A town without one is a barren town, where there are no shamrocks drawn in foam, where sparkling wine is allowed to be ordered, and where Shane Macgowan is heard only in minivan commercials. A town with one has a first line of defense against Applebees.
The fly line entangled in some shoreline debris and I looked down to yank it free, and at that moment a green shape chose to cut through the water to my popper. I had no tension on the line so I watched its fat profile surge and descend on the popper, create a brief interlude of chaos and disappear. The excessively corpulent type of largemouth, the kind that would give FLW types arrhythmia, has eluded me for 12 years, ever since a memorable encounter on a small lake in Michigan. Since then I’ve had to settle for the small to decent to merely large. The near misses are haunting. In the end it gets added to the personal rolodex of frustration, along with the…
Tagged: largemouth bass
I’m a fan of the split level fishing photo, where half the shot is underwater and half is above, like this. Or this. But when I stick my waterproof point and shoot (with the 73 second shutter delay) in there, they come out like this: Or this: There’s a reason some people get paid for what they do.
Tagged: lurgemauth bayse, real photographers
…could be because something’s bogging it down.
Tagged: Fly Fishing, largemouth bass, poppers
Maybe it’s the need to further simplicity, maybe it’s a stubbornness to stick with a go-to that continually works over a broad spectrum of species and conditions. But fish that eat other fish tend to like these hard-headed flies with big eyes and synthetic hair. With stuff like Clear-Cure Goo they take two minutes to tie and last until you lose them or your knot fails. I’ve likely repeated this thought far too many times in photos and typed words, but until something doesn’t work, it does. Know what I’m saying?
Tagged: eat me flies, fIREHOSE, peacock bass, simplicity
I believe in the clear. I’ve been intrigued by Monic fly lines since first reading about the clear, monofilament-cored floating lines on Midcurrent. An article there by Paul Bruun outlays its history. It’s been around since 1993, so I’m a little late to the game, but for the most part it seems to have a fanbase among anglers with a specific skill set–those casting to bonefish, tarpon and permit. I decided to give it a go, opting for the All Weather Clear Floating Line in a 6 weight. I’ve fished it five days so far this year–all in warm water Florida lakes with large littoral zones, shallow bowl canals or box cut canals with extremely clear water. In all cases it’s stillwater or with…
Tagged: floating line, monic fly line, use
On a cold, dark night on a Spanish stair. (Or a warm windy day as the bite turned on at sunset.) Fished for an hour at dusk, mostly achieving nothing. I don’t know if it was the change in fly or the time of day but a flip switched and the hits finally started coming. Weird things start happening when you stick your point and shoot underwater and there’s not much light.
Tagged: Dylan, peacock bass
Pierced, spiked and branded, with the austere bars of Black Flag.
Tagged: Flurda, forced fly fishing analogies, peacock bass
Doing a little free-word association, what comes to mind with the jack crevalle. Whether they’re half-pounders or 20-pounders, jacks are just mean. Nobody’s going to put together a four-digit travel budget plan to chase them but when they’re around and engaged in brutality against the lesser species (known as bait), tie on your most durable popper and be glad for it. BONUS COVERAGE: More free word association. Tarpon. Ascendancy. False Albacore. Velocity. Trout. Sagacity. Peacock bass. Vibrancy. Bluefish. Savagery. Carp. Quixotical. This could go on.
During my Friday rundown of blogs I enjoy, I came across this perceptive post on the cultural phenomenon that is the Florida Keys Happy Hour. Well said, sir. (Be sure to click on the mugshots.)
Tagged: Happy Hour, Headhunters Fly Shop
