Is it Wednesday or Thursday?

I couldn't help but ask myself this question when I started writing this post. It has been a crazy week. I'm starting to do house calls for folks, with the majority being bed bug inspections. If anyone has never seen a bed bug, here it is:

The common bedbug, Cimex lectularius

They are about the size of an apple seed, and are blood-sucking vampire spawn from hades. Really. I honestly see no point for this insect, because they only feed on human blood, and they have no known natural predator besides spiders, which can't come anywhere near to being effective at controlling population because of their breed rate. Did 3 different inspections for them today, and they all came out positive.

But on to the fishing.

Went out Monday hecka early and threw my first personally tied flies, the Dirty Rat and the Gurgle Bug.

I got an amazing strike on the Dirty Rat, but from what I can tell, I put too much maribou on both of them. Seems like there was too much fly, not enough hook. If anyone has any other input as to why my hookset failed, let me know.

The Gurgle Bug took the First Fly Trophy, though. The action was great, with lots of twitching and, well, gurgling. I tied on my third version - seen here - and caught a bass four feet from shore as I was pulling up for a close backcast. Instant hookset.

Dark picture, but the fly is grasped between my birdy and ring finger closest to camera.

Needless to say, I settled with tossing the Gurgle until I left for home.

Green sunfish, non-photogenic.

Beautiful spawning bull.

Another big, gorgeous spawner.

One of the biggest greenies yet. 

 I was apprehensive at first with this fly because the original recipe calls for Eyelash Yarn - which until this writing I thought was fly fishing specific, but is really a yarn that people use in crafting - to give it body and simulate legs. I'm sure this gurgler would be gorgeous with the yarn, but the brown chenille did great.

I wonder if I could tie a "bed bug" fly. I think I would call it the "BiSViSH Fly". Remember? Blood Sucking Vampire Spawn from Hades?

Maybe not. But keep your eyes peeled on my blog. You never know.

I graduated with a bass thumb!

That's right folks. Chew marks.

Bass thumb!

Got up early this morning as promised and hit the pond with my brother. I threw a deer hair mouse and hooked into the first bass of the morning with a quick release right at shore. My brother kept having green sunfish smack onto his.

Little chubby. The fish, not the fisherman.

We moved down the shore, fishing weed lines on the way. I dropped the mouse about 6 inches outside the surface weeds. Had a bass explode on it. (No picture, but wow, what a feeling!) 

Good landscape, and Mike landed another bunch of green sunfish. I hooked into two more largemouth at the favorite spot before we went home. No pictures. I was more focused on my bro, and getting the fly on the water.

Can't see it... nice greeny, though.

The pond.

Then it was time to eat, shower, and graduate from college. My family was very supportive and it was a whole lot of fun. Here is my lovely wife who carried me all through college. She graduated too, just as much as I did.

She's also really buff.

Love you, honey.

Just so everyone knows, the Cabela's deer hair poppers are a new fave of mine. Also, caught a bass on a pencil popper for the first time. Good fun and good memories.

 

Graduate? Don't mind if I do. Or am.

What a crazy month! As I organize the mass of experiences I have gone through or will be going through in the near future, 'graduate' is the perfect word. It applies right now in four different ways. Fly fishing is mentioned in two out of the four, although flies have something directly to do with 3 out of the 4.

1. College

First, college.

Yes, ostrich, grammar does matter. A big thanks to Jenna Johnson for sharing this really funny tumblr feed. Just click the ostrich to see them all!

I will become a graduate next Saturday. From college. That's right, folks... it's been 9 years.  B.A. in Foreign Language - Spanish Emphasis from UNO, next Saturday. Woohoo! 

2. Fish species caught on a fly

 I went out with a good friend this morning, Brett Carruthers (featured below), who introduced me to Bennington Lake here in Omaha. He introduced me to the pond on the West side of 180th on that map.

His weapon was a spinning rig alternating between a jig and a large spinner. Hooked into a big one right at the beginning: I'm a witness! It got off like 6 feet from him, so we'll call it a quick release.

How did I graduate in species? Well, I landed a nice, chunky little largemouth first thing on an olive weighted Woolly, switched to a white Wal-Mart popper and caught something new.

Chalk the Black Crappie up on the list of fish caught on a fly.

Then I caught this beautiful little guy. Caught a few of them, actually, but this was the biggest. The beautiful purple coloration is really starting to pop in these guys.

I was very grateful for the action this morning, and to enjoy it alongside a good buddy.

  

3. Awareness of how fishing can help those who hurt 

I absolutely have to give a quick bump to my post about Project Healing Waters, as well as include more organizations that help those who hurt through fly fishing.

Project Healing Waters

(Also, Wounded Warrior Project, a site unrelated to fishing that allows you to contribute to the care and recovery of wounded soldiers in general.)

Casting for Recovery

4. Employment

On Monday, April 30th, I begin new employment as a Business Account Manager for Terminix.

Terminix. Flies. Get it? Okay, maybe it was a long shot, but hey.

Gotta love graduation.



Early Morning Fly Fishing Report 4/18

Light rain and scattered thunderstorms were in the forecast when I looked at it last night. I woke up at about 10 minutes to 5, listening to a steady spattering on the roof. I saw one or two lightning flashes while in bed, but no thunder.

Perfect for an outing, in my opinion.

I got up quietly - if you want to call the horrible, horrible creaking of my floated, 50 year old wood floor quiet - and hurried downstairs. I grabbed a poncho out of the basement, threw my smartphone in a plastic baggy and left.

Without my LED light, I made sure to tie this morning's fly on while at the car. Shown below. I call it my "black foam chugger." My brother gave it to me.

 

Almost immediately, my practice and visualization with the Double Haul paid off, because it finally clicked! I found myself feeling the load of the pole and being able to shoot line effectively this morning. I dropped the chugger over a few well-known parts of the pond without results, before heading to my favorite cove. 

 There, I began depositing it on the backside of some lightly submerged cover. I waited with held breath, listening for the gurgle that meant a fish had taken it. It surprised me when it happened!

The fist got caught in the branches of the cover, so I had to take a bit of a swim, but I got it out. Probably about a foot long. About 2 lbs. or so.

 

After my swim, I tossed further into the cove, and hit some big green sunfish that took the chugger off of the top.

 

Finally, as I told one of the other bloggers I met on Fly Anglers Online, his blog found here, I tied on a Royal Coachman and tried for more sunfish. I landed one more green sunfish, shown below, and two bluegill a little further up the shore. They are definitely starting to spawn.

 

Can't wait to continue my adventure on that pond. I just need to get my wife out to walk with me!