Hamilton City Lake (Reservoir)- The Conclusion

The last time I was at Hamilton City Lake, it beat me. I have never taken defeat lightly. I used to cry when I lost a middle school or high school basketball game. It wasn’t always out of self pity. It was sometimes out of frustration. I would get upset that my best wasn’t good enough. I would get angry that my preparation and sacrifice didn’t conclude with a victory. I’m still that way.  I’m a perfectionist. I want to be the best. I want to win because losing hurts.  It’s not that I love winning. I just hate losing. That is what drives me. 

So when a new plan was needed for Hamilton City Lake. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting different results. If flies didn’t work, it was time to move to the most productive method of fishing ever invented. It was time to fish with bait.

I have had a lot of success fishing for hybrid striped bass on Watkins Mill Lake with chicken livers. While I haven’t caught anything massive, I’ve caught a lot of wipers with this method. I was hopeful that this strategy would work on this lake and I didn’t see why it couldn’t work. So with two buckets of chicken livers, my dog Waylon, and my buddy Justin, I put away the flies and fly rods and brought out the spinning rods and circle hooks.

Things started off slow.  It was the kind of slow that can make you worry about your decision making.  There was little to no activity on the surface.  We weren't marking many fish on the electronics.  We weren't getting any bites.  It made me wonder if this chicken liver trick was something that only worked on certain bodies of water.  I thought about that for a long time and settled on the idea that such a thing just didn't seem possible.  It was about the time that I arrived on this conclusion that Justin had a fish steal his liver.  Then it happened again.  And then it happened for a third time.  This gave us hope that maybe things were about to improve.  

Things did improve...to a point.  I landed the first three fish that hit my chicken liver and then Justin started catching them as well.  We went through spurts of ferocious activity followed by lulls in the action.  It was similar to the activity that we see at Watkins Mill.  It seems like you will get into a school of hybrids, catch a bunch, and then either the boat moves or the school moves on.  Regardless, it was a blast and a huge boost to our collective confidence.  

As we drifted, we started to discuss our lack of catching anything with size.  Neither at Watkins Mill or at Hamilton City Lake have we caught anything in the four pound range or bigger.  Is this because there are just fewer "big fish" in food pyramid?  Is it because the bigger hybrids don't eat chicken livers?  Do the smaller fish get to the bait before the bigger ones can?  Are we not fishing deep enough?  These were all things we discussed and things that haunt me to this day.  At some point during our pondering of the mysteries of the universe, I got a hit.  I knew right away it was the biggest fish of the morning for either of us and I got to utter five of the sweetest words that have ever been joined together in a sequence.  I said, "Hey buddy, get the net!"

During the fight, Justin and I both observed that the fish wasn't making any long runs or headed in the opposite direction of the boat.  We noticed it was trying to get to the bottom and that there was a slow but steady determination to this fish.  I think we realized at the same time that this was not a hybrid.  He guessed that it was a catfish and we were right.  Regardless of the species, it was a great fight and a fun catch.  We picked up a few more hybrids as the morning moved along, but still, nothing "big" ended up in the boat.

So there is my review.  You probably ended up with more questions than answers, like myself.  I think this lake holds big fish and I'm not just referring to the hybrids.  I think this lake could hold some big bass as well.  However, the lack of structure and morning topwater activity makes me wonder if the 50 mile, 1 hour drive is worth it.  I think I would rather fish Watkins Mill because I am more familiar with and holds more structure.  Watkins Mill is closer to my house, I can run my outboard motor at a no wake speed (Hamilton is electric motor only), and seems to have comparable-sized hybrids.  If I had bait casting gear, heavy weights, soft plastics, and maybe live scope, I would hit this lake with everything I have!  

Will I go back to Hamilton City Lake in the future?  I might but it is not high on my list of priorities.  It's pretty, quiet, and definitely has fish in it.  It just doesn't seem to fit my style of fishing and is a pretty good haul from my house.  However, if you've never fished this lake before and want to explore it for yourself, I say go for it!  There is a nice dock, a decent boat ramp, and a vault/pit toilet.  It's located about 10 miles from I-35 and within site of highway 36.  It has a shelter house, some picnic tables, and a small gravel parking lot as well.  So if you're looking for new fishing spot in the Kansas City/Northwest Missouri area, you might dig it!

 

Hamilton City Lake (Reservoir)- Part 1

Hamilton City Lake- https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/hamilton-city-lake

So there I was, standing under an oak tree with Waylon and waiting out a small pop-up storm at Watkins Mill State Park.  It had come out of nowhere and put a healthy amount of fear in me since I was in my raft and only able to row back to the boat ramp at a less-than-desirable speed.  Anyway, after watching the skies and the AccuWeather app on my phone, and as I was trying to decide if I was going to head home or get back on the water, I was joined by a couple of fellow anglers that were trying to solve the same riddle.  As we contemplated our future endeavors, we began to swap fishing stories.  It was then that they started to describe a lake that, according to one angler, had bigger and more hybrid striped bass than the body of water that we were currently on.  They said it was called Hamilton City Lake.  This got my attention and started to burrow its way into my brain.  

For the next two days, I researched the lake as much as I could.  I used the Missouri Department of Conservation website, AI, and called some buddies to find out everything I could about the lake.  What I found out was that the lake, allegedly, held a population of both hybrid striped bass AND largemouth bass that were both large and plentiful.  While the lake was twice as far from my front door as Watkins Mill, the idea of more and bigger fish held an potential opportunity that I couldn't stop dreaming about.  A couple of days later, and I was north bound in my truck with my raft in tow and a child-like enthusiasm and an excessive amount of enthusiasm.  

When I arrive at the lake, I was greeted by two things.  One was a serious lack of structure.  There were very few trees along the bank or in the water.  Two was the large amount of aquatic vegetation.  It not only grew along most of the bank but extended well into the lake as well.  This was not the type of situation that I was used to fishing but I brushed it aside.  I wasn't here to fish cover and structure for largemouth or bluegill.  I was there to chuck streamers for hybrid striped bass.  All I needed was a main channel and a little wind to move me.  Some wipers chasing shad to the surface and feeding on them would have been helpful, but I wasn't counting on that.  So with my Maxxon 7 weight rod, some sink-tip fly line, and a streamer, I pushed off the bank and rowed my raft to what looked like deep water.

To make a long story short, I got skunked.  I threw a fly for almost 2 and 1/2 hours with only a couple of slight bumps and taps to show for my efforts.  However, I wasn't shocked.  It can be difficult to get a hybrid striper to bite.  It is a challenge to get a fly down to them if they are suspended.  They seem to feed in windows and can get tight-lipped sometimes.  On the bright side, I did see shad and saw some hybrids break the surface here and there.  I even saw a guy catch a decent one off the dock as I was taking my boat out of the water.

Was I disappointed?  Yes.  Does disappointment and failure motivate me?  Absolutely.  I decided that I was going to return back to the lake with a new tactic and that's exactly what I did.  Stay tuned for the conclusion to this series.

Captain Quint Streamers are Now For Sale on Etsy!

Shad Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517079943/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

Baitfish Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517080027/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

Sucker Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4519068470/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

After some field testing, tweaking, and catching some good fish on this pattern, I have decided to place this fly in the online fly shop.  All three color combinations have worked in different places this year so I have confidence in the size, action, and color combos that are in the shop.  I know I have said this before but I don't try to sell flies that just look good to fly fishers.  I try to sell flies that will help folks catch fish.  I can wholeheartedly say that this fly looks good dry, even better wet, and catches fish.  It would be an honor to complete an order for you and most orders ship within 48 hours.  All flies are tied by me and I never outsource any of my flies.  Thank you for your support and for supporting my endeavors!

Shad Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517079943/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

Baitfish Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517080027/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

Sucker Imitation- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4519068470/2-pack-of-roamer-fly-variant-lunch-money

What a Week! Fishing 6 Out of 8 Mornings was GOOD STUFF!

Well, my second week of summer break was pretty eventful.  I got the chance to fish with some great people and have fun in the outdoors.  I spent a little time "guiding" and a little time fishing for myself.  When I use the term "guiding," I don't mean that in a professional, I'm-getting-paid-for-my-services way.  I'm not a guide.  That would be an insult to actual guides.  However, I'm trying to help some folks catch some fish and develop some skills that will be important if/when I do become an actual guide.  Enough about that though.  Let's go to the highlights.

Monday, June 1

I had the pleasure to take my buddy, Riley (son of a coworker), to Lone Jack Lake in Lone Jack, Missouri, to chase some bass and bluegill.  We fished out of my raft and used 1/80 ounce jigs under an indicator to catch some nice bluegill with the biggest being 9 inches long.  The bite turned off around 10:30 but Riley landed 10 fish, on his own and on the fly rod he got for his birthday.  He has some serious skills for a 6th grader and it was fun to help put him on some fish!

Tuesday, June 2

My coworker and friend Justin is a busy man these days.  Aside from being a teacher and a father of two kids, he also has a 3 month old baby at home.  Lately, it has been hard for Justin to find time to get on the water.  When he did get a chance to fish, I wanted to help him catch some fish.  While Justin doesn't need any help casting or selecting flies, I decided to row Justin around in my raft and put him in spots to be successful.  He landed a couple of respectable bass on a Captain Quint at Rocky Hollow in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and it was a beautiful morning spent with my friend.

Wednesday, June 3

This was a day off. 

Thursday, June 4

This day was dedicated to taking my youngest son, Cody, to Watkins Mill State Park in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.  I wanted to help him catch some bluegill on a fly rod.  More importantly, I wanted to help him catch some fish on a fly that he tied.  While he had done this before, I was hoping that a morning of putting a bunch of fish in the boat would help him build some confidence in his fly fishing abilities.  While he did land a few, it was a slow day.  I'm guessing that a lot of bluegill were spawning which resulted in fewer bites.  That's all that I can think of because the usual fish weren't in their usual spots or doing their usual things.  Regardless, we saw some wildlife and shared a lot of laughs.

Friday, June 5

I'll be honest, I wanted to do a little fishing for myself on this particular day but I didn't want to go to the trouble of hauling, unloading, loading, and rowing a boat.  After a lot of consideration, I landed on the option of chasing gar at the Smithville Lake spillway in Smithville, Missouri.  I was hoping that the wind would stay down, we would have the place to ourselves, and the gar would be stacked up.  That's exactly what I got and the conditions were perfect.  Cody joined me and was my net man.  I hooked five fish and landed two.  Some bites were subtle and others were so aggressive that I was able to lay in to some solid hook sets.  

What made this morning particularly interesting was that I landed the same gar twice.  I put one hook in his cheek, right below his left eye after he t-boned my fly.  Cody and I eventually made our way to the other side of the spillway where I hooked a similar sized gar.  It was Cody that noticed the bloody spot on the cheek of the gar and said, "Dad, that's the fish you caught earlier!"  The little guy was right!  This made for a story that we have told multiple times and was a great memory.

Saturday, June 6

This too was a day off. 

Sunday, June 7

The alarm went off at 3:45 on this particular day and if you were going where I was going, you would not have had a problem getting up before sunrise either.  I apologize for not being able to tell you where I went but please understand that it is out of respect for my friend, Eric.  The lake we went to is special to Eric and what I would consider his home lake.  While it is public water, I don't want to reveal the spot he has chosen to share with me.  What I CAN tell you is that we had ourselves a spectacular morning of chasing largemouth bass and big bluegill on flies.

I'm not sure how many bass we put in the boat but every one of them was duped by a Captain Quint.  Each bite came in shallow water and within the first couple hours after sunrise.  Eric's fish came on a shad colored streamer and mine came on a baitfish colored streamer.  Eric caught his biggest bass on a fly rod and the most bass he's ever caught on a fly rod!  I landed a few myself with a couple of them being in the 2-3 pound range.  

The first few bass of the day hit the subsurface fly with serious aggression and the bites seemed to get a little more subtle as the morning waned.  After the bass fishing slowed, we chased bluegill with the hope that some of the 8-9 inch fish in this lake would take our flies.  Like Watkins Mill earlier in the week, the bluegill just didn't seem to be where they usually were or eating what they usually ate.  Again, I think it might be due to them spawning, but I can't be certain.  

At some point, we switched back to Captain Quint streamers in the hopes that a few bass were still in the mood to eat breakfast.  We landed a few more bass and most of them were in the 1 pound range.  What really flipped our lids was the fact that Eric caught a crappie on a Captain Quint!  The fish was 10 or 11 inches and while it wasn't huge, we were surprised to see that it fit the entire 3 inch streamer in it's mouth.  It didn't have a lot of room so spare so it must have some sort of precision guidance system that it employs.  

It was a heck of a run and a great start to my summer break.  The mornings were the ones I daydream about while teaching.  I wish that life allowed us to do what we want, when we want, on a regular basis.  In today's society, it seems like responsibilities take up more of your time as you get older.  I cannot describe the joy that I have felt as a result of some free time and respite from work-related duties.  I wish we could all have more time to dedicate to things that make us happy and I know that I am fortunate to have a summer break.  I try to make the most of my time and dedicate a chunk of it to being on the water.  I hope you're able to do what makes you happy this summer as well!

 

Catch and Release T-Shirts Are Now Available on Etsy

Large Catch and Release T-Shirts- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517125460/large-catch-and-release-t-shirt-go-on

Extra Large Catch and Release T-Shirts- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517093125/extra-large-catch-and-release-t-shirt-go

Ordering the Catch and Release t-shirt just got a whole lot easier!  Rather than going through me to order a short, it is now as simple as going to my Etsy store and buying one through the website.  This is a much more streamlined process which will hopefully make it easier for people to buy one if they want one.  I will get your shirt in the mail within 48 hours and should arrive before Father's Day if that is the reason you are buying one.  Don't forget, each shirt comes with free shipping, a fly, a sticker, and a letter of appreciation for your purchase.  I apologize for only having larges and extra larges in stock right now.  I had a small number of shirts made in order to test the market for demand.  If I sell all of these, I will order more and in more sizes.  Quantities are limited so get one while you can!

Large Catch and Release T-Shirts- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517125460/large-catch-and-release-t-shirt-go-on

Extra Large Catch and Release T-Shirts- https://www.etsy.com/listing/4517093125/extra-large-catch-and-release-t-shirt-go

The Raft is Complete...For Now!

I have been using my raft a lot lately and one thing had been begging for a fix.  It was my fly rod storage system.  It had give me a lot of engineering and problem solving fits.  It always seemed to shift too much and not be sturdy enough.  Compounding the problem was the fact that I wanted to attach the PVC tubes to a set of oars (to conserve space in the boat) and then attach that setup to the frame.  After different versions and failed attempts, I think I can cross this project off the list.  

I ended up inserting a piece of 1 X 4 pressure treated wood between the oars and PVC tubes.  This gave me a fly surface that I could use and drill into for zip ties and cam straps.  This was also necessary because of the oar stops that keep the diameter of the oars from being uniform throughout the length of the oars.  I found out that attaching round surface to flat surfaces and then again to round surfaces is a challenge.  However, when I was able to incorporate the oar mount for leverage, that minimized the horizontal shifting.  

I'm not going to get into more detail with this project because I assume you either have no need for the info or you have already solved your own problem of having fly rod holders in your raft.  The main idea of this post is to announce that I am calling this raft officially set up for fishing...until something breaks or I find another area of improvement like needing more storage space!

This Streamer Needs a Name and it Just Got One!

This fly is similar to Matt Bennett's Lunch Money and Jake Villwock's Roamer.  It has a body like a lunch money and the head of a roamer.  I want to give it a name but I want to also be respectful to the fella's that made the original flies that I borrowed from to make this fly.  I can't find another fly that is identical to it which makes it a little original but all I did was mash up two existing flies.  This fly is a hybrid of two flies or a simple variant of one pattern.  I don't want to confuse folks by making up a name for it but it might be more confusing if I don't.  So I guess I will give it a name but I'm not taking credit for it.  

Roaming Money is what I should go with but it doesn't have a very good ring to it.  Bennett's Lunch Money presented by Villwock's Roamer is too long.  I'm not calling it something with my name.  Tyler Dykes's Undertaker or The Show Me Fly Guy's Stone Cold Stunner make me seem like I'm looking for attention, which I am not.  Oh yeah, I fogot to mention.  I've been watching a lot of older WWE videos on social media lately, so you can see where the aforementioned names came from.

Stolen Valor makes sense because it is a nod to what it is but it carries a certain level of disrespect that I don't like.  I wanted to name it the Laser Bunny because of the materials that I used but that name was already taken by another fly that has some similarities.  I want to name it something funny without being dirty (no offense Mr. Galloup) like The Slippery Tiger (a nod to Mizzou) but when you try to force humor, it sometimes fall flat.  The Mad Hungarian is funny but I don't know if the baseball player with the same nickname would hit me with a cease and desist letter.

After losing countless nights of sleep, many considerations , and zero help from AI, I have settled on a name.  From this day forth, this streamer shall be referred to with the moniker Captain Quint.  

First of all, Jaws is my favorite movie.  If you have seen the movie, you might recall that Captain Quint states, "I'll never put on a life jacket again."  I believe that this is foreshadowing the fact that later in the movie, Captain Quint will indeed go in the water without a life jacket.  The nail in the coffin (pun in intended) for me settling on this name was the parallel between this fly and Captain Quint's fate.  When Robert Shaw's character eventually ends up in the water, HE GETS EATEN BY A REALLY BIG FISH!!!!  The joke almost writes itself.  When this fly goes in the water, it's going to get eaten!  Get it!  I crack myself up!

Honorable Mentions:

Michael Jordan- because this fly might be my greatest creation of all time.

G.O.A.T.- same explanation as the M.J. description.

Waylon Jennings- I have a dog named Waylon and I love Waylon Jennings the singer.  I wanted to pay homage to both.

Barry Sanders- this fly is shifty quick but can be fished quickly as well, just like Barry Sanders

John Wayne- everybody loves John Wayne.  He was rough, tough, and backs down from a fight...like the fly.

Sitting Bull- I have named one other fly in my life and that was The Brave.  I considered sticking with the Native American theme and Sitting Bull seemed fitting.

Bank Heist- this felt like some sort of nod to Matt Bennett's Lunch Money and Jake Villwock's Roamer.  I stole some ideas that they had come up with but I didn't think everyone would get the reference.  The reference to money also felt apropos.