John Gillio

That I would love to do.

Rob, though I have a thing about throwing wets and streamers for southern Wisconsin trout, I have had some considerable luck with micro jigs under an indicator. The chubs like them too . My pref for streamers has nothing to do with numbers. Yellow seems to be a good bet for me. Was yellow working for you guys. I have somewhat limited experience with wild trout but for numbers the micro jig has produced fish. Nice ties Manny! Are you planning on using these on some of the river pools near you if open water shows it's face?

I have used the float-n-fly jig with fly and spin gear. For the fly rod I tie them on a less heavy jig. The crappie candy fly I have only used with a fly rod, but it should work fine with spin gear. I haven't fished other flies for bass in the winter months, only these two, and both have caught fish. Mostly in the winter I'm like Rob, in a cozy warm spot sipping coffee, tea, or hot cocoa.

That is quite graceful?

Welcome Noel! Those are some impressive looking catches. You look like you truly enjoy the sport.

I've had luck with the foat-n-flies in Eric's post. Also, I have used the crappie candy fly tied on a jig hook similar to what Tom Loo's foxie is tied on. Use pull chain for the eyes at the 90 degree bend in the shank. Bend the hook eye slightly back toward the hook point and it will sit horizontally in the water under the float.

And a happy new year!

So sad to hear. Norm and his family will remain in our prayers.

Sorry, I initially had the wrong phone no. I hope it was not an inconvenience to anyone. It has been corrected.

A fellow I know is looking to sell or to find info on a couple rods that fell into his hands recently. I am not highly versed in split cane rod building, but I will relay any info I can about the rods. Sam, the fellow who now owns the rods, says that he was told they were custom made by a clients great grandfather. His name appears on the baitcast rod. No other info can be found on the rods or their handles. The fly rod is three pieces. The butt end is 36 1/2" long, midsection is 28", and the top section is 31". The entire rod is approximately 7'11 1/2" long. All seems look very tight. The finish is not chipped. The thread work is very nice also. Spacing of the guides is different in the top section than the rest of the rod. All three sections are warped however. The top section is very warped.Photos: The baitcast rod has a slight warp in it as if it were displayed horizontally on a wall for a long period of time. It has two sections. The butt which measures 26"' and the top which is 40 1/2". Other than that it looks fine to me. Approximate length is 5' 6 1/2". Photos: In the photos, what appears to be bubbles in the finish is just dust on the rods. If anyone has further info about these rods or if there is an interest in buying them, please call Sam at 815-343-7019 .

I like the shots. I am no photographer, so I cannot help you refine a thing. My photos are taken with a point and shoot set on smiley face . I am quite familiar with the areas photographed, however I will leave that part up to other members to answer also.

Happy Hanukkah to mine as well.

Thanks gentlemen. I am a lucky man. Good friends and pretty water are hard to beat. Terry, I'll be your friend, and then you will have "friends" too.

That is very sad to hear. A few yrs. back Dave and I fished a couple stretches of the Vermilion River near Pontiac together. We had a very enjoyable morning on the water hooking into plenty of small Vermilion River bass and other sunfish species. We were laughing and telling stories when Dave suddenly got quiet and drifted unsteadily to the shore. He said he was suddenly a bit dizzy and just needed a moment to sit. He said he normally would have an orange with him to eat when he started feeling funny like that, but he left it back at the car. Fortunately I had a Gator Aide with me. He slugged it down and soon he was able to get up and make the trip back to the car. I thought it would be best to call it a day , but Dave said he was enjoying himself too much to quit halfway through the day. He suggested going for lunch, so we did. Afterward he was feeling much better, so we headed to another stretch of river. We enjoyed the afternoon as much as the morning and even picked up a couple fish that hit the 12" and 15" mark. I wish I would have made it to some of those fly tying outings so I would have had a chance to see him again.

Here are photos of 5 of the many creeks I was on this past season as well as shots of friends that fished them with me.

This afternoon I was in Water Street Pub in Peru Il. Along with some great food they have an extensive beer list including 31 draft beers, one of which is Hamms. They seem to like the Hamms signs. The Hamms bear, however, seems to enjoy the Leinenkugel's.

Thanks for sharing. I have heard of the fly, but never saw how easy it was to tie. I think it is a definite for the arsenal.

Yes, I have also used the thingamabobber and adjustable foam floats with success while nymphing for trout, panfish and bass. They also work well with small streamers tied on jig hooks so they sit horizontal below the float.

Rob, that fish is a beauty. I think you are correct about the fly. Best used in clear, low, slow flow conditions.

I saw this the other day. It looks good and is very easy to tie. Much less mess.

Hearing that from Tom , I would say the question has been answered. Yes, it works on smallmouth bass.

Mike, thanks for sharing. I have only nymphed for smallies a few times. This system makes sense being most aquatic nymphs can swim in the current. Moving upstream in a current may be next to impossible, but moving downstream with the current and putting energy into a bit more speed makes perfect sense. Kind of like a bicyclist with the wind at his back. I would think it would look much more alive than just dead drifting.

Nice fishing Rob. You have had some monsters.For some reason I cannot pull up the photos. Actually, your post isn't even showing up in the thread.

The Half and Half and Red and White have accounted for a good number of my larger bass over the years. The Half and Half is hands down my favorite subsurface fly for hybrid stripers. I'm sure most of us who cast a fly have read articles/books or have seen videos about casting, from the master.

Thanks for sharing. He is a true legend.