Brief Description - Series of YouTube Shorts videos about fly fishing tips that have helped the Team over the years. This post lists tips 10 - 20 and provides useful suggestions for Beginners!
"Practice Before You Go..."
"Choose a Rod You Can Cast All Day!"
"Start With Three Basic Knots"
"Focus On Control and Line Speed, Less on Distance"
Ultralight Baitcasting aka Bait Finesse Systems Fishing
What Is It - Developed in Japan for fishing heavily pressured areas where fish tend to be wary of "normal sized" lures. Rods and reels are matched to cast lures weighing 1/16oz or less (1.78grams) and are coupled with light lines in the 6lbs or less range. It is oftentimes referred as system of components that combine to allow casting ultralight lures, hence the name Bait Finesse Systems.
Special Gear Means Special Prices - Bait Finesse System reels tend to be expensive and may take weeks, even months to purchase. Additionally, the rods follow suit in both price and availability. Anticipate $500+ purchase to get started with $1,000+ if you so don't mind the expense.
Thinking About It, But Not Sure - From personal experience, I thought about giving Bait Finesse Systems Fishing a try but I did not want to spend $500 let alone $1000+. Luckily, I was able to put together a "system" for about $100! Moreover, if you wait for specials offered by retailers, you should be able to get started for under $100.
Gear - When I purchased the reel it was selling for under $70. The rod sold for $25 and was made out of fiberglass. The line I used was 6lbs test mono that I was leftover from the past Trout Stocking Season. And the lure I used initially was a Rooster Tail Inline Spinner weighing 1/16oz and cost about $3!
PS: Do checkout the video that shows how I like to set the reel to minimize backlashes!
Brief Description - Fished the local pond shortly after a storm passed. Plan was to fish the Main Pond and see what would bite.
Location - Bethany Lakes - Main Pond and Back Pond
Weather - Overcast
Gear - KastKing Zephyr with Reel Clicker and Bass Pro Shops MicroLite Fiberglass Rod. Used a 1/16oz Rooster Tail inline spinner in Fire Tiger and Gold Blade.
Catch - Six Bass - five in the Main Pond and one in the Back Pond. One Bluegill from the Main Pond.
Notes - Still not seeing any Bluegill on beds. Bass are lurking on beds as well as cruising shallows. Do need to use a steady retrieve to keep the lure from getting clobbered from the "greenery" plus the "cotton" from the Cottonwood Trees are floating around. Time for knotless leaders when fly fishing!
Brief Description - Series of YouTube Shorts videos about fly fishing tips that have helped the Team over the years. This post lists tips 1 - 9 and provides useful suggestions for Beginners!
PS: Tips 8 and 9 are posting on May 20 and 21, respectively. Do check back for them, and do check back for the Tips 10 - 20 which we will publish in a follow-on post!
Brief Description - Finally made it to the local lake for kayak fishing. Opted to go with baitcasting gear to field test the Water Wolf Camera 2.0 and the DIY Fish Bites aka "Gummy Gums"!
Location - Highland Park at Lake Lavon
Weather - Windy and Overcast with chance of T-Storms. Did have some drops but stayed dry!
Gear - Cabelas Baitcasting Rod and Reel - Two Piece, lined with Spiderwire 65lbs test. Had the Waterwolf Camera attached with the modified rig to reduce tangling. Also, had the Gummy Gums in YUM Shad Scent.
Catch - Caught one Blue Catfish that went 19", lost a larger White Bass while attempting to land it. Also, had three takes with one that pulled the float under completely. It was fast!
Notes - Murky conditions so no UW video of note. But, did learn the camera can record for three plus hours without issue. Also, the "Point" continues to be a good spot to anchor on those windy days!
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Brief Description - Returned to Bethany Lakes for a chance at the Bass and Bluegill lurking in the Main Pond. After reviewing the UW video from the day before, noted a number of Bass were in the Main Pond and were actively chasing the Rapala Crankbait!
Location - Bethany Lakes
Weather - Sunny and Warm
Gear - Started with the Bait Finesse Gear - Shimano Scorpion 17 BFS XG and BPS MicroLite Fiberglass Rod but switched to Fly Fishing Gear - Redington Pursuit Fly Rod and Ross Flystart 2 Reel in 4wt.
Catch - One Bass that went for the Simple Brown Dry Fly that I tied while taking the TPWD Basic Fly Fishing Class!
Notes - Bass are lurking in their beds but the algae aka "Greenery" is making for hard fishing. Other than top water presentations and fishing flies that can be fished in the upper water column, all others will be quickly fouled. Stick with fishing the upper water column!
Brief Description - After an initial trial at Lake Glenn, I began tinkering with the Water Wolf Camera 2.0's mount. The OEM version tends to foul when casted because of the metal rod that protrudes from the back of the mount. Will need to test it but for now, did have fun getting to this point with trips to Lake Glenn and Bethany Lakes!
Location - Fished Lake Glenn in Arlington and Bethany Lakes in Allen
Weather - Overcast and cloudy at Lake Glenn and bright and sunny at Bethany Lakes
Gear - Cabelas Bait Casting Rod/Reel Combo, 65 lbs Spiderwire, and a Rapala Husy Jerk 2.5" Suspended Crankbait at Lake Glenn and various lures/flies at Bethany Lakes including the Rapala.
Catch - Two Bass at Lake Glenn and one Bass and one Bluegill at Bethany Lakes
Notes - Need to adjust the leader from 20" to 12"-14" for clarity. Also, need to modify the mount; camera fell off after catching the second Bass at Lake Glenn.
Brief Description - Signed up for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Basic Fly Fishing Class and Fly Fishing Instructor Training hosted by the Dallas Fly Fishers.
Location - Rosemeade Recreation Center, Carrollton, TX
Weather - Windy and chilly with some sun later in the day.
Catch - No fish caught but did catch the "fishing fever"!
Notes - Basic course provided great info for fisherman interested in getting started fly fishing. Liked the fly tying section in particular. Tied a Wooley Bugger many times over the years but learned better ways to tie the pattern. Looking forward to future events as a Volunteer!
Brief Description - Modified the camera rigging to improve the point of view when deployed using .065 instead of .090 diameter trimmer line for the leader. Also, added a sliding fish finder rig to minimize the fouling of the hook.
Location - Fished the pier at Bethany Lakes, setting up on the right side as you face the street. Then, fished from the right to middle of the pier, tending more to the middle.
Weather - Cloudy with some sun at times. Rain was forecasted around 3PM, started fishing around 1PM and fished for an hour. Stopping once the battery died on the GoFish Cam.
Gear - Used the EmmRod Kayak King Spinning Rod/Reel Combo with braided line and a sliding float and swivel clip to attach the the GoFish Cam. Also, brought the Redington Pursuit 4wt-8ft Fly Rod with the Ross Flystart 2 Reel with 4wt WF flyline.
Catch - Caught two "Red-Ear" Perch using an Olive Near Deere in Size 10 with the fly rod. Also, had a small Bass take the fishing fly but lost it. Used bread balls and a circle hook on the GoFish Cam. No fish caught but did have Turtles and Bluegill picking at the bait.
Notes - Bass and Bluegill were cruising the pier. Easy casting distance. Olive Near Deere worked but the fish were "skittish". Also, fished under an indicator but removed it; fish wanted a movement and a "twitch" while retrieving would illicit a strike or at least get their "attention".
PS: Will follow-up with a "Lets Talk Fishing - Underwater Camera" Livestream Session". Do check back in the next few days!
Update: Posted the video of the "Lets Talk Fishing - Underwater Camera" Livestream Session" below!