A New Site To Watch

I just received word of a new fishing site of interest to OH anglers, http://www.ohio-kayak-fishing.com/.

These guys will report and promote kayak fishing around the Buckeye State. They are also organizing PaddlePalooza: The Ohio Camp and Watersports Expo next Spring at the state fairgrounds in Columbus. Kayak fishing is still in its' infancy in OH. The possibilities are endless and interest is just beginning to grow. Here Jeff Liskay holds a January steelhead taken during a float on the Grand River. The boat in back is a Freedom Hawk Freedom 14, great where an assortment of gear is needed.

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

A surface hair bug and cooperative smallmouth bass are about as much fun as there is with a fly rod. Depending on their mood, smallies may sip in a surface fly gently, roll on the fly and eat it, blast a dish pan sized hole in the water as they smash the fly, and even come out of the water on the take. This fish took the bug when it was cast behind a rock while floating through a stretch of fast water. Smallmouth also hit topwater at night. They will also eat Hex and Ephron mayflies at night if they are present.

Fly Rods and Fred Flintstone

Dog Friend, Jim Oates, pulls a Fred Flinstone move and casts out of his Dry Fly Float Boat having his feet on the bottom. With its' open frame, it is easy to stand and fish or pick up the boat and walk it over shallow stuff. Jim showed JD a stretch of the Menominee River. The fish cooperated, bald eagles flew by, and it only rained a short time. Jim has a great philosophy- "never put off a day's fishing (canoeing, kayaking, skiing, or any outdoor activity) expecting you'll do it another time". Good words to live by.

Meat and Cheese

Here is a solid bass from the Menominee River in Wisconsin that ate my old reliable Meat Wagon streamer. A good portion of the Menominee forms the border between Wisconson and the UP of Michigan. It is a beautiful river, tea colored with plenty of fast water and pools begging to be fished. On this Sunday in August we floated 5 miles and didn't see another angler. The M is loaded with smallmouth and has plenty of toothy critters, i.e., muskies mixed in. These are the hardest fighting smallmouth bass I have encountered. Tight Lines Fly Shop out of DePere, WI, specializes in floating the Menominee- check them out!

A New Article

An article I wrote about tube flies for warm water use is out in the Sept./Oct. issue of American Angler magazine. This is an area where many fishing situations are perfect for using tubes. A special double dog "woof" and thanks to dog friends Tony Pagliei, Rick Kustich, Steve Wascher, and Greg Senyo for their help with the article. Here is a pic of the Ballhead Bunny fly that has tying directions and photos in the article.

Bluegrass Bronzebacks

While working my way through Kentucky, Dick Haas of Foward Cast Fly Shop in Louisville, was kind enough to show one of his favorite creeks not too far from town. The water still had not come down completley from the deluge of rain in the area the week before. Despite the high water we caught a few fish and had a fun afternoon. We just beat another big rain back to the car after finishing fishing.

I threw a pattern of mine I had not fished in a while I call the Crawpin (Crawfish/Sculpin). Here's the recipe:

Hook: shortshank, widegap- size #1 or #Tail: A short piece of marabou

Back/Wing: Zonker strip extending 2"-3" past hook. un the hook point through the strip about an inch back and then tie down in front.

Body: Estaz with a pair of rubber legs on each side in front.

Head: Barbell eyes so hook rides upright, with a clump of deerhair over top. Trim the hair flat.

This day I fished brown. Olive, tan, and black are also good colors and OK to mix 'em up too.

A saltwater version of this is the Crimp (Crab/Shrimp) and works well for bonefish and redfish. Just go to a stainless hook, mix in a little pink or orange and you are in business! I love those multipurpose, multispecies patterns!

Summer of the Smallies!

Seems I can't escape smallmouth right now- but no complaints! I floated Dog Friends Buck Juhasz and his wife, Barb, down Ohio's Stillwater River a couple days ago. Air temps in the mid-90's kept the fish slow during the day, but the action heated up towards dark. Buck got a lot of grabs on a frog popper he was throwing. Here he holds a good fish that crushed the popper as it floated through a deep pocket.

The Stillwater is one of western Ohio's top smallmouth streams. It flows through a an area that is largely agricultural and nutrient runoff is suspected as causing a lot of grass beds to grow in the river that had not been there previously. The bass fishing doesn't seem to have been affected.

More Bronze!

The summer smallmouth fishing keeps on going! Will Turek and the Fish Dog admire a chunky smallie taken on a recent float. This was WT's first chance behind the sticks on Team Fish Dog's new Super Sniper driftboat. WT gve the boat a thumbs up- lightweight, quiet, and easy to row.

Streamside Observer

This whitetail fawn sat quietly while we floated past it on Michigan's Huron River. Not sure if it was lost, hurt, or just waiting for mama. This looks like a really young deer for this time of year and must have been born very. Youngsters should have lost their spots a while ago. the same float also provided sightings of an osprey and bald eagle.

Searching for Tailers

Jeff Liskay checks out a small bay on Lake Erie's North Bass island for feeding carp. A small group of fish were located, but none ate Jeff's offering.