Amazingly they are forecasting 70's and even 80's around here for Friday and Saturday. I may try to get out for the first time :mrgreen:!
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Amazingly they are forecasting 70's and even 80's around here for Friday and Saturday. I may try to get out for the first time :mrgreen:!
Ha, where I live in PA we just a foot of snow with temps in the 20s. Wherever you're at go fishing!
My wife had a Dr. appointment today. Saw several ponds with some open water in the middle. Highs in the 50 the next few days with a lot of wind tomorrow.
Pretty sure Sat of Sunday afternoon the line will hit the water.
Rick
We haven't even hit 50 for a low yet this winter! So hot the bass didn't know to spawn, worse no tilapia kill off so now they will have a banner year of over population.
Don't you like Tilapia? Here in North Texas we have hardly had a winter. Today high eighties.
Made it out yesterday; took my 7wt for no other reason than that it doesn't get fished much and it seemed to be saying, "Take me! Take me!" There's something about standing by the water and setting up a fly rod for the first time each season. Fly? When in doubt, a black wooly booger. No takes on that, so now what? Looked in the bottom of the bag and there was a foam hopper with a pheasant tail dropper left over from last year. Yeah, it's the wrong time of year for hoppers, but maybe. Walked around to a spot where the bass like to hide among some submerged rocks, and sure enough; a few bumps and dunks, a couple of misses, and then a hook up. I could barely feel him on that big ol' 7; he was about 7-8 inches by the spread-of-the-hand measuring system. Missed a couple more, then decided to hit another spot where I've had some good luck on cats, and thought they might be out scavenging. Tied the wooly booger back on, but they weren't.
But hey; mid-February, out fishing in a t-shirt, didn't get skunked...can't complain!
The DNR says the ice is getting too thin and fragile for ice fishing up here in northern Iowa where I'm at. A small local lake I've been fishing for stocker trout hasn't had ice much thicker than 8-10 inches all winter. We are looking at a record breaking stretch of 8 days of highs above 60 in the month of February. Good bye ice fishing, hello open water fishing. Time to tie some more flies.
Cycler68,
Here in Central Iowa, the ice on all the local ponds is gone. On February 10, there were still some guys icefishing them. A week later on February 17, they 100% open! Crazy warm weather for mid-February! Its very unusual, but I can't say I don't enjoy it. :)
So, I took Friday off and tried out a new fly rod/reel.
Anyway, I fished 6 ponds on Friday. Caught 1 Crappie at the first one, 1 Bluegill at the second one, skunked at the 3rd, 6 Crappies at the 4th, Skunked at the 5th, and 4 Bluegills, 1 Crappie and 1 Bass at the 6th. Crazy day, slow fishing, but beautiful weather for it.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psnf9swggl.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps1w5jctxd.jpg
Lots of Muskrats out and about too:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psevdj6aq8.jpg
Then I went fishing Sunday late-afternoon. Again, very nice weather. I was hoping to get a Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and was successful.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psl2amtq8i.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psiq6ck4ch.jpg
Very nice Pumpkin seed sunfish. Here in North Texas we have had a record 12 days of upper 80's. Trees and grass starting to green, early spring?
Dave,
Can ya' tell s a bit more about that little chartreuse jig/fly..
Bowfin47
It can be tied in any color combination, of course, but chartreuse has been my most consistent producer in most of the waters I fish.
Its a simple jig. I just call it a "microjig". But there is a "microjig" on Ward Bean's "Warmwater Fly Tyer" website...it has rubber legs, which I omit. It has also been called a Springbrook Wunder, or at least this is certainly the same style as that. I think that pattern can be found somewhere on FAOL.
The recipe is this:
-I prefer a 1/80th oz microjighead with a #8 hook. Store-bought ones aren't the best. The best ones I've found, I buy on eBay.
-I use bright red/orange thread...6/0 Uni
-marabou or grizzly marabou tail
-body of yarn, chenille, or estaz
That's it. Fast, simple, and catches a LOT of fish when used under an indicator in still water. I've caught bluegills, hybrid sunfish, redear sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, green sunfish, black crappie & white crappie, largemouth bass over 20", channel catfish, carp, and trout on these.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pssuepc9wb.jpg
Gold is also a good color, especially for trout:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pspajsjp7m.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psv0osnwhy.jpg
It might be summer in February (now March) but the winds were sustained 30-40 mph over the weekend, with gusts up to 55 here (70 in some places). Some folks might be able to fish in that, but not me :(!
Today the winds are 35 mph.
I am a lousy caster and worse in these wind speeds.
.
Rick
Just shake out some line lift the rod and the wind will take your line out. No need to cast.
"......line out" or IN or ?????? :>)
Mark
Shake ,feed, pull, false cast, whatever get sufficient line out and with your back to the wind you can get the wind to get the line out if it is sufficiently strong so a back cast wontt work.
We have had 20-30 mph wind here all week, and the lakes are so low from the lack of rain, it's getting tough to navigate. Today was the first day without the wind and I took the boat out to the lake and got grounded in the muck . And only caught 3 small bass. Beats working though....
Yeah, but can't keep my hat on, can't keep my pipe lit, hate getting hit by flying debris, etc. etc. etc...;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Linecaster