jude

When I went to Iowa trout fishing two years ago, I stumble on the Small Streams in Iowa site. I registered, asked questions, and got tons of info. The guys on the site really helped me figure out my trip. http://omega.grad.uiowa.edu/news.php

Just give it a little jiggle. They'll come loose.

Don't beat yourself up over it, Randy! As far as I could tell, we weren't the least bit short handed. You just missed out on some good fun. We'll see you there next year. In the meantime, keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming projects. Volunteer for a couple and we might forgive you.

It's about time you finished working on your tan. Are you going to give us a run down of the project you were working on? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm curious.

Wow! That is some serious macro! Cool pics/story.

Wow! Very nice looking fly!

Welcome aboard, Darin! Congrats on your new affliction. Luckily, I don't think there's a cure. Look at the top of the page and click on "calendar". If you want to learn smallies, a couple of outings with the states most dedicated smallie fishermen will do the trick. There's even a flyrodder outing coming up. Also, ask questions here on the forum. Lots of guys willing to share years of knowledge. (Except for me. Since my knowledge is so limited, I'll just throw in some wise arse comments now and then.)

Amen! Hallelujah! You are singin' to the choir here! Hot weather, low clear water, OH BABY! Can you tell I'm excited that my river is finally reaching that stage and I'm going fishing in the morning? This year has been TOUGH. As soon as the Kish gets down to six feet...BOOM... another t-storm adds a couple feet to the gage. Most frustrating year ever for me.

"In the 90s I was a big fan of the 60s" That's a great line! (Unless it means you wore go-go boots and a mini skirt.)

I have a pin but no hat or shirt. Any of you guys attending have a spare ISA lid for sale?

On weekend mornings when I'm not actually fishing I always head into town for a cup of coffee from the local gas station. I then walk out onto a railroad bridge over the Kish and watch the river slide by underneath me for a while. Lately I've been doing it on my way home from work, too. (What can I say? It's an illness.) It's the perfect vantage point to really observe. I may spook a few critters on the way out to the middle, but, if I don't move, it doesn't take too long for me to become part of the landscape. Earlier this year a flock of cedar waxwings feasting on a midge hatch payed absolutely no attention to me, sometimes hovering just a few feet from me. One landed on the rail about ten feet away from to rest up after gorging himself. For years I've looked down to see smallies trailing behind carp, looking for easy pickin's. Usually these are not huge fish, maybe 8 to 12 inchers. Yesterday after work I was observing a few decent smallies when a large dark shadow turned into a snapping turtle. As it swam under me, sure enough, three medium smallies were right with him, never more than six inches away. I made a mental note to cast to turtles in the future. Then, today after work, I was watching the same area when a large soft shelled turtle swam towards my roost. As he got closer, of course I was keying in behind him to see if he had a following. Sure enough, two smallies were close behind. But these were NOT ho-hum ten inchers! Both were definitely in the upper teens. This was the first time I've seen large smallies trailing like this. My mental note to cast to turtles in the future is now written in permanent marker.

I've never used a clacker type. If a plain old buzzer tearing across the surface doesn't get their attention they must be dead.

I'll be there.

Very cool! I really like how you saved the standard "fishing shots" until the end.

Nice looking fly...looks almost weedless!

And ginormous fingers!

To heck with Jamie's picture tips. From now on I'm doing the "Full Canuck Extension"! State record, here I come!

Congrats!

I was off of work the last two weeks and got in a bunch of short trips. This year I decided that the only time I will spin fish is from a yak. Otherwise it's all fly all the time. Even if it's windy. Even if it's murky. I figured the only way to improve is to practice. Most of my trips have been on the South branch of the Kish, not far from home. My daughter had to be dropped off at work at 1:00 every day and picked up at 5:00. That gave me a little window of fishing time. Not the best time of day, but you have to take what you can get. I never got skunked, but only had one really good day. My worst day was four smallies, my best was twelve. No huge fish, mostly 8 to 12 inches, with one 14 incher. I'm not complaining by any means. A 14 inch smallie on the fly is a blast! Fished the Jude Bug almost exclusively, with a clouser thrown occasionally. Being a topwater junkie, I used the popper mode most of the time. At one good looking hole, after beating it to death with the popper, I flipped the black Bug to slider mode and got a 12" smallie on the first cast, then, from the opposite end of the hole, an 18" northern. As I type this, I hear thunder rumbling. It figures. It's been like this all year! Just when the N. Branch Kish starts to drop and clear up....bam...ANOTHER FLIPPIN' TORRENT.

15% seems high to me too. I know they don't ALL survive, but I don't think even 10% die. That, of course , is based on pure scientific opinion.

Yeah...I'd say you've paid your dues, Norm. I'm still fairly new at this. I've found that all the reading, tips etc. don't hold a candle to time on the river. I remember reading "seams" this and "seams" that. Didn't really mean much until one day I discovered seams for myself. Nothing sticks better than a self taught lesson.

ONLY! If I add up my lake 20s , my river 20s, and my creek 20s, my total comes to zero.

I'm really looking forward to it! With 200 kids needing assistance, we're going to need as many ISA guys as we can get.

Anything with double trebles can be pretty wicked. I often remove one, sometimes for my own protection. Don't lose too much sleep over it. It sucks, but it happens. Think of how many keepers you let go every year that you could legally keep.

Lot's of nice looking stuff, Mike! Looks like the Fly Fishing answer to the Senko!