Catfish, Bass, and a Bluegill Go For a COAF Damsel Fly This Round!

Fished Bethany Lakes this evening. Late start on a windy day. Started out trying to get a Bass or two on a Tube Popper Fly. Two missed strikes and lots of wind to deal with made for a change. Decided to switch to a COAF Damsel Fly. The one we tie with Purple Marabou and Red Tying Thread. Used a Gold Bead Chain and size 10 hook (ran out of size 8 hooks).

Glad we switched to it; caught four Catfish, three Bass, and a Bluegill.  Three of the Catfish went 17"-18"; one went about 15". They put up a good fight especially on the four weight fly rod!

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Sunday Morning Round at Bethany!

Sunday morning round at Bethany Lakes.  First strike ended with a missed Bass using the COAF Purple Damsel Fly.  Kept at it, and hooked a Bass after a while.  Small guy that went for a Balsa Popper Fly.  Then, switched gears working several Bluegill beds.  Caught Bluegill and Sunfish using a Balsa Popper Fly and a Foam Grasshopper!

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Steady Action This Round!

Fished Bethany Lakes this morning and caught a few Bass and Bluegill/Sunfish.  Then, checked out another pond and caught Bluegill, and then one Bass that went 14" in size! Used several fishing flies - Tube Popper Fly, COAF Guadalupana, Purple COAF Damsel Fly, Foam Damsel Fly, and a Balsa Popper Fly.  Overall, the Bass went for the Purple COAF Damsel Fly; Bluegill went for the Balsa Popper Fly.

PS:  Great to meet Dan and Jody from the Bassgrabbers Organization!

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Slow Bite This Round

Slow bite this round at  Bethany Lakes.  We managed two Bluegill and two Bass.  Did have a few more strike but missed the hook sets.  Bluegill went for the Foam Damsel Fly, and the Bass went for the Tube Popper Fly.

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Quick Trip This Round....

Short on time this evening but still enough to time for a quick trip to Bethany Lakes to try another Tube Popper Fly.  Lost the one we made yesterday to a snag.  This time brought two; luckily only needed the one. Caught two Bass and missed a third one. Largest Bass went 14" in size.... Fun Stuff!

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More Topwater Action at Bethany Lakes Today!

Cool temps today but overall a really nice day not to pass up a chance to go fishing.  Made another Tube Popper Fly; caught a Bass with it before losing it to a snag. No worries, had a Balsa Popper Fly to replace it and managed to catch several more Bass as well as a Bluegill. Did have some missed hook sets, one looked like it could have been a Bruiser. Anyhow, going to make another Tube Popper Fly and see if we can keep it longer next time!

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Mini Balsa Wood Lathe and a Tube Popper Fly

Decided to tinker with "material in the scrap bin" and made a Mini Balsa Wood Lathe for making Balsa Wood Popper bodies. Got it put together, and made a a fishing fly... calling it the Tube Popper Fly based on the same concept of Tube Fishing Flies where the line passes through the body and the hook is not permanently attached to the body.  Like the idea of being able to change hook sizes as needed.

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Balsa Popper Gets 13 Bass This Round!

Windy day but did manage to get out and do some fishing.  Fished Bethany Lakes; went with the Four Weight Fly Rod and Red Balsa Popper.  Liking this one a lot; added some Living Eyes that we picked up from Cabelas.  Guess the fish like them!  Going to need to make more; down to one in Red (really beaten up, too) and one in Black.

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Having Fun On a Saturday!

Fished the morning and caught fish; went back this afternoon and caught more fish. Started out at Bethany Lakes, then went to Murphy City Hall Pond, and then went back to Bethany Lakes. Caught Bass, Bluegill, and Sunfish.  No Bruisers but still a lot of fun!

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Balsa Popper Again This Round

Another variation of a Balsa Popper.  Have tried two others this past week; this one is based on the "Old Marm Popper".  Made one many years back and did well with it in a pond back in Rhode Island.  Decided to give it a go at Bethany.  Caught Bass and Bluegill with it.  Of the three Balsa Poppers, would say this one was the easiest to make!  Would say the next ones we make, will apply a coating of epoxy instead of clear fingernail polish.  The fish really put a beating on the little popper; epoxy would definitely make a difference.

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BPKH Fishing Fly Worked Well!

Six Bass and one Bluegill this round. Fished a Balsa Popper Krystal Hackle variation of the one used the other day. This one was made using colored Sharpies instead of paint and a smaller hook.  Simple fishing fly, going to try making another variation found on the internet. Will see how those turn out!

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Balsa Popper Krystal Hackle (BPKH)

Tested out a new pattern.  Simple fishing fly made using Balsa Wood, Krystal Flashabou, and a Grizzly Hackle.  Caught two Bass but missed several others.  Hope to give it another go on a less windy day. Still a fun time!

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Seven Bass This Round Using a Foam Damsel Fly

Fished Bethany this afternoon using a Four Weight Fly Rod and a Foam Damsel Fly. Bite was steady with 7 Bass caught and released. No Bruisers this round but still had a lotta fun. Lots of Dragonflies in the air, perfect time to use a Foam Damsel Fly!

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More Fun Fishing With a Foam Damsel Fly... 13 Bass This Time!

Made it to Bethany for more fun fishing with a Foam Damsel Fly. Fished the Main Pond and caught several Bass, then decided to work the Lower Pond.  Ended up catching 13 Bass and several Bluegill.  No Bruisers but the largest Bass did go 14" in size.  Lots of fun, especially liking the top water action with the Foam Damsel Fly!

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More Fun Catching Them With a Foam Damsel Fly!

Cooler temps today; luckily, the Bass and Bluegill were still going for the Foam Damsel Fly. Enjoyed some top water action this evening! Not sure what tomorrow brings but suspect the pattern will change with the cold temps.  Frost warning in May? Go figure!


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Foam Damsel Fly Worked Well - 18 Bass and 10 Bluegill!

Fished Bethany this evening with the Four Weight Fly Rod and a Foam Damsel Fly.  The one we used the other day lost its tail after catching two Bass.  This round made more than one in case it happened again. Luckily it did not; the little fishing fly took a beating but held up even after catching (and releasing) 18 Bass and 10 Bluegill!

Lotta fun; really liking this pattern.  Simple to tie; minimal material.  Only big expense was buying the Foam Cutter.  Bought it on a whim when we ordered the Beavertail Foam Cutter since the $5.00 shipping cost was the same for one or two cutters.

Stay tuned, plan to post an article on the fishing fly pattern... gonna call it the "Fly Tying - Simple Foam Damsel Fly"!

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Bass Catching Another Bass!

Here is a video clip of the Bass that chased another little Bass while we had one on the hook! Was able to zoom in on the action and slow the video down.  Check it out!

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Murphy City Hall Pond for Bass!

Had fun fishing Murphy City Hall pond for Bass this morning. Caught five Bass and a Bluegill. Largest Bass went 15" and 14".  Did get a cool action shot of a Bass chasing another little Bass while fighting one on the line!  Cool stuff... never had that happen before.  Even saw the little Bass jump out of the water to get away!  All went for a Foam Grasshopper!

15" Bass

8" Bluegill

14" Bass

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Another Round at Bethany This Evening

Another round at Bethany this evening.  Action was not as good as yesterday but it stayed steady. Caught Bass using the new - Redington Pursuit 4WT 8'.  Rod feels good; too bad the hook sets were not in time.  Missed a number of Bass.  Started fishing a Foam Grasshopper in Size 8.  Caught a couple; missed more than a couple.  Switched to a Size 12 and was hooking them but kept losing the bigger ones when they threw the hook.  Settled on a Size 10 and had more caught then missed with it.  Liking the new fly rod; still liking the top water action on the Grasshoppers!

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25 Bass and a Big Shellcracker on Foam Grasshoppers This Round!

Went back to Bethany Lakes Thursday for another round of fishing.  Used the Foam Grasshopper Variant that has been working well lately.  This round it continued to do well with 25 Bass and a Big Shellcracker caught and released.  No Bruiser Bass but the Shellcracker did go 9" in length! Fun stuff!

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