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! Click-on Fish Bulletin Board to checkout fish caught by our readers.
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.
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!
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!
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.
Been tinkering with "material in the scrap bin". Came up with a Mini Balsa Wood Lathe using wood, a small electric motor, and nuts/bolts/nails. Works well making Balsa Popper Bodies. Made two so far... one of which is a Tube Balsa Popper that is based on Tube Fishing Flies. More to come once we get it tested. Also, do stay tuned to our updates; plan to post an article on how we made the Mini Balsa Wood Lathe!
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.
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!
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.
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!
Not able to go fishing today but did make some time to make another variation of the Balsa Popper Krystal Hackle (BPKH) Fishing Fly. This one uses color Sharpies instead of paint and smaller size hooks. Liking how these turned out; now got to go "test" them out!
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!
Was out this afternoon doing errands with the significant other. While at the Container Store saw a sealed glass container on sale for a $1.99. Thought it would make an easy workaround to the PVC Body which takes a little more work and money to complete. Bought the container, made another LED Circuit Assembly, and sure enough it worked! For more on making your own Green LED Fishing Light, check out our articles - see links below.
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!
Fished Cy Miller Park Pond in College Station this afternoon. Been here before and did well. This round was tough; lots of moss to tangle fishing flies. Managed to catch three Bluegill though! All went for a COAF Guadalupana!
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!
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!