I like the look of that nymph. Nice mouth shot!
Fly-fished last night after dinner. Tried the pond I fished during lunch. NADA.
Its nice to have options…I went to a different public pond. Caught 5 crappies, 4 bluegills and 1 bass before dark.
The bluegills had that deep, cold water “purple” color to them:
The bluegills preferred a microjig (red/black variegated sparkle chenille body, chartreuse marabou tail) under an indicator. The crappies and bass preferred a chartreuse craft fur bead-chain-eye Clouser.
4/9/11
Local public pond
Fly-fishing
Time fished: 10:30am-Noon
Weather: Mostly cloudy. 52 degrees when I got there, 62 when I left.
Fish sought: crappies
Fish caught: 13 crappies, 2 bluegills
Last time I fished this pond, I caught ONLY green sunfish in the usual crappie spots. So, I fished the opposite side of the lake. Sure enough, the crappies were there. The fish were a fair ways out from shore. Caught most of the fish on a goldish microjig under an indicator. It was good to see a couple decent bluegills in this pond…I rarely catch any bluegills here.
There was another kid fishing, but I didn’t see him catch anything.
4/10/11
Copper Creek Lake
Fly-fishing
Time fished: 1:30pm-3:00pm
Weather: Partly cloudy, then sunny. 90 degrees.
Wind: Wind from the SSW. 30mph sustained winds, gusts to 43!
Fish sought: any
Fish caught: 1 crappie, 11 bluegills
I thought it would be too windy to fish. So, I walked a lap around the lake first. Saw a guy catch a 12" largemouth bass on a rattle trap. Lots of people fishing, that was the only fish I saw caught (besides what I caught). As usual, I did see a nice “blow up” out in the middle of the lake, that sure looked like wipers attacking shad! It didn’t last long, though. DNR says they shocked it last fall and didn’t find any of the wipers they stocked. I really think they are there, but I have no solid evidence. :glasses9:
Anyway, I decided to fly-fish one shoreline. Casting was challenging, and I had a few rather ungraceful tangles around my rod, and the shoreline brush behind me, and line tangles around the rocks at my feet…and I had to chase my hat up the bank when the wind blew it off at one point…
But, I caught fish. Mostly medium-sized bluegills, and the chunky crappie. They all fought really well! The groups of anglers on either side of me started closing ranks once I began catching fish. One guy even sent his kid over to ask what I was using for bait. Bait? :spam4: I explained I was using a small microjig. I was doing really well with one, but it eventually started falling apart. I switched to a different one and it caught fish too, but not quite as fast. Guess I know what I’ll be tying this week!
4/10/11
Local public pond
Fly-fishing
Time fished: 7:45pm-8:30pm
Weather: Mostly sunny/dusk. 65 degrees.
Wind: Wind from the W. 21mph sustained winds!
Fish sought: any
Fish caught: 20+ crappies, 2 bluegills, 7 green sunfish
I had visited Jay (“flipper”)a bit earlier, and he showed me his “Thunder Glass”? Or something like that. Anyway, its a device that sort of measures barometric pressure. The thing was overflowing due to extremely high pressures. I decided I should fly-fish again.
I went to one local public pond, planning to fish the upwind shoreline (protected), and fish the calmer water there with bass-sized poppers for…BASS. I got to the pond, and the wind was blowing from a very bad angle, so the shoreline I wanted to fish was NOT protected much. I scrapped that idea. I thought about a second pond, but the shoreline that would be protect there is one that doesn’t usually produce much for me. I considered pond #3, but the side I would fish there would be facing directly into the wind. I could have been done, but casting would have been difficult. So, pond option #4 won out.
It was the pond I had fished yesterday. Today, the fish were much closer to shore, and many of the crappies were looking like they have eggs. The fish were VERY aggressive, either because of the warming water, or the high barometer? Anyway, the best pattern was a chartreuse microjig and I also did well with a hot-pink craft fur Clouser.
4-11-2011
Local Public Pond
Fly-fished
Time Fished: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Weather: Sunny/dusk, 61 degrees F
Wind: 15mph from the North
Fish sought: Bass
Fish caught: 9 bluegills, 1 crappie
Best pattern: microjig
The wind was finally blowing out of the right direction for me to try some topwater poppers for bass. No takers along the short stretch of shoreline I fished. A guy with spinning gear on the opposite side of the pond did catch a small bass (<12").
I saw a nice Grass Carp porpoise within casting distance, so I chucked the popper in front of it, but no luck.
I’d seen some surface activity that I figured was bluegills, so I switched to a microjig. The first one (mostly black) got some attention, but no hookups. I switched to one with an olive grizzly marabou tail and an olive sparkle dubbing for the body. I caught all the fish on this.
The biggest bluegill was a chunky 8.5" female, which is the biggest I’ve caught on the fly rod so far this year.
The fish that got me all excited (and still couldn’t fall asleep 2 hours later) was the crappie. It was a BEAST! Its my PB on the fly rod, although I’ve caught bigger on spinning gear. It is a white crappie, and measured 14". It fought really hard, taking line a couple times. I was sure it was a bass, until it finally got closer to shore! I released all the fish, as usual.
David - Congratulations on a couple of really nice fish!
Dale
Today’s lunch report:
I had it all planned out, where I wanted to go fly-fishing during lunch. I got there, and the parking lot was FULL (ok, I saw one spot open). Some folks fishing and some eating lunch with their kids. Well…shoot.
Off to Option 2 I go. Several cars in the lot there, one guy just finishing fishing. The others were people walking their dogs, and letting the dogs splash around in the water. I tried it anyway.
Water was clear, sun was bright (and dancing in the streets…nevermind), so I didn’t expect much. But, I caught a medium-sized bluegill.
Then, I saw bluegills a bit down the shoreline (but about 30’ offshore) with their backs sticking out of the water! I cast near them, some would scatter, some would leave a wake as they charged over to investigate. But, they must have been biting light, as I only caught one more. It was a nice one, though. I didn’t have the best fly selection with me in the box I threw into the car this morning. I need to fix that soon. I think I could have caught more with the “right stuff”.
Last night I had about 25 minutes to spare for fishing, so of course I took it. I fished a public pond in Urbandale. It was almost dark, and the water was murky. Fish were occasionally hitting the surface, so I knew they were there. I ended up catching 5 bluegills on flies…including at least 2 of them on topwater, which is always exciting (not as exciting as white bass on topwaters…but still exciting). Those bluegills can get pretty wild trying to catch a bug on top! 
This one was pretty colorful, but I had to use the flash,which washed the colors out:
4-18-2011
Local Public Pond
Fly-Fishing
Time Fished: 12:20pm-12:45pm
Weather: Cloudy, 41 degrees F
Wind: 10mph from E
Fish sought: any
Fish Caught: 8 crappies, 1 green sunfish
I started out fishing with a yellow boa yarn leech, and it was working. But, I wanted to try one of those Jointed Minnows I had tied a couple months ago. It looked great in the water, and caught fish good too!
Here’s a photo “montage” from today…not because the fish were impressive, just because I thought the pics turned out really well.
And, I took a picture of this Green Sunfish, because his colors were so dark when I pulled him out of the water…he was almost black! But his color started to lighten up by the time I got the camera ready, so you’ll just have to imagine it 4 shades darker.
Fantastic pictures and report, Dave. Keep them coming. Sort of miss crappie and gills.
TT.
Mike is a member of Central Iowa Anglers, which is a multispecies fishing club. A handful of members fly-fish, but we are in the minority. But what better place to get a few “converts”? I mean, these folks already LOVE to fish! Mike is an open-minded guy.
Mike had gone out on his own the night before to practice fly-casting for the very first time. He didn’t catch any fish, and he had some questions about improving his technique. So…we made plans to fly-fish last night.
While waiting for Mike to arrive, I fished a section of shoreline I usually ignore. I wanted to save the “good section” for when Mike got there. The section I fished had me casting directly into last night’s wind. It worked out pretty good, though. I caught 4 crappies and 2 green sunfish there. One was a pretty good green sunfish that was longer than my hand, and chunky!
Mike arrived, I gave him a couple dozen patterns I had tied that have worked well for me for the local bluegills, crappies, and bass. We moved over so we were casting sort of quartering into or across the wind. It wasn’t easy, but its where the fish were, and I wanted him to gain some confidence by actually catching fish. Mike was getting the fly out there, and that’s really the objective of fly-casting. When he slowed down his retrieve, he scored some fish, which were his first on fly-fishing gear!
It was tough conditions for learning, but I thought Mike did really well! Good job, Mike!
We’ve gotta do it again soon, it was really fun! I don’t know what Mike’s fish totals were…but he might have caught even more if he’d had a fly on the end of his line for the last half hour. We fished until after dark, and we eventually moved to the side of the pond that put the wind at our back, which certainly made casting easier, but there were very few fish on that side of the pond. He commented at one point that his line kept making a whip-cracking sound, and we decided he needed to wait a bit longer on the back-cast before starting his forward cast. Before we left, Mike had to use the restroom, so I told him I was going to use his rod for a bit. I picked it up to check the fly, and there was a tangle of line at the end of his leader, but no fly! Oh well, it was time to head home. The evening had been a success!
4-20-2011
'Nuther local public pond
Fly-Fishing
Time Fished: 12:25pm-12:50pm
Weather: Cloudy, 45 degrees
Wind: 15 mph from WNW
Fish sought: the rare Chingilla (hybrid bluegill x peruvian chinchilla…don’t ask)
Fish caught: 10 bluegills and a bass
So, at first I had planned to go to the pond Mike and I had fished…but I was feeling a need for a change of scenery. Plus, there was a school bus full of kids from out-of-town that appeared to be eating lunch lake-side, which was something of a deterrent for me. So…off to a pond I hadn’t fished yet this year.
Wind was blowing seemingly much harder than the forecast had suggested. Since Mike wasn’t with me, I decided to fish with the wind at my back .
Anyway, I just used a microjig since it was already on the line. It was slow at first, then I found a pocket of fish that were willing to bite. All sizes of bluegills, from hand-sized, to 4". The males were starting to get some brighter colors on them, and I had to stop and admire them.
I also caught a largemouth bass…roughly 12" long, and very healthy-looking. What a strong fighter! I actually laughed out loud when I saw the fish…and realized it wasn’t very big, but I still couldn’t pull the fish in! I finally did muscle it in, but at the same time wondered if my 8lb tippet was going to hold! Crazy stuff…but very fun!
Last night at dusk I fly-fished a public pond in a nearby suburb for about 20 minutes. Water remains fairly clouded.
Its been cold, and fishing was slow. I did catch 5 bluegills, missed a few of others.
The bluegills in this pond are smallish, but seem to be growing. There are a few nice hybrid sunfish that’ll push 9". I was surprised to catch a really nice bluegill that touched 9"! Its my biggest of the open-water season so far.
I forgot my camera, had to use my cell phone in very low-light conditions (no flash on the phone!), so the picture isn’t very good, even after some post-processing attempts. Here it is anyway:
On my last cast, I had another really nice fish on. I was starting to get excited to see the fish, when the hook pulled out.
The pattern I used was simple:
-#12 TMC 5262 nymph hook
-6/0 black Uni-Thread
-Tail: Hungarian Partidge hackle fibers
-Body: Olive/Black variegated sparkle chenille
Since the beginning of April, I’ve made 9 Fishing Report posts, and gotten 2 comments (thanks Dale and TT!). I don’t post these reports to get comments, but I do wonder what I can do to improve my reports.
Like, should I only post when I catch something above-average/noteworthy? More details on techniques/patterns used? I can include whatever information people want. Obviously, I fish OFTEN… I want to convey my enthusiasm for fishing.
So…suggestions for improvements are very welcome. Can’t guarantee I will incorporate ALL suggestions, because I already know I can’t please EVERYONE.
I, for one, enjoy reading all your posts, whether you did well or not. I think you are doing us all a great service by spending your time in giving us these reports. If I can’t be out there, to read your report is the next best thing (since we fish some of same water). The reports also keep us thinking we really should be out there enjoying this sport as much as you are.
I also look forward to the new tactics or flies you are using in these reports. I guess if we need to expand on an idea, we should start at new thread.
Keep’em coming Dave!
iaflyfisher
Thanks Dale!
I should say I DO ENJOY getting comments when people post them, I just meant getting comments aren’t the reason for me posting in this thread. There’s a couple other fly anglers in the area, and the intent with this thread is that ANY/ALL of you guys (or visitors to the area, for that matter) can post your reports here. I may have mentioned that at the beginning of the year, but want to reiterate it. This isn’t supposed to be a “FishnDave Only” thread.
All that being said…I ALMOST went fishing during lunch today…but for no good reason I actually just passed on it. Somebody get the thermometer and the petroleum jelly! (I can’t believe I just said that!)
Keep posting Dave. I’m only 40 miles north of you and reading this thread is as close as I’ve gotten to actually fishing. Soon I’ll get out. Soon. Maybe if I say it enough it will come to pass
I’m going fishing.
I’m going fishing!
I’M GOING FISHING!
Dave;
I also enjoy your reports. Keep them coming !! I have been out several times, and am bothered by the conditions in my area. NO BUGS,NO FISH, not sure what is going on here. High water, fast water (never stopped them before) just keep looking for them lol lol
4-22-2011
Fly-Fishing
Local Public Pond
Time Fished: 12:15pm-12:45pm
Weather: Cloudy, 47 degrees F
Wind: 15 mph from ESE
Fish sought: Fiddler Eel
Fish caught: 11 Crappies
The fish seemed a bit more tight-lipped than usual. So…it was like a fish every 3rd or 4th cast.
I tried a red-black-white Craft Fur Clouser first. Caught a few fish on that.
Next, I tried that chartreuse minnow pattern I had posted pics of recently in the FAOL Fly Tying forums. I caught the biggest one on that, and took some pictures of that one. I saw another crappie take a swipe at it but miss.
Finally, I switched to a chartreuse Craft Fur Clouser, and caught some more. It seemed like (with the one exception) most of the crappies were smaller than usual today.
Great pics from this last report, love the crappie coloring
4-24-2011
Local Public Ponds
Fly-Fishing
Time Fished: 7:30pm-9:00pm
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Dusk (very colorful sunset!)
Wind: Very little. Just a slight ripple on the water
Fish sought: Electric Sunfish
Fish Caught: Bluegills, all sizes…one 10" bass
Let me backtrack to Friday after work. Although there was still some mist/light drizzle, it seemed like a good time to fish, and I didn’t need to be home until 6pm. As I was driving from work to a local public pond, I got a text message from Mikey G., stating the weather was too nice NOT to go fishing. I thought maybe he was kidding. He wasn’t. I told him I was already en route.
Unfortunately, I was leaving as Mike arrived, but we exchanged some info. I had caught 10 crappies, 1 bluegill, 1 green sunfish in 40 minutes of fishing. Mike later told me he caught around 20 fish that evening (yep, he was FLY-FISHING!!) :hello2:
So…Good job, Mike!
OK…move forward to last night. I was driving my family home after being at my In-Law’s all day, celebrating Easter and their 50th Wedding Anniversary (how cool is that?)! As we got near home, we were driving by one of the ponds, and I saw a fellow who was fly-fishing. He was casting well. I looked closer to see if I recognized the person. It was Mike! So, I took my family home, quickly unloaded the left-over food we brought home, and headed back out to fish with Mike.
We were fishing in a very shallow arm of this particular pond. There were signs of fish activity. Some of the activity looked to be good-sized fish, but those were well out-of-reach. We caught bluegills of all sizes, but nothing over 8". It was a beautiful evening for fishing. This was Mike’s 4th EVER fly-fishing outing, all in the past week!
Mike had to get home, so I headed to another nearby pond. My first cast yielded my 2nd 9" female bluegill of the year:
There’s some good genetics in this pond…if only there were enough males left to help out. (the big males get harvested off the beds during the spawning seasons…I rarely catch males in this pond anymore)
I also caught a nice 8.5" female, and 5 other bluegills, plus a small bass before I called it a night.