Crappie on a Woolley Bugger

[J. Rentch]

Harry Steiner and I fished an eastern shore pond today with mixed results. Harry landed a couple Pickerel on an articulated fly, sorry no pics. I caught a couple nice Crappie on a Woolley Bugger made by Harry. Both were caught in shallow water near the Lily pads.
2019-04-02 10.44.47.jpg

[Mark]

Way to go, John.

I think the flyrod caught you as well as that crappie.

[bignose]

This how addictions get started!
It's always the challenge of the long rod.
I was there once.
Now, I'm not sure that a day with the fly rod wouldn't leave my repaired shoulder un-useable for a couple of days afterwards.

Flyfishing in general lost some of it's allure when I realized that just about everything that swims in fresh water can be caught on a size 6 black wooly bugger.
No more tying #16 dry flies!
Lol

[Mark]

This how addictions get started!
It's always the challenge of the long rod.
I was there once.
Now, I'm not sure that a day with the fly rod wouldn't leave my repaired shoulder un-useable for a couple of days afterwards.

Flyfishing in general lost some of it's allure when I realized that just about everything that swims in fresh water can be caught on a size 6 black wooly bugger.
No more tying #16 dry flies!
Lol

Ah...but getting the wooly bugger to the fish is the challenge and the captivation for many. John is discovering that now. I'm proud of him for learning a new fishing skill.

[J. Rentch]

Stu,
It’s getting addictive, but I did throw a spinner for a while today- no hits.

[bignose]

The reason that I have to laugh is because although I first started with a "Ted Williams" Sears fiberglass rod with a spring loaded automatic reel (death on pond bluegills) when I was like 14, from my mid 20's until my late 40's, the long rod was all I fished.
I learned to tie because I couldn't afford "professionally" tied flies. Joe Bruce's store was a couple of miles away from where I taught............he kept me well supplied with materials and rod blanks.

I predict many years of depraved behavior: after fly tying comes rod building, line splicing, leader building, and of course, excessive equipment collection.
Welcome to the club!

[DanMarino]

I love seeing more fly fishing posts on here. Please keep them coming. I enjoy the challenge of fly fishing. I enjoy making flies and then catching fish on them. I enjoy getting better at casting, and seeing improvement in my fly fishing and fly making. I'm to the point where I enjoy catching bluegills on the fly rod as much as I enjoy catching smallmouth bass on spinning gear. Who knows, I might even give Tenkara a try one day. haha.

[Mark]

I love seeing more fly fishing posts on here. Please keep them coming. I enjoy the challenge of fly fishing. I enjoy making flies and then catching fish on them. I enjoy getting better at casting, and seeing improvement in my fly fishing and fly making. I'm to the point where I enjoy catching bluegills on the fly rod as much as I enjoy catching smallmouth bass on spinning gear. Who knows, I might even give Tenkara a try one day. haha.

I was “pre-adolescent bait dunker”. That term is not my own. I saw that in writing somewhere. That’s why I put it in quotes. As a kid, I drowned worms with a cane pole and then with a Mitchell 300 reel and rod combo

After schooling, when I entered the adult workforce, I met two fly anglers. One became both my career mentor and my fly fishing teacher. It was mostly warm water fly fishing since freshwater trout are not a big item here in mid-Maryland. Although I did pursue conventional light tackle angling during my early years of fly fishing, the vast majority of the fish I caught were on the fly. And most of them were caught while I waded rivers and accessible shorelines. Smallmouth bass were my favorites followed by largemouth and bluegills in ponds.

It is from wading rivers and pond shorelines that I learned to read the water. I learned about structure and currents. And I learned how the environment and climate impacted the willingness of fish to bite.

When I got a kayak, each of those factors translated seamlessly to tidal water in helping me find fish. That’s why I do not rely on electronics today. I did delve briefly into electronics with my kayak but found I was watching the fish finder screen too much and missing the obvious signs of nature that accurately predicted the presence of fish.

In fact, it was not until I got a kayak that I fully developed my skills as a spin fisherman and as a baitcast angler. In a way, my kayak has taken me on reverse course from many. I consider myself a fly angler foremost who converted to conventional tackle when I started kayak fishing. I strongly suspect most members on this forum interested in fly angling have traveled the opposite direction – conventional tackle to fly.

Yet the allure of the fly rod is strong. I revert to it in my kayak often. It’s absolutely ideal for winter pond fishing for pickerel. And it’s a terrific way to fish throughout the spring for largemouth bass, crappie and bluegills. In summer white perch on the fly are great fun. Then in fall, stripers on fly rod poppers will convert many anglers to become dedicated fly rodders. A legal striper on the fly creates an enjoyable tussle. You’ll need every inch of leverage a 9-foot rod provides.

Of course, through the years I learned to tie the basic flies and now I rarely catch a fish on a fly I have not tied. My tying has extended to pouring lead for bucktails and perch spinners and modifying hooks on commercial plugs with feathers and bucktail. I take great delight in catching fish on conventional tackle with my own lures.

I am sorry to read that Stu’s shoulder put him out of the fly rodding game. Knock on wood, I have not experienced that dilemma. In fact, I can sling a fly rod all day with no shoulder discomfort. It’s true that the long rod does the work. However, I find similar sessions with conventional tackle fatiguing. For me it takes more effort to cast a spinning or baitcasting rod. My endurance on the water with a fly rod remains strong.

Like Tom, I thoroughly enjoy the fly fishing posts here. I wish there were more. I’m also willing to share what I know about kayak fly fishing. I present a module on the topic during the AACC course that John Veil and I teach. Our next offering is May 11. Also, I am willing to show those interested in it on the water as my schedule allows. Having experience with both conventional tackle and fly in my kayak, I can honestly say that fly fishing is a much simpler approach to angling than using traditional gear. I certainly carry less tackle for it. I do like to travel light and fly fishing lets me do that. I can’t say that it’s always the most effective way to put fish in my boat, but for me it’s definitely the most enjoyable way.

[J. Rentch]

Dan,
Am new at this game, kept getting pressure from my firiends Mark Bange and Harry Steiner to get into fly. A couple of months ago, I made the plunge. Am still very much a rookie on both casting and catching, it it is fun. Having a great support group really helps, particularly on the water in my kayak. Can’t wait to give it a try on White Perch later this spring, maybe even a Striper.

[kevinfry]

Harry Steiner and I fished an eastern shore pond today with mixed results. Harry landed a couple Pickerel on an articulated fly, sorry no pics. I caught a couple nice Crappie on a Woolley Bugger made by Harry. Both were caught in shallow water near the Lily pads.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24819[/ATTACH]

I caught three nice crappie on kreelex minnow variant s Sunday.... basically a kreelex with the top wing made of craft fur instead of polar flash

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk