Prelude to Grass Carp

the shadow that haunts me

Damn grass carp. After last year, I built up some grass carp confidence. False confidence. I've thrown the box at em. More than once. Carp flies, nymphs, dry flies, terrestrials. Hooked and lost a couple but mostly harassed them. I can get them to sniff a dry fly but can't get a solid gulp. Pattern-shmattern, I've thrown everything. Grass carp glory will make it's return sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. 30" grass carp on a dry fly...

More Black River Gar

 Very low water conditions on the Black River make it easier to reach the channel-dwelling gar, which are larger than the gar I typically find in the backwaters. This fish took a fly made of four strands of nylon rope and a bunch of red, green, blue and silver flashabou tied on a metal ring.

Carpin'

Another little video from the Currents. This time chasing golden bones on my favorite local back water.

Creek Smallies

Chasing fish on my local creeks with light gear has always been a favorite of mine. The creeks resemble larger driftless streams but are too warm to sustain trout. The variety of species to be caught is excellent -- smallmouth, quillback, carp, suckers, catfish, and pike.

a driftless video

Some shots from one of the Driftless region's fine trout streams. The tune: "Say Valley Maker" by Smog.

x-creek

At my neighbor's BBQ I ran into a guy from x-town. I made the comment that I like fishing x-creek near his home town. His response was "yeah, I fish x-creek". After lunch he sits at my table and asks a couple questions about x-creek. After he finds out x-creek is no secret to me, he says with a big smile "we don't talk about x-creek". Unless of course you know all about x-creek. Then we talk about x-creek :)

Carp. Not easy.

I nabbed one. Not easy. Perhaps when things heat up the carp will be more willing to eat.

High Water Trout

 Fishing the high and chocolaty water doesn't make for the best fishing. But patience can pay off. This trout appears to have recently eaten a small football of sorts.

And if the fishing is no good... Of course you can always relax and have a brew.

DF&F, Pike

Drawing Fish & Flies 52.  Subject - Pike
Anyone following along is welcome to use my pike piece as screen wallpaper.

DF&F announces a weekly subject for those who want to play/follow along. Only one rule, 30 minutes for production. Check out Jason & Jeff's work at the links below.
Jason Borger - Pike
Jeff Kennedy - Pike

DF&F, Bluegill

Drawing Fish & Flies 52.  Subject - Bluegill
Anyone following along is welcome to use my bluegill piece as screen wallpaper.

I've missed a few weeks of DF&F. I've had this bluegill sketch on my desk since March. Decided to finish it off today.

DF&F announces a weekly subject for those who want to play/follow along. Only one rule, 30 minutes for production. Check out Jason & Jeff's work at the links below.
Jason Borger - Bluegill
Jeff Kennedy - Pumpkinseed

Black River Gar

I caught my fist gar of 2012 over the weekend. It was rolling along the bank in a backwater when I saw it, cast to it, and got it to follow my rope fly about half way back to my boat. I saw a number of other fish rising in the backwater but could not induce a strike. Out in the current, there were some very large fish rolling, they would not take my fly. I've not had much luck taking fish from the main channel of the black river, although that seems to be where the very large fish hang out. I have not caught a gar fishing blind. Every fish I've caught has been one that I've seen rolling around. These fish can breathe oxygen from the air, unlike most other fish (another exception are bowfin). They could be rising for air, chasing bait fish, or I've even heard that they rise to shake parasites. Whatever the reason, when I spot em, 50% of the time I catch them some of time.

fringe of the driftless

John posted some photos on his blog of a recent float trip we took.

Quote of the trip from John-
"If fishing tiny dry flies on small and well-manicured streams for 10 inch trout is the 'heart of the driftless' then I want to be on the fringes of the driftless: a big unkempt waterway casting nasty streamers in search of large trout"

Photos from John Jensen

Driftless in April

The swing of the samurai and other moments captured in pixels. 

I drifted into this spot to fish the riffles downstream. As i got out of the boat I looked over the grass and saw the corner pocket.   A stealthy shot into the hole gave up the healthy brown pictured below. We hooked fish in some really cool holding spots. 

Streamside pineapple brats and home brews for lunch. so good. 

Nate's samurai recipe was the fly of the trip.

Streamside burritos. Yum. 

Samurai

Excitement is building about a float trip this Friday. Tied up a few Samurai streamers for the occasion. I'm optimistic the browns fall victim to the swing of the samurai. 

Miyamoto Musashi -- greatest samurai warrior of all-time

Good Friday Catfish

 

The story from the daycare is that my son, 2-1/2 years old, overachieved at the egg hunt. We've been hiding eggs all week so when his class blew the whistle on the egg hunt he sprinted out the gate like a pro and proceeded to snatch up much more than his fair share of the eggs. I was told he shared very well. Got a good chuckle from that story today. 

Tossed a bunny fly for pike on the Iowa River Reservoir (Coralville Lake). I'll take some catfish any day. 

Driftless

Pictures from a recent driftless outing. I had bounced some emails to a local blog follower and we eventually made a day of chasing trout. This was Andy's first time fishing the driftless. In the first picture Andy hooked up with the biggest brown of the day -- it happend to be the one that got away. Andy's expression after the fish came unbuttoned was priceless. It's fun to fish with someone who shows excitement, enthusiasm.

The picture below features Andy swinging a bugger through the top of a shallow run. This technique on shallow riffle runs is my favorite. Caught a lot of fish this spring with this approach.

Caddis are popping

It was too windy to truely experience the goodness of the caddis hatch. Yet, fish were rising. Get out there and get yourself some Grannom love!

Paper mouths

Paper mouths and clousers. I lined my 4wt with a 6wt Rio Clouser line. Suggested by a friend. Good advice for throwing streamers on a smaller rod.

Early Season Pike

Quillback, Silver & Gold

This time of year the local carpsuckers swim up the smaller warmwater tribs for spawning. They don't hang out there for too long. I keep them on my calendar. I'll go back in a couple weeks and they could all be done and gone -- back to the big muddy river. 

Sights and sounds of the driftless in late March

Scenes from the driftless in late March. I didn't add music to this one because I wanted to let the quiet sounds of fishing come through. It is less 'sensational' than previous videos, but probably more 'real'. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

March Trout

Tim from river blends and John from Currents fished the opening week of Wisconsin's trout season with me. John took some fine photos of the action. I took some video. This is a series of pseudorandom clips put to a pop song called 'Saturday' by Electrelane. I'm not much for pop music, but it just seems to work well with the fishing clips.

2 Days on the Driftless

I believe the reports about the fishing on the Driftless being the best it's ever been.

 

Pike on the fly

Having fun with the pike fishing. 

James at work