The Jigs Up

After work yesterday, I made it home with day light to spare.  I quickly changed, grabbed my already lined up  3 wt from the laundry room, and rushed outside to wet a line in the backyard.  Shortly after my 4th cast, the sun began it's decent.  I wasn't complaining about it, either.  It was a beautiful sight.  It almost seemed like there was a fire in the sky.

10 casts, a beautiful sunset, 2 skunks (wandering around near me), and 1 skunk of my own, I decided to call it a night and head in for dinner.

After dinner I sat down at the vise and began to tie up some more jigs, but not without some fly tying fuel.  I sure do love IPA's.  Didn't have high expectations for this one.  I bought it, because, it was made with one of my favorite punk rock bands growing up, NOFX.

Here's the end results of some jigs that will pair well with spinning rod and some winter fish.  Nothing fancy.  Just materials that get the job done that fish enjoy.

Warm Water Discharge

With the temperature in the high 30's, again. I just had to wet a line, so, I went to the only place that I knew would have open water. It's a place we refer to around here as the WWD (Warm Water Discharge). The water never freezes there, and all of the fish congregate to the area....bluegill, crappie, bass, huge shad, carp, goldfish, and musky.

While the fish are clearly visible with a good set of polorized sunglasses, they are not incredibly easy to catch, to me anyway. I have a friend Geo who is an excellent angler and the big fish always seem to find the end of his line. Check him out on Instagram - GEOFISHING 

I did manage to hook up with a bluegill before moving to a part of the WWD that I have never fished before.

Whoa! I caught a heart shaped bluegill, just in time for Valentines Day! My GF is surly going to love this freak of nature. :)

After moving to a part of the discharge I have never fished. I finally got a solid hook up!!!! It was like I was stuck to a log....and it turns out I was. Oh well. I absolutely hate when this happens, and I try my best to retrieve the line and lure. I could care less about the jig, but I don't like leaving line out there, but sometimes you really don't have a choice. It unfortunate.

But if it's line left in a place that reachable, like the ground, I pick it up, and stuff it in a pocket. I hate seeing pictures of birds and other animals caught up by these lines that are just left out there. I mean really, is it that hard to take back with you? Apparently, it is, and I wish I could give them a swift kick in the ass for not picking it up themselves.

LEAVE NO TRACE

Oh, how I've missed you!

Went fishing with 2 of my buddies to a lake that they frequent one evening. They were both tossing frogs and wacky rigged worms. After 15 minutes of casting some medium sized flies to entice some bass, I switched to a small fly that I knew would catch some bluegill. I've been neglecting the panfish as of late, so, the switch was refreshing. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed catching those buggers!

Missed these feisty little fish!

Took advantage of the colors in the sky to capture this badass shot of my buddy FatGordo.

Who doesn't love a nice sunset shot.

Birds of Prey

Whenever I am out driving around, fishing, kayaking, or doing whatever. I am always on the lookout for birds of prey. I keep a pocket book in my car, so, I can better identify what I had seen while driving, or when I get back from a fishing outing. 

Here's a shot of a Red-tailed Hawk that I am quite proud of. Captured this while the sun was setting. The hawk was eyeballin' me and took off shortly after this photo. Thanks, for the profile shot!!

The pocket guide I use.

(National Audubon Society Pocket Guide: North American Birds of Prey)

Took A Walk

I left the fishing rods at home, and opted to take a walk around the forest preserve down the street from my home. I recently borrowed my friends DSLR Nikon and decided that it should come to.

Poor little guy had an injured back leg. I wonder what he escaped from...hawk..owl...coyote...

Cool silhouette shot of a bird in flight.

Who doesn't like a sunset shot. Very happy with the lighting on this one.

Sunset on the Soob.

Way better than watching TV. You'll never know what's around the bend, unless you get out there....or use Google maps. 

I hate it, but not really....

Is there a body of water that you absolutely hate, but can't seem to stay away from?

Well, Busse Lake is that place for me. It's a large body of water that offers a variety of species.  An angler can catch bluegill, crappie, carp, largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, and musky...and it's only been 10 to 25 minutes from me for the past 15 years, so, what's not to like!

2005

I have yet to hook something huge at Busse, and my visits to the lake have decreased throughout the years. I was proud of myself for only fishing there 5 times last year. It was a challenge, because, every week I would read reports on a local fishing forum of guys consistently killing it over here, catching huge bass, keeper walleye, and musky!

Fast forward to my heavier days a few years later. One of the first fish I caught on the fly.

Now that I have a kayak, I can now fish off the beaten path that is usually crowded. I can get to those places that I could only see from a distance. This is the year that I make Busse Lake my bitch!

After work today, I headed on over to the lake. As I was unloading a guy was just finishing up his day on the water from his kayak. He told me he landed a 30" musky on a night crawler. Awesome - I brought my 9 wt and musky flies :) 

4/0 single.

Beefcake

I floated around and tossed the usual musky meat. I hooked up with a few downed trees, but no fish. Paddled around some more. Saw some activity near some downed trees, so, I slowly and silently made my way to what looked like baitfish trying to get away from something. I casted. Thump. I could feel something with significant size on the other end...could this be?!?! Then as fast as it happened, the line went slack. I felt broken. I made more than a few casts back into the area, but there was nothing. Could that have been a Busski (Musky from Busse)!! I'll never know....

Crotch Shot!

Finished the day skunked for the 3rd time in the past 2 weeks at Busse.

Sunset.

Night Fishing

As of late, I have not been able to fish during the day as much as I would like, but it's all good in the hood. The bass have been extremely active right at sunset, and this is when I am able to fish. I've been starting out with top water...poppers...todds wiggle worm...and any other type of insect I see hatching. I have been very successful with todds wiggle worm in the chartreuse. It has produced the most top water action out of all of my top water flies.

When it get's too dark. I've been switching over to my baitcaster and throwing a buzzbait, swim jig, chatter bait, or just a reagular spinner bait. There is just something awesome about fishing in complete darkness, and reandering your vision useless.

What is your favorite sunset fly/lure? ...and what is your favorite night fly/lure?