Showing posts with label The 25. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The 25. Show all posts

Monday, July 29, 2013

A Return to Our Youth

Hey Everyone, 

It's warming up everywhere and with that water temperatures are rising as well. If you remember an older post I wrote it explained that when water temperature rises it ability to hold oxygen decreases. Water levels also drop (although this year has been a exception - understated I know) With that being said, its this time of year that I leave the cold water streams alone (unless they are at a reasonable altitude) and switch my focus to warm water titans. With all of the great trout fishing and feeling the powerful runs of steelhead its easy to forget how fun catching bream can be. I don't think there is any illusion as to how hard these little warm water titans can fight. Sure its fun to hook into a nice large or small mouth but bream are usually a bit more abundant and easier to catch. I also think that hooking a pumpkinseed or long ear reminds us of our youth. I would imagine that just about every one of us started our fishing passion with one of these little guys on the end of our line. Besides, spending the time sweating in the sun keeps your skills sharp for fall when the need to lay a dry fly just to the right of that rock is so much more important. I really hope that everyone finds the time to get out and spend a little time being a kid again.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Golden Bonefish

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to remind you that Carp on the fly is just around the corner. I haven't seen them yet but they will begin their spawning runs into creeks and rivers starting next month and continuing through June. After that you will be able to see them feeding in the shallows out in the lakes. If you have a Canoe, Kayak, or shallow draft boat you will be able to sneak up on them. Its been a long winter and spring fishing those trout streams so try to remember to strip set and not trout set. I recommend using a 7 or 8 weight but if your crazy like me try a 5 weight as long as you have a solid reel and watch your drag scream!

See you on the trail,
Lance

Sunday, December 30, 2012

The 25

Hey Everyone,

Well I'm sure that soon enough we will all get our fill of new years resolution blog post. They will be filled with reflections on this past year and the inevitable video montage. I know that I have been guilty of this in the past as well. So, I decided that instead of boring you to death with "this has been a great year" and "this is what I'm going to do" I would let you in on a little challenge that I have been doing for a year now. I call it the 25. It came to me one day when for no good reason I thought it might be fun to catch a carp on a fly rod. Well it was awesome! So, I decided to see what else might be fun to catch. I looked up all the freshwater game fish and made a list of the ones that I thought would be the most fun and within reasonable distance to catch. I have to admit that it has become less of a list and more of an adventure for me though. Its amazing the places you will end up like a crystal clear pond in New York state full of black and white crappie. Or to hike in three miles through the woods in June to find that slack water where you saw a long nose gar the year before. I have typed up my list here so that you can try your luck, skill, patience, what ever you call it and see if you can catch the 25.

Shad
American
Hickory

Bream
Blue Gill
Flier 
Green Sunfish
Pumpkin Seed
Red Breast Sunfish
Red Ear Sunfish
Spotted Sunfish
Warmouth

Crappie
Black
White

Bass
Large Mouth
Hybrid
Red Eye
Small Mouth
Spotted
Stripped

Trout
Brook
Brown
Rainbow

Long Fish
Chain Pickerel
Longnose Gar
Muskellunge

Carp
Common Carp

Obviously you can add to this list or you can create your own. Either way let me know if you take up the 25 fish challenge. And if you know a good spot and want to try and catch one on my list with me...well I say lets fish.

See you on the trail,
Lance

p.s. You can click on each fish for a little more info about that species.