Tom Rosenbauer & The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing | Streamer Fly Fishing

Paul Beel over at Frankenfly.com recently posted this video from Orvis.  It is fascinating and does a great job breaking down streamer fishing for trout, but can be applied to multiple species.

Hooray for the Freshwater Drum!

"Oh, it's just a drum."  I have heard those exact words quite a few times while fishing here in Missouri and it donned on me today; why do people dislike the freshwater drum?  Let's look at why people dislike this widely distributed fish and why I think we need to reshape our thinking.

A freshwater drum that I caught on a jigging spoon in Blue Springs Lake

They're Trash Fish

Many people lump freshwater drum into the "rough fish" category which also includes carp and gar.  This means that the fish is rarely eaten and not pursued by anglers very often as a result.  Also, to some, they are not considered to be "pretty".  Their color is drab and lacking in stripes, markings, vibrant colors, or desirable features.  Speaking of features, I have a feeling that the unique lips of the drum are not helping its case.  They are a little "carp-like" and rubbery which makes anglers unsure of how to handle them.  If you add all of those things together, then some folks would have a case to call a freshwater drum less that desirable or a "trash" fish.

The Misunderstood Freshwater Drum

A young man that seems happy to have caught a drum.  He gets how cool drum can be!  Way to go Kyle!

Last time I checked, fishing is supposed to be fun and the best part of fishing is catching fish.  From the bite, to the fight, and the uncertainty of what is on the end of the line is fun and exciting.  Thus, catching freshwater drum should be fun.  Next, drum get big.  They can weigh up to 40 pounds in Missouri according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  Honestly, I don't care what species of fish I catch if it is big and fights hard.  Also, they live all over the place in Missouri.  Lakes, creeks, streams, and rivers can be home to drum and water can be clear or muddy.

How could I mention how cool drum fishing is without mentioning their namesake.  They make a cool "drumming" sound which is associated with muscles and their swim bladder.  I'll be honest here, I can't elaborate on how they make the drumming sound any more because I don't really understand it.  All I know is that it is a cool sound and makes catching a drum fun.

What some don't realize about the freshwater drum is that they are the smaller cousin to the redfish which people flock to Louisiana and Florida to catch.  They have similar body types and versatile feeding habits in common but the freshwater drum is lacking the bronze coloring that make the redfish more attractive.

Finally, freshwater drum eat a wide variety of prey and can be caught on live bait, artificial lures, and flies.  I have caught them on nightcrawlers while catfishing, trolling crankbaits for white bass, and on jigging spoons while fishing for hybrids but I also have a friend that has caught them on flies.  MDC says that they focus on baitfish, crayfish, and large aquatic insects so if you decide to target this species, lures that imitate these organisms would be a good place to start.

In Closing
The freshwater drum isn't all bad and can make a fishing trip unique and memorable.  Catching a fish that can get big, fights hard, and makes silly noises is fun.  While they might look a little drab, I would challenge you to hold a drum so that sunlight reflects off of their scales and count how many colors you can see.  You might be surprised how pretty they are if you look a little deeper.  I have caught a few of these fish in the past and I would love to add them to my list of fish I have caught on a fly and even a small drum could be a "trophy" fish if you can claim it as some sort of accomplishment or memorable experience.

As always, if you have any good pictures of drum that you have caught, feel free to email or comment about your drum fishing experiences below.  If you want to learn about more reasons to fish for freshwater drum, you might want to read 6 Reasons to Fish for Freshwater Drum by Keith Sutton.

YETI Presents: Kamchatka Steelhead Project

I'm pretty sure that every fishing blog I have read has had this video on their respective sites, but I have to post it as well.  It's informative, enlightening, and funny...in a weird Russian way.  Also, at the end of the video, you might consider reflecting on the part that says the steelhead numbers are the largest they have been since the 1970's as well as the fact that the entire Russian track team has been suspended from Olympic competition for taking medicine that makes them bigger, faster, and stronger.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling out Russia because I loves me some Putin (seriously Vlad, if you're readying this...big fan of your work).  Heck, maybe the hatchery manager at Bennett Spring needs to take a little trip to the Kremlin and bring back some water samples.

Small Lake Profile- Tobacco Hills Lake

Name
Guy B. Park is the name of the conservation area and Tobacco Hills Lake is located within the area.
Links:
Area Summary- http://mdc7.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=9428
Area Regulations- http://mdc7.mdc.mo.gov/applications/MoRegs/moarearegexceptions.aspx?txtAreaID=9428&txtAreaNm=&txtCounty=&txtRegion=&txtUserID=&txtDivision=&txtDoveMap=notfound 

Location
The conservation area and lake are located about 3 miles north of Platte City.  If you take I-29, you will end up taking the 371 exit and heading north again.  You will go past and antique mall (which I have always wanted to stop by) and then left into the area.  Follow the big brown signs and you can't miss it.

Species to target
Bluegill is the name of the game.  According to the Missouri Department of Conservation Area Summary, Tobacco Hills Lake holds a fair population of bass and crappie but has a "Special Bluegill Management" program and large bluegill are common.  There is an 8 inch minimum length requirement for keeping bluegill and a 10 fish daily limit.  I have seen other areas have upwards of a 30 fish daily limit and no length requirement so this is a pretty special place and a heck of a place to fish.

My buddy Jim with a small bass he caught at Tobacco Hills Lake.

With that being said, I have caught  some bass there in the past and it would stand to reason that with that many bluegill, there should be some bass gorging themselves on sunfish.  There is a 12-15 inch slot limit for largemouth and while it IS public water, I suspect that there might be some nice bass that could be caught on bluegill imitating flies/lures or maybe even some aggressive catfish that are behaving in a similar way.

Spots to try
Everywhere.  I'm not kidding.  I have caught bluegill almost everywhere in that lake.  Middle of the lake, around cover, around structure, where creeks feed in, and even the boat ramp.  There is A LOT of fish in this lake!

Flies/Lures to use
You can either get as technical as you want on this lake or keep it simple.  A mini jig under an indicator should work just fine but feel free to employ wooly buggers, dries, and nymphs should get some bites as well.  I've caught fish on olive woolies, a McGinty, a John Deere, and a Griffith's Gnat on the same day.  I've also picked up bass on John Deeres and woolies as well.  These are a nice surprise after catching 20-30 bluegill and will get your attention quickly.

McGinty

John Deere

Pearl Olive Wooly Bugger a.k.a "The Christmas Tree Ornament".

White, olive, and olive grizzly wooly.

Vintage Streamer Wallet Find- Thanks Pat

I have always wanted a streamer wallet.  I guess it falls under my fly box fascination. I can barely keep my hands of interesting or unique fly boxes and streamer wallets when I run across them and I guess it is due to my appreciation for all things that organize.  In my profession, at my home, and especially in fishing, I like for everything to have a place and for things to be in those places.  When the fishing conditions call for a heavily weighted conehead wooly bugger, I like to know exactly where it is so I get quickly get it tied to the end of my line rather than spend valuable time on the water hunting for said fly.

I have always been taught to not assume, and unfortunately I have done that in this case.  I have assumed that all readers of this post know what a streamer wallet is and what it looks like, so let's take a step back and look at a few examples.

This wallet was featured in a post on thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com

http://www.finnutility.com/shop/fly_wallet.html

This artistic and handcrafted wallet was also featured on thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com

http://www.artmerkstudio.com/HOME/

This is a more commercial option from L.L. Bean and is lower in price but also lacks in detail and aesthetics.

http://www.llbean.com

I am also a pretty frugal person so in the past, streamer wallets have tended to stay outside of my price range.  I have seen wallets run between $25 and $100 dollars and I just can't justify a purchase of that magnitude especially since wallets are specifically designed for one type of fly and don't hold a large capacity of streamers either.  Finally, streamer wallets are usually associated with steelhead fishing and I don't live withing 500 miles of a wild steelhead.  After all of those limitations, it sounds like they are not very versatile and overpriced, which is a fair conclusion that I would agree with.  The problem for me is that they just look so COOL!  I didn't think I would ever own one though because of the overall impracticability.

Well leave it to my good buddy Pat to inject his thoughtfulness and generosity into my seemingly oppressed and cynical pursuit.  Pat has been featured in many posts on this site and is one of my closest friends.  I am constantly in awe of his selflessness and giving nature.  With that being said, I wasn't surprised when he came over to my driveway with a present for me.  This is a fairly common occurrence with Pat, but I have to admit that I was shocked when I opened the bag and saw a streamer wallet.  He said he picked it up at a "vintage store" and it looked like it was still in pretty good shape.  The surprise didn't stop there because when I opened up the wallet it was loaded with flies.  The flies ranged greatly in size, color, and uses but they were all streamers (and one crappie jig which was odd).  Some were deer hair bugs for bass, some were all around flies like a black wooly bugger, and some appeared to be steelhead flies.  I say "appeared" because I really don't know the difference between steelhead flies and Atlantic salmon flies.

Anyway, I am in the process of getting my new streamer wallet cleaned up and getting rid of the "vintage" smell.  I am planning on using the wallet to hold bass flies when I hit local lakes and ponds for white bass, hybrids, and bass.  I am a little unsure of what to do with the flies (some are rusted and I don't have a practical use for others) and would love to see some ideas in the comments section below.  Also, if you carry a streamer wallet or have maybe even made one in the past, I would love to see some pictures or hear from you.  Again, feel free to comment or email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

Some Interesting Resources

Midwest Drift- Fishing Reports & Bass Leaders
Between the photography and the information, The Midwest Drift runs an outstanding website that is dedicated to promoting fly fishing in Kansas and Missouri as well as the idea that fly fishing is not a "trout only" sport.  Currently, the site has a post about building bass leaders, a local fishing report, and some promotional information for K & K Fly Fishers in Overland Park, Kansas.  I have had the pleasure to meet these guys and fish with them and I cannot say enough good things about their knowledge base and passion for our sport.

The Midwest Drift Link: http://www.themidwest-drift.com/blog-1/

Army Corps of Engineers
If you frequent places like Lake Taneycomo or lakes that have fluctuating water levels that are dictated by dams operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then this is a really useful website.  Asided from posting upcoming water generation water schedules, there is also a phone number that you can call to find out current conditions.  I call this number VERY frequently just to see how many generators Table Rock Power Plant is operating.  This usually makes me wish I was fishing there but when the electronic voice tells me "There is a flow advisory in effect on upper Lake Taneycomo" well that makes my word day a little easier to stomach.

Generation Schedule Link: http://www.swpa.gov/generationschedules.aspx

Field & Stream- Wet Flies
I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know squat about wet flies.  I don't fish them, I don't know many wet fly patterns, and I don't know how to fish them.  However, in the continuing pursuit of understanding all things "fly fishing," this is a chance to get better as a fisherman.  As always, feel free to comment below about anything you know about wet flies.

Wet Fly Links:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2016/07/flyfishing-the-four-basic-wet-fly-styles?dom=fas&loc=contentwell&lnk=flyfishing-the-four-basic-wetfly-styles-

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2016/07/how-to-land-fat-trout-with-old-school-wet-flies?dom=fas&loc=contentwell&lnk=how-to-land-fat-trout-with-oldschool-wet-flies-

Fishing The Eleven Point River

I just got back from floating 20 miles on The Eleven Point River with some friends and coworkers and back and joints are still recovering.  We floated from Greer Spring to Riverton in case you are familiar with the river or in case you are interested in planning a trip of your own.  We left on Monday morning and returned late Tuesday night.  We paddled 12 miles to the Whitten Float Camp on the first day and floated 8 miles on the second day to our take-out point.  Overall, the scenery was beautiful and the float was incredible.  I didn't know what there were parts of Missouri that looked like this and I had never experienced anything like this in my life.

While the fishing was tough, it reminded me that fishing in places like trout parks and Taneycomo is not like fishing for wild fish in wild places.  My buddy Cris probably worded it best when he said, "This was real fishing for wild fish."  He could not have been more right and reminded me that I have a lot to learn and a long way to go in my understanding of fishing in Missouri.  Hooking fish was no guarantee and fishing was tough.  Some of the guys in our group caught trout and others caught multiple species.  I saw rainbow trout, longear sunfish (pumpkinseed), goggle eye, chain pickerel, buffalo, and smallmouth bass landed.  However, I only managed a 4 inch rainbow (maybe my first wild rainbow trout ever though), some silver shiners, a few creek chubs, and a 6 inch largemouth bass.  I feel like I could write a short book on our trip and adventures, but I won't bore you with all of the details and instead just include some bullet points and pictures from the trip.

•  On the way to the river, between Springfield and West Plains, we saw a brown hen chicken sitting in the fast lane of 160 Highway.  Needless to say, this was one of the strangest things I have ever seen while driving.  
• Early in the float, a few guys caught trout on rooster tails and shad-like suspending plugs.

• Not only did I get a chance to see my first chain pickerel, I got to see my boat-mate, Mark, land a pickerel as well.  It was a beautiful fish and was a good representation of the species and its big cousin, the northern pike.

• We saw about 6 bald eagles perched above the river on the first day and 4 on the second day.  
• Mark and I saw a family of 3-4 otters on the bank with one of them being a mother and 2-3 babies.  I am not too macho or manly to feel embarrassed to say, they were really stinking cute!
• I saw a deer (a buck I think) swim across the river downstream from us.  I have never seen a deer swim in person before and this was pretty amazing to me.
• After stopping at a spot that looked fishy and then subsequently striking out, Mark and I caught some crayfish by turning over rocks and tracking down the crayfish after they swam away.  I felt like a kid catching tadpoles in a farm pond and I was reminded that I love the outdoors because of how it returns me to my youth.
• I saw Mark catch 2 goggle eye (I had never seen a goggle eye before either) and three smallmouth using the crayfish we caught upstream.
• I did manage to catch some shad-like fish that I assume are silver shiners.  They had a pretty blue hue to their bodies and a pretty olive back.

• Mark caught some really pretty sunfish that had some beautiful color to them.  I have always heard them called pumpkinseeds but I think their real name is "longear sunfish".

• Mark also caught a small, wild rainbow that was a little larger than the one I caught but similar in the sense that it must have been wild because of its small size and blue spots down the lateral line.

• On the last day of the float, I think everyone in the group tried to hook either a rising brown trout or a group of rising trout.  Cris made the astute observation that it looked like the fish was/were feeding a lane and were not likely to move out of that lane.  Either we didn't cast far enough to hit the lane or we didn't have what it/they wanted, but regardless nothing got caught.
• Saw a BIG smallmouth about a half of a mile before our take-out point.  It was probably 3 pounds or bigger and looked like a football swimming through the water.

If you are considering a trip to the Eleven Point River, I cannot say enough good things about Eleven Point River Canoe Rentals.  They took really good care of us and it was obvious that they are stewards of the stream and care for the overall ecosystem a great deal.  You can find them at http://www.11pointcanoe.com/.    As always, feel free to email me any stories or pictures that you might have or might get if you make such a trip.  I would love to do a follow up story to share the experiences of others and see how our experiences compared/contrasted.  My email is showmeflyguy@gmail.com and I would love to hear from you.

A Couple of New Resources

I was messing around on the Redington and Echo websites the other day and ran across a couple of interesting pages that I wanted to pass along.

If you are new to fly fishing or thinking about getting started, this is a great page.  It has information about terminology, types of fly rods, information about flies, and necessary gear you might need to get started.
http://www.redington.com/fly-fishing/

If you are a little more advanced, then this site might be worth your time.  Some of the info didn't pertain to how and where I fish, but it all looked interesting and worth reading.
Echo Fly Fishing Blog
https://echoflyfishingblog.com/

If you are looking for some world famous places to visit and some information about when to fish them, this article should help.

https://troutsflyfishing.com/a/info/the-best-places-to-go-fly-fishing

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

It is rare that I formulate a fishing plan, see it all the way through, and it actually works but that is exactly what happened last Thursday on Blue Springs Lake.  See the fishing reports page (column on the right) for all the details.

Small Lake Profile- Hartell

Name- Hartell Conservation Area
Without an ounce of exaggeration, there is not another place in the Kansas City area like Hartell.  There are A LOT of things that make this Conservation Area unique.  For one, it is a catch and release area which means there is at least the prospect for big fish.  Second, the area only allows flies and artificial lures to be used in the five public fishing lakes so that means no bait fishing which means lower mortality rate for the fish.  Third, each lake is managed as a trophy fishery for a specific type of species such as bass and bluegill.  Finally, there is a free row boat at each lake that is available to the public on a first come, first serve basis.  I usually bring a trolling motor and battery because rowing a boat is for suckers.  This place is a fly fisherman's paradise and it is easy to see that this place was set up by fishermen and for fishermen and is a little slice of heaven that not many people know about.

http://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/hartell-ronald-and-maude-ca
http://mdc7.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=200001 

Location

Species to target
Here's a quick rundown that I borrowed from one of the websites listed above.
Picnic Lake- Quality Largemouth Bass
Sunfish Lake- Not open to the public.  Educational use and special permit use only.
Redear Lake- Quality Panfish
Quiet Lake- No information available.
Lunker Lake- Recent fish kill- population low.
Quarry Lake- Quality Panfish

Spots to try and flies/lures to use
Up until now, I have painted a picture of a fishermen's paradise and you might be ready to load up the car and head there right now and don't let me stop you.  This place is beautiful and has all of the makings to live up to the high expectations that have been created by the management and regulations.  However, I would be remiss if I didn't include my own personal experiences at this time.

I used to live about 10 minutes from this area.  I have fished Hartell probably 10 times because of the special regulations with the hopes for landing a trophy size fish.  Now keep in mind that is a pretty small sample size and I had only been fly fishing for about 5 years and fished the lakes in the middle of summer on each occasion.  With that being said, my high expectations were never met and each time the fishing proved to be difficult and challenging.  That is not to call it bad, but I never landed a "trophy" bass or bluegill.  Like I said, I was inexperienced and fishing during times that were slow.  The best day I ever had came on Picnic Lake where I landed about a dozen fish with the biggest being a 2 pound channel catfish.  With all of that being said, PLEASE do not let my experiences deter you from visiting this beautiful and unique area.  I haven't fished there in years and have no idea what the fishing is like at this time.  I will say that most of my fishing was done with wooly buggers and John Deeres under floats and these came with mixed results.  The manager of the area has said to me and others on many occasions that he suggests going small on lures and flies because the fish get a lot of pressure and he believes they respond better to smaller baits.

I hope you get a chance to visit Hartell sometime and I hope the fishing is outstanding but regardless, I think you will be impressed by its beauty no matter what.  As always, if you go and end up with a good catch or interesting story, don't hesitate to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com .

New Episode of "Find Your Water"

It is so interesting how success and trophies vary from region to region when it comes to fishing. A 12-13 inch fish in this video could be considered a huge success and should be. Ultimately, fishing success is what you make it and it is up to you how you hang  success. This is what makes our beloved sport so fun and personal!

Find Your Water: Season 2, Episode 4: Blue Lining from Redingtongear on Vimeo.

A Day on Truman Lake with the Hybrid King & Jordan

Last weekend I got the opportunity to fish on Truman Lake with Gary of Gary's Fishing Guide Service (816-520-5358) and a young man named Jordan.  If you are a frequent visitor to this site then you already know a little bit about both of these guys.  Gary is an outstanding guide that focuses on walleye and striper hybrids.  He is as knowledgeable as he is hard working and has a passion for both fishing and putting others on big hybrids.  Jordan is a young man that I have known since he was in sixth grade.  He is eighteen years old and headed off to college next month.  Aside from being a bright, polite, and respectful young man, Jordan is a heck of a bass fisherman that surpassed me in terms of general bass fishing knowledge a long time ago.

Meet Jordan, bass fisherman extraordinaire.

Gary is the handsome one...or the one on the right if you need more help.

Gary and I set this trip up about a month ago when Gary invited me down to Truman to do some fishing and to help me write a post for this site.  It dawned on me after booking a date that I had mentioned going after hybrids to Jordan when we went up to our family farm to do some bass fishing.  I also remembered a conversation that we had about how Jordan has been trying to catch a largemouth larger than 6 pounds.  He has come extremely close in the past and actually landed a bass that went 5 pounds, 14 ounces.  Jordan has never been the type of person to cut corners and did not accept this as a goal that had been reached.  While a hybrid would not take the place of his lofty largemouth goal, I figured catching a big hybrid and potentially the biggest freshwater fish of his life would help appease his chase for a big largemouth if only a little bit.  It was a no-brainer that Gary and I needed to get Jordan on a big hybrid and thankfully, we were able to coordinate our schedules.

Jordan showed up at my house at 3:30 and we were on the water with Gary around 6:00.  We immediately saw shad busting on the surface and our optimism rose to levels of grandeur.  Gary got us on a couple of white bass pretty fast and we were glad to get some early fish in the boat.  While we were chasing hybrids with bucktail jigs and downriggers, the white bass were a nice addition.  As we trolled, we approached a school of shad that were being chased to the surface by some unseen predators.  I cast a fly to the school with no success but Jordan on the other hand threw his baitcaster and started walking a spook-type bait.  There was an explosion that resembled a bowling ball getting dropped in the water and the fight was on.  This was the first hybrid that Jordan had ever tangled with and was impressed with the fight that the fish put up.  He fought valiantly and even got the fish close enough to the boat and the surface for us to see it but that's when things headed south.  Hybrids fight hard and fight harder when they see the boat and figure out what is going on.  The fish made a strong run and broke free.  In true Jordan form, he didn't get down and took the experience as one to learn from.

Over the course of the morning we caught a variety of species such as walleye, channel cats, and even blue cats.  We also saw about a dozen bald eagles and in one instance, two of them were sitting on a single tree branch and were so close they could have touched each other.  We also saw LOTS of breaching spoonbill and carp.  Gary changed jig colors, we tried crankbaits, and even trolled stickbaits on the downriggers.  The big wipers seemed to be eluding us but Gary stayed optimistic and shared with us what was going on with the fish and what the electronics were telling us.  He constantly educated us on fish locations, bait locations, the proximity of hybrids to bait, and what the whole puzzle meant.  He assured us that they would bite soon and that we would be patient until they did.  He was right about everything and we eventually found a fish for Jordan.

We had just pulled up to one of Gary's favorite spots and Gary started to let out some line to attach to the downrigger when I saw the line go tight and the rod bend.  He got Jordan on the rod quickly and what happened nextl was something that resembled a saltwater type fight rather than a freshwater battle.  Jordan would pull back and reel down and then repeat.  The fish seemed to be hooked well and Gary exchanged what has now become our customary high fives when things work out the way they are supposed to.

As the fish got closer to the boat, it gave some hard pulls and some small runs, but Jordan ultimately let it wear itself out and when we finally saw the fish, it was obvious that this fish was MUCH larger than the one Jordan had lost.  Gary netted it, got it in the boat, and Jordan had landed the largest freshwater fish of his life.  The hybrid tipped the scale at just a hair over 9 and 1/2 pounds and was a beautiful representative of his/her species.  More high fives were exchanged and nobody could shed a smile.  I took pictures, Gary took pictures, and Jordan even got the entire experience on video with his chest-mounted GoPro.  Jordan then nursed the behmouth along the side of the boat and it swam away a little smarter, a little sore (I assume), but alive and able to fight another day.

It was a pleasure and an honor to spend time with both of these guys.  It is hard for me to describe how much I appreciate and can relate to Jordan's passion for fishing.  He embodies all that is RIGHT with the next generation of fishermen and gives the often criticized "Millenials" a better reputation.  While Gary shares the same affliction as Jordan and I, it is obvious to see that he has reached the point in his life where he enjoys seeing the success of others more than he enjoys his own catches.  He is the most passionate, enthusiastic, and personable guide I have ever met and that is why I continue to go out with him once or twice a year.  In the end, if you want hope for the future, then I hope you get to fish with Jordan sometime.  If you want to catch wipers on Truman however, then you need to call Gary's Fishing Guide Service at 816-520-5358.