new camera and I gave it a try on some pigeons, seagulls, and shore birds in Palacios, TX.

I like wildlife and am an admitted bird watcher so when we saw these guys out on some jetties enjoying the morning sun, I thought they would make good subjects for some action shots.

Coming in for a Landing

Pier Glider

Wing Tips

Taking Off

Preening

Not quite ready for National Geographic but working on it!

Cranky Baby

I've been reading some articles lately about using a small crankbait for crappie.

I picked up some tiny cranks at Academy Sports & Outdoors not long ago.


After losing two more bass on the BGW, I decided to try the little crank.

Behold! The Power of the Press!

This white crappie really took the small bait and as shown here almost swallowed it. Fortunately, I was able to retreive it with my hemostats with no damage to the fish.

This green sunfish was also tempted to this little lure.
Check out the markings on his fins.

Not to be outdone, the bass had to get in in the action too.

This little guy is the smallest one yet.
This is the future lunker of the pond.
Tag ID 25 - AKA "Baby" W=.30lb, L=9.25"

Even this good sized slab thought it was worth a try.
Tag ID 09 - AKA "Homer" W=1.2lb, L=13.5"

It was windy and cloudy with high humidity and was warm enough for shorts. Not a bad way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon.

Hugo

One more for the study.

I tried the BGW in Evans Lake this evening and after losing the first two fish, I finally got a good hookup on this nice largemouth. I was casting a long way out using 4lb test mono and a light rod. It's hard to get a solid set with so much stretch in the system I'm using. I do like light tackle so I guess I'll have to be saisfied to lose one once in a while. Maybe I need to sharpen my hooks!

Tag ID 11 - AKA "Hugo" W=2.40lb, L=17.0"

Chilly Verde

All my talk about extreme fishing finally caught up with me.
Matt and I were scheduled to fish the Green River on Tuesday.

There was already plenty of snow as seen in this shot from the hotel window.



We had been exploring the mountains after arriving in Utah on Saturday and the weather was becoming a concern. It snowed every day and the temperature was, shall I say, low.

We drove up into the canyons and got to see some winter scenes up close and personal.


While driving up Big Cottonwood canyon, I got this shot of the BC Creek.
I may have to spend some quality time here after the snow melts.



We were up early and headed to Dutch John - a 3.5 hour drive from SLC. We saw some beautiful country in southern Wyoming and northern Utah and wildlife including pronghorn, mule deer, a golden eagle, and this herd of elk just a few miles from our launch point - the dam where the Flaming Gorge reservoir empties into the Green River.



Once again, Trout Bum 2 and our #1 guide Tom Knight did not disappoint. Tom and his dad were waiting for us at Trout Creek Flies.

The day was the coldest of my four winter trips to the Green River. It didn't snow on us but it was windy and raw. The temp was in the low 30's and it didn't warm up too much all day.

When we got out of the wind and while in the sun, it wasn't too bad but in the shade or in the wind it was brutal!

We did catch some fish - as Mr Knight would say, "The fish are here all winter. They don't go to Cabo (San Lucas) like some fishermen do."

We started the day off with some feisty rainbows like this beauty.

The phone is ringing and it is Mr. Brown on Line 2!


Here I am with a cold grin - We are smiling!


Fish on! Matt got the hang of the hookset and was quickly in the game.


Tom nicknamed Matt "Sir Sticks-a-Lot" since he was snagging his share.


Hey Mr. Hoover -
How about letting some go by so the guy in the back of the boat gets a chance!
Some of these fish were really nice and chunky.
This brown put up a great fight.


Here is Matt taking a break for lunch. Hey dude are your arms tired yet?



We fished midge larva, eggs, and freshwater shrimp patterns all morning.
Near the end of the day we went to the wooly buggers.

Hey fish - have you ever seen a minnow with a purple tail?



We had a great day even if it was cold. What could be better than spending the day on the river with an excellent guide catching some wild fish with your son?


Thanks Tom, TB2, and Matt for making this a very memorable trip.


I think I may try some warmer weather fishing next!

Obawana Fly

The Obawana Fly has four distinct life cycles. They are easily distinguished by most experienced anglers and a few hungry fish.

The Larval Stage (AKA Worm stage)

After hatching on the bottom of the stream or pond, this robust larva makes it's way through the ooze and muck of the bottom feeding on zooplankton or microscopic organism's resembling oatmeal or Mapo. This fly is tied on a swimming larva hook with dumbbell eyes and a tail of badger guard hairs. The body is tan Ultra chenille and the false wing is a black hackle from a Boat-tailed Grackle.

The Nymph Stage (AKA The I Can Do What I Want stage)

When the water reaches 65 degrees and the south wind blows at precisely 3 knots, the larva crawl under a rock and are mysteriously converted into the nymph. This pre-adult stage is free swimming and a bit unruly but somehow manages to keep it all together as it feeds along the bank. This fly is tied on a #10 streamer hook with a woodchuck hair tail, badger dubbed body, and an ostrich herl thorax. The legs are Hungarian partridge and the shellback is a mottled turkey feather slip.

The Adult Stage (AKA The Lean & Mean stage)

This first adult stage is sleek and fast moving. Fish have to be ready for this one as it molts from nymph to adult in less than 2 seconds on the surface and immediately heads to the bushes to seek a mate. This fly is known to travel from New England to Texas, California, and Washington state. It is tied in a #4 streamer hook with a silver pheasant feather tail, tinsel body wrapped over a badger underbody. The side wings are teal feathers and the crest is silver pheasant.

The Mature Adult Stage (AKA The Old Man of the Sea stage)

After finding a mate, settling down and raising a family, the Obawana Fly reaches the final stage of the life cycle. It grows into a formidable bite for any fish and while can be a bit grizzled around the edges, it retains it's appeal for fish and fisherman alike. This fly is tied on a #2 hook with a javelin hair tail, clipped deer hair body, furnace hackle wings and a ruby colored silver pheasant crest feather.

The Obawana fly is a necessity for any fly box. Keep a few of each around and you will always be prepared for any fishing situation.