More White Bass Action

A week after hitting the white bass run with Bobby, I decided to go out again with Charles.

We decided to go at as soon as I got off of work at the fly shop.  Knowing Charles, he was late because he had already been fishing somewhere else.  He showed me this picture of a beast of a smallie he got from one of the smallest creeks we fish!

I've been to that creek before, and normally fish like that don't come easy.  The pre-spawn season is going, and the fish must be loading up on food to prepare.  That particular smallmouth seems to have a good amount of fat on him. 

Charles said he fished this creek all morning and afternoon with a few nice smallmouth.  We've gotten a lot of rain here, and I'm not surprised that the water ran colder and muddier than normal.

After I got off work, Charles and I met at the same park Bobby and I fished the week before.  The water was higher and muddier this time, and no trout were to be found.  But we were there for white bass.

Charles and I fished through the first two rapids with nothing.  This isn't surprising, considering the water was significantly faster, and it was hard to get a fly down without a sinking line.  It was easy to notice that the creek was colder this time, which probably shut down a few of the fish.

We headed to the run that produced fish last time, and after awhile, I hooked up.  It was a decent 12" white bass.  These fish fight hard, especially in the fast water we were fishing.

We immediately decided to start keeping fish, even though at this point we knew we'd only get a few.  After going a few minutes without a hit, I switched to a craft fur clouser in all black.  That turned out to be the switch I needed.

Immediately after, I landed two more white bass.  One was this fat spawner of 16".  This one almost got himself on the reel!  So much fun on the 6 weight!

We continued fishing down the river and caught a few more.  One or two we had to release because they were so small we couldn't get any meat off of them.  Once it started getting dark, we had 6 fish on a willow branch we used as a stringer. 

We went back to Charles' house to clean the fish.  He showed me how to remove the mud line on the filets, then we cleaned all of them and I went home with them.  Charles just told me to take all of them for a family dinner.  The next night, we fried them and made Po'Boy sandwiches out of them.  Very much worth the time to clean them.  I don't think I'll ever overlook white bass as food again.

A difficult day of fishing, but sometimes the numbers of white bass just aren't there.  The run still hasn't hit its peak, and I'm hoping to get out for more action soon!

Some Exciting Updates.... and the White Bass Run

Needless to say, I've gotten far behind on this blog.  Senior year is flying by and I have a lot of work to do on my final project.  After that, it'll be smooth sailing.

A quick update: I recently began working at Moving Water Outfitters, the local fly shop.  I currently work Saturdays, and will probably work often during the summer.  Working in a fly shop has been a dream job of mine for a few years, and it's just as fun as I'd hoped.  Even when I have to take inventory of flies (we have over 1000 egg flies in stock, by the way), I always manage to enjoy every day in the shop.  Another benefit: we are located less than 500 feet from the nearest creek, which has been on fire lately.

A few weeks ago, Bobby and I went out to the creek to check it out.  The town recently stocked rainbow trout in the creek, and everyone wants to fish for them.  We went searching for trout, but instead found much better fishing for another species.

We went to a certain park that is rarely fished.  This is because parking is a half mile from the water, and few people want to make the hike.

The first hole we hit had fast water.  I mean fast. Water was rushing over a barrier made of large boulders, creating a miniature waterfall section. I could not get a fly down.  Bobby fished a rooster tail spinner and hooked up a few times.  His first fish was a 16 inch trout.  We could not believe that the stockers had already grown to such sizes.  He caught one more, then pulled in a lone white bass.  This got us wondering if the run had started yet.  We headed downstream towards the reservoir to see if we could find more.

There was another hole with the same structure of rocks all the way across the river, with incredibly fast flows.  I waded in below the falls and cast a small yellow and chartreuse clouser.  I let it swing through the end of the run, then it got smacked.  The hook slipped and I cast again.  Immediately, a fish grabbed it and tried to run.  I pulled him back in.  It was only a ten inch white bass.  Bobby and I took turns, landing two apiece from the tailout.




Then, we waded 50 yards upstream to a sand bar. 
There was a nice looking run, so we both cast directly downstream and retrieved.  Bobby immediately caught a white bass.  I did too.  they were both over 13 inches and fought hard.  We immediately released them and cast again, with immediate hookups.  This continued for probably 35 minutes.  I have no clue how many fish we caught, but I'd say probably upwards of 30.  It was the most regular fishing I'd ever had.  We rarely made more than one cast without a fish, and every cast got a bite.  After years of trying, I'd finally cracked the run head-on, and the fishing could not have been easier.





When it started to get dark, the fishing slowed down.  By this, I mean we caught a fish every 3 or 4 casts.  Once the sun set and we could barely see, we decided we had better head back.  We both knew we had just hit a once-in-a-year night of fishing.  What a day!

Heartland Fly Fishing Festival

I really haven't been active recently.  This show was quite a few months ago, and I'm just now getting around to writing about it.  I'm currently so busy with track and my senior year, and the weather has pushed fishing to the backseat.

This year, the Heartland Fly Fishing Festival was excellent and very well organized. There were plenty of interesting booths, including the local Orvis and Moving Water Outfitters, our local fly shop.

I was lucky enough to get a table as a tier for Project Healing Waters.  I taught kids and others willing to learn how to tie some flies.  

We tied mostly terrestrials like Chernobyl ants, hoppers, and foam spiders.  The highlight of the day was teaching this man and his daughter to tie.  He let her select the materials for her foam spider, and every one was pink or purple.  A fun fly for sure, and the bluegill will certainly eat them up later this spring during the spawn.







There was also a casting competition to win a rod later at the show.  I did not enter, but it looked very difficult.  Participants had to put a fly through an elevated hula hoop, roll cast for distance, and put a cast inside a hoop with the line outside of one of two cones.  (A curve cast drill).  Very difficult drills I doubt I could have done.  I should start working on my casting.

I also received some information from a guide friend and a Trout Unlimited Chapter on fishing opportunities next year when I am at college.  BIG announcement coming ahead!  I'm very ready for next year and all the adventures it'll bring.

This show was just as good as last year, although a little sparse due to the wintry weather.  I enjoyed my time tying there and meeting new people.

I already have some exciting news and great fishing updates from the spring season.  This year is already off to a great start!