A New Lake and My First Drum on a Fly!

Some bodies of water are just special.  They can be special because of the location, the scenery, or sentimental reasons.  Or maybe the lake is special because of the species of fish present, the size of the fish, or the number of fish in the lake.  Many times, a body of water can hold a special place in someone's heart for a combination of reasons.  For my friend, Eric, he considers a certain lake to be special because of memories and the size of fish present.  For that very reason, I have chosen to withhold the name of the lake out of respect for him and his spot.  The last thing I want is for his little slice of heaven to be inundated with anglers, and thus, make him regret sharing the lake with me.  In other words, I don't want to ruin his spot and I hope you can understand and respect that.  I'm not trying to be a jerk to readers of this blog but rather, I'm not trying to be a jerk to Eric.

I arrived at Lake X for the first time last Monday morning.  Eric arrived right after me as well as Greg and Anthony.  I've known Eric and Greg for a few years but I had never had the chance to fish with them.  I had never met Anthony before but he brought a fly rod so I figured that he couldn't be that bad of a dude.  Eric and I shared my boat while Greg and Anthony saddled up in Eric's two man boat.  We launched from the smallest boat ramp that I have ever launched from and were on the water by 6:30.  

I had heard Eric and Greg talk about this lake for a few years.  When he talked about it, he always mentioned that the bluegill are routinely caught in the 9 inch range with a small number of them reaching 10 inches.  My personal best was probably a hare over 8 inches so this got me pretty excited.  On this particular morning, he also informed me that there were some nice sized bass as well as a decent crappie population and even drum.  The drum was what surprised me because this lake looked like so many other reservoirs that I have fished but they all lacked the drum component.  I thought drum only lived in bigger lakes and some ozark streams.  I would learn a lesson later that morning.

It took a little while to find the fish but we eventually catching along windswept banks and near rock that lined some of the shore of the lake.  They weren't hiding in the vegetation and didn't seem to be located in large numbers in the main channel.  Once we started catching fish, it was a consistent bite and a mixed bag and that.  We started off by catching some 8 inch bluegill, which was a lot of fun on a 3 weight.  Then we got into an occasional 9 inch bluegill and I finally believed everything that my friend had told me over the years.  I guess I just had to see it to believe it.  I was born and raised in the Show Me State after all. 

About 20 minutes after we started our bluegill catching extravaganza, I hooked into a fish that behaved differently and I knew it was something other than a bluegill.  It hugged the bottom of the lake which made me jump to the conclusion that it was a catfish.  The headshakes and strong runs made me think largemouth.  Those behaviors, combined, confused me and I didn't know what I had on the end of my line.  After a fight that lasted about 4 minutes that put a heck of a bend in my 3 weight, the fish started to come to the boat.  I didn't see the wide head of a catfish or the green of a bass.  Instead, I saw white and gray with an elongated but wide body.  I had a drum and I couldn't have been happier.

I have caught a few drum in the past and always enjoyed their fight and honestly, their appearance.  If you've ever seen redfish that are caught in The South, that is just a cousin of the drum.  If you ever look carefully at a drum, you will see the commonalities that they share.  Our midwest drum lack the coloring but from the gills forward, they look similar.  Anyway, back to the catch.

Eric did a heck of a job netting the fish and shared in my excitement.  I gave a few yells of excitement as well as a "Woo" that Ric Flair would have been proud of.  High fives were also exchanged and we both grinned from ear to ear.  Eric, acting like a professional fishing guide, snapped some pictures for me and helped me measure my catch.  The tail of the tape was 20 inches long and about 3 and 1/2 pounds.  The beast was released and we got back to fishing because we still had a lot of morning left.

We continued to catch 8-9 inch bluegill but caught other species as well.  I caught a 14 inch crappie as well as a couple of largemouth that were in the 2 pound range.  Eric caught some crappie, a bunch of big bluegill, and landed a nice largemouth himself.  At about 9:00, the bite started to slow but we still picked up the occasional 8-9 inch bluegill which kept us interested.  We caught some fish further off the bank and a few around some structure but nothing was as productive as the pattern that we found earlier in the day.  

We headed to the boat ramp around 10 and started to load up the boats.  Greg and Anthony had enjoyed a productive morning as well and we all swapped stories around the loaded boats.  I attempted to express my appreciation for the lake that they routinely frequent.  I wanted to make sure that they knew that I had enjoyed my experience as much as they said that I would.  I also tried to express my most sincere gratitude for the generosity that they extended to me by sharing this place with me.  I referred to it as "Jurassic Lake" more than once because of the quality of the fish in the fishery.  Eric and Greg, if you're reading this, please know that your secret is safe with me...but don't be surprised if you run into a guy in a green jon boat that is accompanied by a bird dog on Lake X sometime.  Like The Terminator, I will be back!

Two Hybrids on Two Tandem Rigs!

Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1537476279/3-pack-of-white-unhackled-wooly-buggers

Either lightning does indeed strike twice or maybe I have stumbled on a tactic that works.  I don't know.  For me, personally, the threshold for finding a pattern is if something happens three times.  So it seems just a little premature to say I have found a pattern but things are trending in the right direction.  Last week, I posted a video on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram where my good buddy Jake caught two hybrids on a tandem streamer rig.  This was a feat that I had never pulled off, seen, or even heard of.  It was exciting and if you watch the video, please believe me, the excitement was genuine.  Almost a week passed before I got to fish with my sons in the same place.

The place that I am referring to is Watkins Mill State Park between Kearney and Excelsior Springs, Missouri.  I communicate that without any apprehension because it is a public place that is beautiful.  It is also funded by your taxpayer dollars so you are entitled to enjoy this place as much as I am.  I love this place and if you visit it, I bet you would find the same beauty that I appreciate.  It is a no wake lake that accommodates kayakers, jon boats, and larger vessels.  There is a walking trail all the way around the lake, a campground, and a very nice visitor's center.  It's a pretty place with good fishing that many folks enjoy.

As I was explaining, my sons and I visited Watkins Mill on the evening of Father's Day.  They aren't always excited to go fishing but they didn't complain about our plan.  Maybe they felt compelled to go along with my idea or maybe they just felt like fishing with dear old dad.  Regardless, we hit the water.  Both boys got to control the outboard as well as the trolling motor.  Both Mason and Cody also landed some bluegill on a fly and things were going well.  My oldest son, who just happens to be a teenager, even said that he was having a lot of fun bringing in some fish.  This was a great Father's Day present and I didn't investigate his sincerity.  Maybe ignorance is bliss?!?!

As the sun started to set, we saw a few schools of hybrids chasing bait to the surface of the lake.  This was a little surprising to me because it seemed a little to windy for such an event, but there they were.  The boys had tired a little of the bluegill and I thought that trolling for some of these active fish was worth a shot.  We navigated to the middle of the lake and I set the boys up with two different fly rod set-ups.  Mason was given a 6 weight fly rod with sink tip line and a four inch streamer, called The Brave, that I have caught hybrids on before.  Cody was handed a 3 weight fly rod that had two small baitfish flies.  I call these flies unhackled buggers because they are simply wooly buggers without a feather/hackle wrapped around the body.  They are easier to tie, cheaper, and (in my opinion) have a little more flash than a wooly bugger.

I fired up the outboard to a trolling speed that had worked with Jake and off we went.  It took all of a minute for Cody to hook into a hybrid.  He reeled it in like a veteran and I felt like this was a sign of things to come.  After a successful release, we started trolling again.  Mason hooked up with a hybrid a few minutes later.  This felt good for a couple of reasons.  For one, I didn't have to worry about any sibling rivalry.  Second, it was nice to see a hybrid hit a larger fly that was lower in the water column.  

We continued dragging flies behind the boat and caught a few more fish.  Everyone in the boat was having a good time and smiling.  It was one of the best parts of my Father's Day.  There are few things that I enjoy as much as catching fish with and sharing a boat with my sons.  What we didn't know, was that there was one more highlight left for the day.  

The sun was setting faster than I would have preferred and our time on the water was coming to an end.  We decided to troll back to the boat ramp.  As we neared the ramp, Cody informed the boat that he had a fish on.  His rod seemed to bend a little more than it had with previous catches and he strained to bring the fish in more than he had earlier.  My brain automatically jumped to the conclusion that he might have a bigger fish on.  I instructed him to not try and horse the fish in, then explained what horsing a fish means, and finally told him that he was doing great.  As the fish got closer to the boat, I prepared the net.  I saw the fish, netted it, and felt resistance from the line that held the second fly which was still in the water.

I hoped that he had a second fish on but also knew that he might have some grass/moss attached to the second fly as well.  I tempered my enthusiasm and didn't announce my hypotheses to the boat.  I didn't have to control my behavior though when I saw the flash of a second fish below the surface of the water.  I told Cody that he had a second fish but that we still needed to land the fish.  Quickly and deftly, I grabbed the line and pulled the second hybrid out of water and dropped him in the net.  Yells of excitement, high fives, and fist bumps ensued.  The screams echoed around the lake and the folks on the shore probably saw the high fives.  This was, without a doubt, one of the most memorable experiences that I have had with my boys on the water.  Mason even congratulated his younger brother with sincerity and without an ounce of jealousy.  I took a moment to revel in the moment and tried to commit as much of the event to my long term memory as I could.

What I had experienced with Jake, almost a week prior, seemed like an exceptional event to me.  After witnessing my 9 year old son pull off the same feat, I'm starting to think that maybe there is something to this trolling a tandem streamer rig for hybrids!  Only time will tell but I'm excited to investigate this phenomenon further!  If you're interested in conducting your own trolling tandem streamers for hybrid striped bass experiment, just click the link below to get your own streamer which is the same one that I have been using.

Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1537476279/3-pack-of-white-unhackled-wooly-buggers

I Hate it When This Happens!

Fly rods are inherently fragile.  They are made to be lightweight, flexible, and to have a taper that gives the tip of the rod a very thin tip.  Over the last year, I had the misfortune of breaking three rods.  With one rod, the tip was broken when a gust of wind knocked the rod to the ground.  The rod hit with just the right amount of force in just the right place to break the tip.  On the second rod, I closed it in my front door.  I had the rod in two sections and was in a hurry.  I didn't notice that the tip had not cleared the door before I closed it.  That was a heartbreaker because the company that produced the rod went out of business a few years ago and it is irreplaceable.  Earlier this month, Waylon (my dog) and I were fishing in my boat.  I had a rod laying across a couple of seats.  Waylon chose to sit directly on top of the rod that was extending beyond the seat and snapped the mid-top section into two mid-top sections.  It was my Echo Base 6 weight and while it doesn't have much sentimental value, it is a tool that performs a specific function.

As I have gotten more into streamer fishing, I have found myself moving towards a bass fisherman's mentality.  I have certain rods with certain reels that contain certain line.  I have an 8 weight with floating line and an 8 weight with sink tip line.  I also have a 6 weight with floating line and a 6 weight with sink tip line.  Waylon broke my Echo Base 6 weight that was paired with floating line.  After getting over the initial shock of having yet another rod break, I debated whether I was going to contact Echo in regards to their warranty program.  While I don't use the rod as much as other rods, I decided that I needed to replace it in order to have my full arsenal of streamer rods back in order.

Echo was great to work with in terms of communication and customer service.  They were polite, efficient, and the steps I had to take as part of their warranty program were simple.  I did get a little bit of bad news though.  Since my rod had been discontinued, they could not send me the replacement part that I needed.  Instead, they offered me a 50% discount on a new rod that was comparable which is the Echo Lift.  The price of the rod is $110, which ended up costing me $55 dollars plus $15 in shipping.  This seemed a little expensive to me but I guess it could have been worse.  I didn't have to pay full price for a new 6 weight, which was good, but I sure didn't want to shell out that money because my dog did something dumb.  

This Catch was Unique on Multiple Levels!

Trolling a streamer behind a boat isn't a tactic that most fly fishers talk about a lot.  Trolling two streamers behind a boat on one line is probably less common.  Trolling two streamers behind a boat on one line for hybrid striped bass in Missouri has to be a little on the rare side.  I'm going to stop right there and let the video tell the rest of the story!

https://youtube.com/shorts/fvJMhwryuBg?si=o-7wppXOHKUtZmLV

Thank You, Thank You Thank You!

A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted a boat.  I already had a boat but I wanted a better boat.  The boat that I had was 8 feet long, made of plastic, and could accommodate two anglers uncomfortably.  It was great for fishing farm ponds and small lakes and I still use it for those purposes to this very day.  The reason that I felt a need for a bigger boat was because I wanted to expand my horizons.  I wanted to fish bigger lakes and have the ability to take out Wendy and Waylon or Mason and Cody or Collin and Wendy.  Those were just not possible in my small Bass Baby.

After some taking some time to make sure that this was a road that I actually wanted to go down, I started to look at this purchase from every angle.  Where was I going to store the boat?  How big of a boat did I want?  What type of boat did would fit my needs?  What was my price range?  There was plenty of planning and problem-solving prior to even looking at boats for sale.  

Eventually, a plan came together.  Wendy graciously said that I could store my boat in the garage.  I was limited on the size of the boat by the size of our garage so that put me at a 16 foot boat.  I chose a jon boat because I wanted something durable, simple, and easy to customize.  That is exactly that I wanted and that is exactly what I got.  I bought from Anglers Port Marina in Warsaw, Missouri and had an outstanding buying experience.  I ended up with a 16 foot G3 that was almost 10 years old and a Yamaha 20 horse motor that was about 8 years old.  Both appeared to be in great shape and looked like they had years of service left in them.  

At the time, I had the cash to pay for the boat outright but that would have left me, as my dad would call it, "cash poor".  I was still in the middle of building back my savings from what I had spent on my graduate degree and after spending some money on my house.  I chose to finance the boat, which is rare for me.  My dad taught me to always count on having a house and a car payment.  He said that anything after that can be saved for and purchased with cash.  He taught me to not ever overextend myself financially...but I made an exception for the boat.  

I took out a personal loan that was set to be paid back over a 5 year period.  It was my goal to pay the loan off in two years.  I didn't want the money to pay the loan back coming from my "general fund" which I consider my teaching paycheck that I receive monthly.  Instead, I decided to put the money that I earn from "side jobs" towards paying the loan off.  The following is my list of "side hustles":

Google: I make a very small amount of money from ads that are displayed on the blog, but everything helps.

Online Fly Shop & Custom Fly Tying Orders: This is where the bulk of the money for my boat came from.  I've filled a lot of small orders and a few really big orders but almost every penny that I have earned has gone right towards paying off the boat.  The two exceptions are that I bought a couple of fish finders and boating permits that I need to get on a few lakes in the Kansas City area.

Mowing Yards & Odd Jobs: This helped out almost as much as the fly tying jobs.  I have mowed for my in-laws in the past and I'm currently mowing a couple of yards for some nice folks that live in my neighborhood.  This is my last season of mowing yards though and I will be turning the small business over to my oldest son, Mason.

My Book, Tangled Fly Lines and Untangled Stories: This was what put me over the top to pay for the boat.  If it hadn't been for book sales, I would have had to wait a few more months to pay off the loan.

From the very beginning of this undertaking, I have believed that I would be willing to do some extra work for a boat, which I consider to be "an extra".  This was not something that I needed, but rather something that I wanted.  I decided that I was willing to earn this want and that's just what I did but it has taken a lot of people to help me along the way!  I am grateful for every fly that was purchased from the online store, every book that was bought through Amazon, and every mowing as well as odd job that people gave me.  Because of their generosity, I am happy to announce that my boat is officially paid off as of last week.  Like my dad taught me, if you're willing to work hard for something and be patient, you can do anything that you set your mind to.  The only thing left to do is enjoy my boat and perform proper maintenance to protect my favorite toy.  However I'm still left wondering...could I fit a four wheeler in the garage too?

Mason Went on His First Fishing Trip- The Conclusion

To my utter shock and amazement, Mason hooked a fish on his first cast.  His angle was accurate, his mend was appropriate, and his hook set was solid.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  This kid had done everything right and was rewarded for doing so.  You probably know as well as I do that a fish is not always earned even if you do everything perfectly.  I helped him net the fish and his genuine excitement was almost equal to the level of my own.  After a couple of pictures, we released the little guy and the fish looked healthy as it swam off.  While I was excited for Mason, I was also concerned that he was going to get the idea that what he was experiencing was simple and routine.  

I was glad that Mason had experienced some early success and I assumed that his next few fish might be a little more a challenge.  I could not have been more wrong.  This newbie, this greenhorn, this novice caught a trout on 4 of his next six casts!  As you can see in the pictures, he was all smiles.  I was happy to see my son have success on the water and enjoying the experience.  On the other hand, I was concerned that this early success would give him some sort of false belief that having success was this easy all of the time.  

I didn't want him to be of the opinion that fly fishing for trout was quick and simple.  I made sure to not ruin the moment but I knew what was on the horizon for him.  I knew because I've experienced it, like other anglers, so many times.  Mason ended up catching a few more fish before we had to call it quits and head to camp to set up things before dark.  It was a great intro for him and I hoped that his fortune would continue the next morning.

We both woke up and didn't move with the intent and purpose that we had the day before, but that's camping for you.  Some mornings it takes some extra effort to get geared up and on the water quickly.  This was one of those mornings but eventually we perked up before the horn sounded.  Since Mason had demonstrated so much independence the day before, I decided that I would position him near me and that I would fish upstream from him.  We started fishing above the spillway and had to wade through some fairly deep water that a shorter person would have struggled to traverse, but luckily, I'm about 6'3" and Mason was almost 6' tall.  The horn sounded and I started catching fish.  My son, however, struggled.

To Mason's credit, he never showed any frustration or disappointment.  He just kept casting and drifting.  I made sure to not show any arrogance with my success and instead offered to help him from time to time which he kindly rejected.  This made me feel pretty proud because I saw a desire in him to either be successful or fail on his own terms.  I saw a little grit in my son and I liked that.  

The grit continued as he struggled to catch any fish as the morning went on.  We tried some spots above the spillway as well as below the spillway but to no avail.  Mason was in a little bit of a slump, but luckily for him, I knew of a spot that was almost always a slumpbuster.  By no means is it a fun or elegant way to fish, but it always provides especially about an hour after the horned sounded.

The spot that I am referencing is located just upstream from the spillway near the parking lot that is closest to the spillway.  If you are looking upstream, the spot is on the left side near the concrete retaining wall.  This is where many anglers clean their fish as they are exiting the stream and discard the unwanted parts of fish.  It's also where nomadic trout show up to eat the disposed portions of their comrades.  In other words, it's a gut pile and if you have a fly that is white, it will trick fish.  

Fishing this spot can still be frustrating.  This water is shallow and clear without any current.  The fish have plenty of time to look over flies and can be as picky as they want.  A few of them are bound to slip up and take a fly down but an angler has to stay focused and hook sets have to be quick.  I gave Mason a few pointers and left him to his independence.  I fished nearby but gave him the space that most teenagers appreciate.  He ended up catching a few and restoring some confidence before we had to head back to camp and prepare for our journey home.

To cap the trip off, I showed Mason how to clean trout and he appreciated how simple the process is.  He said that he wanted to eat some of the fish that he caught and I was happy to help accommodate his wish.  Mason has always been of the mentality of "you eat what you catch or what is the point?"  I fall on the catch and release side of things but I respect his mindset.  I passed along a simple recipe and technique for cooking trout in foil on a grill.  To my shock, he liked the entrée so much, he ate two of his fish in one sitting.  

You never know what is going to happen over the course of a fishing trip, and therein lies a great deal of excitement.  Mason had himself some highs and lows in his experience but that is typical in a fishing trip.  It is with hope that an angler catches fish consistently and of high quality.  Sometimes anglers can get skunked for the entire trip.  Most of the time, however, both events take place and create peaks and valleys in a trip.  Mason got, what I believe, is an honest fishing trip.  Hopefully it is the first of many that we get to share!

Mason Went on His First Fishing Trip- Part 1

My oldest son, Mason, has been on a few camping trips.  He has also been on a few fishing trips.  However, he has never been on a camping trip where fishing is the only priority.  In a sense, he had never been on what I consider a "real" fishing trip.  And while he would tell you that he doesn't love to fish as much as I do, I would tell you that he's still pretty darn good at the sport.  He can independently handle himself around a fly rod and doesn't need much help from me anymore.  With that being said, he has never put on waders and fished in a current before.  Those two variables create a different and new experience for a young angler.

Since the day Mason was born, I've thought about taking him to Bennett Spring State Park.  This is where so many fly fishers, including me, have learned to fly fish.  I caught my first trout on a fly rod here and fell in love with the sport.  To me, Bennett represents the gateway to fly fishing.  It taught me the basics that I needed to fly fish for trout on other streams, in other states, and in a variety of situations.

I understand that my passions and my experiences will not be the same as Mason's.  Over the course of 14 years of being a dad, I've learned this lesson and sometimes it upsets me.  I want Mason to love what I love and have experiences like I have had.  I want to share those things with him and I want us to have something in common that will stay with us throughout our lives.  I've learned that it is simply not something that is going to happen though.  

He tolerates fishing.  He never asks to go and reluctantly goes when I ask him to join me.  His passions lie in other places and while it took some time to come to terms with that fact, I have.  It still stings a little, but I've accepted it.  However, I will always look for excuses to give him experiences in the outdoors and I told him that we were going to Bennett.  It wasn't an option for him to attend, but a solid requirement.  With some hesitance that eventually turned into a small amount of excitement, we arrived at the park.  

Everything was foreign to him right from the beginning.  Buying a daily tag was strange, putting on waders was a chore, and walking into cold, crystal clear water was almost sensory overload.  Mason mentioned, on more than one occasion, that the pressure of the water on the waters was strange as well as the sensation of being cold but not wet.  He also struggled with his footing a few times.  His entire experience took me back to my first day at Bennett.  Those feelings feel more natural now but it was a good reminder of how things felt when I was learning how to fly fish for trout.

Prior to fishing, I tried to give him some instruction on mending line, casting angles, and setting the hook.  I told him that all of the principles that he had learned were the same but just needed a few tweaks.  I also explained to him that there was going to be a learning curve.  I told him that he would miss a few fish and make a few mistakes.  I informed him that his success and the number of times it took him to learn a lesson was up to him.  I said that he had to pay attention to detail, think before he did something, and to make choices based on what he had learned.  I felt like I had delivered a solid plan of action.  Come to find out, I don't think it was completely necessary.