Getting ready for Lake Havasu

[Mark Knapp 0]

I leave in the morning. Wish me luck and I'll report back in 11 days.

[chugbug27 0]

🍀

[niveker 0]

Have a great time, Mark. Looking forward to seeing that trophy bluegill. 

[Sandan 0]

Best of luck, belatedly

[Mark Knapp 0]

Well I'm back, and I have to say that the trip was a great success. I didn't catch the fish of a life time on a fly but I had a great time. I have already booked a trip for next year.

The first two days the water too cool for the fish to be in fishable waters. I made about 150 fly casts on each of the first two days while my partner drop-shotted with night crawlers. He and our guide got three bites each day and landed four fish a day.

 

By the third day the water temperatures were up but it was too windy for fly casting. It had already been the windiest spring the locals could remember. It even made casting drop-shots difficult, but the fishing picked up.

We kept red ears from 12 to 15 inches and smallies and large mouths from 3 to 4 pounds. Next year, twenty days

[Partridge 0]

Productive water for large fish.  Looks like you were having a fun visit.  

What was you most productive fly for red ear on the trip? 

 

[Poopdeck 0]

Welcome back! Them there are some nice blue gill! They must fight like hell when with those wide bodies. 

[niveker 0]

Nice fish and photos, Mark.  How'd that mussel pattern you were working on do in those waters?

[Mark Knapp 0]

As I said in the text above, I am sorry to say none of these fish were caught on a fly. It was very windy, the windiest spring they have had in resent history. 10 to 20 MPH with gusts to 40 is what the weather report said. It made even casting a drop-shot very difficult.

The redears were incredibly hard fighters. The smallies were on beds but nothing else was yet.

Next year I'll be there for 20 days, later in the season, when the redears will be on the beds and we'll hopefully have less wind.

After having the mussels in my hand, I'll modify the pattern a little bit. I'll also tie other patterns but I am really going to work the mussels hard.

[chugbug27 0]

10 hours ago, Mark Knapp said:

I am really going to work the mussels hard.

??????

[Mark Knapp 0]

13 hours ago, chugbug27 said:

??????

I already got that kind of mussels covered, you just can't see them. You know, cuzz I got them covered.😃

[MuskyFlyGuy 0]

Looks like a great trip 

[Mark Knapp 0]

19 hours ago, MuskyFlyGuy said:

Looks like a great trip 

It was, thanks.

[Philly 0]

Nice mix of fish.  They all look like they're eating well.  I ran into the same problem last year in Ontario.  The wind was whipping down the lake make it almost impossible to fly fish.

[Mark Knapp 0]

6 hours ago, Philly said:

Nice mix of fish.  They all look like they're eating well.  I ran into the same problem last year in Ontario.  The wind was whipping down the lake make it almost impossible to fly fish.

It took me six years to catch my tiger rock fish on a fly, it would be a darn shame if I have to go to Havasu for six years.😄