Name that Fish!

in search of more white perch, i went back to the local pond yesterday evening, about an hour before sunset.  on the second cast, i caught my only keeper white perch.  it was about 11”.  (sorry, no pic here.  do you need to see another image of a white perch on the ground?)

while there was some topwater activity, the recent warmer weather had me expecting more.  at sunset, i caught my second, which was a tiny one at 6”.  about 10 minutes after sunset, the topwater activity really turned on and there was consistent and plentiful splashes even less than 5 feet from the bank.  the water was boiling everywhere!  in the next 20 minutes, i caught 3 more fish (including losing one).  two of them were white perch and they were about 8-9”, which is undersized.  the last fish was 17.5-18”, but i’m not exactly sure what species it was.  maybe you know?  please post a comment if you do.  my guess is that it is an American Shad, although the mouth shape throws me off.

this fish fought about 3x harder than a white perch, so i first thought it might be a baby striper, but then it jumped a few times in the air, and i knew it couldn't be.

anyways, my guess for why the activity turned on so late is that it was too dark for all the predator birds to hunt (hawks and ospreys have been hanging around), and the fish felt safe.  it's amazing how many factors you have to consider to increase the odds of fishing success.  what a sport!

Damn Midges!

recently, i've been to the local pond a handful of times to try for some white perch.  starting about an hour before sunset, there is a decent amount of topwater activity.  rarely, you'll see some minnows jump out of the water in the shallow areas, but most of the time, you can't see what the white perch are feeding on.

after about 6-10 total hours and 1000 casts, i've only caught 1 perch.  it was caught on a size 10, gold bead head white woolly bugger.  but for all the visible activity, i really haven't interested them in my flies.  i've tried clousers, buggers, and small shrimp flies.

my guesstimate is that they are feeding on midge emergers and adults.  how did i come to this conclusion?

here was one of a hundred on my car

yes, i've tried midge flies of all types and colors.  unfortunately, there seems to be too many around for them to notice my one fly.

High and Dry

currently, i'm in Dallas again so my son can spend some time with his grandparents.  on friday, the weather was great, so i went to the one place i knew exactly where some carp would be.  unfortunately, when i got there, the dam wasn't releasing any water, leaving the tailwater system high and dry.  and i mean Dry.  i walked the whole area and other than two holes, most of the riverbed was exposed.

it wasn't hard to find the carp.  they were schooled up in this one hole and nowhere else.  i estimate all together there was about 75-100 fish...buffalo, common, and suckers.

      

same hole with polarization

i fished for 4 hours and all i hooked was three buffalo carp.  it was hard.  they were not feeding and were so spooked since the water level was extremely low and not flowing.  they were motionless, most of the time not even moving their tails.  every now and again, a group of 6 or seven would break from the pack and venture out only to report back that they were locked in.  i tried picking off the fish that were on the outer edges of the group, but to no avail.  only when a group would break off was i able to interest them in the slightest.  here is my largest one, and i while i didn't measure it, i estimate it to be about 2.5 2.0 feet.

all three caught on an olive Carp Crack.  actually every carp/buffalo i've caught at this location has been on a Carp Crack.  they've refused all other types of flies that i've thrown including, but not limited to, Backstabbers, Blind Squirrels, Egg flies, Sucker Spawns, Eggi Juan Kenobis, San Juan Worms, Montana's Hybrids, McTage's Leather Trousers, Clouser Swimming Nymphs, Prince Nymphs, Midge Emergers, Midge Dries, Griffith's Gnats, Soft Hackle Hare's Ear Nymphs, Dragon/Damselfly nymphs etc.  and yes, i've tried them all in different colors and weights and even presentations!

Beginning Fly Tying for Saltwater

i wish someone had written this post before i started fly tying.  it would have saved me a ton of time and money.  i stumbled upon a post at Flytying New and Old that outlined the materials needed for a beginner to start tying flies.  i think this is an excellent, and much needed, post.  however, i do think it was focused more on freshwater/stillwater flies than saltwater.  here is my own list of what a beginner would need for saltwater fly tying...particularly inshore flies for the NE.

one general thought about color choice.  as Lefty Kreh says, "If it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use."  you also might hear the saying, "it can be any color as long as it is chartreuse."  that being said, the main colors used other than chartreuse are: white, olive, gray, tan, pink, black, red, and light blue.  but as a beginner, and if you are trying to save money, just buy chartreuse and white.

disclaimer:  by no means is this list comprehensive.  i've placed an * next to the items that i believe are necessary.  if you have any questions, or if you want some tying help, or even want to know some tricks to save money, feel free to email me.  good luck and stay salty!

Tying Tools:

• vice*  -  with ability to handle right size hooks (sizes 6-3/0)  
• ceramic bobbin(s)*  -  2 or more will make your life easier
• saltwater hooks* (sizes 2-2/0)  -  i prefer Gamakatsu as a good blend between quality and price
• thread*  -  just needs to be strong enough.  i used Danville's Flax Waxed Nylon
• mono thread*
• general scissors*  -  i use 5" Fiskars
• detail scissors  -  i use Anvil  
• Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails*  -  for securing thread wraps
• super Glue*
• wire cutter -  for cutting bead chain eyes, etc.
• pliers*  -  for crushing barbs
• Matarelli style whip finisher  -  helps create better thread heads on smaller flies
• toothpicks  -  in place of a bodkin
• coffee grinder - it is so much cheaper if you make your own dubbing
• Clear Cure Goo or Tuffleye or Loon's UV  -  i use Aleene's Fabric Fusion
• fly drying wheel  -  helps tremendously when tying surf candies
• different colors of Sharpie markers
• 17-22 lb hard mono  -  for weed guards
• 30 lb mono  -  for making shrimp/crab eyes

Tying Materials:

• bucktail* (chartreuse, white, olive)  -  used in common flies such as clousers and deceivers
• pearl krystal flash*
• pearl flashabou*
• saddle hackle* (white)
• marabou (white, chartreuse, olive)
• synthetics*  -  super hair, ultra hair, EP fiber, etc...although congo hair is cheap, relatively
• polar fiber (white, olive, tan)
• bunny strips (white, chartreuse, olive)
• peacock herl*
• polyester rug yarn (beige/tan, olive, brown)  -  for crab flies
• dumbbell eyes* - brass in different sizes (black, nickel)
• beadchain - (black, silver)
• braid* (pearl)
• estaz (pearl, chartreuse)
• deer belly hair (white, chartreuse, olive)
• craft foam  -  for tying poppers and crease flies

if i've forgotten anything on this list, let me know.

XXA

Man Love

if there was anyone in the entire fishing world (fresh/salt or conventional/fly) that i would have a man love for, it would be John Skinner.  sure, i could have man crushes on guys like Jose Wejebe (RIP), Lefty Kreh, Bill Dance, and all the guys at Skinny Water Culture, but not man love.

John is the author of "Fishing the Bucktail, Mastering Bucktails from Surf and Boat", creator of FishersLog, and is a blitz of information.  (you gotta love a guy who creates software to analyze his fishing).  i had seen many references to John at Surfcaster's Journal, and i think even Zeno has a man crush on him.  i've never met John, but i would love to fish with him.  i'm sure my angling skills would quadruple in a matter of hours.



as some of you might remember (highly unlikely), that one of my 2013 goals is to catch my first fluke this year.  i'm all for catching stripers, blues, and albies, on the fly, but when my wifey says to bring home dinner...

i was doing countless hours of researching on the internet, and couldn't find what i was looking for.  and then...i stumbled on John Skinner's YouTube channel.    GOOOOOAAAALL!!!!

not only did he present the information that i was looking for, he freakin' just caught fish after fish.  and to top it off, he uploaded an underwater video showing the technique and the effectiveness.  what the whhaaaa???

all that being said, the reason why he is at the top of my list is because he seems like such the "salt of the earth" type of guy.  totally genuine, and just loves fishing.  nothing more.    check out his book, YouTube channel, etc....you won't regret it.

Let's Get Kinky!

i bought a hot pink marabou package from a local hobby/craft store, and i've been trying to find fly patterns that will help me use some of this stuff up.

i decided to tie up a couple kinky muddlers for the first time, and see if they'll trick some stripers.  here is the fly pattern i used, with the addition of the pink marabou collar.

King's Kinky Muddler

then, i found essentially the same concept by 'Jonny' at stripersonline.com.  click on the image to go to the forum page.

  

i tied two different versions.  one is the standard, and the second is a 'clouser' variation with dumbbell eyes, and it should swim hook up.




not bad for the first attempt, but not great.  here are my thoughts:

1) i think i need to add a bunch more marabou to get the same pink effect.  mine is looking a little sparse.  i think it's due to the quality of the craft store marabou.  there is too much of the unusable webby portion of the feather.  it works well with some patterns (e.g. used for some pink dubbing), but not for this one.

2) i realized that i don't like this pattern (although i haven't fished one before), mostly because it takes so long to tie, and uses so much material.  i could replace the synthetic, kinky hair with deer belly hair and it would be so much quicker to tie...although just as messy.

3) i'm going to see how they fish, and if they get me a little luvin', then i'll tie some more with more pink.

anybody have any ideas what other patterns i could tie using the pink marabou?

2013 Goals: Get'm Done!

well, 2013 has started off pretty slowly, but at least i was able to end 2012 right.  in December, my goal was to catch some atlantic herring, so i could live line them and see if i could get a holdover striper.

i did a little research, and found out that most people use sabiki rigs to catch herring.  from what i've read, once you've found a school, they're pretty easy to catch.

i decided to tie up my own sabiki rig, seeing as how they didn't look that complicated, and i had all the necessary materials on hand.  i used 6' of 18 lb Rio Hard Mono Saltwater for the main leader line, from which i made 6 dropper loops, and then used about 4-6" of 12 lb Rio Hard Mono Saltwater for each dropper line.  i decided to use the Rio Hard Mono Saltwater mono here so that i could prevent as much tangling as possible.  for the weight, i used a 1 oz kastmaster without the treble hook.  most people use a bank sinker, but i thought the extra flash would help attract some fish.  then i tied 2 different flies, 3 of each.

Red Rocket Minnow
hook: Mustad 3366A - size: 8
thread: Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon - red
tail: white feathers from sofa cushion, pearl krystal flash, Celebrate It Metallic Crinkly - iridescent

Simple Glow Shrimp
hook: Eagle Claw ML226N Octopus - size: 8
thread: Danville 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon - chartreuse
tail: glow in the dark fibers
body: pearl estaz

Red Rocket Minnow

Simple Glow Shrimp

from what i've heard through the grapevine, there are boat slips 2 minutes from my house that is usually a good place to catch herring this time of year.  when i arrived around sunrise, there were 5 other guys (mostly Russian, i think) already there, all fishing off the end of this slip, within 5 feet of each other.  as i joined the group, i realized these guys are braving the cold to bring food home, and less for sport.  i knew then that i wanted to try eating one.  forget the striper...after all, herring must taste good if people risk frostbite for them.

the technique: cast, let the rig sink until you hit bottom, then reel in slowly, dragging the weight across the bottom.  every few seconds i would twitch the rod a bit, then reel in the slack.  it was not rocket science.  i ended up catching 6 herring in 1 hour time (only one of the other guys was out fishing me).  the hit ratio was 2:1 in favor of the Red Rocket Minnow.

once i got home, i filleted them, and pickled them for 2 weeks.

toasted wheat bread, sour cream, pickled herring, diced onions, celery leaves, and lemon juice.

finally, without much ado, here is my 2013 fishing goals (in no particular order):

1. in the Spring, i want to catch more white perch on the fly, and eat them grilled.
2. i heard that the local reservoir has monster carp.  in the spring and summer, i want to hunt a few down with a fly, ideally using a crayfish pattern.  
3. in April and May, i hope to catch a striper on the flats, sight fishing from my kayak, and using a crab fly.
4. i want to catch from my kayak, black sea bass for the first time, and cook them whole.
5. i want to catch from my kayak, blackfish for the first time.
6. i want to catch from my kayak or from the shore, flounder/fluke and make fish tacos.
7. i want to catch lobster, and make an herby lobster roll.
8. i want to go clamming locally and use them to make linguini con le vongole, with red pepper flakes.w

they're not that ambitious, but very reasonable goals with one 17 month son and another due in the summer.  

more to come, so stay salty,

XXA

XXA's Top 5 Videos of 2012

okay, i know i've been MIA.  i have a been out fishing a few times, but have nothing that interesting to report.  i've been doing some thinking about the direction i want this blog to go, and decided that i want the majority of the content to be about gear reviews, fly tying, and educational information.  no one, including me, really wants to see another grip and grin photo.  i will post some fishing reports here and there, but judging by the stats on this blog, the pages with the the above information has the most page views.  so, stay tuned to XXA v2 in 2013!

now drumroll, please!~  here are my top 5 videos of 2012.  this is purely subjective, so don't complain if you don't see one of your favorites here.

1.  i don't hunt, and it's not about fishing, but this video gave me the tingles...everywhere, and i mean everywhere.  *wink wink.


Searching for West from Helio Collective on Vimeo.


2.  i want to go to there.


REBOUND from SHALLOW WATER EXPEDITIONS on Vimeo.


3.i haven't caught a permit on the fly, so i was peeing in my pants with jealousy.


Summer of 2012 from Chris Lewis on Vimeo.


4.  Bill Wetzel and his passion for the sport is inspiring.  he gets so worked up...which is AWESOME!





5.  the fact that you could potentially catch these GTs sitting on one of the beach chairs, drinking a fruity cocktail, is a dream come true.

Must Try this Fishing Technique!

i'm always on the lookout for techniques to improve my fishing, and i think i found one that will definitely improve my catch ratio.  i'm sure this will also become a huge fad, upon which many new products will be based and introduced at next year's ICAST.
 

Typical Montauk Fall Blitz (almost)

well, i think i made the trip to Montauk two weeks too late.  the wind on Sunday was around 20 mph, gusting to around 30 mph.  unlike prior years, there were hardly any boats on the water...about 7 in total.  while most of the boats had cancelled their outings, we decided to brave the elements.  believe it or not, we didn't see any striped bass or albies, and the blues were of typical Montauk size...a bit on the smaller side.  all in all, around 10 blues in about 3.5 hours.  oh well, that's fishing.