My Fishing Backpack

I carry my fishing backpack everywhere I hit the water.  Besides a rod and reel, it is one of the few things that I cannot leave the house without.  I decided to share the contents of the bag with you in case you were curious as to what I carry or maybe wanted some idea on how to start your own fishing backpack.

1. The Bag- Yes, it's a tackle box.  I prefer the backpack because it frees up one of my hand.  As for the bag itself, I'll be honest, I bought this thing at a thrift store.  I found the biggest bag with the most pockets and options and scooped that sucker up for about $7.00.  Yes, you can buy fishing backpacks from Orvis, Bass Pro, and Fishpond.  And yes, those things are awesome, durable, and cool looking.  I would just rather invest my money into other fishing-related items.  Let's just call it different strokes for different folks.

2. Spool Organizer- I primarily use 6, 8, and 10 pound fluorocarbon as a leader or tippet or whatever you want to call it.  I don't use tapered leader because I just don't see a need for it and can live without it.  Again, this is a cost saving move and I don't have to feel bad about those pesky wind knots

3. Tools- you need them and there is no avoiding it.  I always have a knot tying tool, scissors, a digital scale, and a backup scale.  I also keep a pair of pliers, a filet knife, and cutting board as well.

4. Flies- how did these things get pushed to number 4?  I don't know, but you need flies.  I tend to always have a box of jigs, dries, and buggers.  I can catch just about any fish in Missouri on these flies.  I also have a miscellaneous box with streamers, poppers, and a few other random flies that don't fit the themes of the other boxes.

5. Sunblock and Bug Spray- it's better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.  

A Fly Tying Materials Master List: Genius or Overkill?

I have reached the point in my fly tying experiences, that I have a lot of materials.  I have materials that I have never tied with, never unpackaged, and don't plan to do either.  I've found my comfort zone and I know what I like to tie and what I like to fish.  The problem that I have now is figuring out what do I actually use and how much do I have?  The latter question is the one that I am most concerned with.  I don't want to end up in a situation where I want to complete a custom order or whip up some flies for myself and don't have the means to do so.  That's where this master list idea came from.  

After I complete this list, I think one of two things will happen.  I will not use it one single time OR this idea will make life easier.  My plan is to simply run through the list prior to placing an order for materials and determine what do I have enough of and what do I need more of.  Like anything else in life, we will see how this  plays out, but for now, I have to get back to typing the names of materials into an Excel document!

Shook of the Skunk...Bigtime!

Good gracious did I have the fortune to experience a fishing extravaganza last night!  I took my middle school fly fishing club to Legacy Lake in Lee's Summit, Missouri, last night and it was absolutely bananas!  Between the five of us, we easily caught over 100 fish.  While most of the fish were small crappie, there were some other species mixed in which made it fun.  This was a stark contrast to getting skunked last Sunday.  It was nice to get on one of those "catch a fish on every cast" rolls.  On this particular lake, the crappie were in shallow water and right off the dam.  We caught them on a variety of jigs under indicators and it didn't seem to matter what the color of the jigs were.  Most bites were pretty aggressive and even the small fish put a bend in a 4 weight fly rod.  It would be even more fun to go after them on something lighter as well!  

DIY Fly Rod Transport Tube- Part 3

The fly rod transport system has taken some significant steps forward since the last post.  Feel free to read part 1 here and part 2 here.  I completed fabrication on a second tube yesterday.  This tube needed the openings to be larger because of the of the thicker handle and larger reel.  An 8 weight was used as the model for this rod tube.  Now I have have a tube for smaller weight rods as well as bigger weight rods.  I also installed some u-bolts as well and the tubes are extremely stable.  I've also had the chance to field test the system and so far, I absolutely love it!

Next, I need to decide if I want my ladder racks where they are or if I want to spread them out more.  Right now, the front and back of each tube is pretty bouncy.  If I spread the racks apart, I will have less bounce by the middle of the tube will probably sag some.  I'm thinking that less bounce will ensure less rubbing on the guides and guide wraps on the rods so I will probably go with this option.  I'm also planning on sanding down the tubes and giving them paint jobs.  I'm going to try to give each tube a fish-themed paint job but if the results are less than desirable, I'll just hit them with some black paint and they will blend in with the racks and truck.  I'll keep you posted on the progress.

I Got Out-fished AND Skunked!

It hadn't happened all year but it finally happened.  I got skunked yesterday.  I fished at Watkins Mill State Park and didn't catch a single fish.  I couldn't even catch a bluegill on a jig under an indicator!  I don't blame the conditions, but rather my inability to read the conditions and adjust accordingly.  It was windy, a front had moved through the night before, and the water was murky.  Yes, conditions were less than ideal but I'm still kicking myself or not being able to make the right adjustments.  I probably should have focused more on deeper water and should have stripped a black wooly in those spots as well.  

To add insult to injury, I even got out-fished by a competitor that I should have easily defeated in terms of size and numbers.  While it was cool to see an osprey and even more impressive to see an osprey with a bluegill, it also knocked my confidence down another rung on the ladder of self confidence.  Days like this though do make you appreciate the surroundings more and for me, they motivate me to be a better angler.

The Brave in a Shad Color Combination

Here is another streamer for your viewing pleasure.  It is basically a rabbit strip zonker with a double collar.  If you are a fly tyer, feel free to use this tutorial to make your own.  If you don't tie, but like what you see and want a few, feel free to visit my online fly shop.  This is a great shad imitation to fish those lakes that have white bass, hybrid stripers, largemouth, and smallmouth. 

Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1055255999/the-brave-shad-pattern-streamer-bass-fly

Tiger-Style Lunch Money

Recently, I completed a custom order of Lunch Money flies that a customer requested.  He asked for them to have a combination of dark colors and light colors.  Green and white, green and yellow, and gray and white color combinations were easy to come up with but after that, I got a little stumped.  Coming up with another combination eluded me.  I finally settled on a black and yellow combination and I have mixed feelings about this fly.  By the way, my buddies and I refer to this as the tiger-style color combination as a nod to good old Mizzou.

My first thought is that I cannot think of any fish that is black and yellow.  Because of that, I'm immediately apprehensive.  On the other hand, bass will sometimes just react to motion and color.  They are opportunists and not always the most discerning or picky eaters.  I also know that trout LOVE black and yellow jigs so that gives me more faith in the color combo.  I think this calls for a little field testing and as soon as that goes down (if we ever get some good weather) I will let you know how it turns out.  Since I am from the Show-Me State, I have to see this thing work in order to decide if it needs a spot in the rotation.  What do YOU think?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

 

DIY Fly Rod Transport Tube- Part 2

 

The fly rod transport tube is coming right along.  Recently, I was able to successfully make one tube that will be used to transport a fully assembled fly rod.  I used an angle grinder to cut a channel in a 2" piece of PVC.  I also cut the cannel into the threaded component as well.  The rod slides into the tube, butts up against the end of the channel, and a screw-on cap keeps the rod from coming out.  In all, the entire tube cost me about $30.

Last night, I also purchased a ladder rack.  I got a heck of a deal on it and only paid $175 for it.  On top of that, the very kind gentleman that I bought it from also installed it for me and gave me some pointers on my project.  I included some pictures of the tube on the rack but things are still far from complete.

Next on the agenda is to purchase and fabricate another tube.  This one is going to need a wider channel for bigger rods and reels.  I also need some U bolts to attach the the tubes to the rack.  Additionally, I also need to sand the tubes and paint them as well.  This project is far from complete but has cleared some mighty big hurdles and the biggest costs are behind me now.  

Fishing with a Newbie

If you are reading this, chances are you like to fish and that you have caught a fish within the last few years.  (If you don't fit into that category, then hopefully you have plans to change that!)  If you're like me, I fish a lot.  I'm luck enough to catch hundreds of fish each year and in my younger days when I fished even more than I currently do, I would catch over 1,000 fish per year.  Yes, I kept an actual count and no, I don't anymore.  However, not everyone has the same resources, knowledge, or passion.  That's why I jumped at the chance to take my brother-in-law fishing when he asked me to take him.

Brandon is a great guy!  He's thoughtful, funny, and generous.  He works hard at his job and has received multiple promotions as a result.  On many, many occasions, he has been there for Wendy, me, his folks, and my family when we needed help.  He doesn't spend a lot of time hunting, fishing, or camping and I don't mean that as a knock against him.  Up until recently, he just hasn't had much of an interest in those activities.  We have talked on a few occasions over the last few months about camping and fishing though.  We finally got a chance for him to experience putting up a tent and fishing for some bass last weekend.

In total, we went to four ponds.  We fished from the bank at the first pond where he struck out.  I caught three but really had to work for them.  This told me that we needed to find a hotter spot.  At the next lake, he landed the first bass since his childhood.  The excitement came through in his voice and his smile showed exactly how much fun he was having among other things.  He got better at casting.  He started to figure out where fish tended to be found and target those spots.  He changed his retrieve until he found a pattern as well.  By the end of the day, he had learned A LOT simply by trial and error.  

Brandon's experience also energized me.  It reminded me of my younger days as a kid and how it felt when I was getting back into fishing after college.  The entire experience renewed my enthusiasm for the sport I love and made me appreciate each fish a little bit more.  If you get a chance to take someone fishing, please consider doing so.  You will will give a person an experience and memory that they will never forget and you just might end up with the same as well!

Weekend Fishing Report- The Farm Pond Bass Were Shallow

I've been extremely fortunate to fish some of my favorite farm ponds a lot this spring.  I've gotten a chance to watch the bass move out of the depths and into the shallows.  The bass have changed from being concentrated in a few spots to spreading out to different areas of the ponds as activity has increased.  I've also gotten to fish clear water as well as murky water which has allowed me to try out some new flies and color combinations.  Last Saturday reminded me that that sometimes there are patterns within patterns.  

A buddy of mine and I hit four farm ponds total last Saturday.   On some water, the fish were active and ready to eat.  On others, the bit was slower.  At the end of the day though, there was a pattern that revealed itself.  All of the fish that we caught came in shallow water.  It appeared that the fish were either looking for warmer water, preparing to spawn, or maybe both.  Regardless, the takes were aggressive and fishing deep water was futile.  

The water clarity also varied from pond to pond but that didn't effect the locations of the fish.  On darker water, a black Lunch Money was the ticket.  On clearer water, an olive and yellow Lunch Money worked.  As you can tell from the pictures, the stained water produced more bites.  In all, I probably caught 20 bass with 15 of them coming on a black Lunch Money.  It was a heck of a day on the water but I'm already fretting the post spawn conditions.  I guess when things get slow, it will be time to give the bluegill a few lip piercings!

If you're interested, you can find these flies in my Etsy store.  No pressure to buy and all support is appreciated!

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