Fly Rod Bluegill II

There is beauty everywhere if you care to see it.

Some may think spending an evening casting an imitation bug into a farm pond pretty dull, but to me it is a beautiful thing.

My catch was not as big or flashy as those caught by brother Paul, but they brought be just as much fun and excitement as if I had caught a trophy.

I was hoping for a bass or two, but when it was clear that they were not interested in what I was offering, I tied on a #16 Parachute Sulphur.



I had fun catching some small Bluegills. They would hit the fly as soon as it touched the surface of the pond and would immediately head towards the weedbeds below. I moved along the edge of the pond until I came to the concrete wall that defines a swimming area. This is a likely place to find bigger fish and sure enough, I caught this nice sized beauty on my second cast.




This little pond is full of aquatic life and spending a couple of hours during the end of the day allows me to unwind and to enjoy the simple beauty of God's creation.



"Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

Brandywine Creek

Pennsylvania is a beautiful place to spend an evening with good company and a fine stretch of water.

Joe and I were ready for a little R&R after interviewing several prospective cadidates for a position I have open and a 1.5 hr conference call with the EHS&T squad.

We tried Marsh Creek with no luck. I saw a small Muskie (there are reported to be 40 inch Tigers in the reservoir) and two bass but couldn't get them to take what I was offering.

We proceeded on to Brandywine creek and fished from the bank for trout. PA has an active stocking program and we observed a flyfisherman catching what seemed like an endless string of fish from one hole he had located.

He was nymphing with a "Green Weenie" and he told us later that if you couldn't catch them on that they couldn't be caught.

Joe was trying a variety of spinners and plugs and I went straight to the confidence bait - the white roostertail.

The Brandywine is a typical PA creek. Skinny water - clear and beautiful.

Here's Joe preparing to cast.


I picked up a pretty rainbow and missed several but had a great time doing it!


Nice fish!

I do have a fish story:

I caught a beautiful Brookie and was in the process of trying to take a picture when he began to squirm and wiggle. I was standing over the water and gently let him slide out of my hand into the creek but I forgot one important fact. I was using a double streamer rig on the UL - a small conehead bunny leach in front and a baby bugger trailing behind. The Brookie had taken the lead fly and as he slipped from my grasp, the trailing line and remaining fly followed across my outstretched palm. When the baby bugger reached my hand it was traveling at the same speed as the fish that was free-falling to the creek and it lodged itself in the skin of my left hand.

The sudden stopping of the line caused a shock and my line parted at the knot I had tied to the lead fly. My reaction to the hook imbedding itself in my hand was immediate and abrupt which dislodged the hook from my hand.

In a matter of a second or two, I realized that the fish was in the water with a fly in his lip and another trailing behind and the whole rig was free of my control. I watched as the beauty gave a flick of his tail and returned to deeper water leaving me down two flies and with no picture. Ahhhh the agony of defeat.

Upper Snake Creek

I think I may have found a new favorite fishing hole.

The other day while fishing on Snake Creek in the Heber Valley, I met the landowner (who will remain anonymous). We had a nice conversation about farming and fishing and I thanked him for allowing us “bug whippers” to use the creek that ran through his property. I explained that I was much more comfortable fishing small water with no people in sight than the big river full of other fishermen.

His reply was one that will warm the heart of any angler. “If you like this spot, I have another one that you will really like”, he told me with a straight face. He had confessed to me that he was an avid fisherman as a boy but hadn’t fished in years. The place he referred to was also on his property and was the same creek as the one by which we were standing but further upstream.

After catching the large browns on the lower end of the creek earlier this week, I suspected that they had been washed downstream from the high spring flows due to more rain than average and from spring runoff.

I decided that I would have time to check out the new spot early on Wednesday morning before catching my plane back to Houston.

I got up well before sunrise and drove to the place where I had been instructed to park. The creek was visible from there and it was running high and swift. I decided since I only had a short time to fish, and because the water was up, that I would only take the UL and Roostertails and would leave the fly rod in the car. (mistake #1)

I walked along the creek and cast where ever I could but got nary a nibble. The creek looked promising with undercut banks and small runs, riffles, and pools and lots of brushy banks to catch a hook on. It looked like it would be fishy when the water flow was normal. I was getting the idea that my time was rapidly slipping away and that I would probably go home fishless today.

Then I saw the beaver.

At first I thought it was a muskrat as I have frequently seen them on the lower section but when it passed within three feet of me I could see that it was definitely not a muskrat – or a nutria – but a full grown beaver. My first thought was, “Where there is a beaver there must be a dam”. And we all know where there is a dam there is a beaver pond and that means slower deeper water. I suspected that if I could locate that spot I would find the fish.


I continued to follow the creek down through the pasture and there it was near the end of the property. The small dam had backed up a small pond and the flow spread out over a larger area before continuing downstream.


I put the sneak on the pond through an opening in the brush and eased out to a place where I thought I could cast to the deeper part of the pond. “This is perfect!”, I thought. I cast twice to the most likely spot I could see and - nothing. Not even a flash or a bump. I cast again & again but no takers. I was just about to leave and throw in the towel when I heard a fish surface downstream from me. I looked up and saw the ripples widening and knew that it was worth another cast or two. I dropped the white RT in the general vicinity of the rise and was rewarded by a good sized fish taking a swipe at it but refusing it at the last moment. Hey – that’s better than nothing!

I hooked and landed a 14” brown on the next cast.

“Maybe I needed to get out a little further”, I thought and took a small step forward. (mistake #2) Just as I took the step, a big trout flushed from under my feet and went streaking across the pond leaving a big “v” wake in front of me as I stood there with my mouth open.

I cast a few more times and was about to leave (mistake #3) when I decided to cast a couple of times back upstream near the mouth of the pond where the creek emptied its load into the flat calm water.

I hooked a nice fat brown trout.
He gave me a great fight before coming to hand.

I cast again after the photo shoot and caught another in the same run. I learned from a previous outing that once you catch one nice fish from a spot keep fishing!

In all I caught 5 browns and a rainbow between 15” and 18” and also a few small ones.

Brown #2

Snake Creek Rainbow

Big Boy

Another Chocolate Colored Brown

This would have been a perfect spot for the fly rod as long as you are proficient at roll casting. There was no sign of other human activity – no tracks, worm buckets, trash, etc. The fish were gullible but feisty. One brown jumped continuously until I got him off the hook.

I moved upstream to try once more before I was to be squeezed by time and caught only one more small brown. It was a great spot especially that time of day. I saw a small herd of deer on the way in and a couple of kingfishers along the water in addition to the beaver.

What better way to spend the morning but outdoors enjoying God’s creation?

Browns on the Lower Snake

Everybody's heard of the famous Snake River.

Fishermen come from across the country to float and fish the scenic river and many a beautiful brown trout has rewarded those who took the time.

Not many have heard of the almost famous Snake Creek near Heber City Utah.

Only the readers of this blog know my fascination with a small stretch of water between the fence on the upper end bordering the now-closed Midway Hatchery and the fence on the lower end below the Heber Creeper railroad trestle that prevents access further downstream. This short, shallow, weedy, piece of water has provided me many hours of fun fishing and even a few nice fish.

This trip was exceptional.

I started off fishing the pool at the upper end. I had a few hits but caught nothing which was unusual. I decided to wander down to the spot below the trestle where I usually catch rainbows.

I kept well back from the bank and picked up a few small browns (10-12") like this one that fell for the light yellow Roostertail.



As the sun slipped behind the mountains and I was beginning to think that was it for the day, I cast a 1/8oz white Roostertail upstream along the bank and was I surprised when I hooked this 21" 2.5lb brown!


This fish was resting in no more than 8" of water and when he decided to hit the RT there was no going back.

Big Boy!



Back You Go



This was similar to the big brown I caught earlier this year in the Boise River.


I decided to go back upstream and cross over so I could fish the opposite bank.

I used the same stealth technique to approach only close enough to get my cast over the bank and was rewarded once again with this 18" 1.5lb beauty.

"Confidence Bait" at work



I continued my quest up the bank, crawling up 20 feet or so and casting tight to the bank with the white 1/8oz RT. Nearly every cast yielded a nice fish.

Here is a 17" brown that was as colorful as any in the Green River.

Butter yellow markings



This 16 incher put up a great fight.


Another pretty 16" brown



These fish were all colorful and healthy.



The last fish of the day was almost chocolate brown. I caught it almost under the trestle in some fast water and had to use my headlight to see to remove the hook.

It was almost full dark when I finally gave up and headed back to the hotel. I had landed about a dozen fish in all with half of them between 15-21". Not bad for a small creek in the middle of a cow pasture! I didn't catch one rainbow nor did I see any fish rising for flies. What a difference a few weeks makes.

I suspect that the higher flows caused by recent rains and runoff may have moved the fish downstream.

Baffin Bay & The Play

Needville's One Act Play advanced to the Region level of competition which was held in Kingsville yesterday. We decided to go and support the effort and ended up staying in one of the Wild Horse Lodge's bay houses on Baffin Bay.

You have already figured out what this means - Fishing!

We arrived on Thursday after lunch and after unpacking and getting some bait, I got in a couple of hours on the pier before we were to meet our friends for dinner.

JB with the 10 footer.

I had four rods - three were rigged with dead shrimp on the bottom

One was for casting artificials and fishing live shrimp under a popping cork


Croaker - nice colors!


Full from dinner at King's Inn


Evening on Baffin Bay

We had a nice visit from my nephew Paul and his three compadres. They brought two guitars and a mandolin and we played and sang some tunes. Paul has really improved and now plays the banjo, guitar and mandolin and is writing songs. Keep it up Paul!

Time to go to work

This is the time
This is the place
It's all about you, the dead shrimp, and the water


Victory!
Three nice black drum and a 13" croaker

One of the drum was really Paul's but he couldn't
beat me to the rod when it started jumping!


I'm Watching You!




The light was pretty good and brought up some baitfish on Friday.

I caught several trout but I left the camera in the house!

In addition to being a good good fishing hole, Baffin Bay is also a birders paradise.

We saw a lot of birds and really enjoyed them as our current area is limited to blue jays, sparrows, cardinals, mockingbirds, and hummingbirds.

Tufted Titmouse in flight

This was an Oriole that was building a nest on the house.


Tufted Titmouse looking for seeds

I took my conference call on Friday morning on the pier.

I'm not fishing - I'm on a call.

We watched six one act plays on Friday afternoon. Needville was awarded alternate Advancing Play -third place- as two schools advance to State.

Our gang did a great job and we are proud of you!

This is the last year Needville will be competing in the Region that will meet in Kingsville.

In all, my fishing adventure yielded six keeper drum in the 5-10 lb range, two 15" spotted sea trout, several croaker and undersized drum and trout, and last but not to be forgotten some big hardheads (saltwater catfish).

I guess I'll just have to find another reason to make the trip South next year.

Bikes

Time to get in shape.

Brother Mark - you have inspired me! After my latest checkup I decided it was time to get some exercise and the time was right for a couple of bikes.

We found the Schwinn Voyager Sport had just the features we were looking for.



We are not really big on the "His & Hers" scene but these were just different enough to suit us.

We have been riding in Brazos Bend State Park the past two Saturdays.

Brazos Bend is known for many things.

"Home of the American Alligator"

"Home of exotic birds"
White Ibis
American Bittern

Oh - did I mention alligators?


There are lots of trails and shade.
Some even lead to some small lakes.
(Are you getting the picture?)
"I need to stop and rest....

Hello Neighbor!

I did get some exercise - both my legs and arms got a workout!

Later this evening after grilling some burgers I headed out to Evans Lake for the last hour before sunset. I caught the second tagged fish - Pierre.

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

Happy Easter everyone

Pete & Repeat

I finally did it!

I caught a tagged fish. I was begining to wonder if I was ever going to find one that was ready to bite again.

I went to the dentist yesterday and on the way home I decided to recover by spending the last of the daylight at Evans Lake. Ryan came out to join me and we headed to the far side of the lake to get the wind behind us.

I found "Jimmy D" in a different spot then before but his stats were identical.

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

Cool!