BilletHead

Yep!

The BilletHeads like "C" also

Mrs. BilletHead and I were wanting to know when the fish fry was? Now we know!

Ness we have some lettuce, tomatoes and peppers under lights started. They were looking real good until I had them in the sun on a couple of warmer days. The tips burned some. Hope they come out of it. 24 degrees here right now this morning and it as yesterday too. Need to turn the beds and tubs but hard to excited with temps right now. BilletHead

You got it Mitch from the BilletHeads. Worth repeating, Great photo and memory for you, BilletHead

Tied up a couple of damsel in distress a few days back. Took the Mrs. to a pond where we fished them. Big wind blowing from the south but the fish were stacked on the north side where the waves were hitting the bank, warmer water on that side plus I am sure the waves were stirring up food too. We caught a bunch. There was never a time when one of both of us were hooked up. Bluegill and bass. We really beat up the flys so I tied up more today. I also did some tweaking and instead of rabbit for tails and sides I used pine squirrel strips. Clear cure goo the backs too. Size #8 A couple of yesterdays fish also. Still pretty cold water so we retrieved slowly. Strip, strip, pauuuuuuuuse for a long time and they wanted to hit it sitting still, Bass ran from eight to fourteen inches and gills were all big, BilletHead

Way to go Duane! Tell me how you are going to fix the shad and how it tastes. BilletHead

Good going crappiedoty

JD there is a couple of threads from last year where I kind of talked on how to do it. Had a lot of feedback from the folks on here. and I kind of use brush, spray and stippling. Finish off with coat of 30 min epoxy on a drying wheel. Wayne I'm using an 8 wt. Weird too when casting those prop blades sound like your getting buzzed by a plane. They weigh very little like I said so it's more wind resistance. BilletHead

Well sort of, When doing poppers late last Summer I had remembered where Gavin had posted one time a small prop fly. So I tried and made one then. Worked but not too happy with it. They not too far back he sent me one of the Greg Coffey's coffee grinders. So not that I have one in my hands I got to make one. So out came the balsa and the knife, soon wood shavings were coming off and then sanding, painting and epoxy. I like. Really light too. I thought to myself I have thrown streamers, articulated ones that weighed more than these. For sure some big lead eyed clousers that I have used for hybrids weigh a bunch more than these. I gave them test throws on the river after I have give up on walleye just to see how well they worked on the eight weight and how they worked in the water. Yowza another me like! I also made a walk the dog balsa too and gave it a go. Another worker. So here they are. My version of the Coffee Grinders are an inch and a half long. the walk the dog is two and three quarters long. Tied up a Duane Hada's creek crawler too last week. BilletHead

Went again to my favorite spot this morning and pounded the hole. Water colder than last time with some ice lining the bank. Clearer too, in the one of the deeper spots I dipped the fly rod down to the bottom and I could see my green fly line in 6' of water. About as clear as this place gets. Did not have a hit on the clouser I used before so I changed to a smaller Asp streamer. http://theonefly.com/?p=878 I had a #6 sized one pretty small. Tip to tail less than 2". It will sink slow and I let it. A small 4" strip and let it rest 10 0r 15 seconds and repeat all the way back to the kayak. Slow and tedious which drives me crazy. I don't know how Buster and his likes do it like they do with jerk baits. I have trouble doing that. Finally a hit and had that fish on for a short time and six good head shakes before it came unbuttoned. A short time later got one to the kayak and on the stringer. After that the sun got up pretty high and as I looked in the water I could see the bottom. The fish today weighed 3 lbs. 12 oz. I wanted to add five pounds to it for Fishinwrench I was loaded and on my way home by 11:30. I think I was on the water about three hours. Photos to share. The catch and the fly, BilletHead

Good obituary Al. You are a lucky man to have him that long. My dad did not get that old and my how I miss him. Thank you for posting and getting my memory fired up, BilletHead

So I should add two pounds and four inches so fishinwrench can get the truth from me? BilletHead

When I actually land fish if able I weigh and measure. If I see and loose the fish I am the fisherman that guesses to the max, there be I am a fisherman, BilletHead

Outstanding Mr. Duane !

Well the Mrs. and I have not taken anything but fly gear and our kayaks to ponds for at least the last five years. We use our five to eight weights. Average two trips a week all summer. Streamers and poppers mostly we throw. BilletHead

I think I read up top asking price of 925.00

Personally I would stay in the bottom third of the water column leaning towards the deep part of that. Like most fish in general if they are in a positive mood and feeding they work up. The other day they were right on the bottom and at times I could feel my clouser dragging the bottom. I did not have a thermometer but just guessing I bet the water temp was in the mid thirties or a bit more. Pretty darned cold. I feel like I might of been hitting them in the head or close to get them to take. Two of the caught ones were just dead weight on the line when they bit. The other keeper and one I lost I seen the fly line just pop slightly. For one thing I am no walleye guru but I get a kick out of learning there ways. I am an idiot on a large body of water as far as catching but love to find them early before and during their spawning run. One time in this same spot we were fishing early throwing shad raps. Starting at the time when you can legally keep them but still dark shadows on the water. As soon as the shad raps hit the water sometimes before a turn on the handle they would swirl on top and smash them. Repeated that pattern three times before it quit. I so much wish I was fly rodding them. BilletHead

Kayser used them plain. I am sure tipping with a minnow would help. As a matter of a fact back then I was using the old float and fly system. Think cold water, slow fish, BilletHead

Bucktails look good Kayser. Years back I had a good season putting bucktail jigs like you have there under a float and working them slow. Then again I am not fighting deeper water like you are. A friend and I went back and tried last Friday working where I caught and another good hole. Two dink bass is all we caught. I know the fish are there but not biting. I will give it a week or so and try again. BilletHead

Kayser, Just of the middle of the river. 4 to 5 foot deep. The deepest part of this area isn't much over 6 foot deep. Guessing bottom is a gravel sand mix. No structure. Slow to moderate current. Hope this helps. I should of been there this morning before this weather change but I decided not because of the big wind. BilletHead

You bet Jason. Cheek meat the size of silver dollars. Got to love cheek meat in most forms BilletHead

Thanks Scott and Duane, seriously you should of seen the one that got away.......

Thanks gentlemen. RPS I think so too. I have even been known to keep a bass or three when it is cold. Ok folks don't get your panties in a wad no smallmouth and all bass today were released, BilletHead

Well it is time to start looking, I looked and caught! Went to a special spot on the river where I kind of cut my teeth on walleye. Mitch's rule number one. Cannot share the spot but will share the story. Launched the kayak and drifted down to the hole. Dropped anchor and set the anchor off the back of the craft. Had a chartreuse over white brass eyed clouser on. STOOD up to cast Let her swing in the current and at the end of the drift started stripping slowly and get this hooked one! Ha I thought. Sixteen inches, that will work for the first of the season. Then a few casts later a bass here and then again there. Soon whack a good hit and a big walleye hit the kayak deck. Spent the rest of the morning catching more bass and another walleye. I had other fish on and lost them but did get to see one larger that my big two. Pulled out right at noon. Did I tell you I stood most of the time in my kayak? I had to sit too Just funning you sitter folks. I just find it better to cast the fly standing. Got home and weighed the fish. 5lb 14oz. and 5lb 7oz. Did throw a gray over white clouser too but they seemed to want the chartreuse one. The one I caught on was a little over 2 inches long. Pictures, pictures ? You all want pictures? Ok here you go, BilletHead PS Water was darned cold, seen an iceberg float by. Fingers were numb at times from stripping. Landed about eight bass too.