Building Fly Rod Holders for My Boat

Breaking a fly rod is an awful feeling.  If you've ever broken one, you know the pain.  If you haven't broken one, your day is probably coming.  I have been unfortunate enough to break three rods in the last year and I'm tired of it.  But out of frustration can come motivation.  You know what I mean, probably.  If you've ever gotten fed up and sick of a situation, maybe you thought, "I'm done!  I'm not doing this anymore."  That's where I was, mentally, when I started this project.  

My last rod was broken when Waylon (my dog) sat on one of my 6 weights and snapped it like a twig.  From there, I decided that I needed a better method to store and transport fly rods in my Jon boat.  I wrestled with some designs but then saw a rod storage system that a guide in Wyoming used.  A light bulb went off and I knew what I wanted to do.  I decided that I was going to use some PVC pipe to store my rods and my inspiration directed me to cut the tube in half approximately 1/3 of the way up the pipe.  I didn't know how I was going to secure the system to the boat or how I would incorporate a locking system near the reel and handle.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and just dive right in.  I planned to problem solve as I went along.  

I cut the PVC, and then started making brackets to attach to the pipe and to parts of my boat.  I made a bracket for the last bench seat in my boat, a bracket for the middle bench seat, and then a bracket for the front platform of my semi v bottom boat.  Aside from the PVC, I used some 2 X 4's, 1 X 2's, some perforated plumber's tape, and even some paint stir sticks.  The rear bracket has some slots for the reels and reel seats to fit.  I also included some small, swingable pieces of wood to secure the rods during transportation on or off the water.  The middle section attaches the PVC to the wood with the perforated plumbers tape, and the end is constructed in a similar fashion.

I'm happy with how the construction turned out and after one morning of field testing, I see this tool as being a viable option to protect my rods.  I'm going to need to cut the channel in the PVC a little further as the current channel creates an awkward angle and motion to load the rods from the back of the boat but I will get to that this weekend.  If you're interested in creating something similar, feel free to shoot me an email.  I would be happy to give more detail or help with a brainstorming session.  My email is showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  Have a fun and safe weekend.  See you next week!

More Largemouth on a Game Changer and My BIGGEST Bluegill Ever

 

Recently, I wrote a post which detailed a small fishing outing that involved my youngest son, Cody, and my new buddy, Grant.  Both boys had the fortune of catching some decent bass and Grant even caught a 10 inch bluegill that weighed 1 pound.  I was lucky enough to catch some largemouth on a game changer fly for the first time as well.  It was a great time on the water.  It was so wonderful, I decided to go back to the same luck to see if I could replicate the results.

In a phrase, I did.  I'm going to let the pictures tell the story for the most part, but to summarize, I can tell you that the bass crushed the game changer again and I caught the biggest bluegill of my life.  I don't think it was the exact bluegill that Grant caught, but it was identical in size.  The bluegill hit a jig I call The Standard which was about 16 inches under a strike indicator.  Currently, I am sold out of The Standard in the online store, but I have some game changers in stock if you would like to purchase a few.  Just click the link below to navigate to the store!

Link to online fly shop: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

Link directly to game changers: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1760602510/chartreuse-game-changer-fly-gamechanger

Weekend Fishing Report: Nothing Big

The skies were clear, the wind was picking up, and I got on the water a little later than I should have.  Now I'm not going to state that these are the reasons that I didn't catch many fish or anything big, but may the aforementioned factors played a role.  On the other hand, the wind was out of the south (which I think is usually a good thing) and the water temperature was about 75 degrees.  Those factors tend to indicate better fishing conditions.  Regardless of the conflicting conditions, it was a slow morning yesterday.

Please don't take that as some sort of complaint.  As I was having a slow morning, something dawned on me.  When I have mornings that are slow in terms of both numbers and size, I seem to appreciate each catch a little bit more.  My mindset isn't wrapped up in measurements or total number caught.  I found myself appreciating the beauty of each fish a little more.  I admired the coloration and uniqueness of each species.  I appreciated each hookup a little bit more because they were so few and far between.  If I would have caught 40 fish yesterday morning, I would struggle to describe each catch.  Since I caught so few yesterday, I can describe each hookset, fight, and release in a lot more detail.  

So if you every find yourself having a slow day, try to appreciate the little victories and the beauty where you can find it.  Sure, we all want to catch big fish and lots of them.  In reality, days like these are few and far between.  The slow days of small fish will help you appreciate the good days more but should also be appreciated for what they are as well.  If you have the chance to get outdoors and cast a fly, it's a good day.  You weren't in the hospital, you weren't 6 feet under, and things could have been worse...unless you sink a boat.  I can't help you find a silver lining if that happens.  That just stinks and life would have been better if you had stayed home.

 

Fishing With My New Buddy, Grant, and My Youngest Son, Cody

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/trophies-certificates/master-angler-award

A few months back, I unexpectedly ran in to some good friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.  They are a husband and wife that live near our family farm and my small hunting/fishing cabin.  I have known the husband for over twenty years and he has been gracious enough to let me fish one of his farm ponds.  I've known the wife since we got our Master's degrees in education almost 20 years ago.  When the wife told me that her son wanted to learn how to fish but that neither her nor her husband had much fishing experience, I saw an amazing opportunity.  When she asked if I could take her son on a small fishing outing and show him a thing or two, I jumped at the chance.

It felt like I had the opportunity to pay back a little of the generosity that the family has shown me over the years.  The pond they let me fish is a good one and it seemed like a no brainer to take the young man, named Grant, to that pond.  I had a feeling that I could put him on some nice fish.  I also hoped that I could show him a few things to help him hit the water on his own in the future.  We set a date and time for us to hit the water and we hit the water early on a late July morning.  I brought my youngest son, Cody, along because Grant and him are only a couple of years apart in age and I try to never turn down a chance to get my boys outdoors.

It was an oddly cool morning for late July and there was not a single bit of wind.  Grant wanted to fish with a spinning rod and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw a lure that I love.  It's easy to cast, fun to retrieve, and a topwater lure as well.  I'm talking about a whopper plopper.  It took all of three casts before Grant was hooked up with a nice bass and then five more casts before he hooked up again.  Cody also got in on the action and brought in a couple of bass himself.  Every fish absolutely hammered the whopper plopper and the visual eats only added to the fact that most bass fought more like four pounders than two pounders.  We covered some more water and each boy caught a few more. 

Eventually, we covered most of the pond and the bass bite slowed down.  I asked Grant if he wanted to switch things up and chase some bluegill.  His exact response was, "I've never caught a bluegill."  My jaw almost hit the ground.  I couldn't believe that he lived on a farm and had never caught a bluegill.  I took it as a challenge to change that.  We rummaged through his tackle box and found a crappie jig and a bobber.  I rigged up a lighter action spinning rod and he started casing for his first bluegill.

We tried one spot and didn't get bit.  We fished another spot and obtained the same result.  But at the third spot, Grant hooked up with a fish.  I wasn't close by when the fish hit, but his yells of excitement, as well as Cody's, could be heard from 50 yards away.  By the time I arrived, Cody had landed the fish and Grant was grinning from ear to ear.  At first, the fish looked like a 13 inch bass in the net but as I got closer, the color didn't seem right.  When I finally arrived at the net, I saw the largest bluegill that I have ever seen in person.  The tale of the tape was 10 inches long with a weight of one pound.  Grant had not only caught his first bluegill, but had caught a Missouri Master Angler Award winning fish!

Grant's mom and dad were impressed by Grant's bountiful morning.  They were very appreciative for me taking him fishing but I told them that the pleasure was all mine.  I also told them that taking a little time to take their son fishing was a drop in the bucket to what I owe them for letting me fish their pond for so many years.  And if I'm being honest, I think I might have had just as much fun as Grant!  Speaking of fun, if you or someone you know also ends up catching a Missouri Master Angler Award winning fish, feel free to apply for and award through the Missouri Department of Conservation's website.

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/trophies-certificates/master-angler-award

Upcoming Frontline Fly Fishing Fundraiser: Iron Fly and Silent/Live Auction

If you live in the Kansas City area and want to have some fun as well as support a charitable organization that changes lives, then open up your calendar and get ready to put an event in your schedule.  On Saturday, September 14, Frontline Fly Fishing will be hosting their annual Iron Fly at Smoke Brewing Co. in Lee's Summit, Missouri, from 1-6 PM.  This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Frontline Fly Fishing and I have been fortunate enough to addend some events that organization has put on for years.  

The mission of Frontline Fly Fishing is to teach and develop fly fishing and related skills to promote healing for current and former military, first responders, and others.  I have seen this organization impact the lives of a lot of good people that have served this country and local communities.  I believe in supporting those closest to us first and to branch out to the rest of the world second.  If there was an organization that I was going to support, this would be the one.

The event will include tying challenges, an auction, and comradery between good folks and a sport we love.  I have personally donated some flies, a copy of my book, and a fly box for the auction.  I've also donated a gift certificate for either a 1/2 day guided fly fishing trip or an evening of tying flies together where I provide all of the materials and patterns.  Don't worry, I'm sure there will be better things than that at the event so don't base any conceived notions on your dislike of my donations.  So if you're free and want to hang out, tie some flies, and support an amazing organization, I would love to see you there and I'm sure Frontline members would too!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined the crowd that I saw on Saturday morning at Rainbow Fly Shop for my book signing, book selling, and fly selling.  While I knew that my closest family members and a few buddies would show up, it was the amount of other folks that was a surprise.  Folks I had never met showed up.  People that I had only interacted through social media came.  One of my buddies from Clinton came and another friend came all the way from Springfield!  I'm not stating these things in order to brag or boast, but rather to describe the support that I am so fortunate to have.  

We, as a community of fly fishers, are an amazing group.  I have heard countless stories of guys cutting flies off the end of their lines and handing them to other anglers just to hopefully share in the joy of catching fish.  I've watched veteran anglers take young people or adults that are new to the sport under their wings and give them some pointers to make them more successful.  I've watched people volunteer at casting clinics, demonstrate how to tie flies, and create organizations like Frontline Fly Fishing which use fly fishing as a form of therapy for folks with PTSD.  I am fortunate to be a part of this small, but mighty community and that was on display on Saturday morning.  

I love this sport with all my heart and it is an absolute pleasure to share that passion with other like-minded folks.  It's a special thing to love a sport and it's an even better thing to share it with others.  Swapping stories, trading flies, and hitting the water together is a beautiful thing.  I believe that we were put on this earth to touch as many lives as possible.  The point of life, in my opinion, is not the accomplishments that one can show at the end of a life but rather the impressions and impacts that one made on the lives of others.  While I try my best to live by that ideal, my life was touched by the thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity of so many people on Saturday morning.  Whether you were there or not, thank you for any and all support that you show to me.  Whether it's a book purchase, a couple of clicks, or a comment on a video, I want you to know that it is appreciated and that you make my life better as a result.  So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!