Nice BIG surprise (and some questions for the biologists)

[FlaFly 0]

Bryon

My dad and I used to fish in a farm tank (pond) that was highly enriched as you might suspect, and covered with dense veggies all over the bottom, with about 2 feet of clear water above. We got some casting practice plugs (no hooks) and trailed a #10 hook about 2 ft. behind, with tiny rubber worms (don't know where we got them). We'd cast, and retrieve intermittently so the worm would start to sink and then come back to the surface. The bluegills down in the grass couldn't pass them up! A slow sinking wooly bugger would probably have worked just the same.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Bryon

My dad and I used to fish in a farm tank (pond) that was highly enriched as you might suspect, and covered with dense veggies all over the bottom, with about 2 feet of clear water above. We got some casting practice plugs (no hooks) and trailed a #10 hook about 2 ft. behind, with tiny rubber worms (don't know where we got them). We'd cast, and retrieve intermittently so the worm would start to sink and then come back to the surface. The bluegills down in the grass couldn't pass them up! A slow sinking wooly bugger would probably have worked just the same.

I like it! I have been thinking about a lightly weighted bead-head bugger on a 12" dropper tied to the bend of a large surface popper. Pop and jig, pop and jig...

[mikechell 0]

No need for ANY bead. You can tie any bead head or lead wire pattern without the bead or weight. It turns the sinking fly into a subsurface presentation for weed tops, timber areas and short striking fish that won't quite hit top water.

[mybadhabit 0]

Down here in TX, I've seen Pike flies used as bass bugs. The swap club did pike flies one time and I've still got most of them, but I've used the one I tied and got one landed and then lost it to another don't know how big fish. Since we don't have pike down here, I'm guessing it was a nice bass, the fly was 7"long, all feathers and rabbit.

 

Blane

[mikechell 0]

Texas doesn't have Pike, but you do have pickerel. You also have nice big Blue and Flathead Cats that will hit a lure or fly. There are also several species of Gar.

My own motto: If I lose a big fish I never got to see ... it was a Gar.

I can handle losing a big Gar ... I'd hate to lose a big game fish.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

No need for ANY bead. You can tie any bead head or lead wire pattern without the bead or weight. It turns the sinking fly into a subsurface presentation for weed tops, timber areas and short striking fish that won't quite hit top water.

This is a good point and a good idea, probably a much better idea than using a weighted fly in my particular situation, since the lake is so weedy.

 

Down here in TX, I've seen Pike flies used as bass bugs. The swap club did pike flies one time and I've still got most of them, but I've used the one I tied and got one landed and then lost it to another don't know how big fish. Since we don't have pike down here, I'm guessing it was a nice bass, the fly was 7"long, all feathers and rabbit.

 

Blane

 

I'm looking at big streamers ("big" = 6-8" long) to present to my big bass. I like the idea of tying them with all synthetics so they're easier to cast and don't sink as fast. I did up a nice baby bluegill last night using synthetic hair similar to EP fibers that I got from Fly Tyer's Dungeon, probably 4" long and about 3-4" wide. Easy to tie but it took forever. I also have some very nice flies that I received in a Bendback swap a while back...they're almost too pretty to fish, but then that fish is really too big not to try for with the best flies I've got...

[ditz2 0]

Clear water on top 2' and weeds below that would be an ideal place to throw surface stuff, Hair bugs, poppers, gurglers, and even crease flies. Sub surface would be Seaducers, Un weighted large buggers, upside down blonds, and Bend backs. You might even try unweighted worms crawling on top of the weeds....Set the hook hard and try to keep the fish coming so it can't bury too deep in the weeds. If you find the pattern and can't keep them out of the weeds use the heavy outfit and lay the wood to it.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Going to be on that lake in about 45 minutes. Plan is to dink around with the bluegills until the light starts to go off the water, paddle back to the put-in, switch out the 5 wt for the 9' 8 wt, rig it with a short leader of level 15# Maxima and a big jointed saltwater popper (2/0) to start, with some unweighted buggers as droppers, grab a beer to steady the old nerves, and go hunting for that fish. I have my camera...