Piketastic

So yesterday I decided I would head out on some backwaters before any sort of rain for the day came to be.. It was very windy.. winds were probably in the 10-20mph range.. But that did not deter me.. Now that I have my Redington Predator 9wt.. This day I came to find out that this rod definitely can handle the high winds...

I got water side around 9:30am.. Wasn't planning on fishing long as my elbow has been giving me some problems.. Probably because I've been fishing daily since last Tuesday.. My apartment definitely shows that there are other priorities at the moment!... I tie on a yellow, orange and black clouser and within a couple casts I have my first pike of the day.. Nothing spectacular.. Maybe 14".. But that was enough to let me know they were on the prowl.. It started out slow after that.. Short strikes and missed hits...

As the morning went on it became a more productive day.. The pike were definitely warming up to the clouser I had tied.. As I had landed about 3 more pike in the 18-20" range and one monster bluegill that measured roughly the size of a silver dollar!..

I bomb a cast out there.. And BAM! My rod almost doubles over and I'm in for a fight.. Or so I thought.. Next thing I know he zips towards me and into a snag that I could not see.. And I was left to just pull on the rod until either my line snapped or his teeth cut the line.. POP! Disappointing.. But not discouraging.. I kept casting and landed a few more pike before the rain rolled in.. Good morning if you ask me.. And well it's looking like a good morning right now.. So I suppose I should hit some water yet again.. So until next time!


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Full Circle

It's funny how things can come full circle... About 10 years ago or so I woke up one morning.. Looked out my window and saw the backdoor of my car open.. I ran downstairs and it was all gone.. My rods.. My tackle.. And my disc golf bag that had roughly a dozen discs in it.. a couple hundred dollars worth of shit... Gone... I still had a rod left.. An old Shakespeare Ultralight combo that I had snagged when I was still a teenager while fishing the backwaters of the miss... This rod brought me to a whole new level of fishing.. Ultralight fishing... Bass.. pike.. anything.. on a maximum of 6# mono or 10# braid... You got to really feel the full fight of the fish.. unlike with the med-med. heavy bass rods I had flung previous to what I was left with now..

I look back on the day some pathetic piece of shit decided to steal my gear and think.. Had my stuff not been stolen.. I probably would have never actually used the kmart $20 special... And I would have not been forced to enjoy fishing for big fish on small gear... And my love of the UL would have not trancended into what is now fly fishing.. I would have never imagined catching trout/bluegills on a rod with slightly less bend than a limp noodle... Or catching pike and large bass on a 5wt... Now that I think about it.. I hope the kids got good use out of the gear.. Because in the end.. I'm happy with where circumstances left me.. Full Circle...

Kickin' Bass...

Man the Largemouth action has been absolutely crazy.. Today they were in full force.. Chasing around schools of minnows in the shallows.. Meat Whistle has still been my go-to fly at the moment... Anything white or silver should land you plenty of bass in the shallows right now!