Tony Buzolich
08-25-2009, 10:16 PM
If you get out on the water very much you'll start to notice things that the avaerage guy may very well look right past. If you've ever chased tarpon in the keys you'll know exactly what I mean. Sometimes slight little blurrs or shadows are just that, hunks or coral, or rocks or debris. But after a while you learn to look. You watch for very slight movements of that rock or that log, and once in a while it turns out to be a fish. Maybe even the one you're after.
Today I got on the water a little later than normal around 7:00AM. I wasn't planning on doing anything too serious and being by myself I thought I'd just get out for a couple of hours before the sun got too high.
The rivers are running very clear right now and it's easy to see some of the snags we'd run over earlier in the season. I moved up to a pretty good riffle and started to drift back toward a nice shad hole that I'd fished many times before.
After two or three casts I get what I thought was pretty good grab but as I pass this eddy I can see a large tree limb sticking up near the bottom. I cast again but a little to the side of the snag and this time I see the flash and get the sudden stop. All Right! Now get him out and away from that limb. I put the bend on him and try to manuever the boat away from shore to keep him out of more snags. This is a nice fish and is actually turning the boat as he works over and under everything in the river.
Soon enough he tires and now I've got to get this fish into my net ,,,,,by myself.
He's in the net and quickly into the boat,,,,,,, 20# solid pounds and 36 inches. Not too bad for five minutes of casting.
The fish had taken me a ways down river into some deeper water and I continue to cast rather than fire up the motor and head back up.
I soon hook up again this time to a nice smallmouth about two pounds. Then a couple more small stripers take the fly, then a largemouth and then another largemouth.
Geez, I wasn't going to say anything about trying out a new fly that I'd been working on but it was working and very well. Nothing too original, just some yellow wig hair made to look like a small squawfish.
I decide to move back upstream and hit the same hole again that I started with. Sure enough another big grab, and I can't even slow or turn this one. This seems like ol' Mo but I'll never know as she quickly went straight through some more snags and popped 20# leader like it was nothing.
Lets move up farther and get in to some other water and things really start shallowing out. I move the boat slowly and can easily see the bottom in the three to four foot water.
I immediately spook another large stripers and think to myself "this is like spotting tarpon". I kill the motor and quietly drift along the weedy beach where these fish seem to be feeding.
Almost immediately I spot another blurry shape on the bottom but this one seems to be moving. I cast slightly in front of it and as soon as the fly hits the water this nice striper comes up and slams my new fly. Yahoo Again!
I get this one in a little quicker weighing out at 14# and 30 inches. But realize the whole time I'm fighting this last fish I'm drifting shallower and shallower and am soon dragging bottom with my prop. I trim the motor up and continue to drift looking for deeper water.
The sun's high now and it's easy to see everything along the way. Yes, lots of big squawfish, lots of old tires, and sure enough several more stripers just cruising along.
I've had enough for one morning and head home for some more coffee. But you can bet I'll be back there tommarrow. :)
Today I got on the water a little later than normal around 7:00AM. I wasn't planning on doing anything too serious and being by myself I thought I'd just get out for a couple of hours before the sun got too high.
The rivers are running very clear right now and it's easy to see some of the snags we'd run over earlier in the season. I moved up to a pretty good riffle and started to drift back toward a nice shad hole that I'd fished many times before.
After two or three casts I get what I thought was pretty good grab but as I pass this eddy I can see a large tree limb sticking up near the bottom. I cast again but a little to the side of the snag and this time I see the flash and get the sudden stop. All Right! Now get him out and away from that limb. I put the bend on him and try to manuever the boat away from shore to keep him out of more snags. This is a nice fish and is actually turning the boat as he works over and under everything in the river.
Soon enough he tires and now I've got to get this fish into my net ,,,,,by myself.
He's in the net and quickly into the boat,,,,,,, 20# solid pounds and 36 inches. Not too bad for five minutes of casting.
The fish had taken me a ways down river into some deeper water and I continue to cast rather than fire up the motor and head back up.
I soon hook up again this time to a nice smallmouth about two pounds. Then a couple more small stripers take the fly, then a largemouth and then another largemouth.
Geez, I wasn't going to say anything about trying out a new fly that I'd been working on but it was working and very well. Nothing too original, just some yellow wig hair made to look like a small squawfish.
I decide to move back upstream and hit the same hole again that I started with. Sure enough another big grab, and I can't even slow or turn this one. This seems like ol' Mo but I'll never know as she quickly went straight through some more snags and popped 20# leader like it was nothing.
Lets move up farther and get in to some other water and things really start shallowing out. I move the boat slowly and can easily see the bottom in the three to four foot water.
I immediately spook another large stripers and think to myself "this is like spotting tarpon". I kill the motor and quietly drift along the weedy beach where these fish seem to be feeding.
Almost immediately I spot another blurry shape on the bottom but this one seems to be moving. I cast slightly in front of it and as soon as the fly hits the water this nice striper comes up and slams my new fly. Yahoo Again!
I get this one in a little quicker weighing out at 14# and 30 inches. But realize the whole time I'm fighting this last fish I'm drifting shallower and shallower and am soon dragging bottom with my prop. I trim the motor up and continue to drift looking for deeper water.
The sun's high now and it's easy to see everything along the way. Yes, lots of big squawfish, lots of old tires, and sure enough several more stripers just cruising along.
I've had enough for one morning and head home for some more coffee. But you can bet I'll be back there tommarrow. :)