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The Things We See While Fly Fishing

I am always amazed at the variety of wildlife that I experience while in nature and fly-fishing…this past Thursday night I walked about 4 miles of one of my favorite creeks and did very well catching a batch of nice smalliesGeese13022…but as I walked down the stream I ran across a family of geese with 6 young goslings that were about half grown. They stayed ahead of me for a good mile of the creek and we became very comfortable with each other and the video below is pretty simple, but cute and really was a treat for me while fly-fishing.

RookeryOfHerons13010The second part of the video is of a rookery of Herons that I came upon. I first spotted this group last year, but with the foliage intact, you couldn’t get a real first-hand view of just exactly what was up there above you and how many nests were actually there. I am still not sure how many adult birds there were but I would estimate the number being over 100. So, if like me, you love the wildlife of nature along the way….then please enjoy these short videos of some great southern Indiana scenery.

Sweet Owen Tom

Hunting and fishing are funny in that sometimes things just don’t go the way you planned for them to go…then they do; it seems like the harder you try the less productive it becomes. Such was the case early on Saturday, May 4th as I left my home very early and pulled into my favorite Owen County farm in the dark. I was in hopes that it wouldn’t rain on me as I stepped out into the darkness across the half mile long hay meadow. Turkey13005On this day I would be hunting “commando” style…meaning I was going into the woods early and setting up less than a hundred yards from where I thought a group of birds would be roosted. I have taken birds this way before, especially gobblers that are ‘henned’ up…they will gobble and talk at you, but they are very unlikely to go looking for love when they have several hens already in their harem.

As darkness finally started to lift and what seemed like every song bird in the country opened up…I eagerly awaited the morning’s first gobble. I slowly turned my head from side to side peering through the faint light, looking for one or many dark globs in the towering trees that surrounded me, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t see any birds. Regardless, I was patient and knew that at any moment Mr. Tom would open up with his morning call. I waited and waited and as things go…7am rolled around and I had heard nothing, not a peep from anywhere. Now, I have turkey hunted most of my life and I know that on some days the woods are just going to be silent, I don’t know why, but I do know that this is how it is.

I decided I would call, walk, listen and just enjoy the morning. I eased my way along, quietly calling with my box call and listening for anything that might signal an interested Tom turkey. I particularly like to stop and listen anytime geese or crows start their morning cry and as it turned out I was about half a mile from my starting point in the woods when I heard a group of crows open up…followed by a faint gobble. I quickly placed my box call in my vest and briskly walked towards the gobble…once I had gone what I thought would be halfway, I stopped and slid out my box call and gave one slow yelp; GOBBLE! This time it was much louder and no question as to the direction. Luckily I was on a nice path and I hustled ahead about another 100 yards and sat down against a tree with a valley below me where I could clearly see 100 yards in the direction of the bird.

I pulled up my head net and got comfortable…slid out my slate call and quietly made a soft yelp, GOBBLE! This time the return call was very loud and I knew we were ‘engaged’…so to speak. I have learned through the years that less is more and waited about 30 seconds when once again GOBBLE! Quickly followed by another GOBBLE! This time I could feel the volume of the gobble and knew it was going to happen. Once more I made another yelp on my slate; this time even quieter than before-GOBBLE…followed by another GOBBLE and then there in the darkness of the woods was a white head moving directly towards me. Now…it is at this moment that it doesn’t matter how many times you have done this, or how many birds you have shot, this is what it is all about and your heart rate increases and even good hunters have to slow themselves down and control things. I eased my slate call to the side of my leg and slowly eased my shotgun up onto my knee. I knew that at this point this old bird knew exactly where I was and he didn’t need any further information.

I watched as he head-bobbed his way towards me and as he crossed the small creek that was flowing with water, his beard dipped into the creek.Turkey13003 There was no doubt that he was smitten and was on his way to do what Tom turkeys do! As he walked behind a big Gum tree I raised my gun into shooting position and in seconds there he stood, in full strut at about 25 yards. The display was another one of ‘those’ memories that I won’t soon forget; it was brilliant and there was just enough natural sunlight for me to see all the various shades and hues of his ‘coat of many colors’. I waited and he came out of strut, stepped towards me neck extended and I made one quick and lethal shot…I had just watched one of the greatest spring dances unfold before me and I knew I had been blessed by these past few minutes.

My bird weighed in at 20 pounds with an 11 inch beard and 27 mm spurs…and was in perfect condition; this meant that after many years and many birds I am having this bird mounted. I called up one of the best taxidermy guy’s around…Bill at Bill’s Taxidermy and asked if I should do anything with the bird? He told me to bring it to him and he would take it from there and later that afternoon that is exactly what I did…so, if you are looking for a guy who really knows his stuff, give Bill a call at 825-4204 and he will take care of your taxidermy needs.

So while my day started out slowly, by just enjoying nature I was able to harvest a gorgeous bird and solidify a memory that will long stay there in the back of my mind; I hope that you will give turkey hunting a try and that you too….will have an opportunity to experience the greatest of all spring dances as we Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Water Clarity

Friday, April 26th was much like other Fridays at school…but it was the end of a pretty long week and through most of the week it had been wet and when combined with busy, well that meant that I had not been fishing since the previous weekend. I drove the old red Suburban to school and within a half an hour from the end of school I was changing into my waders and preparing to fish for smallmouth down one of my most favored creeks. I knew the water levels would be up….but wasn’t sure how clear the water would be; what I didn’t expect was what happened first. As I stepped into the flowing water and took the fly from my rod I looked downstream in time to see a Bald Eagle flying about 15 feet over the creek and heading right at me. I won’t say I jumped back, but it did startle me to see such a big bird flying so low…the crows were buzzing at and around the eagle and they continued to dive bomb the big bird with regularity all the way up the creek! Once again, things you see when you get out into nature…pretty amazing!

OK…so after that excitement I took the time to pay close attention to the stream and yes, it was for sure up, about a foot and the water was indeed flowing pretty swiftly, more so than usual…but the big factor was quickly evident; the stream was stained about halfway on my own scale.WaterClarityApril26002 Turbidity is the term used to describe how ‘dirty’ a lake or stream is and biologists use a Secchi Disk to determine the turbidity; the disk is lowered into the water until it can no longer be seen, this depth is then recorded. The Secchi Disk is generally used in lakes and in slow moving streams…that being the case I will refer back to my own system, the stream was about halfway between clear and non-fishable.

Water clarity is vital to fishing success because a fish generally won’t eat what it can’t see. Yes, fish do have lateral lines that help out much of the time but in these small streams the smallmouth follow and chase what they think is a baitfish and for sure it helps your chances in catching fish to have a color that the fish themselves can actually see and follow.

Now here is where most folks think that because the stream is stained that it is going to be no good…well, that just isn’t the case. In fact (my opinion again) I like to fish a stream with a little stain, maybe at 3 or 4 on a scale of 10. The reason is two-fold, usually this means the water is up and this also means that these ambush fish are likely to follow and be aggressive and secondly, the fish themselves can’t see you as easily. What I have found fly-fishing is that I don’t have to be as careful when there is a slight to medium stain on the water. One of the toughest times I have each year is in the summer when the water levels drop and the color of the water drops to a 1 or so on the above scale. It can be almost impossible to stalk close enough to actually cast a fly into a pool…so I go back to my scale and the water on this particular Friday was at about 5.

The next step is in picking out a color that the fish will be able to see and yet represents a color of acceptance, by that I mean a flashing neon orange fly may not work because these fish aren’t stupid and know what is and isn’t a possibility. When the water is stained I have two go to colors; yellow or lime green (chartreuse), others may have a variety they use, not me, one of these two colors will work and that is all I need to know. On this day I decided to go with a heavy chartreuse bunny leach as I wanted both a fly that could be seen and one that I could fish from the bottom point of a hole to the top…with the water flowing swiftly the added weight would help me to get the fly low enough in the water column.

The first couple holes I came to both gave up one small (12”) smallie. That was a good sign that the fish were looking and my fly was in the strike zone. As I neared the deepest hole on this stretch of water I carefully started at the very top of the run and worked my way methodically down through the stream into the deeper portion. Once again, when the water clarity is low…you will need to be more methodical and place the fly in every nook and cranny that you think might actually hold a fish as they can’t see across the pool to come and get the fly. I was about halfway down the pool, I  made a long cast of about 30 feet into the right hand portion of the current and just allowed the fly to swing from right to the left edge of the current…I could feel the fly vibrating due to the flow of water over the fly-line. I made a couple small strips and then again, left the fly to ‘vibrate’. A couple more strips and another pause…when I felt a pop and snap set the rod. It was at that moment that I knew I had hooked a substantial fish. SmallieApril26006I cleared the line with my left hand and got the fish on the reel and finally could feel the full weight of my adversary. This is where experience paid off and I just allowed the fish to pull against the stream and the drag of the reel…up, down, left, right and in a few seconds I was able to work the fish into slower water. It was then and there that I could see that I had landed a trophy…this big hen was full of eggs and would provide a passel of new life for this small stream. A couple of photos and a quick measurement and back to the depths she went…another catch for another day.

This spring when you are out fishing your favorite lake, pond or stream…give water clarity some thought and I know you’ll do very well as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Feather Craft Meat Locker Fly Box Review

The folks at Feather Craft in St.Louis, Missouri have a great line of products and they are my ‘go to’ for all my fly tying needs and materials…each time I call they go above and beyond the call of duty to help me find exactly what I need.FlysInFeatherCraftMeatLockerFlyBox

I made a big spring order the other day and decided to try their own FC Meat Locker fly box. I didn’t know exactly how good the product would be at just $29.99 (that is half of some of the other fly boxes of the same ability). I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this large fly box and being a guy who strips streamers 100% of the time….wow…it was fantastic to have a large variety in one box; in fact, I combined 3 fly boxes into one and the photo you see is all of my smallmouth and largemouth flies (not all, but all the styles I tie and use). So….if you are looking for a great fly box at a great price…give the FC Meat Locker a look.FeatherCraftMeatLockerFlyBox

The Passage

Depending on how you look at it…your kids growing up is and can be both a great thing and sort of a bummer. On one hand I’ve completely enjoyed watching my two sons grow, mature and morph into real people that can take care of daily chores without much help or guidance. Through the years some of the very best times I have had as a parent have come in the outdoors; hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and golfing! I have been there as they shot their first pheasant, caught their first trout, etc…and those are moments that I wouldn’t have missed for anything!

Saturday, April 20th was the first day of youth turkey hunting here in Indiana and Jonas and I were up early and off to an Owen County farm in hot pursuit of a gobbler; we also had my boat and a float tube in the Suburban for a little afternoon fishing.

We eased down the corn row and slid into a nice spot to listen and take in all that the morning offered. I waited a bit and then reached into my pack and pulled out my owl hooter…gave a few sharp notes as an owl and before I could even listen our first bird gobbled. JonasFloatTubeOtterCreek007I quickly found a spot for Jonas to sit and I moved a few feet deeper into the woods and waited. A few seconds later another loud gobble resounded through the woods and I knew the game was on. I love a slate call and eased it out, made a few soft yelps and Mr. Tom went nuts, double gobbling and really raising a ruckus. In just a few minutes we both heard him fly down and I whispered for Jonas to get his gun up and look to his right…now this is where I should continue on with some great story…but the old bird didn’t like something, walked to the edge of the field and walked slowly the other direction! Sacre bleu!

No sweat as it was early, so we picked up and moved quietly along the woods to another hay meadow and eased our way to a point where we could see the entire field…there before us was a big group of turkeys with what appeared to be at least two Toms. Once again having knowledge of the field paid off and we backed down into the woods and leap-frogged about a ¼ mile of edge cover. As we neared the hay meadow we could hear two big boys gobbling hard and so we quietly slipped to within about 15 yards and I had Jonas sit just in front of me; to our right, through the foliage we could see several birds walking around and there, in the middle were the two Toms in full strut. They were about 100 yards out and the noise that they were creating was pretty impressive.

I knew things were going to get interesting and had Jonas settle in and get his shotgun up…I reached down and gave a soft yelp on my slate call; immediately both birds gobbled, several times. As I peered through the leaves and briars I could see a bird moving our way, seconds later there were two Jakes in front of Jonas and curiously dawdling around, looking into the woods for the future love of their life! Over the next 45 minutes I tried everything I knew to do…but the big boys didn’t budge, they just kept gobbling, spinning, spitting and every time I even touched my call they gobbled in unison. It was one of the most impressive shows I have seen in my many hunts…but this is where the story ends. But for the lack of pulling the trigger we had a truly great experience, however we couldn’t get the birds to close to a comfortable shooting distance and eventually the Jakes returned to the Toms and they all slowly meandered away down the middle of the meadow. I was pleased with all we had experienced and proud of Jonas for waiting and not taking a Jake…and the good news, well, within an hour we were just west of Linton and on one of my favorite lakes.

I dropped Jonas off with my float tube, his fly rod and a few flies I had tied for him and left him…took my boat and went around the shore and put my boat in at the launch area. We fished for about three hours and once again Jonas did very well, landing about 10 bass, the largest was 17 inches. I had left him in a cove that was out of the wind; when I motored around the corner I saw this big kid in a float tube, casting a beautiful line…I watched and he stripped a few times and then hooked and landed a decent bass. It struck me that here before me was not just a physically big kid, who is already 6’5”…but a kid who really knows what he is doing. Landing a bass might have been a small accomplishment but the way it was done gave me that moment of warmth, where I was proud of his ability to handle a fly-rod…and handle himself. I had watched a few years back as Harrison made his passage from boy to man; here before me was the same thing…Jonas had moved from this little kid to a man that I know is going to go places and do great things. It is easy for me to say, but I know that our time in the outdoors, experiencing nature, was, is and will be a big part of his growth, a big part of the person that he is becoming and a big part of the person that he will eventually be.

If you have a special someone in your life, a young person who would benefit from time in nature…then don’t hesitate as you will reap a harvest of blessings! I hope to see you and the next generation as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

ROLF – River of Life Farms

Before you think I’ve went crazy or all of sudden can’t spell…ROLF stands for River Of Life Farms. In early April, Frank Terkhorn, Vickie and I journeyed to Dora, Missouri and spent a couple nights at ROLF. The whole things started a few weeks back when I decided I wanted to make a trip to south central Missouri and fish the North Fork of the White River that flows out of the Mark Twain National Forests, southward and eventually hooks up with Bryants Creek, then flows a couple more miles and enters Northfork Lake. You might guess that the North Fork of the White is a fly-fishing destination…and it is, in fact it is the only naturally reproducing rainbow trout stream in Missouri with a reputation for growing some large trout.

I searched for places to stay in the area and came up with ROLF, then contacted Myron McKee, the owner and operator. You can visit the website and see all that they have to offer…I will tell you that we stayed at the newest cabin, the Lighthouse, and it was all and even way more than we ever thought it could be. The Lighthouse at ROLFThe Lighthouse is built 60 feet high upon stilts and sits directly next to (it even seems to be over the river) the North Fork itself.

The cabin has everything a person could ever want; its 1200 square feet has a central kitchen and living area with a bedroom on each side. The front bedroom has a sit-in bay window that opens to the river and sits just beside the hot tub (there is also one in the other bedroom). The large front porch has a view that is second to none and was where we spent most of our time…looking down the canyon and out over the river as  you can look directly into the crystal clear water as it flows by, at times it was quite mesmerizing! Lastly, I must add that Myron was a pleasure to work with and answered our many questions and helped out at each and every turn…so, please take a look at the website and give the area and ROLF a visit.

The North Fork isn’t a simple river to fish…by any stretch of the imagination. I knew going in that this was an exploratory venture and tried to put as little pressure upon myself as possible; the truth is that I couldn’t wait to get going and after a 7 ½ hour drive, a little time fly-fishing was just what the doctor ordered. We talked to Myron and he suggested that we go upstream and put in just below the large Rainbow Springs and then float back to the cabin, so we pumped up our new Voyagers, lashed them to the top of my Suburban, drove a few minutes north and launched upon the cold, clear, 56 degree water as it flowed south towards Arkansas.

The video was shot with my iPad from the front porch of the Lighthouse Cabin. Truly a wonderful view of a gorgeous river …

The upper half of the river, below rainbow springs, is known for its native population of big, hungry rainbows… frankly rainbows aren’t known for being terribly aggressive with streamers, well at least the smaller ones-I was in hot pursuit of a big fish. I had my new 5 weight TQR rod with a Rio streamer line, along with a couple fly patches of bigger streamer flies and started casting at each likely looking spot along the way.ROLF1026 Once again I knew this wouldn’t be easy but here I was, an hour in and hadn’t had yet even had a hit…it was at this point that my mind started wondering back to the many hours chasing trout; did I have the wrong color, wrong tippet size, stripping too fast, too slowly, etc…and it was at about that point that I felt a bang, not a tug on my line. My brain reacted and sent an impulse to my left hand, whereby my left hand strip set and as they say…the battle was on! The first few seconds are the best as I didn’t know what I had…I just knew that it was big. I kept my composure and got the fish on the reel and it was at that moment that up out of the water launched a big and very colorful rainbow. Patience, patience…I kept reminding myself, don’t get crazy and try and crank in a big fish that was using the river current to its own benefit. My little 5 weight rod was bent double and my arm was extended straight up trying to use the drag of the reel to tire the behemoth as it pulled tirelessly against my 3X tippet!

As you can see from the photo above…I did eventually net my trophy, a 21 inch buck rainbow. I was able to share this special moment with Frank and he obliged me by taking a few pics of me and this amazing fish before we watched as it eased its way back into the cool, clear waters of the North Fork River.

>>> Click Here <<< to listen to a short synopsis of the North Fork of the White River. After floating most of the lower sections I have a much better idea of where to put in and take out as well as where you might find some of the better fishing.

For those of you looking for some great fishing in a truly magnificent wilderness area, please give the North Fork River area some consideration and give Myron a call at River of Life Farms. You will find that the river and the accommodations are both second to none; I hope to see you along the way as we all Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

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