Had a fun time at Denison Dam – tailrace to Texoma, on Saturday June 20! Opted for live bait of Bluegill and Sunfish to try for Striped Bass and Catfish.
Turned out only one Striped Bass. It was a nice one that went 19″ in length. Went for a 3″ Bluegill. Did a few more bites but nothing solid.
Go to bait for others that were limiting out on small “schoolies” was frozen shad, shrimp, and chicken livers. Next round, will make it a point to bring bait and not go all in on live bait.
That said, the Okuma 12′ MH Rockaway Surf Rod and Pflueger Spinning Reel worked well… can cast far with minimal effort. A much lighter combo compared to the 10′ Rodmaster and Penn Battle II 6000.
Given only one fish this round, posted a catch and cook showing how we clean and prep and then cook a striped bass. For its size, we opted to steak the striped bass and skillet fry it… tasty!
This rounds iFishNews Fishing Podcast we talk about micro fly rods that we use for micro fly fishing on our local ponds. Several DIY rods we have made by converting Pen Rods, repurposing a broken fly rod, and building one with an ice fishing blank and wine corks for the rod handle.
Recently, courtesy of a Viewer’s tip to use practice fly rods from Orvis and Redington, we have started mounting 2wt and 4wt fly reels to make a micro fly rod.
Simple zip ties to hold the reels to the rods makes for a quick conversion to fly fishing rod instead of practice rods!
This round we talk briefly of the run to Denison Dam where we only caught one Striped Bass using live bait – Bluegill! But, it’s enough for a catch and cook… so do stay tuned for more!
Of note, the Okuma Rockaway Surf Rod and Pfleuger President Spinning Reel worked well. Can cast a mile and do it all day as it is lightweight and balanced well with the live bait rifg we used today!
Lastly, the micro fly rod and micro fishing bug has us on a roll again at our local ponds. Two piece Micro Fly Rod has been a workhorse for the us. Then, a Viewer gives up a tip… use a practice fly rod!
Liked the idea,… ordered Redington’s and Orvis’ rods… able to catch a fish or two with the Redington; Orvis one arrived this morning. Not fished it yet but did try the 2wt Echo Ion Fly Reel and WF 2wt line… it works nicely!
Been wanting to try Gulp Marinade as a teaser scent to our lures. But, not certain if fish would like it. It has a garlic scent similar to the Berkley Power Bait we like to use when trout fishing.
Decided to test the Gulp Marinade by applying it to a fishing fly and observe how fish react to it compared to the same fishing fly but without the scent applied. Rigged two scuds to the underwater video rig we put together for filming underwater action shots of fish.
Key take aways this round:
Results were inconclusive given only one test. But, it does look promising. Do need to continue testing before we make a suggestion.
It does appear that fish like the Gulp Marinade, tending to prefer the scud with scent over the scud without scent after the initial application.
Once the scent washed out, it was not certain if there was a preference for one over the other.
Do need to re-apply the scent as it does wash out.
Bait still is preferred over artificials.
Next round, plan to:
Use a smaller hook as the fish in the test pond tended to be small for the hook used. Often times a fish would be hooked but then would be able to break free after a short struggle.
May try live bait to mix things up as well.
Also, do note a catfish “smells” the scented scud at one point, and watch how a fish would be hooked and then free itself, and immediately after another fish would strike… may explain how we will get a bite but miss the hookset, but soon after feel another tug on the line!
Do stay tuned for more, plan to do another “test” in the near future!
Short video of a quick trip to Duck Creek Linear Park while on the daily commute. Brought the two piece micro fly rod and the Foam Spider and Scud Tandem Rig to work the section nearest the bridge. Key take aways this round:
There are Bass, nice Bass in the area but water is clear and they are skittish!
Lots of Sunfish and Bluegill and Longear that will readily take a scud
Temps are increasing and Summer approaches, creek will start getting clobbered with the “green stuff”
Rocks placed along the creek offer excellent access to the creek… weeds and high grass are cleared around them!
A tip from a YouTube Viewer on using the Orvis Practicaster Fly Rod as a Micro Fly Rod! Ordered it and Redington’s version of one… the Orvis one is still in the mail but Redington’s arrived.
Liking the Rio Fly Line that came with it. Really thick line… planned to use a Micro Fly Reel but needed a larger reel. Put an old Martin Fly Reel on the rod. Works awesome.
Here is a demo… hope to try it out fishing later this week! Do check back!
Orvis Practicaster… https://amzn.to/2YFKvBR Redington Practice Fly Rod… https://amzn.to/3fvoKLB
Sidetracked this past Sunday from fishing. Go figure – needed to fix a lawn sprinkler that broke, then had to fix two more that were leaking. Before starting this honey do, made a quick run to Lavon for a chance at White Bass on the point at Brockdale Park.
Maybe should have fixed the sprinklers first, ended up striking out at Lavon. No worries, though, was good to get a cast or two to start the day. Plus, excited about a recent purchase of an Okuma Rockaway Surf Rod and a Pfleuger President Spinning Reel. More to come on the purchase!
Luck would have it that I finished the honey do with lots of daylight to spare. Decided to flex the two piece micro fly rod and fish Celebration Park’s North Pond using a fresh tied Scud!
Had a blast catching sunfish and bluegill. The micro fly rod did well… forgot how fun it is!
PS: Long video… mentioned some adjustments made to the line strike indicator, diy leader/tipper setup, and added a demo snippet of the rod casting easily 12 yards despite the shortness of the rod… aka top two sections of a broken 8wt we repurposed as a micro fly rod!
Lucked out and was able to fish Denison Dam – tailrace to Lake Texoma, two days in a row. First day, temps were in the 90s and the river was flowing while they were generating power. Next day, cold front rolled in, dropping the temps to the 60s. No power generations, minimal water flow… able to observe what a difference a day makes – specifically, the river and the change in water level. Do listen in on the Podcast, or check out the video version on our YouTube Channel – COAF Field Team!
