My 2,000th Post!

That's right!  2,000 posts!  I can't believe it!  Almost 10 years ago I started this blog because I ran out of pages in my fishing journal.  The library media specialist at the school I worked at suggested that I start a blog and share my fishing experiences with others.  2,000 posts, 712,800 views, and almost 10 years later, I still love posting about my experiences with others.  It has been and will always be my hope that my posts both educate and entertain others.  I'll be honest, if folks like you didn't view my blog and read my posts, I would have quit a long time ago!  The fact that you are reading this right now means a lot to me and I cannot that you enough for your thoughtfulness, time, and energy.  Without you, this little slice of the internet would not exist so please know how grateful I am for you visiting this site.

To commemorate this special occasion, I wanted to share some details about my last fishing excursion.  Last Saturday, Cody (my youngest son), Waylon (my dog), and Justin (a coworker), headed up to our family farm to catch some largemouth.  I wanted to get Cody away from screen time, Waylon to his favorite place on earth, and myself a few more prespawn largemouth in my hands.  Most importantly, I wanted to show my buddy Justin a good time.  He is still new to fly fishing but is picking things up quickly.  I was hopeful that he would learn a little more about fishing a big streamer as well as hooking and landing 15-18 inch fish.  I had a plan in my head, and if I'm being honest, I was pretty confident about putting him on some fish.  Later I realized that my abundant confidence might have been borderline arrogance.

The plan was to throw game changers in the shallows and hook some bass that I thought would be in the 2-3 pound range.  This was my strategy because that was what I did about a 10 days prior.  To make a long story short, that plan did not work.  I fished 2/3 of the pond and Justin fished the remaining 1/3 with one fish being caught.  To say I was shocked would be a gross understatement.  Thankfully, Justin decided to switch things up and helped me shed my cloak of stubbornness.

Justin starting fishing the middle of the pond and allowed his fly to sink before he started his retrieve.  And that was when the fun started.  I don't know how many bass he caught with this strategy but it was enough to follow suit.  I started fishing the same way and the takes started for me as well.  At some point, I even switched to a heavier streamer (the Brave) and caught fish with that fly as well.  As the morning waned, so did our bites so phase 3 of our experimentation began.  

I felt like we had put our flies in front of a bunch of fish and it was time to switch things up.  We went back to my truck and grabbed some medium heavy action spinning rods with fire tiger spinnerbaits.  I had a feeling that the fish would respond two more flash, motion, a faster retrieve, and more vibration in the water.  By the time we were done fishing, the spinnerbaits landed even more fish than the flies!  This was a reminder to me to be flexible and to abandon a plan if it didn't work.  What started out as a slow and disappointing day turned into "one of those special mornings" because Justin reminded me to be flexible!  

We all had a great morning.  Justin learned about streamers, Cody took pictures and talked our ears off, and Waylon ran and played.  I just soaked it all in and landed a few nice bass as well.  On the way home, I started writing this post in my head so it is apparent that I still have a passion for sharing my experiences.  And with that I would like to conclude post number 2,000 with another thank you, a few pictures, and a smile on my face.  While I could keep going on about last Saturday and my gratitude for the views, I will instead bid you a fond farewell...because I need to get to work on post 2,001!

Upcoming Tri-Lake Fly Fishing Expo

On my way down to Branson, Missouri, last week, I stopped at a place to have breakfast in Clinton, Missouri.  As I was walking in, I saw a sign that showed a guy holding a fly rod and a brown trout.  Sights like this ALWAYS catch my attention so I stopped to look over the advertisement a little closer.  I chuckled when I realized that the ad was for The Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo.  The reason for the laughter was three fold.  One, I have attended this event as a vendor for the last 3 years.  Second, I will be attending this event again this year as a vendor.  Finally, I was shocked to realized that I hadn't posted about this event yet.  I guess it almost slipped through the cracks...but not all the way.

If you have never been to the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo, let me give you a brief rundown in list form.

1. First of all, it's free!
2. There are fly tyers that are demonstrating their skills and answering questions.
3. There are vendors selling flies, fly tying materials, guided trips, and a bunch of other stuff.
4. There is awesome, home cooked food for purchase.
5. Everyone there loves fly fishing and great to talk to.  I mean it.  I have yet to meet one grouchy person or one person that wasn't fun to talk to.
6. There is a live auction as well as a silent auction to raise money for the Tri-Lake Fly Fishing Club.
7. There are seminars put on by experts and it is nearly impossible to not learn SOMETHING!
8. You just might run into someone that you know and you will definitely have a chance to meet new folks to learn from.

I'm sure that I am forgetting a few things because this show is so much darn fun and I look forward to it every year.  This year (and for the first time) the show will extend over two days.  However, if you're wanting to see me (or avoid me), I will only be there on Saturday.  I wish I could take off Friday, April 11, but I have too much going on.  I will definitely be there on Saturday, April 12 and it would be a pleasure to see you and chat about fly fishing.  I will have books, buttons, flies, and other things to sell there but it's a low pressure sell.  I enjoy just talking to others and hearing others' stories as much as I like moving merchandise.  So if you go to the show, please introduce yourself as it is always nice to meet folks that share a passion for fly fishing!

 

Fishing Still Water on Lake Taneycomo

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to fish my favorite spot in the world, Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri.  Let me start off with the fact that conditions were not ideal.  I'm not creating some reason for poor fishing performance on my part, just including what I believe is an important part to this post.  We started fishing mid morning, there wasn't much cloud cover, and no water was being released by Table Rock Dam.  With that being stated, it didn't deter my hopes.  I've fished these conditions before with mixed results but if I want to be a guide on Taneycomo, I need to be able to catch fish in any and all conditions.  I took this fishing outing as a test to my skills and while I could have done better, I feel like I had a few good ideas.

The first part of our day was spent up by the dam in the Trophy Area.  We started off with black jigs, white jigs, and mega worms.  Those didn't tempt many fish so we switched to zebra midges.  We started drifting zebra midges behind jigs and caught a few fish on the midges.  After identifying the fact that midges were working, we switched to tandem zebra midge rigs and that is what worked the best for us.  I've heard guides claim that anglers need to size down when there is no water moving and that's exactly what we did.  We mainly fished zebra midges in the 14-18 range and that's what worked for us.  We didn't catch a lot of fish, but we managed to land enough (7-8) to keep us interested.  I saw one other guy catch one singular fish which made me feel like we were making the most of the conditions.

In the afternoon we fished from a pontoon that we rented from Lilley's Landing.  I fished a jerkbait along the banks with a spinning rod and we went back to some jigs but both strategies concluded with zero fish being caught.  When we went back to fishing zebra midges, we ended up catching a few but nothing big or memorable.  I ended up catching 2 fish and Wendy caught one.  The rest of our party got skunked, unfortunately.

This trip was a reminder that fly fishing is challenging.  Sure, there are days where everyone is catching fish, regardless of their strategies.  However, most days aren't that way.  Some days you have to have the right flies in the right place at the right time of day.  Some days you can all of those things correctly and still not catch a fish if they don't want to bite.  The wrong drift or the wrong depth can also be the difference between fishing and catching.  While I didn't put up gaudy numbers or anything, I took solace in the fact that I WAS able to catch fish in less than perfect conditions.  I took that as a boost of confidence but I'm still a ways from being a guide.  In other words, I think I'm headed in the right direction but I'm not exactly moving that direction at light speed.  

Buttons are Now FOR SALE in the Online Fly Shop!

Link to online store.  Buttons are on page 2: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

Back in February I posted about purchasing a button making machine and making a few buttons.  It's taken me awhile to make some buttons that I think others would enjoy and are up to my standards in terms of quality.  As of today, I am proud to announce that you can find these items in the online store now.  I have three collections available right now and they are solid in groups of 4 for $6.  All of the buttons are on page 2 of the online store.

While I have attempted to make some buttons that I hope others will enjoy, I am open to ideas as well as custom orders.  If you have an idea or want me to make some buttons for you, please feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  Please keep in mind though that these buttons are pretty small.  They are right at an inch wide because I wanted them to visible without being cumbersome.  

We, as fly fishers, like to show off our passion as we are proud of our subculture.  We don't need to look any further than the shirts on our backs, stickers on our vehicles, or even the tattoos on our bodies.  My thinking is that I know anglers like stickers and put them on things like coolers, their vehicles, and other hard surfaces.  However, buttons could fill a void because they can be placed on soft surfaces like fabric.  I hope you see something that you like and maybe even consider making a purchase.  Regardless, thank you for your patronage, support, and for taking the time to read this post.  You are greatly appreciated!

Link to online store.  Buttons are on page 2: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

 

Farm Pond Largemouth Bass are Waking Up!

Link: etsy.com/listing/1845675867/1-white-game-changer-fly-gamechanger-fly

A couple of days ago, I had the pleasure to wake up early and head up to our family farm.  I am currently on spring break (I'm a public school teacher) but for some reason I didn't have a problem getting out of bed when my alarm went off at 5:45.  I was on the road by 6 with my new (to me) 8 weight fly rod, my new (to me) Moonshine reel, and some streamers.  I was hoping that the smaller bodies of water were warming up a little faster than some of the larger lakes that I fish.  I was also of the opinion that some of the larger fish might be moving into the shallows and starting to put on the feed bag for the upcoming spawn.  I also felt like I had a chance to catch some of these fish if I twitched a gamechanger fly in front of them and worked it like a jerk bait rather than a swim bait.  

Well, as luck would have it, I was at least partially right.  While I didn't catch a ridiculous number of fish, I did catch a few quality ones.  I ended up fishing 6 ponds and caught fish out of 5 of them.  The first pond that I hit had the highest fish count (6 fish) and the largest fish with the heaviest being close to 3 pounds by my estimation.  I fished with floating line as I wanted to fish shallow water.  The game changer that I threw had an incredibly slow sink rate which meant I wasn't dredging the bottom or getting many snags.  In other words, my plan worked what was even more rewarding than the pictures suggest.

While I had caught some stocker trout this year, catching some farm pond bass felt like my first outing of the year.  It was a long, cold weather with especially crummy weather this year.  I've waited a long time for lakes and ponds to become more active but I can unequivocally state that in my neck of the woods, fishing season is here!  I'm grateful for the season change and for the chance to do something that I love so deeply.  

On another note, if you would like to purchase some of your own game changers, I have a few for sale in the online store.  White worked for me on this particular day but I have chartreuse changers as well.  Some of the eats were visual, which was particularly exciting.  This fly is easy to cast on an 8 weight and has a great action when either twitched or on a steady retrieve.  The eyes are HIGHLY reflective on a sunny day and not only get the attention of fish but also help you locate your fly and keep track of its location.  No pressure to buy but wanted to offer to folks in case they are interested.  Have a good day and I hope you get a chance to spend some time on the water.  The fishing is heating up in the midwest and should only get better in the coming weeks!

Link: etsy.com/listing/1845675867/1-white-game-changer-fly-gamechanger-fly

3D Printed Items are Now FOR SALE in the Online Fly Shop!

Link: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

If you follow this page or any of my social media accounts, you know that I love fly fishing, fly tying, and 3D printing.  Well, I have managed to blend them all together which has created some new listings in the online store.  Whether you fly fish, tie flies, or love both, I might have something that you are interested in.  For fly anglers, I have a wall display for a fly rod and a wall display for a fly reel.  For fly tyers, I have a fly tying mat to organize materials, a tool caddy for fly tying tools, and a flexible fish for...kids or those that are kids at heart.  All of the 3D printed items are on page 2 of the online store.

It would be a pleasure to fill an order for you and to ship some of these products your way.  While it is a lot of fun to make all of these things, it is even more rewarding to send them to folks that will use them.  I have a limited number of items available right now because I am just testing to see if there is a demand for what I am making.  With that being stated, if you see an item that you want and it is either out of stock or you want it in another color, just email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com and I will do the best I can to get you what you want.  As always, thank you for reading, for your support, and for helping me be a small business owner.

Link: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com