Great New Mouse Fly Pattern

So in yesterday's post about a mole-eating bass, I mentioned some of my experiences and stories about what bass will eat.  I intentionally left out one item on the menu that bass will also eat- mice!  I LOVE catching bass on mouse flies and (almost) equally like watching YouTube videos of bass taking down mice!  Here's one of my favorites:

I have a serious affinity for mouse flies and the video below is a pattern unlike I have ever seen before.  I can't wait to tie a few up and see how they behave in the water.  My buddy Luke, from The Midwest Drift, put this video together and did a great job!  He is an outstanding fisherman and a amazing tier.  If you have never checked out The Midwest Drift site or YouTube channel, I really think you will dig it!

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

The Midwest Drift YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5EQJVNBFlQOqnFmBWtONg

Holy Moly

I saw this story online yesterday and didn't hesitate to read it.  When I saw that it actually occurred in Missouri, then I knew I had to share it.  Most of us have probably heard stories about largemouth bass with insatiable appetites and a diet that is pretty varied, but this was the first time I have ever heard of a bass eating a mole.  I have personally seen a baby turtle in a bass's throat as well as crawdad antennae.  I have seen crappie, bluegill, and green sunfish tails sticking out of a gullet.  I also saw six inches of a frog's leg still being digested by bass after it was caught on a ten inch soft plastic worm.  I've heard stories of bass eating baby ducklings, snakes, and trying to eat other bass of equal size.  What have you seen or heard of?  If you have a good story or know about something else bass will eat, please feel free to leave it in the comments section below.  Tomorrow's post will be about something else that bass eat and how to tie a unique fly that might tempt them into biting.

Link: https://www.earthtouchnews.com/wtf/wtf/this-crazy-photo-of-a-mole-eating-bass-is-real/

There Ain't No Fishin' in Las Vegas!

So I recently got back from a trip to Las Vegas with my wife.  We spent 6 days in the adult playground to celebrate our ten years of wedded bliss   We had a great time walking the strip, playing blackjack, and eating out but there was one thing that I missed and you probably guessed it by now- there was ZERO fishing on this trip.  I heard about striped bass on Lake Mead and trout below Hoover Dam, but all of those options required too much money (trout) or were out of season (stripers).  With that in mind, I tried to take some pictures of all the other "fishy" stuff I could find.  Here's what I found in Vegas that seemed to fit the motif of this blog (and a few other goofy things).

This was on the floor at some seafood restaurant. 

Yes, you are indeed looking at War Machine, Spider Man, and Elvis having a conversation on The Strip on a Thursday morning. 

Pete Rose signing autographs at a sports memorabilia store at the MGM Grand.

New Brian Wise Video

Brian Wise just published another fly tying video, and as usual, it is OUTSTANDING!  There is a really cool foul guard technique that he demonstrates that I will be trying out the next time I am at the vise.  It is a pretty cool pattern that I am thinking about playing around with and tweeking just for fun and to fit my tying "style" a little better.  Enjoy and seriously, check out the foul guard!  To subscribe to Brain's YouTube channel, just click the link below.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/flyfishingtheozarks

Tying Flies With My Youngest Son, Cody

So this post actually serves two purposes with one of them being about tying flies with a 2 year old.  The other is about a topic that most folks probably know about but wanted to throw it in there for the fly tying newbies.

1. Nail Polish (or should I say MALE polish) Uses in Fly Tying
If you are new to fly tying or you like to tie your own jigs, then here is a little trick for you.  While you can buy jig heads, most of them are either going to have a bass, silver, or dull appearance.  Now if you want your jigs to have a shiny look, then you are ready to start wrapping some thread.  However, if you desire your jig head to have a color that matches or contrasts with the materials that you are putting on the hook then you have a dilemma on your hands.  One option that I would HIGHLY suggest is painting your jig heads with nail polish.  The color possibilities are endless, your wife, mom, or girlfriend probably has some for you to experiment with which could be a lot of fun.  Also, I suggest that you only try to paint the dull jig heads because they are more willing to accept paint than the finished, shiny surfaces.  Have fun playing around!

2. It's Never Too Young to Start
I recently wrote a post about fishing with my oldest son on Father's Day and anyone who has multiple children knows that you have to give equal time and praise to the little ankle-biters.  As a peace offering to the youngest boy, Cody, here is his post.

Cody doesn't get to go in to our basement very much.  It isn't child-proof, houses my fly rods and spinning rods, and is home to my fly tying bench (which may or may not contain a few missing hooks that got stuck in the carpet).  However, that doesn't stop him from finding ways to get dear old dad to cave to his wishes.  When he looks at me at the top of the steps and says "tie flies?" in his cute little tow-year-old voice, well it's just more than I can stand most of the time.  He usually just uses that as an excuse to play with antlers, comb through tying materials, or knock things over but sometimes he actually wants to tie flies.  But the other day when he said he wanted to tie a fly, he actually wanted to tie.

I had been wanting to tie some jigs that my good friend Tom is successful with so this looked like the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.  I grabbed some marabou, yarn, small chenille, and an aforementioned painted jig hook an we were ready to tie Cody's first fly.  It turned out pretty well and while Tom calls this fly "The Anarchist," Cody and I have decided to call it "Commander Cody".  There is a double meaning there since Cody loves Star Wars and there is a clone trooper that is named Commander Cody.  It is also the stage name of a singer that was the originator of a tune you might know.

Missouri Record Fish Stories - Flathead Catfish

I cannot imagine catching a fish this massive! This is a great story told by an amazing narrator. Hopefully you are able to hit the water this weekend and chase your own trophy...whatever that might be!

Fishing on Father's Day with my Oldest Son, Mason

Following last week's success with Miles, I decided to take you my oldest son (Mason) to Blue Springs Lake last Sunday on Father's Day.  I didn't expect to replicate the same success as last week but I was hoping that the fish would be close to the same places and wanting to feed on live bait.  Mason had never caught a wiper or white bass before and I was hoping to give him a new experience.  He had seen plenty of pictures of these fish and heard plenty of stories that I have told about them and I was hoping to give him some pictures and stories of his own.  

When we arrived, there was A LOT of boat traffic with very few of them interested in fishing.  It took quite a while for the water to calm down and for the fish to start biting but my little buddy hung in there and never lost faith in his old man.  Of course, having plenty of chips and Gatorade didn't hurt keep him interested.  He also found a vast amount of pleasure in playing with a bucket of minnows as well.  Anyway, the fish finally became active and started biting.  We had a wonderful time and definitely created that memory that I was hoping for and have the pictures to back up our claims. 

Brain Wise Video- Vlog 5

Simply put, Brian Wise is just flat out cool. He has released another fishing video and this time he is chasing smallmouth on an Ozark river with Jeff Trigg of Sweetwater Guide Service. This is something that I have never done before but looks like A LOT of fun.

Fishing with Miles- Part 2

At about 6:00, we decided to head to Blue Springs Lake so try and find some suspended fish and hopefully take turns throwing flies at shad that were getting chased to the surface by white bass and hybrids/wipers.  It didn't take long before Miles caught a small channel cat on a rat-l-trap and a bluegill shortly thereafter.  We both got a kick out of these fish hitting such a lure and we were having as much fun as we were at Legacy.  I was grateful that we didn't leave fish to go find fish and then regret our decision.  

We started marking fish off the dam in 14 feet of water with my fish finder and I started jigging a spoon on a medium action spinning rod.  I had some success with this technique last summer and was hoping to teach Miles how to work a spoon on this occasion as well.  After a little bit of a drought, I decided that there was no reason to let our shiners go to waste so I put one on my spoon.  I didn't know if this was an actual, proven method but I thought if a spoon works, wouldn't live bait make it better?  It didn't.  My bait came off in the jigging process.  I then decided to abandon the spoon in favor of a simpler hook and sinker setup.  

We then started marking more fish further off the dam in 17 feet of water and some of them appeared to be pretty big!  It didn't take long before I hooked and landed a small white bass and Miles asked me if he should switch to live bait.  My answer was a pretty emphatic, YES!

While we were zeroing in on bigger fish and smaller baitfish, I also landed a drum.  He fought really hard and was a lot of fun to land.  It was at this point that Miles and I had a lengthy discussion as to why drum get such a bad name and why folk should just enjoy catching them.  Not too long after the drum, things started to get serious.

We found a consistent area where fish seemed to be actively feeding on bait about 8-14 feet deep.  The temperature was starting to drop, dark clouds were appearing to the west, and it was getting close to an hour before sundown.  The "magic hour" was upon us and the enthusiasm could almost be felt in the air around the boat.  That's when Miles hooked into a fish...a VERY big fish.

He was fishing with a medium-light action spinning rod that was paired with 8 pound line.  Immediately after setting the hook, the fish started peeling line.  I quickly reeled in my rod to avoid any mishaps and manned the trolling motor of the small boat.  I tried to keep the fish in front of us but had to continually maneuver to the left and right because this thing was all over the place.  Neither one of us knew what he had hooked into, but we new it was big!  The fish never surfaced during the fight so we started to guess that he had hooked a wiper/hybrid or a catfish.  Catfish had recently been caught at the dam on live bait, but this fish seemed to use its power rather than its weight to fight.  I started to think that he hooked a hybrid/wiper but I wasn't the one holding the rod and I am by no means an expert on this matter.

While we are on the topic of expertise, I would be remiss if I did not mention Miles's incredible display of skill that he showed while fighting this fish.  At no time during the fight did I have to mention to increase drag, decrease drag, apply more pressure, apply less pressure, reel more, reel less, or anything else that it takes to land a big fish on light tackle.  Whether Miles instinctively knew what to do or was taught this skill at some other point in his life is still not abundantly clear to me, what I do know is that this young man has some serious prowess.  

Another fact that is worth mentioning is that we enjoyed every single second of this fight.  There was laughter, looks of concern, oohs, aahs, more laughter, backslaps, hoots and hollers.  We must have made enough noise to get the attention of other boats because they started to carefully watch us with a lot of interest.  Finally, after what seemed like 10 minutes, we got our first look at the creature.  A flash of white body and black stripes confirmed that Miles had hooked into a LARGE hybrid/wiper.  While the fight had been amazing up to this point, the surfacing of the fish seemed to trigger a halfway point to the fight because the fish seemed to figure out what was going on at this point and made a couple more prolific runs.

Towards the end of the fight, you could tell the fish was tiring and about ready to be landed.  Ironically, while we were outlining the details of our trip on the phone, Miles asked if he should bring a net.  I said yes because I always forget mine.  Thankfully, Miles brought a net because I forgot mine.  Unfortunately, it was only a trout net and not big enough for this behemoth.  I told him that it wasn't going to fit and again, Miles showed some deft and cunning.  He said, "Just get his head in the net."  Duh!  Why didn't I think of that?  Stupid endorphins clouding my judgement!

On the first netting attend, the great beast took off like a shot but didn't have the energy to continue its run.  Miles coaxed it back toward the boat and I netted it head-first and got it over the side of the boat as quick as I could.  We high-fived, laughed, gave a collective sigh of relief, and marveled at the size of the fish.  We decided to land the boat on the rocks on the dam and collect ourselves.  When everything was said and done, Miles landed a hybrid/wiper that went 27 inches long with a 19 and 1/2 inch girth and tipped the scales at over 10 and 1/2 pounds.

To say that I am in awe of this young man's skill and amazed by his abilities would be a gross understatement.  There aren't a lot of people his age that would have landed that fish but Miles displayed an aptitude that seems well beyond his years of age.  I am incredibly grateful to have shared this moment with him and so happy that he caught such a trophy fish.  It's also interesting to think back to all of the little things that had to happen to make this moment possible.  We both talked about how this memory would have never happened if I hadn't run into his dad, if he hadn't replied to my message I sent him about getting together, if we hadn't left Legacy, if I hadn't picked up some shiners, if we hadn't had a fish finder, if Miles hadn't brought a net, and that we had the right equipment (and knots for that matter) to allow that fish to be hooked and eventually landed.  It's pretty amazing if you think about it.

Anyway, the evening started to draw to an end and after I landed one more white bass, we saw lightning on the horizon.  Miles's mom met us at the boat ramp and we replayed the story again for her and showed off the prize.  Miles's mom was very grateful that I took him out but I tried to express an equal amount if not more gratitude.  I was able to share a memory with an amazing young man while doing what we both love.  What could be better than that?  Sometimes I think that fishing is like the hokey pokey in the sense of "That's what it's all about!"

Fishing with Miles- Part 1

Meet Miles; a 14 year old young man that is a good student, incredibly polite and respectful, and a guy that loves to fish.  He earned the title of Angler of the Year and won the One Fly Tournament in the middle school fly fishing club that I sponsor.  He has fished for trout, bass, crappie, wipers/hybrids, and catfish in many parts of Missouri and has aspirations to accomplish a lot more.  Miles is the type of young man that I hope for my boys to grow up to emulate and that is the highest compliment that I can pay Miles.  Now that you know a little bit about this young man, I can tell you...the rest of the story.

I ran into Miles's dad recently and he commented that Miles had been doing some fishing over summer break and if I ever needed a fishing buddy, to please contact him.  So when I had an opening in my schedule last Wednesday, I contacted him to see if he would want to join me on a little fishing excursion.  After kicking around a few options, we decided to fish for bass at Legacy Lake in Lee's Summit during that afternoon and for white bass and wipers/hybrids in the evening at Blue Springs Lake.  We planned to fish soft plastics and crankbaits at Legacy and hopefully fly fish at Blue Springs Lake with the hopes that we would encounter some fish chasing shad to the surface.  What we didn't plan on was an air temperature of 97 degrees and a heat index of 105.  Obviously, it was hot but there was a little breeze that took the edge off and the temperatures started to cool into the evening.  Also, it is important to note here that I decided to hedge our bets a little bit.

I have to admit, I kind of felt like a guide.  Miles was a "client" of sorts and I felt like it was my duty to make sure that we got some fish on his line and to avoid getting skunked.  I didn't want Miles going back to his buddies and telling him that we didn't catch anything or simply not having a good time.  It was with this in mind that caused me to make a pit stop on the way to pick him up.  While I am a little embarrassed to admit it since I have the audacity to go by the "Fly Guy," I also have to admit that if there is one thing that is almost guaranteed to put fish in the boat, there is one that that out-fishes everything else (in my opinion).  That's right, I picked up an insurance policy: live bait.

Hey, I'm not afraid to admit it, live bait works!  On top of that, I feel that it is my DUTY to help a kid hook some fish and have a good time.  While I have no problem fishing live bait (nor do I have a problem with anyone else who chooses to do so), I would prefer to catch them on a fly.  However, if the conditions dictate that live bait is the better option, then sometimes I am willing to make the switch.  Hopefully my justification makes sense and you will see later that it paid off...really, really well.

So I picked up Miles and we were on Legacy Lake in no time and quickly got into some 1-2 pound bass.  We actually starting catching fish on our first casts respectfully and each of us ended up catching at least 6 fish apiece.  Most of them hit on soft plastics (worms & crawdads) and they were a lot of fun.  While we didn't catch anything big, there were enough bites to keep us happy and the possibility of getting skunked was a distant memory.  Again, I would have preferred to be fishing with fly rods, but with the wind and the fact that my boat is a little crammed with two people throwing flies, I thought it would safer to fish with spinning rods.

With the sun getting lower in the sky, we had to make a decision.  We could either stay at Legacy where the fish were biting but all seemed to be the same size, OR we could go to Blue Springs Lake and take our chances with multiple species but unsure of the activity or location of the fish.  We were having fun at Legacy but the prospect of having MORE fun at Blue Springs lake loomed on the horizon like the setting sun.  I have been told in the past that you never leave fish to find fish but the prospect of better fortune is a hard proposition to turn down!