Pond report "the slider is the bomb"

[BilletHead]

Hit a local pond this morning for a little over an hour. Not an early start and the wind had really started to pick up. Two of the ponds are very fertile with dark bottoms. I figured they had warmed some since my last visit. I tied on one of my medium sliders. Head is 1 and a quarter long but with the tail dressing it goes three and a half. I got to working around one and got to catching bass, lots of bass. Quit counting at 25. These ranged from eight inchers to three pounds. Some would take the slider on the surface and some on the dive as I stripped but most on the pause. I could strip with very little pause and keep the slider under during the retrieve. It is lighter colored and could keep track of the slider until a bass would inhale it. I mean inhale it. I mean down in the gullet sometimes. Gills too. Don't know how to keep this from happening. All fish swam off seeming ok. I have some pretty crappy cell pictures so forgive me. Had room to carry the point and shoot but failed to pack it with me. South south East wind. News said we were getting gusts close to thirty mph and I don't doubt it. Air temp 64 to 68. Dropped the thermometer in and water was 64. It got so windy I had to quit. The pond actually started to white cap. Dark cloudy skies with thunder in the distance. I would throw into the wind and I couldn't get the fly line to turn over the slider. Cast with the wind and my back cast would die to the point I was thumping the back of my head. Good time to quit before I stick myself.

Yes blood on the side of this one

This is the slider I used today. I am really liking the rubber sticking out the sides. On the strip they lay back, on the pause they flare back out to the sides like flaring gills or fins. Don't know if this is what triggered the strikes but it peaked my interest.

[fishinwrench]

Awesomeness! Those sliders look evil.

[jdmidwest]

Nice.

[Schenk781]

Is that a cork head/body? Are you tying them?

[BilletHead]

Schenk 781,

Carved balsa. Yes tying them too. You can follow my progress and how to on these previous threads in the fly recipes forum,

The big fly rod popper build

The big fly rod popper build revisited

My try and the first balsa sliders

Then some more recent ties

BilletHead

[snagged in outlet 3]

Awesomeness! Those sliders look evil.

Again!!

Nice fly rod bass by the way.

Love the flies too.

Pete

[bs1827]

Good looking fish! Glad those sliders are producing!

[BilletHead]

Had to make a trip to town this morning and decided to stop by the pond that I fished the slider in this report. Very windy, cloudy and a air temp. of 54 degrees. With the wind to our backs (only way we could get the fly to cast) it was chuck and duck at it's finest. If you could get a half way back cast and get the forward cast up in the air the wind would help it go out but at a price sometimes. The Mrs. whacked herself in the back of the head once. She also said you just don't know where it might land. We used the sliders and it was on again. I know for a fact the Mrs. caught five in one spot. We figured fifteen or more landed. Again they would sometimes take on the top, paused and floating up and being stripped. This is the first time Pat has got to try the sliders. She says I like these! Biggest fish was almost pounds. We did not take any kind of jacket and long sleeved t-shirts just did not cut it so we did not fish long. I had found a goose nest and decided to check it today for possible Fall and Winter groceries. Found where a coon had raided it and messed it up and abandoned. Another nest discovered today had a goose on it as we fished. I checked it out and it had a clutch of eggs in good shape. Goose just walked off let me shoot a picture and as I walked off she went right back to her job.

BilletHead

[bs1827]

Another good lookin fish Marty! I too tried to battle the wind up around the KC area yesterday, but I wasn't rewarded nearly as well as you were.

[BilletHead]

Another pretty nice one fooled by the slider. A bunch more too. Same pond as before. I am not beyond telling you all of catching one while not paying attention too. I was wading and along the edge there is the mossy algae gunk. While I had casted and it fell short not shooting all of my line out I had at my feet. So while straightening out the mucky mess looking down I heard a splash, looked up to see my slider had been sucked under and my line was taking off. A lift of the rod tip and another one on

Ponds are getting hot right now so visit one soon. Will just get better. 80 degrees air temperate right now at BilletHeadville. Wind is beginning to suck though,

BilletHead