5 Things Every Warmwater Flyfisherman should do--Make it 10,

Fishing Warm water Forum
1

1.Sight fish for carp.
2.Learn to tie your own flies.
3.Buy and fish from a float tube.
4.Turn someone else on to the game.
5.Fish for bedding Bluegill and release 'em all.

2

Oops, forgot to say “add your own 5 or 10”, of course.

3
  1. Smash all barbs.
  2. Fish for LMB at night.
  3. Keep a few bluegill for dinner occasionally.
  4. Win the respect of local ranchers.
  5. Get a 2wt or lighter rod.

Jim

4

Sorry Robert this year I’m thinking of killing every bluegill I catch in my ponds–I have too many. The bass and the kids cant keep up with the over supply.
I could go back to restock the big city park pond–the police caught me doing that at night one year.

Bill

[This message has been edited by William Fitzgerald (edited 21 March 2005).]

5

Robert, I think I know exactly what you meant with your #5. If I am correct the sentiment is shared and respectfully acknowledged.

Bill that does not at all mean that I disagree with you.

Jim

[This message has been edited by nowindknots (edited 21 March 2005).]

6
  1. Take some kids fishing.
  2. Consume only mid-sized fish…BG’s are best IMHO.
  3. Pester bass only in on top…or at least in the top 1’ of water.
  4. Finish G-kid’s rod.
  5. Take some kids fishing!
    …lee s.
7
  1. Cap, T-shirt, shorts, old sneakers, cheap fanny pack.
  2. Short 3wt fly rod (6?6? to 7?6? - borrowed if necessary) with a moderate parabolic action, very most basic of reels, weight forward line to match, 6 foot leaders and spool of light tippet. Six inch forceps with scissors carried on a string looped around your neck.
  3. One dozen Woolly Buggers, Olives to Brown in like 8s and 10s.
  4. One six foot nylon stringer, rolled and stuffed into a pocket of your shorts. Keep ?em if you want, give ?em back if you?d rather.
  5. Belt carried canteen and crackers and cheese (or jerky) in a Ziploc in the fanny pack.
  6. One small tumbling stream teeming with Gills, Green Sunfish, Longear and the like, turtles, Smallmouth Bass, Suckers and that oft overlooked but oh so dear Rock Bass.
  7. 8 Hours.
  8. Big slabs of boulders scattered along the stream to crawl upon, dry out a little and ingest what?s going on.
  9. Killer Sunset
8

Hey Dad’sGnat, welcome aboard!

Jim

9
  1. Thank GOD for what we are enjoying.
  2. Take a child.
  3. Leave the surroundings cleaner than when you arrived.
  4. Share our knowledge & equipment.
  5. Learn something new each trip.
    Mike
10
  1. Always, always, ALWAYS spray on some tick/chigger juice before you take your trek away from the bridge access where you parked.
  2. See #1.
    3)Blindfold & kidnap some Trout-only snoot you probably know at least once a year; remove his blindfold only after the afore-mentioned trek. I suppose you ought to spray him down with the bug juice as well.
  3. Be prepared. Even just a half-decent WW stream has at least 1 species of bass (maybe 31/2), 2-3 species of Sunfish (maybe 6), Catfish(1-3), Gar(1-3) and Carp. OWN some flies, and NOT just Wooly Buggers; you need arrows in your quiver to fish different depths & different sizes.
  4. Unlike yours truly, arrange your life so that you actually CAN go fishin more often.
    Cary
11
  1. Use 'gill busters in any color
  2. Panfish don’t have to be “small”
  3. The “delicate approach” is not always the way to go
  4. If you smell fish, that’s where you need to fish.
  5. Beware of logs that grin at you!

Swamp

12
  1. enjoy each trip to the fullest, no matter how bad the fishing is.
  2. cover up from the sun.
  3. always be aware of your surroundings.
  4. when the fishing is good, try something new and different.
  5. take care of the environment and be thankful we are allowed to do what we do.
13
  1. Don’t drink to much coffee before you go belly boating.
  2. The difficulty of the cast is in direct proportion to the size of the LMB under the overhanging branches.
  3. The ugly fly that your scout ties in your merit badge class will catch more Bass than the one that looks perfect.
  4. The people who live on the North side of the lake fish on the South and vice versa.
  5. God has put some of the most brilliant colors on a 5" sunfish than almost any other fish.
14

  1. You are not less of a sportsman if you fish with a 6, 7 or 8wt rod. They have their place. And at times are a better tool that a lighter rod.

  2. Take a hint from the pros. Land and release your fish as quickly as possible. If you are not the one in control, you’re probably using too light a rod for the species you are fishing for.

  3. When fishing from any water craft, always wear a pfd. Even in a float tube.

  4. Don’t limit yourself to only using a floating line. Sinking poly leaders are a good alternative to carrying a spare spool and sink tip line.

  5. Don’t be afraid to change flies if you’re not getting bit. Sometimes a change in color of the same pattern is all it takes.

15
  1. Fish early and enjoy the joy of silence.
  2. Fish late, even into deep darkness. Stars are sandpaper for overwrought tensions.
  3. Smile when someone says, “Hey, Boy! Thay ain’t no trout round he-ah!”
  4. Share flies and wisdom. We are brothers and sisters of an “art” form many can’t comprehend.
  5. Don’t fear doing something different, or tying something differently. You most likely stepped outside of the box to start this passion, so is there justification for convention?
16

JGW, Wisdom. Wisdom to live by.

17

  1. If the fish aren’t biting the last thing you should change is the fly.

  2. If you aren’t considered wierd and slightly antisocial with your fishing obsession then you aren’t doing it right.

  3. Don’t be a snob about bait fishing. Remember your raising, and if you took up the fly rod and have never fished with bait then “do not pass go, do not collect $200 instead go buy some minnows”.

  4. Remember when you take a kid fishing the important thing is the kid not the fishing.

  5. Fishing is a blood sport and should be treated as so.

Mike B.

18

Thanks, Jim -
FAOL is a great place. Folks with a common love and no hesitation to share knowledge that took years to accumulate or stuff passed down from generation to generation. No snobbery. A Walmart Rod is as welcome as a Sage. Pure joy for fly fishers (who even find a tolerance for spin fishers).

19

In keeping with the question, but in response to Dad’sGnat:

  1. Respect self and others at FAOL
  2. Share your WW knowledge at FAOL
  3. Contribute to the discussions at FAOL
  4. Write an article for FAOL
  5. Tell your fishing buddies about FAOL

Jim

20

Well said, Jim!!
Mike