MikeH

Real small for a musky. Peeled out of the weeds and followed almost all the way in. Hooked it maybe ten feet off the boat on a yellow articulated Buford. Basically no fight since it was so close. Just a hook set then slid the net right under it.

Got one

I was but Haris was spin fishing.

I fished Monday and Tuesday and the leaves weren't too bad. The terrestrial bite was great so bring some big bushy dries.

Well this is already going better than last year. I'm in.

Mine are still done.

I tied my bubble back nymph. They're done.

That's the stuff. The 1/4" is pretty easy to use and all you really need for trout flies. I'm in a musky swap on another board and have been playing with the 1/2". That stuff is a whole other animal. Luckily even on really big flies you still mostly use 1/4" except for the very front of the fly.

Nice looking flies Lancer. Those birds actually fish pretty good, although the wings usually die after a few fish. Here's a pattern I've been playing with. It uses body tubing to bulk up the craft fur then some more for the head.

This is my second Epic. I built an 888 over the summer. Here's some more pics of the rod. I did Snake Brand guides and tip top. The reel seat is Snake Brand also with a spalted maple insert. I wrapped it up with clear main wraps and red tipping. I put the red on the inside edges instead of the outer. With the clear main wraps it almost looks like only the red is holding the guides on. The stripping guide is a red agate to match the red trim. I also turned the grip and fighting butt myself from rings. I capped the fighting butt with red EVA foam to also match the red trim.

I just finished building a new rod last week so it was time to hit the river. I tossed big articulated streamers all day long. Didn't catch anything huge but I did manage one brown around twenty inches and three others in the middle teens. Strangely I also caught about a dozen stocker size rainbows. Wasn't expecting to catch many of them throwing five inch long flies. The new rod, an Epic 686, was great. I was especially happy with the grip I turned on it. I turned it a little chubbier than most grips and it was really comfortable to fish. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Decisions, decisions First fish on the new rod First twenty incher on the new rod What it ate The new rod

I'll join.

In again.

Sweet! I caught an absolute pig on a cotton candy colored D&D last week. I can't tell from the pic, are you using the jig hook up front?

Well over twenty. I didn't measure it but I caught a 23 incher earlier this year and this one was a little bigger than that one.

I like the Drunk n' Disorderly So did this brown That is all

Big diver I'm tying for a swap on another board.

Hallow tied bucktail, polar chenille under body, a little arctic fox and shimmer fringe as an over wing. It's a fairly easy tie and a real easy cast for a big streamer.

Sure, Hook: jig (12-16), I used a Dohiku Bead: Tungsten slotted Tail: Coq de Leon Hot butt: Flor. fire orange floss Body: Rusty brown pheasant tail Rib: Copper brown wire Thorax: Peacock dubbing Collar: Rusty brown CDC

That's pretty cool. I think that may be the same fish. Here's the streamer I was throwing in the morning, a rainbow warrior and a jiggy pheasant tail like I caught the big brown on.

I caught a little one and a few sunfish. I've always thought about bringing a popper and working my way up Ashley while I'm there. I'll get a pic of them and the fly I caught the big brown on. -Mike

I was downstream. I ended up wading way past Ashley. Bush whacking is a little easier in the winter so I was able to get past where I usually have to turn around. -Mike

Went down to Baptist yesterday sun up to sun down. While the river wasn't as crazy low and clear as it has been it is still awfully low. I had a new articulated pattern I've been tying to test out so I started out chucking that. Caught about a half dozen doing that including one decent brown until I decided to head back to the car and shed a few layers. I switched out the six for my nymph rod back at the car. I did pretty well. The stockers especially liked the rainbow warrior I had on a dropper a foot up from my point fly. Then I caught this big guy. I was nymphing through a hole with a lot of structure. My sighter just stopped. I didn't feel a tug or anything. I've lost about a billion flies to snags in this hole and I figured that's what had just happened. I raised my rod to pull my nymphs out of the snag and see brownzilla come flying upstream with my flies. It was quite a fight to keep it out of all the down timber but eventually I got where I could net it. My sister got me a nice new net for Christmas but its kind of small. After failed netting attempt number one it got a second wind. I try again and no dice, its just not going to fit. The river bottom drops right off where I was so I had to get it down stream to shallower water and attempt to wrangle it. I finally get the fish to hand measure it against my rod, snap a pic and release it real quick. I was worried I over worked it, and not too happy about beaching it in the shallows but after holding it in the current a few seconds it shot back down into the hole I caught it out of. Hopefully it's still swimming in there getting bigger. I caught plenty more but that's the last one I remember or really care about. -Mike

A couple divers.

I'll have to get a pic of how I tie that fly now. Over the last two years it's gradually turned into a craw fly. Doesn't even resemble my swap fly anymore. -Mike