David and I hit Lake Royal yesterday evening. Catching bass is a lot of fun. Catching bass with a fly rod is even more fun. But catching bass on a fly rod with your son is about as good as it gets.
The water in Lake Royal is very stained which can really slow things down, especially when coupled with hot weather. This morning the water was un-fishable after evening rains. But last night I was able to score two bass in short order thanks to my neon yellow slider. I later switched to a spinning rod and David scored a bluegill on the fly rod.
I have learned that one of the simplest ways to consistently catch bass is fly fishing with a large popper or slider. If you tailor your presentations to the conditions, "bass bugs" are as consistent as plastic worms for catching largemouth bass. I drop a wet fly off the hook bend of my popper or slider, which often allows me to catch lots of bream in between bass bites. David’s bream was a product of this approach.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day Rally
Fittingly, I am back. It took until Father's Day morning to recover from my setback on the Rapidan. In keeping with the civil war theme; I have found success in Pennsylvania that has eluded me in Virginia. It is a bit of a stretch to compare catching a few bass in pond at a campground to the defense of Little Round Top, but it is Father's Day. I feel that my promotion of this sport via this blog with a readership pushing four, if you count my brother in law, and the fact that my son's chest is often a billboard for Bass Pro Shops, gives me some license to rejoice in the unremarkable. I got two descent bass (and a few bream) on a 5 wt fly rod. Both bass were keepers, and I have pictures this time to prove it, which is the real accomplishment here. Winning fly: large neon yellow slider.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Ely's Ford
Dad and I hit historic Ely's Ford today. This was the site in which the hapless union forces under Joe Hooker crossed the Rapidan before being routed in the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Today it was the site for a couple hapless bass fishermen to get in touch with the limits of their gene pool. The day started great; I landed a nice largemouth on chartreuse grub. I released this fine specimen after my father assured me that he had captured “at least three” cell pics of me triumphantly holding my catch. I later checked out the picture only to find an image of my son dressed as Batman. My catch was followed by Dad attempting to set the hook on at least five bites. We now know that there was nothing wrong with Dad's technique. He was missing the tip of his hook, which is never a recipe for a successful hook set. Later in the morning I switched to my fly rod and caught a couple small ones on a chartreuse wooly bugger. I later set the hook on a trophy smallmouth. In keeping with family tradition, this struggle culminated with a broken leader. We saw him jump to spit the fly and he was clearly over 20". Doh!
In summary, we got a keeper largemouth, two smallmouths, a bluegill, a rock bass, and I gave a trophy smallie a sore mouth. I assessed early that bright chartreuse was the right color for today's sunny, stained water conditions. This was the one thing I got right today.
In summary, we got a keeper largemouth, two smallmouths, a bluegill, a rock bass, and I gave a trophy smallie a sore mouth. I assessed early that bright chartreuse was the right color for today's sunny, stained water conditions. This was the one thing I got right today.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Dad Hooks a Big One
Dad is here for David and Zach's birthday. We fished Lake Royal early this morning long enough for Dad to hook one very noteworthy fish. Initially we thought it was an average to large bass, but after several runs that nearly spooled Dad we suspected it was a 10 lb+ catfish. He came up a few times and we saw what looked like a large cat’s dorsal fin. The fight lasted over twenty minutes. Once Dad realized he was about to get spooled he started to put the brakes on and the behemoth popped off. Dad fought the fish skillfully only applying pressure as a last resort. The bait was a white curly tail grub on a jig; a lure that occasionally elicits a catfish strike. Tomorrow is the big day for fishing. We are hitting the Rapidan for smallmouth so long as the weather holds. I pray for clear water and big smallies.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Bass Confusion
This weekend of limited fishing was good for reminding us of the confused identity of the white perch. A member of the bass family, and closely related to the white bass, the white perch shares the perch name with the yellow perch; an unrelated species for which it bears no resemblance. There are other abnormalities in the popular names of North American fish. Our beloved largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass are actually members of the sunfish family. The brook trout is actually a char. The walleye, often referred to as the walleyed pike, is not a member of the pike family but rather the perch family. I believe that this phenomenon results from drunken red necks with fishing poles outnumbering trained biologists. Looks like a purch ta me man!
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