One fall I was fishing here in South Louisiana in some deep moving water for sac-a-lait (crappie) with a #10 fluff butt. The salt water had moved up considerably into the fresh water marsh, and I began catching small redfish mixed in with the sac-a-lait.
All of the sudden, some leviathon about jerked me into the bayou. After a decent fight, I landed a 10 lb blue cat on my little #10 fluff butt.
I would be curious to hear if anyone else out there has had similar experiences. Tight Lines.
Last summer I was fishing a small adams
dry fly along the lake shore from my boat
picking up the odd bluegill. I saw the
tiniest of rings on the calm water as what
appeared to be a very small fish gently
sucked the fly from the surface. I slowly
raised my rod tip and did a gently strip set
so as to not yank the little guy from the
water. When I did the water literally
exploded as the 7 pound largemouth took off
trying his best to tie my little 3 weight
rod in knots.G I don’t know which of us
was more surprised.G Warm regards, Jim
No comparison to those fish but this year I started taking my 3 wt with small nymphs and have been surprised and happy about the size bass that I have been catching (a couple 3-4 pounder largemouth and smallmouth ). I think I read and enjoyed too many Rick Z articles because the 3 wt always comes along now, except for stripers.
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
Last year while I was fishing for “creek smallies” that run up to 11 or 12" in a local creek with a Lil’ Bugger nymph, size 12 I had a pick-up, raised my rod tip and a large carp boiled to the top about 10’ away from me. It ran upstream, came back down stream and passed me Now this creek is only about 10-12’ wide here! Continued down to the river [about 20 yards] and turned upstream in the river. up the river I’m stumbling down the middle of the creek trying to keep he line out of the trees where the fish had rounded to corner. Line went slack but when I reeled up the fish was still there. Line came tight just as the fish reached the creek mouth and up the creek it came. The creek is only 7 or 8’ wide where I had ran down to and the fish ran between my legs - almost knocked me down as it’s tail slammed into my knee. Line hung up on something for an second and POP the rod tip broke. However, I was able to finally get tight to the fish again and finally landed an 8# carp [on my pocket scale - length 30"]. The rod was about 6" shorter [Avid 4 wgt] Cleaned out my waders and went home!
Oh yes, returned the rod to St Croix and they fitted a new tip section to it. The guy I talked to at the factory told me I shouldn’t fish for carp with that light of a rod!
I’ve caught some nice fish on small flies. Perhaps the greatest differential was using a little blue and white Marooshka ice fishing jig, perhaps a size 20 hook, and hooking a four pound channel cat in a farm pond. Murky as the dickens. There was some fish “science” going on here I didn’t and still don’t comprehend, such as sight, movement, lateral line, something. Had a ten lb. flathead hit a size 10 white Gill Buster minnow imitation I was using for crappie, but there the water was pretty clear and the fly was much, much bigger. That should be enough without sounding like I’m bragging. JGW
fishing a 3 wt with size 28 midge dries in february last year, i was picking up little browns all afternoon in the 7-12" range. “one last cast”, and a big ol 19" brown sipped my midge. surprised me and him. what fun fish, though…
Everyone dies. Only the lucky ever truly Live. Take your time.
I was fishing a small creek for gills and bass, using a 7’ Cortland 3 wt. I was standing well back from a pool, casting a size 10 popper (I think a Trim Gim). I had hooked several small gills, and had just hooked another one and was playing it on the surface when suddenly a LMB of about 7 lbs. just inhaled the smaller fish and took off. I thought he was going to take the rod away from me and whip me with it for a minute. Before I could do anything else, the bass turned and streaked under a flat rock resting on top of some smaller rocks and broke my leader. I certainly didn’t land this fish, but I’ll never forget it. I guess technically, since I had hooked the BG instead of the bass, you could say I was baitfishing.
Larry Compton
I was fishing for Bass and Bream with a popper (#10 Round Dinny) and a dropper (#10 Black Gnat). The current was moving slowly down the river, so when the Dinny sank slowly, I assumed the dropper had snagged. I tried to pull the line free, but all I did was sink the hook into a large Sheephead. He slugged it out with me until I could get him to the boat. He must have been doing it for sport because he held still as I removed the hook with some hemostats and then swam away. He was easily over 10 pounds.
While fishing for Crappie, I hooked up with an 8 lb. Channel Cat on a #10 Cypert’s Mylar Minnow. Until I actually saw the fish, I thought I was into the Largemouth Bass of a lifetime.
While using a #12 squirrel tail nymph fishing for BG, hooked and landed a 6 lb LMB.
Not an overly remarkable story, except the 6 lb LMB was caught in a pond of less than 1/4 of an acre…very small pond for that size of bass. That fish must have been the top dog in that pond!
Sounds like we cut our teeth on the same area!!! I grew up in the southern portion of the great state of Louisiana!
Anyway, my personall best is one I know I’ll never be able to beat. I was doing the same thing as you, fishing for sac-au-lait (crappie) with a #12 Royal Humpy. Although I was mostly catching a lot of bluegill, I was holding out hope that a good sac-au-lait would come up and take a swipe at it. I cast up next to a small area of grass next to an undercut bank, and then I saw JAWS start moving toward the fly.
JAWS in this case was a 28" Redfish!!! Man do I miss the good old days!!!
Now I am in Louisville, Ky. People up here consider a 18 inch Rainbow to put a work out on you with a #6 weight fly rod!!! These guys just don’t realize what an 18+" Redfish will do to you!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I have become addicted to fresh water trout fishing. But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for fishing an area where one cast brings a large bluegill. The next casts brings a really nice largemouth. The next cast can bring a nice Speckled Trout or Redfish. The next cast … heck, you all get the picture.
Golf course lake fishing for bass and bream - #10 beadchain eye nymph - 30" grass carp. Don’t know how much he weighed but it took about 20 minutes to get him in on my 5 wt. rod and when I tried to pick him up, he was heavier than I thought so I left him in the water. I’m not really sure how I got him in - I think he got tired of the game and just decided to come on over and visit.
Well, even though it wasn’t officially landed, Guide missed him with the net… He called it a 7-8 lb. Brown on a size 18 Blood Midge. Straightened the hook (a Tiemco) but didn’t break the 6x Flouro tippet. 5 wt. rod… Twelve minutes of fight that I’ll never forget. Sure wish I could have gotten him in the boat though. Withouth that, it’s just a fish story.
These are the idle thoughts that posses a man’s mind when he’s not able to fish.
Well, there was the 42 pound white amur on
my 6 weight. Took a #12 PT nymph. I don’t
think she even knew she was hooked for the
first hour of the fight. I saw the arbor knot 5 times at the far end of the backing.
Took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to land her.
Following week, same outfit, I landed a
carbon copy of her in 25 minutes. Not sure
why. I don’t fish for carp any more. Too
much like work! Warm regards, Jim