River, beer and flies

After work today I decided to tie up a few of Fly Fish Food's "La Ranita" (little frog) in a firetiger variation. A midst my endeavor, I was interrupted by a friend on a bicycle who wanted to take a cruise down the the riverside beer garden a few blocks away. I of course obliged. I figured if the river is too high to fish, you might as well have a beer and watch it all pass you by.

Firetiger Ranitas

 

Some "bumble" dragons (a color varient of the Foam Dragon. A pattern from those creative fellas at Fly Fish Food) 

Memorial Weekend is here!

Be safe out on the water. Don't forget to thank a veteran. Take a moment to remember those who have fallen so we can enjoy our freedoms with family and friends and fish. Happy Memorial Day.

Bass on glass and more recent activity

Here are some shots of recent outings between myself and friend Eric. 

 Looks like the Foam Dragon from http://www.flyfishfood.com/ is workin' well

 Eric caught this golden shiner on a crank bait, no kidding! I think that might be pretty darn close to the state record HERE.

 Bigmouth

 This little fella ate a foxy clouser

 First bass on the new glass rod (size doesn't matter)

They really do like that foam dragon. Topwater is so fun.

Way too good not to share...

Sausage Fest

This week fishing opportunities have been limited. Cold weather, scattered rain and wind have all added up to me needing to keep myself occupied in other ways. I know I could tie flies, or start wrapping another rod, but with summer approaching, camping, grilling and tailgating with friends and family, I decided to put my time to use in other ways. 

 Recently a very good friend of mine gave me a whole quarter of a deer which he hadn't used yet. It was just sitting in his freezer from this past November. He offered it to me and well, an offer so generous as this could not be passed up. I took the venison, removed the main cuts from the meat, saving them for a later use and turned the rest into delicious sausages. 

Venison Bratwurst coils

All linked up

Venison Potato Sausage

Now, I know this is supposed to be a fishing blog, but I am sure some of you out there like to hunt, some of you may like to cook. So in many ways, I feel it is relevant. Hunting and fishing for food is very close to my heart for many reasons. And I am sure it is near and dear to yours as well. I feel it is important that we understand where our food comes from. Fresh sausage like this is all natural. It is free of preservatives and ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and other food modifiers which I can't pronounce the names of let alone attempt to spell. I used choice cuts to make this sausage. Cuts taken from the epitome of grass fed, organic, free range. I know where this animal was killed and how. I can share it with family and friends and feel good about providing people with healthy sustainable food. 

Orvis to buy Ross Reels, Scientific Angler

The Orvis Company, Inc. of Manchester, Vermont announced on Wednesday it will acquire the Scientific Anglers and Ross Reels businesses from 3M.

"Neither consumers nor the trade will likely notice much of a difference in the branding of these fine businesses under Orvis ownership," Perkins said. "What they will notice is renewed marketing energy, well-supported sales and service staff and an even higher level of new product innovation.” 

More details about the acquisition can be found in Paul A. Smith's acticle in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listed here. http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/205701951.html

Opening weekend

My good friend Eric and I got out for the opener both Saturday and Sunday. While the water temps are still low, and winds sometimes a bit frustrating, we did manage to tie into a few nice fish. 

10 minutes in this spot netted us over 8 pounds of smallmouth bewtween these two fish. 

I managed a couple bluegills as well, on a pheasant tail nymph under a Chernobyl ant. No photos though, sorry folks.

Spring Turkey Hunt

My spring turkey hunt ended almost as quickly as it began. Shooting light was 5:15 and my tag was filled at 6AM. 

As I arrived at my spot it was immediately game on. I had what sounded to be 3 Toms  gobbling a few hundred yards ahead of me in the swamp bottom. I knew these boys had just flown down from their roost and I needed to be the first hen they heard. I called out to the Toms and for a while everything seemed to be working as planned. Suddenly I was cut off by a group of hens. They did not sound happy with my calling and quickly interrupted my love songs to the group of Toms. As the hens cackled over me, they intercepted my toms, leaving me high and dry. The woods were still. 

So I changed my plan up a bit. Just as I was about to start running and gunning, another Tom called out from behind me. He sounded pretty far off, so I figured he would play well into my run and gun tactics. But before I could even start moving, he sounded off again, but this time he was closer.  It seemed as though this Tom was making a fashionably late entrance to the party. So rather than moving towards him and risking being spotted I moved closer by only about 20 yards, laid on my side and propped the 12ga in the crotch of a tree and waited for his gobble again. Sure enough, he was there, so I called back to him gently. We called back and forth a few times, I would leave him hanging and wait for a second gobble just to keep him interested. But suddenly things got quiet again. I knew this meant one of two things. Either he lost interest and found another hen, or he was on his way. Thankfully it was the latter. As I gently purred and clucked on my slate, he belted out a loud gobble and I realized he was 20 yards over my opposite shoulder. This wily ol' Tom managed to sneak up on me without me noticing. I panicked as he strutted next to me. Thankfully his strut led him behind a small tree. I took advantage of this small window and swung the barrel of my shotgun over to his direction. In less than a moment he popped out on the other side of the tree none the wiser and as he broke out of his strut I lined up my shot and squeezed the trigger. Down he went. As I approached my kill, I was excited to find a double beard. I took a moment to catch my breath, thank him for sacrificing his life, admired his beauty. I tagged his leg and carried him 7/10ths of a mile back to my truck, sun in my face and a smile stretching from ear to ear. A great day, and a great hunt.

It's sort of bitter sweet tagging out in the first hour of your season. I am thankful to have had a successful hunt on such a gorgeous morning. You couldn't ask for a more perfect outcome. Now I have a bird in the freezer and a week to help my friends call birds.

 Double bearded Tom

Still wet from the swamp

Now I guess it's time to focus on the approaching game fishing season.