Trail Riding

I was able to get out for half of a day yesterday to do some trail riding in Otter Tail County. The weather was perfect for rding, with temps in the low to mid 20's, almost no wind, and partly cloudy/sunny. Unlike the Twin Cities, we only got a couple of inches of fresh powder the past week,however, the trails where I was riding were still in great shape. I only managed to meet four others riders out there, over three hours. It was nice to practically have the trails to myself. The section I was riding in was hilly, and several areas had mini-switchbacks to ascend them. There were quite a few twisties and curves in this wooded area, opening up to a few areas of prairie where you could open it up bit. This section of trail was somewhat technical and definitely required a little more skilled control over your sled, but the ride was rewarded with several incredibly scenic vistas. I only put on 40 miles yesterday, but under the conditions, they were well earned.
My legs are a little stiff from yesterday's ride, but it will be good conditioning for longer rides over the next few months. We have been blessed with good snows so far this year, enabling an early start to the season. Here's to a happy new year and good riding!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's just over a week early for my Birthday, but here's what I ended up doing today:
I purchased a Redington RS4 10' 8 weight fly rod. I also purchased a Scientific Angler Mastery Series Steelhead taper fly line and a Lamson Velocity Hard Alox fly reel.
I looked at the new hybrid switch rods and their utility, and my needs. The switch rods would fit my application, but I would need an entirely new reel and line system, and the switch rods are somewhat more expensive than a single handed rod. Yes, I know I bought a complete new set-up, but I can interchange the new line and the reel with my existing fly rods (hard to do with Spey fly lines). The tradeoff for the switch rod was opting for the 10' rod for better roll casting and line mending. There's no reason that I can't still use two handed casting techniques on the new rod.
Basically I got a brand new steelhead setup that I will be using for buffalo, redhorse and carp. But I now have the option of using the rod for steelies too. I was trying to keep my whole setup under $600. I found a sweet Scott ARC 1008/4 steelhead rod for $369, unfortunately this put me well over budget. I suppose I could have skipped out on the reel for now, but that Lamson should handle the beating my other reels recieve on the rocks.
I'll be getting some gift certifcates to Bentleys for xmas, so I'll probably pickup some tungsten sink tips for the line, to add some versatility. Maybe there's hope to make me a steelheader one of these days :P

Otter Tail River Adventure

I made it out fishing Friday on the Otter Tail river, and it was definitely a day to remember. The day started off well when I caught this pike while targeting a bunch of buffalo and carp holding in the shallows, early in the morning. At first I thought it was a big carp, especially after a couple of blazing runs that made my reel scream. I tried to my hardest to keep this fish out of the main channel, otherwise I knew I'd lose it. After about 15 minutes, and at least 4 solid runs, I finally tired the fish enough to land it near shore.As I was fishing by myself from shore, I decided to keep the fish in the water and not handle it to reduce stress. I measured 38" alongside the fish. I'm sure a proper measurement and tail pinch could have gotten me another inch or two.
I had a few more strikes and runs similar to this after I caught this fish. I caught another fish of similar size, but after the strike, he spit the hook and lodged it in the dorsal fin area. Once the fish broke to the main channel I broke the line off, since I knew it would be near impossible to land it without hurting it.
I managed to catch a multitude of species throughout the day: walleye, smallmouth bass, green sunfish, bluegill, common carp, freshwater drum, mooneye, channel cat, etc. I was catching so many channel cats, that I was almost getting tired of taking them off the hook. It was definitely one of my better days on the river, and one to remember for quite some time.

Overdue

It's been way to long since the last blog entry. But to be honest, I have hardly been able to get out fishing this year. That and unseasonal flood waters in the Red River drainage lasting through mid-June.

With the Otter Tail river finally near normal flows for this time of year, I hit the river, downstream of the Orwell dam, this morning. I first started fishing the slack water areas with my fly rod seeking to hook up with the ever elusive buffalo. I fished a brown buggy woolly bugger on a floating line and had a few hits, but to hookups. I switched over to a hare's ear nymph, a small mayfly nymph imitation. I landed crappie after crappie, usually nothing to complain about, but I wanted to hook up with a roughie. Eventually I got bored with catching crappies, and the occasional sunnie, so I was about to move to a different spot when I finally hooked a buffalo. I played it for a while and got near shore, when my line went limp. Dang. I kept at it for a while longer and proceeded to catch more crappies and then, a monster bull bluegill. The thing was huge. While I was releasing the gill, my fly was in the water, and I managed to catch another nice big sunnie, slightly smaller. Nice.

I moved upstream from where I was and was trying to catch a few more fish for my lifelist. I heard reports of mooneyes and goldeyes being caught upstream. I was hoping to catch one so I could get a picture for the lifelist; last time down here, I caught several goldeyes, but didn't take any pictures. I ended up not catching any goldeyes, but caught a small channel cat, and snapped a photo. I also managed to hookup with a nice smallie. It was one of the biggest bass I caught so far this year, either number one or number two.

The bite began to die off, and of course, by now I wanted to head back down to the crappie spot, but a father and son were there. Not to spoil their good time I fished a little more, unsuccessfully, downstream and then packed up and headed out.
It was kind of disappointing not being able to catch a few more different species of fish for my lifelist, but I was able to land two nice fish. And as they say, any day on the water is a good day. Tight Lines!

Season's Greetings

I didn't go out at midnight to greet the 2007 MN Fishing opener, but instead hit the sunrise bite at the local trout pond.
It was pretty quiet out there this morning. I was the first one on the lake, and only a couple of other anglers were out there (when I was leaving), though more were coming in after I packed up. I saw quite a few loons, ducks, 5 bald eagles, and 4 deer on the way to the lake. Normally you will see/hear turkeys out there, though it was a little early in the day yet.
I managed to catch 5 trout within the span of just under an hour. The biggest was just over 17", a couple around 15" and the other two around 14". There was some tail dancing on the water this morning; it's been way too long since the last dance (October '06). I didn't have much time to kill this morning, so I left the fly rod at home. All fish were caught on Powerbait Turbo Dough.
The best part of the day was the fact that I didn't get rained on and it wasn't windy. I can't remember the last opener where the weather was cooperative...
Today was about as good as it gets: No crowd, a good bite, nice weather, and no bugs.

Red-horsing around

I fished the Otter Tail River at Orwell today and managed to catch a few fish on the fly. It was the maiden voyage for the new 9 weight rod, reel and sinking tip line. All were put to the extremes today and performed with flying colors.

They put a pretty good bend in the rod. One fish that I caught got turned around in the current and headed down stream. Flows were really high this morning, running about 1300 cfs. It felt like I snagged a log. My 9 wt was bent nearly in half, I though it was gonna break. I finally just horsed the be-jesus out of the rod to turn the fish around. After pulling like a mad man, I finally got the fish within range, and discovered it was a redhorse. I was not surprised.
I can't wait to head back down there when the game fish season opens, as it was difficult to keep the smallies and walleyes of the hooks in some spots.
One note to self though is to keep the hand out of the way when a carp is running. The knuckle on my pinky got rapped pretty good this morning, ouch. Tight Lines!

Flies + Suckers = Fun

I managed to get out for a couple hours this afternoon/evening on the Otter Tail River. I had an increasingly rare free couple of hours, so I grabbed my 6 weight and headed down to the river. White suckers were the target species today. Relying on the other weekends success, I tied on a prince nymph, pinched on a split shot, and proceeded to long line nymph in a patch of foam along a current seam. Flows were pretty high from last weekends rain so the fish were concentrated pretty close to shore. I fished the rocks pretty heavy, and had to fight the frequent hang ups. Eventually I hooked into a sucker and it put up a nice fight. I grabbed a quick picture and returned the fish to the water. I managed to hook up with a few fish here and there, as well as a few rocks. On one occasion I got lazy and let my fly drift a little longer than usual. At first I thought I got hung up on a rock, but rather I had a big fish on. I fought it for some where between 5 and 10 minutes. I would work the fish as close to shore as I could, then it would run into the current and we'd start all over again. I got impatient after awhile and started to horse it and the fish got off :(. Sometimes I need to be a little more patient.
These suckers were a blast to catch on the fly. Definitely an underrated fish! I can't wait until the game fish season opens so I can get the big rods out and have some fun.

It's still good

Well I got out this past weekend, but only for a short while, like 15 minutes. And it wasn’t on trout waters. Domestic duties kept me at home this weekend, but after a walk around the neighborhood with my daughter Saturday morning, we ended up at the bridge crossing behind my house on the Pelican River. White suckers were starting to line up in a deeper pool of slow water. My daughter had fallen asleep in her stroller 15 minutes earlier, so I quickly walked back to my house and grabbed my 6 weight.
I tied on a 12 foot 4X leader, and a size 14 beadhead Prince nymph. I pinched a piece of moldable tungsten onto my line about 12” above my fly. I headed down to the backyard and made my way past the bridge. After a few drifts through a pod of fish, my fly wasn’t getting deep enough, so I pinched off another little piece of tungsten and moved it to about 6-8” above the fly. After a couple more drifts, I felt some resistance on the line. I hooked up with a fish but soon the line went limp. I pulled in my fly and removed a scale from the end of the hook. I drifted my fly through the pod two more times before another hookup. I lifted my rod to set the hook. I looked back at the end of the line and a sucker slowly rose up to the surface, head first. A fair hook! I eased back off the bank a bit and moved over to a spot where I could get better leverage positioning. I got the sucker in near the bank before the fish would make a run and scream the drag on my reel. I quickly eased off the drag a bit and palmed the rim. The 4X tippet should be plenty to avoid a break off, but I wanted to make sure. After a few more runs, I finally landed the fish on the bank. The hook was firmly lodged in the sucker’s upper lip.

At about this time, one of my neighbors came over with his two daughters to see what was going on. I showed the girls the fish and the fly I caught it on. I mention that the fish was fairly hooked, because my neighbor is the Area Conservation Officer. We chatted about work and the upcoming walleye spawning run for a little bit before I had to head back home before my wife left for work. That sucker was a fun fight on the fly, I wish I would have had the time to catch more fish. It was not a famed trout on the end of the line, but as a fellow coworker said to me yesterday, “a tight line is a tight line”.

Ready for the stream trout opener?

When fly fishing for freshwater big game species, a bite guard is necessary to keep from losing your fly to toothy critters. Pike tend to bite a fly at the head, and that causes me to believe that's why there are more bite offs, than say with a walleye; I can't vouch for the muskies since I haven’t caught one on a fly yet. The main choices for a bite guard consist of a large diameter “shock tippet” usually around a 150 lb test hard monofilament line, or wire coated line. I will be refraining from using the mono shock tippets for pike. Even with 150 lb test mono, I've heard anglers report bite-offs. I've yet to hear a report of a pike biting off a wire tippet. With the availability of cheap tieable wire nowadays, it leaves me little incentive to use monster diameter saltwater line. I use 49 strand (19 will also work) coated wire as the bite guard. It ties as easy as mono and is simple and quick to use.
I usually am fishing a sinking tip line, so I tie leaders with fluorocarbon. I have been using about a 3-4’ butt section of 20lb fluorocarbon line connected to a 12-18" wire bite guard with a surgeons knot. This year I am going to get a little bit heavier butt section and use 50 or 60 lb fluorocarbon line, tie on the 20 lb fluorocarbon tippet, and then tie on a 12" wire bite guard ("shock tippet"). This setup should be IGFA kosher. Hopefully I will get a little bit better turn over on some of the larger flies I fish with.
One thing I may try this year instead of knotting the wire tippet to the fly, is to twist the wire and re-melt the plastic coating. I've heard from many other anglers that they've never had a line failure due to the melted coated coming apart. Some guys leave a larger loop tied on the other end of the tippet and pre-tie their flies to the wire tippet, and swap out the entire tippet section when switching flies. I'll also be tying up similar leaders using monofilament for my floating lines. I've had good success using the Berkley big game mono for leader sections, plus it’s cheap and readily available.
Here's the bottom line: finding materials for pike leaders can be difficult if your looking for fly oriented brands like Rio, Climax, SA, Maxima. I've had really good luck using Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon and Beadalon 49 strand bead stringing wire. Try to find anything larger than 40 lb test Rio fluoroflex or hard mono, frog hair, or Maxima big game leader spools in stores in the metro. I couldn't. I went to several different fly shops and a big box store and they didn't have them. The big box stores had vanish leader spools, though, from 10lb through 100 lb. Beadalon you can find at just about any craft store.
Yeah, some of those other lines may seem to be nicer to use, but I'll stick to using what I can readily get at the store, and it seems to do the job just fine.

Big Game Fly Leaders

When fly fishing for freshwater big game species, a bite guard is necessary to keep from losing your fly to toothy critters. Pike tend to bite a fly at the head, and that causes me to believe that's why there are more bite offs, than say with a walleye; I can't vouch for the muskies since I haven’t caught one on a fly yet. The main choices for a bite guard consist of a large diameter “shock tippet” usually around a 150 lb test hard monofilament line, or wire coated line. I will be refraining from using the mono shock tippets for pike. Even with 150 lb test mono, I've heard anglers report bite-offs. I've yet to hear a report of a pike biting off a wire tippet. With the availability of cheap tieable wire nowadays, it leaves me little incentive to use monster diameter saltwater line. I use 49 strand (19 will also work) coated wire as the bite guard. It ties as easy as mono and is simple and quick to use.
I usually am fishing a sinking tip line, so I tie leaders with fluorocarbon. I have been using about a 3-4’ butt section of 20lb fluorocarbon line connected to a 12-18" wire bite guard with a surgeons knot. This year I am going to get a little bit heavier butt section and use 50 or 60 lb fluorocarbon line, tie on the 20 lb fluorocarbon tippet, and then tie on a 12" wire bite guard ("shock tippet"). This setup should be IGFA kosher. Hopefully I will get a little bit better turn over on some of the larger flies I fish with.
One thing I may try this year instead of knotting the wire tippet to the fly, is to twist the wire and re-melt the plastic coating. I've heard from many other anglers that they've never had a line failure due to the melted coated coming apart. Some guys leave a larger loop tied on the other end of the tippet and pre-tie their flies to the wire tippet, and swap out the entire tippet section when switching flies. I'll also be tying up similar leaders using monofilament for my floating lines. I've had good success using the Berkley big game mono for leader sections, plus it’s cheap and readily available.
Here's the bottom line: finding materials for pike leaders can be difficult if your looking for fly oriented brands like Rio, Climax, SA, Maxima. I've had really good luck using Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon and Beadalon 49 strand bead stringing wire. Try to find anything larger than 40 lb test Rio fluoroflex or hard mono, frog hair, or Maxima big game leader spools in stores in the metro. I couldn't. I went to several different fly shops and a big box store and they didn't have them. The big box stores had vanish leader spools, though, from 10lb through 100 lb. Beadalon you can find at just about any craft store.
Yeah, some of those other lines may seem to be nicer to use, but I'll stick to using what I can readily get at the store, and it seems to do the job just fine.

2007 Fishing Minnesota Fly Swap

The Fly Fishing forum on Fishing Minnesota is hosting a fly swap this spring. There were a dozen participants who entered, so there will be 11 different flies arriving in my mailbox at the beginning of April. There is a pretty eclectic mix of fly fishers on the message board, so the results should be interesting. There will be flies of all types, including flies for trout, warmwater species, and maybe even a saltwater pattern or two. Sounds like fun.
The due date for the flies to be received by the swapmeister is the end of March. I finally got around to tying the dozen flies last night after taking a bit of time figuring out what pattern I wanted to tie. I wanted to pick a fly that reflected the style of fishing that I do, as well as choose something that all swap participants would be able to use. Not everyone uses a 9 weight rod, so I decided on a size 6 streamer, that even someone using a 6 weight should be able to use.

Here’s the recipe:

"Mini-Me Reynolds"
hook: #6 Cabelas Model 40,4X Long Streamer Hook (Mustad equivalent: 9674)eyes: 3/16" brass hourglass eyes, nickel; black paint pen/sharpietail: white rabbit strip, 2"; 4-5 strands pearl krystal flash; 2 strands gold krystal flash.body: red crosscut rabbit, 2”thread: Danville 3/0 pre-waxed monocord white; UNI-thread 4mm thin clear monocement: Loon clear head; Hard as Nails, “diamonds” color




Tie in the white thread and wrap a base along the hook shank to the hook bend and back to the eye. Tie in the hourglass eye about ¼ of the way back form the eye (or about 3 eye lengths) using a figure eight pattern. Whip finish and tie off. Cement the thread wraps around the eye using the Loon clear head; let dry.
Tie in the clear mono thread. Trim about a ¼ inch of hair off from the tip of the white rabbit strip. Tie in the strip about a third of the way up from the hook bend, back to just above the hook bend. Find the middle of the strands krystal flash, and tie in at the base of the tail. Bend the strands back along the other side of the hook shank and wrap. Whip finish. Tie in the crosscut rabbit strip at the base of the tail, again trimming the ¼ inch of hair off from the tip. Make sure the hairs are facing the direction of the hook bend. Wrap the thread forward, towards the eye. Palmer the crosscut strip forward to the eye. Whip finish and tie off. Coat the thread wraps around the eye with the Hard as Nails. Paint in an eye with paint pen. Dry
This fly is a miniature version of Barry Reynold’s pike fly. While originally designed for pike, this fly will also catch bass, panfish, walleye, and big trout. This fly can be fished aggressively, as well as like a traditional streamer. The rabbit will give this fly a lot of movement in the water, and the krystal flash should give off just enough flash as to not spook wary fish. Using a Duncan loop, or other loop knot, to attach to the fly will increase movement and help add realism to the fly.

Muskie on the fly

Recent temperatures breaking 50 degrees have got many of us thinking about open water fishing again. Melting snows have begun to swell river banks, and soon water temps will begin to rise, bringing the start of the fly fishing season. I’m planning on chasing muskies on the fly this summer. I’ve never targeted muskies with a fly before, but have caught plenty of their cousins, the northern pike, on a fly before. There are many similarities between pike and muskies, including foraging and habits and locales. The main difference between fishing the two is upsizing all of your gear for muskies. The following is a brief synopsis on the equipment needed for getting started for fishing muskies on the fly.There is not much information out there on the web (or in text) on fly fishing muskies. It is a very specialized niche in the fly fishing market and is relatively unexplored by most anglers. There isn’t much market saturation taking place. Even pike information is still relatively obscure. Warmwater fishing for species like bass and panfish, though, has begun to get more press from the fly fishing industry in recent years. Equipment needs for targeting muskies include a stout fly rod; I’ve noticed that people use anything from an 8wt to a 12wt for muskies. An 8 wt is a little underpowered, in my opinion, to be casting flies large enough to catch muskies. You arm will tire, which will lead to sloppy casts after a long day on the water. I think that 12 wt is overkill, and was mainly preferred for its fighting strength. I don’t think this is an issue anymore with the newer high modulus blanks used today. I’d opt for a 9wt or 10 wt rod, around 9′ long. These rods should provide enough backbone to cast those large flies as well as have a fighting butt to fight those muskies.A decent reel with a good drag should be used. Pike and muskies are known for short fast runs; you’ll want to protect your tippet to keep from the fish breaking off. I wouldn’t be concerned about needing a lot of backing, so a large arbor reel would fit the bill. It will have a faster retrieval rate and will reduce the amount of memory on your fly line.I would recommend having at least two fly lines. A floating line in a bass bug, clouser, or pike taper will help get those big bushy wind resistant flies to your target. These lines are designed with an oversized head, to help deliver big flies. The second line would be a sinking tip line. You may need to adjust your sink rate based on the depth of water you will be fishing, but will most likely an angler would be fishing weed beds, so a Type II or III sink would fit the bill. A type V or VI sink rate would be preferable in deeper water, or fishing rivers with heavy flows, and/or current, to get your fly down to the bottom.Unfortunately, there are not many muskie flies available in the marketplace. Your best bet for purchasing, would be finding the largest pike flies that you can. Reynolds pike flies, dahlberg divers, rainy’s tsunami, and double bunnies are very good patterns. Often times, muskie/pike anglers use saltwater patterns, due to their size. They are effective as well; clouser deep minnows and lefty’s deceivers are two good saltwater patterns. I prefer to tie my own flies, since many of these patterns are not available locally. By tying my own, I am able to match the color combinations that I prefer, and use materials that I prefer. Bucktail is the preferred material used in many large flies, however, I like to use synthetic hairs, because they stand up better to toothy abuse, are longer fibers, and tie better.Chasing after muskies is very demanding, and you will need some of the best equipment available, regardless of skill level, just to deliver flies to the beast, and to prevent severe equipment failure. Even the stoutest, highest quality equipment is known to break from these monsters. I would consider for purchase equipment with lifetime warranties. Fortunately, there have been recent breakthroughs in technology and overseas production that have brought high quality, affordable equipment to the marketplace. The Muskellunge is North America’s fiercest freshwater game fish, and definitely one of the largest to be caught on fly rod and reel. My goal for the upcoming season is to catch one of these toothy critters on the fly. Fortunately I live in an area with prime muskie waters, and catching a trophy sized fish is a very real possibility. This will be a challenge with many hours spent casting for this often elusive fish. Hard work and effort will payoff, however, when I land that first muskie on the fly.

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS)

Depending on where you live, this may be the first time you’ve ever heard of the fish pathogen viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or, VHS. Chances are, however, that this will not be your last. VHS is caused by a rhabdovirus designated as the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus. Some fish affected with VHS will show no external signs, while others show signs that include bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, inactive or overactive behavior, and hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills, and at the base of the fins. Infected fish may also have lesions that look like those caused by other fish diseases. Acute signs are typically accompanied by a rapid onset of mortality. This disease transmits easily between fish of all ages, and mortality is highest at low water temperatures between 37 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit. The media hasn’t yet caught on to what VHS is potentially capable of in North American waters. Unlike most fish pathogens, VHS kills healthy fish. VHS found in the Great Lakes has evolved from the European strain, which affected cold water fish like salmon, and now has been documented to affect most types of fish in North America (cold, cool, and warm water).
This is going to be a HUGE issue, and it will affect almost everything a fisherman/boater does. The Federal government has already shut down the transport of fish across state lines in much of the northeast and great lakes region with a Federal Order. This affects not only fish stocking and management by government and tribal agencies, but also the aquaculture and the bait industries. Effects of the transport ban in the region will include the availability and cost of shiners and other minnows at bait shops, trout, salmon and sturgeon management and reintroduction, in addition to issues like the debate about whether or not to stock Leech Lake strain muskies in WI, likely falling by the wayside.
This is a very disturbing issue that MN DNR Fisheries is addressing, and along with other invasive species management, will unfortunately take dollars away from actual fish management. Anglers and boaters can help prevent the spread of VHS and other viruses or bacteria that cause disease in fish by not transferring fish between water bodies, and by thoroughly cleaning boats, trailers, nets, and other equipment when traveling between different lakes and streams. The use of a light disinfectant such as a solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water (i.e., 1 gallon of bleach to 10 gallons of water) to clean vessels and live wells is very effective against VHS and other viruses and bacteria that cause disease in fish. Soaking exposed items such as live wells, nets, anchors, and bait buckets in a light disinfectant for 30 minutes is also an effective method to prevent the spread of a wide range of aquatic nuisance species.
I believe the only way we will be able to fight this thing (and other invasive species) is to begin with our own actions. We, as citizens need to make it known that we will not stand for industry dictating how they will treat ballast water, i.e. not treating it. We need to tell them stop. I encourage you to write or call your legislators. Then, do your part and support your actions by decontaminating your boats, live-wells, and gear, and prevent the spread of invasive species.
Let’s let our actions speak for themselves. As a wise man once said, “if you aren’t willing to fight for something, it ain’t worth having”. Let’s all do our part to fight the spread of invasive species in Minnesota.

Bench Time

I’ve been busy the last few weeks tying a bunch of bass, pike, and muskie flies. It works out pretty good since it’s been cold as heck around here lately. Temps 20 below with wind? No problem, hit the vise and start tying!
Tying warmwater flies are a lot different than tying trout flies. For one, the size of these warmwater flies are gargantuan. Hooks range from size 4 to size 3/0. Due to these larger patterns, there is a lot more material used when tying these flies. As a result, tying times are greatly increased. I’m good if I can pump out a half dozen of these flies in a couple hours.
Trout flies, on the other hand, range in size from size 6 down to size 32. Those size 32s are pretty microscopic. It’s a wonder that a huge lunker trout can feast on insects that small. But they do, so an apt tyer must tie up a bunch of those small midge patterns. The plus side to that, is that a proficient tyer can pump out at least a dozen or so of those flies an hour.
With the forecast for this weekend predicting lows in the -20s and highs in the teens and single digits below zero, plus wind, you can rest assured that I’ll be staying in and tying this weekend. Stay warm!

Trout Finally!

I finally got out this season to chase some rainbows. I got up at 530 and headed out the door shortly after, since I loaded up the truck the night before. I arrived at the park, and I settled into my spot on the shallow flats just about an hour before sunrise. I got my first trout right at 730. It was still dark out, and trout are sensitive to light and sounds, so I fished in the dark. Because I was so shallow, and since trout often come in to a bait quickly and leave just as fast, a flasher is just about useless. As a result, I was fishing “blind”, so to speak. I had to wait until I felt a fish on before I could set the hook. I missed two fish this way. I ended up catching one more fish in the dark. The action was slow until about 915, when the sun broke over the hills. Then the action picked up and I caught three more bows in about a half hour stretch. Two of those fish put up a pretty good fight.

It was nice to have the whole lake to myself this morning; nice and quiet . It was good to be out again!

New Reel

My new Battenkill Mid Arbor reel and spool arrived this morning. First impression of this reel is the beauty of the fine machining. The drag appears that it will be up for the challenge of a mighty muskie. I’m excited to test this badboy out. I’ll mount the new fly lines to the reel and extra spool tonight when I get home. Tomorrow I’ll probably mount the reel on my new rod and give the whole outfit a few test casts.
Yep. Only 127 days untill the open water Muskie season starts…

Compliments

What better way to compliment a new fly rod than with a new reel? I just ordered a new Battenkill Mid-Arbor V reel and spool. I opted for the titanium finish, which will compliment the reel seat on my new 9 weight rod. I actually ordered the new reel, not because I needed a match for my new rod, but because I needed homes for the new fly lines I got last month.
My current 9 weight reel is an Albright General Practitioner. It is a sufficient reel, but nothing magnificent. The reel is a large arbor model and constructed from cast aluminum, it has a center disc drag. Cast aluminum is not known for its durability, especially for big game fish. In addition, extra spools for the reel go for $55. I needed two. For just $19 more than what I would have paid for the Albright spools, I ended up with a new reel and spool machined from bar stock aluminum, a sealed center disc drag, and an Orvis unconditional guarantee. Plus, the Battenkill MA reel won Fly Rod and Reel magazine’s prestigious Kudos award in 2005. The Albright reel will now be delegated to backup duty. My new reel should be pretty sweet!

First Cast

Well, my new rod arrived last night during supper. After the table was cleared and the dishes put away, I eagerly opened the packaging. The rod was beautiful! I quickly put the rod together and mounted a reel on it to feel the balance of the rod. Nice. Since it was dark out, I decided to wait until morning to cast the rod.
I casted the rod this afternoon briefly and I must say, WOW! I casted with a Rio WF 9 wt line and it loaded real nice. The action wasn’t quite as fast as I imagined it would be (because it’s a fast action, and not an extra-fast); once I slowed my cast down just a little bit the line casted wonderfully. It was pretty easy to shoot just about the whole line (100ft) with two false casts. I was in my front yard, and could have probably casted the whole line with ease if I would have casted into the street.
I am impressed; the rod did not cast like a $130 rod (I paid $99), but rather like a higher priced rod. The rod also looked well constructed. Thanks must go in order to Sage for passing down technology from their higher end rods.
The only thing I might question about the rod are two things. The stripping guides, looked thinner than the ones on my RedStart. It could be that higher quality guides could be thinner diameter for the same strength as the cheaper ones. The other thing was that there was a stripping guide just above the ferrule on the upper piece of the rod. My other rods had the guides up just a bit further. The only problem that could happen here is damaging the guide when connecting and disconnecting the ferrules on the rod. I am pleased with my purchase; Time will only tell how this rod holds up to the punishment of the dreaded Esox family. Not to worry, though, as the rod comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Anticipation

I’ve got a new fly rod on order. It’s expected to be here tomorrow. The anticipation, the excitement, this is even better than Christmas. I had been mulling over the thought of getting a new rod for a few months now. Ever since I saw that Redington was redoing a couple of their rod lines as well as introducing a new rod and reel, my interest was piqued. To keep it fair, I looked at a bunch of rods from other manufacturers and compared them. I looked at 9 weight rods either 9 or 10 feet in length. I was steering more towards a fast action, since I already own a medium action 8/9wt Redington RedStart. I ended up ordering the Redington RedFly2 9′ 9wt rod. I bought a two-piece rod since compactness will not be an issue when using this rod. This rod will probably be fished from a boat quite often, and mainly used for walleye, pike, and the occasional muskie. This rod should also have a little more backbone than the RedStart.
I decided on the RedFly2 due to the fact that it has a limited lifetime warranty. The blank is a blend of 51 and 42 million modulus graphite. It has an anodized aluminum reel seat, AAA grade cork handle, and comes with PacBay aluminum oxide stripping guides. These features are commonly found on rods over $250. I found this rod for under $100! You’d be hard pressed finding a better deal for the money.
I’m excited to fish this rod. I’ll most likely fish the rod with either a 9 wt Rio Clouser line, or a Mastery Wet Tip, Type V sink. There’ll be a lot of monster flies being cast with this rod, many in the 8-12”+ range. This 9wt might be overkill for the walleye, but would be a blast to fight if I tied into a big toothy pike, or even a muskie. This rod might even be the ticket for catching carp, drum, channel cats, and monster buffalo.

Trout Time

Tomorrow morning begins the winter stream trout season in Minnesota lakes. As usual, I will be out before sunrise on the opener again. I’ll most likely be setup in the shallows, sight fishing in about 3-5 feet of water. Usually the rainbow trout are out cruising these flats for insect larvae. Finesse plastics work well in these situations, although I usually prefer to fish a small jig or spoon tipped with waxies or euro larvae. I may sneak out to a little deeper water later in the day. There are some bruiser brood stock fish that cruise the lake. I have yet to hook up with one of these fish, but when they were stocked in 2005 they were in the 5+ pound range. Maybe this will be the year I finally land one of these brutes.
Good luck to all the other anglers making their way out this weekend to fish for stream trout. Tight Lines!