Fly Rods

I have two different fly rods - a five weight from Sage and an eight weight from Three Rivers. Both of them came as a combo deal - that is, the rod and reel and line was all sold together as a package.

The advantage of package deals is that you can usually get the same products for much less cost that you would if you bought them separately. The disadvantage is that is takes away the option to choose your own reel or line to go with the rod, and it takes away the option of overloading your rod (more later).

Basics on fly fishing: In regular spin fishing, you cast the lure and the weight of the lure carries it out during the cast. The reel serves a very important role as a drag controller. In fly fishing, the weight of the fly was originally too small to carry the fly out over the water. Instead, the weight of the fly line moves the fly.

During the original days of fly fishing, choosing line was a complicated affair. Different brands used different measures. Nowadays, different line weights have been numbered so it is much simpler. The rod matches the line - a five weight rod uses five weight line, etc. the smaller the weight, the smaller the fish that can be caught with it. I use my five weight for sunfish, crappies, and small trout and bass. My new eight weight makes it possible for me to catch pike, largemouths, and steelhead.

A good fly rod can cost into the thousands of dollars. The cheapest one that Cabela's is selling now is around $40. The combo Three River set up that I just bought was about $90... medium quality, in a combo and on sale. I feel good about it.

The setup of a fly line can be complicated for beginners. Around the reel is wrapped braided line called "backing". This connects to the thick "fly line", with then is normally connected to a few inches of red monofilament or similar. This red monofilament makes it possible to connect a leader - clear monofilament. This leader has to be tapered (thicker at the butte than the tip) or it will not cast correctly. If you are northern pike or musky fishing, it is necessary to attach a foot of wire to the end of the leader so the teeth will not cut the leader. Then you attach the fly.

There are a lot of other details for the amateur fly fisherman - dry flies or nymphs, floating line or sinking. Maybe later.

Still trying to improve my cast... I'm stuck at that 40-50 foot range.

Bait for the cheapskate, new fly rod

I have a pond in my backyard that is a decent length, but only gets to be about two or three feet deep at the deepest spot.  I discovered this a few years ago when I tried to stock it with bluegills that I caught in Minnetonka and they all died during the winter.  However, although it can't hold fish, the pond has a ton of frogs and leeches in it that I use for bait.  The leopard frogs aren't really useful yet because the bass and pike season doesn't open for a few months yet.  However, bluegills love small leeches and crappies will even eat them sometimes (although leeches don't work nearly as well as small minnows).

To catch leeches, you only have to make a leech trap.  This is a pretty easy and cheap affair.  You need to find a container that you can punch small holes in.  I found a plastic coffee can and punched holes in it with a screwdriver.  Bait it with a piece of meat or fish (a lot of things will work - I use the body of a sunny after I fillet it).  Put the trap in about a foot of water, just enough to completely submerge the trap.  Before it gets light out, at around six, go out and remove the leeches from the trap (they leave the trap and go back in the mud when it gets light out).  Keep them in water and put them in the fridge.  There are many types of leeches that you can catch in ponds - the ones that work best for sunnies are about an inch long and black.  Stay away from the really large or the multi-colored ones, they don't work as well. 

Leopard frogs are great for bass and pike - they often work better than a live sucker in shallow areas.  Hook them through the thigh to keep them alive and put them under a bobber with enough weight to keep them in the same place.  As with all bait, make sure that the frog can't get down in the weeds to hide from the fish. 

Crayfish work very well for both smallmouth and largemouth bass.  As with frogs, make sure you know local and state regulations before using them for bait. 



Anyway, I found a ton of leeches in my pond and they worked great for bluegills.  I got out to Medicine Lake on Saturday and the place was packed... hundred of people fishing from the shore.  Not really a surprise considering how popular the park is and the great weather.  I was out for about an hour and caught about a dozen nice bluegills.  I was kind of surprised there were any fish left at all in the area, considering how hard they are being pressured.  I haven't caught any crappies recently but maybe I'll get out after them soon.  As a side note, I have already been checked twice this season at Medicine.  Make sure you are fishing with a license and you aren't keeping any fish out of season that you accidentally catch.

Other events this weekend... we got the boat out of storage!  Really excited for this fishing season and it was awesome to see the boat all cleaned up and scrubbed down.  We have a really nice set up and it really adds a whole new dimension to fishing if you have a nice boat.  I also finally got an eight weight fly rod at Cabela's, along with some flies.  Very excited to get some pike and bass on the fly when the season opens up.  I'll probably do a separate post about the fly fishing later.

Tight lines,
                 Bradley

Spring Opening 2012

Hello all! It's been a few days since my last post and I thought I would drop a note in to keep you all updated.

A few weeks ago I went out for the first open water fishing of the season with Cozy.  We went down to the dock in Wayzata because they have a circulator there.  A circulator is a machine that is often put under permanent docks in the winter to keep the water from freezing and wrecking the dock.  It basically just keeps the water moving.  I was just messing around with my fly rod and didn't expect to catch anything, but actually found a lost bluegill.  First fish of the season was on a fly and it was cool because even bluegills are fun on a five weight fly rod.  Not a fish that normally deserves a picture but it was the first of the season so... here ya go.

There was almost no snowmelt this year due to the warmth.  This means an earlier ice out, an earlier spawn, and much lower water level than normal for the first two events.  Although this can be good for the fish populations, it throws off their natural migrations and makes them a little harder to predict. 

After fly fishing off Wayzata dock, I went out to the Crow River when it broke and tried for a little catfish.  I only fished for about half an hour and it was pretty bright out, so it didn't really surprise me that I didn't get any bites.

I also had the opportunity to fish the Zumbro River down in Rochester last weekend.  I was at Camp Victory for a church retreat and woke up before breakfast (and everyone else) to fish the river in the mornings with my fly rod.  No fish showed up... the flies I was using were primarily for bass and the water was still too cold for the bass to be moving around much. 

Finally, I managed to get out today at French Park on Medicine.  We just got a lot of rain, so the water was relatively dark.  The overcast skies stuck around, complicating things.  I don't like dark water with overcast skies because it complicates lure selection for me.  Normally, you are best choosing bright colors on sunny days and dark colors on cloudy days.  You choose natural colors in clear water and bright, exotic colors in stained water to help the fish find the lure. 

I didn't have any luck with flies, so I downgraded to jigs.  No luck with jigs, so I downgraded to live waxworms.  Minimal luck with waxworms, so I downgraded again and added some Gulp for flavor and finally started getting fish.  I missed a couple and released the bluegills, so at the end of the day I only ended up with a few crappies.  But it was a great day, got a couple fish, and got outside.

This is crappie time! Get out on the docks and shores, it's the best spot to find them now.  Good luck and have fun. 

Tight lines,
                  Bradley

Springtime for River Channel Cats

With these warm temperatures that we have had lately, it won't be too long before the ice is off the water.  As a general rule, rivers are clear of ice before lakes because of the running water and current. 

There are a few rivers (although not many) around the Metro area for the ambitious angler.  The Mississippi and the St. Croix offer a lot of opportunities - but I have never fished them.  The only river that I really fish around here is the North Forkof the Crow out in Rockford.  The Crow River is relatively small but decent enough.  I wouldn't recommend taking out a boat of medium or large size, but canoes and small alumacrafts would be fine.  There is a small ramp at Riverside Park in Rockford, but is not suitable for large boats. 

The Crow River (North Fork) has a high percentage of roughfish such as carp, suckers, and redhorse.  The most prevalent gamefish are channel catfish, actually being the second most abundant fish behind redhorse.  Although the catfish are smaller in the Crow than in the Minnesota, abundance is higher.  There are also significant populations of smallmouth bass, walleye, and pike in the river.  Bank angling is available at bridge crossings and at many Wright County Parks. 

I like the Crow because it offers excellent opportunities for channel catfish and smallmouth fishing, something that is different than chasing largemouths and pike across lakes.  This time of year, cats are one of the few fish that are legally allowed to be taken.

Fishing for early spring catfish in the Crow is all about location.  This time of year, there are vast amounts of dead baitfish that died during the winter.  This plentiful food source is washed into wide river bends and large pools.  Look for calmer, wider water.  The catfish congregate around this food source and cherry-pick the best meals.  The catfish are also in the shallower waters because temperatures are rising and they are preparing to spawn.  Shallow, warm areas of the river are the place to be.  If possible, fish the downwind side of the river as well.  The wind blows the warm water and the dead baitfish into this "feeding area".  Look for the warmest possible area - possibly next to a feeder stream that carries warm water into the river.  Depths from one to four feet should work best.  If you plan to eat your catfish, avoid fish over sixteen inches in the Crow to avoid flesh contaminants.

There will be no shortage of dead baitfish for the catfish to choose from - so make them choose yours.  Use a dead minnow such as shad or sardines.  Now, smellier is better.  You could use stink baits such as cheese and gizzards, or you can use a variety of commercial baits.  Good luck.

Final note... although I did see a few people on Lake Sarah, I DO NOT recommend going out on the ice right now.  Use caution and good sense.  The ice fishing season is basically over around here.

Making An Umbrella Rig

Materials you will need: Time, a vise, wire, epoxy putty, terminal tackle.

You know the speal... brush up on state and local regulations

http://kayakanglersoutheast.blogspot.com/2012/01/alabama-rig-manifesto-how-to-make.html


P.S.  I'll do some real tactics posts soon... Ice will be out in a couple of weeks and it will be time for spring time cats and crappies.  Haven't been out since my day at Gray's.

The Alabama Rig - What Everybody's Talking About

If you follow the bass fishing world in any way, then odds are that at one time or another you have heard about the Alabama Rig.  It's what everybody has been talking about ever since it won the Lake Guntersville tournament on October of 2011, just a few months ago.  Soon after the tournament, these rigs were selling for seventy five dollars a pop on the internet.  The race to get them was only outmatched by individual states racing to outlaw them.

For those who don't know, standard fishing laws and regulations place a limit on how many hooks may be fished at one time.  The Alabama rig utilizes five hooks in a system that imitates a school of minnows such as shad.  It's incredibly effective for bass when they are suspended in open water.  However, the multiple hooks in the rig make it illegal in many states, including Minnesota.

Alternatives?  You could cut the extra wires off, fishing only a few of the baits.  You could leave some of the lures unhooked for "dummy" baits to serve as attractors.  Or you could attach blades to the outside wires and use only one hook.  Of course, the hard part is getting one.

Check it out, for curiosity's sake.  It's all over publications like North American Fisherman, Field and Stream, and In Fisherman.  Pretty cool but honestly, I think that they will be illegal everywhere soon enough.

Winter Bluegills

I got out yesterday from about one to six...  Went out by myself to Gray's Bay.  Had to take the minivan because the sled doesn't fit in my car.

I was planning for some crappies, but I couldn't find them so I switched to bluegills.  Once I found them then it was pretty steady action and I ended up keeping around a dozen that were big enough to fillet.  Once they were all cleaned I got about an ounce of meat per fish, and it took me a long time, but it's fun to get out and bring home your own dinner.

I was fishing off the bottom in about 13 feet of water... teardrop with combined waxworm and red eurolarvae but with bluegills you could use either.

Not recommending going on the ice because I can't guarantee that it's thick enough.  Where I was, the ice was about a foot thick, but this time of year is tricky.

Remind me not to keep panfish.  Way too much work, even if they are delicious.

Late ice for crappies

The ice fishing season closed last Sunday night for northern and walleye, and the wait begins for the next season to open in June.  This is my least favorite time of the year.

But the off season is the time to target the fish for whom the season never closes.  For me, this is crappy and channel catfish.  The Crow in Rockford is still frozen, so it's not quite possible to go after the cats yet.  But crappie fishing is good year round. 

Late ice crappies are mostly out of the shallows, although a few may be returning to the shallows in preperation for the spring.  The fish school in basin areas or outside the weedbeds.

These schools can be hard to find, because they basically drift around the lake in search of zooplankton and minnow sources.  My strategy for this time of year is to find the part of the lake that is most likely to concentrate fish, and wait for a school to move through and get hot.

Look for indentations in drop offs and inside turns in basins.  Best ones are at the end of the lake.  You may be fishing in up to or over 30 feet deep.

Black crappies are usually the most prevalent, but you may also find whites.  I like crappies for a few reasons - A) They're delicious, B) They are found in almost every lake, and C) the season never closes.   You can also usually feel  good about taking a lot out of a lake, because they reproduce and grow quickly.

With all fish, even crappie, exercise good judgement.  Return what you don't keep, and keep what you don't return.  Don't keep little ones.

Tight lines,

        Bradley

There's An App For That

Yes, it turns out that there is finally a decent app that relates to fishing.

I already have experimented with a few apps that were "fishing related", and some of them are useful, but most have ended up as disappointments.  The only ones that I really use is one that calculates fish weight from length and girth, a weather app, and a river monitoring app that is meant for kayakers. 

This app is actually kind of cool, though.  It's called My Fishing Advisor and is endorsed by the North American Fishing Club (I learned about it through a NAFC member email).  It basically works by having you enter in information like where and when you are fishing, and what you are fishing for, and then it tells you the best approach and your chances.

It's nothing mind blowing for anyone who has intermediate knowlege of fishing, but I think that it's cool that people are finally starting to put the time into developing real fishing apps that are useful.  Definetly recommended for the novice fisherman - you might actually learn something.  Anyway, it's free, so mess around with it and get on the lake.

Tight Lines,

         Bradley

The Metro

I love the fishing around the suburban Lake Minnetonka area.  There is an enormous amount of fishing opportunities in my immediate vicinity.  Ten minutes to my south, Lake Minnetonka is an excellent largemouth and muskie lake.  Fifteen minutes west is the Crow River, a river that holds large amounts of channel catfish and smallmouth bass.  Christmas Lake, near Lake Minnetonka, is managed as a two-story lake and has rainbow trout.  The Mississippi even has paddlefish and gar, and there are sturgeon in the St. Croix.  Bass, northern pike, and crappie are found in almost every lake in the area.  Walleyes and muskie are stocked in many of the surrounding lakes.  You can spear pike in many lakes and bowhunt carp.

With that said, the downfall of metro fishing will continue to be the eternal search for trophy fish.  With musky it is not a problem, as almost all musky fishing practiced nowadays is catch and release.  But trophy-size bass, walleye, and pike are continually hard to find.  In such proximity to the Twin Cities, a forty-inch northern is unheard of and the walleye rarely top thirty inches.

For example, a thirty inch pike around here can take around eight years to reach that size.  That's eight years of avoiding hungry predators and fishermen, and to be honest, not that many make it that large.  The premier pike lakes around my area are Medicine and Sarah, and even in those, it can be hard to find a pike over thirty inches long.

I realize that Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and Vermilion are wonderful fisheries and some of the best in the country.  Canada is hard to compare with.  But I don't have the advantage of having a cabin like so many Minnesotans, up north where larger fish are a little easier to find.

Even given all that, though, I probably still wouldn't change locations based on fishing preferences.  Despite the added challenge, it's hard to beat Medina for pure variety in fishing opportunities.