Pond report, fly line review and a tiny fry report

[BilletHead]

    Been having fly fishing withdrawals. My favorite river is a mess and most ponds I frequent are dingy to muddy. I needed to try something. We will start with yesterday. Mrs. BilletHead had an appointment in the metropolis of Springfield yesterday. Had to go to Plateau for supplies. I wanted to get a new 7wt fly line. I am partial to Rio Outbound short but they did not have any. Ty suggested I try the new Scientific Anglers Mastery Titan. Similar to the Rio with a big head for throwing big stuff. Said if I did not like it bring it back. Story about my 7wt rod. Have you ever got a line and then bought a rod to match it? Lets go back three years. I was given a 7wt line for a freebee. Did not know the brand as it was a line given to the shop to try. Told me to overweight a fast six weight rod or put it on a slow eight weight as I did not have a seven weight. Well I thought crap I need a seven so I bought one to go with free line Backassword I know but I am kind of that way. It worked fine but it was time to replace the line. So I changed it out last night. Poked around home this morning and finally decided to hit my favorite pond for a try. Got there to find murky water with visability about five inches and a howling wind.Went to the side with the best break in the wind and strung up the rod. Just had on muck boots. Wished right then I would of had my hip boots. Kind of late for top water but wanted the noise of that in the murky water. I had finished up a few more balsa fly rod baits a couple days back and one of these was a tiny fry so I tied it on. This was a small one just an inch and three quarter body sized. The new line threw it fine even fighting the wind. With no wind I will be able to throw nice big streamers and bigger poppers and fries. I really like this line. Fished about a half hour. The bass liked the tiny fry really well with multiple blow ups from the same fish until they hooked themselves or I made the just right strip set to hook them myself . Brought five to hand and missed another four in that short time frame. Got my temporary fix. A couple of the fish and a shot of the tiny fry. Todays fish liked the fry stripped pretty fast with little or no pause between strips. This was also one of the best days for acrobatics. Each fish did multiple jumps which I have not seen in awhile, 

   BilletHead

[fishinwrench]

That's a cute little booger! 

I'm a big fan of the Outbound Short too.  Have you noticed that they cast and behave the best right before they start rotting off the core ?

[BilletHead]

   

 

That's a cute little booger! 

I'm a big fan of the Outbound Short too.  Have you noticed that they cast and behave the best right before they start rotting off the core ?

Have not had one do that yet but when the casting gets the best I will check for rotting . 

 BilletHead

[fishinwrench]

 

   

Have not had one do that yet but when the casting gets the best I will check for rotting . 

 BilletHead

Well WTH are you changing it for ?  ?

Send me your old one, I'll probably get 2 more years out of it.

[BilletHead]

       Hey Wrench,

 Think these pencil poppers will work?  May have to test them soon. I think they will throw better than a wide mouth short popper,

 

  BilletHead

[ness]

All this all right here....

...is sweet. 

[fishinwrench]

 

       Hey Wrench,

 Think these pencil poppers will work?  May have to test them soon. I think they will throw better than a wide mouth short popper,

 

  BilletHead

You bring a handful of those here in late October and I'll run us over to a little place where I know they'll get smashed !

??

[BilletHead]

  

 

You bring a handful of those here in late October and I'll run us over to a little place where I know they'll get smashed !

??

That could be arranged

   BilletHead

[BilletHead]

                  Fly fishing is an addiction to me. I thought about the fix I got yesterday morning all night. Every time I closed my eyes last night all I could see was erupting water and those stinkin green fish mid air. Up at Five AM like we are every morning. This was the Mrs. morning to work early walk in clinic. We both parted the house at six thirty. her to work and me to get another fix. This time I would have the kayak and not the crazy strong wind that was blowing yesterday. Rod built and kayak in the water I was paddling away from the truck at seven fifteen. No wind and cloudy. I could see water being disturbed by big fish chasing smaller fish and I began to feel like a child. Wide eyed and excited. I wanted to start throwing the little fry I had luck with before but decided to put on one of the larger balsa pencil poppers I had just finished. Guess what? They work and the new line on the 7wt pitched it out just fine with no wind to fight,

  Three pounds of stinkin green love right there .

     And it kept happening and they liked it,

 And another,

   Caught four real fast with the red white pencil. Then put the little fry on and began to tear them up,

    Found them around what little wood cover still in the lake and around some small willow bushes that were in the water. Paddled a ways along the bank then drop anchor. Fan   cast the shore line and repeat. I made four of five set ups like this and caught each place. One time got ten blow ups and landed eight in one of those spots. I would catch right on the bank stripping back to the kayak and some would blow up as I was lifting to cast again. Maybe two foot of water at the kayak. A view of the calm water,

 As I worked my way around the lake the wind began to pick up. I then anchored up out from a pair of fence posts.

  Some of this ponds background. It was a typical farm / fishing family pond. Way smaller than you see here. When I first started fishing here next to the fence posts was a big tree and you could see other trees that used to be the edge of this pond. When the owner turned over the farming part to another the new leaser worked the pond bigger during a low water period to make a big lake for irrigation purposes. So there is a deep bowl of sorts with slow tapering flats to the new existing lake edges. I set up on the shallow side of this picture and the lake deepens quickly on the other side of these fence posts. Flat hammered them here. Throw to the posts and strip the sputtering fry back. Then the sun came out and more wind. I quickly paddled to the flooded shelter house.

    Started throwing to the shady side doing my best to skip in and under. Missed a big boil on the left side post. I kept passing the fry by the post and missed another hit. Then I went and did it. Hit the post with the fry hard . Pulled in the fry to see a crack and chip in the little dude. Oh well I can dry and patch and I happen to know the fry builder. Real sunny now I tied on one of my articulating worms and caught the fish I missed and another in that spot. Puled anchor and paddled back to the truck. Loaded up and headed home. Happiness is a bass thumb,

     Caught conservatively thirty five. Missed a bunch too. Biggest fish three pounds plus. Average two pounds in the total. Guess my hook up rate on top water was sixty percent. With the worm a hundred percent. Glad I went big time. Quantitative participation map shows BilletHeadVille in the bulls eye for five plus inches in the next three days. Possible severe storms tonight. The farmer was pulling into field getting ready to work it surrounding the lake a I left. If we get the rain expected this place will be shot for a while. 

  BilletHead

[JestersHK]

Dang!  I need a pond like that.  I got out this morning with some family from upstate NY. We pounded the creeks out my way and caught bluegill, LM, and smallies but nothing that size.  I fished fly rod all day and morning top water was on fire for the gills.  Fun day indeed and a nice break from the spinning gear.