Windmills, Trout, and a Catfish

Met up with George Moss of Outdoor Water Solutions to install a few windmills today and tomorrow. We use these windmill aerators for a variety of aeration needs, especially when there is no electricity available. Some are used for summertime aeration to keep ponds from stagnating, some are used to keep open water in the winter to let sunlight in and keep the pond oxygenated, and some we use to keep open water in the winter to attract ducks and geese for hunting and wildlife viewing!



We finished up installing windmills a bit earlier than expected, so we headed out to do a bit of trout fishing before sunset. At our last windmill install we were talking about trout fishing with our client Josh Catour and we all decided to just head out to the lake. En Route, Chef Todd called and happened to have the afternoon off of work and I think his sixth sense just knew I would be heading out to the lake on this fine November afternoon.

At the lake, the trout were definitely digging this nice cool sunny weather! They were up shallow and chasing pretty much any bait tossed in front of them. We caught trout on mepps spinners, curly tail grubs, jigs, minnows, chicken livers, and canned corn!





We also caught this nice cold water catfish as well.

You're Not on the San Jaun anymore....

Today I took two guys from New Mexico. They have been here all weekend and have had horrible conditions due to the inclement weather. I'm sure most of you know it has been raining cats and dogs for days and we've received 6 or 7 inches of rain! Today was the first day since the storm that fishing has been good again. We still had some stain in the water, but it looked great compared to what it was. Jim and Harlen where committed to throwing streamers. We chased big boys all day long. We caught several nice fish in the 17-18 range. Jim caught this hog that came out to about 21 inches. We worked really hard for all of our fish, but they were all well worth it!

Who Loves the Fall?

Last Wednesday I took Mr. John and Robert Farnsworth. I fish with these guys regularly and they are good anglers. We had beautiful weather and a great window of some awesome water. We started out drifting some nymphs and catching lots of fish. Eventually, Robert wanted to chuck some big flies so he got out the meat stick. Both guys continued catching some very nice fish. Robert missed several nice ones on streamers, as well as landing a few nice toads. John also broke off on a monster of a fish. It was easy 27 inches or better on his 3 weight! The very next drift, he hooked into another hog and brought it in. Eventually the water caught us, so we tried to run up the river. Fishing got tough on the nymphs, but we still had a decent bite. Robert continued to bang fish on streamers! It was an awesome fall day on the Little Red River.

Spinach wilts when the water boils

When I was at the Federation of Fly Fishers Florida Council Conclave a couple of weeks ago in Celebration, Fla., I was surrounded by many excellent fly casters.
As I watched them send fly lines out 100 feet or more, I began thinking about the difference between fly casting and fly fishing. Obviously, they are not one in the same.
There are some excellent casters who can perform magic with fly lines, throwing tight loops and putting the fly wherever it needs to be. There are some anglers, however, who struggle to cast 25 feet.
If length was the measuring stick for angling success, then the person who casts the farthest would be the best angler. But there's no real correlation between length of cast and angling success. They can complement each other, but it's not necessarily so.
Back in my early days of fly fishing, I spent a day with my mentor, the late Addison Gilbert, a retired Sarasota County educator who began fly fishing in the 1940s in Florida. He often was target of laughter as he used the long wand to cast at tarpon and other marine species.
"Ain't no rainbow trout in Sarasota Bay," someone inevitably would say.
Gilbert ran the skiff as we looked for tripletail around markers in the inshore Gulf of Mexico. It was my first attempt to nab tripletail on fly. Turned out to be a great day as I landed five trips to 20 pounds.
I wrote a story on the outing. After reading it, two anglers, one of whom was considered a "world-class caster," contacted Gilbert and talked him into taking them out for a bout with tripletail. A couple of days later, I asked Gilbert how they did.
He laughed, started shaking his head and said, "It made me feel good to watch one of the best casters around lasso himself time after time with fly line."
How in the world could anyone do that? How could he wrap the line around himself?
"He couldn't handle the pressure," said Gilbert. "The pressure of casting for distance at a show or in a clinic was home for him. But casting for a big fish was not.
"He choked."
I've seen that happen to a number of fly casters over the years. When the pressure to put a fly in front on a big bonefish, snook or redfish is great, they wilt like spinach in a pot of boiling water.
It's just the opposite with me. I wouldn't stand at the casting pond at a fly fishing conclave and cast in front of the experts. I probably wouldn't do all that badly, but that's not my cup of tea. However, I'd gladly cast to a tarpon or other big fish in front of anyone.
I spent a day in Miami-Dade County fishing with Marty Arostegui, arguably the world's most successful fly angler. Arostegui, a Cuban immigrant, was looking for world-record oscars. He took a break from his world-record quest when he spotted a decent peacock bass along the shoreline. He cast to the fish, let it sink and then began stripping it back. The fly hadn't moved 18 inches when the 4-pound peacock charged and inhaled it.
After landing the fish, Arostequi looked at me, handed me the fly rod and said, "Now it's your turn."
No big deal.
It was like Babe Ruth handing you the bat after socking a monstrous home run and asking you to duplicate the feat.
I cast to a peacock bass and caught it.
Style and grace are appropriate words to describe fly casting. There is inherent beauty within the endeavor. It's not difficult to watch a great fly caster. You often find yourself mesmerized by the rhythmic ebb and flo of the fly line.
Not all casters are like that, though. Some are difficult to watch.
That reminds me of the time that I played golf at a mountain-top course in West Virginia. I was paired up with an older gent whose swing in no way resembled any good swing I'd ever seen. His legs weren't involved in the process as he did it all with his arms. The swing was on three different planes -- at the same time.
But somehow he was able to put it all together when he had to. When the club head met the ball, it was square. And the tiny white orb would land 250 yards right down the middle of the fairway. He wasn't overly long, but he was accurate.
He was also greedy. He took me for $50.
A few years ago, I was fishing with a fellow who I figured didn't know the tip from the handle of a fly rod. His loops were wide and his accuracy lacking. But he was somehow able to put the fly where it needed to be when he had to. Asking him to cast 100 feet to a tailing bonefish was out of the question. But if he was within 70 feet, most fish didn't have a chance.
There's a myth that fly fishing is only for the rich. I disprove that theory. Still, that myth is perpetuated by some of the snoots that call themselves fly anglers. However, fly fishing is for anyone who has the desire. And it doesn't have to cost an arm and leg.
Temple Fork Outfitters has done a lot to help the sport. TFO puts out very reasonable priced rods and reels. And they're not junk.
An acquaintance told me that he knew why I use TFO equipment.
"Because you're sponsored by TFO and you get the stuff for free," he said.
I am sponsored by TFO, but I don't get the product for free. I get a decent professional discount, but that's all.
But let me tell you this: Even if TFO gave me everything, I wouldn't use the rods or reels if I didn't like them.
I'm proud to be associated with TFO and I like their equipment. And I like that TFO has taken fly fishing out of the mansion and put it within reach of anyone.
TFO got the picture a few years back and it has paid off. More folks are beginning to understand that it's more than looks these days.
It's how you perform when the pressure's on.
And money ain't going to buy you that.

Fishing is priceless fun

I fished in the fifth annual Fall Fly Fishing Challenge held in Sarasota, Fla. Had a great time.

The event was sponsored by the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers and the Sarasota Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association.

Didn't win. Didn't care. I finished one fish short in the Trout category of the Open Division. My tournament partner, Capt. Pete Greenan, caught 10 spotted seatrout to my nine.

Oh, well.

I did have fun. That's what it's all about.

Of course, some might claim that's a loser's cliche. I've placed in the tournament a number of times, so I really do fish to have fun.

You should, too. Always.

I give 40 or 50 talks to various organizations annually. Often -- especially when the audience is made up of non-fishing types -- I'll ask for a show of hands by all the golfers present.

I'll tell them what a great game golf is. How there's nothing better than taking a swing, hitting the ball on the sweet spot and sending it 300 yards straight down the fairway.

Then I tell them I used to play golf. And there were many days I'd pick up my ball on the 18th green, walk away, look up at the sky and think, "I should have stayed home and gone fishing today."

Then I tell them, "I've never ever been fishing and said I should have stayed home and played golf."

Fishing is catharsis. It's a break from monotony. It's a time to get away from your problems. And the concentration and focus that fishing requires certainly allows you to do that.

Fishing isn't the same for all folks. Some head out to their favorite bridge or pier, cast a line out, sit down in their beach chair, pop the top on a beer, open a book and pray a fish doesn't come along and spoil the tranquility.

That's quite OK.

For others, it's a constant battle to catch fish.

Most begin at the same level and progress at their own rate of speed and interest. Some begin by fishing nightcrawlers under a red-and-white bobber and continue doing so for the rest of their lives.

Others start with worm and progress to lures. Some even end up fly fishing.

No matter your choice, the experience is all the same. The sport offers a chance to unify with nature, inhale the beauty of this earth and every once in a while catch a fish.

I have taken dozens of anglers for walks along the Florida west coast beaches in search of the wiley snook. For some, it's all about snook and nothing but snook. While they're straining to see a lunker in the surf, I'm looking around and seeing dolphin 100 yards off the beach, frigate birds circling high overhead, barracuda zooming in on unsuspecting mullet and maybe even a lovely lass in a pretty bikini.

Oh, yeah, I see a few snook, too.

Anglers come from all walks of life. Some are young and some are old. Some are rich and some are poor. Some left-handed. Some right-handed. Some Republicans. Some Democrats.

The fish don't care.

I paid $50 to enter the Fall Fly Fishing Challenge. I competed as hard as I could. I prepared a couple of weeks in advance. I fished to win.

I didn't.

I really didn't care.

I had fun.

And $50 is a very cheap day of entertainment.

By the way, I won the Snook Division of the tournament a few years ago. I can't remember what year or what I won.

I do remember I had a great time.

30/10/09 - Lands End - Match Lake

Weight – 53lb 8oz
Catch – 9 Carp, 2 Bream, 1 Crucian
Weather – Mostly sunny & calm
Water Temp– 14.0c > 14.0c
Match – Open – 3rd overall

The weather dictated whether I would fish Saturday or Sunday, with Sundays forecast for gales and rain. As I write this blog on Sunday morning, looking outside I know I made the right to decision because it’s hosing it down and the wind is pushing the trees sideways.

Today I was going for my 5th pick up on the bounce, but found myself on peg 1. This is only the 3rd time I have drawn here, however recent results from the peg have been disappointing and looking at the results for the last 4 matches, showed between 26 & 36lb.

Carp or silvers? I felt I was up against it today, on what has been a very average peg recently. There was a few carp boshing by the island and under the tree at 17m along the left hand bank, so I decided on the carp, although I did set up a swim in open water, feeding micro pellet for the skimmers.

I started at the bottom the shelf by the island and after 10 mins had a skimmer on corn. In fact that was the only fish I had corn, everything else came to Tony’s soft pellet. Another skimmer and a crucian came from the open water swim, but with it being bright and flat the skimmers didn’t want to feed.

All the while I had been flicking 4mm along the left hand bank hoping to draw the carp from under the tree, as well as keeping the bottom of the island shelf topped up again with 4mm.

The LH bank produced a small carp within 5mins of trying, but other than 1 other that snagged me in the tree I never had another fish from this swim. I was getting indication, but no proper bites. Mike West on 24 was having the same problem.

Half way into the match I only had 2 carp, plus my silvers. I thought about switching feed to caster and trying for some silvers, but I couldn’t see the point, because I was way behind in the silvers pool, so I stuck with the carp. Fabio on peg 3 already had 6 or 7 and I could hear Rod Wootten on peg 6 catching, so I needed a late surge.

I couldn’t get any proper indications fishing down the shelf, the LH bank was proving frustrating, so I started flicking 4mm tight to the island which saw a further 2 carp netted. With 70 minutes to go I was up to 4.

I kept the feed going into the island, but also decided to deposit ¾pt caster, pellet & corn tight into my RH margin. There were carp moving around the island now and I decided to shallow up even further to get tighter across. In the last hour I landed 5 carp, 2 from the RH margin and 3 tight to the island. All of sudden I thought
I might be in with a shout of framing, however speaking to others I started thinking 4th would be the best I could hope for.

The weigh in started in reverse from peg 24, Kev Molton weighed 46lb from peg 18, and Alan Oram had 66lb from peg 16. Darren Roberts 10 carp from peg 11 went 49lb and Rod won the match with 69lb. Dave Wescott won the silvers from peg 5 with 19lb and Fabio’s 9 carp went 32lb (proper squeakers).

So I needed 49lb to frame and I honestly thought I had 40-45lb. My silvers weighed 4½lb, but when I lifted my carp net it felt close to 50lb and decided on 2 weighs. The 1st went 32lb, which meant my remaining 3 carp had to be more than 12½lb and I was really pleased when the needle settled on 17lb.

Overall really happy with how I approached the match. The turning point was taking 2 decent carp from my right hand margin and shallowing up further to get tight to the island. The water temperature had increased to 14c, which probably why the fish didn’t really want to settle on the deck.

Opening day of central illinois goose and duck season pics!

It has been about 5 years since I have been this excited about a waterfowl opener. I actually had a bit of trouble falling asleep friday night and was awake a good hour early Saturday morning. An absolute ton of geese had been working our field all week and I was just excited to get out hunting with some friends and family!

Hunting buddies Todd, Aaron and Matt along with my brothers and my two cousins- Caleb and David (both first time hunters) and I all met at 6 am and set up a nice spread of 3 dozen big feet decoys and 2 mojo ducks out in the field. I knew the geese didnt start flying till about 8:30 am so we brought the mojo's to try and get lucky with a group of early flying ducks. What happened next was really pretty unbelievable.

At 7 am the first group of 4 mallards came right in to our spread, and then about every 5-10 minutes for the next hour we were bombarded with small groups of mallards right and left! We were not anticipating bonus action like this one single bit and actually didnt prepare for it very well either. After the first 3 or 4 groups we were actually running out of shells and rationing and dividing amongst ourselves. Finally Justin knew he needed to make a break for the truck and was able to scrounge up about 50 more shells of various gauges- 20, 12, and 10 gauge so we could stay out long enough for the geese to fly!



So the ducks kept a coming and Todd's dog woody did an amazing job at fetching every singe one of the 23 mallards that came tumbling down! After burning through the reserve shells over the next half hour, the ducks finally quit coming and we all had about 5 shells left each for the geese. The ducks were just a bonus! We just knew the geese would be coming over the horizon any minute and this was shaping up to be the hunt of a lifetime!

Well, 8:30 came along and sure enough here comes two geese right from where they were supposed to! They came in to our spread like clockwork and pretty much landed at our feet. Caleb and David put the hammer to them and Justin finished one of them off with his single shot 10 gauge! The anticipation of several more small groups of geese was building! Adrenaline was pumping, we were hooting and hollering and just felt like kings (more like legends in our own minds), but we were flying high and just knew the best was yet to come!

Anyhow 9 am comes along and the air temperature starts feeling just a bit cooler and the wind starts biting just a bit. Still no sign of the geese anywhere. 9:30 comes rolling around with no sign of geese and stomachs start rumbling along with the much colder temps! By 10 am and no sign of geese the adrenaline and excitement is pretty much gone, it feels about 20 degrees colder than at 7 am, and the reality of our daily obligations starts setting in. We figure that once we pick up the decoys and are halfway to the trucks that the field will literally fill up with geese, but just couldnt wait for 'em any longer. We snapped some pics and then headed out to install an aeration system for a client.



Noah is definitely my son. He just absolutely loves fish and animals- dead or alive and is not afraid one bit to pick em up! Its always great to show Brook these kinds of pics later in the day and watch her reaction as she goes and washes his hands and changes his clothes!



I checked on our field several more times in the afternoon and was just amazed that the geese never did fly at all. Not even in the evening! They must have taken a day off and boy did they choose a good one to sit tight and hunker down. Oh well, were gonna be waiting for them in the morning! I just hope they fly before church starts, otherwise I might not be hunting again for awhile if I'm late.