A Fine Start

[Flats Dude]

I know, I'm trespassin' in here, but last night I walked down to the lake behind the house armed with my 5 wt and an Accardo Spook. The orange trees are not sure yet as to bloom or hang on another week or so (bluegill signal down here). A few big wakes were apparent and I cast to one and immediately a huge explosion and a brief, and I do mean brief, hook-up. Had to be one of those chain pickerel...frayed my leader and dang near got my little Spook!
A few casts later and a nice hand-sized bluegill nailed the bug. Turn't him loose and the next gill that hit took my Spook to school under a lily pad. My Spook now resides on the stem of that dad-blasted pad.
In a week or so the big boys will be in there fannin' out beds, and I'll take THEM to school!

[anglerdave]

Trespassin? After all the times I've invaded the hallowed halls of the swb? Heck Dude you're welcome on this board anytime. After all there isn't much difference between you salty long rodders and us warm water guys.

I'm hoping things will start warming up enough around here in a few weeks. All I can do now is read of others early season sucesses. Keep us posted about what's happening in the lake out back.

[Flats Dude]

Will do Dave...man, it's just plain nasty down here today. Misting rain and mid sixties. Dang sure put a whoa on the pool construction. But this weekend looks pretty goo, should be in the high seventies and low eighties.

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Flats Dude,

Thanks for the inspiration. Lately
here in SC the wind has been the pitts!
Windy, cool, and drizzling at the moment.
Looks like a break coming Sunday. May
have to skip the race and slip out to a
favorite gill hole for a few hours. Those
pickeral can be a hoot. Ours like to
streak across the surface like a torpedo and
nail poppers. Always good for a little
adreneline rush.*G* Warm regards, Jim

[rrhyne56]

well now that's interesting that there are pickerel in FL. Somehow I had always thought it too warm there for those fish. Shoot, we just barely have them here in TX in a few lakes in deepest East Texas.

Hope everybody gets their fish on soon. We had 28? here in N Texas this AM so we're not quite all done with winter yet.

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RRhyne56
[url=http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com:5e90b]http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com[/url:5e90b]
IM = robinrhyne@hotmail.com

[Grubb]

Flats Dude, I see ya are on dry land mate...aaarrrggghhh!!!

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Spelling and Grammar not subject to judgement...

[ftroop7]

Are you still searching for the mythical salt water bluegill?

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"If it was easy anybody could do it"
Timothy S. Furey Sr.

[Fishcreek]

"Are you still searching for the mythical salt water bluegill"

Sheephead..........some sneaky buggers.

[Flats Dude]

ftroop...Naw, that was Ohiotuber tryin' to catch those things...(but I've caught a few on saltwater crickets..*G*)

Grubb, dry? Nope, it's rainin' cats and dawgs down here.

rrhyne...yep, we got 'em, and dang nice ones too! Caught two last spring, just like baracudas...mess up a fly! They're dartin' around in the shallows now harrassin' the small stuff.

[dixieangler]

Gary,

Got to see Don Ingram yesterday at his home in the town of Lake Placid and tied flies with him and "chewed the fat." Great guy. A wealth of salty knowledge. Seems he is a student of the South Florida saltwater fly fishing pioneers with the likes of Lefty, Flip, Chico, Dave W., and so on. Don is now into the warmwater realm and in the Lakewatch program down here, also looking for some warmwater and local patterns for this area. I hope I was able to help him out with the patterns that have proven effective for me here. Might get out on the water with him on Friday over Lake Istokpoga way . Weather is supposed to be good for fishing in the latter part of this week.

Stay after those big bream. Its super fun. Most of us Floridians are cross-overs, salt to warmwater, warmwater to salt so you aren't trespassing. I occasionally invade the swb too . Are you sure that "chain pickerel" wasn't a gar? I've had gar do that sort of thing . Cleaned a whole stringer with a mess of bream on it once .


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 29 March 2005).]