Recent rains have our rivers high and discolored while recharging area ponds. Float tubing a pond with a 6-weight, intermediate (2 ips) line, and size-2 streamers cast into pockets in the weeds gave me fast action. Seventeen largemouths from Continue reading →

We spent last week on Florida’s “Forgotten Coast” getting a “salt fix,” having a great time with good friends overeating fresh seafood and wading the flats. The fishing was affected by red tide earlier in September but we caught Continue reading →

An upstream wade to the entrance of a small tributary led to fan-casting a large rocky eddy. Smallmouth bass seemed to lurk behind every rock and were eager to grab size-10 white/silver Mini Minnies. None were larger than 10 Continue reading →

The sprawling pond I chose for enjoying the beautiful weather was drenched in mid-afternoon sun that caused the bluegill population to locate 4 to 5 feet deep at the base of the coontail weedline. Sink-tip line cast parallel to the Continue reading →

A 3-wt. rod with 4X tippet and Sponge Spiders accompanied an evening stream wade in anticipation of catching “mean greenies” and longear sunfish. Many were landed before approaching a rocky pool tailout where smallmouths attacked the gently twitched Continue reading →

The stillness of a rock-strewn stream pool demanded careful probing with streamers.  A size-6 Muddler Minnow was slowly stripped until a smashing strike put a deep bend in my 6-weight. Four spectacular leaps ended in a flash of bronze Continue reading →

Recent cool rains lowered pond temperatures this week that renewed surface-feeding largemouth bass. A 7-wt. rod, 0X tippet, and a size-2 yellow Diving Frog accounted for many heart-stopping surface strikes. The weedless frog imitations were cast into thick weeds then Continue reading →

I took a 7-foot fiberglass rod on a downstream wade to a gravel-bottomed river bluff shielded from the current by multiple dead tree branches. Size-10 Sponge Spiders cast into shaded pockets brought splashy strikes and rod-bouncing fights from green sunfish Continue reading →

Our drought demands long upstream wades to deep pools. This time I used a 6-weight with full-sink line and a 3-foot length of 3X tippet for Craw Bullys to sink to the rocky substrate. A lift, drop, strip retrieve imparted Continue reading →

While float tubing a large, sun-drenched pond this week, I jump-started the slow fishing action with full-sinking line and a 3-fly cast. Two woolly buggers (1 light, 1 dark) and a black Bass Bully as the dropper were kick-trolled along Continue reading →