MIKE*A

Looks good to me........

hey Red, rb3 is right, there isn't much in there for us "Warm water" fishermen. I no longer subscribe to any fly fishing magazines. I'm in the bookstores often enough that if I see a mag with some articles I'm interested in, I pick it up........most of the articles are about "cold water fishing"......which doesn't pertain to me. I do like fly tyer mag. but never subscribed to it........that way i have an excuse to go down to the fly shop.....There used to be a mag called "warm water flyfishing".....i did subscribe to it, unfortunately, it didn't last long.......it had great articles though. Mike

Welcome aboard.......If you do a search, there was a discussion over the winter about flyfishing for gar........I unfortunately have no first hand knowledge to share, but i do remember the discussion and thinking to myself that it might be kind of fun to hook into a gar....... Mike

Oh man!!!!!! First the shoulder and now this......sorry to hear that.....We'll keep you and your family in our prayers. Mike

Good Luck Bill!!!! make sure you take some pics for Will........he's going to need some cheering up!!!

Will, Not that I would try to "suck up" or anything over this drawing, but........I've got "connections".......I could make Steeldrifter "disappear" for you..........the price wouldn't be that high.........just...well....maybe.....a new rod/reel? Just Pm me Mike

Dayton, Ohio

I've had a lot of success this year with a new fly (new to me).......olive or black bunny strip leeches........I think smalliehunter did a tutorial on how to tie them a while back in the pattern database. Very easy to tie/fish. I've been doin' well on the neighborhood streams chasin' smallies/rock bass with them. Mike

your killin' me.........

I guess it is peak season in his outfitter/fly shop.........

I've always used my dive fins......work great!

I think it's funny watching the players high fivin' and patting each other on the back........particularly yankees & red sox........I watched last nights game, but I don't care for the Fox announcers......anymore, if i'm watching a game on Fox or espn i wind up putting it on mute and listeniong to the play by play on the radio if I can find it. You New England boys are lucky being able to listen to the "Remdawg" and Don Orsillo do the games on NESN.......I enjoy listening to those two.

Thanx guys, I can't wait to go back...........with my brother back up there for the next several years, I have a home base to work from.......so much to see, so little time.

They were non-existant in my neighborhood.......10 minutes north of me was swarming with them. the areas i had hoped to fish with them were too blown out by rain to fish........it was a big disappointment for me.

In my family, we classify our vacations as either a relaxation vacation or an adventure vacation. This past trip fell somewhere in between. I unfortunately didn't get to do any striper fishing, but i did get some good scouting trips in for future trips out there. I did get some fresh water fishing in on Lake Stetson in Pembroke where my brother lives. The kids and i jumped in the canoe one morning and located a bunch of big (6-8") gills still on their beds. my son worked his spinning rod from the front of the canoe, my daughter a glass cane pole in the middle and me with my fly rod at the rear. we lost track of how many we caught/released, but had takes on about every cast. Later in the week, my son and i went back out in the evening and i tied on an olive bunny leech and made the mistake of letting my son troll with it as we worked our way back across the lake to our "spot". He had so much fun, I never got the rod back......he started out with some small bass, then a couple big gills........followed by more small bass, then he started hitting some yellow perch (6-8"), a white perch, then his big catches of the evening were a 14" chain pickerel and a 14" crappie which was one of the biggest, fattest crappie I have seen in a while! My biggest regret that evening was not having a camera with me.......my son was in heaven. As it started to get dark, we paddled back across to the house and as my son ran up to the house to tell everyone about his evening of fishing, i thought i would try a couple casts off my brothers beach. On my first cast, i caught a small bass I saw swirling next to some lily pads. A couple casts later, I made a cast to the end of the neighbors pier and caught a 3-4 pound largemouth which turned out to be the biggest fish of the trip for me. Other higlights of the trip: -Catching a cape cod league baseball game- Wareham Gatemen vs. Chatham A's. -Taking my son to Fenway (at scalper prices......but worth it!) -Taking the kids into Boston and hiking the "Freedom Trail"- This was perfect timing for my 11 year old son as this past school year, they studied the Revolutionary War. -Having some nice lunches/dinners in the North End -Having whole clams and fresh lobster -Finally making it to LL Beans.(I got my first fly tying kit from them...mail order 30 years ago). -going to Cooperstown -Taking the kids to Niagara Falls for their first time. -Taking the family back to Chicopee Mass. where i grew up and finding my old house and some of the other spots I used to go. I hadn't been back there since my family left thirty years ago. -a great bike ride along the coast to Woods Hole A couple disappointments: -Not getting to go Striper/Blue fishing -LL Beans Fly shop.....I hope i don't offend anyone, but it was too sterile for me, just not quite what i expected......Atleast in Bass Pro shops White River Fly shop, Theres a table where you can sit down and tie.......not at Beans though......oh well All in all, my family and i agreed it was one of our most enjoyable vacations...... Mike

I just got back in town this week, I'll get a check to you tomorrow or saturday for 3 tix when i mail out the rest of my bills........... mike

John, Unfortunately, this is a FFF (forced family fun) vacation w/some of the in-laws tagging along......fishing will be taking a backseat. i will probably be able to sneak away for a couple half-day trips.......just don't know what days yet. I'm kind of looking at this as a "scouting mission". With my brother back living in the area for the next several years, I'll have plenty of time to get back for some "fishing trips". Bill, Thanx for the input, I will definitely get over to those areas and check them out.....can't wait. I have been following all the reports you guys have been posting and have stocked up on my clousers......Also tied a bunch of bunny strips in various fishy colors......Do you guys use those much? thanx, Mike

jake, i am sure someone else will chime in w/a better idea, but in the meantime........I took my tails, split them , remove the bone and scrape all fat/flesh (usually very minimal in tail) and them sprinkle w/borax and lay out to dry. i basically do same thing w/hides, they just take a lot more work. When I store them, i keep them separate from other materials in case of infestation (fleas, etc.) I put them in a large rubbermaid container and put in moth balls or flakes. Welcome aboard, Mike

Hey guys, First......thanx for the great reports/photos. I look forward to those every morning! I'm heading up to Pembroke on Saturday for two weeks. I know you guys are in peak season right now, but was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction. I'm coming up on a family vacation so will more than likely have my 11 year old son in tow and probably my 9 year old daughter (she loves tying flies, but hasn't picked up on the fishing yet). I am a little intimidated about jumping into the surf w/my fly rod and battling the crowds, wind, waves, etc. Would you have any recommendations for some areas that might be "beginner friendly"? Maybe some wadeable backwater areas, bays, flats, that type of place? I am certainly not worried about "trophies", if I were fortunate enough to pick up a couple "schoolies", I would be in heaven! Any good restaurant recommendations would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanx in advance, Mike

JC, Are you talking about the "twin creeks" in Germantown that dump into the Great miami? If so. i have never fished those myself.......I live in Deweese park and spend most of my time on the Stillwater/Great miami. Used to hit the Mad over by Huffman and worked it on down to downtown. Never fished it much behind Wright_patt though I always thought the stretch between 235/wright patt looked pretty good. Mike

Thanx guys........now if it will just quit raining so the rivers can get back to normal.....then maybe i can get out and use some of these flies i have been tying all winter.......got some patterns in mind for the saddle hackles...... mike

I can't say that i have seen them gulping flies during a hatch.....however.......I have witnessed them on several occassions (at one of my "urban" spots) stacked up shoulder to shoulder w/their heads out of the water fighting for insects/whatever spilling over the lip of a big (10' diameter) storm culvert which dumped into the river........ Mike

I'm w/Kschu on the sponge spiders/beetles.......sometimes if i hit the pond and don't see any top water action/hatches, I'll tie on a small cork popper or sponge spider and then add a 12"-18" dropper with an unweighted(or lightly weighted depending on popper.....don't want to pull it down from the surface) nymph and just work it in w/real short (2-3") strips. Mike

welcome aboard shawn.......there are a number of members from out your way.... Mike

Oh yeah..........welcome aboard!