Fathers Day on the Creek

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feat

Heck, it was almost exactly 2 years since I caught my first Smallie. ( on Fathers Day coincidentally ) and Ive been addicted ever since.

Im not sure if the fight they put up is typical of a Small Mouth Bass or typical of a fish in a wild river or creek? Ive never caught a Smallie in a pond or stocked lake. Comparing it to any other Creek Creature Ive gotten into, I would say its their wild nature.

In any event this past Fathers Day was no exception, got onto the water and got onto some fish. I took to a new stretch that I haven’t been on aside from some post winter exploring. The water was slightly stained with a slow lazy flow. I casted in a size 8 or 10 auburn wooly and hoped. This stretch of creek is famous ( to me ) for small Smallies. 9-12” Max, a lot of little 7” smallies that jump like the Feistiest Trout you would ever dream of getting into.

Just under a crazy high bridge I got into a nice large bruiser. He fought like  a BEAST and had my 7’6 Fly rod doubled over! I was jazzed and apprehensive keeping a steady eye on my newly repaired Rod Tip. But if it were to snap again, I wouldn’t mind! it took a while to land him and he actually did a figure 8 around my legs which made things crazy tricky!

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I waded on for a few more hours getting into more and more fish. Absent were the Blue Gills and Creek Chubs which is an odd thing for this creek. Temps were around mid to low 80s. I would think I would be beating them off with a stick. At the very least the lack of baitfish, crayfish, etc made me nervous. But I persevered and had some great luck!

 

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I casted on and the day started to wear on me. Fish were far and few between casts and I lumbered back downstream towards the car. I felt like I was MILES In but probably about 1 mile at best. I switched patterns up a few times trying to entice a hit and finally nailed another big beaut!

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I probably got into 15 or so besides the photo worthy above. It was a great evening of fishing and a great end to Fathers Day! I invited my son but he had some Star Wars cartoon catching up to do.. and at 9.. I can respect that. Its been awhile since I waded alone anyway. It felt good to be out there on my own, working things at my own pace. It definitely paid off!

Minimalist Fishing Gear Pt II

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RS_Rogue_Featured

So I started out looking for a way to carry “just enough” with me in such a way that wasnt fancy or over complicated. I settled on an Altoids Tin and thought, you know what, this can be improved. This can be made MORE efficient. I took a shot at it and with an Altoids Tin, Dental Floss container and Retractable Key Chain I came up with a pretty nifty and efficient fishing box that clips on a belt, pants waist or just slides into your back pocket.

First off the materials.

One Standard Size Altoids Tin. Any Flavor. :)

One Dental Floss Kit.

One Retractable Keychain. ( YMMV )

All things were purchased at my local CVS. The Retractable Key chain is the only real wildcard here. I actually bought it for the belt clip on the back and had no idea how I would load Tippet or Leader into the box. When I took the Belt Clip off and deconstructed it I found that it lent itself PERFECTLY to spooling and dispensing Tippet. Other Key chains might work, some might not. There are a load of different ways you can load and store Tippet however. But this design does it very very well.

First off I took apart the Key chain and discarded the coiled spring and wire for the retracting mechanism. You are left with the spool the wire wrapped around and its housing.

I placed the Key chain housing inside and orientated the opening for the old Key chain wire where I wanted the Tippet to come out from. I then marked its center for the screw to hold it in place and punched a hole with small nail for the Tippet to exit the Altoids Tin.

Once that was in place I fed Tippet through the punched hole into the box and attached it to the spool. I then just finger spun it until my Orvis 3X tippet was transferred to the Keychain spool. As you can see, the spool itself looks just like a fishing line spool. It fits snuggly into its housing around its post. I placed the cap back on and screwed it in place. To reload with new Tippet just unscrew, remove the spool and finger wind new Tippet on.

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Now that I had a Tippet Delivery system I had to come up with a way to cut it and hold the Tag end. This is where the Dental Floss Trimmer comes in. Simply open the Dental Floss Kit and slide the trimmer out. The Trimmer is a very small Clip, just like the Belt Clip that came with the Key chain.

You can just decide where you want the trimmer to be and either cut a small slit in the Altoids Tin as I did and slide the Clip into it. ( secure with glue if needed ) or snip the back part of the trimmer off and super or epoxy glue it flat onto the Tin itself.

 

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The backside of the Tin has the Belt Clip. The Screw holding the Belt Clip in place screws right into the Tippet Spool inside and is firm. I chose to orientate it upside down so if I were to open the Tin while it was clipped to my belt or pocket that any loose flies wouldn’t tumble out but instead fall onto the lid.

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Action Shot!

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There is still plenty of room inside for Flies. I haven’t affixed any backing to secure the flies yet. You can put some larger ones in the container and some smaller Dries and Nymphs along the inside of the lid. I used a ribbed foam but in the interest of clearance and space Microslit foam might be JUST the ticket!

There you have it.

Flies

Nippers

Tippet

Can you think of any improvements? Drop a comment!! Im looking to size down the Tippet Spool and increase the Fly Storage. Although as it is now I have enough room for about 6 Buggers and 16 or so Drys and Nymphs!


 Finn

 

 

Thanks all for reading! Interested in any ideas anyone might have. Once I finalize on a finished box Im happy with Ill toss up a step by step for anyone to give it a shot. But just from the images above I think its pretty self explanatory!

When I used it today on a feisty Crappie it worked well. While it didn’t really assist in getting me on fish, it did stay affixed with no issue to my pocket. It did flip open and stay at a 90 degree angle while I switched flies. The Cutter not only cut off new leader for me while holding the the unused tag in place, but also cut the tag end off of my fly without holding the dead tag and STILL keeping the excess from my last cut in place.

I played with removing the belt clip so it will slide in the chest pocket more stealthily but after today, it makes more sense to have it on your pocket or belt and let it hang open while you grab a fly keeping  a hand free then just slapping it shut when you are ready to go as pictured in the first image way up top and this one below.

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Call to all Minimalist Fishing Geeks

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Minimalist Fishing Gear?

As of late when I open my trunk next to the closest creek to me.. Im a little taken aback. Its one empty cat food container away from an episode of Hoarders. Where did I get all of this? How much of this do I use? How many choices does one man need?

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I think we all ponder this question every now and then and usually the answer is very Boy Scout in nature- Always be Prepared.  That being said, I do reach for the same bag, same rod and reel and same hat just about every time. And, if I broke it down further, I use the same flies or lures and same tippet size or Jigs/hooks. But why limit?

Here is why-

Ease of use, lack of clutter, quicker decisions. lighter travel, overall efficiency. Can I come up with about 8 or so Flies that would cover most situations? Barring colors and distinct hatches.. Yeah, I can get pretty close to what I need. There is something to be said for hopping onto a trail, or blazing a trail, with nothing but a Fly Rod and a small container of flies. No pockets and latches or whatnot to dig through and get in the way. No making sure your bag isn’t taking a dip in the creek your are now crouched in or chest deep in.

That’s goddamn romantic. Its ROGUE!

Alas, Im no Rogue nor am I romantic. Im lazy. Too lazy to even put it in all caps. Which brings me right back to minimizing what I carry. Unburden my Angling soul and mortal coil. Lets get to it- What will it take to be a Minimalist Fisher? Compact Angler?

First off. I need an all in one container. Ive given this some thought and went through trying to find the smallest container I can cram the most stuff into. My mind raced until I landed on another avenue.

Find a container I can customize to DO what I need my tools to do and HOLD what I need held. I landed on the ever popular ALTOIDS TIN. Trusted by many anglers to throw some flies in and pop off for a long walk. But what of extra tippet? Nippers? I guess you can coil some up or stick them in another pocket…

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What if I popped the Dental Floss trimmer off of a box and glued it to the Altoids tin? Im Swiss Army Knifing this container!  Upon coming up with this idea I thought to myself, “Self.. your not this smart..” and I Googled “dental floss trimmer for fishing” The very first result returned? A patent for a container to hold Tippet. A patent for a tool to attach to a Tippet spool to cut the line, another patent for another container with a cutter on it.. I get it. I’m not this smart. But other people are and they are on the same road I’m on.

A quick trip to CVS for a Dental Floss container my wife will not mind me cannibalizing and another secret ingredient that I think makes this a bit different then all other “All in Ones” out there. I actually put it together as I was typing this article up and it is sitting in front of me somewhat finished.

 

So where is the finished product? COMING SOON after a quick Field Test! And I have to say, it was easier to achieve then I thought. It can be improved upon but for its purposes, its a slick little set up!

Stay tuned!!

Driftless Wisconsin : Trout On!

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Driftless Brown Trout

In a previous post from the close of the Trout season in Wisconsin last year I recorded my utter humiliation. I outlined my 4 hour drive to the Driftless Region of Wisconsin to stalk spooky and sacred Trout. It was less than successful and although I stated I would return for a second try.. in my heart I didn’t have it in me.  To fail so miserably at something you hold so dear is pretty heart breaking. I watched video after video before and after my trip last year and it all seemed so mysterious and Zen. Hunching down behind milkweed, craning your arm up and casting from seemingly nowhere so as not to alarm the trout. It all seemed so awkwardly ‘not me’. It wasn’t how I fished when I was there and what I thought was my downfall. I’m just no that kind of angler. And I was OK with that.. but being so taken with Fly Fishing, it seemed like something I had to accomplish.

For my 40th birthday my wife booked us a weekend at a Cabin right on Castle Rock Creek in Grant County Wisconsin. Friday night to Monday morning would be spent fishing. I spent the entire week leading up to the trip doing little things. No, I didn’t buy a fly vest or Lanyard. No, I didn’t sharpen my hooks and flatten my barbs or try on countless scarves to protect my face. I bought two proper leaders and a handful of nymphs. I knew what I wanted to do and had an idea of how I was going to do it.

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We arrived on Friday around 5pm and unpacked the car. After walking around the cabin for a few minutes I stated “Im heading out.. just going to hit Castle Rock Creek right below us..be right back..” 3 hours later I was.

I started at Castle Rock creek and it was much like my first Driftless adventure. Chocolate Milk water. Some riffles, nothing great. The only difference was the 10,000 ‘cant see em’ flies buzzing around my face. ( why didn’t I buy a fancy scarf!!!) I attempted to cast a few times while swatting bugs and untangling my line from the surrounding brush and trees. Nothing.

I went back to my car and decided this wasn’t going to be the sum of my first day here. I pulled up my GPS where I had loaded about a months worth of area research into. I found the next closest creek to me. Blue River, 3 separate locations. I headed on over and started again.

I exited the car, checked my gear and sprayed down with 98% deet! I walked over to the creek and stood on the bank looking at the area. A nice bridge with a deep pool under it, some riffles and shallow water upstream. Clear water with  a rocky bed.

Perfect.

I casted under the bridge like any midwest angler would do. And I was rewarded with my first ever Brown trout.

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Yup. That is about the size of it. I caught another one a few minutes later in the same spot. Picture looks about identical. YOU CANT HOLD THESE THINGS! I was super excited and my mind was racing. Right water, right cast, nothing special. In that minute I had demystified trout fishing. It WAS doable. Its just… ‘fishing’.

I kept on, persevered. My technique was casting upstream into the riffles or faster flowing water and just letting my nymph come back to me. I would pick up the slack with quick stripping and then BAM! TROUT ON!

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AND AGAIN!

 

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This was day one, hour one and I already caught more trout then the 10 hour trip last year. I actually beat my record when I caught the first one. Things were looking great and if these were the only fish I caught all weekend, well, Id be OK with that as well.

But they were not.

Without thinking or planning my days ended up like this. Exploring new water every morning, fishing favorite water in the afternoon. I didn’t think I would fish at all on teh day that we arrived but I had fished and explored three creeks in the first two hours of being there. That night I scribbled down and mapped out 3 more new creeks to try and when I woke up I hit them all.

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All in all over the weekend I hit the following creeks-

  • Doc Smith
  • Blue River
  • Big Spring
  • Caslte Rock
  • Bronson Creek
  • Otter Creek
  • Lee Creek
  • Coon Valley Creek
  • Six Mile
  • Platte River

My favorite by far was Blue River, the most challenging by far was Big Spring. Blue River had deep holes and great pools, riffles galore. It was clear, but not too clear. It had easy casting and I had the most success on it.

Big Spring was GIN CLEAR. You could see the trout stacked up, hitting surface bugs and going back down. You just couldnt catch any of them. I walked upstream a bit and got into the water and started my process of casting up into the riffles and letting the nymph come back to me and it worked. But only once.

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I had the easiest time catching trout in fast water. I had the hardest time catching them when they were slurping bugs on the surface. This is what the Trout Anglers speak of when they talk about patience and the entomology involved in Trout Fishing. They were hitting some kind of insect. I didn’t know what they wanted and floated past every dry I had. They would let it pass then hit something right after it. Hard. Since I couldn’t see what they were hitting I have to assume if I had something a size 20 or 22 I would have had better luck but my smallest fly by design was a size 18. ( Horrible eyes…)

This was a shame because I could see they were LARGE BROWNS! Sometimes their entire head would come out of the water and slam something. My frustration at some point led me to just walk away when I saw them hitting the surface instead of trying to tempt them. I found it best to drive past water I probably wouldn’t enjoy and spend time where I felt the most comfortable. My mistake last year was fishing water simply because I was pointed to it and working it hard for hours and hours. Water I never would have fished or enjoyed fishing.

All fish caught were Brown Trout. I would have loved a Rainbow or Brook but they weren’t to be had. I suspect if I would have worked a section longer or returned to a few sections a few times throughout the weekend I would have gotten not only into other Trout but larger Trout as well. I was in exploration mode. I wanted my next trip to be a meaningful one and this long weekend was about finding the water I like and having some success on it. The next trip will be going deeper into the creeks and streams I enjoyed and working a little harder for the larger fish.

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If I have any advice for fishing the Driftless Area it would be this-

Do not limit yourself to one body of water.

If you drive past a Trout Stream and it looks too shallow for you or too chocolate milky, drive to the next one. Do not fish it just because its a trout stream. Fish what you enjoy. It will help you read the water better and be an all around better experience.

Follow your own instincts. Fish are where you think they are. Almost always. Deep Pool? Fish. Structure? Fish. Tailwater? Fish. Take that truth and be true to yourself as well. Fish the water you like to fish and it will not matter what you catch.

 

Driftless- Ill be back!

I mean.. hey, I bought a shirt and everything…

Driftless