Tandem Streamer Rig

Last weekend I was watching an episode of The New Fly Fisher on PBS at some unholy hour that my 1 year old son decides to awaken most mornings.  On this particular episode, the host (some guy with a Canadian accent) was fishing for Largemouth and Smallmouth on some river in Canada.  He started off fishing deer hair frogs and poppers but eventually switched over to a streamer pattern.  I think at this point my son must have needed a diaper change so I missed what happened next but when I returned, all I heard was "He got the front fly."  Now I new the guy was throwing a streamer so my first thought was "What in the world of Canadian bacon and maple syrup are you talking about?"

The gentleman then went into an explanation that a tandem streamer rig was the go-to set-up on this particular river system for these particular species.  At that moment, the room must have lit up because a light bulb went off above my noggin.  The host then showed an up close look at his rig which included a seven foot leader that connected to a heavily weighted streamer pattern with about 2 feet of tippet tied from the bend of the hook to the next streamer that was smaller and lighter.  See the picture below for a visual representation.  The host went on to explain that the tandem streamer rig was to imitation schooling baitfish or to entice a fish with two different sizes or even species of baitfish.

Upon hearing this revolutionary idea, my next thought was "What in the heck have I been doing for the last 13 years of fly fishing for bass?"   It was a moment that made me question all that I had ever done in terms of throwing zonkers and woolies at bass.  To be honest, it made me feel kind of stupid and unimaginative.  But that's when I started to consider all of the possibilities and combinations of flies that I could throw at bass in the coming weeks to make up for all the time that I have seemingly lost.  I started to fascinate about double wooly combinations, a zonker trailed by a wooly, a sculpin-type fly with a muddler minnow chasing it down.

After I wiped the drool from my mouth and the drool from my son's mouth (he's teething), I started to resort back to my pragmatist way of thinking.  I wanted to see what others had done with a dual streamer rig and if there were any practical combinations that others had employed.  My internet searches led me to many results but the links below seemed to have the best information and tips.  Many of these articles describe how to go after trout with dual rigs, but the approach would seemingly be the same for bass.  I hope you find them useful and if you don't employ a dual streamer approach, I hope you give it a shot.  If you do, email me or leave a comment below and let me know pros and cons of the set-up.  I plan to give this rig a shot in the very near future and write about my findings.  Good or bad, you will hear about this again and hopefully it can help us both put some more fish in our hands.

http://1source.basspro.com/index.php/component/k2/67-fly-fishing/2959-how-to-fly-fish-tandem-streamer-rigs

http://www.orvis.com/news/fly-fishing/Tuesday-Tip-Tandem-Streamers/

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gone-fishin%E2%80%99/fly-fishing-5-top-tandem-rig-combos-tough-trout

http://www.flyfisherman.com/how-to/tactics/two-fly-nymph-rig/

http://therockyriver.com/the-complete-guide-to-the-tandem-rig/

http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/5-tips-better-streamer-fishing/7712015

Mentions Bass

http://www.floridasportsman.com/2016/02/09/tandem-fly-rigs/

Cultivated Carp 'Reverse Evolve,' Grow Scales Back

This is a fascinating article about selective breeding the scales off of common carp and essentially the creation or mirror carp.  What these fish were able to do was incredible and honestly, a little difficult for me to comprehend.  A very interesting read and thanks to my friend (and soon to be guest author) Busch for sharing this with me!

Cultivated Carp 'Reverse Evolve,' Grow Scales Back | Popular Science

This article reminded me of the capabilities that domestic hogs have when they escape into the wild.  This article goes into a little bit of detail about what they can do once they escape captivity.

Feral Hog Article Link:  http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2007/11/domestic_pigs_quickly_revert_t.html

Show Me Fish Page Updated

I just got done adding some new pictures to the "Show Me Fish" page and there are some dandies. There is a link on the right side of this page but I am including a link below.  Feel free to email me any pictures you want shared or post them to the site's Facebook page.  All I need is your first name, location, and weight or length of the fish.

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/showmeflyguy/

Show Me Fish Link: http://showmeflyguy.blogspot.com/p/show-me-fish.html

Email me your pictures: showmeflyguy@gmail.com

Emmrod

This is a crazy idea...crazy like a fox!  My buddy Busch, which you will be reading more about in the very near future, passed along an interesting product that he found online the other day.  The name of the company is called Emmrod and they have a very unique fishing rod.  You can see more pictures as well as a link below and it will definitely get your attention.  While I don't think I will ever purchase or use one, I can definitely see some practical applications and the idea looks to have some merit.  It seems like the perfect rod to pack while hiking or fishing out of a small boat.  If anyone owns one of these rods or has had any experience with one, I would love to hear and post your thoughts and experiences.

Link: Emmrod

 

The Quest For A Rumored 8 Pound Bass

A few days ago, an opening appeared in my busy schedule like clouds parting after days of rainfall.  My wife all but pushed me out the door and before I knew it, I was headed to a farm pond to do some fishing.

I have written about this particular farm pond before.  This is the pond that is rumored to have an 8 pound bass lurking in its depths and I even talked to a guy that claimed to have caught her.  I have fished the pond out of a float tube and out of a 2 man boat with another guy (Jordan, if you are a frequent reader of this site).  I have yet to see anything or catch anything over 5 pounds, but the idea that something MUCH larger is in the water is enough to make this pond my "go-to" location when I get to fish.  To be honest, I am starting to get a little obsessive over catching this beast.

On my trip last Sunday, I caught a couple of 2 pounders on poppers around sundown but that was it.  I knew my chances of catching "the big one" were not very good since it is the middle of the dog days of summer, but since it is still a farm pond, I figured there are still a limited number of places for this thing to hide.

I figure that my best chance to catch her is this fall when the weather begins to cool and the fish become more active so I will concentrate my efforts then.  However, this story is far from over and I will keep you posted if there is anything to report.  I REALLY want to catch this fish on a fly rod, but since I have never caught a bass larger than 6 pounds, I will resort to spinning tackle if necessary.  Finally, I have decided to name this particular fish Wendy.  Now we have a reference point and I selected the name because Wendy was my first girlfriend I ever had and I obsessed over her at the time like I am obsessing over this fish now.

The Fly Life- Where It Starts

Cameron Mortenson over at thefiberglassmanifeso.com shared this recently and it was so beautifully done that I had to share it as well.  Enjoy, especially if you share the same fishing affliction.

The Mother of All Fly Boxes

I took my boys to Cabela's in Wyandotte County, Kansas, the other day.  We had a great time looking at the mounts, aquarium, and all the hunting and fishing equipment and the best part was that I didn't lose a single kid.  Good stuff.  Anyway, if you read my posts very often, you have probably deduced that I am a pretty frugal guy in general and don't splurge on expensive fly fishing gear very often.  You can also deduce that I have an affinity for fly boxes and tackle organization.  That's why when we hit the bargain cave and I found the mother of all fly boxes on sale, I just about lost my mind.  My six year old son even told me to buy it.  This behemoth of a fly box was originally $55 and on sale for $26.  I hemmed and hawed a little but ended up deciding to go ahead and buy a fly box that can literally hold almost all of my other fly boxes.  You can only imagine my exalted joy when the lady at the register rang up the box and it came to $16.  Even though we were in a store, I'm pretty sure the clouds opened up outside and shone down upon the very spot that I was standing in.  Angles might or might not have sang.  My jaw hit the floor and a very high pitched but quiet squeal came out.  I was the proud owner of a fly box that might actually be too big to even be considered a carry-on at an airport.  I am including some pictures in order to give credence to my claims.

I included a fly rod, a standard size fly box, and a truck wheel for scale.

Changes Coming to this Site

Some of you may or may not know that I am a public school teacher.  I am fortunate enough to work with great kids and in a school that I have come to love as much as my hometown.  With that being said, the busiest part of my entire year is quickly approaching and that means that you might see a change in posts on this site.  I am going to do my best to keep posting daily during the week and keep content current and original.  However, be aware that I might miss a few days here and there might be a few more videos rather than first-hand fishing accounts.  Please keep visiting the site and hang in there with me.  Once the school year gets into a good routine and I get settled in, things will hopefully go back to normal.  Thanks for your patience as well as for visiting this site and feel free to send in your pictures and stories for me to publish.  I would love to hear more from the readers of this site don't hesitate to contact me with information about a trip, a day on the water, and/or some good pictures.  You can always reach me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

Tenkara Fishing Collective- Funny Dudes

The picture above is of a Tenkara rod.  If you don't know anything about Tenkara or if you didn't notice in the picture, there is no reel.  That's right...no reel.  Tenkara is an ancient method of fishing that has its origins in Japan.  It is the most simplistic and minimalist way of fishing that can resemble fishing with a can pole as much as fly fishing.  Below is a picture of how a basic Tenkara rod is set up.

If you want to learn more about Tenkara fishing, a simple internet search will yield lots of information and guidance.  However, this post is not necessarily about what Tenkara is or Tenkara fishing techniques.  Instead, I ran across a pretty funny Tenkara video the other day that I wanted to pass along.  I'm a little unsure about whether these guys are promoting or making fun of Tenkara, but I think overall, they are trying to grow the sport though humor.

A Sweet Articulated Fly from Frankenfly

There hasn't been a fly tying post in a LONG time so when I saw an intricate and complex (for me at least) articulate fly called the Yard Sale, I had to share a link to it.  This is an amazing looking fly with an endless possibility of color combinations.  I gotta think that this could be a great fall or spring largemouth pattern but sizes could be altered to make it a good muskie, pike, or brown trout fly.  Also, Paul over at Frankenfly is constantly sharing new materials, interesting fly patterns, and innovative tying techniques.  If you want to get started in the subculture of fly tying or just want to tie something new, his site is a great resource.

Link: Yard Sale 

How to Add 10 Feet to Your Fly Cast This Week | Field & Stream

This is a short (3 paragraphs) and concise refresher course on fly casting.  It would be great for a beginner or a nice reminder for someone more seasoned.  It definitely reminded me of some things that I need to pay a little more attention to.

How to Add 10 Feet to Your Fly Cast This Week | Field & Stream

Olympic Archery with Missouri Ties

This article strays from the fishing theme of this site, but IS a great story about an amazing young man from Missouri which DOES fit the theme.  If you haven't read about Zach Garrett from little Wellington, Missouri, and his Olympic journey, it is worth your time.  A great story from an amazing young man.

Link: Zach Garrett

Lake Trout in the Arctic with Amy

A coworker and friend of my wife recently got the chance to travel north of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories of Canada to do a little fishing.  Looks like it was a heck of a trip!

21 pound Lake Trout

25 pound Lake Trout

26 pound Lake Trout

33 pound Lake Trout

35 pound Lake Trout

Same 35 pound Lake Trout

A Tale of Two Catfish

I ran across two incredible blue catfish stories last week.  Here they are for your enjoyment and maybe a little envy.

Happy Birthday Young Fella

This big blue tipped the scale at almost 50 pounds but there is so much more to the story.  Brent Frazee wrote about it for the Kansas City Star and can be found at http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoors/article93727432.html


Albino Blue Cat

A friend of mine and loyal reader of this site sent me this picture last week.  This albino blue cat was caught on a rod and reel out of a canoe no less.  I'm not sure where it was caught, but an impressive fish none the less.

Gear Review- Echo Carbon XL

DISCLAIMER: I am not receiving any money, sponsorship, or free equipment from Echo, its parent company Rajeff Sports, or Rainbow Fly Shop.  I am posting the review completely on my own because I want to pass along some information about a fly rod that I am really impressed with and want to help give you an option should you be in the market for a fly rod in the near future.

About 6 months ago, I purchased an Echo 9 foot, 5 weight Carbon XL fly rod from Rainbow Fly Shop.  I was in the market for a nice 5 weight to trout fish with since my 6 weights felt a little overpowering when fighting a fish.  I decided on going with a 9 foot rod because I typically fish larger streams and lakes on top of the fact that almost all of my rods are between 8 and 1/2 to 9 foot rods.  I just like the ability to make long casts and feel of a 9 footer.  You can just call it personal preference and that would be pretty accurate.

Matt, the owner of Rainbow Fly Shop, had great things to say about Echo and all of their rods.  I also bought a 6 weight rod prior to the 5 weight and loved the overall feel of the rod.  I also agreed completely with Matt when he said that you can spend less money on an Echo as opposed to a higher end rod, but feel like you ended up with a higher quality rod without spending A LOT more money.  Matt was also kind enough to let me test out some rods in the parking lot with reels and line he provided as well as my own.

What I noticed first about the Carbon XL was how smooth it felt.  It felt like the perfect balance between a stiff, fast rod and the flexibility of a slower, softer rod.  I was amazed at how the "feel" I was expecting from my first 5 weight purchase actually matched the performance.  I knew what I wanted to feel and see in a 5 weight and my expectations were quickly met when I made my first cast.  I have never done a fly rod review before and I am struggling to find the right words to describe the overall performance of the rod other than to say it just felt right.  It also felt like I was casting a much more expensive fly rod and was very surprised to find the rod was within my small budget.  I was wanting to spend a little more than a hundred dollars on a rod, but was able to justify spending more because it was still less than an Orvis or Sage rod.

My new rod sat in my rod cabinet for a few months because...well...I'm a little weird.  I didn't want to take my new rod to a local pond to catch bluegill on its maiden voyage.  I instead decided to inaugurate it on Lake Taneycomo.  I wanted to try making some short casts, long casts, and play some nice rainbows and brown trout.  I also wanted to see how it played fish and what a 20 inch rainbow would feel like on this rod that felt so smooth when casting.  I didn't know if the two feelings would match up, but again, I was not disappointed.

I was hoping that a 5 weight would let me feel more connected to the fish.  To quantify that, I wanted there to be a deep bend in the rod, all the way to the handle, and I didn't want to feel like I was overpowering a fish like a trout.  Instead, it felt like I was evenly matched with the fish I was hooking that were in the 15-17 inch range and a little outgunned when I hooked into a 19 inch rainbow...which I liked.  I didn't want to feel like I was bringing in a bluegill on a broomstick with 20 pound mono and it felt like I was wrestling an opponent that was in my weight class.

Now I have had a soft spot for my 9 foot Cortland 6 weight for many years.  It has been my go-to trout rod for almost a decade and carried the moniker of "my favorite rod".  If there were a sash to be worn in my fly rod cabinet, "Courtney" as I sometimes refer to her would be adorned with bedazzled fabric...until now.  My Echo Carbon XL is now my favorite rod that I own when it comes to 5 and 6 weights and that is not writing in hyperbole.  If you are in the market for a new 5 weight, I highly suggest you give both Echo and Rainbow Fly Shop a try but don't just take my word for it.  Look at the price tag and make some casts and the two things might add up to a new fly rod going home with you.

Rainbow Fly Shop: http://www.kcflyshop.com/

Echo: http://echoflyfishing.com/

Quality Time Outdoors

Last weekend my oldest son and I had about 24 hours to head up to the cabin at our family farm in rural northwest Missouri.  We had a few things to get accomplished and none of them were pressing.  The most important thing was to hit the water and try to catch some largemouth.  A cold front came through last Friday that dropped temperatures and brought in a north wind.  Regarless, we had a chance to go fishing and we did so with the hope that regular fishing rules about post front conditions and not going forth with wind from the north don't apply as strongly to farm ponds.

Right off the bat, my son cast out his push-button reel with a John Deere mini jig under a bobber.  He claimed he had a fish but I was pretty sure that he was caught in some grass.  I was wrong.  Way to go son!

After that excitement, we started to work a plastic worm on the edges of grass that extended from the banks to the main body of the lake.  I was happy to hook the bass and Mason was glad to reel them in.  He did a great job landing a nice 2 pound bass and beamed with pride.  This was the biggest fish he has landed in his life.

We then decided to take a break from fishing and hang some trail cameras for the upcoming deer season.  We hung two cameras and in the process came across a young 7 point buck that seemed less spooked by our presence and more confused.  He slowly trotted away while occasionally looking over his shoulder.  We capped things off by pouring some plaster in a deep deer track and prying up the cast after it had dried.

The rest of the night included roasting hot dogs, making coyote calls, and telling ghost stories.  The smell of skunk woke us up at 5:20 and we decided to sleep in about 10 more minutes to avoid a secondary spraying.

I ended up catching one bass on a fly rod using a popper but working a plastic worm along the grass edges provided 6 more bass.  Mason also did a great job running the boat for the rest of the morning and put me in position to land more fish than I could have by myself.  The morning concluded by cleaning all of our fish for the owners of the lake.

While we didn't have a lot of time in terms of quantity, we sure made the most of it and made it quality.  I hope that he is able to look back on times like these when he is older and smile because I know I will.

Why Is There a Stereotype That You Have To Be Rich to Fly Fish?

Oooooooooh.  Yep, that makes us look like rich, stuck up snobs.  Thanks for furthering the stereotype Bentley.

Link to full Field & Stream article: Bentley Unveils Absolutely Nuts $300K Flyfishing SUV | Field & Stream

Austin's Trip to Yellowstone

If you frequent this site, you have probably seen pictures and stories about Austin.  He has been featured in carp fishing posts and won the first year anniversary give-away.  He also recently went on a two week trip to Yellowstone National Park and documented his trip for this website.  I am incredibly proud of him as a fisherman, a person, and a writer.  I have told him for years now that he could make a career of fishing and writing and I am proud to have him be this site's first guest writer.  I hope you enjoy hearing as much about his trip as much as I did.  It sounds like a trip of a lifetime!

Intro: A few weeks ago, I left for a 2 week trip to Yellowstone National Park with Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions, an adventure education company specializing in wilderness fly fishing trips for teens. The trip started with 12 teens, including me, meeting up at Jackson Hole Airport. From there we spent a night at a local campsite before the long drive to Yellowstone National Park. The following rivers and lakes were locations that the group and I fished during the trip:

Madison River: The first location we fished was the Madison River where we caught Whitefish and Brown trout with streamers and dries. An incoming storm left us with little time, so we did the best we could in the short, windy period.

Grebe Lake: Next, after a hike up to Grebe Lake, we waded into waist deep water to throw streamers, nymphs, and small dries to rising Grayling and Rainbow trout. We arrived around noon and fished the rest of the day. The strong winds made dry fly fishing almost impossible so we stripped in wooly buggers and hares ear nymphs to entice the small Rainbows and Grayling hiding in the lake. Later that evening, the wind died down and the bugs came out, causing the fish to start rising. As a result, we tied on Griffith's Gnats and Elk Hair Caddis' to match the hatch. After pulling out tons of little Grayling, we crawled into our tents before hiking back the next morning.

Tower Creek: The following location was Tower Creek, a small stream filled with hungry little Brook and Rainbow trout. We threw small stimulators and Elk Hair Caddis' all day with fish rising to them almost every cast.

Cache Creek/Lamar River: Later we hiked up to a backcountry campsite near the confluence of Cache Creek and the Lamar River. Here we caught our first Native Yellowstone Cutthroats, a beautiful little trout with bright orange slashes under its gills. The smaller fish were hiding in the pocket water of Cache creek, anxious to hit dries while the bigger fish were sitting at the bottom of the deep pools of the Lamar River, waiting for a big streamer to cross their path. We stayed at this campsite for 2 nights before heading to our next location.

Pebble Creek: At Pebble Creek we caught more hungry little cutthroats in the middle of a deep, rocky canyon. The next morning, half of the group left for Slough Creek while the other half would stay at Pebble Creek another night.

Soda Butte: While the other half of the group hiked up to Slough, my half stayed at the campsite and fished the Soda Butte. The Soda Butte was filled with deep pools where I was anxious to throw some of the articulated streamers I had been tying. I picked out a big fly and started to strip it near logs and other structures and pulled out lots of big cutthroats. One big fish even jumped out of the water after my fly right when it hit the water.

Slough Creek: The next day, my half of the group made the long and steep hike up to the second meadow at Slough. After setting up my tent, I walked down to the stream and tied on the black streamer that I had caught fish on the previous day (The fly earned the name "Blackie Chan"). I caught a fish on my first cast and I knew that it was going to be an incredible day. Fish after fish swiped at our flies and everyone caught some very large fish. At the end of the day, everyone was telling stories of all the fish they had caught and we couldn't wait to the float the Snake River.

Snake River: The last fishing trip of the expedition was a guided float on the Snake River by World Cast Anglers. We fished from drift boats and caught lots of Fine-Spotted Cutthroats. All of the fish were caught on hoppers and s​treamers and the trip could not have ended in a better way.