jcozzz

Was a waem sunny day here just south of Chicago.We had 95%.Traveled 1 1/2 miles from home to a nice little bar.Got a kind of freaky twilight thing with a rapid temp drop and some wind like you get just before sunrise.I was just gonna sit on the porch but wife suggested a bucket of cold beers and a burger.Turned out to be a lot of fun.We had one here in the 90s and i was working outside.It got fairly dark with that one.

Had a fam member that did billing for some of these fraudsters.he was an accountant and just shuffled paper so was not involoved in the actual fraud tho. But was in charge of billing for these medical vendors. He was key witness FOR the feds tho.Turned his quiet life upside down for some time.There was even a homicide and fugitive search involved.Can't make this stuff up.Once it was over and he could talk about it was like crime novel.We sat up all night by a fire on fishing trip years ago listening to his story.People will do crazy things for a few bucks or a lot of bucks i guess.

the fish sure loved em last time around.Just listened to a podcast by the guy who wrote cicada madness.He says you could fish an emegence nearly every year by traveling to different areas .Caught a lot of fish on live ones 17 years ago.

SZ 14 barbless Blue Damsel.Micro braid griz hackle micro crystal flash 1/8th foam eyes.Had to tie something smaller after a couple dozen cicadas.Will make some green Damsels tomorrow.

Yep,just because they are registered as "non profit" a lot of the funds go to staff and administrators that are paid many times what the average person makes.Those TV ads are not cheap either.I give locally and anonymously if possible.I always gave to obviously disabled homeless dudes when i still worked construction in downtown Chicago.My coworkers would give me crap sometimes.I used to give one guy a couple bucks and a few smokes.I would get the "why you giving that bum money".It was 2 degrees out,the guy had no legs ,in a busted up wheel chair and i was pretty sure he would not make it thru another winter.As far as people go-who knows anymore.I think the phsycos running this planet have big plans for the future that do not include most of us.

Saw a braile menu at a fast food drive thru .

Some proto types.The foam cutter is a game changer for sure.I used part of the Sickcada pattern and a predator style head with lots of legs for surface commotion.They will be around for 6 weeks starting sometime in May so i will have time to adjust if this pattern is a dud.

Have never got one over 10 myself.Got one right at 25 inches but it was a fall fish so probably 9lbs.Small pond fish and she was wore out and old.Fish could have swallowed a beer can.My brother got a 12 in Florida 30 years ago.Hard to believe the wprld record is 10lbs biggere than this kids nearly 14 which is huge.

Very nice ties so far.

Thanks,i tied these with what i had on hand.I remember the BOWs that had large hatches last time.They also happen to have big carp as well as bass.We have annuals here as well but not enough near the water for the fish to key on.I figure with the popper heads they will make more commotion.When they land in the water cicadas really struggle with those big wings.The bugs pictured look a lot better IRL than my poor quality pics.Ordered some beavertail foam cutters,the best looking patterns i have seen are based on the large cutter.I am not good enough with deer hair to make some of those life like works of fly art i viewed on line.I will be targeting BIG carp mostly.I know where the fish are and BOWs that had 1000s of cicadas last time.I no longer work so i can put some time into this hatch.Carp in the 10-20 lb or more range are possible.Do not know if i will be around for the next emergence.

I have seen some decent chenille worm patterns but senkos are a different animal.I catch dozens of bass every season on senkos.The weight and wobble is what makes them so unique and versatile.Rabbit zonker makes a so-so worm but bass just don't hang on to and swim away with anything i have come up with.If you worm fish for bass it is a feel the bite watch the line kind of fishing not easy to do with a flyrod.Top water and streamers are a different story.Crayfish patterns are good too.A bass really studies a worm and even if they inhale it they can spit it faster than an angler can react.This of course is my opinion but i have caught 100s and 100s of bass in my days.I will be more than happy to fish a worm/fly that works but have not been very sucessful myself.

Playing with some cicada poppers.sz 10 mustad streamer hooks.Flymen sz small popper heads orange dub brn crystal flash .black foam body.orangeish sili legs

Really cool.I just liked looking at the pic for a few minutes.

Nice set up ,neat and orderly makes me anxious tho..I have ny own fishing room.Extra bedroom.Usually looks like a grenade went off.Fly rods reels spinning and casting gear tackle boxes bags recurve bows arrows and misc items i find in my travels.First thing i did was remove the carpet.Spent my working life in the trades so i thrive in chaos.

Very cool.

Stunning work Bruce.Way to pretty to fish.

So jealous Mark.

Our 17 year hatch is epic, they estimate 100s of thousands per acre in some areas.When i was kid in Chicago they covered everything.The last on the fishing was fantastic.Even caught carp and catfish on the surface with live cicadas.They even try to mate with the lawn mower.

I too favor the gorilla glue.I use tung beads on 60degree competition type hooks.Wrap the shank well and apply glue sparingly with a needle and just glue the worm on.Wrap some ice dub near the bead and finish with some partridge soft hackle.These fish well in clear old stone quarries.They get pretty deep pretty fast and do not hang up easily as san juan style squirmies.I have no pics as mine were all a couple years old and all melted together in a gooey slimy mess.Why?I have no clue but will now tie them as i need them.The hooks and beads are not exactly cheap but i am.

I have none to show but they are a very good sunfish fly.Greenies really love them.I had a couple dozen i tied a couple years ago but they all chemically broke down inside the storage box.Kind of melted together like plastic baits used to do .A gummy slimy mess.My best vesion was a bead nead tied on competition type 60 degree barbles hooks.I just glue them to the thread wrapped hook.A little ice dub near the bead and some parteidge a few wraps.I too use Gorilla super glue.I use pin vises with sewing heedles to apply as little glue as possible.They never come off unless the fish tear them off.With the tung bead and jig hook they fish really well and will get pretty deep pretty fast.

I also have the book.I have yet to tie any of the flies .They would be mostly for fun but i could probably catch bass on them.I just have always been in awe of those Maine streamers.Especially Carrie Stevens ties.

A buddy's family had a condo on Jenson Island.Went down there to remodel a couple bathrooms and fish,party at the bars on the beach.Just a good time.Free place to stay,make a few bucks and escape Chicago for a couple weeks.Wading the intercoastal in the area was blast.I just fished for snook like i would for bass up here.No big ones but plenty of small snapper and crabs for dinner.Throwing soft plastics into the mangroves and never knowing what you will catch.I had fished Okeechobee a few times and seen lots of gators up close.I had no idea gators lived in the salt.My buddy pointed out a few sharks and mentioned bleedin fish on a stringer tied to a belt loop was no a good idea in chest deep water.Been to FL many times but not since the late 90s.It seemed pretty crowded back then cant imagine how it is now. PS The rattle snakes were huge along with the land crabs and giant toads?/Frogs?

Thanks Capt.We warmed up to 6 above 0 today.Was gonna go icefishing this weekend but caught the flu.Jan up here is not fun.

At least 2 schools of thought on this.Fly tying can be art ,just look at the pages of beautiful ties on this site.Current and past members have made art of a piece of steel and fur and feathers.Display them however you want. I tie to throw not for show as they say.That is why i rarely post many pics as my flies are effective for me but mostly not show pieces.I was a tradesmab for 40 years and i approach my tying the same way.I am no artist.Fly fishing is a niche for sure.Other forums are full of pics of 6 inch trout ,although beautiful fish and photos most regular anglers would find amusing to be so thrilled over a 6 inch fish.I came to this flyfishing/tying thing on my own.More to get some giant gills i had acess to that fed on the surface and wer not easy to catch on bait and spinning gear.It worked and i never looked back.My first fish on a fly was a 4lb largemouth on a very crude sz12 black gnat type fly fishing for bluegills.If folks want to catch 6inch mountain brook trout on 800 dollar rods more power to them.I put the fly rods down more often these days as some days i want to catch more and bigger fish tho i rarely keep a fish these days.Just the opposite of trout anglers i keep trout as they are stocked in the spring and will not survive when the water warms up.I do love to flyfish but it is certainly not the most productive way to fish.I also really enjoy tying so i need a flyrod to fish them.I also like vintage gear so i have a lot of old flyrods.The few people i do encounter with a flyrod look at my old Browning /Silaflex,Wonderods ,Phillipsons etc as if i was driving a Model T or something.Most of them never took the time to even learn to cast well.Life is short ,do what makes YOU happy.

Skip's dragon is another good bottom pattern.Because of the green slime on most BOWs i fish i rarely fish right on the bottom,which is where red ears usually are.The deer hair bugs are tough,feel like a real bug and kind of settle below the surface after a bit.Most get eaten just below the surface.I tie them on sz12 -14 barbless dry fly hooks.They take a little time to make but they lhold up for dozens of fish .