The Fishbum Chronicles

UPDATE!

pkrotine — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:59:17 +0000

Just so everyone knows, I will be trying to do updates once a week, if I can get to it. The new job and fishing have me tied down in other places that don’t include the internet. Hopefully I can find sometime soon and do a new post, until then, peace!

Hawg Callin’ 7/27

pkrotine — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:36:27 +0000

Took a buddy out to a private pond for some big bass. This pond has always been a good one, producing big bass year after year. He has been dying to do some pond fishing all year, and finally the stars aligned in both of our schedules and I got him to a good pond. He really wanted to fish Gurglers, Sneaky Petes and various other top waters, but not here. No my friend, this is Hawg Callin’ water; big streamers for big fish. We started off by the beach, and worked our way counter clockwise around the lake. I wanted to try a new streamer out and it was the only fly I fished all day. I caught my first fish on my third cast, and the pattern for the day began.

This pond is an old rock quarry, so it gets really deep really fast. The fish were hanging just on the edge of the drop off ambushing bait fish, which in this pond are schooling shad. It took my buddy a while to figure this pattern out, mainly ’cause he wanted no help. I like his style. I caught bass on 3 of my next ten casts, all about the same size.

After I sent that fish home we continued walking around the pond, catching a few smaller bass and some bluegill. Then all hell broke lose for about 30 minutes, with us catching four, four pound bass and countless others.

Pete started off with the first one.

This fish was fat as all get out, these pictures don’t do the fish justice.

Then I caught one, I wouldn’t have know the fish was there if Pete hadn’t caught a smaller one and it chased it in.

Pete then worked his way around the cove, and I hooked another good fish, Pete was around to get the photo-op so I had to improvise.

He then casted out a test pattern and quickly found out it worked… Well.

We finished the day walking around the lake catching smaller fish, but nothing real big.

I will post up the secret fly later this week. Getting a new job has put a crimp in my fishing and blogging.

Watts Bar Lake, TN Family Vacation.

pkrotine — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:37:46 +0000

I had left last Thursday For Spring City, Tennessee to spend the Fourth with family. Destination, Watts Bar Lake. From what I could find out about this lake, there was tons of good fishing to be had. But I found tough conditions, from the lack of rain, then sudden amounts of rain.

Fishing could have been better, but for me it was amazing for simple reasons. I got my uncle and cousin onto their first fish on the fly. Both of them caught hoards of bluegills. There weren’t many bass to be taken, but in the two days we fished, we got 10 bass. All of them were spotted bass. For me this was a fish I haven’t ever caught, and would be glad to catch them again. They are fierce fighters on the 4wt. They seem to be like smallies in the fact they never give up, even when you net them. The average spot ran about 15 inches, which I understand is a big fish for that specie.

I will call this post to an end, for the lack of pictures(dropping the camera in the water the first day will do that). I hope to return rather soon and slam them, this time with camera in hand.

Modified Stripper Leech

pkrotine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:41:15 +0000

For as long as I have been tying, I try to look at patterns for what they are, and try and go from there. For instance, I based this pattern off of the old stand-by wooly bugger. For many people, they bugger is a confidence pattern, and one they can tie on in the toughest of situations and catch fish. For me that pattern hasn’t ever been one of confidence, and I for the life of me cannot catch a fish on this pattern. I think in my entire fly fishing life I have caught one maybe two fish on the wooly bugger. It wasn’t even a standard bugger, it had rubber legs, tons of flash and a conehead. Needless to say it armed and ready for battle.

Many patterns are based off of existing one’s and the Modified Stripper Leech is no exception. For me this one has always been a real fish catcher, and I dont know why it is. It is simple and doesn’t look like much, unless you have it in the water, and that is what it’s most deadly (you’d have to be an idiot to not realize that). So here it is, for the first time to my viewing audiance the MSL:

Heres the Recipe For it:
Hook: Daiichi 1750 size 8-12
Cone-Head: 1/4 black or nickel
Lead: .030
Tail: Natural Rabbit Tail, any color will do
Body: Peacock Ice Dub
Wing: Natural Rabbit Tail in a dubbing loop

You can add rubber legs if you like, but I don’t like rubber legs on this pattern. Anyways there it is, simple as can be. Now go tie some and start catching fish! Good luck and tight lines!

Long Time No Post…. AGAIN!

pkrotine — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:52:00 +0000

I have been busy like a mo’ fo’ lately, hench the reason for no posting.

I have been fishing, trying to find a job (anyone in North East Ohio looking for a guy who learns jobs fast?) and tying for my next trip to Tennessee. I will be staying on the Tennessee River, in Spring City, TN from July 2nd – July 7th. It doesn’t also help the fishing here has been so slow, I have been fishing the cover tighter and losing more flies than usual and thus having to tie for hours on end for how many flies I’ve been losing.

But thus summer fishing is upon us. From what I have been hearing and from my own experience, everything has been slow. Slow, slow and S-L-O-W! The steelies have been done for weeks, the lake run smallies have been done for about two weeks and the Green Drakes (in PA, DUH!) are coming off sporadically, if at all.

I also have been playing around with some patterns lately, which I will be show-casing in a few weeks, as well as two rods. Also, if you have them, send some fish pictures, travel pictures or just pictures that are off the wall, the email is pkrotine@gmail.com, just send a little snippet and you will see it here. Until next time, have fun and catch big fish!

Florida

pkrotine — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:28:00 +0000

The fishing has been pretty uneventful until tonight. When I caught this awesome specie:

The second picture is me totally being a bitch about it, but you would be too if you had a pissed off gar snapping its teeth at you!

One Last Ohio Report Before I Leave For Florida

pkrotine — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Caught some good fish. Also in one hole I got four different species on four consecutive cast’ . Overall it was my best day fishing this year yet, seeing as I caught over 50 fish in about 3 1/2 hours. Pumpkin Seed’s and Bass dominate this lake. But with the Green Sunfish in there now, it shouldn’t be long until they alone dominate the lake. Either way, this lake is great and I love it there. Here are the pictures of the four different species on four different cast’

Largemouth Bass…

pkrotine — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:43:00 +0000

regardless of size are tons of fun, especially on poppers. Hell, I will even take them on clousers. Proof positive it works is here.

I love bass, always have and always will. Not to say I don’t enjoy other species,but bass seem to be plentiful, pretty and full of piss and vigor. They will hit a top-water popper on top harder than any other fish I know of. Man do I love Bass.

Grand River 5/16

pkrotine — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Fished the Grand today for four hours and landed 6 fish. It could have been a better day, but I enjoyed the nice weather and the good company. We caught them on mostly everything we threw at them. Clousers, warm water mini fluffs, crease flys, stealth bombers and flashdancers, you name it, they hit it. It was a matter of keeping them on that was the problem. Especially with the crease flys as they would roll over them rather than hit them from underneath. Oh well, we enjoyed it… Even though the canoe hatch has happened early this year. Here are some pictures from today.

Best fish of the day, about 17 1/2″

Good fish, but not as big as the others, about 14″

One of my three fish of the day, I rarely come from behind the lens

Florida In 13 Days

pkrotine — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:49:00 +0000

Yes, you read it right, I will be heading to Sebring Florida on May 26th. It’s supposed to be a family vacation, but luckily my cousin and uncle love fishing and we will be doing our fair share of fishing. I hope to head to the ‘glades for a day or two. I hope to have a fishing report or two from Ohio before I go there, so I don’t leave all my readers hanging. Tight lines!