If You're Too Busy to Go Fishing, Then You are Too Busy!

I have indeed been too busy!  I haven't hit the water a lot lately so I haven't had a lot of content to post about.  To give you a small taste of how busy I have been, here is a small list of things that have kept me from fishing.  I'm sure you will be able to relate to a few items.

1. Work
2. Sick kid
3. Piano lessons (youngest child)
4. Soccer practice (oldest  (oldest child)child)
5. Soccer game
6. Soccer practice (youngest child)
7. Soccer game (youngest child)
8. Part time jobs to compensate for inflation
9. A truck that broke down
10. Lawn care 
11. Lawn care machinery that broke down
12. Boat maintenance
13. A lack of sleep
14. Shorter days which mean less time to fish

I could continue, but you get the idea.  Please don't take that list as me complaining...actually, you can take it that way if you want...but that's life, right?  Things happen.  Life gets busy and sometimes to a degree that is out of your control.  Life is like a yin yang.  There is good mixed with bad.  There is way too busy mixed with too much time on your hands.  I've leaned on a few sayings lately and they are:

Tough times don't last, but tough people do.

and

It is always darkest right before the dawn.

I have a few outings that I have been fortunate enough to plan and I will have more fishing content soon.  Until then, I hope you are able to hit the water and make some solid memories.  When I get the chance to do the same, I will be sure to share some stories with you. 

I was Reminded Recently: Vary How You Retrieve a Streamer!

Recently, I fished a couple of farm ponds for some largemouth bass.  With the water temperatures cooling, I figured that the healthy population (or overpopulation in some cases) of bass would be ready to feed up due to increased metabolism.  There wasn't much wind on this particular day and I dedicated myself to only throwing a fly rod.  I also dedicated myself to throwing a white game changer as I had not yet fished this color in farm ponds for bass yet.  What I was expecting was to catch 100 bass on this fly.  What I got was a lesson in humility and problem solving.

The first pond that I went to didn't produce a single fish.  I had one take but missed it.  I decided that maybe the fish in this pond were...less than motivated to strike.  Rather than changing flies, I decided to change ponds.  I seriously considered changing flies but I really wanted to see if it was the pond or the fly so rather than changing two variables (changing flies and ponds), I just picked one.  I fully appreciate the luxury that is afforded to me by having multiple fishing locations to fish.  I also wanted to take advantage of the situation as well.

At the first pond, I almost exclusively used an hand over hand retrieve.  I cast out the fly, let it sink as I adjusted my hands, and began my hand over hand retrieve which gave the game changer an outstanding swimming motion.  When I arrived at the second pond, there was one spot that looked like it had everything that a bass needed.  There was structure, cover, a change in depth, and shade.  I decided to use the exact same retrieve as I had previously used.  This did not produce a single strike.  That's when I decided that it was not the location to blame.  It dawned on me that it could have been the fly itself that was to blame for not inducing a strike, or it could have been the retrieve.  The minute I switched to a retrieve that was erratic and with some pauses, that's when I started to catch fish!

I caught 6-7 fish while standing in one spot.  I missed about 4 more that I should have caught.  I then visited another nearby pond.  I caught two more fish there by using an erratic retrieve rather than one where the fly was in constant motion.  The moral of this story is if you are fishing a streamer, switch things up and let the fish communicate to you what they are wanting on that particular day.  I wish I would have been more flexible at the start of the day but sometimes you just have to learn or be reminded "the hard way".  Hopefully you can learn from my experience and have some good days on the water with a streamer as a result.

New Trail Cam Pictures and More Fishy Prints from my 3D Printer

Things have been busy around my house and around the farm.  The 3D printer has been cranking out toys and tools.  Three trail cameras have been capturing some amazing images as well.  Fall is always a fun time and I transition from a lot of fly fishing to more indoor-related activities.  I also tend to fish less and hunt more as well.  While these changes do affect my time on the water, I will keep up the posts with most of them still being centered around fly fishing.  In fact, there will be a fun post later this week about stripping streamers for largemouth bass.  Until then, these images will have to suffice but I hope you dig them!

I Didn't NEED a New Hobby...but Here We Are!

I didn't need a 3D printer, but I have wanted one for a couple of years now.  After pitching the idea to my youngest son and getting him on board with the idea, I decided to pull the trigger on one.  I chose to buy a used one off Facebook Marketplace because, on average, the 3D printers that I found were half the cost of a brand new one and already assembled.  This seemed like a win-win situation to me.  I picked up my printer on Sunday and was printing things as of yesterday morning.  However, that is making a long story short.

I didn't realize the learning curve that I would experience with this toy/tool.  There was a lot to learn and I didn't know where to start.  Since I bought the printer used, I didn't get the user manual, tools, or experience of assembling the machine.  I wasn't sure what software to use, how to use the software that I chose, or how to use the settings on the printer.  I learned a few things on Sunday on my own but also experienced a lot of frustration, a feeling of being overwhelmed, and some buyer's remorse.  

While reading online discussion boards, watching YouTube videos, and texting some folks that own 3D printers helped, I needed a teacher.  I needed a person to look at what I had, show me how it worked, and identify flaws that my printer had.  Luckily for me, the guy that teaches industrial technology at the school that work at has a lot of 3D printing experience and an extremely helpful demeanor.  He was able to show me things, correct errors that were present in the machine, and help me understand my misconceptions.  

This process reminded me of a couple of things.  For starters, I learned that learning something new can be really difficult and sometimes frustrating.  As a teacher, it seems like I should know this, but this endeavor was a reminder of the process.  It seems like the older we get, the less we take on new and difficult tasks.  When we do, it reminds us that learning something, especially something complex, is a challenge.  Second, there is no replacement for a good teacher.  Sure, I could have watched a bunch of videos and read a bunch of content online, but having an experienced, patient, and enthusiastic person to help me move past my confusion.

Now you might be wondering, what does this post have to do with fly fishing?  You would be justified in your thinking but here comes the purpose of this post.  I am hopeful that I will be able to 3D print some fly fishing tools and equipment in the coming weeks.  I've already printed a knot tying tool and fly line collector that can be attached to a belt.  I'll keep everyone posted about what I am making and will be sure to give field testing reviews as well.  I'm excited to see what I can make and I hope that you find this new endeavor to be interesting as well!