Change of mind

I had all the materials out on the desk ready to tie a bunch of size 14 / 16 flies. Before opening up any of the materials, I stared at my vise for a few moments, and a certain fish that has eluded me crossed my mind.

Musky.

The big hooks in my hook storage were just calling to me it seemed. So, I packed up all of the materials I had already placed neatly on my desk, and begun to pull out some 5/0 hooks, foam, buck tail, flash, and grizzly hackle.

The end result.

This should attract some bass, pike, and hopefully, musky.

This is the year.

Fake food for the salt.

I've been pretty excited for my trip to Florida.  It's given me a fresh mindset at the tying desk.  Here I thought I was going to be tying up some big bait fish flies, boy was I wrong!  I've been asking around and have been told that small flies are the way to go when fishing the surf. Size 4, 6, and 8....I never would have thought that.  I'll still be bringing some big meaty flies with me, because, I just have to! :)

I would like to say thanks to the following people, for providing me with some knowledge about fishing the area I will be in, and saltwater in general:

Captain Austin Adduci of Grab Your Fly Charters

+BrookField Angler over at Brookfield Angler

A.J. Gottschalk over at Nickel & Dime Fly Fishing

and my buddy Dom. (Who introduced me to fly fishing.)

Here's what I've cooked up at the vise, thus far.

Red and black Gurgler

EP Fiber bait fish...mullet?

Some small white EP bait fish for the surf. Snook Candy

Fly inspired by +Luis Santiago whose fly was inspired by Waters Edge Fly Co.

Orange bucktail and craft fur shrimp pattern.

Size 6 Fox fur shrimp.

Size 6 Fox fur and zonker strip shrimp. 1 is weighted and the other is not.

Hopefully, these will end up in the face of a saltwater fish, and I'll be able to cross some new fish off my species list.

Bass Fishing - It's almost time!

The snow is almost gone. I had almost forgotten what grass and mud looked like. Warmer temps are in the forecast for this week.

Costa and Motiv Fishing couldn't have picked a better time to release the first episode of GEOBASS on YouTube. I'm super excited to get out there, and bass fish! Not the kind of bass fishing that the guys with Motiv are doing. (That could only be a dream....for now.)

Maybe, I'll be able to hook up with some peacock bass when I'm in Florida next month.

Check out this video. It's sure to get you pumped up for warmer weather and bass fishing.

An Icy Wade

I went fishing.

Checked out my favorite creek in search of some early season smallies, but the outing didn't last long. Much of the creek was still covered in about 3 inches of ice. I spent 1/3 of my time pretending to be an ice breaker. That stopped when I couldn't break any more ice to wade through, and when I got bored of watching the mini icebergs float down stream. (Also, because, I realized that I probably looked like a clown out there.)

No fish were caught.

No fish were seen.

Went home and took a nap.

Yawn.

It's a Midwest thing

Reasons why I have never gone ice fishing in the past:

1. I don't see the enjoyment of fishing from a hole in the ice.

2. If there's ice, that usually means it cold....not a big fan.

3. Being a bigger guy, I have a fear of stepping on the ice, breaking it, and falling through.

4. I like to move around when I fish, not sit in one spot.

5. Did I mention that it's usually cold out?

I knew not to expect this...but there nothing wrong with wishful thinking, right!

So, I went ice fishing for the first time with a friend who had invited me out. He had an extra ice fishing rod, and I needed a fishy fix.

The outing was short, different, and exhausting. The ice was 16 inches thick, and a pain in the ass to auger for a first timer. After drilling my first hole through the ice and dropping a line, the action was immediate. I hooked up with 3 bluegill, one after another. FUN! Then the bite died. My buddy finished the short outing with 6 bluegill and 1 crappie.

CATCH

RELEASE

Did this change my mind about ice fishin...No.

Will I go ice fishing again...Yes, but I'm not spending a dime on ice fishing gear!

FISH EYE

***(For some reason this post went back to draft, and took changed on me.....WTF Google!)***