New Flies

I got a couple of hours of really good tying practice in. Watched a video from intheriffle.com about carp flies that got me thinking, so I sat down for a while.

The softies on the bottom were more practice carp flies. The woolly was the first one I tied. The other top two were experiments. I'm sure something will eat them!

I went fishing during lunch hour twice this week. Carp were dolphining one day. Wind was up the next, so not a lot of surface activity. I just can't SEE them to cast to them! I'm casting blind! I won't give up, though. I'll just keep drooling over John Montana's Carp on the Fly, and envision myself as a successful carper. 

Project healing waters has been on my mind a lot lately. 

I still would love to volunteer for them, and will continue to find the closest organization. There really is healing that happens with fly tying/fly fishing.

*yawn*

It's late. 12:30 AM here. Waiting for the wonderful wife to get off work. Tight lines and sweet dreams, everyone.

(First Fish Alert!) The Hybrid/Carp Carrot Attempts and an Added Suprise

John Montana over at Carp on the Fly did a great post on Carp Flies. He brought out some patterns that are a little beyond his normal soft-hackles that he swears by. Being bound and determined for some successful carping this year, I decided to sit at the bench and rig up some attempts. Not that they're great. Because they're not.

 

The first fly that really intrigued me was John's version of the Carp Carrot. It was a soft hackle with bead eyes and a sweet rubber tail.

The colors on this bug are fantastic. I judged the length of the tail as best as I could, and I can't match the stinger hook, but I tried. Also, string-bead eyes are hard to come by in my house.

 

That's the one that felt the best to tie, but the others were fun. I can't wait to get these in front of some carp. 

Tuesday afternoons are a great time because my wife is at work until 6, leaving me and the girls up to our own devices. 

 

 

We NEVER get to go out and do things, so I decided Tuesdays would be a go-to day for field trips. I'll take them fishing a lot, but it will also serve for zoo trips, outside play, etc. 

Today we went to an "actively fishing youth/elderly" pond called Benson Pond. I fished my 5w with the beadless fly at the very top right of the group picture. The girls took their little nets and played in the water while I watched for activity and blind-casted here and there.

Heading around the NW part of the pond, I was blind casting and felt a familiar tug. It felt good! I lifted the rod, and felt the fight begin. I figured it was a green sunfish, or a small hybrid. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, our first fish of the year:

I was so surprised to see a rainbow trout emerge! I forgot to break the barb while tying the fly, but I was able to get it smashed and back out the hook while the fish was in the water. 

It's interesting to note that the water is already starting to get too warm for them. This bad boy was sluggish after a short run. They aren't getting much food. I don't know how I feel about the trout stocking yet. It's kind of sad that they are bred and released only to be either harvested or die of oxygen starvation. Anyway, I let him go. Didn't realize the pond was stocked!

Thanks for some inspiration, John. I'm still looking for some fins!

Complete List of DNR Pages By State

Thanks to the Nebraska Game and Parks website for leading the way! I've added their list of each DNR for each state as a separate page. Hope y'all find it useful!

Ladies and gentlemen... Bob the Dog!

I posted a post as a commercial a little while back for the Bake Sale our little girl Ruth was doing.

To reiterate:

• Ruth had wanted a dog for about 18 months.
• Ruth had been saving and saving; she saved about $27 between donations and sticker book expenses.
• Ruth and her mother decided to have a bakesale.

The target amount to earn was about $75, because that's how much it would cost.

Wrong. It's $175. Didn't find that out till later. 

Did it matter? No. Just you wait.

We posted a flyer on Facebook and mentioned it to family. Then the orders kept ROLLING IN. They just kept coming. Like zombies. 

"We need to use knives! Save ammunition!"

And use knives they did. Butter knives. Cutting knives. Cookie cutters. Food processor blades.

Not on zombies, you dork. On cookie dough, Krispy Treats and man-oh-man on some pie dough. 

Ruth Pie-doughing it up.

If you ever want a delicious pie, you need to order one of my wife's apple pies. If you're local, she'll make one for you for $12 or $14 dollars or however much they cost. They were the rage. I wish I had more pictures. 

At any rate, Ruth earned a wopping:

$260

She worked hard through the whole process. She cut things. Mixed things. Baked things. Opened things. Timed things. She applied almond bark to chocolate things.

Thanks to all of YOUR contributions, she not only earned a costs-more-than-expected dog, but she bought it a crate, food, toys and some toys. And a collar and a leash, then some more toys.

Ladies and gentlemen, Bob the Dog.

Spring Warmup and wormdrowing...

It's fishing season again. Omaha has been experiencing a longer-than-anticipated winter, much like the rest of the country. With temperatures in the mid-40's and the sun shining pretty brightly for the second day in a row, I decided to gear up and head out to a nice spot, if nothing else than to go for a nice walk.

Wind was at about NNE 15mph; it was brisk but not unmanageable. Every once in a while, the wind would die down and my black jacket would warm up nicely. Geese and ducks were thick in certain parts of the lake.

First fly I tied on was a Meat Whistle, gifted by an acquaintance from BNI:

I'm very excited to try this when it warms up. It is a very good leech. I fished along familiar, submerged timber. Nothing. Fished rocky shallows. Nothing. Moved down further. Nothing.

You get the picture.

Chatted with a worm-drowner (I am one, too, so I can call him that) who told me about spots further down. Followed him, looked around. Cast a few times. Nothing.

More the of the same picture. 

On the way back to the car, the gentleman had a bucket half-full of bluegills and hybrids, so I know they are awake. Skunked on the first time out, but hey... it was fun.

Jointed fun on the "Must Tie" List

Jointed Minnow - Sunfish

Picture courtesy of Warm Water Fly Tyer

We are about 6 weeks from the normal 55/35 degree weeks that will melt the ice. Ants will start sending Swarmers out into the open instead of into people's basements. Other overwintering crawlies - aquatic and terrestrial - will pop out and set the Green Sunfish into heavy feeding patterns. Mid- to large-size Large-mouth will begin to scout spawn beds and start to get really, really angry with Woolly Buggers that invade their space (like here, paragraph that starts with "Second to last..."). 

My tying gear has been collecting dust for the past few months, but the itch is setting in. 

The Jointed Minnow featured above is on my "must-tie list". I envision its barbless awesomeness attached to my hook guard as I walk through the winter-tight grasses to find that right angle from shore. I envision this baby attracting LMB up in a nice spot, or making a Pike angry out at Lake Wanahoo. 

This year is going to be a good one, as they all are. I can't wait to get rockin' and rollin'. 

Ruth's Bake Sale

Man, ever sit down to tie flies with a tasty snack nearby?

I needed to take a commercial break between scheduled appointments for work to support a very special individual. His name is Bob the Dog. Bob is a boy dog. Although, it might be a female. We don't know yet.

"Why do you not know if the dog is male or female? It's named Bob."

Great question, whoever you are! The reason we don't know if it is male or female is because we don't actually own him/her yet. 

Bob the Dog is the desire of our four-year-old Ruth. 

Ruth and her wonderful mother.

She is trying to save/make enough money to buy and maintain Bob the Dog. She has been trying for about two years. 

Between Christmas and grandparents, and a couple stickerbook expenses, she has been able to save about $27. Our goal is at least $75 (minimum price at the Nebraska Humane Society.)

This is where you come in. I want you, in February - between fly-tying sessions and/or other fun and engaging activities - to eat tasty Valentine's treats. But not just any treat. Ruth's treats.

Please help support Ruth in her efforts to buy a dog by filling out this order form and getting it back to us by the deadline indicated. We'll ship these goodies like they are nobody's business. Except for my daughter's. We'll ship them like they are hers. Because they are.

But hurry, there's only so much she can bake!

By the way, watch this video. Wouldn't a little dog just love our baby girl? Plus, it would clean up after our cat.