Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Floating Southwest Missouri Streams

 

I absolutely love southwest Missouri!  One of the reasons I appreciate this region so much is because of all the bodies of water that exist in this region.  Springs, lakes, and streams are more plentiful than where I live in northern Missouri.  The water is clearer and the fish have more diversity.  This is why I am planning on retiring and moving to southwest Missouri when I retire in about 10 years.  I want to explore the area and see the some of the sights that I have not been able to get to while maintaining a career.  

I have floated a few streams in the area but to be honest, it is a little overwhelming when tryin to decide the next location.  Trying to decide where access points are, how long to float, and the quality of fisheries can make for some mind-boggling decisions.  On top of that, I have at least a 3 hour drive from my home so if there's not a lot of room for error.  It's not like I can just give it another shot the following day.  There have been times where I have tried to plan a float and ended up just throwing my hands up in the air and said "Oh forget it.  I'll just got to Bennett and wade."  Well wouldn't you know it that the Missouri Department of Conservation is here to help.

If you're in a similar boat as me (see what I did there?), then we both might benefit from the virtual program that MDC is putting on.  On July 7 from 2:30-3:00, MDC will be providing information on 10 streams to float in southwest Missouri.  Information will range from put-in and take-out locations as well as highlights of each stream.  I am really hoping that this session helps me plan my next couple trips!  I have registered for the event so hopefully I virtually see you there.

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/top-southwest-missouri-float-streams-will-be-focus-july-7-mdc-program

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

The NOMO Slam Challenge


For those of you that don't know me very well, I live in the northern part of Missouri.  For those of you that don't know Missouri very well, there is a distinct difference between the bodies of water in the northern and southern portions.  While the southern part of Missouri is pretty diverse, the northern part is less so.  The southern part has both warm and cold water fisheries.  The northern part is warm water only.  The southern part, as a direct result, has more species of fish that can be targeted by anglers.  The northern part has fewer.  That's not to say that one is good and the other is bad, it is just different.

As a native northern Missourian, I appreciate what we have.  The most common species of fish in the northern part of the state are channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill.  You can find these just about anywhere.  Other species include redear sunfish, crappie, green sunfish, naturally occurring hybrid sunfish, gar, drum, and carp.  There are indeed other species to be found but these are the common ones.  This is where the NOMO Slam comes from.  

NOMO stands for northern Missouri and the slam portion represents 4 species.  This little challenge came from a day on the water with some friends where we were catching crappie, bass, bluegill, and channel catfish.  Just to make things more entertaining, we would celebrate if anyone caught all four species.  Let's be honest, it isn't always easy to fool a fish with a fly.  It's even harder to catch four species in northern Missouri with a fly.  

So let's have some fun with this because fishing is supposed to be fun.  Use #NOMOslam in your Instagram posts.  Create your own slam.  Tag me in a post if you make and complete your own!  I would love to see that!  

Complete the #NOMOslam...in a day or for your career.  I'll be posting my #NOMOslam on Instagram today and hope to see some other folks follow suit.  Be proud of your catches and take pride in where you live and where you fish!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showmeflyguy/ or @showmeflyguy




Monday, June 28, 2021

Online Fly Shop

I'll be honest with you, I struggled to come up with a post today.  The only thing that I could come up with was a post about the online fly shop.  It is pretty well stocked and I'll be tying up some more today.  So if you need some 1/80 ounce jigs, woolies, or some bass streamers, feel free to place an order.  All flies are tied by me...so you can take that as a positive or negative.  

Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShowMeFlyGuy

Friday, June 25, 2021

Wooly Bugger Fly Co.

I've been following Wooly Bugger Fly Company for quite a while on Facebook and Instagram but I had never actually visited the site before.  I finally did recently and I have to say, I was not expecting so many products or such low prices.  No, this is not a paid advertisement.  I only share things on this blog that I believe will be beneficial to readers and this is a quality site.  

Jason, the owner, and I have communicated a little bit online and I can attest that he is a really nice guy.  If you're looking for somewhere to buy flies, boxes, rods, reels, or other fly fishing equipment, I highly suggest checking out Wooly Bugger Fly Company.  It's a small business to support and Jason's passion for fly fishing is strong.  He's a guy that is following his dream of being a small business owner and combines that very ideal with his love of fly fishing.  I really think you will dig the site and just might find something that will help you in your fly fishing pursuits.

Link: https://www.woolybuggerflyco.com/

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Articulated Double Barrel Popper Fly Tying Tutorial

I'm a sucker for any fly that has the word articulated in it's name.  It's a good looking pattern that, as Brian (the host of the video) mentions, you can size it up or down depending on your quarry.  I would also add that you could substitute some materials as well.  I don't have faux bucktail or squimpish hair available but I do have bucktail and synthetic fibers.  I also like the idea of heating the bodkin to get a better hole through the popper head.  Also, the popper head he used was squishy and the idea of pinching it to the shank with super glue between the two was pretty genius as well.  Sized correctly, this looks like it could be a GREAT pattern for chasing big, hungry largemouth bass.


Link to Flymen Fishing Co. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIeIyLD1-KP2wBn1EPeGdg

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

I Flossed a Largemouth Bass

I went out to a local neighborhood pond yesterday because it was nice and I needed to feel a little success on the water.  If you read yesterday's post, you get what I mean.  If you didn't read it, you didn't really miss out on anything.  While fishing, I was reminded that you just never know what is going to happen on the water.  Specifically, I never expected to floss a largemouth bass.  What is flossing a fish you may wonder?  I'll let the video explain it.


I actually did this with a few trout in Wyoming last summer.  I was fishing a hopper and dropper rig and sometimes the fish would strike at the top fly and either miss it or spit it out.  When I set the hook, the line would go through the fish's mouth and the second fly would hook them in the corner of the mouth.  Specifically, Mark, a guide with Grand Fishing Adventures near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, explained how this happened to me.  I thought it was a funny term but never expected it to happen again especially with a strike indicator and 1/80 ounce jig!

Link to YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/theshowmeflyguy

Monday, June 21, 2021

Feeling a Little Lost

I get this feeling every year at about this time.  Don't get me wrong, this is no cry for help or some sort of existential meltdown.  The topic is still fly fishing.  

I feel a little lost at this time of year because it seems like the fishing is hitting a little bit of a lull.  Vegetation is filling in along the banks.  Bass are post spawn.  The air and water temps are getting to uncomfortable values for the fish and humans.  I've had my fill of bluegill on a fly.  I just don't really know what to do with myself during this part of summer.  

Now let's not have a pity party for the old Fly Guy.  I'm going to pull out the bass popper box and maybe hit a farm pond to give me the boost I need.  I think the wipers are close to chasing bait to the surface on calm evenings in my parts too.  I also have some unfamiliar lakes that I am wanting to give a try so there's a plan to pull myself up by the wading sandals!  If anyone else ever hits a point like this during the fishing season or has additional suggestions on good fishing prospects, I would love to read your thoughts in the comments section.  

Friday, June 18, 2021

Targeting Smallmouth Bass with a Fly with Ryan Walker- YouTube Video

Sorry for the later than usual post, but I was putting the final touches on the YouTube video that I made with the footage from my trip with Ryan.  It actually has a "fishing show" feel to it and I hope you like it.  Hopefully the passion, sincerity, and humor comes through.  I also hope that you learn a thing or two about smallmouth and fishing for these Missouri natives.  It takes a long time to grow a good-sized smallmouth so don't forget to free the fighter.


Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/OE5j-brIFLM

Show Me Fly Guy YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/theshowmeflyguy

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Catch the Most, the Biggest, or Your Way?

Larry Dahlberg is a pretty famous fisherman that used to host a television show called The Hung for Big Fish.  In one of the episodes he mentioned the four stages of fishing that he believes anglers go through in their lives.  Here are the stages that he described.  

Stage 1: You just want to catch one.
Stage 2: You want to catch a lot of fish.
Stage 3: You want to catch a big fish.
Stage 4: You want to catch fish the way that you want to catch them.

Ever since I heard him describe these stages, I have thought about whether I agree with him.  I have settled on the opinion that I believe in his belief to a certain degree.  I don't think this is a progressive thing in your life where you progress from one stage to another and that's that.  I think an angler can move between different stages depending on a lot of factors and that this movement is fluid.  In other words, an angler might be in stage 2 one day and stage 4 the next.  

For example, when I went on my smallmouth trip, I started the day off in stage 1.  After I landed my first fish, I moved to stage 2 within seconds.  On the other hand, there are some farm ponds that I fish where I have a stage 3 mentality because I know there is a big bass to be caught there.  And yet at other ponds, I want to catch fish on mouse flies and I refuse to touch another fly.  If they won't hit a mouse then I don't want to catch any at all.

So what do you think?  Do you think this is nonsense and inaccurate?  Do you think that there are other stages?  It is at the very least something to contemplate but if you should feel so inclined, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.  Everyone is entitled to their opinions and there is zero judgement.  I'm just curious about others' perspectives and points of view so feel free to share yours!


Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Targeting Smallmouth Bass with Ryan Walker on a Fly- Part 2


I had hooked, fought, and landed my first smallmouth on a streamer with Ryan and my confidence was increasing...but then things went back to the way they were before.  I was missing fish, using trout fishing hook sets, and screwing up swings with the fly.  I even had a smallmouth that was probably in the 16 inch range hooked and almost landed until it came off close to the net.  On top of that, the bites slowed al little as well.  Now let me be clear about the slowing of bites, this was not Ryan's fault by any means.  Every morning of fishing (from my personal experience) seems to see a dip in the action and some stretches of water just don't hold big populations all the time.  Sometimes the sun is too bright or it isn't bright enough.  There's a wide range of things that can cause bites to slow and that's not a guide's fault.  It just happens and you have to grind through it to get to a better situation, and that's exactly what we did.

As we approached one section of water, it widened, slowed, and provided shade with overhanding trees.  This place looked fishy and Ryan informed me that this was traditionally a spot that held fish.  He told me a story of his wife landing her biggest smallmouth in this stretch.  I missed a couple of bites with got me a little frustrated but got my attention at the same time.  The action was turning back on and my focus was returning.  If I am being totally honest, a little bit of anger set in.  I decided to channel that anger into my next hook set because I needed to.  

Just as we approached one of the last spots in our drift (the water shallowed and sped up after that spot), Ryan told me about the biggest spotted/Kentucky bass he had ever caught coming out of this spot.  The words had barely come out of his mouth when BOOM!  My lunchmoney fly got hammered as the fly dropped into a pool and I set the hook HARD!  The fight was on and I felt confident about my chances of winning.  

Ryan maneuvered the boat toward deeper water and away from structure so I could fight the fish unimpeded.  As the fight neared its end, the water at the end of the run started to speed up and gave the fish an escape route.  With deftness, Ryan moved the boat towards the shore and said "Jump out."  With little hesitation, I leapt from the raft and tried to guide the fish towards the shallows.  He said that he would come net it but I was on a mission to finish this myself.  I got the fish to the bank and in shallow water and put a solid (but not so solid that I would hurt the beast) grip on its lip.  I landed it and was literally shaking.  


Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkssmallmouth

Cell Phone for Guide Service Inquiries: 417-366-3617

That fish ended up being 16 inches long and about 8-10 years old.  Ryan was quick with genuine congratulations and some AMAZING photography.  This guy can teach, guide, and take pictures among other things!  It was amazing to me not only how pretty the markings and coloration were but how the fish literally changed its markings by the second.  You can actually watch the markings come and go while it was in the net.  We took some video and pictures prior to freeing the fighter.  We also relived the entire scene and marveled at all of the intricacies that were involved with the fish being successfully landed.  Pictures of this fish are below and the post will continue further down the page as well.



Further downstream, we hit some more fishy water and I missed a few more fish but I felt like my learning curve was trending in a positive direction after my little adventure.  I landed another fish that was about 13 inches and marveled at the quality of the fish that were being landed.  Ryan commented that we all want days of lots of quality fish but sometimes you end up with a large number of small fish or a small number of large fish.  He said this fell into the small number of larger than average fish category.  I agreed but I also knew that I was responsible for the small numbers...and I knew that.  I'm not going to say that I was okay with that but I recognized that this was a learning process.

We hit another section of water that had plenty of structure in the form of downed trees and boulders.  We would swing the fly through pools and hit the structure with aggressive strips of the fly.  I think Ryan and I both saw the submerged log at the same time and thought the same thing.  He said, "Hit that log and give the fly a strip."  I was still fishing a lunchmoney and my cast put the fly right where I wanted it.  After one twitch, I saw something dart out of the shadows and inhale my fly.  I'm glad that it caught me off guard a little because I gave the fish time to get the fly down.  I gave a proper strip set and the battle started.  

After replaying the event in my mind, I knew it was a smallmouth and a good one.  The fish moved for deeper, open water.  I couldn't believe the band that this fish was putting in an eight weight.  It seemed disproportional for its size but I guess that's why some folks say smallmouth are the hardest fighting pound for pound freshwater fish in North America.  The fish slowly started to move towards the surface and show itself.  Ryan informed me that this was a larger fish and as politely as I could said, "Shut up Ryan!"  I felt like we had spent enough time in a boat together that I could be honest with him.  I apologized later and told him later that I said that because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to land this fish and REALLY didn't want to loose it.  Thankfully (due to Ryan's netting skills) the fish wore down and ended up in the net.

This fish was definitely bigger.  It went right at 17 inches and I was back to shaking like a leaf again.  I also took more time to appreciate this fish.  This was an old growth, native, wild, product of the Missouri.  I was born here and so was it.  It was tough, aggressive, and strong and I respected those qualities.  Ryan, again, took some amazing pictures and educated me more on smallmouth bass while we had the fish in possession.  My respect for both the fish and the man that chases them grew exponentially with that experience.  We freed the fighter, shook hands, and traded appreciation for the efforts of the other.  In my opinion, that fish was as much Ryan's as it was mine.  Ryan thought otherwise but since I'm writing this, we will go with my opinion.  More information below the pictures.








By the way, I forgot to mention that the fish had a 3-4 inch baitfish in it's stomach!  That fact speaks to the idea that these fish are aggressive.  To put things in perspective, think about it this way: if you just ate at a buffet and came home to a large pizza, would you eat it?  A smallmouth will!  I came to appreciate this fact even more with my next fish.  I made a cast with a lunchmoney right behind a boulder.  I saw the fish approach the fly, slowly, and then eat the fly.  I missed the fish (not sure how), but got into a cast quickly and dropped the fly in the same place again.  The smallmouth struck AGAIN and this time got a solid piercing.  Ryan and I both got a kick out of that and the fish ended up being about 12 inches.  This one made three amazing jumps and really put on a show.


I ended up catching a few more, smaller fish on white clouser minnows as we approached the end of our float.  I ended up with a total of 6 but in all honesty, it should have been more like 16-18 fish.  However, I was not disappointed in the least.  I had learned a lot, caught some quality fish, and experienced a day full of beautiful Ozark scenery.  I also made a friend with might be the most important thing that I was able to take away from the day.  If you are looking to spend a day on an Ozark stream and/or want to catch some smallmouth bass on flies or spinning tackle, you will have a good experience with Ryan Walker!  Feel free to contact him through the links below or give him a call directly.  I'm glad I did and this won't be the last time we fish together.  I'm already trying to find another time to fish with him again!


Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkssmallmouth

Cell Phone for Guide Service Inquiries: 417-366-3617
 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Targeting Smallmouth Bass with Ryan Walker on a Fly- Part 1

My second smallmouth ever and my first that I caught on purpose thanks to Ryan.

I rolled into Mount Vernon, Missouri, at about 5:00 last Wednesday night.  That was the first of many firsts that I would encounter over the next 24 hours.  I had never been to Mount Vernon, I had never targeted smallmouth bass on a fly, and I had never met Ryan Walker in person.  I checked into my hotel room and got all my gear ready for the next day.  I grabbed some Subway, watched TV, and told Wendy that I had arrived safely.  As boredom started to set in, I noticed I still had a little daylight so I started hunting for a place to fish.  I ran across Williams Creek Pond on a map and come to find out, it was in a city park and was fishable.  I caught a few bluegill on a fly as the sun set.  The fish would get bigger from here.


I met up with Ryan at 6:00 the next morning.  It was nice to shake his hand and in case you were wondering, he looks just like he does in all the pictures and videos that are on social media.  If fish in Missouri and are on social media it would surprise me a little if you have never seen or heard of Ryan before.  He is known by many as the best smallmouth fishing guide in the state of Missouri.  He's a commercial fly tyer and I have posted about his Etsy store before and the amazing flies he turns out.  He also founded Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance which is a grass roots conservation program that promotes catch and release for smallmouth bass in southern Missouri.  Some people know him as "the free the fighter guy" or the guy that says "boom" a lot.  While those are true, he is much more than that.  Ryan has a passion for smallmouth and where he lives that is rare.  His enthusiasm is genuine and never stops.  I don't think Ryan even knows how to fake something and his love of his fisheries and smallmouth is strong!


Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkssmallmouth

Cell Phone for Guide Service Inquiries: 417-366-3617

I am not at liberty to say where we went next.  We will just refer to it as a beautiful Ozark stream.  Smallmouth bass guides are protective of their water and for good reason.  It takes a long time to grow a big smallmouth.  It wouldn't take many folks to converge on a stream, remove a bunch of fish, and negatively impact the fishery for years before it recovered.  I will say that it was a little slice of heaven and had a solid smallmouth population.


Ryan had recently had the chance to demo a River Rat raft and referred to it as "a game changer".  While I'm not sure how he got around before, I can attest that the raft was very comfortable really stable.  In terms of fishing, he informed me that we would be throwing 6 and 8 weight rods with streamers with some on sinking lines.  While I had never thrown a streamer on moving water for smallmouth, I had experience with hybrid striped bass, white bass, and largemouth on still water.  What I'm trying to say is that my former experience really didn't matter because this was a new game.  And even though I had heard of dungeons and clousers and even caught fish on lunch moneys, I still had no idea what I was doing.  Today was going to be a day of learning and I can unabashedly say, it took me a while.  It's a good thing that Ryan is a patient teacher and outstanding communicator.

We did some practice casting and drifts in areas that didn't hold fish just so I could get the hang of things.  I ended up with a ball park idea of how the day was going to run and was cautiously optimistic as most fishing trips start out.  It didn't take long for us to find fish or for me to miss fish.  Sometimes I knew I missed them and other times I had no idea.  We were drifting heavy flies through deep holes and I was just not seeing the takes.  I even told Ryan that I was going to need an extremely aggressive fish smash my fly and hold on to it for a crazy amount of time.   Thankfully, that's exactly what I got.

This fish hid HARD!  He pretty much hooked himself because I was still transitioning from "trout sets" to strip sets.  Now I had heard about how hard smallmouth fight but nothing can prepare you for the real thing.  I felt like I had a two pound largemouth in terms of power and a bigger trout in terms of stamina.  When I finally saw the fish I was in awe of both its power as well as color.  This thing was beautiful and changed color like a chameleon.  I literally watched it change color by the second.  A sense of relieve rushed over me when Ryan netted the fish.  The thought of not getting skunked came to mind and Ryan said something like "Well we aren't getting skunked today!"  That made me laugh and reassured at the same time.  I was overjoyed and felt like I was starting to figure this system out.  My hubris however was about to be exposed...and then followed with exhilaration.  Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow.

I almost stepped on this already dead water snake near the put in.  My heart was beating fast enough that I didn't need this in my life.












Monday, June 14, 2021

Introducing Frontline Fly Fishing

It is an honor for me to write today's post and I mean that with the utmost sincerity.  It is an honor because I am proud to live in a city and know some folks that want to help those that help others.  Frontline Fly Fishing is a program that recognizes the fact that first responders and military veterans have experienced trauma.  It is a program which is part of the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Trout Fisherman's Association.   This trauma can be life-changing and sometimes make life challenging.  The mission of Frontline Fly Fishing is to improve the quality of life for first responders and military veterans through fly fishing related activities.  Those activities include fly fishing outings, fly tying sessions, and fly rod building.  

Later this week, I will share an interview that I conducted with Greg Davison, a committee chairman with Frontline Fly Fishing.  It will go into some more of the details about the program, but if you want to join the program or know of someone that would benefit from being a part of Frontline Fly Fishing, it is easy to join.  All someone would need to do is to attend the meetings and join the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Trout Fisherman's Association.  The cost of membership is only $15.  Meetings information is located below. 

Second Tuesday of Every Month

Disabled American Veterans building at 14605 US 40 Highway in Kansas City, Missouri 

6:00 PM

There is a restaurant in the building and you can grab something to eat before the meeting if you would like.  

Third Tuesday of Every Month

Rainbow Fly Shop at 4621 Shrank Dr. in Independence, Missouri.  

5:00 PM

Matt, the owner of Rainbow Fly Shop, will be grilling prior to the meeting so come hungry to this!

It is also an honor to announce that I was recently asked to create and manage the social media for the group.  I couldn't say no when asked because it felt like the least I could do to give a little back to those that give so much.  Aside from actually doing something to show my appreciation for these people, they let me give myself a pretty sweet title.  Folks, you're looking at the Minister of Social Media for Frontline Fly Fishing.  I'll be signing autographs pretty much anywhere and everywhere.  If you would like to give Frontline a follow on social media or if you have any ideas for what I can do to improve the account, please feel free to let me know.  I am open to ideas and suggestions.  You can either search up Frontline Fly Fishing on the platforms or click on the links below.


Friday, June 11, 2021

Catching Smallmouth Bass with Ryan Walker

Yesterday was a HECK of a day on the water with Ryan Walker.  A longer post will be coming out next week but I have a busy day so a short post will have to do for now.  Below, you can see the 17 inch smallmouth that I landed with A LOT of help from Ryan.  Aside from being an outstanding guide, you can see he is a heck of a photographer!  If he can make ME look cool, then he must really know what he is doing.  If you thinking about chasing some smallmouth in southern Missouri, I strongly urge you to consider booking a trip with Ryan!  Here is his contact information:

Ozark Smallmouth Alliance Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Ozarkssmallmouth

Ozark Smallmouth Alliance Fly Company Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ozarkssmallmouthflyco

Cell Phone Number: 417-366-3617




Thursday, June 10, 2021

Gone Fishing

While you are reading this, I am somewhere in Southern Missouri with Ryan Walker.  We are fly fishing for smallmouth bass and you better believe that you will be seeing a post (and maybe a YouTube video) in the near future.  I have only caught one smallmouth in my life.  That fish was caught during catch and release season a few years back at Bennett Spring in zone 2.  I caught it on accident while drifting a John Deere jig.  It put up a heck of a fight and was a surprise to catch.  I hope to add to my smallmouth stats and stories as well as share both with you in the near future.  


Wednesday, June 9, 2021

The Grind or the Gimme?


A week ago, I wrote a post about a good evening that I had at my favorite HOA pond.  In the post, I explained that I used a black wooly bugger and gave my justification for using the fly.  On my way home and for parts of the evening, I thought about how the first fly that I selected was the one that caught all of the fish.  At first, my hubris got the best of me, and I felt like some sort of genius.  I had cracked the fishing code on the first attempt for Pete's sake!  On the other hand, I missed out on the trial and error that usually comes with a fishing session.  At it's core, fishing is an experiment where you change variables in order to achieve a desired outcome.  (That sounds like a science teacher because I am one).  

My question to the readers of this post is which one do you prefer?  Sure, it's nice to catch fish from the first cast to the last cast!  Who wouldn't enjoy that?  However, are there times that you enjoy the grind?  Do you enjoy figuring out the right fly at the right depth in the right spot?  In other words, do you enjoy the grind of cracking the code or do you want the gimme where you catch fish with the first fly that you pick?  Maybe this is a moving target and it depends on other factors?  Perhaps this is something that you want to mull over but feel free to leave a comment down below with your opinion.  Either way, it is something to think about and I hope this post was at least thought provoking.


Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Fishing a Small Jig Under an Indicator


Sometimes it feels like cheating.  At other times, I wonder if I am even "technically" fly fishing.  But then there are times when I catch some hard fighting bluegill on a three weight.  From time to time, I get a surprise catch like a 4 pound bass.  This method is deadly at any trout part as well as Lake Taneycomo.  It has also been a pretty productive way to catch catfish on a fly.  The method that I speak of is a small jig under an indicator.

The set up is pretty simple.  I peel some fluorocarbon straight off a spool.  For trout in clear water, I use 2 pound.  For bluegill and bass I use 6 pound.  From there, I attach 9 feet of leader for trout and 6 feet for bluegill and bass.  Finally, I put the indicator approximately 2 feet up the line.  If I think the fish are deeper or fish a deep hole for trout, I move the indicator up the line.  As for flies, I like to use jig-style hooks with lead heads.  I tie all my jigs on 1/80 ounce lead heads that have size 10 hooks.

As for how I work the jig when I am fishing it, I have found that the less action and movement you give it, the better.  It's almost like fishing with a plastic work on conventional tackle; you can work it too fast but you can't work it too slow.  There are rare days when fish will only hit it on a long slow retrieve.  At other times, they want an erratic action.  However, most days I can just cast it out a let it sit.  Lately, fish have been hitting the fly within 8 seconds of hitting the water and sometimes on the drop.  If I don't get a bite after 8 seconds, I give it a little action.  If that doesn't work, I recast to the same spot or try a new one.

This is not rocket science folks.  This is a great set-up for newbies because it is an easy method to catch fish.  More seasoned anglers might see it as boring and I get it.  If you're staring at a bobber, why not just have a Zebco and a nightcrawler?  On trout streams, this is equivalent to nymphing and can be equally effective at times.  On warmer waters, this method catches a lot of smaller fish, which some folks don't have a desire for.  On the other hand, I will hook into the occasional 2-4 pound bass on a 1/80 ounce jig.  This is also a great end up with a catfish bending your fly rod too.  I have caught catfish on woolies but exponentially more on a jig set up.  

Some people will turn their nose up to this and I really don't blame them.  It's not throwing a big streamer for big predators.  It isn't throwing a size 14 Adams for a consistently rising trout.  It is casting a fly with an indicator messing up pretty casts and then staring at said indicator.  No, it is not a "cool" or traditional way to fly fish...but holy cow does it catch fish!  You be the judge and decide if this is a method that you want to utilize and then go for it as long as you have fun with it.

I also sell a variety of jigs on my Etsy store.  Here's a link in case you are interested: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShowMeFlyGuy